Some observations from the north endzone

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First of all. The view from up in the north endzone was as good a view as I’ve ever had in a stadium. And what a cool experience. Now what I saw up there.

Starting with the offense.
TVD- not sure he will ever be able to run this offense. First of all the routes all take entirely too long to develop and he was sitting in the pocket waiting way too long to go through his reads. By the time he made a decision it was too late. He had some drops as well but the passes weren’t great for the most part. He obviously is a QB who needs rhythm and this offense constantly changing audibles from the sidelines his him hoodwinked. The only time he ever tried to throw a ball to a receiver before they had made their break he missed horribly. Usually he was late and was lucky he didn’t have several picks.

Gattis- I was really worried about him bringing in the big ten power offense and it’s bad. It’s very predictable. I don’t mind the power sets but why are we doing it when we need tempo and need to get up the field. The worst part of this was the slowdown. I don’t see it working with the qb and people we have. Zero creativity. With the lack of talent we have at wr he’s going to have to use the field a lot more. We aren’t running past anyone out there. The offense was so tight and packed in the formations and with three wideouts who can’t get open it bodes for a long season.

O-line- until the holds at the end they played amazing. I couldn’t believe how much time they were giving TVD. And they moved a very talented d-line all night long. Kudos because Mario and mirabal are doing wonders with this group.

Defense- this group came a long way tonight because the d-line really manhandled their o-line. The whole defense was really great and sound except for the one area we all know manny left bare. Linebacker is brutal. The two starters are just not fast enough to play the position at this level. Bissainthe needs to be in the game and getting reps. His athleticism is just that noticeable. Wiliams is a beast and will be our next great safety.

One thing I liked is this team stayed in control right when it looked like we do what Miami does in big games in the road and gets blown out after a few bad things happen. They didn’t. A&M is very athletic but that team will have struggles this year. They just aren’t a very good team. I think our offense from last year lights them up. But I see what Mario is building. We just need to recruit some major players in spots where we have major holes. Gonna take some time. But if we expect to win this year that offense has to be a whole lot better and more creative.
You right on Gattis
 
The fact that our offense was breaking off consistent positive plays, but the criticism is that "It's too boring" is proof that our fanbase would rather have a boom or bust O, instead of one that can win games regularly. The gameplan wasn't the issue tonight, the lack of talent at WR and critical mistakes were. Miami leveraged the best two players on the O(Knighton and Parrish) well, there were multiple runs where it could have been broken, but that last guy didn't miss.

If you have a vastly improved O-Line and MULTIPLE backs that can do the job, you use them. That's what good playcallers to, they maximize the talent they do have while minimizing weak links. You can argue that TVD missed the few open shots available to him(He did) and that would have helped the gameplan a ton, but if you have to scheme guys to be open by 10+ yards in order for them to make a catch, you are already screwed. Why? Because it's rare, and I mean rare for any scheme to be that consistently good. Usually, when a guy is THAT open, there's a coverage bust, or you are playing guys that are significantly less talented. TAMU isn't Bethune-Cookman. TAMU isn't Southern Miss. You will have to make some contested catches every once in awhile. Miami's receivers didn't even try to make a contested catch. I lost count of the drops, I can't remember a time in which the Miami receivers made a catch on a poorly thrown ball. People forget that even the greats like Ken Dorsey weren't 100% accurate, sometimes. you need a guy to make a catch for you. TVD didn't have that tonight, and I doubt Garcia would magically fix that.

very well stated..

It's maddening that our fans critique without substance and can't appreciate the product on the field. Not upgrading the WR position was a huge miss in the offseason, and I also advocated for an elite RB because that shouldn't have been hard to find either. Mario's system looks a lot better with a HR threat like Achane or CJ Verdell in the backfield, and TVD's success last season had a lot to do with Rambo. I think our staff is doing pretty well but there are talent limitations that will ultimately limit our ceiling this season.
 
First of all. The view from up in the north endzone was as good a view as I’ve ever had in a stadium. And what a cool experience. Now what I saw up there.

Starting with the offense.
TVD- not sure he will ever be able to run this offense. First of all the routes all take entirely too long to develop and he was sitting in the pocket waiting way too long to go through his reads. By the time he made a decision it was too late. He had some drops as well but the passes weren’t great for the most part. He obviously is a QB who needs rhythm and this offense constantly changing audibles from the sidelines his him hoodwinked. The only time he ever tried to throw a ball to a receiver before they had made their break he missed horribly. Usually he was late and was lucky he didn’t have several picks.

Gattis- I was really worried about him bringing in the big ten power offense and it’s bad. It’s very predictable. I don’t mind the power sets but why are we doing it when we need tempo and need to get up the field. The worst part of this was the slowdown. I don’t see it working with the qb and people we have. Zero creativity. With the lack of talent we have at wr he’s going to have to use the field a lot more. We aren’t running past anyone out there. The offense was so tight and packed in the formations and with three wideouts who can’t get open it bodes for a long season.

O-line- until the holds at the end they played amazing. I couldn’t believe how much time they were giving TVD. And they moved a very talented d-line all night long. Kudos because Mario and mirabal are doing wonders with this group.

