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Our RB's

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bshaw28

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I watched our RB Coach Merritt's interview - and he made 2 points I might agree and disagree with the most when it comes to RB's

Point 1 (@5:55 - Disagree) - "At the end of the day, if you can't pass pro, you can't play here. For the guys to get on the field, that's #1"

If Girard Pringle comes in running & receiving like Jahmyr Gibbs but sucks in pass pro, he'll see the field. A LOT.

I'm not saying pass pro isn't important. I'm saying it's importance is wildly overstated. It's far from #1. I can give a ton of examples why.

All that really matters is his next point....

Point 2 (@6:23 - Agree) - "At the end of the day, the name of the game is making explosive plays. You've got to be able to create on your own. When you have those 1 on 1 matchups, you have to win them more often than not. It doesn't mean that every single time you're going to juke a defender out of his shoes. I mean, if you've got some space, and it's blocked for 5 yards, I need more than 5 yards."

I always say the OL can only do so much. Any RB can run through a huge hole. It's what RB's do when facing defenders that determines how good they are.

RB's can make defenders miss 3 ways - outrun them (Speed), run through them (Power), make them miss (Elusiveness). The elite have all 3 (or at least 2). But in some way, being able to consistently make plays & create for yourself is really all that matters for a RB.

BONUS - Fletcher was listed at 226 on his recruiting profile. He was 225 on the roster as a Freshman. He was 225 on the roster as a Sophomore. Now he's spent all offseason transforming his body and (according to both Mark & Coach Merritt).....he now weighs 225. Why there's such distrust of listed weights is funny to me.


 
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Agree 1,000% BShaw.

When you take a look at the best RB's, pass protection is literally dead last on the list of qualities & attributes that makes them elite.

It's a really big deal on CIS because it's been used as the proverbial 9 Iron to bludgeon us to Death about why (insert fast young RB here) can never get on the field.

It's also why there's always a premium placed on big slow fizzicull RB's, because we always need them to do double duty as a backup Left/Right Guard.
 
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As usual, it’s somewhere in the middle. Pass pro is incredibly important. Our QB needs to be encased in glass, if we lose him the season is over. If a back misses a blitz pickup and the defender kills Beck, it’s game over.

However, if a kid is struggling in pass pro, it’s absurd to say he can’t play. If he’s Willis McGahee but kinda clueless where the blitz is coming from, you find a way to get him the ball in space, even if you can’t trust him to play a ton.

Gray area. As usual.
 
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Canesfan1899 said:
Don Soldinger said the same about rb’s. You get on the field when they can trust you to protect the qb.
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Coincidentally, I talked to Coach Soldinger at length today at practice. He said that our running back room is close to what he had back in the day. I think that's too ambitious, but I'm quoting him. He loves the physicality and temperament of Lyle, Fletcher, and Brown.

One thing he discussed was using more two-back sets. I think Fletcher is more similar to Alonzo Highsmith than Willis McGahee, so he's a great lead blocker in those scenarios (as is Lofton).

But yes, Miami's great running backs were known for their pass blocking. Edge, Gore and Portis were among the best pass protectors at the NFL level. McGahee wasn't as consistent, but powerful when he was on (see him flipping and injuring Cam Wake in the '01 PSU game).
 
I don't think pass pro is very important to actually be good at. What is important is knowing your job and at least trying your best in pass protection (without picking up penalties). If you're constantly going the wrong direction or not filling inside or whatever, then yeah youre just not going to see the field unless it's specific situations.

But whether someone is an A or just a B pass protector barely matters at all. Id rather a B pass protector but a guy who can actually catch vs an A pass protector who drops every dump off. Id rather a C pass protector but who tries and at least puts his body on the line to protect the QB if he's consistently picking up 6 ypc and breaking 20+ yarders every game.
 
I think as big of a reason that an RB needs to be good at pass protection is so that you aren’t giving away that it’s a running play every time that RB is on the field. If every opponent knows that RB ___ can’t provide pass protection, then the opposing DC has to know that the offense intends to run the ball when RB ___ is in the game. And that in turn makes the offense easier to defend.

Every coordinator is looking for small advantages and knowing that an offensive skill position player can only do one thing tips the hand of the offense every time that player is in the game.

If a TE can only block, then every time that TE checks into the game, the opposing DC is pretty confident it will be a running play. Players have to be good at more than one thing or their advantage will be neutralized.
 
johnnytsunami01 said:
Listed weight means little to nothing, but tbf you can completely change your body and stay the same weight, body composition can change
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This. When I was on my 20s and in an unhappy marriage and eating nothing but Macaroni Grill I weighed the same as I do now working out every day. I couldn't have looked more different.
 
I don’t know why I feel like point #2 quote was directed at Fletcher. He has to become more elusive once he gets past the line of scrimmage. He can get 4-5 yards with ease..we need more explosive plays from him.
 
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OrangeBowlMagic said:
How weird are you people?
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Cane30 said:
Has anyone taken a good look at our QB room? If you can't pass block, you will be lucky to see the field. Beck staying healthy is the top priority of this football team and nothing else comes close to it's importance.
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This take is insane. We can't say Miami is this elite OL with elite coaching while simultaneously saying everyone has to block. Their are more than enough ways to cover for defencies.
 
cway313 said:
This take is insane. We can't say Miami is this elite OL with elite coaching while simultaneously saying everyone has to block. Their are more than enough ways to cover for defencies.
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What? Isn't it pretty widely accepted that the Philadelphia Eagles have the best OL in football, with probably the best coach? Do you think Saquon Barkley and Kenny Gainwell don't pass block when they have to?

Or you're a Lions fan, right? You think Jahmyr Gibbs doesn't pass block?

It's obviously not the most important thing, he's a game-breaking back and breaking games is why he's there. But it's an insane take to say your backs need to pass block? What? We could have 5 Orlando Pace's on the OL, there are times the defense sends more than you can block and you don't have a hot read to immediately get rid of the ball, your back has to be able to recognize that and stick his mask into someone's chest or your QB gets killed. And on this team, if the QB gets killed, the team gets killed.

 
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