Rees is headed for the NFL, right? He has connections there. It seems like just a matter of time.
Glad we got the W, but....
- Thread starter Irish_inPSU
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Michigan seems to have settled on a good formula with a balanced offense the last few years, after struggling for several years under Harbaugh. They haven't played anybody but tomato cans yet this year, but they've had a very balanced offense in each of their games.
Our O was more balanced Saturday, but we still only had 297 total yards. We need to do better than that.
It's certainly not impossible to have a successful run-first offense, and 'identity'.... It's just not preferable or superior, in addition to just kind of sucking balls, IMO. And it most definitely is not something ND needs to or ought to embrace as their natural destiny, or some shit like that.
The only rational basis for it would be that we tend to recruit OL well, so why not take advantage of that, even though good OLs can just as easily be put to the purpose of great pass blocking. And the idea that such a style has some kind of cultural affinity with ND is just.... gross.
The only rational basis for it would be that we tend to recruit OL well, so why not take advantage of that, even though good OLs can just as easily be put to the purpose of great pass blocking. And the idea that such a style has some kind of cultural affinity with ND is just.... gross.
"Our O was more balanced Saturday, but we still only had 297 total yards. We need to do better than that."
ND needs to be able to push the ball downfield with a measurable degree of consistency. If Pyne cannot prove he can do it, teams will load the box and dare ND to go downfield, which in turn, will impact the running game.
Agreed, he'll need to throw downfield a little more than he did Saturday. But overall, he was pretty efficient in the 2nd half, finishing 17/23 for 150 yds and 2 TDs, after that miserable start.
Right now it doesn’t seem that ND is going to have a prolific offense this year. They need to go with what works and find ways to win. As for having a run first or wide open offense, MF needs to figure out what he wants and recruit players to make it work. Does he want a 6’4 stand tall in the pocket QB who throws the ball all over? Does he want a dual threat QB who can run the RPO ? it just looks like they aren’t sure what they want to do. Over the years, the most successful coaches adapt and change their styles and recruit to their needs. They struck out on their top QB recruit this cycle. Will either Pyne or Buchner when he gets healthy, be able to lead ND to a playoff ? That’s something that has to be looked at. If MF thinks neither QB is “ thee guy” , then what? Do you try to flip a QB from another school this cycle or get a transfer? Angeli, is a freshman. Can he be the starter by next year ? Needless to say , the coaching staff has to figure things out. This season is far from over. I will remain hopeful the season can turn out to be a good one. Changes seem to be on the horizon. Only time will tell what they will be or if they will work.
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Question is, will MF get the QB he wants and therefore the offense ND prefers?
When was the last time that happened?
What I can't seem to understand is this. We all knew going into this year that the O was most likely going to be a work in progress and somewhat of a liability. New QB, new HC philosophy, the whole nine years.
What do coaches typically do with a young, green QB? They move the slider toward the run game and lean on it as the cornerstone of the offense. That is until the QB play picks up enough to start opening things up. Run blocking is the easiest thing to teach an offensive line and something most of them relish in doing. We have the size, we have the athleticism there... let em eat. I expected us to play keep away a lot and grind it out but it seems these coaches aren't patient enough to do so and feel they need to hang lots of points on an opponent in the first half. We're not ready for that with this QB.
But then again, the defense hasn't been the dominant unit everyone expected either, so there's that. lol
What do coaches typically do with a young, green QB? They move the slider toward the run game and lean on it as the cornerstone of the offense. That is until the QB play picks up enough to start opening things up. Run blocking is the easiest thing to teach an offensive line and something most of them relish in doing. We have the size, we have the athleticism there... let em eat. I expected us to play keep away a lot and grind it out but it seems these coaches aren't patient enough to do so and feel they need to hang lots of points on an opponent in the first half. We're not ready for that with this QB.
But then again, the defense hasn't been the dominant unit everyone expected either, so there's that. lol
I think the game is simply too wide open these days to risk the grind-out approach.
But let's see what happens this Saturday if ND adopts it. But as I queried in another post, how long does that approach continue if ND falls behind to two quick-strike scores in the first quarter?
I can't believe ND wouldn't start THROWING, down 14-0 at the beginning of the game.
