Receiver blocking and the offense

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D UP Clones

Well-Known Member
Oct 25, 2006
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I keep reading about how the coaches can't do everything and while I agree with that, there are some things they control.

Blocking is one of them. You do not need to be talented to block and yet ISU's receivers did not block a soul all night. Blythe took every other play off. Yep, Blythe can catch, but he can't bother with the little things like playing winning football and blocking someone. JJ Bass is down the sideline twice if Blythe just touches his guy. If I were the receivers' coach or OC I would have yanked him right there.

The coach can control the tempo of his offense by the way they prepare. ISU was slow to the line. I'm guessing no one else noticed that late in the game the call was relayed in from the sideline incorrectly and the line blocked one way while bass set up for a screen on the other.

Meyer played poorly, but he was confused all night. Much of that goes to the OC. That's why they gameplan and talk through the primary receivers. Meyer looked lost from the beginning and that is a bad sign about how ISU's offense prepared.

Anyone who thinks those things were up to par for any DI team even for their first game is crazy.

I'm not jumping ship, but I'm not going to act like it's all on the players. That's why you hire good coaches. Both are very important. McFarland had some huge oversights in preparing for this game and there is no doubt about that.

PS If someone won't block, yank them. I don't care who it is. To win you can't take plays off.
 

wesley_w

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2006
2,047
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PS If someone won't block, yank them. I don't care who it is. To win you can't take plays off.

One thing I remember about Earle Bruce's teams was that often times on a running play you would notice all four of the defenses secondary players would end the play on their backs, regardless of if the ballcarrier was anywhere near them. Really good downfield blocking.
 

ArathornClone

Member
Oct 10, 2006
333
11
18
I keep reading about how the coaches can't do everything and while I agree with that, there are some things they control.

Blocking is one of them. You do not need to be talented to block and yet ISU's receivers did not block a soul all night. Blythe took every other play off. Yep, Blythe can catch, but he can't bother with the little things like playing winning football and blocking someone. JJ Bass is down the sideline twice if Blythe just touches his guy. If I were the receivers' coach or OC I would have yanked him right there.

The coach can control the tempo of his offense by the way they prepare. ISU was slow to the line. I'm guessing no one else noticed that late in the game the call was relayed in from the sideline incorrectly and the line blocked one way while bass set up for a screen on the other.

Meyer played poorly, but he was confused all night. Much of that goes to the OC. That's why they gameplan and talk through the primary receivers. Meyer looked lost from the beginning and that is a bad sign about how ISU's offense prepared.

Anyone who thinks those things were up to par for any DI team even for their first game is crazy.

I'm not jumping ship, but I'm not going to act like it's all on the players. That's why you hire good coaches. Both are very important. McFarland had some huge oversights in preparing for this game and there is no doubt about that.

PS If someone won't block, yank them. I don't care who it is. To win you can't take plays off.


I noticed this about Blythe also. The first time I saw it happen, it was actually the DB that created space because he could see Bass coming and Blythe hadn't got to him yet (because he was just kind of jogging.) The second time I saw it on a Bass run, my buddy and I had the same reaction you did.

And BTW, he sat out the rest of that offensive series I do believe. We were headed towards the north and after that lack of effort, my buddy goes "He's not blocking, I'd yank his a$$." I looked out there and Sumrall, Hamilton, and Messiah were on the field - no Blythe. I think he stayed on the sideline for at least the next few plays.

Hard to say for sure if the coaches sent a message. However, I'll say this - film doesn't lie and I expect his a$$ to get chewed Monday at practice.
 

ISUAlum2002

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
22,458
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Toon Town, IA
Um, are you 100% confident in this statement? I agree with everything else you said, but you likely just PO'ed a bunch of really big dudes. . .

Open field blocking of much smaller DB's does not take talent. Blocking against 250-300 pound guys at close range to your quarterback does.

Seriously. Kent State's receivers were cut blocking our DB's all damn game long and only got called on it once. They were letting it go and our guys could have easily done the same thing. Doesn't take talent to fall down right in front of the defender's knees.
 

AirWalke

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
6,750
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Des Moines
The only block I saw Blythe on was Bass' TD run, and he threw back his hands once Bass got to the endzone. I think if he had pushed the defender right there, the TD would have been called back because of an illegal block in the back.

I can't really speak for the other blocks Blythe should have done, though.