Cuseregular
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Some just cause for hope that this will be the exception not the rule going forward (sans FSU). Missed the game entirely (Direct tv guy was supposed to be there between 8-12 for initial install, didn't show til 2 so no way to watch live). Anyway just finished watching it. Someone posted post game and said that it was the perfect storm of everything negative happening.
Without seeing it I remember thinking that that gives the staff too much of a pass, as no way, 56-0 doesn't happen without some huge issues not being able to be sugar coated re coaching (which is exactly true). Why the heck we went with a 3-4 I'm not sure I comprehend. Even worse and beyond my understanding is why for Gods sake do you stay with the 3-4 when it's clearly not working. Putting only 3 guys at the point of attack against an offensive front that more often than not has 7-8 players coming at you is just self defeating for obvious reasons. It's simple numbers reality.
The LB's are too far off to make a difference. With the triple option you need 4 up front to spread out the responsibilities (dive, qb, pitch) which frees up the lb's to roam more and make plays on the periphery. And if you're not going to run the 4-3 (and even with it) you need your lb's taking an more of an outside angle approach and not inside which happened all game long. By far this was Spruills worst game as play after play he took fruitless inside angle which allow the play to go lateral to him for big gains. Again how this wasn't adjusted for is beyond me and cause for concern.
So with this reality regardless of what I'm going to write next this wasn't a game we'd likely win. BUT it could have at least been a more competitive game beyond the second quarter. Yes it was a perfect storm of self inflicted mistakes, turnovers, penalties, bad initial D, no adjustments, but then add in very questionable early bad calls and you insure you don't even have a chance.
For example with the score still close and us driving in their territory on a 2nd and 18 Hunt goes for 12 setting up a reasonable down and distance situation, but no they call a phantom hold on #78 and that drive is killed. Then we hold them on a 3rd down with the score still tight and we get a horribly bad call for another phantom "blow to the head" with our DL simply raising his hand to try and block the pass and it grazes gently (he even tried to pull the hand back). Auto first down, score.
Then the worst call of the year with the completely bogus catch interference on the punt which was beyond ridiculous. Worst case it's biased homer officiating, best case as LOUc suggested its simple incompetence; regardless having been there before it saps your football soul of any energy when it happens over and over which you surreally watch spiral out of yours and your teams control, nothing seemingly you can do about it. I mean no penalties on GT. Come on. I fully expected to see an equipment violation call for knee pads too high which I'm sure if it was a close game we may have seen.
Then Raymon gets hurt and the air just deflates out even more with the feeling you're up against the other team, the refs, bad karma, bad weather, you're own bad defensive not being to stop them, bad coaching, not putting them in position to stop them, bad everything.
I cant overemphasize how huge a psychological blow that injury was to a guy they all love (by the way that was NOT an intentional chop block against Raymon, their lineman was peeling off up toward the LB SPruill, slipped and ended up low, combined with Raymons too high technique he was driven back into the heart of the play which came hard his way and he got in the wrong place at the wrong time).
So all put together on a team still trying find it's identity after losing it's heart and soul (coach, NFL Qb, 2 NFL receivers, NFL DB, NFL OT, and other players), it's a no brainer with a new staff and new players the growing pains will be huge and significant. Hard enough to overcome all that in general, impossible to overcome when you have the perfect storm Murphy's law game where it all snowballs the way it did.
So long story long, other than FSU I don't anticipate anymore games like this, it really did look worse than it was as stupid as that sounds. Big picture still intact with a shot at 6 wins which is where most expected SU to be given all that needed to be overcome this year. This team will not quit, I saw none of that despite the bad position the coaches put them in setting them up to fail and, thankfully, we won't face triple option again. Point being we aint dead yet folks.
Without seeing it I remember thinking that that gives the staff too much of a pass, as no way, 56-0 doesn't happen without some huge issues not being able to be sugar coated re coaching (which is exactly true). Why the heck we went with a 3-4 I'm not sure I comprehend. Even worse and beyond my understanding is why for Gods sake do you stay with the 3-4 when it's clearly not working. Putting only 3 guys at the point of attack against an offensive front that more often than not has 7-8 players coming at you is just self defeating for obvious reasons. It's simple numbers reality.
The LB's are too far off to make a difference. With the triple option you need 4 up front to spread out the responsibilities (dive, qb, pitch) which frees up the lb's to roam more and make plays on the periphery. And if you're not going to run the 4-3 (and even with it) you need your lb's taking an more of an outside angle approach and not inside which happened all game long. By far this was Spruills worst game as play after play he took fruitless inside angle which allow the play to go lateral to him for big gains. Again how this wasn't adjusted for is beyond me and cause for concern.
So with this reality regardless of what I'm going to write next this wasn't a game we'd likely win. BUT it could have at least been a more competitive game beyond the second quarter. Yes it was a perfect storm of self inflicted mistakes, turnovers, penalties, bad initial D, no adjustments, but then add in very questionable early bad calls and you insure you don't even have a chance.
For example with the score still close and us driving in their territory on a 2nd and 18 Hunt goes for 12 setting up a reasonable down and distance situation, but no they call a phantom hold on #78 and that drive is killed. Then we hold them on a 3rd down with the score still tight and we get a horribly bad call for another phantom "blow to the head" with our DL simply raising his hand to try and block the pass and it grazes gently (he even tried to pull the hand back). Auto first down, score.
Then the worst call of the year with the completely bogus catch interference on the punt which was beyond ridiculous. Worst case it's biased homer officiating, best case as LOUc suggested its simple incompetence; regardless having been there before it saps your football soul of any energy when it happens over and over which you surreally watch spiral out of yours and your teams control, nothing seemingly you can do about it. I mean no penalties on GT. Come on. I fully expected to see an equipment violation call for knee pads too high which I'm sure if it was a close game we may have seen.
Then Raymon gets hurt and the air just deflates out even more with the feeling you're up against the other team, the refs, bad karma, bad weather, you're own bad defensive not being to stop them, bad coaching, not putting them in position to stop them, bad everything.
I cant overemphasize how huge a psychological blow that injury was to a guy they all love (by the way that was NOT an intentional chop block against Raymon, their lineman was peeling off up toward the LB SPruill, slipped and ended up low, combined with Raymons too high technique he was driven back into the heart of the play which came hard his way and he got in the wrong place at the wrong time).
So all put together on a team still trying find it's identity after losing it's heart and soul (coach, NFL Qb, 2 NFL receivers, NFL DB, NFL OT, and other players), it's a no brainer with a new staff and new players the growing pains will be huge and significant. Hard enough to overcome all that in general, impossible to overcome when you have the perfect storm Murphy's law game where it all snowballs the way it did.
So long story long, other than FSU I don't anticipate anymore games like this, it really did look worse than it was as stupid as that sounds. Big picture still intact with a shot at 6 wins which is where most expected SU to be given all that needed to be overcome this year. This team will not quit, I saw none of that despite the bad position the coaches put them in setting them up to fail and, thankfully, we won't face triple option again. Point being we aint dead yet folks.
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