Fran / Players Postgame Presser | Pitt

[Newhouser]

And what are we running so complicated that a kid who played high school in Texas can't pick up. Half of my section could call our plays pre snap. This isn't Sean Payton level stuff.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

They won’t. At least it sure doesn’t seem like it. It’s so discouraging to see how lost our staff is right now, offensively. They have no clue. The run scheme is a mess, they can’t figure out how to get Collins some easy looks. It’s a train wreck.

I know this is an oversimplification but we have some wideouts with some toughness. If the box is loaded, put Gill and JRS right on a sideline each, have Cook run an underneath slant or in, run play action and toss it out 1:1 to either sideline.

 

[AZOrange]

Good news is there's a simple solution to that.

If the staff chooses it.

I think Fran said as much…”at this time…”

 

[AZOrange]

And what are we running so complicated that a kid who played high school in Texas can't pick up. Half of my section could call our plays pre snap. This isn't Sean Payton level stuff.

“If” carney was running the exact same system I’d agree. He wasn’t. Route calls, line shifts for pass protection, getting your backs in the right spots. It’s not just about post snap. And post snap you have progressions, play breakdowns etc. HS offenses are pretty simple. Sean Payton is next level. College is in between but far closer to the pro game than HS. Nixon ran a pro offense with McCord and was certainly trending that way with Steve. Now they are starting over. You have 2 qbs that had zero first team reps 3-4 weeks ago

 

[Blanko97]

“If” carney was running the exact same system I’d agree. He wasn’t. Route calls, line shifts for pass protection, getting your backs in the right spots. It’s not just about post snap. And post snap you have progressions, play breakdowns etc. HS offenses are pretty simple. Sean Payton is next level. College is in between but far closer to the pro game than HS. Nixon ran a pro offense with McCord and was certainly trending that way with Steve. Now they are starting over. You have 2 qbs that had zero first team reps 3-4 weeks ago

I’m not sure what you’re saying here, tons of schools every year end up going with backups for an extended period of time, a minority of them go from successful to garbage. If the system doesn’t work, it’s Nixon job as a highly paid coordinator to fix it

 

[AZOrange]

I’m not sure what you’re saying here, tons of schools every year end up going with backups for an extended period of time, a minority of them go from successful to garbage. If the system doesn’t work, it’s Nixon job as a highly paid coordinator to fix it

Show me the tons of backups without prior game experience that are successful

 

[CNYGuy]

I’m not sure what you’re saying here, tons of schools every year end up going with backups for an extended period of time, a minority of them go from successful to garbage. If the system doesn’t work, it’s Nixon job as a highly paid coordinator to fix it

Looking around college and the NFL, I really can’t think of many examples of schools/teams that HAD to go to the backup (not a performance based change where they voluntarily started someone else) and it’s worked out.

Ole Miss this season comes to mind. Probably some others… but I can think of a lot more that came off the rails.

 

[Blanko97]

Show me the tons of backups without prior game experience that are successful

Just this year and off the top of my head, you already had Pitt, ole miss, Clemson, and Oklahoma have good showings out of their backups

 

[AZOrange]

Just this year and off the top of my head, you already had Pitt, ole miss, Clemson, and Oklahoma have good showings out of their backups

That’s the opposite of a ton and the Pitt qb was horrible

 

[sutomcat]

Here’s a question in general - how is it that Rickie Collins and Luke Carney both arrived on campus at the same time, and Rickie can run the full playbook but Luke can’t? I get it if Luke landed on campus in the fall or was a late walk-on or whatever, but he’s been with the team as long as Rickie has.

Luke seems like a pretty smart kid and he started as a 9th grader on his HS team.

I obviously do not go to practice but I believe that normally the first and second team qbs run the Syracuse plays and the third team QB typically runs the scout team. Even if they are running SU plays, they get dramatically less reps than the top two. Carney was probably the scout team QB all this season until Angeli got hurt.

In the spring, I am sure the top two to start spring ball were Collins and Williams. I believe by the end of spring ball, Carney had beat out Jakari for second team and started getting more reps. But even then, the starter gets the vast majority of the reps in practice.

Everyone doesn’t get the same opportunities. That’s not the way things work. The focus is always on getting the starter as best prepared as possible. I am pretty sure once Carney moved into the backup QB position, they focused on working on plays he could execute well based on his skill set. I’m sure he’s getting a crash course on learning the rest of the offense, and will get more opportunities the rest of the year.

