Is the quarterback so different and the offensive line and wide receivers we have so different that we cannot be creative and run some of the mis-direction plays that they started showing against Nebraska and Penn State last year? They ran some pretty inovative stuff that
caught those two teams off guard. They must have saw some things on film that allowed them to do that correct?
I'm not going to rip Limegrover on here, he is clearly capable of game planning for a Big 10 offense. Are the injury's so paralyzing that they
are incapable of running and executing plays with mis-direction that cause a defense that likes to over pursue, to use that agressiveness against them? Maybe our offensive line is too slow to pull and do this stuff, I don't know, hard to say with the injury's they have been having.
I do know Limegrover has been coaching division one football for 17 + years so obviously he has done some things of quality over the years that has allowed him to attain this position. Besides the lower level of play by the quarterback(below everyones elevated expectations) Keep in mind the coach and the coaches have tooted Mitch Leidners horn all offseason, and the offensive line injury's I have not been able to put my finger on why we have not seen the Gophers really improve much on offense from game to game this year. In past years you could see clear improvement even in losses.
Clearly the competition get's better every week, so you know there going to be playing defenses that can out scheme and out hustle and muscle our guy's at times, the trick for Limegrover is to offset and be able minimize our offensive weaknesses and find some strengths. Right now the offense as far as execution and playmaking is leaving a lot left to be desired on the football field. Gophers are not going to be able to rely on the defense to create turnovers in order to create scoring posessions this year all year long, clearly that will catch up with them. Until we see the Gophers prove they can execute some quality forward passes that stretch and expose the defense on drag and crossing routes, even some quick outs, were going to be in trouble. That is why they practice and play the games, these coaches need to find a way to get more out of the offense than they have so far. Gotta play the games that are in front of you each week, this week it is beating San Jose State.
I like our guys and think they can get better every day and week, and can still win a lot of games, but it really has to start getting better on offense for this to happen. They still have all of the goals in front of them they want to achieve, it's not how you start it is how you finish and we need to start seeing the Gophers finish individual plays and games better each week. We cannot see losses in one on one match-up's on the line or from the tight ends and backs as much, a good start would be to start picking up the blitz better and winning more of those individual plays. It is a team game but if one guy breaks down and loses badly everything else goes to bleep.
