Coaching Comments to Recruit

[Millhouse]

Lester was his guy. From the beginning. The McD OC was a recruiting tactic, like giving a guy 44.

if that's true, can shafer now

 

[GoSU96]

Let's look at more than SU please

He was using that as an example of what worked that everyone here would be familiar with.

Do you have a problem with what was done in 2012?

 

[NKR1978]

his YPG is 304. that would be 120th in the country. his yards per play would be 123rd

At least we're playing uptempo.

 

[phil77]

1 more year of this garbage 1 more year of this garbage 1 more year of this garbage. You wonder why we haven't built up a successful program in decades its because we keep doing the same crap and expecting a different result. Run Run Pass Punt Run Run Pass Punt Run Run Pass Punt Play Action Incomplete Run Run Punt...Cant wait until next season!!

 

[Millhouse]

He was using that as an example of what worked that everyone here would be familiar with.

Do you have a problem with what was done in 2012?

i don't. I do have a problem with everyone here only being familiar with SU

 

[TheCusian]

if that's true, can shafer now

It's kind of a simplification of what happened - but I think he knew McDonald was smart and a good what we needed in recruiting (FL). He took a chance that he'd grow into a very good OC. It's the exact kind of gamble that we needed to take - just didn't work out.

 

[Orangello]

I don't believe we have the size on the O line or the QB with the skills necessary to run this type of offense. You have to have a QB who is accurate as hell to make this work. Not seeing that. Also, unless and until we can fix the serial drops by our WR's and TE's, it's not going to matter what srort of scheme we try to run. This would be my #1 focus on the offensive side of the ball. It's quite simply inexcusable.

 

[Millhouse]

It's kind of a simplification of what happened - but I think he knew McDonald was smart and a good what we needed in recruiting (FL). He took a chance that he'd grow into a very good OC. It's the exact kind of gamble that we needed to take - just didn't work out.

i'm fine with that. i wouldn't be fine with giving the OC to a recruiter even though the guy you really wanted was the QB coach

mcdonald really boned us. all he had to do was keep his mouth shut and not be a total mess getting plays called. now we have a bunch of SU only fans thinking well that sure didn't work, more tight ends and fullbacks please!

 

[phil77]

He was using that as an example of what worked that everyone here would be familiar with.

Do you have a problem with what was done in 2012?

That team struggle to win the Big East and was an 8-5 team. I am not sure it is an 8 win team in the ACC. But if that is the peak you are hoping for from this program now that says alot. I see no reason why we can't be TCU or Baylor instead of Boston College.

 

[PhatOrange]

Acosta told the TE recruit Dunkleberg, that the staff was moving toward a TE oriented offense. OK x's & o's people, what is your interpretation? Nothing would please me more than an offense that looks like the Pats. (I know, I know, we don't have Brady.)

How about the coach's comment to a recruit that they're moving one of the TE's to the Offensive Line ? Subtracting 1, Adding 1. Sounds like a wash.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

mcdonald really boned us. all he had to do was keep his mouth shut and not be a total mess getting plays called. now we have a bunch of SU only fans thinking well that sure didn't work, more tight ends and fullbacks please!

Yeah. It's frustrating because he was really close to having the right thing in place, the execution was just poor.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Yeah. It's frustrating because he was really close to having the right thing in place, the execution was just poor.

Not hardly. Not in your dreams did McDonald have the right pieces in place. You need elite speed WRs. Don't have any, none in the next recruiting class.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Not hardly. Not in your dreams did McDonald have the right pieces in place. You need elite speed WRs. Don't have any, none in the next recruiting class.

It's amazing to me, that despite the fact that the no huddle spread offense has lead to the most explosive offense across the landscape of college football in the history of the game, how many things are required to run it that we can't seem to get.

4 star talent
Elite QBs
Better linemen
Elite speed WRs

It just makes me wonder, how exactly is everyone else pulling it off?

 

[PhatOrange]

It's amazing to me, that despite the fact that the no huddle spread offense has lead to the most explosive offense across the landscape of college football in the history of the game, how many things are required to run it that we can't seem to get.

4 star talent
Elite QBs
Better linemen
Elite speed WRs

It just makes me wonder, how exactly is everyone else pulling it off?

who's everyone else?

 

[chakka3421]

It's amazing to me, that despite the fact that the no huddle spread offense has lead to the most explosive offense across the landscape of college football in the history of the game, how many things are required to run it that we can't seem to get.

