"Football Smarts". Will we get it, or is it too late?

[WhatDoIKnow]

This is not a bash any particular player or coach post. I do not want anyone benched and I do not want anyone fired. Well, maybe the special teams coach should at least have a very warm seat.

 

I guess what has bothered me more than anything this year is that the team does not seem to be very "football smart". Not judging their off-the-field intelligence as I am sure they are just fine.

 

Abdullah and Bell with their eyes upfield when "attempting" to catch a punt. After they have called a fair catch.

 

Stafford's personal foul on what would have been a key, early turnover in NW territory.

 

Having Colter hemmed in, but letting him slip between you and your fellow defender that you could have been holding hands with. (happened at least twice).

 

Martinez attempting a very low percentage side-line pass on 3rd and 3 when he could have walked for a first down.

 

Reed going the wrong way on a crucial 4th down play.

 

An OL getting called for not lining up on the line of scrimmage after it had already been called once earlier in the game.

 

Not just this last game, not just just plays, and not just these players. Is it all coaching, or will some just not "get it"?

 

Should the players be required to attend Football 101? I would think actually playing would be a 400 level class, but maybe some snuck in without the prerequisites.

 

Very frustrating, and that is what has bothered me the most this year.

[True2tRA]

I know. I saw all the same things and have seen them for quite some time. Trying to stay positive and hope things change for the better, but we just plain look stupid sometimes. Hope we don't look stupid this weekend, this game is HUGE!

[knapplc]

One by one, those are excusable errors. But cumulatively, they're troubling. Bo's all about "execution.' If I hear him use that word one more time I'm going to projectile vomit on his receding hairline. Don't TELL me about execution, get your players to freaking EXECUTE already.

 

It is frustrating. It drives me nuts. This team isn't even close to its potential. But I think Bo isn't close to his potential, either. And maybe because they've won three titles in my lifetime, I'm willing to be patient with Bo. Others... not so much.

 

Here's hoping he gets it sooner rather than later.

[WhatDoIKnow]

One by one, those are excusable errors. But cumulatively, they're troubling. Bo's all about "execution.' If I hear him use that word one more time I'm going to projectile vomit on his receding hairline. Don't TELL me about execution, get your players to freaking EXECUTE already.

 

It is frustrating. It drives me nuts. This team isn't even close to its potential. But I think Bo isn't close to his potential, either. And maybe because they've won three titles in my lifetime, I'm willing to be patient with Bo. Others... not so much.

 

Here's hoping he gets it sooner rather than later.

 

+1. I really didn't mean to point out players, as the lack of "football smarts" has as much to do with the coaches. Like you said, talk about execution all you want, but it is the coaches job to make sure the players execute.

 

It was especially frustrating last week when you could tell from the start that we were just better than NW tallent-wise.

[lo country]

Said much of the same ref our players are lost in another thread. IMO, a large part of the miscues come from a brand new coaching staff. Think about you being in a brand new position at your current place of employment and being tasked with teaching the new guys the ropes. Now imagine that you really have no previous experience for your current position, you are thrown into the fire in a high pressure environment and expected to "get things right" immediately. I can imagine that you would be forced to try and get them to digest the "general" way things work and worry about the details later. IIRC, Beck said this about not really trying to dial in Martinez mechanics last year as they were trying to "teach" him the offense and work on the "big picture". Fundamentals and technique take a back seat to learning the scheme and plays.

 

If we stick with this staff (IMO we should to a degree) we need to expect these miscues and constant commitment to mistakes until the staff actually learn their jobs. My hope is if they are given the time and learn and grow into great coaches they do not take this new found experience and hit the road leaving us to hire and "train a whole new crop of up and coming coaches.

 

Limit the mistakes and we are at 1 loss this year IMO. Play mistake free ball and we could be a true contender. Watching Clemson tonight and they showed a statistic about the top 5 teams in turnover margin. They are a combined 35-0.......................All currently undefeated. Bama, Miss State, K State and 2 others.

