[CTcard]

Having a top QB covers up a lot of issues.

Of course it does, which is why I said that the OL was the second most important group on offense.

Plus I tend to think our issues are more due to injury than most want to admit. The turnover next year will be real, but if Herbig comes back and Sarrell returns from injury then we have a core of Little-Herbig-Sarrell that's going to be better than what most schools bring back.

I certainly hold out the possibility that injuries were by far the major source of our OL problems. It's the answer I like the best, since it seems the easiest to address. Goose obviously feels that isn't the major part of the story. I don't think it is everything, but also don't feel like I know enough information to parse further.

The returning starters might be even better than you suggest. I think a group of starters that includes Little - Hamilton - Dalman - Herbig - Sarell would be very good raw talent to work with. Depth will be thin, but in good years we don't crank though so many linemen.
But there is a long way to go from current run blocking performance to good run blocking, and even to middling blocking. The good news is that even middling run blocking could make the overall offense very good.

[CTcard]

Having a top QB covers up a lot of issues.

Of course it does, which is why I said that the OL was the second most important group on offense.

Plus I tend to think our issues are more due to injury than most want to admit. The turnover next year will be real, but if Herbig comes back and Sarrell returns from injury then we have a core of Little-Herbig-Sarrell that's going to be better than what most schools bring back.

I certainly hold out the possibility that injuries were by far the major source of our OL problems. It's the answer I like the best, since it seems the easiest to address. Goose obviously feels that isn't the major part of the story. I don't think it is everything, but also don't feel like I know enough information to parse further.

The returning starters might be even better than you suggest. I think a group of starters that includes Little - Hamilton - Dalman - Herbig - Sarell would be very good raw talent to work with. Depth will be thin, but in good years we don't crank though so many linemen.
But there is a long way to go from current run blocking performance to good run blocking, and even to middling blocking. The good news is that even middling run blocking could make the overall offense very good.