The Bottom Line on Watson's Playcalling
- Thread starter afhusker8
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junior4949
All-American
How about how they rank nationally? While this year wasn't good (#87), here's how he's ranked over the last several: 2003-#3, 2004-#14, 2005-#1, 2006-#5, 2007-#19, 2008-#5, 2009-#4. If you throw this year out, Davis and the Texas offense have been better than the Texas defense.
haha, those numbers are hilarious. let's pick him up and have him install the vince young offense they ran in 2005.
kchusker_chris
All-American
How awesome would it be to hire Greg Davis, have him help us to reach the BCS Title game where we play, wait for it, TEXAS, and then we break the Texas curse by using their own against them. Alright, I gotta stop dreaming now, or this is going to get out of hand...
junior4949
All-American
I think what's most interesting about those numbers is even after Vince Young was gone when they were ranked #1 nationally, they only fell to #5 nationally with freshman QB McCoy. IMO, Davis didn't forget how to coach. Gilbert just isn't the QB they thought he was when they recruited him and McCoy #2 just wasn't ready for action.
junior4949
All-American
While there's been nothing formal announced yet, there is a pretty decent chance Norm Chow will be looking for a job in the off season as well. It's funny how the OC seems to always be the sacrificial lamb when a team's season doesn't turn out quite like they expected.
kchusker_chris
All-American
zoogs
Assistant Coach
Thanks...I know he was OC, as well as QBs coach, as well as WRs coach eventually, but I couldn't find any information on playcalling or not. I assumed that he didn't because he was considered a "OC in name" analogous to 2007, while there. There now 99, I wasn't just talking out of my a$$, I did have reason to think so.
Greg Davis is a quality coordinator. Texas will be sorry they got rid of him. However, there's no chance he would come here, is there? Isn't he more of a pro-style guy? I have a lot of respect for Davis, but we are talking about swapping one respectable mind at OC for another. Both could work if they could get their offensive staff all on the same page, which seems to be an issue for us. But that is an issue with the personnel among the staff, IMO. Whether Shawn stays, or we have to bring in one from outside, I hope that they will get to bring in some of their own guys to coach the offensive positions. Or really just replace OL/WR, dammit. I like Beck, and Ron Brown, quite a lot.
I don't think we are going to get top notch results whoever the OC is, if this is the crew he will have to work with. Bo has a bunch of his own guys on defense, but some odd mixed bag on offense in terms of style. I think it can be made to work, just get a real OL coach and a real WR coach. I HOPE that we don't promote from within, which is partly why I hope Shawn stays a long time, as that's just what is likely to happen.
Shawn is a very good recruiter for what it's worth. He was recruiting coordinator his first year here while coaching TEs; that was the year we pulled in the 2007 class. He is also going to get us in on some quality QBs because they know the caliber of QB coach he is better than fans who just want to dump on him in any category they can find; and, the kids on the team love him. We would really be losing a lot in Shawn when he decides to pick up and move on.
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kchusker_chris
All-American
You mean "coordinate" the staff on the offensive side of the ball? Too much to ask the offensive coordinator. He's just responsible for designing plays, not coaching his players to execute it, or bringing the staff together to implement it.
Very true, very good point. But I consider one of those odd mixed bags to be Watson.
Is there a younger Gabbert I don't know about...?...
zoogs
Assistant Coach
You could say Watson is one of those mixed bags, but he's also invaluable and very flexible and adaptive as a coordinator. It is on him if he can't get the staff on the same page, but at the same time I see how that might be a difficult task: because some on the staff just aren't fit for it. Like the analogy how you can adapt players strictly to a system, or mold the system around the players. It seems under Bo's direction he is asking for both to happen: adapt the staff to the same philosophy, while molding it to their individual strengths. It doesn't totally make sense and while Watson is a guy that will work with a real variety of schemes and offenses, I'm not sure the same is true for some of the guys underneath him. Keep Brown and Beck IMO, but it could be time to rejuvenate by letting Bo and Shawn bring in guys that they can strictly adapt to their system on that staff.
On young Gabbert, we lost him because he was Tyler...
Blaine we lost because of the coaching change. Actually, there was a rumor I read at HI that I don't know how much stock to put in: that after Blaine found out Shawn was retained, he was open to come back to us. But, Bo and Watson had a discussion and we decided to move on, and got Spano. Would be interesting, if true, because honestly I think we could be pretty happy with Blaine right now, whether or not it fits Pelini's vision. I actually think there might be a third brother...anyways, I think Watson has a lot of sway with all the guys he finds at QB. Coming here was the best decision for Brion, IMO. He'd be nuts to give up this coaching for whatever he would get at Western Ketucky.