[HuskerNationNick]

This is not a bash any particular player or coach post. I do not want anyone benched and I do not want anyone fired. Well, maybe the special teams coach should at least have a very warm seat.

 

I guess what has bothered me more than anything this year is that the team does not seem to be very "football smart". Not judging their off-the-field intelligence as I am sure they are just fine.

 

Abdullah and Bell with their eyes upfield when "attempting" to catch a punt. After they have called a fair catch.- This has to do with them being young, and not knowing how to stay calm. They are trying to catch, while looking for that route they want to run, as well at the same time trying to make sure they aren't going to have a cheap hit put on them. Like I said, they are young, mistakes are going to happen. They are true sophomores. Sure you can expect that not to happen since they are starters, but they are the best we have, they earned it, and maturity comes with experience. Time will help them be better decision makers.

 

Stafford's personal foul on what would have been a key, early turnover in NW territory.- The kid plays hard, but doesn't think with his brain when he is on the field. Not only has he had two VERY numb skull calls so far, but he consistantly misreads the offense and gets caught on a fake, and out of his route. One play to be exact, that 80 yard run at the beginning of the 3rd by Venric Martin. He is a hard hitter, and can tackle, but poor decision making skills in my opinion.

 

Having Colter hemmed in, but letting him slip between you and your fellow defender that you could have been holding hands with. (happened at least twice).- We contained Colter very well. 14 carries for 34 yards if I remember correctly. You can't stop the guy every time. We did very well, and to nit pick off two, what you call bad plays, is just odd.

 

Martinez attempting a very low percentage side-line pass on 3rd and 3 when he could have walked for a first down.- You can't expect 100% play calling throughout a game. Its impossible. There was something Beck saw that you didn't, that he thought would be an easy first down. It obviously didn't work, but play calling was superb during that game. For a matter of fact, the play calling has been quite good all year.

 

Reed going the wrong way on a crucial 4th down play.- Lack of communication is something Martinez fixed throughout the game. Look at the last 3 drives. This isn't something the coaches can really do, but communication relies completely on the leader, that being Martinez.

 

An OL getting called for not lining up on the line of scrimmage after it had already been called once earlier in the game.- This is something that is all judged per ref. Some allow you to line up further off the line than others. Actually, this call is rarely ever called. Many OL coaches tell their players to adjust themselves the best way they can to help keep the pocket from collapsing. The line judge was obviously a stickler on that rule.

 

 

Funniest thing I saw, is you complained about everything that really isn't an issue. Our offense is one of the best in the nation. Our BIGGEST problem, are turnovers. Tim Beck even stated, they recite this every day, they run drills, and they are doing all they can to keep the ball off the ground. Again, its maturity. Don't believe me, look at Taylor. He has yet to fumble it as many times as he did his Freshman and Sophomore year.

[WhatDoIKnow]

This is not a bash any particular player or coach post. I do not want anyone benched and I do not want anyone fired. Well, maybe the special teams coach should at least have a very warm seat.

 

I guess what has bothered me more than anything this year is that the team does not seem to be very "football smart". Not judging their off-the-field intelligence as I am sure they are just fine.

 

Abdullah and Bell with their eyes upfield when "attempting" to catch a punt. After they have called a fair catch.- This has to do with them being young, and not knowing how to stay calm. They are trying to catch, while looking for that route they want to run, as well at the same time trying to make sure they aren't going to have a cheap hit put on them. Like I said, they are young, mistakes are going to happen. They are true sophomores. Sure you can expect that not to happen since they are starters, but they are the best we have, they earned it, and maturity comes with experience. Time will help them be better decision makers. They are young, but they are veterans. Both muffs happened after they called for a fair catch and they shouldn't have been looking downfield to run. Sure, there could still be a cheap shot, but their #1 responsibility at that time is catching the ball. Looking the ball in is basic fundamentals.

