First the ugly facts about the 2011 team as compiled by Bud P. in the P-S:
-- Squeezed past a Rhode Island squad that would later be beaten more handily by James Madison (14 points), Brown (14), Towson (11), Massachusetts (9) and Old Dominion (8).
-- Managed 17 points against a Southern California defense that has since yielded 56 points to Stanford, 43 points to Arizona State, 41 points to Arizona and 35 points to Oregon.
-- Produced six offensive points during regulation in the Dome against a Rutgers defense that had allowed 26 points to the Ohio Bobcats the week before. In New Jersey.
-- Permitted 34 points to a Tulane offense that had scored six points against Army the week before it played the Orange and would score seven points against Texas-El Paso the week after.
-- Manufactured 10 points against a Louisville defense that would leak for 35 points the next week against West Virginia.
-- Caved for 37 points against a South Florida offense that would generate three points eight days later against Miami.
-- Gave up 30 points to a Cincinnati offense, using its second- and third-string quarterbacks, that had managed three points a week earlier against Rutgers.
There's no sugarcoating it: this team is turr-ible (Charles Barkley voice).
There are a myriad of reasons and multiple culprits in what will probably go down as a 5-7 season w/ no bowl game. And while the young Defense has not been great, imho, it is the impotent Offense and it's lack of playmakers that has done in this 2011 team. They simply don't score enough points to win games.
In the coaching vs. lack of talent argument, I come down on the talent side. While Marrone has done himself and this team no favors w/ many of his decisions this season, when I look at this team's offensive personnel and their lack of production, I can't help but think of the old adage: "You can't make chicken salad..."
Looking towards 2012, w/ the exception of Bailey and Provo, most of the offensive skilled players will be back:
QB - Nassib is at times efficient and at times even impressive, but if I had to pick one one word to describe his tenure as SU's starting QB, it would be ineffective. Now to be fair, that's not all on him. RN doesn't drop balls and he doesn't miss blocks but he is very inaccurate, he can't throw the deep ball, he does have happy feet and he offers no relief from those shortcomings in the form of mobility. The bottom line is that under his guidance, SU has one of the worst offenses in the conference and in the country.
The question w/ Nassib is simply this: Is he the best we have? Obviously, he was this year as no other QB got even a whiff of PT. I don't think that bodes too well for the potential of Kinder or Loeb. The question then is whether Hunt or Broyld are the answer. With both supposedly being here in the spring, can either legitimately push Nassib? I doubt either one takes over from him but if one can emerge and work his way onto the field w/ a few packages, at least that offers a sign of hope for the future, maybe even the immediate future should Nassib play poorly next year.
If Nassib is the unquestioned starter going into next season, I fear we could be in for more of the same ineptitude. His improvement from last year to this year has been minimal judging by the eye test (not sure how he compares statistically). I think another year like this one next season would be an unmitigated disaster and potential death nail in the Marrone era, so I think it's imperative that at least one of his FIVE QB recruits finally distinguishes himself next season. If that doesn't happen, then it's fair to say DM has failed as a recruiter in regards to the QB position.
RB - This may be going out on a limb but I think the success of the RB position next year depends largely on how they close out this recruiting class. If DM signs George Morris, Akeel Lynch or David Perkins, I think any one of them steps in immediately next year and gets major PT. While Smith shows some potential, there must be a reason he's not being used more. I do think he'll be a contributor next year, though. Until AAM gets into D1 physical condition, I'm not sure how much he can be counted on. Gulley is another question mark. My concern w/ him is his fragility and his lack of size. If we're going to give our #1 RB 20+ touches a game in a run-first offense, we don't need another undersized tailback anchoring the position; AB part 2.
We need a genuine playmaker at the position and I really like the potential of Morris at RB moreso than McFarlane or even the higher rated Perkins. He's one of the few Marrone recruits who looks like he can be a star at the college level. I think it's imperative that we sign him. I also think that frees up DM to move the multi-talented McFarlane to another position, like WR maybe.
WR - This position concerns me the most b/c on the surface, the pickings look slim. There appear to be no difference makers in the bunch. Lemon is a solid possession receiver but nothing more I'm afraid. Graham, for all his speed, just isn't that good yet and hasn't had the impact expected. Ditto for West, Kobena, Flemming and the rest of the group. Maybe they'll improve but they've been really uninspiring this season. Coach Moore has to take a hit here.
They're supposedly high on Hale, and we have to hope Cornelius and/or Lewis can come in and pull another Mike Williams (but that's hoping for a lot). Maybe DM should consider bringing Reddish back over to offense this spring as the position definitely needs an infusion of talent. Having Sales back would obviously be a tremendous boost but we don't know if that's going to happen.
TE - If Thompson and Parris are as good as advertised, we should be solid at TE with Wales and Stephens returning. TE could be a position of strength next year.
Obviously the skill position players can't succeed w/o the O-line doing their job. Next year there will be changes on upfront. We can only hope that the replacements outperform their predecessors 'cause if not...yikes!
There will be no acceptable excuses for continued offensive futility next year. DM's expertise is on that side of the ball and the roster will be made up of predominantly his recruits. I really want Marrone to succeed and still think he can. Next season will be crucial in determining whether or not he will.
