Position by Position: The Future

[timkay99]

RB: Very good. Return two hard running vets andhave Jordan and Wax heading the rear. We know much about Pierre or Garrison? Unfortunately we go as far as the OL does though. Yikes.

WR: Fine. Good talent, better size in next year’s unit. Adjustments can be made.

TE: Times are good!!! Oh wait, we rarely throw them the ball

This board really, really overrates the skill position talent here, especially at WR. No better than average ACC talent.

RB: Adams and Neal are solid average ACC running backs. Will get you what is there. Similar to Strickland. They don't break tackles and they don't make people miss consistently. Howard will run you over, Jordan can run by you (given how he beat guys to the edge against BC, but that is one of the worst defenses we have played). Adams and Neal are significantly better in blitz pick-up then the young guys.

WR: How is the talent "good"? Note - good to me means above average. Harris has been non-existent this year, not on the same page with the QB (in an offense predicated on WR and QB seeing the same thing and making the right reads), demonstrably shown so and the coaches have no confidence in the back-ups to play them. In the slot, Nykeim has taken a step back. Trishton is a slightly above average ACC WR, but the drops hurt. Hendrix is the one to hold out hope for (since he's been hurt since he's gotten to campus), but the other talent has proven to not be better than Taj on the outside or Riley/Nykeim in the slot.

TE: Benson has one big catch against Holy Cross and got open a couple times against Clemson. Is it coaching? Hackett is a solid average ACC TE.

The issue, especially when an OL is significantly below average, is your skill guys have to make something out of nothing. Hasn't happened much this season. Not many of our present skill position talent wins 1 on 1.

Hoping the OL really is just magnifying the skill players or coaching is putting the players in bad spots, but I don't think a Dino Babers offense would have this many issues if the skill position talent was as strong as hinted at above.

 

[Trueblue25]

This board really, really overrates the skill position talent here, especially at WR. No better than average ACC talent.

RB: Adams and Neal are solid average ACC running backs. Will get you what is there. Similar to Strickland. They don't break tackles and they don't make people miss consistently. Howard will run you over, Jordan can run by you (given how he beat guys to the edge against BC, but that is one of the worst defenses we have played). Adams and Neal are significantly better in blitz pick-up then the young guys.

WR: How is the talent "good"? Note - good to me means above average. Harris has been non-existent this year, not on the same page with the QB (in an offense predicated on WR and QB seeing the same thing and making the right reads), demonstrably shown so and the coaches have no confidence in the back-ups to play them. In the slot, Nykeim has taken a step back. Trishton is a slightly above average ACC WR, but the drops hurt. Hendrix is the one to hold out hope for (since he's been hurt since he's gotten to campus), but the other talent has proven to not be better than Taj on the outside or Riley/Nykeim in the slot.

TE: Benson has one big catch against Holy Cross and got open a couple times against Clemson. Is it coaching? Hackett is a solid average ACC TE.

The issue, especially when an OL is significantly below average, is your skill guys have to make something out of nothing. Hasn't happened much this season. Not many of our present skill position talent wins 1 on 1.

Hoping the OL really is just magnifying the skill players or coaching is putting the players in bad spots, but I don't think a Dino Babers offense would have this many issues if the skill position talent was as strong as hinted at above.

Our TE’s are very good, Hackett’s a great blocker as well. Benson’s going to be a game changer if we can figure out how to incorporate the TE more into our passing game. Here, its offensive scheme and coaching.

Harris and Jackson are each above average skill players. Harris needs to mature and put on size, it’s holding him back. It hasn’t helped that Tommy often panics after he sees his first read isn’t open. Cam Jordan has shown he can make Db’s miss once he gets the ball. Im bullish on Sharod Johnson and Queeley, but they’ve not seen their opportunity yet. Again, I question whether all of our best options are seeing the field. I agree, Riley and Johnson have been underwhelming to put it nicely.

Adams, Neal and Howard are each ACC backs. Our line sucks and our play callings predictable. Makes running harder than it should be.

 

[Ozone!]

We have good TE's and have commitments from some other good ones; why is it we don't use them in our offense more? Can anyone explain this?

 

[TheCusian]

This board really, really overrates the skill position talent here, especially at WR. No better than average ACC talent.

