OttoinGrotto
2023-24 Iggy Award Most 3 Pointers Made
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- Aug 26, 2011
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Before I get in to why McDonald is the right basket to put our eggs in (huevos rancheros!) let's get some fair criticisms out in the open:
- It's odd how little we give the ball to Jerome Smith
- It doesn't make sense that we run next to zero play action
- While it seems as though a QB roll out could be a nice play for us, we just don't really do that
- There have been times when the play calling, at best, makes no sense
- There have also been times where it's extremely difficult to tell exactly what we're trying to do on offense
- While our receiving crew is limited, it's strange that we don't attempt to do a whole lot going down field
- Wither pass catching tight ends?
- At times, our players on offense have looked confused and disorganized
I think we can all agree that the stuff above smells like rotten eggs (eggs benedict!).
All that said, George "Cool Kid" McDonald is exactly what the program needs to take the next step forward. Consider:
People have always said we need up and coming coaches because we're not a program with the name or resources to bring in big names. Well, isn't McDonald an up and comer? Sure, he's developing as an OC, but he brings one sure fire skill to the table - the man can recruit. This is purely my opinion, but I think it's easier for a coach to improve as a coach than it is for them to improve as a recruiter. Some guys have that ability and others don't. McDonald has it. As much as we'd love to get an up and coming OC that has offenses that set the world on fire, those guys are usually getting jobs as OCs that already recruit better than we do. McDonald is a fundamentally different animal than what we're used to around thing. Not only is that a good thing, it's the shot in the arm we need.
There isn't any reason to believe that McDonald won't improve as an offensive coordinator. Back when Marrone brought on Hackett, the biggest things that Hackett had going for him were 1) his last name and 2) Marrone liked him. It took him a few years to figure things out, but once he did, we had the kind of offense that's a reality these days in college football. McDonald at the time of his hiring had going for him 1) a recruiting track record and 2) Shafer liked him. If anything, McDonald is arguably a much better bet to pay off than Hackett was, because we still enjoy the recruiting dividend McDonald brings while he fights through his growing pains. With Hackett the recruiting impact wasn't as obvious.
The improvement McDonald will exhibit as offensive coordinator isn't single pronged though. It's two pronged (deviled eggs!). The first prong will be seen via his growth as a coach. The second prong will occur because he immediately identified the talent deficiencies we are facing at QB and WR*. It's not a coincidence that we're bringing in some exciting talent at those positions - he knows he needs them in order to do what he wants to do. When you consider the young talent at RB, the line, some of the guys at TE... we're not that far away if you can throw in more dynamic players at QB and WR. I think the offense will get better.
That's not to say that this season is a lost year developmentally. One of the great frustrations of the Marrone era was that we played such an ugly brand of football on offense (scrambled eggs!). Slow, grinding, run-oriented attacks have predominantly been passed by in college football today. Some say that Marrone made that choice to fit the players he had. I think that's valid. I also think there was a tradeoff to that choice - ugly offense begat ugly offense, until they decided to speed things up and trust Nassib, Lemon and Sales.
I believe McDonald is intentionally NOT molding the offense to today's players in some cases. There is a vision in place - he wants to play no huddle spread with an emphasis on 3 wide sets. The rushing scheme will be relatively straight forward. The passing game will ask more of its players than it does now, but we're getting the seeds planted. It is a gamble. We might be sacrificing some production short term. That said, with our limitations at QB I think the ceiling is pretty low either way. Going with the low ceiling of your choice that lays the foundation for the future is the right call.
It's clear that McDonald can't do the things he really wants to do with the roster we have right now. He's a former wideout - he wants the ball in the air. That should excite us, because again, WE ARE THE ONLY BCS PROGRAM THAT COMPETES IN A WEATHER CONTROLLED FACILITY (hard-boiled eggs!). Of all the programs in college football built to base their offense on passing, we're an obvious choice. I think McDonald's getting us there. That's a good thing.
Lastly, we don't have another choice. We need him to work out. We're not going to get a coach that recruits better - how confident are you that the next OC would actually have a more productive offense? We haven't exactly blown anyone's doors off with OC hires since, what? Kevin Rogers? Give him time, give him his own players, and let's see what we have.
