Your keys to a successful 2008 FB season

[CowbellBandit]

if i dont see more than 5 offensive plays run this season, i will personally lobby to have Greg Gregory fired.

Cool.  I hope we get this guy.  Nebraska ran what amounts to a three play offense for years and he came in with his pro-style offense and really turned things around out there in Lincoln. . . . they love him.  I asked him all about it last week while he waited on my table at Applebees.

Hilarious.

[Orlando Bull]

1. Let MG throw on the run, have more designed plays to get him out of the pocket, but still looking to throw.

2. Win x 13

[Minotaur]

1.) Offensive Line needs to stay healthy, but they also need to play mean. I think our #1 weakness is the offensive line period. They are doing a good job for their size and ability but they play a little soft. We needed and still need a bigger, stronger and faster OL. Everyone does and we are way down on the list. I think we should approach it like a D-Line rotating people in to keep them fresh and strong. Screw cohesion it didn't seem to work when we needed it most.

2.) Replace CB's and MLB. Anyone remember how bad (TERRIBLE!) Jenkins and Williams were when they started as freshman? Oy!  They are going to be impossible to replace immediately. We need HUGE safety play to save the secondary. I am less worried about the LB's (thank you Mr. Burnham!) but Moffitt is going to be tough to replace. Steady as a rock and a bit faster. He kept the D focused and ready for the next play and that will be missed.

3.) Wide Receivers. We need two. I would settle for one but how can we run a wide open offense with nobody able to beat man coverage and when they do hold onto the ball more than 50%.

3.) Defensive Line find a compliment to Selvie. People can say he didn't show up in the big games but it was amazing every team didn't neutralize him. We need another Bull rusher opposite him that will allow them to stunt and throw some curve balls at the big uglies.

4.) FG's and ALL of special teams. They were more worthy of the short bus than the football team. We are who we are and as long as we are Leavitts boys we will be more athletic than most, get penalized a ton, be motivated by pure emotion and suck on special teams. All that we can do is pray that it costs us < 3 pts a game.

5.) For God sake give Mike Ford the ball. (God please help him hold onto it.) I hope the coach(s?) had enough of trying to keep him humble. The MAN is who he is as well. Let him run the ball and deal with schooling and ego off the field. Give him > 20 carries a game and you will see the offense shine.

Matt Grothe . . . I love ya man. Don't ask him to throw long or accurately. Its like asking me to get into 30" waist pants. I want to but it just aint gonna happen. He is an amazing playmaker but he is not Dan Fouts. Please help him to succeed within his abilities.

Go Bulls and I CANNOT WAIT for the season and all of the freshman whom can make an impact but I have no idea about . . . . . . . . .

(Cue sbien)

[Apis Bull]

Score more points than the opposing team each week.

[twillybull]

1.  The defensive secondary.  We seem to have plenty of speed, now we need some new leaders to step up.  Murphy esp has to learn from last year's mistakes and not act like a star, but a leader (i.e. getting in trouble right before last year's RU game was bad form). 

2.  Use the *@^%$*# RB's!!!  Grothe can't be expected to take the punishment game in and out and actually still be able to perform.  The offense cannont be a one-man show.  That is way too easy for opponents to defend.

3.  Grothe if it ain't there, then throw it away!  He made strides last year in not trying doing too much.  But he definitely gave up too many yards on some big (unnecessary) sacks at the worst possible times. 

4.  Mix in a different QB every now and then to give Grothe a breather* and to mix it up.  If your QB runs for a 15 yard gain after actually sprinting 60+ yards (back and forth in the backfield) then why in the world would you ask him to chuck the long ball immediately after?  It's kind of hard to have good throwing form when you're gasping for breath.  *This may not be necessary if he gets some support from the running backs.   

5.  Last but not least: mental discipline!  The ability to bounce back from a loss is crucial.  Leavitt has always touched on how good teams deal with adversity.  I'd say Uconn and Cinci were not examples of a good team dealing with adversity last year. 

   

[BullMedic]

Mike Ford can complement Matt Grothe like a fine wine!

[Mama_Bull]

The keys are two..........cut down on the penalties and avoid the interceptions!  Plain and simple.  We have a great team and I believe we can can compete with any of our opponents.

[BDYZR]

1) Offensive line play

2) Smarter clock management - Coaches included!

3) Offensive line play

4) Feature one running back

5) Offensive line play

6) True wides playing wides - not athletes trying to.

7) Offensive line play

8) Defensive line play

9) Offensive line play

AND

10) OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY!

[RicanBull]

Everyone's answer should be Offensive line play. A healthy and deep O-Line is the most important part of a football team. Hence why you see so many of them drafted early in the NFL draft. Look at the big time schools and you will see huge over powering tanks on their o-line (OSU and LSU come to mind).

With a great o-line, everything else we have will fall into place nicely.

[Bullpride08]

Grothe was healthy all last season, and we still lost 4 games.  his health isn't the issue, his decision making is.  he needs to increase TDs and decrease INTs.  one more TD than INT again is not going to cut it.

the biggest key to success this season is running more than 5 plays.

if i dont see more than 5 offensive plays run this season, i will personally lobby to have Greg Gregory fired.

the Grothe-to-BBQ hand-off option is garbage.  that play shouldn't be run more than 5 times a game, if that.

???

I recently re-watched the WVU game and we had more than 5 different offensive formations (let alone plays) in the first quarter alone.

For me the biggest key is the interior D-Line. If they are effective, our defense won't lose a step. If not, we will be in for a very long season, giving up long drives, losing time of possession, and watching our offense sit on the sidelines helpless.

If Genus and McClain can stay healthy and productive, we can have a VERY successful season.

Yeah, those that call for 'diversity' in the offense must mean a better ethnicity blend among our athletes because I think the offense is pretty 'diverse'.  Hell a spread offense that still maintains a 60/40 blend of pass to run, and a team that had 5-6 different runners a game is pretty diverse.  I think we'll execute better with more experience and talent on the field then last year, and that will be the biggest difference, and then we might look 'diverse'. ;D