2010 Oklahoma Sooners Football: What's Missing on Offense?

My recent discussion with Nickel Rover over at BC about his complete overrating of UT’s offensive skill talent (particularly at QB) sparked me to thinking about what it is we’re missing to make a legitimate title run in 2010.

We’ll start with the offense, then we’ll move over to defense in a couple of days, then we’ll finish up with special teams. So, what does OU need to run their offense at a national championship level?

Consider first what our current ideal offense looks like.  

Ignoring the fun defensive highlights and the first minute of the video, you’ll notice the following:

1. Well-conditioned, disciplined OL.

It’s not just the pace of the hurry-up offense, it’s the way Wilson runs it.  OU offensive linemen have to be able to take a signal, understand, and apply it to the defensive front they’re facing—then they have to disregard that when the audible comes in from the sideline, change their blocking scheme, and do it while in a three-point stance.

2. WRs capable of running precise routes.  

Iglesias and Manny weren’t extremely athletic WRs.  Florida’s DBs proved that more than once, and so did UT’s.  

But they ran clean routes with minimal drift and sharp cuts that allowed them to be in the right place.

3. RB capable of being a legit threat in the slot and out of the backfield (i.e. able to create in open field).  

You’ll notice in that clip that DeMarco Murray was running all the sweeps, tosses, flat routes, etc., and that Chris Brown was running all the off-tackle and inside handoffs.

Murray, when healthy, is very able to create and improvise in the open field.  This is a necessity in Kevin Wilson’s no-huddle.  It’s used to create mismatches when a team isn’t running the nickel.

4. QB able to make smart decisions...

...and put the ball in good places for the skill position players.  

Sam Bradford isn’t an absolute prerequisite here.  You could make do with Josh Heupel.

What both QB’s shared is the ability to put the ball exactly where it needed to be, one way or another.

5. Versatile red-zone threat, be it a big WR or an athletic TE.

Gresham was the real back-breaker of the 2008 OU offense.  He could line up as a TE, flex to the slot, lead block in the jumbo/ace formation, and physically dominate just about anyone who tried to cover him.  

Again, you don’t need a clone of Gresham.  You need what he offered: Versatility, size, and reliable hands in traffic.

Now that we know what we need, let’s look at what we don’t yet have.

Offensive Line

As I’ve said elsewhere, this group is an unknown.  People assuming what they saw in 2009 will translate automatically to 2010 are utter fools.  People assuming this is going to be the 2004 or 2008 unit are no better.

Starting 10 different OL combinations, and doing so while lacking the guy who was tabbed as the starting LT in fall camp (Stephenson), is a bit more complex than it seems.

Add in chemistry issues, having an All-American LT whose work ethic was known to be far exceeded by his talent, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  

It’s a testament to Landry Jones’ pocket presence and agility that we only gave up 15 sacks all last year.  OU was 35th in TFL allowed and 16th in sacks allowed, with a line that finished the year starting an LT at C and a converted TE at RT.

Based on the circumstances, which way do you think those stats are going?

Wide Receiver

Boom or bust for this group.  Ryan Broyles is the best WR in the Big 12, and true freshman Kenny Stills is absolutely for real.  

DeJuan Miller had the light bulb come on late last year and got to the point where you could maintain an entire drive just by throwing to him.   More on him later.

Jaz Reynolds looks to be the first off the sideline or the third starter.  The bulk of the talent and potential here is in young WRs, and young tends to mean technically rough.

Stills, much like Jackson Jeffcoat, has a father who played his position in the NFL, so he comes in with far superior route running and pass catching skills.  

But Justin McCay has been getting raves from everyone who’s seen him from the Army All-America game to now.  Meanwhile, the veterans had their chance last year, and most of them failed to shine.

Running Back

DeMarco Murray must stay healthy.  Otherwise, we’re going to need Brennan Clay and Roy Finch to be productive right off the bat.  This worries me.

Quarterback

Landry Jones has an artillery cannon for an arm, he’s got great pocket presence, and a ton of upside.  

I just don’t see the kind of QB who’s going to be able to make game winning decisions.  He won’t cost us any games like he did against Nebraska, but he won’t win any games for us either.  

Then again, I refuse to underestimate Josh Heupel as a QB coach.  The guy just knows how to coach the mental aspect of the game to QBs.

Red-zone threat

Back to DeJuan Miller.  While there are some guys on campus who might give us what we need here, they’re true freshmen.  

While both Austin Haywood and Trey Millard are getting rave reviews, I loathe to assume a true freshman whom I’ve never seen go against FBS-caliber athletes, even in practice, will get it done.

That leaves Miller, who at 6’4″ (with a wingspan to match),  221 pounds, is a load for any LB or S.

Unfortunately, teams like UT and NU have guys like Aaron Williams and Prince (I’m not going to bother with his last name); big physical CBs who can stay with anyone man to man.

There’s too many ifs here. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say the WRs and OL will be up to the task. And I think Landry Jones will show marked improvement this year.

With the sheer complexity of the OU offense, you cannot discount how important being prepped as the starter from January to August can be.

But Murray hasn’t had a single year where he made it from kickoff to the end of the bowl game healthy. We don’t really have a true TE/red-zone threat.

From the FanTake blog: Boomer And Sooner

Follow on Twitter: @BoomAndSoon