Yea Yea Gregg Williams is good BUT.... (1 Viewer)

[alexnola]

I think I read somewhere that one of the Olinemen said last year they only practiced run blocking 20% of the time last year and this year it was an emphasis... That could be a major factor in the turn around.

 

[MG3n2K5]

What, no Kanye West photoshop to go with the title of this thread. Seriously though, there appears to be some coaching up going on both O & D-Lines. Kudos to all coaches involved.

 

[Skip Thomas]

No one in the national media will recognize it until we do this for several more games but I believe Evans and Nicks could possibly be two of the best guard tandems in the entire NFL. I screamed at the top of my lungs yesterday when I say Nicks escorting Thomas into the end zone on his first touchdown. I guess I'm a little bit biased because I'm a graduate of Nebraska as well. But if we continue rushing for 200 yards per game, we will be very very difficult to defense. I agree the DL and OL coaching changes were huge!

 

[saints4eva]

I agree about Jahri but Nicks is rapidly becoming dominate as well.

No one in the national media will recognize it until we do this for several more games but I believe Evans and Nicks could possibly be two of the best guard tandems in the entire NFL. I screamed at the top of my lungs yesterday when I say Nicks escorting Thomas into the end zone on his first touchdown. I guess I'm a little bit biased because I'm a graduate of Nebraska as well. But if we continue rushing for 200 yards per game, we will be very very difficult to defense. I agree the DL and OL coaching changes were huge!

I agree with both of you. Those guys are busting their butts up on the O Line and I'm so glad we picked up Nicks. He's a real up and comer, but then again I've always thought so!

 

[Polo_Haynes2.0]

What about Bill Johnson?

 

[Broadmoor74]

What about Bill Johnson?

He got mentioned in three posts in this very thread.

 

[Shawn]

For my money it is the maturity of Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans. Those two guards not only protect Drew Brees from ANY pressure up the middle, but the just maul people in the run game. Watch Jahri Evans sometime, he is the best guard in the NFL right now.

I agree with this.

Nicks didn't start the season last year, and he's much better this year. Those two guys are absolutely destroying people. We're also getting better blocking from the tight ends.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

I agree with this.

Nicks didn't start the season last year, and he's much better this year. Those two guys are absolutely destroying people. We're also getting better blocking from the tight ends.

1. They practiced more....its already been on record that the line spent the majority of its time pass blocking and would only practice run blocking on occasion during the week.

2. The scheme...i think it was also noted that payton and crew went back to the drawing board on blocking schemes and practiced it a lot during the off-season.

Yes Evans and Nicks are absolute beast, so is shockey and so is Evans but yeah...i think its a combination of practice and new blocking schemes

 

[thailen]

Doesn't anybody read what these guys did in college? Nicks was in over 400 plays without being beaten by an opposing D lineman. Look it up.
Porter not only was a terrific punt returner and corner, but the big rap on him was his tackling. Even tho he was hurt in his junior year, I think, his tackling numbers increased every year. As a senior it was 54. Not bad for a guy playing for Indiana U.

 

[Saint_Ward]

I think I read somewhere that one of the Olinemen said last year they only practiced run blocking 20% of the time last year and this year it was an emphasis... That could be a major factor in the turn around.

This was what I was going to say. Pretty much, we're practicing run blocking more. Practice makes better.

 

[newmexicosaint]

How are we suddenly able to run block? It's like night-and-day, and it doesn't look scheme-wise like we're doing anything different. We're doing the same mix of zone and man-blocking which has been unable to open a hole over the past two years. Coaching matters, but I don't know how you improve your run-blocking this amount without major personnel turnover or a major shift in philosophy. Anybody have a clue if we're doing something different?

I believe that O line coaching and the play of Bushrod and Strief in conjunction with TALENT at RB. I watched Jammal Brown at OU and he was a right tackle there the same years of Adrian 'all day' Peterson and Jammal struggled in run blocking there. Sooners run plays dominated up the gut and to the left. Jammal got unmerrited props because of the beast AP.

Don't get me wrong JB is a good tackle but performs better at pass protection than run blocking. As a matter of fact I believe he is better suited at Right tackle or Guard. IMO

 

[RockyMtnSaint]

I believe that O line coaching and the play of Bushrod and Strief in conjunction with TALENT at RB. I watched Jammal Brown at OU and he was a right tackle there the same years of Adrian 'all day' Peterson and Jammal struggled in run blocking there. Sooners run plays dominated up the gut and to the left. Jammal got unmerrited props because of the beast AP.

Don't get me wrong JB is a good tackle but performs better at pass protection than run blocking. As a matter of fact I believe he is better suited at Right tackle or Guard. IMO

I'm confused. If Jammal struggles in run blocking but is better at pass blocking, wouldn't that suggest that he would perform better at LT than RT?

 

[brianw37]

I think I read somewhere that one of the Olinemen said last year they only practiced run blocking 20% of the time last year and this year it was an emphasis... That could be a major factor in the turn around.

i agree with this lus-un2: also i think nicks and evans are the real deal in the run game for this oline. i cant even count how many times ive watche nfln or fox pregame, and everyone pretty much can agree that we have the best young gaurd tamdem in the leauge.

 

[StJacques]

I still say if you take away Morestead, the performance of our defense would substantially less than what we have seen.

And I also believe there can be no doubt that Aaron Kromer deserves some props of his own.

 

[kfaulk99]

No one in the national media will recognize it until we do this for several more games but I believe Evans and Nicks could possibly be two of the best guard tandems in the entire NFL. I screamed at the top of my lungs yesterday when I say Nicks escorting Thomas into the end zone on his first touchdown. I guess I'm a little bit biased because I'm a graduate of Nebraska as well. But if we continue rushing for 200 yards per game, we will be very very difficult to defense. I agree the DL and OL coaching changes were huge!

no bias at all. husker fan or not, Nicks was a STEAL!

glad he slid, over some B.S,


the turn around to me is due to a combination of:
1. coaching change & time given to improve
2. some really good rotation of complimentary, young, physical RBs including heath evans
3. our o-lines run blocking is finally executing like they SHOULD given the talent, especially the guards.

good post.