Bill Bleil

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CyCloned

The bottom line is he has been at ISU 4 years, inherited a pro O-lineman and another guy that got a shot at the NFL. . . .

---

Need five guys without any one, two, or three playing at the "weak link" level. Maybe Bleil is an awful coach and should go, I don't know. But, Iowa State's problem has always been a shortage of top drawer athletes, players.

If someone has good teaching ability (which, I think, CPR said is his first priority in hiring), that, combined with experience, will result in fine coaching. It's football, not nuclear medicine. I don't think the problem is coaching, I think it's athletes, of which we've never had enough of previously. Nose to the grindstone. Keep on keeping on.

Bleil's OL's have not been even average in his 4 years at ISU.

The themes are pretty consistent from year to year:

• The line seems to perform worse as the year goes on.
• The players don't seem to get improve dramatically from fresh/soph years to junior/senior year
• We can't pass block. Our QB's get the crap beaten out of them. Richardson might have been sick, but IMO the cumulative impact of all the hits wore him down.
• We look confused any time a team blitzes.

Yesterdays game showed we have a long way to go in the trenches. IMO the OL &DL build off each other because they practice against each other. Rhoads needs to make the difficult decision and replace a friend.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FarminCy

I don't know the in's and out's of ISU's offense but last I knew it was a zone blocking scheme up front. I started for 4 years in a zone blocking scheme at the D2 level. . . . The main thing to me that sticks out about coaching vs. players is how often our guys are out of position from the point of contact. . . . What this tells me is that coaching is not preparing them for all the scenario's that will be thrown at them during a game. . . .

---

The voice of knowledge. I'm glad you "spoke" up. Your brief analysis gives me pause; maybe we do, then, have a coaching problem.

During the season CPR did say that some of our guards are better suited to tackle and will move there in this coming spring. Could it be the staff is covering up weaknesses now as best it can? Someone else in this thread (I think) mentioned guard play as a problem.

If your unit is still poor after 4 years, then there is something wrong in the coaching. We have the same discussions about the offense and the offensive line year after year.


I'm not a professional OL coach, but I don't have to be to know that what we do isn't working.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scyclonekid

Well the defense was on the field way more than the offense was there is your answer. The offense scored ten ******* points yesterday ******* ten!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

And that came in the first quarter.

A larger question: Why did the offense look fairly competent on early drives in many games, then sputtered the rest of the way?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CyValley

The voice of knowledge. I'm glad you "spoke" up. Your brief analysis gives me pause; maybe we do, then, have a coaching problem.

During the season CPR did say that some of our guards are better suited to tackle and will move there in this coming spring. Could it be the staff is covering up weaknesses now as best it can? Someone else in this thread (I think) mentioned guard play as a problem.

---

We blocked at least four holes for our qb and scatbacks to hit in the game. The rest of the rushing plays looked like rugby. It that is more than our guards, you may also want to add tackles to the mix.

I do not think there is any question that our running game was lousier this year after we lost KO. And our passing game did not improve. Yet our Special Teams did a great job.
I had hopes that Jarvis, Lenz, Gary, and Bundrage would have had more big plays, but our oline did not help much.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cyclones500

And that came in the first quarter.

A larger question: Why did the offense look fairly competent on early drives in many games, then sputtered the rest of the way?

---

The opposing defense made in game changes while Messingham does not and he just does not stick to the run his play calling is so inconsistent. But then our Oline got pushed around to much to not let the run game develop, it is a combination of these I believe but I am not a coach for a D1 program.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CycloneErik

If your unit is still poor after 4 years, then there is something wrong in the coaching. We have the same discussions about the offense and the offensive line year after year.


I'm not a professional OL coach, but I don't have to be to know that what we do isn't working.

---

To be fair, CPR's first OL class was only still RS sophs. One one of them (Dika) missed his second straight season.

For that matter, you could make the same logic to say that because the linebackers were still thin after four years, Wally should be replaced. How does that work for you guys?

Of course, the same argument also applies to absolutely every other position on the team. And most of those take less time to develop players than the OL does. So I'm afraid that your logic doesn't hold up--unless you want to fire the whole coaching staff.

