Quick post-game thoughts

[billsin01]

Bailey is a really nice back and is plenty physical
No, he's not DC3 and no he's not necessarily among the best we've ever had. BUT, Bailey has proven to be a really solid back and, yes, a physical presence. Just ask that WVU LB he demolished tonight. Or the other two LBs he injured this year. at about 670-ish yards with 6 TDs after 7 games. Not bad.

Nassib does some things quietly that are pretty good
Easy to say after a night like tonight, but the big Nassib critics on this board miss some of the subtle things he does well. Tonight was a perfect example of several of those: Not forcing throws and keeping the ball in places where (generally) only the receiver has a play; Toughness in the face of the rush (despite not being overly slick in the pocket, he will stand in there) and a decent sense of how long he has in the pocket. The kid's not an all-american and whether or not he's even really good, he should be given some credit for being the first really solid QB we've had since McNabb.

OL showed up
Not going to over-analyze this, but I think one thing all agreed on in the Marrone/RAhme thread was the need for improvement on OL. Didn't exactly think it would happen in two weeks, but I'm not complaining. Well done.

My love for Shafer is beginning to make my wife jealous
Thought Shafer's game plan was essentially, we're going to concentrated 99% of our efforts on the pass. If you want to run, go ahead and see if you can actually stick with it. WVU ran the ball well generally (I know it's only 70 yards but that's less 4 sacks, I believe). But they only ran it 20 times. Just thought it was a great plan against a coach that you know wants to throw the ball.

Marrone again looking impressive with time to prepare
I want to say Marrone is 3-0 after bye weeks and 1-0 with an impressive win in a bowl game. Pretty nice. I think the strength of this program is in the week leading up to the game. Think they are solid when adjusting at the half and on game day, but I think they are excellent at all those other things (including the off-season) that lead to good football.

Hackett with a nice game ... OK a horrible series before the half ... but still a great game
I have absolutely no idea how they decided to handle the last 1:30 of the first half. All I know is it was terrible. But other than that, they were basically flawless in terms of play-calling and execution offensively. Well done.

Thought Diabate and Graham looked excellent and the DE pressure was good; Lyn may be among our best players
Graham had the kick return but caught the ball well also. Diabate seemed like he was all over the field. DL did a really nice job -- chandler (who I've been down on a bit), Sharpe, etc. did a nice job. Lyn was terrific in coverage.

All in all, just a ridiculously good performance.

 

[Fjoinkay]

Great post!!

 

[RF2044]

To your point #2, I guess we have some evidence about how Nassib would perform when given time to throw.

 

[fanfanclubclub]

Nassib does some things quietly that are pretty good
Easy to say after a night like tonight, but the big Nassib critics on this board miss some of the subtle things he does well. Tonight was a perfect example of several of those: Not forcing throws and keeping the ball in places where (generally) only the receiver has a play; Toughness in the face of the rush (despite not being overly slick in the pocket, he will stand in there) and a decent sense of how long he has in the pocket. The kid's not an all-american and whether or not he's even really good, he should be given some credit for being the first really solid QB we've had since McNabb.

Nassib was really good all game, and really had the look of a guy in control. I think we really put him in a better position to succeed tonight with creative play calling and a budding flanker in Dorian Graham.

That being said, Nassib's career numbers against AQs are still hardly distinguishable from Andrew Robinson (119 rating v 117), but a few more games like this will put Nassib miles ahead. Plus Ryan is a winner, just like his coach: they both deserve a ton of credit for a very big win. Great stuff tonight.

 

[albanycuse]

What the heck are AQ's?

 

[billsin01]

That being said, Nassib's career numbers against AQs are still hardly distinguishable from Andrew Robinson (119 rating v 117), but a few more games like this will put Nassib miles ahead. Plus Ryan is a winner, just like his coach: they both deserve a ton of credit for a very big win. Great stuff tonight.

Are you serious with the Robinson comparison? I actually liked the kid and thought he had real potential, but he spent the year throwing to Mike williams and had Taj Smith in his 400+ yard, 4 TD performance vs. L'ville. Those guys help in a big way.

Secondly, even with really legit weapons, he threw 13 TD passes and completed 52.7% of his passes in '07. Without those weapons and without the non-AQ numbers, Nassib has a pretty good chance of bettering the TD number and will absolutely blow away the percentage number.

Finally, why are we throwing away non-AQ numbers again? We went to OT with Toledo and barely avoided that scenario with URI. Oh, and his second-worst rating of the year was Tulane. So I'm not really sure throwing out non-AQ schools has any point at all.

