Every time Dawg Pound Daily casts it's net for new writers, I make a pitch to them, and they ignore me. That's ok it's their rag, and I'm pretty abrasive, sarcastic, offensive, insulting, etc.
I'd been a little frustrated with this publication mainly because it was anything but "Daily" and updated so infrequently. Peter King may or may not have found his writers, but he himself has become more active.
I was surprised to find two new articles by him, niether of which contained much ass umption or any ignorance. And this is rare. I mean, even the great Terry Pluto screws up occasionally!
In re Peter's two articles (on the guard spot and the running backs), I can't find anything to pick on. I especially liked it when he pointed out that Hardesty's reputation for drops came mostly from ONE ONE ONE horrendous game very early on, and that Hardesty is in fact an effective reciever.
Since Peter doesn't want to offend anybody, I will do it for him. People who make up their minds about a player after one game, very early in his carreer, and stick with that regardless of his performance ever since are morons.
Little is an excellent example. People who say he drops too many balls are idiots.
I was also thrilled and shouting "AMEN!" When he raked Shurmer over the coals for running TRich into the ground despite the fact that Hardesty was there ready to kick butt. And Obi--that guy was used almost exclusively as a reciever, and in reality he's a very effective ball carrier.
Pete's right: Defenses saw Obi in the game and knew that Shurmer would not allow him to run the ball.
Amen, Pete: TRich had broken ribs, and never had the chance to get healthy. Pat Shurmer almost certainly shortened his carreer and weakened him by refusing to take him off the field for not one but THREE other pretty good running backs. It was just insane.
And I agree that, at least in re TRich and the other backs, the new coaches are handling things far more intelligently. Richardson could practice, but it makes no sense not to let him heal as thoroughly as possible...especially since he's only had about five months to recover from what Pat Shurmer did to him.
Running back is the most instinctive position in football, which is why so many rookie running backs start immediately and kick butt. While learning protections is a little harder, and many need to learn to read coverages and run precise routes, these hardly apply to TRich.
Chris Ogbannaya is being worked at fullback, by the way. This supports my theory that Turner/Chud may be looking at more of a Mack/Byner two-back than the version requiring a large, slow fullback who never carries the ball. Who perhaps can catch...for four yards.
Norv Turner has usually carried a blocking fullback on his roster, but the inference that this guy was included in his base set is wrong. Turner used extra recievers more often than not, whether they were tight ends or wide recievers. The fullback was a role player.
Turner no doubt has plans for short yardage or goal line lead blockers, and there are several players who have a shot to fill that niche. That role. That situational role-player niche DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
But I love that he's experimenting with Obi at fullback as well.
Ogbannaya at around 6', 225 could share the backfield with Hardesty or TRich without giving the defense any keys. He's a converted wide reciever with good speed, and if he's running upfield at the snap it doesn't neccessarily mean he's a lead blocker. In fact, it could well mean that he needs to be covered.
Turner will use play-action a LOT in this offense, so the defense can't even trust the combination of a potential handoff to the other back and Obi running upfield on the same side to indicate a run.
As for actual blocking, I know it looks real cool when somebody gets knocked on their butt. In reality, though, a downfield block is equally as effective as long as the defender can't interfere with the running back.
Further, I still believe that defenses will run versions of nickels even against this 21 set due to Obi's recieving ability, which includes the chance that when the huddle breaks, he'll line up in the slot anyway--and that they will blitze a lot, even on neutral downs.
Vs. a "big" nickel, there's one less big guy (lineman or linebacker) and one more safety or safety/linebacker hybrid. If you've got five guys back in coverage and you have to "send" five, you've got one sideline-to-sidelne type linebacker to actually "mirror" the running back and head him off on a run.
Obi can nail that guy in space. He won't bounce off or get out-reached and shunted aside. He has the reach and size to make that block on that player, and for that matter to go on and cream a safety or cornerback.
Just a theory, and I digress.
Anyway it was good to read some competant analysis.
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