Denard production v. Defensive Improvement
I would just like to aknowledge several things that have really helped me put things in perspective about this team, this season, and this coaching staff.
(1) I've been vocally hard on Denard this year, as more people have tended to be. He's got some serious fundamental flaws that are being exposed in a system that awkwardly hybridizes (word? word, now.) things that he does well with things that he doesn't do well. This naturally has made for frustrating moments where you want to string up borges, denard, rich rod, anyone tangentially related to this transition, etc.
Given (1), (2) Denard has accounted for 29 TDs through 10 (11) games, which is 3 short of his scoring production in 13 games-ish last year. That's actually pretty nuts, given his apparent struggles. The point is this: we can handle the reduction in yardage/ per play average if he's getting us into the endzone with that kind of regularity.
(3) Acknowledging that Denard's turnover rate is still unacceptable, and given (1) and (2), if this is a down year for D-Rob, I'm OK with it. I'm more than ready to give Al Borges the benefit of the doubt and see if his Year 2 progression theory holds up. I've been pleased with the job he's done overall, and I'm more than happy to sacrifice the bubble screen for the package deal of hiring Borges and Mattison. The development of Fitz Toussaint has been amazing to watch.
(4) Speaking of Mattison and his defensive staff, holy hell. I'd trade flashy QB heisman-ish stats for this defensive turnaround 3 times over.
(5) I'm ready for 8 years of frustration to be taken out on OSU next weekend. 41-17 M with the coronation of Fitzmonga Biakabatoussaint. 200+. Go Blue. Good times ahead!
November 21st, 2011 at 1:40 AM ^
I think we will see plays that the team has practiced all season long, but have never ran yet in a game. I think Bo did this when he was first hired. Perhaps the bubble screen?
Also, I wouldn't mind seeing them install Nebraska's last touchdown play.
November 21st, 2011 at 1:45 AM ^
I don't think Nebraska's last touchdown play isn't something you can install overnight. To be able to pull off a double pitch like that, you have to practice it ad nauseum.
November 21st, 2011 at 3:21 AM ^
It's more of a read-option plus a pitch option, right? Martinez first ran the read option, read the end and kept it. Then, on the edge he's just running the option. We've ran the option and the read option this year. I think Borges and Co. are capable of installing it and Denard, Molk, Hopkins/Toussaint/Smith are capable of running it in a day.
November 21st, 2011 at 4:56 AM ^
Didn't we run something like this out of the Fitz formation earlier this year? I think it was jet sweep to speed option but I imagine it's pretty close.
November 21st, 2011 at 1:44 AM ^
Apparently we're not running any because the receivers suck at blocking on them.
November 21st, 2011 at 2:25 AM ^
How awesome was the guy catching them last year then?
November 21st, 2011 at 3:29 AM ^
November 21st, 2011 at 5:14 AM ^
Greg Mattison for Heisman!!!
November 21st, 2011 at 5:41 AM ^
"Given (1), (2) Denard has accounted for 29 TDs through 10 (11) games, which is 3 short of his scoring production in 13 games-ish last year. That's actually pretty nuts, given his apparent struggles. The point is this: we can handle the reduction in yardage/ per play average if he's getting us into the endzone with that kind of regularity." - griesecheeks
This is an important point, I think. The system that we run now exposes the best traits of Denard Robinson and it also exposes some of his flaws as a QB and it does this at the same time on many plays. It's very strange to watch sometimes. However, he is - in some categories - more or less the same QB that he was last year, and some of that has to do, I am sure, with the fact that the defense can get him right back on the field with a little more speed. I will say this - I like that we can do this.
November 21st, 2011 at 8:42 AM ^
Someone close to me keeps saying he wants to bench Denard cause he doesn't like some of his decisions. I understand that he needs to improve in that area (and acknowledge he can let a drive or two go cause we have a defense).
But what I keep seeing is, even though it may not always be pretty, we are almost always moving the ball with Denard in the game. That's something that's easy to take for granted, especially after the RR era.
Fix those decisions, and with our defense, we've got a monster here.
November 21st, 2011 at 8:04 AM ^
Pure Columbian awesome.
November 21st, 2011 at 8:26 AM ^
coaches, and I know you are being hyperbolic, but I still find it a little bit frustrating; find some more interesting language.
Beyond that, though, I think that Denard has done amazingly well all things considered. I also don't think that his many brilliant flashes within the system get him enough credit. His seven-to-ten yard flashes of distilled Denardness that get us first downs again and again do not help him amass the big yardage or as many TDs perhaps, but they are what they doctor--i.e. his coaches--ordered.
Knowing and running TWO offenses, staying at home as ordered when your first impulse is to run--mastering that impulse and THEN working backward toward running more. . . not easy stuff. Add being a student. I know what I was doing as a junior. . . just starting to learn what discipline was. So go easy. . . we need to remind ourselves once a week that this is a game and that these are kids.