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Time for a Serious Discussion

Genghis Cane said:
Let’s put the Kool-Aid down for a second and have a rational conversation.

We all love this program.

We are all confident in this team.

But I’m going to stop listening to my heart for a second and give my brain a chance to jump into the discourse.

What concerns us about this matchup? I’ll go first….

1) Our LBs ability to cover their WRs underneath.

2) Keeping Reed contained in the pocket. Broken plays have been our enemy before. The ND and SMU games come to mind. Even the FSU game in the 4th quarter.

3) Beck zeroing in on Toney. Elko is too smart of a coach to allow one player to beat him. His scheme will be structured to neutralize Toney’s impact. Carson has to be patient, go through his progressions, and find the open receiver.

4) WRs other than Toney creating separation. With Toney most likely being bracketed, can CJ take advantage of 1-on-1 opportunities? What about Marion? Mark my words: to win this game, we’re going to need a couple of big time, contested catches from someone other than Toney.

5) Pringle in pass protection. Can he handle what Elko throws at us in 3rd and long situations? We’re going to have to trust him. You can’t only bring him in if we’re running the ball — that’s too predictable.

6) Pre-snap penalties. If we can’t avoid more than one or two of these over the course of the game, we’re probably in bad shape. Getting behind the chains hurts the type of offense Dawson wants to call.

What other things worry you guys?
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No question, LBs will be targeted.
 
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Genghis Cane said:
Let’s put the Kool-Aid down for a second and have a rational conversation.

We all love this program.

We are all confident in this team.

But I’m going to stop listening to my heart for a second and give my brain a chance to jump into the discourse.

What concerns us about this matchup? I’ll go first….

1) Our LBs ability to cover their WRs underneath.

2) Keeping Reed contained in the pocket. Broken plays have been our enemy before. The ND and SMU games come to mind. Even the FSU game in the 4th quarter.

3) Beck zeroing in on Toney. Elko is too smart of a coach to allow one player to beat him. His scheme will be structured to neutralize Toney’s impact. Carson has to be patient, go through his progressions, and find the open receiver.

4) WRs other than Toney creating separation. With Toney most likely being bracketed, can CJ take advantage of 1-on-1 opportunities? What about Marion? Mark my words: to win this game, we’re going to need a couple of big time, contested catches from someone other than Toney.

5) Pringle in pass protection. Can he handle what Elko throws at us in 3rd and long situations? We’re going to have to trust him. You can’t only bring him in if we’re running the ball — that’s too predictable.

6) Pre-snap penalties. If we can’t avoid more than one or two of these over the course of the game, we’re probably in bad shape. Getting behind the chains hurts the type of offense Dawson wants to call.

What other things worry you guys?
Click to expand...
Good post. I agree with most of the concerns, but I think A&M’s receiver group is being a little overrated from a matchup standpoint.

Yes, they’re fast. But they’re also small. There’s a reason NFL teams consistently look for receivers in the 6’2”–6’4”, 200-plus range. Size gives you answers when the defense takes space away.

Speed-based receivers have to live in space, and more importantly, they have to be on time. Their entire game is built around clean releases and precise timing. Free releases allow them to hit their landmarks on schedule so the QB can throw with anticipation. That’s when speed shows up.

That’s also why they’re very schemable. You don’t have to erase them, you just have to disrupt them. A quick jam, a collision at the line, or forcing a release that’s opposite of the route design throws off the timing. Even a half-second delay matters. Once the timing is off, the QB has to hold the ball, reset, or move on, and now that speed advantage is neutralized.

This is where big receivers are harder to deal with. They don’t need perfect timing. If the picture isn’t clean, the QB can still throw a back-shoulder, a slant through contact, or a contested ball and trust size and catch radius. With smaller WRs, if they’re covered and late, the play is basically dead.

So when people talk about A&M’s perceived strength at receiver, the real question isn’t “are they fast?” It’s “can they get free releases and stay on schedule?”
 
Genghis Cane said:
Let’s put the Kool-Aid down for a second and have a rational conversation.

We all love this program.

We are all confident in this team.

But I’m going to stop listening to my heart for a second and give my brain a chance to jump into the discourse.

What concerns us about this matchup? I’ll go first….

1) Our LBs ability to cover their WRs underneath.

2) Keeping Reed contained in the pocket. Broken plays have been our enemy before. The ND and SMU games come to mind. Even the FSU game in the 4th quarter.

3) Beck zeroing in on Toney. Elko is too smart of a coach to allow one player to beat him. His scheme will be structured to neutralize Toney’s impact. Carson has to be patient, go through his progressions, and find the open receiver.

4) WRs other than Toney creating separation. With Toney most likely being bracketed, can CJ take advantage of 1-on-1 opportunities? What about Marion? Mark my words: to win this game, we’re going to need a couple of big time, contested catches from someone other than Toney.