 

Stafford's personal foul on what would have been a key, early turnover in NW territory.- The kid plays hard, but doesn't think with his brain when he is on the field. Not only has he had two VERY numb skull calls so far, but he consistantly misreads the offense and gets caught on a fake, and out of his route. One play to be exact, that 80 yard run at the beginning of the 3rd by Venric Martin. He is a hard hitter, and can tackle, but poor decision making skills in my opinion. We agree on this one.

 

Having Colter hemmed in, but letting him slip between you and your fellow defender that you could have been holding hands with. (happened at least twice).- We contained Colter very well. 14 carries for 34 yards if I remember correctly. You can't stop the guy every time. We did very well, and to nit pick off two, what you call bad plays, is just odd. Again, very excusable when taken as individual plays. Would you call them good plays?

 

Martinez attempting a very low percentage side-line pass on 3rd and 3 when he could have walked for a first down.- You can't expect 100% play calling throughout a game. Its impossible. There was something Beck saw that you didn't, that he thought would be an easy first down. It obviously didn't work, but play calling was superb during that game. For a matter of fact, the play calling has been quite good all year. The play I was referring to was not a called play. 3rd and 3, Martinez was flushed out to the right. He had the choice of running for the first down with 1 defender standing right at the first down yardage but with plenty of space to get around him, or attempting a pass with < 5% chance of succeeding. He chose poorly.

 

Reed going the wrong way on a crucial 4th down play.- Lack of communication is something Martinez fixed throughout the game. Look at the last 3 drives. This isn't something the coaches can really do, but communication relies completely on the leader, that being Martinez. Mistakes do happen. Reed is a veteran and he should at least make sure he knows what direction the play is going.

 

An OL getting called for not lining up on the line of scrimmage after it had already been called once earlier in the game.- This is something that is all judged per ref. Some allow you to line up further off the line than others. Actually, this call is rarely ever called. Many OL coaches tell their players to adjust themselves the best way they can to help keep the pocket from collapsing. The line judge was obviously a stickler on that rule. I don't disagree, but it was called earlier in the game, so players need to adjust to that. Just like baseball players need to adjust to a particular umps strike zone.

 

 

Funniest thing I saw, is you complained about everything that really isn't an issue. Our offense is one of the best in the nation. Our BIGGEST problem, are turnovers. Tim Beck even stated, they recite this every day, they run drills, and they are doing all they can to keep the ball off the ground. Again, its maturity. Don't believe me, look at Taylor. He has yet to fumble it as many times as he did his Freshman and Sophomore year.

So you agree with me and point out the same thing Knap did? Each situation on it's own is excusable, but taken together and repeated game after game is a problem.

[Peoriahusker]

This is not a bash any particular player or coach post. I do not want anyone benched and I do not want anyone fired. Well, maybe the special teams coach should at least have a very warm seat.

 

I guess what has bothered me more than anything this year is that the team does not seem to be very "football smart". Not judging their off-the-field intelligence as I am sure they are just fine.

 

Abdullah and Bell with their eyes upfield when "attempting" to catch a punt. After they have called a fair catch.- This has to do with them being young, and not knowing how to stay calm. They are trying to catch, while looking for that route they want to run, as well at the same time trying to make sure they aren't going to have a cheap hit put on them. Like I said, they are young, mistakes are going to happen. They are true sophomores. Sure you can expect that not to happen since they are starters, but they are the best we have, they earned it, and maturity comes with experience. Time will help them be better decision makers.

 

Stafford's personal foul on what would have been a key, early turnover in NW territory.- The kid plays hard, but doesn't think with his brain when he is on the field. Not only has he had two VERY numb skull calls so far, but he consistantly misreads the offense and gets caught on a fake, and out of his route. One play to be exact, that 80 yard run at the beginning of the 3rd by Venric Martin. He is a hard hitter, and can tackle, but poor decision making skills in my opinion.

