Money quote

[IthacaBarrel]

We struggled because we went away from our bread and butter by design. That IMO does not make sense. The last 15 games we have not started off with our bread and butter by design. That IMO makes no sense.

I understand your post originally was meant to generate a discussion on an internet forum, but it is a bit extreme, IMO. All coaches do this, they look at tape, plan and see what they can do to be succesful, This is what a coach says when they say they want a multiple offense. Sure if you have Oregon talent you can usually do whatever you want, but if another program is hell bent on taking away what you do best, you go elsewhere and you also adjust at some point. Yes, I understand Stony is 1AA but that is how the game is played. If Nassib throws a couple of picks early you would be posting that we should have just lined up and run right at them, etc etc. I thought Stony was pretty athletic to be honest. It's a cat and mouse game regardless of who you are playing. I understand the debate but a lot of times around here, Marrone will do one thing and people just love to scream that he should have done another as if his path had no merit. It's insane

 

[Cuseman78]

I understand your post originally was meant to generate a discussion on an internet forum, but it is a bit extreme, IMO. All coaches do this, they look at tape, plan and see what they can do to be succesful, This is what a coach says when they say they want a multiple offense. Sure if you have Oregon talent you can usually do whatever you want, but if another program is hell bent on taking away what you do best, you go elsewhere and you also adjust at some point. Yes, I understand Stony is 1AA but that is how the game is played. If Nassib throws a couple of picks early you would be posting that we should have just lined up and run right at them, etc etc. I thought Stony was pretty athletic to be honest. It's a cat and mouse game regardless of who you are playing.

Well I think 3 games is a pretty good sample size to this point. Why have we struggled so badly coming out of the gate and done so well making adjustments at the half? There has to be a reason for this.

 

[Crusty]

It is time for Hackett to go back to the press box and coach from up top.

 

[OrangePA]

Actually his article proved my point but thanks for playing. And we had been running screens well? :crazy:

Uh. No.

The article say we did what you want- keep it simple.

And it says that we have been running screens all year.

 

[orangecuse]

Not specifically defending him, although I guess it will sound that way. I'm also not accusing you of never having a job like this; but I think the stress of winning can cause these things. He wants to win for the players, the fans, the school, and the administration that took a chance on him. It's a risk - reward type of job and sometimes it causes you to overthink every action taken. You don't feel like you have the luxury to make a mistake so you go by the book based on all of the data you have. I agree with you though, some coaches don't react this way and others do given the same situation.

Every one of us is wired a certain way. It appears that if Marrone fits/is the thinker profile, his innate traits can certainly contribute to being (at times) his own worst enemy. Also, when someone overthinks every action he/she takes, it's generally a sign of one's confidence or lack thereof. With this being DM's first gig as a head coach, he naturally is going to have insecurities/questions within himself about his abilities, especially with no proven tract record of success at this level.

 

[kingottoiii]

It is time for Hackett to go back to the press box and coach from up top.

We have been fine with him on the sideline. I have no problem with him there. The issue is how we start not what we see. That being said I do think it is a mistake to have ZERO coaches on O up there. I am not sure there is any other school that does this. Is ti imperative to have Wheatley or Moore on the sideline?

 

[kingottoiii]

I understand your post originally was meant to generate a discussion on an internet forum, but it is a bit extreme, IMO. All coaches do this, they look at tape, plan and see what they can do to be succesful, This is what a coach says when they say they want a multiple offense. Sure if you have Oregon talent you can usually do whatever you want, but if another program is hell bent on taking away what you do best, you go elsewhere and you also adjust at some point. Yes, I understand Stony is 1AA but that is how the game is played. If Nassib throws a couple of picks early you would be posting that we should have just lined up and run right at them, etc etc. I thought Stony was pretty athletic to be honest. It's a cat and mouse game regardless of who you are playing. I understand the debate but a lot of times around here, Marrone will do one thing and people just love to scream that he should have done another as if his path had no merit. It's insane

My overall point is that IMO our coaches start off with a gameplan that too often is trying to guess what the other team is going to do. Or trying too hard to attack a team's perceived weakness even if by doing so you are doing something you do not execute well. Obviously teams will have to make an adjustment throughout a game. My point is we take ourselves out of our comfort zone before a game even starts by trying to guess what a team will do. I would like to see us start a game off doing what we do best. Then tweak things off of what we see the D do. It seems like we are tweaking before the game even starts and that IMO is why we start so slow.

Make your opponent stop your bread and butter before adjusting. Do not adjust before they do so. Or anticipate that they will do so. Then when they give you something different you counter. Don't assume that a team will be able to stop you and start off with something you do not do well. Thus far no one has been able to slow down our passing game. Not even USC.

 

[GoSU96]

It is time for Hackett to go back to the press box and coach from up top.

Stop it, they are averaging 533 yards a game.

 

[GoSU96]

We have been fine with him on the sideline. I have no problem with him there. The issue is how we start not what we see. That being said I do think it is a mistake to have ZERO coaches on O up there. I am not sure there is any other school that does this. Is ti imperative to have Wheatley or Moore on the sideline?

Hackett has eyes up there.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Hackett has eyes up there.

and I here I thought the headsets for the O coaches were pumping in 93Q as go said they are avergaing 500 plus a game and people are still whining about Hackett. What

 

[Scooch]

I refuse to take anything away from that game.

I encourage many of you to do the same.

 

[kingottoiii]

I refuse to take anything away from that game.

I encourage many of you to do the same.

