It is such a deep problem. It's why changing the play-caller now is not even that important. The offensive design is totally broken. Fans of all teams complain about predicting run/pass by formation all the time, but in this case, it is entirely true, everyone can tell what is coming by down and distance + formation, no sign-stealing required.
Nothing works in sequence. Estime does not run well laterally yet we ask this of him every game. Our route concepts do not complement one another. We have seemingly entirely abandoned things that once worked, like the splits-backs formation for Ohio State and play-action to the tight ends. Mitchell is out, sure, but Staes looked great early in the year, and now he is not even a part of things.
It is vital that Freeman hires someone with a system that is favorable to backs and tight ends this offseason. It is the strength of the team and we should lean into it. Ludwig would have been a great fit, but there are others out there. Joe Moorhead at Akron, Andy Kotelnicki at Kansas, Slade Nagle at Tulane, there are options.
