Canegrad89
Recruit
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2017
- Messages
- 1,149
The outcome was attributable to a variety of factors, including but not limited to:
Poor Decisions:
#1: The decision to rush TVD back into action was a really bad one. He was clearly hurt, susceptible to an even worse injury & had a QBR of 54.5 through the Duke game. His record this season is now 3-5 (with wins against mighty BCU, USM & dreadful VaTech (this yr at least). He's struggled mightily this season in this offense. I'm a big fan of Tyler & pull hard for him to succeed but anyone that can't see that he just doesn't have it in this offense this yr with this personnel grouping is solely remembering 5 very good games last yr under Lashlee. TVD has struggled mightily this yr & couldn't hit the backside of a barn in quite a few games so why oh why would you rush him back from a very recent injury? With an heavily depleted OL -- and then Jalen Rivers gets hurt -- what the heck are you doing putting TVD out there? One vicious hit could end his career. Also, how many games do we have to start down 21-7 before we realize that it just isn't working this yr? Also, is it fair then to insert Jake or Jacurri in the middle of a hornets nest (in the toughest situations) and say "go fix this mess". I think not. Let TVD heal properly.
#2: Jacurri is a fighter. He shows tremendous competitive spirit. He's a very good athlete & very good runner. He needs time to develop though into a starter (or primary back-up). He needs 1-2 yrs to polish his passing, game management skills etc. He absolutely should be used in certain packages now & he should throw at least 1-2 passes per game to keep opponents off-balance but he's simply not ready yet to be the starter or primary back-up. To put him in as the replacement for TVD when we were way down against our #1 rival (when they were rolling & already on the warpath) was not a smart move. He seems like a great young man & competitor. Let him perfect his craft for a year or two and put him in better situations. Jake has his flaws but he's also the QB currently on the roster most likely to score a lot of points in a game. You have to take the good with the bad & call plays that give him the best chance to succeed (i.e., not short throws into a loaded box deep in your end of the field). While it may seem counterintuitive, don't handcuff him & restrict his ability to pass so much that you end up with the results from the UVA game. Let him sling it and you'll have a chance to score 30+ points a game...instead of 3 (FSU) or 9 (ATM). We've only scored 30+ three times this season (BCU & MTSU were two of those). Against quality P5 opponents, we're playing things so close to the vest (and so fearful of mistakes) that we've scored less than 10 points twice. CFB has evolved. You've got to score points in bunches. UCLA has punted a total of 15 times this whole season. Fifteen total punts in the season so far. Hedley punted six times in this game alone. Handcuffing Jake is a horrifically bad mistake. Let him play. Let him sling it. Let him start the rest of the season. It cannot get worse than 188 yards and THREE POINTS. A lot of posters on here wanted TVD and/or Jacurri...well you got that and got three (3) whole points & 188 total yards. I guarantee you Jake would have scored more than that if he's not handcuffed by the playcalling in a misguided attempt to minimize mistakes. Let him start games (so he's not coming in with a massive deficit & the team falling apart) and let him sling it for the remaining games this season & see how he does (against some good opponents). If he doesn't perform and there's no signs of better decision-making then at least you know. I guarantee you he offers the best chance to score 30+ points currently. TVD needs to heal. Jacurri should absolutely run selected packages. Jake should start the rest of the games and be allowed to really play. Handcuffing him will only ensure we score less than 14 points. That actually would guarantee losing all of our remaining games. Start playing to win. The results cannot get worse.
