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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 37138, member: 40"] There is absolutely [U]no doubt[/U] that we need an infusion of playmaking ability / athleticism on the offensive side of the ball--none whatsoever. We saw how quickly our defensive unit went from terrible to competitive by shifting some of our best athletes to that side of the ball [and I'm not suggesting that our defensive roster is fully "back" by any means--just that the difference in speed / athleticism has been palpable]. As part of the recruiting process, the skill players clearly need to be upgraded--and hopefully that will continue to happen as we reestablish SU as a winning program and begin to attract higher rated recruits. So I qualify this assessment by acknowledging that we do need better playmakers. That said, I'm a bit surprised to see all of the focus on our ineffectual offensive play focused upon the WR, QB, and RB. With all due respect to Millhoue and IB, the real elephant in the living room is the play of the OL. Focusing on the skill positions is akin to focusing on symptoms while ignoring the root cause of the problem, IMO. Marrone is reputedly an OL guru, and three years into his tenure we still can't field a competitive OL unit. I think a big part of the offense's struggles has been that the OL holds the unit back. Think about it for a second: regardless of your opinion of Nassib's talent / potential, it really can't be disputed that the OL does a lousy job of pass blocking, and barely gives him time to throw. That has resulted in us having to resort to slants and other quick throws to get the ball released before the defense gets to the QB. If the OL did a better job of pass protecting, then maybe we'd see more vertical passing--but that requires the QB to have time to sit back and throw. I don't view Lemon nor Chew as world beaters. Chew is a guy who on a top 25 team would be an ideal third receiver, who would benefit from playing against another team's third CB. For us, he draws the best CB and struggles to get open. Lemon is a guy who has made a substantial jump this season. When you add in Provo / Stevens, I think that this crew isn't going to scare anybody, but they're "good enough" to have a reasonable passing game. Problem is, our protection breaks down which basically restricts us from doing anything other than short passes. There's also been a lot of talk about Bailey, whether he's an "every down" back, whether he can shoulder the load, etc. Again, I think these discussions miss the point--and that the elephant in the living room is the real culprit. I'm not suggesting that Bailey is Barry Sanders--but nor does he need to be. He's plenty talented to be an above average collegiate RB. The problem is, the OL doesn't open up any holes, and he isn't the type of physical back who can run inside effectively without space. Carter was a guy who could get hit at the line of scrimmage and still make something out of nothing for a positive gain. Bailey's a different type of back--but again, with a better OL, Bailey could not only excel as a featured back, he's the type of guy who could be a terrific playmaker in space due to his elusiveness. Summarizing this long winded post, there is absolutely no doubt that we need to continue to get better skill players on offense. But I think the real issue with the offensive unit's play is that the OL continues to be the weakest unit on the team. And anticipating that someone is going to claim that pointing to the OL is "meat headed" -- I don't care whether your offensive system is geared to run it 100 times per game or throw it 100 times per game, the OL still is the key to being able to execute what you're trying to do. [/QUOTE]

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