 

Having Colter hemmed in, but letting him slip between you and your fellow defender that you could have been holding hands with. (happened at least twice).- We contained Colter very well. 14 carries for 34 yards if I remember correctly. You can't stop the guy every time. We did very well, and to nit pick off two, what you call bad plays, is just odd.

 

Martinez attempting a very low percentage side-line pass on 3rd and 3 when he could have walked for a first down.- You can't expect 100% play calling throughout a game. Its impossible. There was something Beck saw that you didn't, that he thought would be an easy first down. It obviously didn't work, but play calling was superb during that game. For a matter of fact, the play calling has been quite good all year.

 

Reed going the wrong way on a crucial 4th down play.- Lack of communication is something Martinez fixed throughout the game. Look at the last 3 drives. This isn't something the coaches can really do, but communication relies completely on the leader, that being Martinez.

 

An OL getting called for not lining up on the line of scrimmage after it had already been called once earlier in the game.- This is something that is all judged per ref. Some allow you to line up further off the line than others. Actually, this call is rarely ever called. Many OL coaches tell their players to adjust themselves the best way they can to help keep the pocket from collapsing. The line judge was obviously a stickler on that rule.

 

 

Funniest thing I saw, is you complained about everything that really isn't an issue. Our offense is one of the best in the nation. Our BIGGEST problem, are turnovers. Tim Beck even stated, they recite this every day, they run drills, and they are doing all they can to keep the ball off the ground. Again, its maturity. Don't believe me, look at Taylor. He has yet to fumble it as many times as he did his Freshman and Sophomore year.

 

The lack of football "smarts" is blatantly obvious and we are certainly not one of the best offenses in the country. We have the potential to have a very very good offense, however, watch an Oregon game sometime and you will see how far we still are from being a top tier offensive team.

[HuskerNationNick]

This is not a bash any particular player or coach post. I do not want anyone benched and I do not want anyone fired. Well, maybe the special teams coach should at least have a very warm seat.

 

I guess what has bothered me more than anything this year is that the team does not seem to be very "football smart". Not judging their off-the-field intelligence as I am sure they are just fine.

 

Abdullah and Bell with their eyes upfield when "attempting" to catch a punt. After they have called a fair catch.- This has to do with them being young, and not knowing how to stay calm. They are trying to catch, while looking for that route they want to run, as well at the same time trying to make sure they aren't going to have a cheap hit put on them. Like I said, they are young, mistakes are going to happen. They are true sophomores. Sure you can expect that not to happen since they are starters, but they are the best we have, they earned it, and maturity comes with experience. Time will help them be better decision makers.

 

Stafford's personal foul on what would have been a key, early turnover in NW territory.- The kid plays hard, but doesn't think with his brain when he is on the field. Not only has he had two VERY numb skull calls so far, but he consistantly misreads the offense and gets caught on a fake, and out of his route. One play to be exact, that 80 yard run at the beginning of the 3rd by Venric Martin. He is a hard hitter, and can tackle, but poor decision making skills in my opinion.

 

Having Colter hemmed in, but letting him slip between you and your fellow defender that you could have been holding hands with. (happened at least twice).- We contained Colter very well. 14 carries for 34 yards if I remember correctly. You can't stop the guy every time. We did very well, and to nit pick off two, what you call bad plays, is just odd.

 

Martinez attempting a very low percentage side-line pass on 3rd and 3 when he could have walked for a first down.- You can't expect 100% play calling throughout a game. Its impossible. There was something Beck saw that you didn't, that he thought would be an easy first down. It obviously didn't work, but play calling was superb during that game. For a matter of fact, the play calling has been quite good all year.

 

Reed going the wrong way on a crucial 4th down play.- Lack of communication is something Martinez fixed throughout the game. Look at the last 3 drives. This isn't something the coaches can really do, but communication relies completely on the leader, that being Martinez.