Horrendous Tackling:
Many of FSU's chunk plays & first downs were a function of one thing -- attrocious tackling. As noted below, recruiting deficiencies under the prior staff are absolutely killing us on Defense. However, the current staff is making a total of approx $15 million per year & should be able to teach proper form tackling. Please no more sticking a shoulder in (which means a tiny area a few inches in radius contacts the opponent instead of the massive catch radius of the arms, shoulders, head & neck). FSU's runners routinely bounced off the shoulder shrugs & turned shortish gains of 3-4 yards into first downs & numerous chunk plays. The wrong personnel are being played at the LB position. Flagg seems like a terrific person & a max effort player. He'd be solid as a rotational player on a G5 squad. Wes is improving & hopefully will be a solid player in the future as the game slows down for him & he gains more experience. However, the LBs as a group just aren't producing enough stops. They are either running into the DL, shooting the wrong gaps or getting caught up in the wash or are otherwise out of position. How many times in this game did we see that if the DL did not make a tackle the run went for 10+ yards (with quite a few going for 20+ yards)? FSU rushed for 229 yards officially but excluding sacks it was probably 260 yards. On D, two things are absolutely killing us (woeful tackling & deep balls getting completed on our CBs). Tackling should be a major point of emphasis in every practice (even if there's no contact) until this gets fixed. It's just not that hard. I learned to tackle properly when I was 8 yrs old. The Defense would improve massively with this one adjustment.
Poor Blocking by the OL:
The OL is now even more heavily depleted with Jalen RIvers hurt. This is now a tough one to fix but I trust Mario & Mirabal to get this shored up. They will need everyone on offense to step up & help. Mallory has to block better now. The RBs have to block even harder now. FSU was very effective at blocking (every player on Offense) and their offense operated like clockwork. Our depleted OL needs help from the TEs & RBs. We won't have a healthy QB or an efficient offense unless everyone on offense steps the heck up & starts blocking with some physicality.
Poor Playcalling on Offense:
We had virtually no chance to score more than 10 points with the playcalling tonight. We had a less than 10.0% chance to score even 14 points because of the playcalling. It is so conservative & so designed to avoid mistakes that the yardage gained & points scored are woefully inadequate. Many ACC games are won with 30+ points scored so where do we think we're going with this incredibly conservative playcalling? Yes, any offense will be hampered by poor blocking by the OL but surely we could have schemed up some plays to score at least 20-30 points (instead of 3). Zero catches for Mallory, Skinner, Ladson & Brantley. That's amazing. Just mind-boggling. Our TEs are good weapons. They have historically killed FSU. Zero catches. Really? Ladson has been dependable catching the ball. He was on a low key roll. Four star WR. Zero catches. Colbie -- who has real star & next-level potential -- two catches for six yards. One pass was caught around the line of scrimmage. Really? What about throwing him the ball downfield a little? FSU's defense has been exposed at times this yr. They're not world beaters. Throw the darn ball down the field to Colbie. He would have been a problem for FSU. We're handcuffing ourselves & defeating ourselves with woeful personnel decisions & overly conservative playcalling. X was our leading WR with 2 for 25. I'd love to know who is really pulling the strings on offense. With TVD having thrown over 45 times per game twice this yr, I've got to believe it's Gattis. This isn't an emotional reaction to this tough loss but I think Mario needs to look in a different direction & should start that process soon. Miami revolutionized the passing game & offense in CFB. We changed the way the game has been played over the last 40 yrs. This offensive output is nowhere near good enough. Next.
Poor Personnel Decisions:
We need the fastest LBs to play. While the number of tackles by the LBs increased in this game there were many plays by FSU where I couldn't even see a LB in the frame. The production in the middle of the field is still putrid & FSU ran a train on us because of that. Put the LBs in Zones & have them focus on avoiding/shedding blocks and See Ball, Get Ball until the end of this season. They need to be in position to make plays. They almost always run themselves out of position or get caught up in the wash. Simplify their responsibilities & let them play faster. This would have a huge impact on Defensive performance. Tonight they were invisible again for much of the game & that turned short gains into big chunk plays. Where is #3? As it literally can't get much worse, I'd try James Williams in the middle (with some Caleb & a little Flagg mixed in) and Gil & Keontra on the outside (with Wes being rotated in). I would also play Brantley both ways & see if he could bring some physicality to the LB room. We've got to think outside the box & fix this mess. The D is getting shredded because of the lack of LB production. Think Ivey is a great kid. Fights hard & gives max effort. All CBs get beat at every level. He unfortunately doesn't have the speed to cover WRs one-on-one. We're seeing this over-and-over now this season. Maybe have him give WRs a little more cushion when he's playing man?
