Bench #20

[Jimmy Serrano]

This play was broken down on TV. And I agree with the analyst. I think that the player in question was more or less set up to fail schematically. An athletic WR against a safety giving 12 yards of cushion is more or less doomed.

I haven't watched the replay yet. But Obi was not within 10 yards of the receiver when the ball was thrown. You could see that play developing a mile away.

 

[ZooCougar]

I haven't watched the replay yet. But Obi was not within 10 yards of the receiver when the ball was thrown. You could see that play developing a mile away.

Watch the replay. I don't think he ever had a realistic shot. The analyst actually related the play to personal experiene playing as a WR. Usually when being given that much of cushion by a safety he'd let the QB know in the huddle that it was open season. It's already a positional mismatch, the 12 yard cushion just exacerbates that. His best shot is jamming him in the first five yards.

 

[sportsart]

I haven't watched the replay yet. But Obi was not within 10 yards of the receiver when the ball was thrown. You could see that play developing a mile away.

I'm watching the replay and there was one play where the slot WR for Boise is uncovered and Obi shows up to make an ankle tackle. Tell me the safety is not responsible for covering the slot receiver.

Just because Obi is late getting to the play doesn't mean every break down is his fault.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm watching the replay and there was one play where the slot WR for Boise is uncovered and Obi shows up to make an ankle tackle. Tell me the safety is not responsible for covering the slot receiver.

Just because Obi is late getting to the play doesn't mean every break down is his fault.

I agree.

Remember in the Edsall days when we had the "husky back" who sometimes line up to cover a TE or WR in lieu of nickel coverage? That was a bigger positional mismatch on paper than a safety on a slot receiver but it worked because the husky back was an athletic OLB and he would line up against the opponent with little to no cushion.

I am not saying that Obi is infallible, but good scheme sets your players up to succeed. This particular scheme on this particular play did not do that.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I haven't watched the replay yet. But Obi was not within 10 yards of the receiver when the ball was thrown. You could see that play developing a mile away.

We'll see where the player is in 2 years. If for nothing else, something look forward to, to rub me in the dirt for my opinions if I'm wrong. LOL.

He's raw right now, and he plays a position, where if you make a mistake, it's very easy for people to see, and is often very costly. You don't see all the mistakes as clearly, that the LB's can make, that safeties cover up. I think he's improved quite a bit through 3 weeks, and I think people around here are focused on him, because his mistakes are the easiest ones to spot for fans watching.

He was all over the place against BYU, and committing penalties. Not a good game. He was better against Stony Brook, and was better than that against Boise. He's not going backwards, and he is a player to watch. He's got a fantastic defensive coach, and a defensive system that will allow him to flourish as he develops. Adams, as a more developed, and senior player at SS, is already showing flashes. Melinfonwu, at his size, speed and athletic ability at the FS is going to be a terror out there for receivers and TE's alike. It's just going to take time, he has a lot of game experience so far, but very little time in the grand scheme, developing at the FS position. Poindexter, IMO, was Diaco's best hire, and I hope we keep him for a while.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The guy is a sophomore in college. Can we not spend two pages criticizing him relentlessly? I admit he hasn't been good, but let's try to hope he plays better instead of wishing him gone. Physically, he looks like a strong safety to me, not a free safety.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The guy is a sophomore in college. Can we not spend two pages criticizing him relentlessly? I admit he hasn't been good, but let's try to hope he plays better instead of wishing him gone. Physically, he looks like a strong safety to me, not a free safety.

I agree. The critique given, by most here, is completely invalid.

Physically, he's got the frame to be a LB, but he's got the speed and athletic ability of a FS.

 

[RMS25CT]

We'll see where the player is in 2 years. If for nothing else, something look forward to, to rub me in the dirt for my opinions if I'm wrong. LOL.

He's raw right now, and he plays a position, where if you make a mistake, it's very easy for people to see, and is often very costly. You don't see all the mistakes as clearly, that the LB's can make, that safeties cover up. I think he's improved quite a bit through 3 weeks, and I think people around here are focused on him, because his mistakes are the easiest ones to spot for fans watching.

He was all over the place against BYU, and committing penalties. Not a good game. He was better against Stony Brook, and was better than that against Boise. He's not going backwards, and he is a player to watch. He's got a fantastic defensive coach, and a defensive system that will allow him to flourish as he develops. Adams, as a more developed, and senior player at SS, is already showing flashes. Melinfonwu, at his size, speed and athletic ability at the FS is going to be a terror out there for receivers and TE's alike. It's just going to take time, he has a lot of game experience so far, but very little time in the grand scheme, developing at the FS position. Poindexter, IMO, was Diaco's best hire, and I hope we keep him for a while.

No doubt he is athletically gifted. But someone better teach him to get his eyes out of the backfield when he's in man coverage because that is exactly where he was looking when the receiver blew right by him.

 

[Carl Spackler]

No doubt he is athletically gifted. But someone better teach him to get his eyes out of the backfield when he's in man coverage because that is exactly where he was looking when the receiver blew right by him.

