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I think it's going to be increasingly difficult to run if teams do what Jacksonville did and load the short and intermediate zones (which is exactly what I expect everyone to do...). They'll have to go downfield at some point or they're going to get smothered. I don't think the line at this point is strong enough to dictate to opposing d-lines. I also worry that there's an ulterior motive for the proclivity of short passing, beyond Smith's normal conservative tendencies, and that's a concern with protection.
We'll have a better idea after Sunday's game. If Ware eats us alive we may be in some trouble.
Either way, I think we're going to see teams loading the line of scrimmage until we demonstrate that we can beat them over the top. Screens and misdirection can help with that, but most likely nothing short of long completions will cure it (I would point out that our first play Sunday was a shot downfield - I expect to see more of that). We need some big plays (in the run game as much as the pass - what was our longest run against Jax, 18 yards? Longest pass was something like 26 to a fullback.)
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