RB: Adams and Neal are solid average ACC running backs. Will get you what is there. Similar to Strickland. They don't break tackles and they don't make people miss consistently. Howard will run you over, Jordan can run by you (given how he beat guys to the edge against BC, but that is one of the worst defenses we have played). Adams and Neal are significantly better in blitz pick-up then the young guys.

WR: How is the talent "good"? Note - good to me means above average. Harris has been non-existent this year, not on the same page with the QB (in an offense predicated on WR and QB seeing the same thing and making the right reads), demonstrably shown so and the coaches have no confidence in the back-ups to play them. In the slot, Nykeim has taken a step back. Trishton is a slightly above average ACC WR, but the drops hurt. Hendrix is the one to hold out hope for (since he's been hurt since he's gotten to campus), but the other talent has proven to not be better than Taj on the outside or Riley/Nykeim in the slot.

TE: Benson has one big catch against Holy Cross and got open a couple times against Clemson. Is it coaching? Hackett is a solid average ACC TE.

The issue, especially when an OL is significantly below average, is your skill guys have to make something out of nothing. Hasn't happened much this season. Not many of our present skill position talent wins 1 on 1.

Hoping the OL really is just magnifying the skill players or coaching is putting the players in bad spots, but I don't think a Dino Babers offense would have this many issues if the skill position talent was as strong as hinted at above.

We’ve been sacked more than any other P5 and T.Jackson has 2nd most TD, 2nd most yards per game, 5th most receptions in the ACC. He’s very, very good.

 

[timkay99]

Our TE’s are very good, Hackett’s a great blocker as well. Benson’s going to be a game changer if we can figure out how to incorporate the TE more into our passing game. Here, its offensive scheme and coaching.

Harris and Jackson are each above average skill players. Harris needs to mature and put on size, it’s holding him back. It hasn’t helped that Tommy often panics after he sees his first read isn’t open. Cam Jordan has shown he can make Db’s miss once he gets the ball. Im bullish on Sharod Johnson and Queeley, but they’ve not seen their opportunity yet. Again, I question whether all of our best options are seeing the field. I agree, Riley and Johnson have been underwhelming to put it nicely.

Adams, Neal and Howard are each ACC backs. Our line sucks and our play callings predictable. Makes running harder than it should be.

Do you believe this year's struggles passing the football are due to Tommy and not having the time (or wherewithal) to get through progressions since he is young and ?

If both Harris and Jackson are above average ACC WR's and Hackett is a very good ACC TE, not sure how you can question if all the best options are seeing the field? Would it be moving outside WR's to slot?

 

[Trueblue25]

We have good TE's and have commitments from some other good ones; why is it we don't use them in our offense more? Can anyone explain this?

Passing over the middle and slants are illegal

 

[Trueblue25]

Do you believe this year's struggles passing the football are due to Tommy and not having the time (or wherewithal) to get through progressions since he is young and ?

If both Harris and Jackson are above average ACC WR's and Hackett is a very good ACC TE, not sure how you can question if all the best options are seeing the field? Would it be moving outside WR's to slot?

Nope, I believe our struggles this year result from a bad O line. Adding to that issue is awful play calling. Tommy’s made some awful decisions but how the hell is he supposed to develop behind this line? I think he’s performed admirably and cut down on interceptions. Has a long road to improve but I think the people blaming Tommy are just bitter and bought too much into preseason hype.

 

[timkay99]

We’ve been sacked more than any other P5 and T.Jackson has 2nd most TD, 2nd most yards per game, 5th most receptions in the ACC. He’s very, very good.

I just want to see him go up and make the special, contested catches. That's the one area he just hasn't done it this year.

 

[timkay99]

Nope, I believe our struggles this year result from a bad O line. Adding to that issue is awful play calling. Tommy’s made some awful decisions but how the hell is he supposed to develop behind this line? I think he’s performed admirably and cut down on interceptions. Has a long road to improve but I think the people blaming Tommy are just bitter and bought too much into preseason hype.

I agree with the first sentence. I can't speak with any insight/knowledge on play calling.

In hindsight, this season became doomed when it was decided to move your best lineman, who had lost weight to be the tackle to protect the QB, back to center and trusted a rFr LT to protect Tommy's blind-side. Comes down to a mis-evaluation on the coaching side or a mis-development on the part of a C.

