Missing pieces (things we all know already)

[CanesFan93]

What do you see as key differences between M Stafford, A Murray, and B Kaaya?

I believe Stafford and Murray had better arm strength and quicker release or "pockey presence"...perhaps at least the willingness to run and slide...

They both were more mobile than Kaaya. Murray had 396 yards and 16 TDs in his career while Stafford had 213 yards and 6 TDs. Brad currently has -227 yards and 3 TDs

 

[Gransapo]

ITT I'm going to play Captain Obvious and write down what I believe we need to be a better team going forward (2017 and beyond.)

1. Offensive Lineman. As many as you can get your hands on. We need to throw numbers at the OL for the next two recruiting cycles to get this done. QB play, playcalling, WR timing, RB lanes - all are being affected by our shoddy OL play. A good coordinator can mask one guy's deficiencies, but not several - and we have several holes on the OL. Donaldson will be an instant starter in 2017, but this is by a wide margin the single biggest deficiency on this team right now.

If Navaughn Donaldson sticks with his commitment, he is starting from Day 1, ala Ereck Flowers.

 

[RaiseCane]

If Kaaya could run, would that put extra pressure on the defense? Sure. Is Kaaya's lack of ability/desire to run the cause of our offensive struggles? I don't think so. To me, it looks like Kaaya's lack of mobility in the pocket is causing many of his issues. I think his lack of faith in the OL makes him skittish to step up into or move around in the pocket sometimes.

Earlier in the week someone posted some of the cutups of Kaaya against FSU this year and last year, and one thing that stood out to me was that on several of his poor throws or pressures, he didn't move around in the pocket to give himself a better throwing lane or a better pocket to throw from. Pocket passers have to be able to feel the pressure and step up or sideways in the pocket to avoid pressure. Dan Marino was the classic example of a guy who couldn't run but could move around in the pocket to avoid pressure. While Kaaya has a reason to be worried about his protection, I think that on several passes against FSU he didn't do his OL any favors by not sensing the pressure and moving to avoid the pressure.

If I recall correctly, Richt mentioned earlier on when he was here that he was working on Kaaya's footwork. I think that clearly is still a work in progress. Some QBs can improve their footwork and pocket presence, and some cannot. Let's hope that Kaaya can continue to get better in that department.

 

[AtrainCane]

If Kaaya could run, would that put extra pressure on the defense? Sure. Is Kaaya's lack of ability/desire to run the cause of our offensive struggles? I don't think so. To me, it looks like Kaaya's lack of mobility in the pocket is causing many of his issues. I think his lack of faith in the OL makes him skittish to step up into or move around in the pocket sometimes.

Earlier in the week someone posted some of the cutups of Kaaya against FSU this year and last year, and one thing that stood out to me was that on several of his poor throws or pressures, he didn't move around in the pocket to give himself a better throwing lane or a better pocket to throw from. Pocket passers have to be able to feel the pressure and step up or sideways in the pocket to avoid pressure. Dan Marino was the classic example of a guy who couldn't run but could move around in the pocket to avoid pressure. While Kaaya has a reason to be worried about his protection, I think that on several passes against FSU he didn't do his OL any favors by not sensing the pressure and moving to avoid the pressure.

If I recall correctly, Richt mentioned earlier on when he was here that he was working on Kaaya's footwork. I think that clearly is still a work in progress. Some QBs can improve their footwork and pocket presence, and some cannot. Let's hope that Kaaya can continue to get better in that department.

He also needs to get into his drops faster. Has he lined up under center and just dropped straight back to throw with no play fake this year? If he has it hasn't been but a few times. His footwork is not good.