I heard a radio interview with Navy beat writer Bill Wagner some time back where he talked about how it takes an offensive lineman 3 years in the Paul Johnson system to really understand and fully grasp the responsibilities of the flexbone. Wagner had surmised that until that learning curve is reached, it limits the in-game adjustments that are critical to making the offense work at its highest level.
After watching the Tech OL struggle for the last half of the game Thursday night, I figured it was a good time to discuss some reasons for the struggles. Not making excuses, just telling you how it is.
First, as PJ did, you must give credit to Clemson. They controlled the LOS during the 2nd half. That is an extremely talented football team that spent extensive time during the offseason preparing. However, it comes down to which teams wins the battle up front and that was Clemson in the 2nd half.
I have it on good authority that the 4 most talented OL on the Tech team are playing on the scout team as redshirts-Finch, Beno, Foster and Jackson. There is a difference however between talent and being ready to play. Here's an example:
Navy's offensive line, which averages about 262 lbs per man, can't hold a candle physically to the GT line (although the gap may not be as wide as you would think, did you see the gut on Dan Voss after Bedford got hurt?). But Navy's offensive line knows the system and executes at a much higher level than GT despite their physical limitations.
Its not feasible nor would it be smart for Johnson to pull all the young OL out of their redshirts and insert them into the starting lineup. The bottom line is that they aren't ready to play big time college football yet and the team would struggle more with them in the lineup.
Omoregie Uzzi is another young OL who is just now getting his feet wet. However, he's struggling with the mental aspect right now which negates his great physical abilities and natural talent.
Bottom line-it's going to take another year at least until we start to really see the critical pieces of this offense come together.
The guys we see up front now are Chan Gailey's players, recruited for a West Coast Offense. It should be a testament that Johnson has gotten the production out of these players he has in a little over a years time. It will get here but until then, you're going to see times where the offense looks stuck in the mud. After 2 games, Tech is averaging 318 yards rushing. That's right in line with what PJ's 2nd teams and Georgia Southern and Navy did. Right on track.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Week 2 Thoughts
Everyone should be breathing a sigh of relief after the Jackets jumped all over Clemson and survived a huge rally from Clemson on Thursday night. In a way, the end result is probably the best thing for Tech. Reason? They will learn more from this than they would have had they continued to build on a 24-0 lead. I told a friend after the game that Tech won on pure heart and guts. With the offense completely bogged down from the 2nd half on, they came up big when they needed to.
By the way, is there a tougher SOB in the country than Josh Nesbitt? JN is the epitome of a warrior. If you don't believe me, just watch the game winning drive again.
And as much as the offense bogged down, they still ended up with 420 yards.
Tarrant is phenomenal as both a punt returner and a DB.
And what can you say about Derrick Morgan? Someone should name me a better DE in the country right now. The guy gets double and triple teamed and he still comes up with sacks with his relentless motor. It's unfortunate that this will probably be his last year at Tech. Almost certainly a top 10 pick in next year's NFL draft.
Going to be a tough game Thursday night against Miami. The Canes will be sky high after their marathon victory over FSU and their extra week to prepare. Oh, and they'll probably want some revenge after being embarrassed on national TV last year in Atlanta.
Also, did you see James Madison and their flexbone offense nearly beat Maryland last night, along with Navy bouncing back after nearly stunning Ohio State a week ago?
Speaking of Navy, with Dan Hawkins almost certainly gone from Colorado after this year, wouldn't a perfect fit for that job be Ken Niamauloto? KN's roots are from the West; he has strong Polynesian ties and he would be exactly what Colorado needs from a toughness and discipline standpoint. Plus, Colorado will never be able to recruit the top athletes to Boulder. They need to compensate with a unique scheme that doesn't require the 5 star recruits that top echelon teams can get.
Jacksonville State nearly pulled off the upset of the century against Florida State. Telling?
By the way, is there a tougher SOB in the country than Josh Nesbitt? JN is the epitome of a warrior. If you don't believe me, just watch the game winning drive again.
And as much as the offense bogged down, they still ended up with 420 yards.
Tarrant is phenomenal as both a punt returner and a DB.
And what can you say about Derrick Morgan? Someone should name me a better DE in the country right now. The guy gets double and triple teamed and he still comes up with sacks with his relentless motor. It's unfortunate that this will probably be his last year at Tech. Almost certainly a top 10 pick in next year's NFL draft.
Going to be a tough game Thursday night against Miami. The Canes will be sky high after their marathon victory over FSU and their extra week to prepare. Oh, and they'll probably want some revenge after being embarrassed on national TV last year in Atlanta.
Also, did you see James Madison and their flexbone offense nearly beat Maryland last night, along with Navy bouncing back after nearly stunning Ohio State a week ago?
Speaking of Navy, with Dan Hawkins almost certainly gone from Colorado after this year, wouldn't a perfect fit for that job be Ken Niamauloto? KN's roots are from the West; he has strong Polynesian ties and he would be exactly what Colorado needs from a toughness and discipline standpoint. Plus, Colorado will never be able to recruit the top athletes to Boulder. They need to compensate with a unique scheme that doesn't require the 5 star recruits that top echelon teams can get.
Jacksonville State nearly pulled off the upset of the century against Florida State. Telling?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Pete Carroll on the Flexbone Offense
Pete Carroll of USC was asked today about why Navy was able to go toe to toe with Ohio State. His answer is great.
Q. Coach Tressel indicated that it was close because he has a young team, and that option attack was something they rarely see. From your standpoint, why was the Navy game so close?
