woodbuck27
07-28-2006, 09:23 AM
McCarthy: Run Game Requires Commitment
By Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 07/27/2006
Head Coach Mike McCarthy believes the Packers have the right personnel and scheme to effectively run the football this season.
He also believes they don't have a choice but to make it work in order to be successful over the long haul.
McCarthy intends to be fully committed to the ground game in his first year as head coach in Green Bay, and he knows that's going to mean sticking with it during some of the tougher times.
"They'll boo you when you keep running, but it's a commitment, a long-term commitment," McCarthy said in his pre-training camp news conference on Thursday. "People sometimes have a tendency to get away from the run game early in the game. You need to commit to it. That's not to say you start every game with 10 runs, but you have to make a commitment over the course of the season if you think it's going to work."
Injuries at tailback and youth in the offensive line contributed to the Packers' struggles on the ground last year, and they'll be dealing with some of those same issues in 2006. But McCarthy's perspective is whether you're looking at an individual game, or the 16-game season, the ground game is always a work in progress.
"The hardest part about running the football is dealing with the zero- and 1-yard gains," he said. "I've said all the time that if you give me 1 or 2 yards in the first quarter, 2 or 3 yards in the second quarter, and 3 or 4 yards in the third quarter,...in the fourth quarter, that ball is coming out the back end. That's the mindset we'll have running the football."
The growth process will be particularly interesting to watch with this offense because of the new zone-blocking scheme offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski brought with him from Atlanta.
In general, players are responsible for an area in a zone-blocking scheme, rather than a specific defender. It requires quicker and more mobile offensive linemen, which in part explains why draft picks Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz will open training camp as the starting guards despite being rookies.
"The lead zone-blocking scheme is our primary run," McCarthy said. "I've always been a power person in the past, I've always believed in a power play. But through conversations with Jeff and our offensive staff, we felt this better suited our football team.
"It's an aggressive downhill style, cutting them on the backside and things like that. It definitely fits the identity of our football team."
By Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 07/27/2006
Head Coach Mike McCarthy believes the Packers have the right personnel and scheme to effectively run the football this season.
He also believes they don't have a choice but to make it work in order to be successful over the long haul.
McCarthy intends to be fully committed to the ground game in his first year as head coach in Green Bay, and he knows that's going to mean sticking with it during some of the tougher times.
"They'll boo you when you keep running, but it's a commitment, a long-term commitment," McCarthy said in his pre-training camp news conference on Thursday. "People sometimes have a tendency to get away from the run game early in the game. You need to commit to it. That's not to say you start every game with 10 runs, but you have to make a commitment over the course of the season if you think it's going to work."
Injuries at tailback and youth in the offensive line contributed to the Packers' struggles on the ground last year, and they'll be dealing with some of those same issues in 2006. But McCarthy's perspective is whether you're looking at an individual game, or the 16-game season, the ground game is always a work in progress.
"The hardest part about running the football is dealing with the zero- and 1-yard gains," he said. "I've said all the time that if you give me 1 or 2 yards in the first quarter, 2 or 3 yards in the second quarter, and 3 or 4 yards in the third quarter,...in the fourth quarter, that ball is coming out the back end. That's the mindset we'll have running the football."
The growth process will be particularly interesting to watch with this offense because of the new zone-blocking scheme offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski brought with him from Atlanta.
In general, players are responsible for an area in a zone-blocking scheme, rather than a specific defender. It requires quicker and more mobile offensive linemen, which in part explains why draft picks Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz will open training camp as the starting guards despite being rookies.
"The lead zone-blocking scheme is our primary run," McCarthy said. "I've always been a power person in the past, I've always believed in a power play. But through conversations with Jeff and our offensive staff, we felt this better suited our football team.
"It's an aggressive downhill style, cutting them on the backside and things like that. It definitely fits the identity of our football team."