In re-watching all of our games from last season, the biggest takeaway for me was our OLs average to below average pass protection. Our #'s look okay because of how quick the TFS gets rid of the ball and how special Goff is with his footwork and pocket presence but don't let that fool you.
However, the pocket did not consistently stand up to allow Goff the time to survey the field and pick the defense apart. If you compare our pass pro to our opponents, it wasn't even close. We let opposing QBs pitch a tent back there. Given our WR corps and Goff, if the OL can improve to the point that Jared has just one more second on average to throw the ball, things could get really, really scary good. Not just points scored but the ability to never not punt and to limit TOs.
Can the OL do it? There is a big opportunity here but also some risk. Looking at film, I would have rated Chris Adcock as perhaps our most consistent pass protector and he's gone now. Rigsbee was out of position at tackle and especially early in the year, Moore had issues with quicker, stronger DEs.
That said, I think Cochran will do well given his size and strength (Adcock was susceptible to bull rushers) at center. Rigsbee moves back inside and Borrayo and Moore have another year of experience which is huge especially when it comes to pass protection skill/technique development. If Moore is healthy and was not prevented from adding some needed strength and weight while rehabbing, I think he takes a big step forward. I hope I'm right.
That leaves the question of right tackle. We need someone to emerge. Granado has now had two camps (Fall and Spring) to take the job but has failed to do so. Farley beat him out this Spring and I thought Farley struggled in the Spring game (and he was certainly a liability last year when he got snaps). Lots of raves about Vinnie Johnson but he's inexperienced. We need to nail this down. The upside is HUGE if we can get high quality pass protection for Goff.
And the downside is meaningful. I'm not sure we put up enough points against quality defenses this year without improvement in this area. For our Bears to take the next step and beat USC, Stanford, Texas, etc we will need a strong pass protecting OL. That plus our running game (which I'm more confident will improve on the nice foundation we laid last year) will make our offense unstoppable. And that will do wonders for our defense and special teams.
However, the pocket did not consistently stand up to allow Goff the time to survey the field and pick the defense apart. If you compare our pass pro to our opponents, it wasn't even close. We let opposing QBs pitch a tent back there. Given our WR corps and Goff, if the OL can improve to the point that Jared has just one more second on average to throw the ball, things could get really, really scary good. Not just points scored but the ability to never not punt and to limit TOs.
Can the OL do it? There is a big opportunity here but also some risk. Looking at film, I would have rated Chris Adcock as perhaps our most consistent pass protector and he's gone now. Rigsbee was out of position at tackle and especially early in the year, Moore had issues with quicker, stronger DEs.
That said, I think Cochran will do well given his size and strength (Adcock was susceptible to bull rushers) at center. Rigsbee moves back inside and Borrayo and Moore have another year of experience which is huge especially when it comes to pass protection skill/technique development. If Moore is healthy and was not prevented from adding some needed strength and weight while rehabbing, I think he takes a big step forward. I hope I'm right.
That leaves the question of right tackle. We need someone to emerge. Granado has now had two camps (Fall and Spring) to take the job but has failed to do so. Farley beat him out this Spring and I thought Farley struggled in the Spring game (and he was certainly a liability last year when he got snaps). Lots of raves about Vinnie Johnson but he's inexperienced. We need to nail this down. The upside is HUGE if we can get high quality pass protection for Goff.And the downside is meaningful. I'm not sure we put up enough points against quality defenses this year without improvement in this area. For our Bears to take the next step and beat USC, Stanford, Texas, etc we will need a strong pass protecting OL. That plus our running game (which I'm more confident will improve on the nice foundation we laid last year) will make our offense unstoppable. And that will do wonders for our defense and special teams.