 

An OL getting called for not lining up on the line of scrimmage after it had already been called once earlier in the game.- This is something that is all judged per ref. Some allow you to line up further off the line than others. Actually, this call is rarely ever called. Many OL coaches tell their players to adjust themselves the best way they can to help keep the pocket from collapsing. The line judge was obviously a stickler on that rule.

 

 

Funniest thing I saw, is you complained about everything that really isn't an issue. Our offense is one of the best in the nation. Our BIGGEST problem, are turnovers. Tim Beck even stated, they recite this every day, they run drills, and they are doing all they can to keep the ball off the ground. Again, its maturity. Don't believe me, look at Taylor. He has yet to fumble it as many times as he did his Freshman and Sophomore year.

 

The lack of football "smarts" is blatantly obvious and we are certainly not one of the best offenses in the country. We have the potential to have a very very good offense, however, watch an Oregon game sometime and you will see how far we still are from being a top tier offensive team.

 

Didn't think I said we had the BEST offense in the country... Oh wait... I didn't. Look up offense rankings, then come back. If your that blind to not realize that we have one of the best offenses, then there isn't much I can say.

[kchusker_chris]

The lack of football "smarts" is blatantly obvious and we are certainly not one of the best offenses in the country. We have the potential to have a very very good offense, however, watch an Oregon game sometime and you will see how far we still are from being a top tier offensive team.

 

Didn't think I said we had the BEST offense in the country... Oh wait... I didn't. Look up offense rankings, then come back. If your that blind to not realize that we have one of the best offenses, then there isn't much I can say.

He didn't say "the BEST" either. You bolded it, read it. If you've watched this entire season and still think that's one of the best offenses you're not watching much football outside of the Nebraska games. You are basing it entirely on stats. Ignoring the bigger picture. That's like Taylor saying they scored 38 (implying that should have been enough) yet ignoring they gave the other team 14 as well. If you want to look at offensive stats, how about #124. That's their ranking in fumbles lost. 13 on the season. 2 per game. Is that indicative of one of the best offenses in the country? Not even close.

[HuskerNationNick]

The lack of football "smarts" is blatantly obvious and we are certainly not one of the best offenses in the country. We have the potential to have a very very good offense, however, watch an Oregon game sometime and you will see how far we still are from being a top tier offensive team.

 

Didn't think I said we had the BEST offense in the country... Oh wait... I didn't. Look up offense rankings, then come back. If your that blind to not realize that we have one of the best offenses, then there isn't much I can say.

He didn't say "the BEST" either. You bolded it, read it. If you've watched this entire season and still think that's one of the best offenses you're not watching much football outside of the Nebraska games. You are basing it entirely on stats. Ignoring the bigger picture. That's like Taylor saying they scored 38 (implying that should have been enough) yet ignoring they gave the other team 14 as well. If you want to look at offensive stats, how about #124. That's their ranking in fumbles lost. 13 on the season. 2 per game. Is that indicative of one of the best offenses in the country? Not even close.

 

Yards per game, we rank #12

Total TDs, we rank #19

Average yards per play #6

Total offensive yards we rank #17

Total number of plays, we rank #58.

 

We are at a 1.29 turnover margin right now. Which is not good, but to still put on that kind of stats, says a lot about our offense, and the ability to overcome mistakes. I stand by my statement, that we have one of the best offenses in the nation.

[kchusker_chris]

Yards per game, we rank #12

Total TDs, we rank #19

Average yards per play #6

Total offensive yards we rank #17

Total number of plays, we rank #58.

 

We are at a 1.29 turnover margin right now. Which is not good, but to still put on that kind of stats, says a lot about our offense, and the ability to overcome mistakes. I stand by my statement, that we have one of the best offenses in the nation.

We have a good offense. Likely right around the ranking of our team. #25ish. Maybe our definition of 'one of the best' varies. To me that is a top 10 or so offense.

