OK, the offense sucks this year. But given the talent on hand, it would be hard to credibly claim that reasonable expectations on that side of the ball were not exceeded in both ‘15 and ‘16. The complexity of the the scheming and playcalling and the reliance on trying to build at least the threat of a power running game did not seem to be liabilities then.
It’s true that the QB play has been bad this year, but the QB recruits from Harbaugh’s first two full classes are at this point a true freshman and a redshirt freshman. Hard to say with any real justification that either the recruiting or the development at that position has been problematic so far. (As for Rudock, Speight, and O’Korn, it seems like we’ve gotten about the level of performance you’d expect from cast off or incumbent three star talent—you might hope that Harbaugh would have worked a lasting miracle with Speight or O’Korn, but the fact it has not happened does not strike me as an indictment.)
Conversley, the recruiting at offensive tackle and running back has been lackluster, and sure, we need to do better at those positions going forward. But might we not be signing a different tune had Newsome not blown out his knee and then some (making for a big improvement at left tackle last season, this season, and the next), and had we managed to land either Wilson or Najee Harris?
As to coaching on the offensive side of the ball, it looks like Harbaugh prompted the wrong guy in Drevno, at a cost potentially to both passing game concepts and calls and the development of the offensive line (although if Drevno and Frey are
on the same page, the latter really should not be an issue). That seems like an error that should be correctable without restructuring the identify and complexity of an offensive philosophy that worked pretty damn well at Stanford—and worked as well as the physical talent on hand allowed for last season and the season before here as well.
It’s true that the QB play has been bad this year, but the QB recruits from Harbaugh’s first two full classes are at this point a true freshman and a redshirt freshman. Hard to say with any real justification that either the recruiting or the development at that position has been problematic so far. (As for Rudock, Speight, and O’Korn, it seems like we’ve gotten about the level of performance you’d expect from cast off or incumbent three star talent—you might hope that Harbaugh would have worked a lasting miracle with Speight or O’Korn, but the fact it has not happened does not strike me as an indictment.)
Conversley, the recruiting at offensive tackle and running back has been lackluster, and sure, we need to do better at those positions going forward. But might we not be signing a different tune had Newsome not blown out his knee and then some (making for a big improvement at left tackle last season, this season, and the next), and had we managed to land either Wilson or Najee Harris?
As to coaching on the offensive side of the ball, it looks like Harbaugh prompted the wrong guy in Drevno, at a cost potentially to both passing game concepts and calls and the development of the offensive line (although if Drevno and Frey are
on the same page, the latter really should not be an issue). That seems like an error that should be correctable without restructuring the identify and complexity of an offensive philosophy that worked pretty damn well at Stanford—and worked as well as the physical talent on hand allowed for last season and the season before here as well.
