MGoCoach (week 2) What did you like? What are you looking for this Saturday?
Last week I created THIS thread asking... "what is the "coach" in your looking for on Saturday? Any position battles? Any players in particular? Just interested to see what everyone will be keeping an eye on to try and gather more information about the rest of the season."
So, what did you learn? What questions do you still have? What new questions do you now have?
Obviously, it was one game versus a directional MAC school, but there was still SOME clarity that we got. Especially with the depth chart. Just interested again to see everyones thoughts.
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^
1. Borges: How will Borges bring Gardner into the game vs. ND? (I felt we should've called more "safe" plays early on to get him into the flow of the game)
2. Gardner: Short/Intermediate passing game...can we move the ball if we can't run?
3. Offensive Line: Will the interior OL be able to hold up against one of the best DL in the country?
4. Defensive Line: Will we still earn the right to rush 4 vs. a better OL (great job vs. CMU)
5. Defensive Backs: Can we play tighter coverage in the secondary?
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:59 PM ^
Where is the Central point on a compass? Is it between East and South?
September 2nd, 2013 at 5:09 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:34 PM ^
To keep it short and concise, I feel assured in our team and confident we can do some really good things this year. I'm not worried about Gardner's INTs. Everyone gets the jitters (yes, even opening day against a directional school) and the expectations for him have been sky high for nearly a year. Once he calmed down, the game looked effortless for him, and that gets me excited.
As far as Notre Dame, I think we will win. Our O-line will struggle some, especially in making holes for the RBs, but I'm predicting that Gardner look iffy on the first drive and then will proceed to have the game that everyone wanted him to have this week and score 4-5 total TD's. The defense will continue to make Tommy Rees do his best Keanu Reeves impression while their running game goes nowhere.
Also, I didnt really answer any of the questions. I'm terrible at this.
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:47 PM ^
that "everyone gets the jitters". How many other top 25 QBs threw 2 INTs in any number of attempts, let alone just 15? Our passing game seems to be conceived in such a way as to require too many high risk throws and difficult reads that are beyond the ability of our QB. It's by no means a given that this was just an anomaly...and 2 or 3 picks against ND means we probably lose.
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:53 PM ^
ALL IS LOOOOOOOST!
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:29 PM ^
"...it's really not true
that 'everyone gets the jitters.' How many other top 25 QBs threw 2 INTs in any number of attempts, let alone just 15?"
How many were also in their first game of their first season as the man riding a wave of Heisman hype and comparisons to one of the greatest college QBs of all time in Vince Young? Two INTs look bad on the stat sheet but two throws do not tell the whole story of the game. He made a bad decision on his second throw of the season and then a decently bad throw later. He was practically lights out for the other 13 throws and additional scrambles.
It's by no means a given that this was just an anomaly...
It's also by no means a given that his two bad picks were not just an anomaly. It's one game against a MAC team that we nearly dropped 60 on and some people (not neccessarily singling you out here) are upset because Gardner didn't blow up for 8 TD's.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:49 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:57 PM ^
And chill out.
If Gardner throws 2 picks against ND on Saturday, do you just give up on the season and jump in a volcano?
Why do you act as if Central is the worst team anyone played on Saturday?
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:26 PM ^
Well, Denard turned the ball over at will against ND last year. At ND. At night. And Michigan still lost by only one score. So there's that.
I think you have some valid concerns about the 2 INTs, but you're going a little far here with the now-or-never angle. It's not like the team has a lot of other options at QB.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:29 PM ^
Well, that's not really true.
Hundreds of "top 25" QBs have thrown for two interceptions in a game. And if there is anyone who never gets the jitters, I don't want them on my school's team. They lack the imagination to visualize success...
and one or two picks against ND means we probably have one or two picks against ND. Whether that leads to a loss so depends on all kinds of outside factors (like how many of theirs we pick) that no "probable" outcome could rationally be predicted.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:55 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:59 PM ^
He most definitely did not say "this weekend." He said "in a game." As in, at some point in their career.
Gardner didn't blame the jitters.
Maybe you can work off some of this excess useless energy by beating up these straw men of yours. Seriously, when you blink your eyes, do your knuckles crack?
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:43 PM ^
play a lot of guys on defense, and not lose much. Competition for PT is going to be fierce, and it will be very tough to wear this team out by the fourth quarter.
Our passing offense is not very well conceived. We do not run plays that get receivers open, and we seem more prone to interceptions than almost any other decent team in the country. Two INTs in only 15 attempts for Gardner is really bad. Most QBs in the top 25 threw two or three times as many passes and had fewer interceptions. Fix it or we will lose close games.
Our Oline was decent, and should not be a huge liability, though they may struggle against defenses like ND and State. Gardner will probably end up scrambling a lot on Saturday, but hopefully he can turn more of those scrambles into completed passes than runs.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:09 PM ^
being in the first series, and a bad pass by the QB. You're going to have a long season and cause a lot of wear and tear on your body and psyche if you get this excercised this early. We won by 50, fergodsakes.
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^
Some information which was released which should answer a question that some might have about the composition of the RB depth chart moving forward into the week is here - LINK
At the end of the article, there is this quote from Hoke:
"Fitz(is) No. 1," Hoke said. "Then it'd be Green No. 2, then (Thomas) Rawls and (De'Veon) Smith and then Justice Hayes."
