Running Style of the Future

I mean heck why not? We have three fullbacks and our linemen are super athletic right? Right? Anyone? <cricket chirp>

Get Kramer out of whatever assisted living facility he's living in, and back into a Packer jersey, and this might just work. A lot better than it would with our current guards, that's for sure.

Well, Taylor was the mainstay of the Packers running game and he was a fullback. So why not?

Love it.


Do it.

Holmgren resurrected the sweep and it's practically unstoppable when executed properly. Recently in Packer Plus the featured "legend" spoke of how Lombardi would drill the sweep ad nauseum. I think that's what this team needs. Practice nothing but the sweep for an entire week. I don't remember what coach I heard this from, but it's the way the Army drills. "You don't practice until you get it right, you practice until you can't get it wrong".

We also could use a running back with vision.

With this line we could have Ahman Green in his prime and he'd be averaging 3.6 yards a carry.

Maybe it's just the common scenario where the thing not being done becomes a silver bullet in peoples' minds, but learning and perfecting a simple sweep play and a simple screen play would work wonders for this offense. For all the five wide stuff, the inverted wishbone etc etc. it just seems crazy to me that McCarthy has abandoned these two simple and universal plays that are taught at multiple levels of football in favor of a zone scheme that his assistants have little to no experience teaching.

Against the Rams the Packers only ran four running plays (so far as I can tell). They were the inside zone, both left and right, and the outside stretch, both left and right.

It's about as vanilla as an NFL team can get, and makes Bob Sanders' defense look confusing by comparison.

This minute focus on only a few plays was supposed to produce a well-oiled running game. The lineman, only having to practice four plays, would function flawlessly, same for the RB's who would only have to spot the hole and hit it.

IMO, a better RB than Ryan Grant could make this system work. Until he is surpassed by a legitimate #1 RB, you better just get used to 3.5 yds. per carry.

I wonder if Marshawn Lynch could be pried away from Buffalo (Fred Jackson is playing very well for them). Rumor had it that TT admired Lynch before taking Harrell.

I could be wrong, but in my opinion, Grant is the type of back that needs a good line. He needs holes, he needs to accelerate through them and he needs reps. Once the OL falters, he goes down the tubes with it.

If we had a good line, I think most of us would be under the impression that he is pretty solid and fits in well with our offense.

I think you are right on with this. He needs the big hole and even when he gets one he can't make a guy miss to turn it into a huge gain. He doesn't show good vision or ANY ability to make anyone miss. All that and he's not a great receiver either. I don't see him as being a top 30 back in the NFL.

Quick question, do we still run the zone blocking scheme? Seriously?

Sure.

The issue that I see in today NFL with the sweep is that LB's are so athletic and move from sideline to sideline so fast that its hard to block. Todays LB's are like CB's and S in the Lombardi era.

Wouldnt you also have to say that todays guards and tackles are also more athletic? Wouldnt those counter each other?

I agree. Teams that have good O-lines can make average RB's look good, and vice versa. Since we have neither it's hard to say which is at fault when it comes to the running game.

Just like the screen, the sweep need a you needs a good pulling guard and guess what....

Yes, mostly. Grant did venture between the guards a little more often than usual Sunday, but the gameplan is still fundamentally very slow-developing stretches and zone blocking.

Yes. Remember how the Rams of the 70's and 80's had guys like Greg Bell running for over 1000 yards behind those big guys? Their philosophy was that with a line that good, stick the janitor back there and he will run for 1K.

I think even Jackson looks great and is the perfect change of pace back to compliment Grant. But to me, it all starts up front. Build the foundation and it makes your offense more diverse and effective in all aspects of the game.

3.5 x 3=10.5
Let's just hope the line improves as they go. I don't see much in the way of 1st rate offensive lineman or franchise-grade running backs in the unemployment line.

3 yards and a cloud of dust

Not sure the sweep is so viable anymore. Even Holmgren was selective in how he used it. LBs are just so much faster and more athletic today. Offensive linemen are not. Todays o-linemen are bigger and stronger, but are not nearly as smooth or fluid in space as the smaller guys who played those positions for the Lombardi packers. All that size has penalties.