So Long Bruce Campbell

[Dr. FLK]

Our LT is entering the NFL draft. The Terps sure put together a lot of NFL OL.

[Mackus]

Not great news for the team next year and our already depleted offensive line.

Best of luck to Bruce in the draft.

[Dr. FLK]

Not great news for the team next year and our already depleted offensive line.

Best of luck to Bruce in the draft.

I don't know much about the class coming in next year. Are there many OL in it, or will we be looking for more walk-ons to fill out the line?

[Mackus]

I don't know much about the class coming in next year. Are there many OL in it, or will we be looking for more walk-ons to fill out the line?

I'm sure there are enough players that we won't be having to go to walk-ons.

However, going with true-freshman lineman usually isn't a recipe for success.

[Dr. FLK]

I'm sure there are enough players that we won't be having to go to walk-ons.

However, going with true-freshman lineman usually isn't a recipe for success.

Didn't they have walk-ons this year?

[BaltimoreTerp]

Am I the only one that got my forums confused, thought this was the TV forum and got scared that Campbell was leaving Burn Notice?

Ok, I didn't...but it COULD have happened...:laughlol:

[Birds of B'more]

No surprise. Despite an injury-plagued season, several mock drafts I've seen have Campbell as a 1st Round pick....one even had him rated as the 2nd best OT, behind Russell Okung.

As for what this means to the Terps....as mentioned already it probably means more walk-ons on the O-line. I haven't looked at a depth chart, but I'm wondering if they will have enough O-lineman to run spring practice effectively? If I'm a UM student that fits the size profile, I'd head over to the Gossett House and ask for a tryout. Heck, with the inability of this coaching staff to recruit even mediocre O-line depth, you just might end up with a full scholarship before all is said and done.

[NewOwnerNeeded]

No surprise. Despite an injury-plagued season' date=' several mock drafts I've seen have Campbell as a 1st Round pick....one even had him rated as the 2nd best OT, behind Russell Okung.[/quote']

Really? That high? He was good, but was he on the field enough to justify that? And honestly, I don't remember him dominating like Jared Gaither did.

[Birds of B'more]

Really? That high? He was good, but was he on the field enough to justify that? And honestly, I don't remember him dominating like Jared Gaither did.

I think it's more his potential than his actual on-field accomplishments thus far. Like Gaither, he has a combination of size, strength and agility that makes scouts drool. Plus, this might be a down year for OTs....Okung was the only name I consistently saw near the top of the draft boards. If Campbell performs well at the Combine, I can definitely see him going late in the 1st Round.

[backwardsk]

Really? That high? He was good, but was he on the field enough to justify that? And honestly, I don't remember him dominating like Jared Gaither did.

Yeah, I've seen him after Okung in at least one mock. But it's definitely not a consensus. Guys like Trent Williams, the dude from Rutgers, and the LT from Iowa are up there as well. Selvish Capers (WVU) and Ciron Black (LSU) are up there also, but behind the first group.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Without Campbell, the O-line looks like:

LT: Justin Gilbert

LG: Lamar Young, Maurice Hampton

C: Danny Edwards, Andrew Gonnella, Cody Blue

RG: Justin Lewis, Pete White, Bennett Fulper

RT: RJ Dill, Paul Pinegar, Nick Klemm

I think the loss of Campbell just makes it even more likely the Terps run a true Triple-Option offense next year.

Navy's starting offensive-line from left to right this year was Jeff Battipaglia, Osei Asante, Eric Douglass, Curtis Bass, and Matt Molloy. Their average weight is 264 lbs, which is incredibly light for a D1 team. Despite the physical differences, Navy was good enough this year to win at Notre Dame, beat Air Force, beat Wake Forest, and compete against Ohio State, and Pittsburgh.

Even with Campbell leaving Maryland for the NFL, there is nobody on that Navy offensive line that would start with the Terps.

At QB, Jamarr Robinson showed an ability down the stretch to make plays with his legs. If you combine his ability to get to the outside, with the abundance of quality returning running backs (Scott, Meggett, Douglas, Porzel, Adams), maybe you have something.

I also like that when you run the option, defenses can not double team your receivers. If Terp receivers such as Torrey Smith (if back), Cannon, Tyler, Boykins, Dorsey, and McCree are facing consistent single coverage - they will win those match-ups more often than not.

Georgia Tech was 7-1 in the ACC this year, winning the Coastal Division. They averaged 305 yards per game rushing, which should have allowed them to dominate time of possession.

Control the ball, control the clock, and watch the defense improve as well.

The biggest negatives I hear about running the option are the notions that fans will not want to watch it, and that top QB recruits will not want to come.

Let us be honest here, while I am encouraged about the long-term potential of Maryland QB's Danny O'Brien, and CJ Brown; neither was uber-elite top-talent. They were good, solid recruits, the level you should continue to be able to target.

