I streamed Mornings with Bucky and Erin on my way to work this morning and listened to an interesting discussion. I will draft off of it to ask this question which seems to be relevant to our forum discussions:
If you were told at the beginning of the season that we would lose before the season or in the first couple of games:
Beck (starting TE), Rodriguez (starting RT), Williams (starting LT and best player on team), Hudson (top backup, potential starter), McMillon and Shackelford would miss time at OG&C, and that Hodges would transfer (a part time starter from last season).... rendering the starting lineup as follows:
LT - Okafor (preseason expectations were as depth at RT)
LG - Vahe (in the Charlie Strong dog house much of last year)
C - Shackelford (good potential, history with shotgun snaps troubles - true soph)
RG - Cuney (Never expected to see a meaningful down at Texas)
RT - Kerstetter (True freshman three star recruit, expected to redshirt and develop for a couple years)
TE - Brewer (tall, lean true freshman TE expected to redshirt and develop for a couple years)
NOW, what would your expectations have been of the offensive line and the offense?
My honest take is this; the coaching staff could have done a little better making chicken salad out of this.... a little better. OL actually seemed to regress a bit the last week or two after showing a shred of hope vs KState. However, the problem is primarily personnel issues outside of the coaches control (on the offensive line). Tim Beck gets grilled here for play-calling. I do take exception to this. Every single play you draw up assumes your line can execute a block and not simply get whipped as soon as the ball is snapped. The only conceivable plays (I can think of) to counter this is quick / sideways passes or jail break screen passes. The defensive coaches we go against knows this better than I. The issue has very little to do with play calling.
If I have any issue with the coaching staff - and from my recliner in the Dallas Metroplex, I do. It is player rotation (see ridiculous way three running backs are run in and out - never able to establish a rhythm). And, I (from my recliner) think actual performance on the field is sometimes undervalued and performance in practice is everything (again, see running backs, Collin Johnson and A. Foreman). Hager's lack of playing time (one of a handful of good defensive players last year) fits into both of my just mentioned gripes.
