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Fast-forward to the present, with Arkansas averaging 325 rushing yards per game and Tennessee, well, you know, and I'm convinced that letting Pittman get away was the single biggest mistake--by far--that Butch has made.

But...but...but. We have the BEST staff in America. Butch told us so.

Have no problem with him wanting to bring in guys he trusts. Now he should know he is going to have to make changes if we are going to get anywhere. I know we have some very weak areas most noticeable is the OL. Got to scheme around it and not leave freshmen on an island to block stunts and blitzes.

True...but good coaches would have figured that out......say 3 games and a open date ago.

I agree. It is nothing but pure stubbornness or stupidity to keep doing the same thing when you can plainly see it will not work with the personnel you have.

easier to do that when you only have one FR lineman but two together through it is much more difficult.  Add to the mix that in reality you have only true FR TEs that by necessity will often line up on the same side it becomes a very difficult task to "scheme around". I have to look at the DVR later but based upon initial formation (I was watching the receivers on the play) the sack/fumble was a TE bust.

One thing that I concluded on my forced rest period this morning is that UF's defense was much faster overall, and much faster on the line than UGA's.  

Another is that often the QB (and sometimes a receiver(s) share in the blame for a sack.  An example is the first sack in Athens where it was obvious that the corner was blitzing.  Pig sat down but the QB never saw it.  An example where we saw it and were effective in Athens was the play where Hurd told the defender to bring it.  Worley changed the protection scheme and the line block down to the right allowing the ROT (very effectively) to pick up the blitz and Hurd crossed and filled the left side.

I think a large issue with this line is the lack of recruiting a single OL in one class and poor evaluation of the OL being brought in (yes Sam Pittman is the primary culprit) which is forcing us to use two true freshman on the line.

The youth hypothesis might have merit if we hadn't stunk with an NFL line last year. Proof is in the pudding, and Arkansas' is pretty good. It was good for Butch to hire who he wanted, but letting Pittman and Chaney walk was not a good move. Oh well, now he can solve the Iissues. Good coaches have problems like bad ones. It's just the good ones fix them.

my point is that ifa, woulda, coulda is nice but those individuals are in large part responsible for the offense we have today.  Their poor evaluations, lack of recruiting, etc play a large part of our current situation.  BtW, the offense that Chaney is running at Arkansas is in no way, shape or form close to what he ran here.  In fact it is night and day different.

Also, if they were that good, our offense would not have SUCKED so bad when they were here.

And that is the question I have.  Will he make those staff changes that are needed, or will be pull a Fulmer and be hesitant to replace coaches because of personal relationships?  I'm all for having guys you "trust" but if those trusted friends aren't getting the job done then you have to make those changes.  In the end that led to Fulmer's demise as the UT coach.  I am hoping that Butch doesn't fall in to that same trap. 

I agree 100% that it would have been great had Pittman stayed.  Heck, I was a fan of Chaney also even when others complained.

But again...that the OL "underachieved" last year is hard for me to swallow when our running game averaged 188 yards per game, the best since 1998.  Facts are facts...but let's not get drawn into an argument about last year.

My original point is that some people actually posted on this very board last year that our OL "stunk so bad" that the new guys might be better because they would be more motivated.

As it stands we are 107th in the country running the ball and one of the leaders in sacks allowed.   Those stats were pretty much flipped last year.

So folks...THIS is what it looks like when the OL sucks.     :naughty: