In real life, I work in the media and have interviewed hundreds, if not thousands of coaches over the years. I would say 98% of the FB coaches I talk to make the same point - teams are built around the Offensive and Defensive lines. O-Line play is key to the whole offense - and O-line play relies heavily on timing and cohesion. By definition, you cannot take two starters out of the game, flip your RT to LT during the game, and expect timing and cohesion. Great lines develop when the same 5 guys play together for an entire season (or in the pros, multiple seasons).
And the thing is - O-line play impacts the passing game as much as the running game. Passing is all about timing. The QB takes a certain drop, the receivers run a certain pattern, and the throw must be made at the right time and rhythm to arrive at the right point on the field for a completion. If the O-line does not give the QB time to set up, or if the QB has to keep moving in the pocket, the timing goes out the window, and the offense goes into scramble mode.
If I was going to criticize Leidner, I would say that (at least to me), it does not appear that he is a good improviser. When the play has good timing, he can look good. When the timing breaks down, that is when Leidner has the footwork issues and/or makes poor choices. Also, Leidner is often at his best on play action. When the running game bogs down, the defense can ignore the run fake and drop into coverage more quickly.
Against TCU, take Leidner out of the game, and insert Steveler, Parra, Croft, or Elmer Fudd, and the offense would have (IMHO) had the same issues, because of the O-line play.