Drive-Extending Penalties:
These set the tone early. We could have gotten them off the field at least a couple of times on 3rd down but drive-extending penalties kept them on offense & ultimately led to scores. We had way too many boneheaded & undisciplined penalties. This is a blight that continues to plague us. It's just not that hard to eliminate most of these.
Lack of Physical Play:
Except for the DL (which remains a well-coached group that continues to put forth a good effort), the rest of the team was pushed around. Having more plus athletes on the roster next yr will help but we have to find ways to maximize the output from the players we currently have.
Summary:
A purge is needed in the offseason (players & certain coaches). The deficiencies in recruiting under the prior regime at LB, CB, OL & DL (pash rushers) have really come home to roost. Mario will have to be ruthless in his decision-making to right this ship. He can re-make the roster with the '23 class & significant portal additions. We have some talented players in certain areas but serious deficiencies in other areas are absolutely killing us (combined with overly conservative playcalling & poor personnel decisions -- playing & emphasizing the wrong players). Opposing coaches must be incredibly grateful that we're not using our best weapons fully. For example, none of these players were among our top 4 receivers against FSU: Colbie Young, Mallory, Ladson, Skinner, and Brantley. How can you possibly explain that? Throw the ball to your best & most dependable receivers.
Recruiting remains the key for Mario. That together with his choices on OC & QB coach will define his tenure. This program is so special at its best. I pray that the '23 Class continues to stick together as they will be the catalyst for a much brighter future. They've shown tremendous character & class so far. Let's hope this bottoming out process will make the right people mad enough that it forces change & will ultimately serve as the springboard to significant improvement going forward.
Your thoughts?
- Poor decisions
- Horrendous tackling
- Poor blocking by OL
- Very poor playcalling on offense
- Drive-extending penalties
- Poor personnel decisions
- Lack of physical play (except by the DL, Brantley, Jacurri, RBs & a couple of the DBs)
Poor Decisions:
#1: The decision to rush TVD back into action was a really bad one. He was clearly hurt, susceptible to an even worse injury & had a QBR of 54.5 through the Duke game. His record this season is now 3-5 (with wins against mighty BCU, USM & dreadful VaTech (this yr at least). He's struggled mightily this season in this offense. I'm a big fan of Tyler & pull hard for him to succeed but anyone that can't see that he just doesn't have it in this offense this yr with this personnel grouping is solely remembering 5 very good games last yr under Lashlee. TVD has struggled mightily this yr & couldn't hit the backside of a barn in quite a few games so why oh why would you rush him back from a very recent injury? With an heavily depleted OL -- and then Jalen Rivers gets hurt -- what the heck are you doing putting TVD out there? One vicious hit could end his career. Also, how many games do we have to start down 21-7 before we realize that it just isn't working this yr? Also, is it fair then to insert Jake or Jacurri in the middle of a hornets nest (in the toughest situations) and say "go fix this mess". I think not. Let TVD heal properly.
