Weapon of Choice
You might have already seen this footage a few times before, but I find it fun to watch in this summer of relative inactivity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh13WiJZ7MM
I was at this game, and if you compare how Tate performed in the spring game with either of the two Qb's we trotted out there last year it's night and day. In the previous spring game there were a combination of 8 INT's, horrible completion percentage, and no down the field success. This kid hits recievers in stride, has great touch down field, and has some good wiggle moves in the open field. I also liked hearing about how RR noticed that Roy Roundtree was squinting often. He went to help him get his eyes checked, and it made all the difference. This year it seems like Roundtree could be the deep threat, Mathews is the possesion reciever, and who knows if Tay will win the slot battle.
My biggest concern for this season is still the special teams. It confuses me that we don't have a special teams coach, and if they weren't so awful at it last year I would say they have it under control. Obviously our punter is really good, but the roll out rugby style doesn't fit what Zoltan is best doing. None of our returners last year could catch a punt/kickoff. I hope they are working on that every day this summer. Odoms even dropped a punt in the spring game! Get that guy out of there! I know he returned one to the house last year, but if you fumble it half the time it's not worth it. By the end of the year last year I was screaming, "...just let it roll, and we'll take the ball where it stops.." This strategy would have won the ND game for us if you think about it.
Getting back to the topic at hand, Tate seems like a perfect fit for this offense. That side of the ball might end up being more of a passing attack this year because of his accuracy and decision making. However, our strength will be the offensive line & our senior running backs. In the beginning of the season IMO they should pound the ball and give Tate some easy reads/throws to build confidence and releive some of the pressure for him. At least his first four games are at home! Minor should have a great season, and only injuries stand in the way of 1,000 yards for him. Go Blue!!!
I must have yelled that two dozen times. I can't beleive that they aren't focusing on returners catching kicks.
they were outside working on it every day that they could. Last year the weather was poor and they have problems indoor because the roof isn't high enough to practice catching punts.
I think I may have missed something here, why exactly do we think they aren't focusing on returners catching kicks?
...they're focusing on making sure returners catch kicks, you have a really low estimation of the intelligence of our coaching staff. They can coach them every day, but the players have to perform when it counts.
was that whatever they did last offseason as far as catching punts did not work. I hope they are really focusing on this aspect of the game, because it was gut wrenching last year. I don't have a low estimation of their intelligence. I do think that some coaches are set in their ways, and it is obvious to me that whatever they did last year needs to be tweaked. Having Greg Robinson there will help many aspects of the team, and I would bet he's watched hundreds of hours of film on UM this summer. He will make simmilar conclusions and work to fix them as well. I really like some of the blitz schemes he showed in the spring game, and look forward to our defense this season.
wish we had let it roll in the Notre Dame game
If I'm not mistaken, Lloyd didn't have a designated special teams coach either (since the rugby punt debacle in Iowa a few seasons back).
fit on a college staff. What self-respecting, hormone laced, eighteen year old football player on his way to the NFL wants to be recruited by one? Kids expect to deal with their position coach.
If your biggest concern for this season is the special teams, then you're in for a big surprise when the season starts. ST ranks far behind defensive depth issues and the fact that we're under the third defensive scheme in three years. Yeah, Forcier made good plays in the spring game, but it was against the 2nd team defense which was filled with alot of walk-ons. The D is going to make or break our season, not our offense.
The point is not that Forcier was able to make plays against the 2nd team defense. The point is that he was able to make a variety of throws and make them accurately. Last year's QBs were wildly inaccurate (e.g., Threet turns TD into pick against NW). Forcier made the throws that were there to be made - some of them perfectly placed completions to receivers that were fairly well covered. That alone is a huge leap forward from last year, and even a moderately respectable passing game will open up the running game significantly.
That's true, but based on the quality (or lack of it) of our offense last year, I think most of us would be pretty happy with 6-7 wins that actually MOVE the ball.
such as "what is your weapon of choice to bring along to columbus to protect yourself?" Or "what is your weapon of choice when beating the crap out of a domer?"
"what is your weapon of choice when beating the crap out of a domer?"
The truth.
ncaa regulations limit the number of assistant coaches allowed. since its more important (for recruiting and regular game situations) to have a coach for each position, special teams is often coached by committee. thats why we dont have a special teams coach.
thats not to say that i dont wish we had one.
It's my understanding that regardless of whether or not a team has an officially-designated "special teams coordinator," coaching special teams is always done by multiple members of the staff. One will take kickoff coverage, one will take KO returns, another will take punt coverage, and so on. One guy never does the job by himself.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:14 AM ^
Looking back on this now makes the video all the much better.
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