I am also not sure I buy the idea of fans not wanting to watch the option. I believe fans want to see wins, with less concern of how the wins are achieved.

My biggest concern of implementing the option for the 2010 season, was/is the size of the MD offensive-line. If the O-line is designed for smaller, faster offensive lineman; do the Terps have a line capable of running that offense?

Losing Campbell might make it easier to implement the offense.

Interesting thoughts.

I'll say this: as long as you aren't running the ball on every single play, the triple option is REALLY fun to watch. With the athletes Maryland has at receiver and running back, if Robinson or O'Brien are even halfway decent with their accuracy and decision-making that would be a very interesting team next season.

[DBean]

I like the idea of running the triple option. It's worked for Navy in the past. Might be exciting to watch.

[Birds of B'more]

Without Campbell, the O-line looks like:

LT: Justin Gilbert

LG: Lamar Young, Maurice Hampton

C: Danny Edwards, Andrew Gonnella, Cody Blue

RG: Justin Lewis, Pete White, Bennett Fulper

RT: RJ Dill, Paul Pinegar, Nick Klemm

One word. UGH!

I think the loss of Campbell just makes it even more likely the Terps run a true Triple-Option offense next year.

Navy's starting offensive-line from left to right this year was Jeff Battipaglia, Osei Asante, Eric Douglass, Curtis Bass, and Matt Molloy. Their average weight is 264 lbs, which is incredibly light for a D1 team. Despite the physical differences, Navy was good enough this year to win at Notre Dame, beat Air Force, beat Wake Forest, and compete against Ohio State, and Pittsburgh.

Even with Campbell leaving Maryland for the NFL, there is nobody on that Navy offensive line that would start with the Terps.

At QB, Jamarr Robinson showed an ability down the stretch to make plays with his legs. If you combine his ability to get to the outside, with the abundance of quality returning running backs (Scott, Meggett, Douglas, Porzel, Adams), maybe you have something.

I also like that when you run the option, defenses can not double team your receivers. If Terp receivers such as Torrey Smith (if back), Cannon, Tyler, Boykins, Dorsey, and McCree are facing consistent single coverage - they will win those match-ups more often than not.

Georgia Tech was 7-1 in the ACC this year, winning the Coastal Division. They averaged 305 yards per game rushing, which should have allowed them to dominate time of possession.

Control the ball, control the clock, and watch the defense improve as well.

The biggest negatives I hear about running the option are the notions that fans will not want to watch it, and that top QB recruits will not want to come.

Let us be honest here, while I am encouraged about the long-term potential of Maryland QB's Danny O'Brien, and CJ Brown; neither was uber-elite top-talent. They were good, solid recruits, the level you should continue to be able to target.

I am also not sure I buy the idea of fans not wanting to watch the option. I believe fans want to see wins, with less concern of how the wins are achieved.

My biggest concern of implementing the option for the 2010 season, was/is the size of the MD offensive-line. If the O-line is designed for smaller, faster offensive lineman; do the Terps have a line capable of running that offense?

Losing Campbell might make it easier to implement the offense.

That makes sense, and could potentially work out nicely. The triple option does tend to level the playing field for teams that don't have as much talent. The thing is, it is a system that requires precision and discipline...so to have any success the Terps would probably need to be 100% committed to running it starting during spring practices, and I haven't heard anything about that possibility yet. The other thing is that with GA Tech having run it for 2 seasons now, most of the ACC has seen the triple option at least once in the past 2 years, so it's not like the Terps will catch anyone by surprise. Plus, one of our OOC opponents next season (Navy) is also intimately familiar with it.

[Tony-OH]

Glad to see the youngman found a lifeboat off the Titanic. I don't blame him one bit. Why in the world would anyhone stay at Maryland over a chance to play in the NFL?

[RShack]

Without Campbell, the O-line looks like:

LT: Justin Gilbert

LG: Lamar Young, Maurice Hampton

C: Danny Edwards, Andrew Gonnella, Cody Blue

RG: Justin Lewis, Pete White, Bennett Fulper

RT: RJ Dill, Paul Pinegar, Nick Klemm

I think the loss of Campbell just makes it even more likely the Terps run a true Triple-Option offense next year.

Navy's starting offensive-line from left to right this year was Jeff Battipaglia, Osei Asante, Eric Douglass, Curtis Bass, and Matt Molloy. Their average weight is 264 lbs, which is incredibly light for a D1 team. Despite the physical differences, Navy was good enough this year to win at Notre Dame, beat Air Force, beat Wake Forest, and compete against Ohio State, and Pittsburgh.

Even with Campbell leaving Maryland for the NFL, there is nobody on that Navy offensive line that would start with the Terps.