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:52 PM ^
In reference to number 2, I think we'll see alot of the short/intermediate passing game simply because we do not have much of a deep threat, IMO. Short passing works similar to running plays so I think we can move the ball without rushing for over 200 yards.
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:58 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
I want to see a lot less missed tackles and tighter coverage.
September 2nd, 2013 at 5:16 PM ^
Gallon and Gardner will connect on some big plays, but I would like to see some quick hits to Dileo to move the chains rather than going for the homerun all the time.
Also, I would like to see Pressure, Pressure, Pressure on the QB. Our depth on the front seven is a huge luxury so I want to see Mattison dial up exotic blitzes coming from all over. If Frank Clarke can't be the guy, I would like to see line backers and tackles breaking to the line.
AND IM LOOKING FOR A W. Dont care about the score or how we get it.
September 2nd, 2013 at 5:25 PM ^
over who is named the starter, it is pretty easy to overlook the fact that we have a really good problem in more than one area!
In one of Hoke'a interviews he alluded to the fact that people learn one anothers tendancies and their play in practice is skewed by the familiarity. With weekly game film to watch, the coaches not only have something to coach, they have real-world results upon which to base their decisions. I suspect we will see more than one change as the team moves forward.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:17 PM ^
Can we talk about Gardner and his first touchdown run? Dude was WALKING towards the end zone. And MADE it. I mean, what?
Anyway, I'd love to see more of that. The touchdowns I mean.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:20 PM ^
Toussaint and I think Chesson just DOMINATED their guys. Like, the kind of block that makes you do D-X crotch chops when the play is over and then pelvic thrust in the direction of the blockee's mother.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:32 PM ^
Gardner's looking more and more like Vince Young out there. Partially it's the loping gait, the similar release, the almost identical body type, but I think Gardner has the potential to have similar numbers. During his Junior (and final) year in 2005, Young averaged:
233 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 int passing
81 yards and 1 TD rushing.
That seems quite doable for Gardner this year. He's already shown he can rack up TDs on the ground due to his ability in the redzone, and his passing efficiency last year was almost identical to Young's final year (161.7 vs 163.9).
My one slight worry is his ability to make plays in the flow of the offense, rather than through improvisation. He didn't show much of that against CMU, although I think he did quite a bit last year. That issue might be on the receivers anyway.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:44 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:14 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:30 PM ^
If you're going to be an asshole, at least try to say something relevant.
September 5th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^
Your avatar is very accurate.
September 2nd, 2013 at 11:41 PM ^
Idiot or not, Young (at least UT Young) is in a class above Gardner right now.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:36 PM ^
We sort of saw all Fitz in the first half and then all young guys in the second half on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing Green/Rawls/Smith incorporated as part of the first team offense along with Fitz. If Borges commits to the run and the team has any kind of success doing it things become video game easy for Gardner with his ability to hit big pass plays or stroll casually into the end zone.
September 2nd, 2013 at 11:35 PM ^
I think it'll be interesting to see how many reps each back gets this week. I think CMU served a number of purposes for the coaches - get Fitz reps to get him comfy being out there but at the same time get the other/younger backs reps to see what they can do when it counts. I doubt we'll see that many backs get reps this week unless it's a blowout.
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:40 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:42 PM ^
My second question is if Chesson or Jackson can be reliable targets this season.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:50 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:32 PM ^
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:42 PM ^
Gardner is an exceptional talent, but one aspect of his running concerns me: his tendency to hold the ball out from his body in one hand while he runs. I know part of that is to either fake a throw or be able to throw, but he still carried it that way past the line of scrimmage a couple of times in the game.
September 2nd, 2013 at 11:06 PM ^
I would like to see the Mattison Minions rattle Rees with the end result being something like Nebraska 2011.
September 2nd, 2013 at 11:45 PM ^
Also, Cam Gordon. I know it was just a MAC school, but damn he looked good on Saturday. Hope he can keep it up.
More consistency out of Gardner.
O-Line can, at worst, fight the ND defensive line to a draw. A tall order, but doable.
Keep the home streak alive.
September 3rd, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^
Reply to #37:
- The West Coast Offense en masse. Traditional military tactics dictate that if an obstacle proves particularly resistant, go around it. Borges should go around the ND d-line with possession passes to the firm of Gallon, Dileo & Funchess. Devin showed Saturday that --- to use an oft-used phrase --- the game has slowed down for him. He can buy time and create opportunities for his intermediate-range receivers. Use them rather than regularly running Fitz and Derrick into a brick wall --- although maybe more than a few times Fitz and Derrick might win that contest.
- Yes --- see answer to #1.
- Yes. Devin's mobility will --- to some extent --- neutralize ND's pass rush. Plus once Devin gets outside the pocket he'll see a few run opportunities as well.
- Well, ND ain't CMU, but Cam Gordon, Beyer, Clark, Ojemudia, and others will still get pressure on Rees, who ain't Golsen. Now that Greg M can rotate two effective D-lines, look for Tommy to feel the heat pretty much through the entire game.
- I feel better about this question with T Gordon back in the lineup. With the corners now set, the quality of safety play will figure prominently in the game's outcome. But look for Dymonte Thomas to play significant minutes.