4 star talent
Elite QBs
Better linemen
Elite speed WRs

It just makes me wonder, how exactly is everyone else pulling it off?

Doesn't work against teams with legit defenses like LSU or Bama.

 

[syracuse95]

It's amazing to me, that despite the fact that the no huddle spread offense has lead to the most explosive offense across the landscape of college football in the history of the game, how many things are required to run it that we can't seem to get.

4 star talent
Elite QBs
Better linemen
Elite speed WRs

It just makes me wonder, how exactly is everyone else pulling it off?

First of all, if everyone is doing it, then that means to be a winning program we have to be able to do what they are doing better than they are. Better talent, better scheme. I don't think we can.

Second, everyone isn't doing it. The conferences and teams that recruit primarily in areas (FL, TX, CA) with elite speed and quickness do. Most B1G teams don't run a hurry up spread. BC and Pitt don't. They play to the strengths of their core recruiting areas.

You don't need 4 star talent. You do need to be as quick or quicker on the outside than the guys you're lining up against. If the goal of your offense is to get one man in space with the ball and ask him to make a play, then he damn well better be able to beat at least the one free man closest to him. How many times this year have we seen guys catch the ball behind the LOS and stutter step three times while two defenders (one of whom has beaten a block) come crashing down on him for no gain? MAC teams don't have 4 star athletes, but they have some success with this type of offense against MAC and Sun Belt competition. They would never compete running this type of offense in the ACC or Big XII. We aren't going to win the ACC running this type of offense with the talent we have, nor will we win it running this offense with the talent we are likely to get. If we were still in the BE/AAC, we probably could.

We have improved recruiting in FL, but we still only have 14 kids on the entire roster from FL. None of them chose SU over FSU, UF, or Miami. We are getting FL kids with high mid-major and low P5 offers. They ARE faster than the guys we were getting out of PA and NY, but that's not going to help us win ACC games by trying to match speed with speed. Most of our roster is made up of kids from the northeast and midwest...areas not known for athletes with elite speed.

As much as everybody wants to "use the dome to our advantage" and run 5-wides "like everybody else", I think we need to be realistic about our core recruiting areas and the talent they produce, and then play to those strengths. The only way SU becomes a 10-win program (which I doubt ever happens, but let's aim high for the sake of argument) is to either 1) out-recruit southern schools for southern speed athletes and run the no huddle spread, or 2) to run a different type of offense that lets you control the LOS, put multiple blockers at the point of attack, and force the defense to commit more men inside. GA Tech wins games this way, and everyone hates them for it because they don't use the forward pass. If we could win 8 games a year and average more than 15 PPG against P5 teams, I wouldn't care at this point if we run the Veer.

 

[Millhouse]

You don't need 4 star talent. You do need to be as quick or quicker on the outside than the guys you're lining up against. If the goal of your offense is to get one man in space with the ball and ask him to make a play, then he damn well better be able to beat at least the one free man closest to him.

that's not the goal of the offense

the point of spreading everyone wide all over the field is to make the defense reveal what they want to do which makes it easier for your qb to throw high percentage passes. these offenses aren't about peter warrick juking people.

urban meyer offenses have not always been fast. but they've always been good. these offenses were so backwater for so long. northwestern putting 50 on michigan years ago was not because of speed

speed helps every offense

 

[Millhouse]

Doesn't work against teams with legit defenses like LSU or Bama.

how in the world do you not see the problem with this

 

[OttoinGrotto]

how in the world do you not see the problem with this

I think it's a joke.

I hope it's a joke.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

First of all, if everyone is doing it, then that means to be a winning program we have to be able to do what they are doing better than they are. Better talent, better scheme. I don't think we can.

Second, everyone isn't doing it. The conferences and teams that recruit primarily in areas (FL, TX, CA) with elite speed and quickness do. Most B1G teams don't run a hurry up spread. BC and Pitt don't. They play to the strengths of their core recruiting areas.

You don't need 4 star talent. You do need to be as quick or quicker on the outside than the guys you're lining up against. If the goal of your offense is to get one man in space with the ball and ask him to make a play, then he damn well better be able to beat at least the one free man closest to him. How many times this year have we seen guys catch the ball behind the LOS and stutter step three times while two defenders (one of whom has beaten a block) come crashing down on him for no gain? MAC teams don't have 4 star athletes, but they have some success with this type of offense against MAC and Sun Belt competition. They would never compete running this type of offense in the ACC or Big XII. We aren't going to win the ACC running this type of offense with the talent we have, nor will we win it running this offense with the talent we are likely to get. If we were still in the BE/AAC, we probably could.

