Observations on the Va Tech Game

Canegrad89

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Oct 15, 2017
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Tough loss but the team fought hard to overcome a terrible start. Perry's play energized the offense. The Baxa missed PAT was a huge factor...not just in terms of the scoreboard but momentum.

Perry should be the starter at QB. The offense was far more effective with Perry at the helm...and not just because of the INTs Jarren threw. JT4, Wiggins, Brevin (even more so than usual) and others were engaged and a meaningful part of the offense with Perry slinging it. If you want a QB that is great at hitting stationary targets in practice, Jarren is the man. If you want a QB that is a gamer, has velocity on his throws and is willing to push the ball downfield (and capable of that), then Perry is the man.

Perry threw for over 420 yards in about three quarters of play. He showed serious competitive spirit & the ability to operate effectively behind a porous OL. He has better pocket presence & more experience. In my opinion, Perry showed greater fight. I hope Perry will continue to mature & show better leadership going forward (no more embarrassing posts on social media etc). If he shows better judgment off the field and works on limiting his errors on the field, Perry could be a very effective QB for us. The offense clearly responded to Perry playing QB.

Prior to today, Jarren was accurate on short & intermediate routes but was struggling with the deep ball. Against Va Tech, he struggled with virtually all of his throws. Jarren doesn't have great pocket presence & he doesn't seem to inspire his teammates as much as Perry. The offense actually seems a little lethargic with Jarren running it. I think Jarren needs a much stronger OL & running game to be highly effective. Jarren may develop & become more dynamic with time but as of today, it is clear that Perry gives us the best chance to win (particularly as we have a porous OL).

Baxa: how many games do we have to lose due to missing PATs and short FGs before the coaches wake up & realize that unfortunately it isn't working out with Bubba. This isn't some overreaction to one missed PAT. There were trouble signs last season, his HS make % was low and this entire season to date has been nothing short of disastrous. We have another K on the roster. We have tons of people on campus that play soccer. Hedley probably can kick FGs & PATs better than Baxa (as he's almost not making anything at this point). If the back-up kicker isn't better than Baxa (who isn't making anything -- even basic little short kicks), then he shouldn't be on the roster either. If Hedley isn't the answer at Kicker (and they should definitely give that a serious try in practice), they need to have an extended try-out and open the competition to walk-ons. Many people play soccer on campus. There are also plenty of students from places like England, Sweden & Australia that can kick short FGs & PATs better than what is happening now. It literally cannot get worse as we are now making nothing. Keep Baxa for the 40+ yarders & kicking off. But please fix this problem this week. Have Diaz, Patke & maybe one other coach spend a whole afternoon watching different options at K....FIX THIS NOW BEFORE THE WHOLE SEASON GOES DOWN THE DRAIN!!!

DL: Much improved when Rousseau, Hill, Nesta, Miller & Garvin were playing. More athletic & capable of getting after the QB. We have some good players on DL. The right players need the bulk of the snaps going forward. Let's stop shooting ourselves in the foot. Patch would get trucked by UVA...book it.

Deejay made some key plays & has a big heart. Very happy he's a Cane. Great leader. That being said, our base running game needs way more pop. Excluding his one long run of 62 yards, Deejay had four (4) yards on 5 carries. Lorenzo is healthy now and we need him to play...and play heavily. With Perry at QB, JT4 re-energized and Lorenzo getting significant carries, this offense could finally realize its full potential. We are seriously missing elite speed at the RB position. Lorenzo will bring that. HE NEEDS TO PLAY OR WE MAY END UP WITH A SUB-.500 RECORD.

OL: Butch Barry needs to step it up. Other teams have young players on their OL and they seem to do just fine. UF had young guys on their OL. Va Tech did too. The Barry hire legitimately doesn't seem to be working out. If I were Manny, I would place a call to Art Kehoe and make a switch. I would also make OL recruiting the major priority for the next couple of years. Manny will not succeed as HC at Miami unless the play of the OL improves significantly....and fast. Every loss hurts recruiting which will just perpetuate the cycle. Manny needs to make tough decisions here and get the OL fixed as fast as possible or he will fail.

Defense: the score doesn't really tell the tale with respect to the performance of the Defense. Most of the points yielded came in the first quarter & were a result of the INTs thrown by Jarren. Va Tech had only 17 points after the first quarter. Yes, there were some coverage busts (maybe in part due to communication & a new DB being introduced to the mix) but overall the majority of the points given up were a function of turnovers (especially the INTs).

