Canegrad89
Recruit
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2017
- Messages
- 1,149
A win is a win...but this went from being comfortable to a nail-biter fast. Way too many penalties (including some really d_mb ones) and poor tackling were the primary reasons. Overall, no complaints about not running more because the OL & RB rooms are depleted & it showed by the end of the game. The only exception might be the last two series on O where we could have eaten a little more clock (even it was toss sweeps to Brashard, a little more Jacurri and/or Thad pounding it).
The Good:
Colbie Young: Has star potential. Looks like an NFL WR. Made some very tough contested catches. Great catch radius. Feed him the ball. Could be special for us if he stays focused & works really hard.
Mesidor & Taylor: Mesidor has a good motor & is becoming a real player for us on the DL. #56 flashed too at critical moments today.
TVD: Definitely looking better (and way more comfortable) than he did the first few weeks. Keep going to concepts that make him comfortable. Offense has established some rhythm in the passing game.
Ladson: Great to see him consistently making some good grabs. Awesome to see him & Colbie used in the red zone (we won the game because of this).
Brashard: Great to see him on PR. Needs to make good decisions back there but looks like a solid returner. Nice to see him emerging as a WR also. Come a long way since the ATM game. Seems more "present" and is becoming more of a weapon.
Mallory: Until he got hurt.
Jaleel "Lennard" Skinnerd: Has serious potential. Feed him the ball.
Jacurri: On his long run, I absolutely loved seeing his: (i) fight as he kept those wheels churning; (ii) passion & (iii) will to win. He's a heck of an athlete. We should definitely continue to use his legs. WIth a depleted RB room, he's a great tonic. Would love to see the rest of the team exhibit that level of fight & passion.
Keontra: Make some solid stops/tackles today. Played physical. We will need that against FSU.
Hedley: Very good at pinning opponents inside the ten. Had a 57 yarder. Weapon.
Stanley: 5.6 yd avg ain't bad. He's got some moves. Might struggle against a D like Clemson but can definitely help us (as part of a rotation) in most ACC games before Chaney gets back.
The Bad:
Depth: now an issue at TE in addition to OL & RB. Oh vey!!
Other DLinemen Need to Step Up to Help Mesidor & LT in Getting Sacks: Not enough pressure from the DL outside of Mesidor & Taylor. Need some other guys to step up. While we may not be getting a ton of pressure, the DL has been the strongest part of the Defense by a wide margin.
No Runs on Last 2 Series: I've been an advocate of throwing every down if the run game isn't effective (no point wasting downs on 1.0 ypc gains). The last two series would have been the exception. I'd have mixed in at least a couple of runs to eat some clock at that point in the game. Not the whole 2nd half (which some conservative coaches would have called for) but in the last couple of series it made sense.
OL & Run Game: I'm not calling this Ugly due to depth issues on OL and at RB (which have just decimated the run game). Thad ran hard & had a few solid gains. Stanley also showed some shake & bake while gaining 5.6 ypc. Jacurri was fired up on his long run (gamer; need more of those). It wasn't all bad. This is mostly due to injuries & lack of depth (what a difference from run blocking in the ATM game to today) and TVD throwing well.
The Ugly:
Way Too Many Penalties: Far too many penalties for around 150 yards. That's close to the infamous Cotton Bowl territory (200+). The difference is that team was loaded with elite talent. This team is not. Never thought I'd see that on a Mario coached team. This team should be doing everything it can to not give the game away. ACC games are typically very tight & come down to a play here or there. Who in their right mind would give away 10 free first downs when games are that tight? The players have got to be more accountable & play much smarter. I think #23 is talented but hitting the QB (even gently) when he's OB already is really not an intelligent move...and I'm sure he knows it. Mario screaming at players on the sideline isn't a good look so how do we get rid of this blight (which has existed for most of the last 40 years? I haven't looked at the stats but my sense is that 1999-2002 we probably had dramatically lower penalties than in other years because those teams were loaded with high football IQ players (champions with great heart, fierce work ethics & great discipline). Is that the only answer (higher football IQs)? Can there be more discussions weekly with the whole team about this until it becomes part of the mindset? Can there be any serious repercussions for penalties? We don't have the depth really to bench players. Running stairs at Hard Rock at 12 noon? What are some other answers because this should be one thing that can be fixed quickly? It's just got to become a focus & a mindset that's ingrained in every player's head.
Tackling by DBs: Embarassing. Poor effort. Learn how to form tackle (wrap with your arms) and take a man down. Some of the DBs look like keystone cops back there. Make an effort. There's no excuse. Many of them just "put a shoulder in" & don't wrap up using their arms. In rugby, we learn to tackle (without helmets) at 7-8 years old & we do it consistently on every tackle. If you just use your shoulder, you can easily miss completely or put a glancing blow on the opponent that they can slip through (which is what's happening repeatedly). If you form tackle, even if you don't fully bring the opponent to the ground you can slow him down enough for your mates to come clean up the rest. Miami always used to gang tackle. This can prevent easy TDs & turn a TD into hard-fought FGs. Those four point differences can be the difference in tightly contested ACC games. There were also a fair number of complete whiffs or players getting worked over (#40 likely just doesn't have the speed to play at this level). How can our guys still not know how to tackle? This one just blows my mind.