In Cool Kid I trust.
- It's odd how little we give the ball to Jerome Smith
- It doesn't make sense that we run next to zero play action
- While it seems as though a QB roll out could be a nice play for us, we just don't really do that
- There have been times when the play calling, at best, makes no sense
- There have also been times where it's extremely difficult to tell exactly what we're trying to do on offense
- While our receiving crew is limited, it's strange that we don't attempt to do a whole lot going down field
- Wither pass catching tight ends?
- At times, our players on offense have looked confused and disorganized
I think we can all agree that the stuff above smells like rotten eggs (eggs benedict!).
All that said, George "Cool Kid" McDonald is exactly what the program needs to take the next step forward. Consider:
People have always said we need up and coming coaches because we're not a program with the name or resources to bring in big names. Well, isn't McDonald an up and comer? Sure, he's developing as an OC, but he brings one sure fire skill to the table - the man can recruit. This is purely my opinion, but I think it's easier for a coach to improve as a coach than it is for them to improve as a recruiter. Some guys have that ability and others don't. McDonald has it. As much as we'd love to get an up and coming OC that has offenses that set the world on fire, those guys are usually getting jobs as OCs that already recruit better than we do. McDonald is a fundamentally different animal than what we're used to around thing. Not only is that a good thing, it's the shot in the arm we need.
There isn't any reason to believe that McDonald won't improve as an offensive coordinator. Back when Marrone brought on Hackett, the biggest things that Hackett had going for him were 1) his last name and 2) Marrone liked him. It took him a few years to figure things out, but once he did, we had the kind of offense that's a reality these days in college football. McDonald at the time of his hiring had going for him 1) a recruiting track record and 2) Shafer liked him. If anything, McDonald is arguably a much better bet to pay off than Hackett was, because we still enjoy the recruiting dividend McDonald brings while he fights through his growing pains. With Hackett the recruiting impact wasn't as obvious.
The improvement McDonald will exhibit as offensive coordinator isn't single pronged though. It's two pronged (deviled eggs!). The first prong will be seen via his growth as a coach. The second prong will occur because he immediately identified the talent deficiencies we are facing at QB and WR*. It's not a coincidence that we're bringing in some exciting talent at those positions - he knows he needs them in order to do what he wants to do. When you consider the young talent at RB, the line, some of the guys at TE... we're not that far away if you can throw in more dynamic players at QB and WR. I think the offense will get better.
That's not to say that this season is a lost year developmentally. One of the great frustrations of the Marrone era was that we played such an ugly brand of football on offense (scrambled eggs!). Slow, grinding, run-oriented attacks have predominantly been passed by in college football today. Some say that Marrone made that choice to fit the players he had. I think that's valid. I also think there was a tradeoff to that choice - ugly offense begat ugly offense, until they decided to speed things up and trust Nassib, Lemon and Sales.
I believe McDonald is intentionally NOT molding the offense to today's players in some cases. There is a vision in place - he wants to play no huddle spread with an emphasis on 3 wide sets. The rushing scheme will be relatively straight forward. The passing game will ask more of its players than it does now, but we're getting the seeds planted. It is a gamble. We might be sacrificing some production short term. That said, with our limitations at QB I think the ceiling is pretty low either way. Going with the low ceiling of your choice that lays the foundation for the future is the right call.
It's clear that McDonald can't do the things he really wants to do with the roster we have right now. He's a former wideout - he wants the ball in the air. That should excite us, because again, WE ARE THE ONLY BCS PROGRAM THAT COMPETES IN A WEATHER CONTROLLED FACILITY (hard-boiled eggs!). Of all the programs in college football built to base their offense on passing, we're an obvious choice. I think McDonald's getting us there. That's a good thing.
Lastly, we don't have another choice. We need him to work out. We're not going to get a coach that recruits better - how confident are you that the next OC would actually have a more productive offense? We haven't exactly blown anyone's doors off with OC hires since, what? Kevin Rogers? Give him time, give him his own players, and let's see what we have.
In Cool Kid I trust.
