We don't run RPO exclusively. Can't add entire new scheme, obviously. I'm just an armchair second-guesser like most on GH, but I do know from some playing and from extensive "watching" that most good offenses try to counter-punch overly-aggressive defenses with plays designed to exploit momentary defensive weaknesses and openings. It is Football 101. We don't seem to have such counter-punches built into our offense.
We could add a few extremely common bells and whistles to our repertoire to make defenses think a little more before jumping ... and make them defend more of the field. We could run jet sweeps off of the motion we already run. We could pull OLmen to try to set up numbers advantages away from potential blitz alleys. We could run simple screen passes (other than our "tunnel" screen that everybody knows) and swing passes to RBs without changing much at all --except coach mentality. We could install a new play or two for our TEs, as they seem to be our competitive pass catchers this year. Just add a few simple things, that all could be run out of the shotgun, to attempt to punish constant blitzing (rather than concentrate only on how to block blitzes). We could answer the constant jumping around that defenses like to do during our slow snap counts--jumping around that means we have no real idea what the ultimate defensive set will be--by coming to the line and snapping the ball, before the defense is set, while it is still jumping around. Try to put "jumping bean" defenses at a disadvantage. It couldn't be much worse than how we attack those defenses now.
Like you, I am concerned about our OL play, especially the right side of the line. But, in blitz situations, it simply isn't the OL's fault if we have 6 blockers, the defense brings 7 or 8 rushers, and we run one of the three plays the defense's blitz was designed to stop or frustrate. We've got to have blitz answers that don't require the OL (and RB) to block more bodies than there are OLmen.
The real answer, of course, is that our coaches are far, far more aware of what might work to defeat constant blitzing than most GHs, esp. me, do. I am frustrated by the seeming simplicity and predictability of our offense (which I am beginning to think is a PJ thing more than an OC thing), simplicity that seems to doom us against very good defenses. Simplicity that makes it look as though, against good teams, we are playing not to lose rather than to win. We like to overpower on offense, when we can, and that is great when it works. Our blitz counterpunch seems to be to pass out of the RPO--which just isn't working with the crop of WRs we have this year, for whatever reason. But beyond our basic RPO package, we seem like we don't want to out think a very worthy opponent. There are no creative Plan Bs that I've noticed. I have seen so many creative college offenses. The models are there.
P.S. I acknowledge that this post, borne of frustration, might just be a bunch of BS dispensed by a very uninformed old man. Feel free to ignore it.
