That's not true. I'm saying that taking away from the most scoring-efficient aspect of our offense in order for Hartline to have 253 yards does not do us any favors. When we run the ball well, we score more points and turn it over less; when we pass, we don't. It's as simple as that. So far, we score 1 passing TD per every 523 yards, but 1 INT per every 174. Our offense's scoring efficiency increases as more of those yards become rushing yards. You're more than welcome to try and disprove it, but something tells me it's not possible. Look at the last 3 games themselves: Zona: 86 rushing yards, 3.0 YPC, 1 rushing TD. (480 total yards) Jets: 185 rushing yards, 4.5 YPC, 2 rushing TDs. (381 total yards) Oak: 263 rushing yards, 6.3 YPC, 4 rushing TDs. (452 total yards) Notice how the scoring increases when we rush the ball regardless of how many total yards we have?
Why? We're much less efficient at scoring when our yards are gained through the air than on the ground, especially when it's b/c we're 1 dimensional? You'd rather pass for 430 yards and score less points as a 1 dimensional offense than be balanced and put up more points despite Hartline not going for 250?
I'm not sure why this seems so difficult to comprehend. Heck, it's what much of this board talked about a few weeks ago when we were asking ourselves what would happen when defenses decided to focus on stopping the run. The bottom line is when Bush has a big day or is effective running the ball, we put more points on the board than when Hartline is, and that's all that should matter.
So? It's still a result of the passing game is it not?... and Hartline does have a history of the slipsies, no? It's not like we can ask Zona for a do-over. I don't think it matters if the WR group didn't cause The Rhodes INT. Regardless of how it happened, it was a turnover that resulted from the passing game, not the run game, and it's not like the passing game doesn't have a recent history of tipped/batted INTs at the line.
i'm also stunned, fans from the same team bashing the WR who leads the league in receiving after 4 games, because he is basically "lucky" no one is paying attention to him....unreal....
I think it's best to focus on wins and losses... since we're 1 and 3. Are we moving the ball offensively? yes. Is Hartline gaining a lot of yards? yes. Is the offense turning the ball over in critical situations late in games? Yes. Is that because we choose not to run the ball in those critical situations? Yes. Is the defense focusing on taking away the run game? yes. Are we more likely to turn the ball over attempting a pass? yes. Are defenses focusing on putting pressure on a rookie quarterback? Yes. Is a rookie quarterback more likely to turn the ball over under pressure? Yes. Are defenses focusing on taking away Brian Hartline on critical drives? ahhhh... now I leave this one unanswered. Because it's not a simple yes or no question. I mean gameplanning wise, before the game starts... Is Hartline a top priority for a defense to shut down? No... can he become a priority during the game depending on the down and distance? YES.
But you can conclude that is a weakness of Hartline's only if you can't conclude it's attributable to the QB, and I don't think that's the case here, with a rookie starting.