We have sufficient talent on our roster to have won all of the games we've played. At minimum, we should be 4-1. We haven't been using our best weapons effectively and it has cost us. Special teams & missed kicks have been a huge factor too. The coaches need to assess the performance of every player at each position & maximize the use of their best players going forward. If they don't we may end up with a sub-.500 record. It simply doesn't have to be this way. We have the talent to beat every team on the schedule. The coaches need to up their game & put our best players on the field & in a position to succeed.

Your thoughts?
 
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Go get a blowie OP, this restaurant is closed. The meat is rotten, the ash trays are full, the chef has AIDS, the owners stopped paying rent a few months ago, and the customers have moved on to other establishments. The Health Department will hopefully soon shut it down.....But remember the good times, buy a hat for when you walk around the mall, stare into the distance and regale in what once was. But always remember love doesn't live here anymore, and she aint walkin back through the front door - she has moved on and now services another man. Death will come soon, much faster than most of us could ever imagine, don't waste these last precious moments on this rotten meat...just go, walk out that door, just turn around now, cause we aint welcome at the party anymore, and smile as the cancer comes and the distant sounds of a packed OB on a Saturday night frolic just over the hill, walk toward it my friend, you are home now and the pain saunters away, enjoy your stay....your room is down the hall across from the Pitt fan.
 
Tough loss but the team fought hard to overcome a terrible start. Perry's play energized the offense. The Baxa missed PAT was a huge factor...not just in terms of the scoreboard but momentum.

Perry should be the starter at QB. The offense was far more effective with Perry at the helm...and not just because of the INTs Jarren threw. JT4, Wiggins, Brevin (even more so than usual) and others were engaged and a meaningful part of the offense with Perry slinging it. If you want a QB that is great at hitting stationary targets in practice, Jarren is the man. If you want a QB that is a gamer, has velocity on his throws and is willing to push the ball downfield (and capable of that), then Perry is the man.

Perry threw for over 420 yards in about three quarters of play. He showed serious competitive spirit & the ability to operate effectively behind a porous OL. He has better pocket presence & more experience. In my opinion, Perry showed greater fight. I hope Perry will continue to mature & show better leadership going forward (no more embarrassing posts on social media etc). If he shows better judgment off the field and works on limiting his errors on the field, Perry could be a very effective QB for us. The offense clearly responded to Perry playing QB.

Prior to today, Jarren was accurate on short & intermediate routes but was struggling with the deep ball. Against Va Tech, he struggled with virtually all of his throws. Jarren doesn't have great pocket presence & he doesn't seem to inspire his teammates as much as Perry. The offense actually seems a little lethargic with Jarren running it. I think Jarren needs a much stronger OL & running game to be highly effective. Jarren may develop & become more dynamic with time but as of today, it is clear that Perry gives us the best chance to win (particularly as we have a porous OL).

Baxa: how many games do we have to lose due to missing PATs and short FGs before the coaches wake up & realize that unfortunately it isn't working out with Bubba. This isn't some overreaction to one missed PAT. There were trouble signs last season, his HS make % was low and this entire season to date has been nothing short of disastrous. We have another K on the roster. We have tons of people on campus that play soccer. Hedley probably can kick FGs & PATs better than Baxa (as he's almost not making anything at this point). If the back-up kicker isn't better than Baxa (who isn't making anything -- even basic little short kicks), then he shouldn't be on the roster either. If Hedley isn't the answer at Kicker (and they should definitely give that a serious try in practice), they need to have an extended try-out and open the competition to walk-ons. Many people play soccer on campus. There are also plenty of students from places like England, Sweden & Australia that can kick short FGs & PATs better than what is happening now. It literally cannot get worse as we are now making nothing. Keep Baxa for the 40+ yarders & kicking off. But please fix this problem this week. Have Diaz, Patke & maybe one other coach spend a whole afternoon watching different options at K....FIX THIS NOW BEFORE THE WHOLE SEASON GOES DOWN THE DRAIN!!!

DL: Much improved when Rousseau, Hill, Nesta, Miller & Garvin were playing. More athletic & capable of getting after the QB. We have some good players on DL. The right players need the bulk of the snaps going forward. Let's stop shooting ourselves in the foot. Patch would get trucked by UVA...book it.

Deejay made some key plays & has a big heart. Very happy he's a Cane. Great leader. That being said, our base running game needs way more pop. Excluding his one long run of 62 yards, Deejay had four (4) yards on 5 carries. Lorenzo is healthy now and we need him to play...and play heavily. With Perry at QB, JT4 re-energized and Lorenzo getting significant carries, this offense could finally realize its full potential. We are seriously missing elite speed at the RB position. Lorenzo will bring that. HE NEEDS TO PLAY OR WE MAY END UP WITH A SUB-.500 RECORD.