 

[SUalldway]

Bailey is a really nice back and is plenty physical
No, he's not DC3 and no he's not necessarily among the best we've ever had. BUT, Bailey has proven to be a really solid back and, yes, a physical presence. Just ask that WVU LB he demolished tonight. Or the other two LBs he injured this year. at about 670-ish yards with 6 TDs after 7 games. Not bad.

Nassib does some things quietly that are pretty good
Easy to say after a night like tonight, but the big Nassib critics on this board miss some of the subtle things he does well. Tonight was a perfect example of several of those: Not forcing throws and keeping the ball in places where (generally) only the receiver has a play; Toughness in the face of the rush (despite not being overly slick in the pocket, he will stand in there) and a decent sense of how long he has in the pocket. The kid's not an all-american and whether or not he's even really good, he should be given some credit for being the first really solid QB we've had since McNabb.

OL showed up
Not going to over-analyze this, but I think one thing all agreed on in the Marrone/RAhme thread was the need for improvement on OL. Didn't exactly think it would happen in two weeks, but I'm not complaining. Well done.

My love for Shafer is beginning to make my wife jealous
Thought Shafer's game plan was essentially, we're going to concentrated 99% of our efforts on the pass. If you want to run, go ahead and see if you can actually stick with it. WVU ran the ball well generally (I know it's only 70 yards but that's less 4 sacks, I believe). But they only ran it 20 times. Just thought it was a great plan against a coach that you know wants to throw the ball.

Marrone again looking impressive with time to prepare
I want to say Marrone is 3-0 after bye weeks and 1-0 with an impressive win in a bowl game. Pretty nice. I think the strength of this program is in the week leading up to the game. Think they are solid when adjusting at the half and on game day, but I think they are excellent at all those other things (including the off-season) that lead to good football.

Hackett with a nice game ... OK a horrible series before the half ... but still a great game
I have absolutely no idea how they decided to handle the last 1:30 of the first half. All I know is it was terrible. But other than that, they were basically flawless in terms of play-calling and execution offensively. Well done.

Thought Diabate and Graham looked excellent and the DE pressure was good; Lyn may be among our best players
Graham had the kick return but caught the ball well also. Diabate seemed like he was all over the field. DL did a really nice job -- chandler (who I've been down on a bit), Sharpe, etc. did a nice job. Lyn was terrific in coverage.

All in all, just a ridiculously good performance.

Agree with everything. Nassib also sells the run fake and pass very well.

 

[kuethstheman]

What's wrong with the Robinson comparison. Kid had his moments.

Are you serious with the Robinson comparison? I actually liked the kid and thought he had real potential, but he spent the year throwing to Mike williams and had Taj Smith in his 400+ yard, 4 TD performance vs. L'ville. Those guys help in a big way.

Secondly, even with really legit weapons, he threw 13 TD passes and completed 52.7% of his passes in '07. Without those weapons and without the non-AQ numbers, Nassib has a pretty good chance of bettering the TD number and will absolutely blow away the percentage number.

Finally, why are we throwing away non-AQ numbers again? We went to OT with Toledo and barely avoided that scenario with URI. Oh, and his second-worst rating of the year was Tulane. So I'm not really sure throwing out non-AQ schools has any point at all.

 

[OrangeMuskyFish]

Keon is quickly developing into a beast. Once he starts to catch those balls that he is fighting for, you are looking at a legit NFL prospect.

Chandler was amazing and showed us exactly what this D has been missing. I really hope we can get Simmons to follow in his footsteps one day.

I think I judged Phil Thomas too harshly early on this year. I hate his tackle technique, but I hoped that his brain farts early on were the result of a lot of practice time missed during camp... midway through the year, the brain farts are disappearing, and the INT's remain. Thank you sir!

Was Crume and or Dy hurt, just not part of this speed gameplan, or did I plain old miss them?

Add bone-crunching hits by Shamarko to the list of defensive standouts. To those that question whether Marrone can eventually get us offensive playmakers, just watch the athletes on D. They will start showing up on offense.

 

[PhatOrange]

Bailey is a really nice back and is plenty physical
No, he's not DC3 and no he's not necessarily among the best we've ever had. BUT, Bailey has proven to be a really solid back and, yes, a physical presence. Just ask that WVU LB he demolished tonight. Or the other two LBs he injured this year. at about 670-ish yards with 6 TDs after 7 games. Not bad.

Nassib does some things quietly that are pretty good
Easy to say after a night like tonight, but the big Nassib critics on this board miss some of the subtle things he does well. Tonight was a perfect example of several of those: Not forcing throws and keeping the ball in places where (generally) only the receiver has a play; Toughness in the face of the rush (despite not being overly slick in the pocket, he will stand in there) and a decent sense of how long he has in the pocket. The kid's not an all-american and whether or not he's even really good, he should be given some credit for being the first really solid QB we've had since McNabb.

