The Problem with the Offense

[Heatmiser]

I think there is a struggle going on between Lynn and Whizenhunt. Lynn has his view and philosophy of how things should go. He is de-emphasizing Rivers and the need to depend on him so much. Whiz is trying to respect what Lynn wants but still call the game. I think this is why the offense is so hurky-jurky and never gets into a rhythm. Why guys like Hunter Henry disappear. I would not be surprised if Whiz is gone after this season, replaced by someone who runs a system closer to what Lynn wants to do.

This is what Turner did with LT. He transitioned the offense away from LT and towards Rivers. It ticked LT off and made a lot of people question what was going on. But LT was in decline and Rivers was the future.

The only thing wrong with Lynn's approach this time is...who is the future? This team is Rivers and .....Rivers. There is no future. No super star RB to carry the load. No hot shot QB being groomed. If the offensive identity is not Rivers, it is really nothing as a result. And that is what we are seeing.

TG

[Guest]

Don't agree at all with the LT comment. I think that was just a new found Turner philosophy. He didn't do that as OC of Dallas, Frisco, and the Chargers in 01.

[KYBoltsFan]

Don't agree at all with the LT comment. I think that was just a new found Turner philosophy. He didn't do that as OC of Dallas, Frisco, and the Chargers in 01.

That and the GM wanted to show the world that Marty's was was 'wrong'.

[blueman]

The schism on O has been apparent since game 1. I think Lynn is stuck with Whiz for the season, but agree I expect a new OC next year, with a new starting RB as well (maybe QB too?).

[Steve]

We have a weak OL that cannot protect the passer or run block. The old coaching saying that "if you can't block it, you can't do it" .... is still as true as it ever was.

We don't have much of a playbook once we take out all the running plays and the passing plays.

[blueman]

What's weird is the OL is playing better than it has in a long while. Which is also sad. I like Lamp coming back, and drafting a legit center.

New OL coach maybe?

[Steve]

I don't see how anyone thinks that the OL is playing better than anything. They are worse than awful. The sack numbers are down, but that is the only thing that would make people believe they are anything by dreadful. Funny thing, that lower sacks is all on Rivers. He is avoiding sacks and other miscues by getting rid of the ball quickly. BUt that also means we have little or no hope of making plays downfield.

The only thing that makes it barely endurable is that instead of a group of vet OL. Pulley, Wiggins, Schofield, and Feeney are bound to improve. None of them has much experience and they have had little chance to work together. Last year, we had a vet OL (Dunlap, Franklin, Slauson, Fluker, and Barksdale) that was basically every player at or past their prime (physically). They were as good as they were going to be, both as a unit and as their individual talent.

THThenly games that the OL play has been even close to acceptable was Giants and Pats. Still, there was plenty of bad to go around in those games.

The individual talent is probably there, but as a unit, the teamwork and cohesion between the guys is just not there.

[richpjr]

Agree wholeheartedly with Steve. This line is horrible and until it's fixed it won't matter who is at QB and RB, unless the idea is to get a QB who takes off at a mad sprint every play because defenders continually run free at them.

[blueman]

Guess not seeing a TOTAL collapse of the pocket has me all bemused and befuddled...

And agree, we seem to have upgraded talent, but still not getting desired results. New OL coach please.

Also not used to seeing SOME running plays beautifully blocked, not many but they do happen.

[Charged4Life]

Agree wholeheartedly with Steve. This line is horrible and until it's fixed it won't matter who is at QB and RB, unless the idea is to get a QB who takes off at a mad sprint every play because defenders continually run free at them.

I think Ekeler shows you can gain decent yardage behind this o-line. It's just that he's not built to sustain that for very long throughout a season...or maybe even one game. The other fuck at RB just doesn't want it bad enough.

[Steve]

Even Eckler is not exactly lighting the world on fire. He tends to break a couple of long gains, and that gives him an OK looking average. Almost Half his yards came on two runs. But then you look at it, he has the same sort of 50%+ of his carries are putting us behind schedule in the runs (3 yards or less).

Neither Gordon or Eckler is performing the sort of consistency needed to sustain a running game. Plus, when you have as many negative run plays as we do, it is not the RB that is the problem.

Plus, a big part of why he is being successful is that he is running plays that are a change of pace. If we were to switch and try to emphasize those plays, teams would attack us differently, and then do more to take those plays away. As it is, they focus mostly on Gordon's more conventional runs, and that makes him look like he is doing worse, which is true to a point, but misses the bigger picture that the running game is not being blocked well enough to sustain anything.

I get that Gordon is not the RB that everyone wants. He is not playing all that well. But the issues with the running game are a lot deeper than the RB when both backs get hit in the backfield as much as our RB do. If you watch good running teams, they can go for longer periods of time where they can knock the DL and LB back off the ball, and their RB don't get hit in the backfield often.

[Fleet]

I wonder if Gase gets fired as HC if he would make a nice OC addition. He was solid in NO. And is pretty good with that Sproles type roll. He would make a nice QB coach as well. He was good with Brees. Maybe a Baker Mayfield type makes sense with an OC like him. Long term at least if Rivers plays again next year.