 

[richmondcuse03]

I obviously do not go to practice but I believe that normally the first and second team qbs run the Syracuse plays and the third team QB typically runs the scout team. Even if they are running SU plays, they get dramatically less reps than the top two. Carney was probably the scout team QB all this season until Angeli got hurt.

In the spring, I am sure the top two to start spring ball were Collins and Williams. I believe by the end of spring ball, Carney had beat out Jakari for second team and started getting more reps. But even then, the starter gets the vast majority of the reps in practice.

Everyone doesn’t get the same opportunities. That’s not the way things work. The focus is always on getting the starter as best prepared as possible. I am pretty sure once Carney moved into the backup QB position, they focused on working on plays he could execute well based on his skill set. I’m sure he’s getting a crash course on learning the rest of the offense, and will get more opportunities the rest of the year.

that's my understanding as well and a good explanation. It's why I was hoping they would have made a change coming out of bye when they had the most time to work with him.

 

[tep624]

I obviously do not go to practice but I believe that normally the first and second team qbs run the Syracuse plays and the third team QB typically runs the scout team. Even if they are running SU plays, they get dramatically less reps than the top two. Carney was probably the scout team QB all this season until Angeli got hurt.

In the spring, I am sure the top two to start spring ball were Collins and Williams. I believe by the end of spring ball, Carney had beat out Jakari for second team and started getting more reps. But even then, the starter gets the vast majority of the reps in practice.

Everyone doesn’t get the same opportunities. That’s not the way things work. The focus is always on getting the starter as best prepared as possible. I am pretty sure once Carney moved into the backup QB position, they focused on working on plays he could execute well based on his skill set. I’m sure he’s getting a crash course on learning the rest of the offense, and will get more opportunities the rest of the year.

Thanks Tom. That does make sense in so much that the scout team exists to prep the team weekly against who they’ll face as well. So if he was scout team QB he probably wasn’t getting the same reps.

I guess the moral of the story is - you better be prepared to go at least 3 deep on your QB depth chart every year. If standard practice is to only have 2 guys prepped - then maybe that needs to be rethought.

 

[tep624]

That’s the opposite of a ton and the Pitt qb was horrible

Beat us by 17.

He doesn’t have to be Joe Montana. He just can’t be losing games for his team. Which he’s not.

Like I said before, the #2 doesn’t have to be Kyle McCord. He just has to be a guy that doesn’t shoot his team in the foot the whole game.

 

[tipphill]

i believe fran was the one being booed not so much collins. grans decision making overall is being called into question. suggest he get a "consultant" to assist him in his development as a head coach. he appears lost and reacts as person who looks to publicly blame others. i hope that boos were directed at the coach and not collins..

 

[OrangeXtreme]

i believe fran was the one being booed not so much collins. grans decision making overall is being called into question. suggest he get a "consultant" to assist him in his development as a head coach. He appears lost and reacts as person who looks to publicly blame others.

And yet Fran took 100% of the blame for the end of the 1st half.

He didn't blame Collins. He didn't blame the rest of the coaching staff.

He didn't publicly blame anyone but himself.

Fran Brown on clock management before halftime: ‘One of the worst things that I’ve done’

Fran Brown said that fans should boo him for his clock management rather than quarterback Rickie Collins.

www.syracuse.com

 

[JRHEETER]

i believe fran was the one being booed not so much collins. grans decision making overall is being called into question. suggest he get a "consultant" to assist him in his development as a head coach. he appears lost and reacts as person who looks to publicly blame others. i hope that boos were directed at the coach and not collins..

I would agree, I do not think the boos were generally directed towards Rickie.

More the fact that we continue to do the same thing.

We come off of a bye week and I expected if we kept Rickie in as starter that we would alter the playbook to fit hit style a bit more. I was perplexed to see Rickie come out and have the same old same old again and no Carney.


I frankly see one win left on this schedule if we are lucky if things DO NOT change.

I am afraid we have similar things going on to what the NY Jets are going through with Aaron Glenn. Where we have a HC who is not holding his assistants (friends) accountable.

Our players looked DART out there, our coaches looked anything but DART IMO

 

[Chip]

Would have been kind of funny if a follow up asked to Fran was "so we can confirm now, as many of us suspected, that there wasn't actually a QB competition between Angeli and Collins in the preseason. Were you just trying to keep Rickie's confidence level up?"

 

[tep624]

Would have been kind of funny if a follow up asked to Fran was "so we can confirm now, as many of us suspected, that there wasn't actually a QB competition between Angeli and Collins in the preseason. Were you just trying to keep Rickie's confidence level up?"