5) Pringle in pass protection. Can he handle what Elko throws at us in 3rd and long situations? We’re going to have to trust him. You can’t only bring him in if we’re running the ball — that’s too predictable.

6) Pre-snap penalties. If we can’t avoid more than one or two of these over the course of the game, we’re probably in bad shape. Getting behind the chains hurts the type of offense Dawson wants to call.

What other things worry you guys?
Click to expand...

Ric Flair Blitz said:
Our creativity in 3rd and 4th and short situations. I hope Mario gives Dawson free reign to continue operating as he has been last 4 weeks vs going back to bro ball
Click to expand...
Usually the above would all be legitimate concerns and maybe in the back of all our minds they still are. Having said that, one of the least talked about reasons behind the fact that I feel great going into this game has been the growth of this staff particularly Mario and Dawson. After the SMU loss they really answered the bell and have zeroed in on attacking every issue that needed to be addressed. There have been other variables as well like the emergence of Girard Pringle that has breathed new life into the running game. The slow but steady improvement from Elija Lofton and especially Alex Bauman both of whom were borderline unplayable earlier in the year. Keelan Marion stepping up huge to provide another weapon for Beck in the passing game. Then finally Dawson reaching into his bag to infuse some much needed diversity into the offense by using all of his players abilities not the least of which has been greatly expanding the role of Malachi Toney.

Outside of the above the whole staff has had this team focused and well prepared for the most part. I haven't even begun to get into what an amazing job DC Corey Hetherman has done this year and that includes all of his position coaches. I can't emphasize enough how competent this entire staff has been all year. Were there some hiccups? Yes of course but unlike previous staffs, the way this one has reacted to those has been something to behold. I was telling a friend last night that this team has in effect, cured me of the PTSD I have been suffering from for the last 20+ years. Yes there are always concerns but with this staff and this rooster, I'm not ruled by them anymore. I'm going into this game with the type of confidence I haven't felt in a very long time. Go Canes! Bring on Texas ATM! LFG!!!!!!!!
 
FrancisSawyer said:
Usually the above would all be legitimate concerns and maybe in the back of all our minds they still are. Having said that, one of the least talked about reasons behind the fact that I feel great going into this game has been the growth of this staff particularly Mario and Dawson. After the SMU loss they really answered the bell and have zeroed in on attacking every issue that needed to be addressed. There have been other variables as well like the emergence of Girard Pringle that has breathed new life into the running game. The slow but steady improvement from Elija Lofton and especially Alex Bauman both of whom were borderline unplayable earlier in the year. Keelan Marion stepping up huge to provide another weapon for Beck in the passing game. Then finally Dawson reaching into his bag to infuse some much needed diversity into the offense by using all of his players abilities not the least of which has been greatly expanding the role of Malachi Toney.

Outside of the above the whole staff has had this team focused and well prepared for the most part. I haven't even begun to get into what an amazing job DC Corey Hetherman has done this year and that includes all of his position coaches. I can't emphasize enough how competent this entire staff has been all year. Were there some hiccups? Yes of course but unlike previous staffs, the way this one has reacted to those has been something to behold. I was telling a friend last night that this team has in effect, cured me of the PTSD I have been suffering from for the last 20+ years. Yes there are always concerns but with this staff and this rooster, I'm not ruled by them anymore. I'm going into this game with the type of confidence I haven't felt in a very long time. Go Canes! Bring on Texas ATM! LFG!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Could not have said this any better. I will add this little tidbit.

Not digging up any painful wounds, but I was low-key concerned about the Louisville & SMU games. I felt Miami could win but also felt they could lose and they did. Fast forward to the Pitt game. I felt very confident Miami could win and win convincingly and they did. I feel really great about this game on Saturday, and if/when Miami wins, I feel confident about the game after that. This is what all of us starting with me are used to seeing with this program----Championship football. This is only the beginning and unlike Jimmy and Butch, Mario aint going nowhere and IMVHO, expect this type of run for another decade.
 
caneULM said:
Could not have said this any better. I will add this little tidbit.

Not digging up any painful wounds, but I was low-key concerned about the Louisville & SMU games. I felt Miami could win but also felt they could lose and they did. Fast forward to the Pitt game. I felt very confident Miami could win and win convincingly and they did. I feel really great about this game on Saturday, and if/when Miami wins, I feel confident about the game after that. This is what all of us starting with me are used to seeing with this program----Championship football. This is only the beginning and unlike Jimmy and Butch, Mario aint going nowhere and IMVHO, expect this type of run for another decade.
Click to expand...
Absolutely brother! Believe it or not, the two games that I had a weird trepidation about were both Louisville and SMU both for different reasons. Having been taught extremely valuable lessons in each, this staff and this team have come out the other side all the better for it.
 
- Beck interceptions
- Mario delivering in a big game against a very good coach with a bye week.
- Broken plays and scrambles from A&M QB
- 100k+ hostile environment that this team has not seen anything remotely close too. Get rattled and down early.
 
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