Individually I would totally agree. The issue is the SB game followed a pattern that we have seen all three games and many games last year.

 

[Fjoinkay]

Just so I am clear after my earlier post on this thread.

I'm a huge Marrone supporter. He is pulling off something here that many coaches with a lot of experience could never do. Bringing a program back to respectability from the depths is extremely challenging and takes time. I would give Marrone a contract extension right now although I have no knowledge of the internal workings of the football program and am blind and so it's easy for me to say that.

One of his many strengths as a head coach is his willingness to evaluate himself and to adapt and grow, and he will continue to do that. He seems like a fierce competitor and a lot of times guys like that are unwilling to admit any mistakes. Marrone is a bigger man than that. Besides, he's made very few mistakes. He's under tremendous pressure, and he's moving the program in the right direction. Everyone can see that.

And no head coach in any sport does everything especially football. Heck, in basketball with so many fewer players just about every coach huddles with his assistant coaches during just about every timeout before addressing his team.

Go HCDM! I fully expect him to get a better feel for being a head coach. It's not even a concern it's simply part of the process for anyone in his or her first gig as a head coach.

 

[Aweart23]

I understand your post originally was meant to generate a discussion on an internet forum, but it is a bit extreme, IMO. All coaches do this, they look at tape, plan and see what they can do to be succesful, This is what a coach says when they say they want a multiple offense. Sure if you have Oregon talent you can usually do whatever you want, but if another program is hell bent on taking away what you do best, you go elsewhere and you also adjust at some point. Yes, I understand Stony is 1AA but that is how the game is played. If Nassib throws a couple of picks early you would be posting that we should have just lined up and run right at them, etc etc. I thought Stony was pretty athletic to be honest. It's a cat and mouse game regardless of who you are playing. I understand the debate but a lot of times around here, Marrone will do one thing and people just love to scream that he should have done another as if his path had no merit. It's insane

What makes me laugh the most about this whole thread is the griping about screen passes...We've actually been pretty successful with screens...and I love those little swings to AB...

In the last four games we have played, we have had TWO long TDs on screen passes, one against SB and one last year against Pitt...and PTG had a nice 10-12 harder against NW...

It just sounds like more nitpicking to nitpick

 

[dollarbill44]

Well I think 3 games is a pretty good sample size to this point. Why have we struggled so badly coming out of the gate and done so well making adjustments at the half? There has to be a reason for this.

We didn't struggle out of the gate against NW. We actually controlled the 1st quarter. Getting conservative in the red zone led to two FGs instead of TDs, but we moved the ball pretty easily. STs are STs (arrgh!)

Against USC, I think the team got rattled and the coaches got conservative after Nassib's early pick. It took them a while to snap out of it.

Against SB, our OL stunk early on and didn't allow Nassib much time to throw. Maybe they needed to get their a$$es chewed out.

As fans, I think we often see what we want to see and not reality. I was very unhappy during the game Saturday and couldn't relax at all until that last pick. After contemplating things for a day or two, I'm not that worked up. We actually dominated the 2nd half of that game. I'm still not happy with the offensive sets and play-calls during the two failed 1st and goals because there really is no excuse for not getting TDs there. But, if we make 1 of the 2 missed FGs and get just 1 TD out of those 2 failures, we're looking at 38 points and 500 yards of offense and a 21 point win. I know, "if, if, if" but we're trying to relearn how to win.

 

[GoSU96]

What makes me laugh the most about this whole thread is the griping about screen passes...We've actually been pretty successful with screens...and I love those little swings to AB...

In the last four games we have played, we have had TWO long TDs on screen passes, one against SB and one last year against Pitt...and PTG had a nice 10-12 harder against NW...

It just sounds like more nitpicking to nitpick

And Smith has done a good job with those flares in the flat.

 

[kingottoiii]

We didn't struggle out of the gate against NW. We actually controlled the 1st quarter. Getting conservative in the red zone led to two FGs instead of TDs, but we moved the ball pretty easily. STs are STs (arrgh!)

Against USC, I think the team got rattled and the coaches got conservative after Nassib's early pick. It took them a while to snap out of it.

Against SB, our OL stunk early on and didn't allow Nassib much time to throw. Maybe they needed to get their a$$es chewed out.

As fans, I think we often see what we want to see and not reality. I was very unhappy during the game Saturday and couldn't relax at all until that last pick. After contemplating things for a day or two, I'm not that worked up. We actually dominated the 2nd half of that game. I'm still not happy with the offensive sets and play-calls during the two failed 1st and goals because there really is no excuse for not getting TDs there. But, if we make 1 of the 2 missed FGs and get just 1 TD out of those 2 failures, we're looking at 38 points and 500 yards of offense and a 21 point win. I know, "if, if, if" but we're trying to relearn how to win.

Those goalines were annoying. The first one I did not understand why we did not run the ball on 3rd down. If you are willing to go for it on 4th then it makes sense to run there. After the game Marrone said that he wanted to run it but the wrong play was sent in. Really? How does that even happen? Why does it seem like these types of things happen often? We seem to be disorganized quite a bit. That and undisciplined but that is another topic. Anyway back to the point, on 4th down it almost looked like the same play we ran on 3rd. Not only that SB seemed to know the play before the snap. Nassib had nowhere to go with the ball.

The second one we had 4th and goal and try and run out of the gun? Really? You allow for penetration that way. Either a QB sneak or a quick hitter is needed there. Thought it was an awful play call.