I also think Tommy will be fine and be an impact, All-ACC QB. Finding a back-up or someone to push him will be vital next year, as not sure the OL becomes average that quickly (would be great if they could do it in pass protection though).

 

[Trueblue25]

I agree with the first sentence. I can't speak with any insight/knowledge on play calling.

In hindsight, this season became doomed when it was decided to move your best lineman, who had lost weight to be the tackle to protect the QB, back to center and trusted a rFr LT to protect Tommy's blind-side. Comes down to a mis-evaluation on the coaching side or a mis-development on the part of a C.

I also think Tommy will be fine and be an impact, All-ACC QB. Finding a back-up or someone to push him will be vital next year, as not sure the OL becomes average that quickly (would be great if they could do it in pass protection though).

Completely agree

 

[TheCusian]

I just want to see him go up and make the special, contested catches. That's the one area he just hasn't done it this year.

fair criticism - but in every other category, especially given our OL - he’s really played well enough to be on an all ACC team

 

[IthacaMatt]

Understand the QB analysis but if he DOESN'T go down I think TD has grown more from this year than any other player.

Based on what? He played a good 1st Q against BC, and his stats look OK, but we got blown out and the game was literally over in the 2nd quarter.

The two games before that, he didn't even average 5 yards per attempt and zero touchdowns. IN TWO GAMES, ZERO TOUCHDOWNS.

The game before that, he got sacked 8 times and could only put 10 points on the board against NC State, a must-win game.
Sure, his completion percentage looked good, and we made it close late, but he seldom makes plays when the game is still in doubt.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don’t understand what that meant.

Use the return key.
There may be some great analysis in there, but 30 lines of text without breaking it into paragraphs means that no one is going to read it.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Do you believe this year's struggles passing the football are due to Tommy and not having the time (or wherewithal) to get through progressions since he is young and ?

Yes, I think this is an issue. I think he locks in on his primary target much like Nassib did for much of his career. Of course, the fear of being put on your back on nearly every play has affected his concentration. When you get 2 seconds, you barely have time to get to your second read.

But also, part of him taking so many sacks, I believe, is because he's not picking up the coverages or the blitzes, too. It's not just the O line's responsibility to do that. The QB needs to be able to read the defense, too. Tommy has been pretty deficient in that regard, or he would have thrown the ball away on nearly half the sacks that have occurred.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Passing over the middle and slants are illegal

Absolutely absurd how bad Riley and Johnson have been on offense. Not only should passes to these guys be a staple of a "fast" offense, but they should absolutely be the primary when there is so little time. It's amazing how ineffective the slot wideouts have been.

 

[Trueblue25]

Absolutely absurd how bad Riley and Johnson have been on offense. Not only should passes to these guys be a staple of a "fast" offense, but they should absolutely be the primary when there is so little time. It's amazing how ineffective the slot wideouts have been.

My thoughts compensating for deep threats like Jamal, while respecting Dungey’s legs, was what opened up Riley and allowed him to be effective. Johnson just doesn’t seem to be ready for PT yet whether its injury or talent delated

 

[IthacaMatt]

Absolutely absurd how bad Riley and Johnson have been on offense. Not only should passes to these guys be a staple of a "fast" offense, but they should absolutely be the primary when there is so little time. It's amazing how ineffective the slot wideouts have been.

Yeah, passing to the slot men is one of the main things wrong with this offense - if they're going to blitz you all the time (or even if their front 4 is getting consistent pressure on the QB), you don't just throw it to the sidelines. That becomes so predictable. You throw to the TE over the middle, and you throw slants, button hooks and post patterns to your slot receivers.

This team executes screens so poorly, and there is no motion in the backfield to make a draw play seem "tricky" - the RB is standing right there next to the QB. Again, it's all so predictable.

The other thing that drives me nuts about our offense is that there is no misdirection in the interior line. Sure, they run an end around once in a while, but where are the counters? Where are the trap blocks and double teams?

It's like we have a zone blocking scheme that is so basic that it prevents us from using plays that use more sophisticated blocking schemes, like pulling linemen, counters and misdirection.

I mean, can't you teach that to you linemen if you have your football team nearly year-round?