A win is a win. Each win is critically important for recruiting. Glad recruits are starting to see some exciting plays on offense (TVD to Colbie) and the offense looks more fun. Sooo incredibly important for recruiting. Win out (except perhaps Clemson) and the season will be salvaged big time & the recruiting class will lead us to many brighter years ahead.
Your thoughts?
The Good:
Colbie Young: Has star potential. Looks like an NFL WR. Made some very tough contested catches. Great catch radius. Feed him the ball. Could be special for us if he stays focused & works really hard.
Mesidor & Taylor: Mesidor has a good motor & is becoming a real player for us on the DL. #56 flashed too at critical moments today.
TVD: Definitely looking better (and way more comfortable) than he did the first few weeks. Keep going to concepts that make him comfortable. Offense has established some rhythm in the passing game.
Ladson: Great to see him consistently making some good grabs. Awesome to see him & Colbie used in the red zone (we won the game because of this).
Brashard: Great to see him on PR. Needs to make good decisions back there but looks like a solid returner. Nice to see him emerging as a WR also. Come a long way since the ATM game. Seems more "present" and is becoming more of a weapon.
Mallory: Until he got hurt.
Jaleel "Lennard" Skinnerd: Has serious potential. Feed him the ball.
Jacurri: On his long run, I absolutely loved seeing his: (i) fight as he kept those wheels churning; (ii) passion & (iii) will to win. He's a heck of an athlete. We should definitely continue to use his legs. WIth a depleted RB room, he's a great tonic. Would love to see the rest of the team exhibit that level of fight & passion.
Keontra: Make some solid stops/tackles today. Played physical. We will need that against FSU.
Hedley: Very good at pinning opponents inside the ten. Had a 57 yarder. Weapon.
Stanley: 5.6 yd avg ain't bad. He's got some moves. Might struggle against a D like Clemson but can definitely help us (as part of a rotation) in most ACC games before Chaney gets back.
The Bad:
Depth: now an issue at TE in addition to OL & RB. Oh vey!!
Other DLinemen Need to Step Up to Help Mesidor & LT in Getting Sacks: Not enough pressure from the DL outside of Mesidor & Taylor. Need some other guys to step up. While we may not be getting a ton of pressure, the DL has been the strongest part of the Defense by a wide margin.
No Runs on Last 2 Series: I've been an advocate of throwing every down if the run game isn't effective (no point wasting downs on 1.0 ypc gains). The last two series would have been the exception. I'd have mixed in at least a couple of runs to eat some clock at that point in the game. Not the whole 2nd half (which some conservative coaches would have called for) but in the last couple of series it made sense.
OL & Run Game: I'm not calling this Ugly due to depth issues on OL and at RB (which have just decimated the run game). Thad ran hard & had a few solid gains. Stanley also showed some shake & bake while gaining 5.6 ypc. Jacurri was fired up on his long run (gamer; need more of those). It wasn't all bad. This is mostly due to injuries & lack of depth (what a difference from run blocking in the ATM game to today) and TVD throwing well.
The Ugly:
Way Too Many Penalties: Far too many penalties for around 150 yards. That's close to the infamous Cotton Bowl territory (200+). The difference is that team was loaded with elite talent. This team is not. Never thought I'd see that on a Mario coached team. This team should be doing everything it can to not give the game away. ACC games are typically very tight & come down to a play here or there. Who in their right mind would give away 10 free first downs when games are that tight? The players have got to be more accountable & play much smarter. I think #23 is talented but hitting the QB (even gently) when he's OB already is really not an intelligent move...and I'm sure he knows it. Mario screaming at players on the sideline isn't a good look so how do we get rid of this blight (which has existed for most of the last 40 years? I haven't looked at the stats but my sense is that 1999-2002 we probably had dramatically lower penalties than in other years because those teams were loaded with high football IQ players (champions with great heart, fierce work ethics & great discipline). Is that the only answer (higher football IQs)? Can there be more discussions weekly with the whole team about this until it becomes part of the mindset? Can there be any serious repercussions for penalties? We don't have the depth really to bench players. Running stairs at Hard Rock at 12 noon? What are some other answers because this should be one thing that can be fixed quickly? It's just got to become a focus & a mindset that's ingrained in every player's head.
Tackling by DBs: Embarassing. Poor effort. Learn how to form tackle (wrap with your arms) and take a man down. Some of the DBs look like keystone cops back there. Make an effort. There's no excuse. Many of them just "put a shoulder in" & don't wrap up using their arms. In rugby, we learn to tackle (without helmets) at 7-8 years old & we do it consistently on every tackle. If you just use your shoulder, you can easily miss completely or put a glancing blow on the opponent that they can slip through (which is what's happening repeatedly). If you form tackle, even if you don't fully bring the opponent to the ground you can slow him down enough for your mates to come clean up the rest. Miami always used to gang tackle. This can prevent easy TDs & turn a TD into hard-fought FGs. Those four point differences can be the difference in tightly contested ACC games. There were also a fair number of complete whiffs or players getting worked over (#40 likely just doesn't have the speed to play at this level). How can our guys still not know how to tackle? This one just blows my mind.
A win is a win. Each win is critically important for recruiting. Glad recruits are starting to see some exciting plays on offense (TVD to Colbie) and the offense looks more fun. Sooo incredibly important for recruiting. Win out (except perhaps Clemson) and the season will be salvaged big time & the recruiting class will lead us to many brighter years ahead.
Your thoughts?
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