COACH CARROLL: Navy presents so many problems for the defenses that you just can't prepare for at the same speed and tempo. They're so good and so disciplined in what they do, that they take advantage of every miscue and it's a nightmare playing against them.
It's so elaborate. The triple option and so many different directions and formations can totally offset the physical match ups and they've been able to do that highly successfully, that's what happened in this game. They moved the ball pretty consistently against them although they couldn't ever break out, but they still could make first downs. That made for a difficult game.
They made a couple of big plays on defense to get the interception to set up the opportunity to tie the thing up. You know, and they did enough to keep it going. So I think, I don't know that everybody appreciates it from the coaching standpoint particularly from a defensive coaching standpoint, that's a nightmare game to prepare for. And that's I wouldn't be surprised that Navy has a really big year offensively. They really look like they know what they're doing. They're really good at it.
Q. Coach Tressel indicated that it was close because he has a young team, and that option attack was something they rarely see. From your standpoint, why was the Navy game so close?
COACH CARROLL: Navy presents so many problems for the defenses that you just can't prepare for at the same speed and tempo. They're so good and so disciplined in what they do, that they take advantage of every miscue and it's a nightmare playing against them.
It's so elaborate. The triple option and so many different directions and formations can totally offset the physical match ups and they've been able to do that highly successfully, that's what happened in this game. They moved the ball pretty consistently against them although they couldn't ever break out, but they still could make first downs. That made for a difficult game.
They made a couple of big plays on defense to get the interception to set up the opportunity to tie the thing up. You know, and they did enough to keep it going. So I think, I don't know that everybody appreciates it from the coaching standpoint particularly from a defensive coaching standpoint, that's a nightmare game to prepare for. And that's I wouldn't be surprised that Navy has a really big year offensively. They really look like they know what they're doing. They're really good at it.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Jax State Thoughts
I have only seen limited highlights of the 37-17 victory over Jax State on Saturday so I'm sort of forced to rely on articles and recaps from those that were there. It's pretty clear that the players simply were going through the motions for most of this game. When it's 31-7 at halftime and you've scored on the game's first play, AND you have a big nationally televised game against Clemson on Thursday Night, I could see some reasons for the let up. After all, these are 18-21 year old kids.
That being said, I agree with CPJ's assessment that his team lacks a killer instinct and isn't nasty enough. Great teams don't take halves off no matter the opponent they're playing. The first play of the game, 4 Jax State players ended up pancaked on their backs while Jon Dwyer ran 74 yards for a TD. After that, most players checked out.
And since there were liberal substitutions of young players starting in the 2nd quarter into the rest of the game, nobody should be surprised with some of the issues that came up. One thing is for sure-I think you'll see a much more intense and focused team on Thursday night.
The Good:
-500 yards of total offense, playing a very vanilla offensive scheme.
-Nearly everyone on the roster played (or so it seemed).
-No significant injuries but backup Preston Lyons did leave the game with a separated shoulder and will miss the Clemson game. Richard Watson played well in relief.
-Julian Burnett. 9 tackles during his first college game. What a player this guy will be.
-Tevin Washington. Great to get him some significant playing time. Seems he moved the offense well.
-Derrick Morgan and Morgan Burnett. Two sacks for Morgan despite triple teams and another INT for Burnett.
-Bebe Thomas. Getting 100 yards receiving means teams MUST focus attention on him. That will only help with the running game.
-Even without Roddy Jones and a scaled down offense, GT moved the ball at will. Roddy is scheduled to start against Clemson on Thursday.
-Punt return for TD. Tarrant's return was the first GT punt return for a TD since 2001.
The Bad:
-Turnovers. Nesbitt has to take better care of the ball. If he coughs it up against Clemson, game over.
-Interior DL. Sure they got some pressure but Jax State was also able to run the ball with success periodically. Expect TJ Barnes to really start making a move towards starting.
-Scott Blair. Would you trust Blair to kick a winning FG if the game was on the line?
That being said, I agree with CPJ's assessment that his team lacks a killer instinct and isn't nasty enough. Great teams don't take halves off no matter the opponent they're playing. The first play of the game, 4 Jax State players ended up pancaked on their backs while Jon Dwyer ran 74 yards for a TD. After that, most players checked out.
And since there were liberal substitutions of young players starting in the 2nd quarter into the rest of the game, nobody should be surprised with some of the issues that came up. One thing is for sure-I think you'll see a much more intense and focused team on Thursday night.
The Good:
-500 yards of total offense, playing a very vanilla offensive scheme.
-Nearly everyone on the roster played (or so it seemed).
-No significant injuries but backup Preston Lyons did leave the game with a separated shoulder and will miss the Clemson game. Richard Watson played well in relief.
-Julian Burnett. 9 tackles during his first college game. What a player this guy will be.
-Tevin Washington. Great to get him some significant playing time. Seems he moved the offense well.
-Derrick Morgan and Morgan Burnett. Two sacks for Morgan despite triple teams and another INT for Burnett.
-Bebe Thomas. Getting 100 yards receiving means teams MUST focus attention on him. That will only help with the running game.
-Even without Roddy Jones and a scaled down offense, GT moved the ball at will. Roddy is scheduled to start against Clemson on Thursday.
-Punt return for TD. Tarrant's return was the first GT punt return for a TD since 2001.
The Bad:
-Turnovers. Nesbitt has to take better care of the ball. If he coughs it up against Clemson, game over.
-Interior DL. Sure they got some pressure but Jax State was also able to run the ball with success periodically. Expect TJ Barnes to really start making a move towards starting.
-Scott Blair. Would you trust Blair to kick a winning FG if the game was on the line?
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