The
with his usual grand slam.
Excellent post brother! I agree with most everything and thought that Friday night was a great showing for game 1 vs an inferior opponent. The difference in this team from last years is truly night and day. We have 2 very good coordinators and I agree that Guidry is the real deal and that he could be the best DC we have had in a very long time. I like Dawson but I'm curious to see how he is going to attack teams like TAMU, UNC, FSU and Clemson. I would also like to discuss your opinion about the running game being the foundation and core identity of our offense. I have no problem with that in general and trust me I'm absolutely thrilled with this Offensive Line and they are just getting started. By the end of the year this OL could be a juggernaut.
My question/concern is that against the teams I listed above, we are not necessarily going to be able to run the ball at will and I'm curious how Dawson is going to attack those teams. Assuming TVD gets back to 100% I think that Dawson should be ready to pass first in order to set up the running game. TVD is at his best in a fast paced tempo where he gets into a rhythm as a passer. I just hope that Mario doesn't force us into being a run first team before we are ready to be. I think we need to utilize our RBs and TEs in an uptempo passing game then bash them over the skull with our running game. What do you think?
I’m waiting to see how things go against more parallel competition like TAMU before I make too definitive of an opinion of the Offense overall. I think in-part the gameplan vs Miami of Ohio was specifically due to TVD’s hand & the idea that this team would be an easy W once we establish control of the line of scrimmage, just due to the massive talent disparity.
I don’t necessarily have a problem with the run game being the primary core of the offensive identity,
if it works; but in order for us to beat teams like TAMU, UNC, FSU, we 1,000% without question have to have a good passing attack. Being conservative & trying to play safe will lose us those games, so it’s either we attack & score TD’s or lose trying to have field position battles & kick FG’s all day.
The thing that gives me hope is the fact that Dawson has had a multifaceted playbook before; I’ve watched a ton of Dawson’s Offense at pretty much every stop he’s been at once he was hired by Miami & he’s essentially run both styles/philosophies of Offense. At West VA & Houston, he had a very high Octane Air Raid style that incorporated heavy quick passing attacks, at Kentucky, he had an extremely slow & methodical Bro style bro Run heavy system, at Southern Miss he had high volume passing offense when he had a good QB in Nick Mullens & when he left for the draft he switched to a Run Heavy Pistol-Spread & produced a 1400yd rusher out of it. Even when he was at SFA he produced a 3700yd passer & helped lead them to the playoffs for the first time in their school history in 09.
So point being, he’s not a complete headstrong stubborn OC who doesn’t know how to mix it up when necessary, he’s a smart guy. Obviously, Mario of course always wants to have a strong run game, but if it comes down to winning or losing games & the difference is moving the ball through the air, then I don’t see a scenario where Dawson wouldn’t be allowed to call those plays & Air it out in order to put points on the board. He absolutely has the play designs in his ****nal to dial up a bevy of passing concepts in order to get in the end zone, so it’s why I’m not worried
right now about the pass vs run ratio.
It will just come down to not being hardheaded & doing what works in order to win. I’m probably not as in love with Mario as most others are, but I don’t think he’s that much of a psychopath to sacrifice W’s all for the sake of pounding the rock lol. I think he wants to win above all else, even if it’ll make him grind his teeth seeing us throwing it down field too much, but I don’t think he’d force Dawson to do something that doesn’t work just for the sake of his own ego...
(At least I hope not lol)
And I definitely agree that RB’s & TE’s need way more incorporation into the passing attack as well. RB’s I’m not too worried about because they’ll essentially be the staple of the Offense & even on Friday there were multiple routes where the RB’s where the checkdown route out of the backfield, it’s just the WR’s were pretty much open all game. But TE’s I’m waiting to see what happens there...
I’m not sure that TE’s will have a huge role in the passing game, other than Blocking, at least that’s definitely what McCormick will be doing because that what he was brought here for, to block. But it remains to be seen how Arroyo (if he ever gets healthy), Skinner & Riley Williams will be used exactly. I would imagine Skinner if he gets chances to play will be lined up as a Flex-Out Y & not necessarily a traditional TE. But for the rest of the group, their #1 job will most likely be Blocking.