We have improved recruiting in FL, but we still only have 14 kids on the entire roster from FL. None of them chose SU over FSU, UF, or Miami. We are getting FL kids with high mid-major and low P5 offers. They ARE faster than the guys we were getting out of PA and NY, but that's not going to help us win ACC games by trying to match speed with speed. Most of our roster is made up of kids from the northeast and midwest...areas not known for athletes with elite speed.

As much as everybody wants to "use the dome to our advantage" and run 5-wides "like everybody else", I think we need to be realistic about our core recruiting areas and the talent they produce, and then play to those strengths. The only way SU becomes a 10-win program (which I doubt ever happens, but let's aim high for the sake of argument) is to either 1) out-recruit southern schools for southern speed athletes and run the no huddle spread, or 2) to run a different type of offense that lets you control the LOS, put multiple blockers at the point of attack, and force the defense to commit more men inside. GA Tech wins games this way, and everyone hates them for it because they don't use the forward pass. If we could win 8 games a year and average more than 15 PPG against P5 teams, I wouldn't care at this point if we run the Veer.

I appreciate the time that you took to write this post, because you clearly were careful with your time and logic and consideration.

What I say next is not at all a reflection of what I think of you as a person.

I disagree with everything you posted.

 

[Scooch]

I have a question about speed. Maybe it's a dumb question. Maybe I'm dumb, who knows. But I'll ask it anyway...

Are human beings living in the South inherently faster than those who live in the North?

If they are, then I get why we we'd have trouble recruiting for speed in our region.

But if not, then why can't we recruit for speed.

I don't know if this is a good data point, but here are the top 10 college programs for men's cross country right now...

1. Colorado
2. Oregon
3. Syracuse
4. Oklahoma State
5. Iona
6. Wisconsin
7. Villanova
8. Portland
9. Stanford
10. Northern Arizona

Now, maybe you don't need fast kids to build a good cross country program. I have no idea, honestly. But there isn't a single southern school in the top 10. And one might assume that there are at least a few kids who can run that live in the north, since 4 of the top 10 are northern schools.

So, sincerely, why can't we recruit fast kids who live in the north?

 

[Oakland]

The most important thing is that coaches should run schemes that they understand well enough to be successful. It seems to me that in the last 1.5 seasons, SU threw the bubble screen a lot because it had become fashionable, but the coaches didn't really understand what they were doing and that is why it didn't work.

Acosta told the TE recruit Dunkleberg, that the staff was moving toward a TE oriented offense. OK x's & o's people, what is your interpretation? Nothing would please me more than an offense that looks like the Pats. (I know, I know, we don't have Brady.)

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I have a question about speed. Maybe it's a dumb question. Maybe I'm dumb, who knows. But I'll ask it anyway...

Are human beings living in the South inherently faster than those who live in the North?

If they are, then I get why we we'd have trouble recruiting for speed in our region.

But if not, then why can't we recruit for speed.

I don't know if this is a good data point, but here are the top 10 college programs for men's cross country right now...

1. Colorado
2. Oregon
3. Syracuse
4. Oklahoma State
5. Iona
6. Wisconsin
7. Villanova
8. Portland
9. Stanford
10. Northern Arizona

Now, maybe you don't need fast kids to build a good cross country program. I have no idea, honestly. But there isn't a single southern school in the top 10. And one might assume that there are at least a few kids who can run that live in the north, since 4 of the top 10 are northern schools.

So, sincerely, why can't we recruit fast kids who live in the north?

It a shame we can't play on a field that's 8 kilometers long.

 

[TheCusian]

The most important thing is that coaches should run schemes that they understand well enough to be successful. It seems to me that in the last 1.5 seasons, SU threw the bubble screen a lot because it had become fashionable, but the coaches didn't really understand what they were doing and that is why it didn't work.

Agree 100%. I think Lester knows what his system is and can't wait to get it installed. That alone sounds better than McDonald. His plan in year one seemed much more "here's all the stuff I like" ...

 

[GoSU96]

The biggest irony in all of this is that what Lester is talking about would have been an easy transition last year.

Would have been an adjustment of verbiage more than concepts because those were already a big part of what Marrone and Hackett were doing.

Would have stopped the time wasted trying to install a brand new offense and QB.