 

[Ozone!]

Passing over the middle and slants are illegal

 

[blizz]

First concern is QB and we can stop the discussion right there because without good play there, no team will win. Going into this year I was sold Devito was the future of this program and had all the tools to run this offense at a high level. Something happened though, and from the get he doesn't look like the same player that took over and won the Florida State and North Carolina games last year. There is a tentativeness, a fear in him that is visible and it's holding everything back. Can he get back to the player he was? Sure, yeah. But I'm not optimistic. Mind you, this isn't about scheme or reading defenses or the game slowing down for him. It's about confidence, it's about the will to win. We call it 'the edge' and I'm just not seeing it.

Yes, the O-line play has been terrible. The truth is that our O-line play has been bad every year. But bad O-line play in this system isn't fatal, there are a lot of little details being overlooked. This offense is based on speed. Identifying matchups and weaknesses quickly, snapping the ball quickly, and getting the ball into space quickly. I'm watching him see receivers open or in position to deliver the ball and he's not putting the ball on them. I'm watching him see the end crash on a read option and not pull the ball and take the five or ten yards that are being surrendered. Why? Sorry guys, but we can't win with that. And the rest of the discussion can stop right there cause it doesn't matter.

 

[shu 49]

Passing over the middle and slants are illegal

U ain’t kiddin

 

[SoBristol]

Absolutely absurd how bad Riley and Johnson have been on offense. Not only should passes to these guys be a staple of a "fast" offense, but they should absolutely be the primary when there is so little time. It's amazing how ineffective the slot wideouts have been.

I don’t get all the factors, but our outside receivers (Harris and Jackson) are below average blockers, which limits what the slot receivers can do on passes to the flat. Riley and Jackson are short, and Devito is 6ft 1 — makes it difficult for Devito to find those guys except in the flat. Nothing over the middle to either of those receivers is possible unless Devito can see them and make the throw. It should be possible for a QB to roll out and find a speedy slot receiver deep, but Devito hasn’t shown much ability to do that.

 

[kcsu]

How do we feel about each position, as it stands, heading into the future?

QB: Terrified. We have one good option and if he goes down we may be a 1 win team.

RB: Very good. Return two hard running vets andhave Jordan and Wax heading the rear. We know much about Pierre or Garrison? Unfortunately we go as far as the OL does though. Yikes.

WR: Fine. Good talent, better size in next year’s unit. Adjustments can be made.

TE: Times are good!!! Oh wait, we rarely throw them the ball

OL: life support again in 2020, potentially solid in 2021 if we can land a few mercenaries to bridge the gap year. Scared here.

DE: good. Racking up some talent with big offer sheets. Hopefully we add some size and don’t skip a beat in 2020. IMO Jonathan’s our most talented DL period right now. Feeling great about Linton and Caleb.

DT/DL: OK/concerned. Feel better that Bear will have another year, Tuazama looks promising. Would be nice to hear some good things about Munoz and Dawson. Hope we’ll be in a place to save Black and Harper for qb pressuring downs.

LB: Better. Lee and Mikel are the real deal. Juan Wallace could get there with more size. Time to unleash the canadians in Richards and Cantin Arku in 2020. We have speed and size here paired with big talent in Jones/Lee.

Safety: Fine. Coley’s shown competency and Cisco’s continued ball hawking. Need to improve with helping vs the run. Interested to see Nunn and Jonas.

CB: with TE perhaps our brightest spots. A lot of experience with Iffy, Trill and Stritz. A lot of built depth as well that will be going into their second years.

your thoughts?

We need a QB and DT Desperately. I actually think our to be new OL coach will make a huge difference. The rest of the positions should be ok.

 

[kcsu]

DT rotation is Harper, Black, M. Williams and maybe Elmore? That seems serviceable? And gives more time to let Rondi/Munoz add size. I do think Black and Bear need to bulk up a lot. Bench press is great but if you're getting blown up on the run it's an issue.

You can bench press a horse but if you dont have the size it doesn't matter.

 

[shu 49]

We need a QB and DT Desperately. I actually think our to be new OL coach will make a huge difference. The rest of the positions should be ok.

So u know who is coming in?

 

[kcsu]

So u know who is coming in?

No clue. Just hopeful.