Hey! Good to see you writing again.

LOL, I'm sure somebody has probably told him that by now. In fairness, they actually had a defensive plan to take Ajayi away, and it worked very well. He's got to be quicker on his reads, for sure. This isn't Jerome Junior out there though, I think I'm seeing progress through 3 games.

 

[Confident Carl]

You can see how athletic Obi is. Unfortunately, to be an effective safety you need more than athleticism. And this far in his career, he has not shown anything outside of that.

Guys, I know it looked bad but don't give up on Obi yet. He's only a sophmore. In the case of the BSU game, Jay Ajayi ran for over 200 yds against Colorado state the previous week. He came into the game leading the nation is yards from scrimmage. The team made a commitment to stop Ajayi and held him to 39 yards rushing! 39 yards! I guarantee that will be his lowest total by far, all year. In stoping Ajayi, unfortunately they got sucked into the play action. That's why Obi looked like he got burned so bad!

This will be a HUGE coaching moment for Obi, Graham and the coaches. They believed that stopping Ajayi was the key to winning but they may have overcooked things. In holding him to 39 they became very vulnerable to fakes. UCONN almost pulled it off!

Stop giving up the turnovers, simplify the O-Line play and stop giving up the ridiculous long plays and we win. Boise was not that much better than UCONN. The players are just young and there is a lot of work to do. Trust me on this one - Obi is not going anywhere. He is too good a player not to learn from this.

A good example of this is the Raven's - Steeler's game last week

As a result, in a chess game between coordinators — Kubiak and Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau — the Steelers left themselves vulnerable to play-action passes as the Ravens marched 85 yards in 12 plays to take 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

In an effort to counter the Ravens' ground game, one that was stymied against Cincinnati, LeBeau's goal-line defense had only one defensive back, strong safety Troy Polamalu. As cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen and safety Mike Mitchell trotted off the field after a Ravens timeout following Forsett's 1-yard run to the 2-yard line, the Steelers were guessing run all the way.

Predictably, they bit on the play-action fake to Pierce on second down. Flacco rolled and threw back the other way, and before linebacker Terence Garvin could correct his blown assignment, tight end Owen Daniels slipped into the flat for an easy touchdown.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/6765303-74/ravens-steelers-run#ixzz3DVHPV8Oj

 

[mauconnfan]

It's like watching Elvis Patterson all over again.

First guy I though of .....LOL

 

[Confident Carl]

Boneyarders are something else. #20 projects to be a high NFL Draft pick, if not 1st round. His athletic ability and tangibles are through the roof. He is a second year player, in his second defensive coordinator, system, and it is a demanding system mentally and physically on his safety position. He is a young, raw player right now, in a new system 3 games in. By the time this kid is a senior, as long as we keep Poindexter, and I hope we do, and this defensive system, he is going to be havoc for any opponent we face. He has had some problems both penalty wise and assignments, but he shows improvement, and the next time a safety, or a db, for that matter doesn't ever get beat, 100% of the time will be the first. The safety position, on our roster, is young, but is one of our strongest depth wise on the entire roster moving forward. If there is another player that can emerge above Obi, they will, but I doubt it. He'll start for 2 more seasons after this, and will be at the next level. Mark it down.

I agree 100% Obi is here to stay. He bit on some things. The entire team was keying on Ajai, which is why he was held to an amazing 39 yds. I believe Diaco would be the first to take a hit on this one. Obi is going no where. He's a player with a bright future. Diaco loves him.

 

[Confident Carl]

Everyone pics of Whitmer this kid doesn't belong in college football at all. He is awful. Cost us the game

Awful is way too strong a word. It' tough to look like a super star when you are getting sacked 7 times a game. In spite of that, he had some really good throws and a few not so good ones. He improved on his Stony Brook performance. I believe Boyle will become a bigger part of the offense as the season progresses but for now, I am okay with Chandler Whitmer and I am glad Diaco talked him into coming back or we would really be in trouble with only Boyle. I hope he has a great game against USF. Don't be such of an energy sucker. By the way, pick is not pic and off is not of - You are an AWFUL speller!

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

scottieskis said: ↑
Everyone pics of Whitmer this kid doesn't belong in college football at all. He is awful. Cost us the game

Awful is way too strong a word. It' tough to look like a super star when you are getting sacked 7 times a game. In spite of that, he had some really good throws and a few not so good ones. He improved on his Stony Brook performance. I believe Boyle will become a bigger part of the offense as the season progresses but for now, I am okay with Chandler Whitmer and I am glad Diaco talked him into coming back or we would really be in trouble with only Boyle. I hope he has a great game against USF. Don't be such of an energy sucker. By the way, pick is not pic and off is not of - You are an AWFUL speller!

I think he was talking about Obi, not Whitmer. Change the "of" to "on", and add a "but" before "this".

 

[Confident Carl]

scottieskis said: ↑
Everyone pics of Whitmer this kid doesn't belong in college football at all. He is awful. Cost us the game



I think he was talking about Obi, not Whitmer. