Oronde

[tep624]

There are a number of elephants in the room after this game - but the major one for me is, what has happened to OG? Doesn’t really get targeted much and when he does, he’s more apt to drop it than catch it lately. He looks completely out of sync from the first 2 games of the year.

 

[Libero2]

Ever since he got chewed out for that bone headed penalty on specials early in Stanford something has been off.

Obviously we need to get him right, whatever is slowing him down, should it be physical/mental/emotional whatever, because he is clearly going to be needed to help us reach whatever heights are possible this year.

 

[SmilinBob]

I saw OG wide open in the end zone twice and once the ball was thrown into double coverage instead. Something funky seems to be going on.

 

[FrancoPizza]

No way to put a positive spin on this. Thought it was related to missing Haynes but maybe not.

 

[hoopsupstate]

He probably dated McCords girlfriend OG is going to be fine. It’s been two games. He didn’t just forget how to catch the football. He’s the least of our worries. I’m more concerned about our other tight ends and our inability to run the ball.

 

[mark79]

I heard HCFB say no block, no rock but I seriously doubt it’s that. I did see him blocking some yesterday.

 

[kcsu]

I focused on him yesterday. He doesn't get separation. He is being doubled and other receivers because of the attention he gets and because they are running good routes are more open than he is.
The ball for the most part is going where it should be going. OG isn't getting open as much as he used to. So its a combination of things. Last point I think he has lost a step. He doesn't seem as fast, quick or fluid as he used to. Maybe it's the result of the injury, added weight who knows. He just looks slower.

 

[Millhouse]

There are a number of elephants in the room after this game - but the major one for me is, what has happened to OG? Doesn’t really get targeted much and when he does, he’s more apt to drop it than catch it lately. He looks completely out of sync from the first 2 games of the year.

He was fine, new guys are better, that's life

 

[HtownOrange]

I focused on him yesterday. He doesn't get separation. He is being doubled and other receivers because of the attention he gets and because they are running good routes are more open than he is.
The ball for the most part is going where it should be going. OG isn't getting open as much as he used to. So its a combination of things. Last point I think he has lost a step. He doesn't seem as fast, quick or fluid as he used to. Maybe it's the result of the injury, added weight who knows. He just looks slower.

Agreed. It’s the combination of the factors you identify. The double teaming, coaches working on his blocking for his next level game, other receivers are running routes and separating added to his return from a season ending surgery in which he appears to be about 90-95% recovered but still lacking that last step, that quicker turn. He wil get there. As other receivers excel, teams will have to drop the double coverage and he will regain his step, then the dam breaks.

 

[tep624]

He was fine, new guys are better, that's life

What does him dropping passes have to do with new guys? He’s never had an issue with his hands.

 

[Trueblue25]

Ever since he got chewed out for that bone headed penalty on specials early in Stanford something has been off.

Obviously we need to get him right, whatever is slowing him down, should it be physical/mental/emotional whatever, because he is clearly going to be needed to help us reach whatever heights are possible this year.

I actually didn’t agree, at all, with Fran for chewing him out.

It was not clear that the runner was downed on the initial hit. I know Oronde and he’d not make a boneheaded selfish penalty like that.

 

[tep624]

I focused on him yesterday. He doesn't get separation. He is being doubled and other receivers because of the attention he gets and because they are running good routes are more open than he is.
The ball for the most part is going where it should be going. OG isn't getting open as much as he used to. So it’s a combination of things. Last point I think he has lost a step. He doesn't seem as fast, quick or fluid as he used to. Maybe it's the result of the injury, added weight who knows. He just looks slower.

He wasn’t dropping balls the first two games and he should have been a matchup nightmare for both Stanford and HC and he’s been invisible. Something is off.

 

[Libero2]

I actually didn’t agree, at all, with Fran for chewing him out.

It was not clear that the runner was downed on the initial hit. I know Oronde and he’d not make a boneheaded selfish penalty like that.

I agree he clearly wasn’t trying to be malicious (we’ve seen people do so previously), the guy did get up in an athletic stance and if OG wasn’t sure, he didn’t just let him run away (of which he would be crucified by fans had he let that happen and the guy wasn’t down). Idk what the right move in those situations are, maybe wrap up and hold him knowing your teammates are nearby to help put him down if he is live?

Either way he got flagged, coaches lit him up (rightly or wrongly) and ever since then, something hasn’t been right. He hasn’t been able to hold onto the ball and hasn’t been as open consistently. The ball that his hands in the endzone yesterday feels like a nearly impossible grab for anyone else, and yet I just expect him to catch that ball.

Hopefully we can scheme up some easy opportunities for him on Friday early to get him and Kyle reconnected and get him established as a weapon again. Lord knows we need him

 

[Cusefan69]

So OG is not some 5 year old whose parents yelled at him. He is pretty much a grown @$$ man. My guess would be he is not so sensitive to a coach barking at him. If he is he won't survive 2 weeks in the NFL. Just gotta keep throwing him the rock and let him work through it.

 

[FloridaCuse]

I heard HCFB say no block, no rock but I seriously doubt it’s that. I did see him blocking some yesterday.

I think HCFB said in the post-game presser he was blocking well.

 

[MikeSU02]

Haynes speed is gone.

Other pass catching options are having the ball be spread out more.

Teams are doubling/bracketing/rolling coverage on him at times.

He had a serious injury that he may not be 100% back from that may be impacting his confidence and athleticism.

Right now Meeks is our best WR. He’s technically the most sound and has more body control and ball hawking ability than anyone else. McCord is going to rely on him over giving OG 50/50 balls if Meeks is making all those grabs and OG is not.

 

[All4SU]

He just looks like he’s hanging his head a little. It’s a different kinds of adversity after coming back from an injury. I thought SU smartly gave him an “easy” pass on the first play of the second half just to get him engaged. But the Defender bumped him a little on the reception and he dropped it. You could see he was having a hard time shaking it off. He will get it back. Just has to get out of his own head. My guess is Dad will get him straightened out.

 

[kcsu]

He wasn’t dropping balls the first two games and he should have been a matchup nightmare for both Stanford and HC and he’s been invisible. Something is off.

Teams have a book on him and on us. Watch yesterdays game. He is getting a ton of double coverage and he also seems like he is quitting on some of the routes because of it. I personally dont like him at TE. I like him out wide. He is a decent blocker but he gets jammed too easily coming off the edge vs wide. Call him what he is which is a hybrid and put him in space.

 

[Scooch]

He was fine, new guys are better, that's life

He was better than fine. Remember he had a converted TE launching 50/50 balls at him much of the time before McCord. Even in his first 2 games of this season he had 13 catches for over 200 yards. Guy has disappeared, it's perplexing.

 

[kcsu]

Another point by keeping him in tight it makes it easier for the other team to crowd the line as they are bringing a player basically into the box because he is there. If he is split out he takes two defenders outside of the box with him.

 

[AZOrange]

Are Zeed and JRS “gone gone”?

 

[DomeHolmes]

I focused on him yesterday. He doesn't get separation. He is being doubled and other receivers because of the attention he gets and because they are running good routes are more open than he is.
The ball for the most part is going where it should be going. OG isn't getting open as much as he used to. So its a combination of things. Last point I think he has lost a step. He doesn't seem as fast, quick or fluid as he used to. Maybe it's the result of the injury, added weight who knows. He just looks slower.

I have to go back and look at the game and focus on him, but I think you’re right, there was almost always a safety over top of him. The way he gets a lot of separation is to use his strength and push off, (often beyond 5 yards).

The safety over top is allowing him to be jammed and forced to short routes. That’s why many of his drops have been short passes with a guy right on his back. They are passes you need to catch, but understandable that some have been dropped.

I don’t have a problem with this if it allows other receivers more open space and We don’t try to force the ball to him.

 

[TheHaze315]

He was dominant against GT just a few weeks ago. I don’t think he’s lost a step, he looked like himself just a few weeks ago. It just seemed like he came out of the bye a different player. Maybe picked up a slight knock in practice? Maybe the Stanford game got in his head? He’s dropping balls he usually brings in 10 times out of 10 so I do think some of it is mental.

 

[upperdeck]

He has 6-7 drops in 2 games. catch those and his stats look ok, his yds would still be low

I mean he had a TD pass he dropped yesterday that an NFL TE needs to make 90% of the time.

He had one nice slant that just got tipped yesterday.

No really sure why he runs every route where he has man. right into the D and tries to shake him.. Why not send him in motion some so that cant jam him?

 

[Dr. Bill]

Haynes speed is gone.

Other pass catching options are having the ball be spread out more.

Teams are doubling/bracketing/rolling coverage on him at times.

He had a serious injury that he may not be 100% back from that may be impacting his confidence and athleticism.

Right now Meeks is our best WR. He’s technically the most sound and has more body control and ball hawking ability than anyone else. McCord is going to rely on him over giving OG 50/50 balls if Meeks is making all those grabs and OG is not.

Teams have a way of limiting an offenses big weapons. Teams will start to adjust to Meeks...but then, we have Pena, who is good at finding openings. Then OG, should see less attention and get some more targets. Don't forget L-Quint, getting him more involved in the passing game will also be key as defenses start to pressure McCord more...and they will start to do that, you can bank on it