#2: Jacurri is a fighter. He shows tremendous competitive spirit. He's a very good athlete & very good runner. He needs time to develop though into a starter (or primary back-up). He needs 1-2 yrs to polish his passing, game management skills etc. He absolutely should be used in certain packages now & he should throw at least 1-2 passes per game to keep opponents off-balance but he's simply not ready yet to be the starter or primary back-up. To put him in as the replacement for TVD when we were way down against our #1 rival (when they were rolling & already on the warpath) was not a smart move. He seems like a great young man & competitor. Let him perfect his craft for a year or two and put him in better situations. Jake has his flaws but he's also the QB currently on the roster most likely to score a lot of points in a game. You have to take the good with the bad & call plays that give him the best chance to succeed (i.e., not short throws into a loaded box deep in your end of the field). While it may seem counterintuitive, don't handcuff him & restrict his ability to pass so much that you end up with the results from the UVA game. Let him sling it and you'll have a chance to score 30+ points a game...instead of 3 (FSU) or 9 (ATM). We've only scored 30+ three times this season (BCU & MTSU were two of those). Against quality P5 opponents, we're playing things so close to the vest (and so fearful of mistakes) that we've scored less than 10 points twice. CFB has evolved. You've got to score points in bunches. UCLA has punted a total of 15 times this whole season. Fifteen total punts in the season so far. Hedley punted six times in this game alone. Handcuffing Jake is a horrifically bad mistake. Let him play. Let him sling it. Let him start the rest of the season. It cannot get worse than 188 yards and THREE POINTS. A lot of posters on here wanted TVD and/or Jacurri...well you got that and got three (3) whole points & 188 total yards. I guarantee you Jake would have scored more than that if he's not handcuffed by the playcalling in a misguided attempt to minimize mistakes. Let him start games (so he's not coming in with a massive deficit & the team falling apart) and let him sling it for the remaining games this season & see how he does (against some good opponents). If he doesn't perform and there's no signs of better decision-making then at least you know. I guarantee you he offers the best chance to score 30+ points currently. TVD needs to heal. Jacurri should absolutely run selected packages. Jake should start the rest of the games and be allowed to really play. Handcuffing him will only ensure we score less than 14 points. That actually would guarantee losing all of our remaining games. Start playing to win. The results cannot get worse.
Horrendous Tackling:
Many of FSU's chunk plays & first downs were a function of one thing -- attrocious tackling. As noted below, recruiting deficiencies under the prior staff are absolutely killing us on Defense. However, the current staff is making a total of approx $15 million per year & should be able to teach proper form tackling. Please no more sticking a shoulder in (which means a tiny area a few inches in radius contacts the opponent instead of the massive catch radius of the arms, shoulders, head & neck). FSU's runners routinely bounced off the shoulder shrugs & turned shortish gains of 3-4 yards into first downs & numerous chunk plays. The wrong personnel are being played at the LB position. Flagg seems like a terrific person & a max effort player. He'd be solid as a rotational player on a G5 squad. Wes is improving & hopefully will be a solid player in the future as the game slows down for him & he gains more experience. However, the LBs as a group just aren't producing enough stops. They are either running into the DL, shooting the wrong gaps or getting caught up in the wash or are otherwise out of position. How many times in this game did we see that if the DL did not make a tackle the run went for 10+ yards (with quite a few going for 20+ yards)? FSU rushed for 229 yards officially but excluding sacks it was probably 260 yards. On D, two things are absolutely killing us (woeful tackling & deep balls getting completed on our CBs). Tackling should be a major point of emphasis in every practice (even if there's no contact) until this gets fixed. It's just not that hard. I learned to tackle properly when I was 8 yrs old. The Defense would improve massively with this one adjustment.
Poor Blocking by the OL:
The OL is now even more heavily depleted with Jalen RIvers hurt. This is now a tough one to fix but I trust Mario & Mirabal to get this shored up. They will need everyone on offense to step up & help. Mallory has to block better now. The RBs have to block even harder now. FSU was very effective at blocking (every player on Offense) and their offense operated like clockwork. Our depleted OL needs help from the TEs & RBs. We won't have a healthy QB or an efficient offense unless everyone on offense steps the heck up & starts blocking with some physicality.