 

#74 in sacks allowed.

#85 in penalties. A LOT of these are on the offense.

2 safeties (i'm counting the one last week because we all know it was)

 

My general opinion of the offense is that we have a QB ill suited for the scheme, a very good backfield, underutilized but very skilled WRs, underutilized by very skilled TEs, a mediocre offense line, led by an OC that goes brain dead a few times a season. They also don't seem to be able to bail out a bad defensive showing. They have a hard time slowing things down and winning the time of possession battle when they need to. They're Jeckyl and Hyde, like the rest of the team.

 

However, I'll concede that if this offense was paired with the 2009 or 2010 defense - they'd look A LOT better. Some of their issues are a carry over from the D.

[HuskerNationNick]

The only teams I really see (in the top 25 BCS rankings) that may have a better offense than us. Some have yet to see a good defense as well...

 

Better:

Alabama

Florida

Kansas State

Oregon

Stanford

Clemson

Okahoma

 

Worse:

Notre Dame

LSU

Oregon State

USC

Mississippi State

Florida State

Texas Tech

Rutgers

Louisville

Texas A&M

Boise State

Michigan

Texas

Ohio

Wisconsin

Ohio State (AP top 25)

 

Undecided:

Georgia (only reason I am not sure, is they have yet to beat a team with a decent defense, and when they did, they scored only 7 points.)

We have faced some good defenses, and we have put up over 400 yards on each person we have faced. Again, this is just my opinion. Many reason most of these teams are top 25, is because they have a solid defense with a mediocre offense, such as ND. Some I would completely disagree with even being on that list, but thats not what this topic is about lol.

[junior4949]

Yards per game, we rank #12

Total TDs, we rank #19

Average yards per play #6

Total offensive yards we rank #17

Total number of plays, we rank #58.

 

We are at a 1.29 turnover margin right now. Which is not good, but to still put on that kind of stats, says a lot about our offense, and the ability to overcome mistakes. I stand by my statement, that we have one of the best offenses in the nation.

We have a good offense. Likely right around the ranking of our team. #25ish. Maybe our definition of 'one of the best' varies. To me that is a top 10 or so offense.

 

#74 in sacks allowed.

#85 in penalties. A LOT of these are on the offense.

2 safeties (i'm counting the one last week because we all know it was)

 

My general opinion of the offense is that we have a QB ill suited for the scheme, a very good backfield, underutilized but very skilled WRs, underutilized by very skilled TEs, a mediocre offense line, led by an OC that goes brain dead a few times a season. They also don't seem to be able to bail out a bad defensive showing. They have a hard time slowing things down and winning the time of possession battle when they need to. They're Jeckyl and Hyde, like the rest of the team.

 

However, I'll concede that if this offense was paired with the 2009 or 2010 defense - they'd look A LOT better. Some of their issues are a carry over from the D.

 

I'd say I'm in your camp with your impression of our offense. Take the NW game for instance. Thank goodness the defense was playing good because our third down conversion was horrible. The fourth and three call where our own TE blocked our own pulling guard allowing the play to get blown up does not scream one of the top offenses. Our offense is good, and it could be great. However, there's just too many mental breakdowns for me to call them one of the best. If we'd limit ourselves to just half the miscues, I'd say we run the table the rest of the season.

[kchusker_chris]

when you limit the pool to 25 teams it's easier to get us in the top 10.

 

i'd go w/ better: alabama, west virginia (even w/ a couple poor showings), tech, k-state, clemson, oklahoma state, oklahoma, oregon, baylor, usc, florida state, texas, A&M, Georgia, Ohio State.

 

toss up with us: UCLA, GTech, NC, Arizona, oregon state (might be a stretch - but their defense is pretty salty so I think they'd score more if they had to)

 

...some of these teams have played some pretty bad defenses, but I don't feel like we've played a good defense yet either. We'll learn a lot about this offense on Saturday.