There couldn’t have been, unless it was an Ethan Cole type situation where Rickie looks like John Elway in practice and Johnny Bag O Donuts in game.

 

[Bayside44]

I obviously do not go to practice but I believe that normally the first and second team qbs run the Syracuse plays and the third team QB typically runs the scout team. Even if they are running SU plays, they get dramatically less reps than the top two. Carney was probably the scout team QB all this season until Angeli got hurt.

In the spring, I am sure the top two to start spring ball were Collins and Williams. I believe by the end of spring ball, Carney had beat out Jakari for second team and started getting more reps. But even then, the starter gets the vast majority of the reps in practice.

Everyone doesn’t get the same opportunities. That’s not the way things work. The focus is always on getting the starter as best prepared as possible. I am pretty sure once Carney moved into the backup QB position, they focused on working on plays he could execute well based on his skill set. I’m sure he’s getting a crash course on learning the rest of the offense, and will get more opportunities the rest of the year.

This is 100% true.

 

[Bulldog04]

Carney makes up for lack of OL play by moving the pocket with his legs. He had 2 good throws of 5-6 yards when there was nothing because he extended the play. And he did it with poise. Rickie panics the second the protection isn’t perfect. Let the kid play, Rickie stinks

 

[tipphill]

And yet Fran took 100% of the blame for the end of the 1st half.

He didn't blame Collins. He didn't blame the rest of the coaching staff.

He didn't publicly blame anyone but himself.

Fran Brown on clock management before halftime: ‘One of the worst things that I’ve done’

Fran Brown said that fans should boo him for his clock management rather than quarterback Rickie Collins.

www.syracuse.com

it goes beyond the "second half" .

 

[VA Citrus]

Here’s a question in general - how is it that Rickie Collins and Luke Carney both arrived on campus at the same time, and Rickie can run the full playbook but Luke can’t? I get it if Luke landed on campus in the fall or was a late walk-on or whatever, but he’s been with the team as long as Rickie has.

Luke seems like a pretty smart kid and he started as a 9th grader on his HS team.

Luke is probably running the scout team while Rickie was the first team QB. I wouldn't say Rickie is really "running the offense" either.

 

[VA Citrus]

Someone made a good comment about Fran being in love with Rickie's "traits." I think that holds a ton of merit. You definitely see the athletic talent in Rickie. Decent size, fluid runner, and strong arm. I can see why he was a four star and went to LSU... but very quickly I can see why Brian Kelly was disappointed in his development and he was available. As a star recruiter, I imagine Fran has found a ton of underexposed guys with great traits and locked them up before other coaches caught on. Fran wanted NC State's CJ Bailey and Maryland's Malik Washington and from afar Rickie shares a lot of their traits.

Unfortunately QB success is a lot harder to predict than for WRs or CBs. Rickie just play well below the level of his cumulative talents. There's a graveyard of HS 5-stars who turned into college busts. Sometimes the overlooked 3 star guys like Baker Mayfield or Eric Dungey, who just want it more lead to the big payoff.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Someone made a good comment about Fran being in love with Rickie's "traits." I think that holds a ton of merit. You definitely see the athletic talent in Rickie. Decent size, fluid runner, and strong arm. I can see why he was a four star and went to LSU... but very quickly I can see why Brian Kelly was disappointed in his development and he was available. As a star recruiter, I imagine Fran has found a ton of underexposed guys with great traits and locked them up before other coaches caught on. Fran wanted NC State's CJ Bailey and Maryland's Malik Washington and from afar Rickie shares a lot of their traits.

Unfortunately QB success is a lot harder to predict than for WRs or CBs. Rickie just play well below the level of his cumulative talents. There's a graveyard of HS 5-stars who turned into college busts. Sometimes the overlooked 3 star guys like Baker Mayfield or Eric Dungey, who just want it more lead to the big payoff.

I also think this extends to Nixon and honestly a lot of college coaches. Guys at this level think they can harness the talent and improve guys. You want coaches with that mindset. but sometimes it clouds the judgement in terms of what’s happening right now too.

 

[CNYGuy]

Just this year and off the top of my head, you already had Pitt, ole miss, Clemson, and Oklahoma have good showings out of their backups

Pitt wanted to make the change though. That's the difference to me. He was a coaches decision by beating out their starter. Oklahoma's backup barely threw for 150 yards against Kent State (and they could have won with 0 passing attempts).

Clemson kid looked OK against SMU, although both he and Rickie lost by roughly the same margin to them. Ole Miss is a good example though.