To build on Skye’s post (because it’s too big as a comment)…we’re 3 games into the season and the calls for the heads of all the Hawkins’ involved with CU football have already started. But is that really the answer? Is it our QB? Our running game (or lack thereof)? Our receivers? Here’s what the buffs.tv editors are seeing…
Football is a team sport and therefore there is no true single point of failure. However, there is one spot that seems to be a bigger problem than all the others: play selection/coaching. When you can’t run the ball you become one dimensional. One dimensional teams are easy to defend. It takes a perfect storm of total lack of talent to not be able to find at least one running play your team can execute for a gain at least half the time they run it. I don’t believe we have that perfect storm; we have enough talent to run the ball. Maybe not super effectively, maybe not even as well as we did last season (22nd nationally), but at least well enough to pick up tough first downs, to make defenses respect the run and to help open up the passing game. I consider it a coaching issue that we cannot devise at least one running play that we can run effectively 50% of the time we call it with our given personnel. Our running plays need to be quick to develop and our backs need to point themselves up field and run. We’ve had a single running play go for more than 20 yards and it was a gimmicky Patrick Williams end around against CSU good for 24 yards. We need at least one bread and butter play where we give the ball to our back (not a receiver), he turns up field, hits the hole and runs downhill.
I believe the issue with our running, and subsequently our passing, game is in our blocking schemes. We run a lot of off-tackle and off-guard plays which are exactly the kind of fast developing plays I’m talking about. But if you watch our line it doesn’t look like we’re stepping left or right to open the gaps. Our guys are standing straight up and moving straight ahead. Blocking straight ahead not only makes it easier for quicker DTs to get past you but it also doesn’t create a hole for your back. If your guard doesn’t step to a side and seal the A gap behind him a defense can put their guys into heads up double gap schemes and still clog the gaps. Heads up schemes require fewer down linemen to stop the run and get pressure on the QB which frees up linebackers to take away the middle or come hot on a blitz. It’s a 2-for-1 situation that we’re offering opposing defenses by blocking straight ahead. There’s nothing fancy or complicated about our blocking and there doesn’t have to be. My 7 year old son’s team understands how to step red or blue and seal a gap for a back to run through. I’m not talking about stunting or anything complex, let’s just start with simple step-and-block techniques and go from there. Maybe we need to burn some red shirts and bring in some more of our new recruits to get this done…maybe not; that remains to be determined. First we need to at least try a decent blocking scheme with the players we have active already.
To further simplify life for opposing defenses we’re not even trying to open the field up with the oft mentioned “Hawkins Vertical Passing” game. We have a quarterback that can throw a great spiral a long ways down the field and hit a moving target. With Josh Smith back in the lineup we now have more than one deep pass threat. And I believe we have an offensive line that can give Hawkins enough time (allowing only 1 sack so far this season) to get the ball down the field a bit. We have the ability to get 15-20 yard gains in the air. But, and here’s the secret: we will have to throw the ball over the middle. We have had 7 passing plays that have gone for 20 or more yards and every one of them was over the middle. Not all of this is play calling of course; a big part of the problem is in (and out) of the receivers’ hands. As Katfish pointed out during a recent office discussion, “you don’t have to defend receivers that can’t catch.” True enough. Our receivers need to catch the ball. They also need to get stronger off the line and get through bump coverage faster so they get separation quicker. Obviously getting the running game going will open the defense up for more passing yards and vice-versa but our receivers have to be able to get out there, get away from their coverage and make the catch.
That’s what we’re seeing, hopefully this jumpstarts a *constructive* (key word) conversation about where we stand and what other fans are seeing out there. Have at it.

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