-- Squeezed past a Rhode Island squad that would later be beaten more handily by James Madison (14 points), Brown (14), Towson (11), Massachusetts (9) and Old Dominion (8).
-- Managed 17 points against a Southern California defense that has since yielded 56 points to Stanford, 43 points to Arizona State, 41 points to Arizona and 35 points to Oregon.
-- Produced six offensive points during regulation in the Dome against a Rutgers defense that had allowed 26 points to the Ohio Bobcats the week before. In New Jersey.
-- Permitted 34 points to a Tulane offense that had scored six points against Army the week before it played the Orange and would score seven points against Texas-El Paso the week after.
-- Manufactured 10 points against a Louisville defense that would leak for 35 points the next week against West Virginia.
-- Caved for 37 points against a South Florida offense that would generate three points eight days later against Miami.
-- Gave up 30 points to a Cincinnati offense, using its second- and third-string quarterbacks, that had managed three points a week earlier against Rutgers.
There's no sugarcoating it: this team is turr-ible (Charles Barkley voice).
There are a myriad of reasons and multiple culprits in what will probably go down as a 5-7 season w/ no bowl game. And while the young Defense has not been great, imho, it is the impotent Offense and it's lack of playmakers that has done in this 2011 team. They simply don't score enough points to win games.
In the coaching vs. lack of talent argument, I come down on the talent side. While Marrone has done himself and this team no favors w/ many of his decisions this season, when I look at this team's offensive personnel and their lack of production, I can't help but think of the old adage: "You can't make chicken salad..."
Looking towards 2012, w/ the exception of Bailey and Provo, most of the offensive skilled players will be back:
QB - Nassib is at times efficient and at times even impressive, but if I had to pick one one word to describe his tenure as SU's starting QB, it would be ineffective. Now to be fair, that's not all on him. RN doesn't drop balls and he doesn't miss blocks but he is very inaccurate, he can't throw the deep ball, he does have happy feet and he offers no relief from those shortcomings in the form of mobility. The bottom line is that under his guidance, SU has one of the worst offenses in the conference and in the country.
The question w/ Nassib is simply this: Is he the best we have? Obviously, he was this year as no other QB got even a whiff of PT. I don't think that bodes too well for the potential of Kinder or Loeb. The question then is whether Hunt or Broyld are the answer. With both supposedly being here in the spring, can either legitimately push Nassib? I doubt either one takes over from him but if one can emerge and work his way onto the field w/ a few packages, at least that offers a sign of hope for the future, maybe even the immediate future should Nassib play poorly next year.
If Nassib is the unquestioned starter going into next season, I fear we could be in for more of the same ineptitude. His improvement from last year to this year has been minimal judging by the eye test (not sure how he compares statistically). I think another year like this one next season would be an unmitigated disaster and potential death nail in the Marrone era, so I think it's imperative that at least one of his FIVE QB recruits finally distinguishes himself next season. If that doesn't happen, then it's fair to say DM has failed as a recruiter in regards to the QB position.
RB - This may be going out on a limb but I think the success of the RB position next year depends largely on how they close out this recruiting class. If DM signs George Morris, Akeel Lynch or David Perkins, I think any one of them steps in immediately next year and gets major PT. While Smith shows some potential, there must be a reason he's not being used more. I do think he'll be a contributor next year, though. Until AAM gets into D1 physical condition, I'm not sure how much he can be counted on. Gulley is another question mark. My concern w/ him is his fragility and his lack of size. If we're going to give our #1 RB 20+ touches a game in a run-first offense, we don't need another undersized tailback anchoring the position; AB part 2.
We need a genuine playmaker at the position and I really like the potential of Morris at RB moreso than McFarlane or even the higher rated Perkins. He's one of the few Marrone recruits who looks like he can be a star at the college level. I think it's imperative that we sign him. I also think that frees up DM to move the multi-talented McFarlane to another position, like WR maybe.
WR - This position concerns me the most b/c on the surface, the pickings look slim. There appear to be no difference makers in the bunch. Lemon is a solid possession receiver but nothing more I'm afraid. Graham, for all his speed, just isn't that good yet and hasn't had the impact expected. Ditto for West, Kobena, Flemming and the rest of the group. Maybe they'll improve but they've been really uninspiring this season. Coach Moore has to take a hit here.
They're supposedly high on Hale, and we have to hope Cornelius and/or Lewis can come in and pull another Mike Williams (but that's hoping for a lot). Maybe DM should consider bringing Reddish back over to offense this spring as the position definitely needs an infusion of talent. Having Sales back would obviously be a tremendous boost but we don't know if that's going to happen.
TE - If Thompson and Parris are as good as advertised, we should be solid at TE with Wales and Stephens returning. TE could be a position of strength next year.
Obviously the skill position players can't succeed w/o the O-line doing their job. Next year there will be changes on upfront. We can only hope that the replacements outperform their predecessors 'cause if not...yikes!
There will be no acceptable excuses for continued offensive futility next year. DM's expertise is on that side of the ball and the roster will be made up of predominantly his recruits. I really want Marrone to succeed and still think he can. Next season will be crucial in determining whether or not he will.
