Looking Forward - Running Backs

I don’t really think that our Tailback position is as shallow as it is portrayed. Fannin didn’t really get a significant number of hand-offs last year anyways (and when he did it usually ended up on the ground). His blocking and pass catching out of the backfield will be missed, but if “LP” is as good as our coaching staff seems to think then I think he will make a suitable substitute. I bet despite the fact that we aren’t as deep with the experience at RB this year, they still turn out to be one of the better squads in the SEC. The thing that worries me more than the lack of depth at RB itself is the offensive line they are running behind. The line may be a little behind the curve at the beginning of the season.

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has really piqued my interest…I remember what he did against Furman a few years ago…while it was only Furman, I saw lots of potential…and he seems to be a thoughtful, well spoken young man from his interviews, as well. Phillips will be a monster, as well!! WAR EAGLE!!

i’ve been around for many seasons where specific preseason positions were areas of concern regarding depth…and all of a sudden, the tables turn once the season starts… a FR steps up big, and a veteran player gets hurt somewhere else…and now you’re in a position 1-2 games into a season that you never imagined. a weakness can become a strength… strength to weakness… just… like… that.

this is exactly the reason it is wasted energy to expect a certain level of depth … anywhere.

before the 2010 season, lots of folk thought we had depth issues at RB, then Newton and Dyer started to run all over the place and led Auburn to the best running game in the SEC. of course, so many factors affected RB for AU in 2010… aycock getting the boot early played into Dyer’s mindset in a big way early in the season. also, the newton rush threat allowed the calls to Dyer last year to gear toward building him up slowly throughout the season.

it is hard to attach success of one position without discussing the strength and depth of another… this article touches on that: O-Mac’s 8 +yards per carry had an absolute TON to do with the tough Newton runs that kept the LBs busy and honest all day… great downfield blocking by Burns, etc. Dyer’s effective running up the middle had a TON to do with a veteran and ACTIVE Auburn Offensive line.

it is easier to imagine/ guess how the personality of the offense as a whole will change than it is to pick apart and dissect a single position… in my opinion.

Dyer and O-Mac as leaders- yeah. it has to happen… NOW,… and in a not so subtle way.

where there is potential for new weapons (LP, Lutz, wildcat?) there will be positions that will have to set those weapons up. a player has to step up and offer something that the coaches weren’t planning on. that is consistent for every team looking to be successful.

what we do know, is that Malzahn and Chizik have been incredibly effective at staying flexible, adjusting, reinventing, within the system to make the most of who’s hot. there are examples and “for instances” for us to talk about all over the place in the past couple years. i don’t have to be confident in one piece of the offense, … chizik and malzahn have provent themselves much more sophisticated than that.

OR,… that Auburn will be in a world of hurt. the only thing that is for certain is that there will be some sincere creativity happening, once again, in the playbook and strategy…

i think the pieces suggest a different personality for the offense, but there is always the chance out there that someone will grow into a role fast and flip everything. it is an underappreciated fact that Auburn has the staff who can manage this well.

in my mind, the only guess that there is, is a guess with equal amount of confidence and hesitation… we can count on our coaches managing the ingredients and fielding them with great creativity- despite depth issues. some of this will work, and other experiments…. when they clearly don’t fit, they’ll have to decide whether or not the players have to be nudged to fit, hammered to fit, or thrown out and reevaluated. i love that. i love how much fun it has been to be an Auburn fan in that situation with these coaches. i think it is possible that they actually embrace this bit of ambiguity early.

not sure what my opinion is on the O-mac / wheel route idea. O-mac would sure have the speed. earlier, i was simply bringing up that the wheel route, that fannin made a good living on, is a RB/ HB route for a guy with good hands, speed, AND size. it is hard for me to see this going away as a focus for this offense.

the size part comes in play when the route has to muscle passed the LBs within the 1st 5 yards or so. most of these routes dedicate WRs on both sides flying deep to take the DBs deep. whoever runs the wheel route underneath has to prove to coaches he can release and beat an OLB to the outside in 10-15 yards.

Lutz caught a HUGE wheel route pass against Oregon in the big dance. I think he is a candidate who has great hands, good size, and deceptive speed.

i think Lutz will be used, and maybe a guy like Quan Bray might get a look also. Bray is by far one of the more versatile offensive guys coming in…looks a bit like he is this year’s Trovon Reed.

this is where my head is with the AU offense in 2011… especially with regards to AU’s rush O…just guessing.

i think 2 TE sets are very possible this year. this offers up an extra pass / run blocker and frees up Lutzenkirchen as a primary offensive target within 10 yards. in these sets, i expect Dyer to be the lone back. the motion/ confusion of the offense will be with the TEs and WRs

i think Auburn will play to sustain drives (focus on 10 yards) and less toward a big play that came w/ Newton even when not scripted.

we have 2 TEs that are coming in: Brandon Fulse, and CJ Uzomah who are very versatile guys. One will win IN to the 2nd TE spot…and gain a TON of experience this year.

this would be a departure from some of the stuff that we did last year- reacting to personnel. Lutz could motion to FB, HB, TE… etc…. and a whole new set of options would be available. LP could line up as FB, and motion to HB… getting down field for blocking.
can you imagine running some of our WRs off a LP HB “screen” or cross route play? that is like having an agile lineman downfield and there could be some serious mismatches against smaller LBs.

i also like the idea of this set working with some wildcat players that might be woven in… CJ Uzomah is a TE, but played QB in HS, he’s a big athlete and could have good vision at wildcat QB… similar to newton on short yardage plays. trovon reed, healthy, could be a slippery option at wildcat also… especially on speed sweeps

another run play that could work well might be the HB shuffle pass (similar to what UF ran with Tebow and their TE).

the other set could be with LD as FB, and the ability to slide him in motion to a HB – 3 WR overload set. with the Oline as inexperienced as it will start off being, i just think that it is hard to escape the logic of big boy LP as lead blocker and 2 TE sets that could provide better protection, better short yardage run and short/medium pass play options.

if the OL gels then we will be very good….I expect our Defense to be young but a much more aggressive unit overall and while they may occasionally make a mistake I expect it to be an aggressive mistake rather than the passive ones that we saw the last two seasons. Our RB’s will be fine…look for not only Ladarius Phillips, Anthony (Gulley) Morgan, and Tre Mason to contribute but watch out for Trovon Reed and possibly Quan Bray to step in as a scat type back siimilar to Noel Devine at WVU….Malzahn will find the strengths of the personell packages and take full advantage.

still, i applaud it… everyone has to drop a coolism from time to time… especially ones from the ’80s like… “rad”, “excellent”, and “Awesome!”

i never thought i would outgrow the “bad” means “good”… but you,… TOM are bad to the bone…and one thing i do know is… both “cool” and “hot” are still apparently … good things.

word cuz…

I’m not buying into the idea that Morgan will be so great this season. I just don’t like his game that much honestly. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong, but I am simply not looking for much from him.

Damn, Calloway would’ve helped us out so much.