OL showed up
Not going to over-analyze this, but I think one thing all agreed on in the Marrone/RAhme thread was the need for improvement on OL. Didn't exactly think it would happen in two weeks, but I'm not complaining. Well done.

My love for Shafer is beginning to make my wife jealous
Thought Shafer's game plan was essentially, we're going to concentrated 99% of our efforts on the pass. If you want to run, go ahead and see if you can actually stick with it. WVU ran the ball well generally (I know it's only 70 yards but that's less 4 sacks, I believe). But they only ran it 20 times. Just thought it was a great plan against a coach that you know wants to throw the ball.

Hackett with a nice game ... OK a horrible series before the half ... but still a great game
I have absolutely no idea how they decided to handle the last 1:30 of the first half. All I know is it was terrible. But other than that, they were basically flawless in terms of play-calling and execution offensively. Well done.

Thought Diabate and Graham looked excellent and the DE pressure was good; Lyn may be among our best players
Graham had the kick return but caught the ball well also. Diabate seemed like he was all over the field. DL did a really nice job -- chandler (who I've been down on a bit), Sharpe, etc. did a nice job. Lyn was terrific in coverage.

All in all, just a ridiculously good performance.

Bailey running over the LB into the endzone was awesome.

Nassib - started off a little amped but settled down. Really doesn't make bad decisions. If he had Terrel Pryors legs he'd be a heisman candidate. Played a solid game - no mistakes - puts the ball where it can be caught and receivers made catches.

Shaf - outstanding again - and certainly happy to have a healthy defense back.

Hackett - end of first half aside - great game. Finally went back to plays during a game that work.

Diabate - best game of the season - he was all over the place. Graham is stepping up huge might be our best WR right now which is great because Lemon and Chew will have less attention and should thrive. West to with a big grab tonight.

Kevyn Scott - he's starting to get picked on.

 

[jekelish]

Bailey = Kyle McIntosh. Undersized yet productive back who can run it or catch it out of the backfield. Never going to wow anyone, really, but he'll produce.

 

[OrangeMuskyFish]

Diabate - best game of the season - he was all over the place. Graham is stepping up huge might be our best WR right now which is great because Lemon and Chew will have less attention and should thrive. West to with a big grab tonight.

Nice to see that his speed seems to live up to the hype as he gets more comfortable with what he is supposed to be doing out there.

 

[Avatusstone28]

Great post!

My only small complaint, is that I wish Krautman (or anybody) could kick the ball through the end zone, to minimize the kickoff returns. The opponents always seem to have great starting field position.

The offense played flawlessly! Wow!!!

 

[Czar]

Keon is quickly developing into a beast. Once he starts to catch those balls that he is fighting for, you are looking at a legit NFL prospect.

Chandler was amazing and showed us exactly what this D has been missing. I really hope we can get Simmons to follow in his footsteps one day.

I think I judged Phil Thomas too harshly early on this year. I hate his tackle technique, but I hoped that his brain farts early on were the result of a lot of practice time missed during camp... midway through the year, the brain farts are disappearing, and the INT's remain. Thank you sir!

Was Crume and or Dy hurt, just not part of this speed gameplan, or did I plain old miss them?

Add bone-crunching hits by Shamarko to the list of defensive standouts. To those that question whether Marrone can eventually get us offensive playmakers, just watch the athletes on D. They will start showing up on offense.

I imagine Crume didn't play because he is not fast enough to be on the field against WVU.

 

[OrangeMuskyFish]

I imagine Crume didn't play because he is not fast enough to be on the field against WVU.

That is what I thought too, except when they started to gash us up the middle I wondered if maybe he really wasn't available. I get the whole speed thing, but Crume has gotten into the backfield a few times despite limited snaps. Then, I don't think I saw him on the goal line stance. Just hope he's healthy. Same with Dy, who I may have just missed, but certainly speed wasn't his reason for not being in there.

 

[jtorange]

That is what I thought too, except when they started to gash us up the middle I wondered if maybe he really wasn't available. I get the whole speed thing, but Crume has gotten into the backfield a few times despite limited snaps. Then, I don't think I saw him on the goal line stance. Just hope he's healthy. Same with Dy, who I may have just missed, but certainly speed wasn't his reason for not being in there.

I believe Diabate has replaced D.D. in the Okie and we played the Okie virtually the entire game.

 

[OrangeMuskyFish]

I believe Diabate has replaced D.D. in the Okie and we played the Okie virtually the entire game.

Ah yes, that's right. Nice catch.