It's not a true triple option offense. The TV guys say that, but they're wrong. However, it is ideal for schools who have recruiting issues. It's easier to find O-lineman who can pull and are teachable about blocking than it is to find huge athletic guys...

At QB, Jamarr Robinson showed an ability down the stretch to make plays with his legs. If you combine his ability to get to the outside, with the abundance of quality returning running backs (Scott, Meggett, Douglas, Porzel, Adams), maybe you have something.

I also like that when you run the option, defenses can not double team your receivers. If Terp receivers such as Torrey Smith (if back), Cannon, Tyler, Boykins, Dorsey, and McCree are facing consistent single coverage - they will win those match-ups more often than not.

Absolutely. Demaryius Thomas wasn't happy about Paul Johnson's offense at first, but he sure is now. Low passes/game, but astronomically high yards/catch. Plus, it's made him become a very good blocker, he's constantly taking guys out in the open field. (In this O, if you don't block, you don't play...) People are talking about him going in this year's NFL draft, but he already said he's staying.

Georgia Tech was 7-1 in the ACC this year, winning the Coastal Division. They averaged 305 yards per game rushing, which should have allowed them to dominate time of possession.

When they were doing things right, they had like a 2:1 clock advantage, which is insane...

Control the ball, control the clock, and watch the defense improve as well.

The biggest negatives I hear about running the option are the notions that fans will not want to watch it, and that top QB recruits will not want to come.

Nah, fans *love* to watch it. It's exciting as hell. It's basically the run-and-shoot but based on running instead of passing, which corrects one big problem of the run-and-shoot. Top recruits want to go where they'll win. You might have trouble getting NFL-minded QB's and WR's, but the WR-issue will probably get diminished after Demaryius Thomas and a few other WR's get drafted high, which leaves you with the QB issue. It's perfect for a guy who thinks he's the next Tebow. The QB is the center of the whole thing, the in-play decision maker, gets lots of chances to take the ball, and has the opportunity to put up gaudy QB-rating numbers (due to high yds/pass and high completion rates). Plus, good RB's will be standing in line to come to a run-oriented offense...

The alleged negative is that some people say it only works because nobody's D is used to it. They say that as more and more schools do it, then D's will adapt and kill it. They point to the way LSU thumped GT in last year's bowl after they had a month to get ready for them. The alternate explanation is that LSU was "on" and GT was not. That happens a lot in bowl games, after everybody takes a whole dang month off and gets out of synch, and it happens a lot no matter what kind of O is used.

I have no doubt that D's will get better vs. the Paul Johnson offense (which is what Navy and Army are running, because their HC's used to be PJ assistants) if they see it more and more. That's only sensible. At the same time, some folks are saying it can be stopped because it's just the triple option, and the triple option got stopped before, which is why it's rare now. The mistake there is that it is not the triple option offense. While they do run the triple option play, PJ only runs it about 15-20% of the time. One can get the wrong impression from listening to TV guys and watching highlight videos. His offense is more like the run-and-shoot, but based on the run instead of the pass. It fixes the main thing that was wrong with the run-and-shoot: it didn't eat any clock because of all the passing, so the other guy's D stayed rested, the other guy's O was on the field all the time, your own D got worn down, and you ended up losing lots of high-scoring games. PJ's offense gets lots of yards and points but also manages to keep the other team's D on the field and doesn't give their O very many opportunities... so their O gets frantic, thinking they need to score every time they have the ball (which is pretty much true), so they screw up by going for the big play too much and don't keep the ball for long. The Vandy OC was the only guy with a passing QB who managed to not do that, and the time of possession was more even than it should have been. The other slam is that it's fine if you get ahead, but that it takes too much time to come back if you're in the hole. That's not exactly true either, as the 2008 GT-GA game showed, when GT came back from a big halftime deficit by putting up 23 points in about 6 minutes....

Let us be honest here, while I am encouraged about the long-term potential of Maryland QB's Danny O'Brien, and CJ Brown; neither was uber-elite top-talent. They were good, solid recruits, the level you should continue to be able to target.

I am also not sure I buy the idea of fans not wanting to watch the option. I believe fans want to see wins, with less concern of how the wins are achieved.

My biggest concern of implementing the option for the 2010 season, was/is the size of the MD offensive-line. If the O-line is designed for smaller, faster offensive lineman; do the Terps have a line capable of running that offense?

Losing Campbell might make it easier to implement the offense.

I don't think they need to be smaller, I think it just permits them to be smaller. If a guy is athletic at all, and can learn new blocking schemes, he can do it.

I think the problem is that you need the right OC. I don't think this is something where you just copy the playbook. There's an art to it is well. I don't think it's any accident that everybody who's running this now is either Paul Johnson or somebody who used to work for him...