On young Gabbert, we lost him because he was Tyler...
Blaine we lost because of the coaching change. Actually, there was a rumor I read at HI that I don't know how much stock to put in: that after Blaine found out Shawn was retained, he was open to come back to us. But, Bo and Watson had a discussion and we decided to move on, and got Spano. Would be interesting, if true, because honestly I think we could be pretty happy with Blaine right now, whether or not it fits Pelini's vision. I actually think there might be a third brother...anyways, I think Watson has a lot of sway with all the guys he finds at QB. Coming here was the best decision for Brion, IMO. He'd be nuts to give up this coaching for whatever he would get at Western Ketucky.
The Maudfather
All-American
I'm usually the last person to throw a coach under the bus, but after Saturday I'm on the fire Watson bandwagon. The play calling was atrocious. Something that we have grown to expect as husker fans...even when the offense was pretty chippy back in 08, the play calls were still suspect. We ran slants all night. Because we didn't have a down field pass game, the D could cheat on our slants all night and bring all sorts of pressure. I understand Watson didn't fumble the ball or force Tmart to throw a pick on OU's doorstep, but the play calling was shotty. The drive where we got in FG range with the wild cat, tried to throw a pass to Martinez, then turned around and put Martinez back at QB on 3rd down and long to ultimately take a sack, fumble the ball and successfully knock us out of FG range was hard to watch. I realize that hindsight is 20/20, but when you're moving the ball down field like we were with Rex and Roy in the wild cat (mainly Rex on the drive I'm referring to), you stick with the hot hand. Make em prove they can stop it. The next drive we turn around and throw the ball on 1st, 2nd and 3rd down. Not in love with the play calling. Everyone's a critic, I suppose. I think it's best we go our separate ways with Watson. I'm really pulling for him to get the Vandy job.
Also, Greg Davis does not run a pro-style, he runs a spread...receives a lot of criticism for not running the football as much as he should. Overall, I think he's a good coordinator with a young squad.
I wouldn't mind Davis coming to NU. I just want to have a serviceable offense, semi productive offense.
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zoogs
Assistant Coach
Thanks for the info on Davis. Of course you can look bottom line and see the production he got out of a much more talented Texas squad this year. Personally I will give him a pass on that, in deference to skills as an OC, but that's something he would never get once he came here, the same way Watson won't.
I will tell you why we ran slants all night though and didn't have a vertical passing game: Taylor was QB. That's just sort of the case especially when he was as off as he was last night. He doesn't give us the vertical passing game. If we wanted a vertical passing game, we needed to put Green out there as at least it would introduce the threat of throwing deep. Of course we may not have done it much anyway since Paul is out, but even the threat of it, and taking those two or three shots in an entire game, would have changed the dynamic of the battle. Instead OU knew that Taylor wasn't much of a threat through the air after a while (our TEs killed them in the first half though) and there wasn't really much scheming around it once Taylor's light went out.
Your comments on the last two drives I completely agree with. It ticked me off royally to see Taylor being asked to drop back and pass in those situations. The more I think about it now, it also ticks me off that Bo didn't give Alex a shot at a 62-yard field goal. You're talking potential game tying FG here. And Alex's first field goal from 53 had at LEAST 15 yards of room to spare. Worth the shot, IMO.
I will tell you why we ran slants all night though and didn't have a vertical passing game: Taylor was QB. That's just sort of the case especially when he was as off as he was last night. He doesn't give us the vertical passing game. If we wanted a vertical passing game, we needed to put Green out there as at least it would introduce the threat of throwing deep. Of course we may not have done it much anyway since Paul is out, but even the threat of it, and taking those two or three shots in an entire game, would have changed the dynamic of the battle. Instead OU knew that Taylor wasn't much of a threat through the air after a while (our TEs killed them in the first half though) and there wasn't really much scheming around it once Taylor's light went out.
Your comments on the last two drives I completely agree with. It ticked me off royally to see Taylor being asked to drop back and pass in those situations. The more I think about it now, it also ticks me off that Bo didn't give Alex a shot at a 62-yard field goal. You're talking potential game tying FG here. And Alex's first field goal from 53 had at LEAST 15 yards of room to spare. Worth the shot, IMO.