Defense- this group came a long way tonight because the d-line really manhandled their o-line. The whole defense was really great and sound except for the one area we all know manny left bare. Linebacker is brutal. The two starters are just not fast enough to play the position at this level. Bissainthe needs to be in the game and getting reps. His athleticism is just that noticeable. Wiliams is a beast and will be our next great safety.

One thing I liked is this team stayed in control right when it looked like we do what Miami does in big games in the road and gets blown out after a few bad things happen. They didn’t. A&M is very athletic but that team will have struggles this year. They just aren’t a very good team. I think our offense from last year lights them up. But I see what Mario is building. We just need to recruit some major players in spots where we have major holes. Gonna take some time. But if we expect to win this year that offense has to be a whole lot better and more creative.
Key take was your comment on the O-line. There were plays in which TVD had enormous time, but still could not hit a receiver or he settled for a 5-yarder. With that amount of time, someone should have been open for 10+ yards. Some of that has to be on the receivers not helping the QB. Still, it is difficult for even the best DBs to cover for that long, and aTm had a depleted secondary.

"The only time he ever tried to throw a ball to a receiver before they had made their break he missed horribly." Yes. This is the missing chemistry that the announcers referred to. But isn't it the QB's job to lead in the building of chemistry? If he really aspires to a shot at the NFL, then he should not merely help build that chemistry, but should demand it from the WRs. Gattis has been there for spring, summer and now beginning of fall. TVD hasn't been able to get on same page as receivers? If TVD is the wrong guy, then maybe it is time for Garcia. I would have pulled TVD yesterday.
 
The fact that our offense was breaking off consistent positive plays, but the criticism is that "It's too boring" is proof that our fanbase would rather have a boom or bust O, instead of one that can win games regularly. The gameplan wasn't the issue tonight, the lack of talent at WR and critical mistakes were. Miami leveraged the best two players on the O(Knighton and Parrish) well, there were multiple runs where it could have been broken, but that last guy didn't miss.

If you have a vastly improved O-Line and MULTIPLE backs that can do the job, you use them. That's what good playcallers to, they maximize the talent they do have while minimizing weak links. You can argue that TVD missed the few open shots available to him(He did) and that would have helped the gameplan a ton, but if you have to scheme guys to be open by 10+ yards in order for them to make a catch, you are already screwed. Why? Because it's rare, and I mean rare for any scheme to be that consistently good. Usually, when a guy is THAT open, there's a coverage bust, or you are playing guys that are significantly less talented. TAMU isn't Bethune-Cookman. TAMU isn't Southern Miss. You will have to make some contested catches every once in awhile. Miami's receivers didn't even try to make a contested catch. I lost count of the drops, I can't remember a time in which the Miami receivers made a catch on a poorly thrown ball. People forget that even the greats like Ken Dorsey weren't 100% accurate, sometimes. you need a guy to make a catch for you. TVD didn't have that tonight, and I doubt Garcia would magically fix that.
Agree with the need to make contested catches. Here is where I thought the TEs should have been utilized more. Their size would have been an advantage.
 
Soo TVD not seeing open WRs is the reason the offense sucks?
Did any of our "Wide Receivers" get separation all night? They were blanketed from what I saw. This was TVDs first reaal big game against a quality opponent test. Zero passing game for the Canes.
 
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The fact that our offense was breaking off consistent positive plays, but the criticism is that "It's too boring" is proof that our fanbase would rather have a boom or bust O, instead of one that can win games regularly. The gameplan wasn't the issue tonight, the lack of talent at WR and critical mistakes were. Miami leveraged the best two players on the O(Knighton and Parrish) well, there were multiple runs where it could have been broken, but that last guy didn't miss.

If you have a vastly improved O-Line and MULTIPLE backs that can do the job, you use them. That's what good playcallers to, they maximize the talent they do have while minimizing weak links. You can argue that TVD missed the few open shots available to him(He did) and that would have helped the gameplan a ton, but if you have to scheme guys to be open by 10+ yards in order for them to make a catch, you are already screwed. Why? Because it's rare, and I mean rare for any scheme to be that consistently good. Usually, when a guy is THAT open, there's a coverage bust, or you are playing guys that are significantly less talented. TAMU isn't Bethune-Cookman. TAMU isn't Southern Miss. You will have to make some contested catches every once in awhile. Miami's receivers didn't even try to make a contested catch. I lost count of the drops, I can't remember a time in which the Miami receivers made a catch on a poorly thrown ball. People forget that even the greats like Ken Dorsey weren't 100% accurate, sometimes. you need a guy to make a catch for you. TVD didn't have that tonight, and I doubt Garcia would magically fix that.
K Smith made a great catch on that low ball by TVD. But I agree, our Receivers need to catch those wobblers better.
 
Achane is fast as ****, but Steed was in position to make that tackle he just ******* whiffed.
Not saying he's Barry Sanders or even like him, but that speed and quickness makes a lot of guys miss when your not use to it.

LBs were not great. They played decent most of the game. I just didn't like the LBs getting isolated on Achane in pass coverage. That made no sense and couple of times he had nobody covering him.
 
He's seen the film, he knows that years of bad recruiting can't be fixed in one offseason...

My concern is that it doesn't look like the dearth of WR talent is going to be addressed in the 2023 recruiting class. Shaping up to have some nice complimentary pieces, but no game changers.
 
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