Poor Playcalling on Offense:
We had virtually no chance to score more than 10 points with the playcalling tonight. We had a less than 10.0% chance to score even 14 points because of the playcalling. It is so conservative & so designed to avoid mistakes that the yardage gained & points scored are woefully inadequate. Many ACC games are won with 30+ points scored so where do we think we're going with this incredibly conservative playcalling? Yes, any offense will be hampered by poor blocking by the OL but surely we could have schemed up some plays to score at least 20-30 points (instead of 3). Zero catches for Mallory, Skinner, Ladson & Brantley. That's amazing. Just mind-boggling. Our TEs are good weapons. They have historically killed FSU. Zero catches. Really? Ladson has been dependable catching the ball. He was on a low key roll. Four star WR. Zero catches. Colbie -- who has real star & next-level potential -- two catches for six yards. One pass was caught around the line of scrimmage. Really? What about throwing him the ball downfield a little? FSU's defense has been exposed at times this yr. They're not world beaters. Throw the darn ball down the field to Colbie. He would have been a problem for FSU. We're handcuffing ourselves & defeating ourselves with woeful personnel decisions & overly conservative playcalling. X was our leading WR with 2 for 25. I'd love to know who is really pulling the strings on offense. With TVD having thrown over 45 times per game twice this yr, I've got to believe it's Gattis. This isn't an emotional reaction to this tough loss but I think Mario needs to look in a different direction & should start that process soon. Miami revolutionized the passing game & offense in CFB. We changed the way the game has been played over the last 40 yrs. This offensive output is nowhere near good enough. Next.
Poor Personnel Decisions:
We need the fastest LBs to play. While the number of tackles by the LBs increased in this game there were many plays by FSU where I couldn't even see a LB in the frame. The production in the middle of the field is still putrid & FSU ran a train on us because of that. Put the LBs in Zones & have them focus on avoiding/shedding blocks and See Ball, Get Ball until the end of this season. They need to be in position to make plays. They almost always run themselves out of position or get caught up in the wash. Simplify their responsibilities & let them play faster. This would have a huge impact on Defensive performance. Tonight they were invisible again for much of the game & that turned short gains into big chunk plays. Where is #3? As it literally can't get much worse, I'd try James Williams in the middle (with some Caleb & a little Flagg mixed in) and Gil & Keontra on the outside (with Wes being rotated in). I would also play Brantley both ways & see if he could bring some physicality to the LB room. We've got to think outside the box & fix this mess. The D is getting shredded because of the lack of LB production. Think Ivey is a great kid. Fights hard & gives max effort. All CBs get beat at every level. He unfortunately doesn't have the speed to cover WRs one-on-one. We're seeing this over-and-over now this season. Maybe have him give WRs a little more cushion when he's playing man?
Drive-Extending Penalties:
These set the tone early. We could have gotten them off the field at least a couple of times on 3rd down but drive-extending penalties kept them on offense & ultimately led to scores. We had way too many boneheaded & undisciplined penalties. This is a blight that continues to plague us. It's just not that hard to eliminate most of these.
Lack of Physical Play:
Except for the DL (which remains a well-coached group that continues to put forth a good effort), the rest of the team was pushed around. Having more plus athletes on the roster next yr will help but we have to find ways to maximize the output from the players we currently have.
Summary:
A purge is needed in the offseason (players & certain coaches). The deficiencies in recruiting under the prior regime at LB, CB, OL & DL (pash rushers) have really come home to roost. Mario will have to be ruthless in his decision-making to right this ship. He can re-make the roster with the '23 class & significant portal additions. We have some talented players in certain areas but serious deficiencies in other areas are absolutely killing us (combined with overly conservative playcalling & poor personnel decisions -- playing & emphasizing the wrong players). Opposing coaches must be incredibly grateful that we're not using our best weapons fully. For example, none of these players were among our top 4 receivers against FSU: Colbie Young, Mallory, Ladson, Skinner, and Brantley. How can you possibly explain that? Throw the ball to your best & most dependable receivers.
Recruiting remains the key for Mario. That together with his choices on OC & QB coach will define his tenure. This program is so special at its best. I pray that the '23 Class continues to stick together as they will be the catalyst for a much brighter future. They've shown tremendous character & class so far. Let's hope this bottoming out process will make the right people mad enough that it forces change & will ultimately serve as the springboard to significant improvement going forward.
Your thoughts?
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