What I am saying is that it all starts with the OL in any offense. People say, well hell, any QB can beat WV or KS....the other part of the equation here is that the OL gave our QB's TIME to throw in those games (KS a WHOLE lot of time due to their DL not getting any footing on the frozen tundra and hence no pressure). A QB, any QB, should throw the ball all around the lot when you have 5-6 seconds in the pocket to throw and wait for a guy to get open. Against the tougher teams on our schedule, including UNI, our OL broke completely down on more occasions than not, and SR had to run for his life...he had no other choice unless you are all ok with him laying down and taking a sack, which he didn't do. In all those tougher games, (OU, K State, OSU) our OL also did not produce any holes for our RB's to run in. When you are consistently in 2nd and 3rd Down and 7-8-12 yards, the defense knows you are not going to attempt a run (because you haven't run effectively all day) they Blitz all day long and your offense becomes one dimensional. The OL last year could not consistently pass protect or open running lanes. A good running game is a QB's best friend (see Arnaud-ARob years). If you can run the ball consistently, then you keep the defense guessing at to what is coming next, then add up tempo, keep the opposing DL gasping for air and the snowball effect occurs and most QB's get on a roll in that situation. We never got to that point last year, in any game I can remember, but that is what good Big 12 offenses do to opposing defenses.
I'm not sure what the OL coaches teach now, but when I was playing 20 years ago, our coaches wanted their guys to block for 4 seconds straight without breaking down. If any QB is given that time consistently, they can set their feet, scan the field and many times read their progressions to varying extents, depending on the play call. When your line only gives you 0-2 seconds, you haven't even set your feet yet in the pocket (because there is NO pocket), your eyes come down instead of scanning the field and basically are running for your life at that point. Again, with a consistent running game, it gives the QB so many more options to call all kinds of plays, it opens the playbook. I laugh when hearing that SR doesn't scan the field or pick out his 2nd or 3rd receiver....that's hysterical because last year, he didn't have time to pick out his first option on many plays.
So, the equation, if you will, is getting time from the OL for the QB to set up in the pocket, which takes at least 3 seconds, preferably 4 so that QB can actually do his job. Anything less than 3 seconds is disaster for any QB, unless it is a quick hit play like a slant or bubble screen. It is also about the OL getting the Running game going, neither of which occurred last year with the exception of 2-3 games against weaker teams. Now if the QB has that 4 second amount of time and is missing his throws, then it's on the QB, plain and simple. The thing about SR is that to me, he has proven in 2012 that he is very accurate, when HEALTHY, an excellent runner and knew WHEN to take off. So my point is, I know he can do it because I saw him do it. He did it in his first appearance on the road at KS, in horrible windy weather vs. WV he kept the chains moving in that game in 30 MPH winds. 13/31 is pretty damn good in those conditions. He made good decisions and did not turn the ball over much.
The challenge for him this year is to regain TRUST/CONFIDENCE in his OL and to keep his eyes downfield and not down/flush and run, because last year, he was a sitting duck. He got KILLED because of his ankle injury, which limits your running and throwing ability, so for SR throw last year out the window as he was injured in the FIRST game vs, UNI. I know the OL was injured but it was the worst year of OL play I have seen at ISU since I began watching in 1987. I am confident they will be better and the playcalling will be much better. But the bottom line, is, we need much better OL play and if we get that, the rest will follow. Calling out the QB's when they were set up for murder last year, is not fair to that position group, IMO. I would say the same for the Running Backs.
