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Block and Catch

Looks like having Cignetti work with the wideouts after being a tight ends coach all these years is going to pay off.  Blocking has become an emphasis for the wide receivers, and The Birmingham News is taking a look at what that might mean for the offense:

That has been one of the ideas under Saban and receivers coach Curt Cignetti: Drilling into their heads that a block can do as much for an offense as catching a touchdown.

It's not that the receivers didn't make an effort to block last year. They say they did. But with an offense that focused on running between the tackles, it was not of supreme importance. With a new offense that figures to press the edges of a defense, a receiver's blocking ability suddenly moves front and center.

Back in February, when the staff was finalized, I wrote this about new WR Coach Curt Cignetti:

The final addition to the staff, Coach Cignetti comes to us from NC State, where he coached the TEs, QBs, and was the recruiting coordinator for the past seven seasons.  Though he hasn't previously coached receivers, he'll be most useful as a recruiter, and hopefully he'll be able to translate the blocking skills of a TE to the receivers as well.

Let's hope I was right, and the new physical, blocking mindset of the receivers will allow the offense to become the explosive unit we've been dreaming of the past several seasons.


Don't forget to catch Coach Cignetti's terrifying performance in Disturbia!