OL: Butch Barry needs to step it up. Other teams have young players on their OL and they seem to do just fine. UF had young guys on their OL. Va Tech did too. The Barry hire legitimately doesn't seem to be working out. If I were Manny, I would place a call to Art Kehoe and make a switch. I would also make OL recruiting the major priority for the next couple of years. Manny will not succeed as HC at Miami unless the play of the OL improves significantly....and fast. Every loss hurts recruiting which will just perpetuate the cycle. Manny needs to make tough decisions here and get the OL fixed as fast as possible or he will fail.

Defense: the score doesn't really tell the tale with respect to the performance of the Defense. Most of the points yielded came in the first quarter & were a result of the INTs thrown by Jarren. Va Tech had only 17 points after the first quarter. Yes, there were some coverage busts (maybe in part due to communication & a new DB being introduced to the mix) but overall the majority of the points given up were a function of turnovers (especially the INTs).

We have sufficient talent on our roster to have won all of the games we've played. At minimum, we should be 4-1. We haven't been using our best weapons effectively and it has cost us. Special teams & missed kicks have been a huge factor too. The coaches need to assess the performance of every player at each position & maximize the use of their best players going forward. If they don't we may end up with a sub-.500 record. It simply doesn't have to be this way. We have the talent to beat every team on the schedule. The coaches need to up their game & put our best players on the field & in a position to succeed.

Your thoughts?

I’d rather get a 300 pound linemen get him a old fashion square toed high top cleat and take the laces and tie the tip back to his ankle and have him kick straight on 21/2 steps like in the 60’s.

GOCANES
 
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I agree but it’s getting to a point that none of this matters. You have to win the game. Showed fight, better team, but still 2-3 and knocked out of the division chase two games into conference play.

Yes it’s clear for this team. Kosi is better. He has good anticipation and pushed the ball. He probably needs to be the starter.

Baxa is a disaster. I can’t assume some kid that’s never kicked in college off the street is better. But this guy man you just feel for him because he is damage goods. And at this point doesn’t have a friend on the team. I mean let’s be real. When we pulled within 14 how of many ppl like me said “Baxa won’t make the extra point to tie it up”? We gave this guy a no pressure kick to take the lead and he misses it!

loved! Loved seeing Nesta out there. Dog, juice leader.

I can’t give this defense a pass. Yes they were put in bad spots but that was a freshman QB out there. You can’t hold him to a FG at least once? It’s frustrating seeing our “elite linebackers” unable to bring down freshmen QBs.

There is a lot of good. But a lot of bad. Manny inability to get this team perform from 0-0 is alarming.

Manny might be the best coach from quarters 2-4 but he’s also possibly the worst 1st quarter coach.
 
I agree but it’s getting to a point that none of this matters. You have to win the game. Showed fight, better team, but still 2-3 and knocked out of the division chase two games into conference play.

Yes it’s clear for this team. Kosi is better. He has good anticipation and pushed the ball. He probably needs to be the starter.

Baxa is a disaster. I can’t assume some kid that’s never kicked in college off the street is better. But this guy man you just feel for him because he is damage goods. And at this point doesn’t have a friend on the team. I mean let’s be real. When we pulled within 14 how of many ppl like me said “Baxa won’t make the extra point to tie it up”? We gave this guy a no pressure kick to take the lead and he misses it!

loved! Loved seeing Nesta out there. Dog, juice leader.

I can’t give this defense a pass. Yes they were put in bad spots but that was a freshman QB out there. You can’t hold him to a FG at least once? It’s frustrating seeing our “elite linebackers” unable to bring down freshmen QBs.

There is a lot of good. But a lot of bad. Manny inability to get this team perform from 0-0 is alarming.

Manny might be the best coach from quarters 2-4 but he’s also possibly the worst 1st quarter coach.
I agree with your points except Baxa. How can it get worse than missing literally everything (FGs less than 30 yards and simple PATs). It's impossible to get worse than missing 100% of the kicks. It's just not that hard (under 30 yards). Over 30 yards it takes technique, experience, a strong leg etc. Under 30 yards, there are for sure people on campus that can do better than missing every single kick under 30 yards. It cannot get worse. Trying nothing is simply unacceptable. The coaches have to pull out all the stops to find a solution or this will continue to cost us games & lead to poor recruiting. We're talking about really short kicks here. They should use Trackman (like on the PGA Tour & the Chicago Bears are doing) to analyze whether it is a path issue or his foot is flared too much to the right (or a combination of factors). It would also be great if some of our best kickers from the past would spend some time with Baxa. Something drastic needs to be done to fix this...and fast!!
 
Great points OP. As four Baxa, I'm with you all the way. I think tryouts are an excellent idea. Miami should even have a number of female soccer players who could step in four Baxa.
 
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