Let's face it. It simply takes more time than most people are willing to admit. Well, when you're not scooping in the talent that some other schools do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aclone

To be fair, CPR's first OL class was only still RS sophs. One one of them (Dika) missed his second straight season.

For that matter, you could make the same logic to say that because the linebackers were still thin after four years, Wally should be replaced. How does that work for you guys?

Of course, the same argument also applies to absolutely every other position on the team. And most of those take less time to develop players than the OL does. So I'm afraid that your logic doesn't hold up--unless you want to fire the whole coaching staff.

Let's face it. It simply takes more time than most people are willing to admit. Well, when you're not scooping in the talent that some other schools do.

---

Good points here. It really takes 6 years before I make a judgement on some of this stuff particularly O line. You need to get your first class that is yours in, redshirt them, and then have them be fifth year seniors. And we are still thin at most positions. That became pretty evident at CB and LB late in the year.

Even so, what we saw this year is not acceptable from the offensive unit as a whole for year 4. Something is not working, and my guess is it is a combination of many things. Even PR commented that we just didnt move the chains enough this year. He was pretty clearly frustrated with the offense after a few games this year. I don't know what it is, but CPR is smart and self critical I think so I trust that he will figure it out. If he thinks Bleil and Mess are the guys then that's fine, but it has to get better and I think they know that.

So for year 4 the defense is well ahead of where I thought, the offense is behind where I would have thought, and overall I am happy with the progress in the program, but damn it is hard to watch a team get 9 first downs.

In regards to line play, we are usually the inferior team at both maintaining our blocks on offense and getting off of blocks on defense. Hand work and general physicality needs to improve.
A bigger concern I have is that the type of offense we run puts the Oline in a bad spot. It is susceptible to tackles for loss, a stacked box, and the opponent knowing what to expect.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aclone

To be fair, CPR's first OL class was only still RS sophs. One one of them (Dika) missed his second straight season.

For that matter, you could make the same logic to say that because the linebackers were still thin after four years, Wally should be replaced. How does that work for you guys?

Of course, the same argument also applies to absolutely every other position on the team. And most of those take less time to develop players than the OL does. So I'm afraid that your logic doesn't hold up--unless you want to fire the whole coaching staff.

Let's face it. It simply takes more time than most people are willing to admit. Well, when you're not scooping in the talent that some other schools do.

---

As I stated earlier in this thread it appears to me it is more than a talent gap. ISU's oline does not appear well prepared for handling all situations and making proper reads and adjustments in a zone blocking system. That should only take 1 year to do. I don't dispute that ISU is thin in the oline right now but IMO the line has been lacking on the basic fundamentals which should be in place after one spring ball and pre season camp with proper coaching. I don't know if Bleil will or should be let go but ISU's Oline has not progressed during his tenure, lot's of mental mistakes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aclone

To be fair, CPR's first OL class was only still RS sophs. One one of them (Dika) missed his second straight season.

Let's face it. It simply takes more time than most people are willing to admit. Well, when you're not scooping in the talent that some other schools do.

---

To be fair, we just got pistol-whipped by Tulsa. Their incoming talent is not better than ISU's, but they did improve a lot more over the year. Neither was UNI's talent in 2011. Our lines should have done better against Rutgers too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FarminCy

As I stated earlier in this thread it appears to me it is more than a talent gap. ISU's oline does not appear well prepared for handling all situations and making proper reads and adjustments in a zone blocking system. That should only take 1 year to do. I don't dispute that ISU is thin in the oline right now but IMO the line has been lacking on the basic fundamentals which should be in place after one spring ball and pre season camp with proper coaching. I don't know if Bleil will or should be let go but ISU's Oline has not progressed during his tenure, lot's of mental mistakes.

---

Honestly? I'd like to hear Ben Bruns' opinion. Seriously.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aclone

Honestly? I'd like to hear Ben Bruns' opinion. Seriously.

---

I would too, off the air. Either we haven't recruited as good of players as Chizik did there or the coaches aren't as good because this line has regressed each season. It may be the only position I can say that about.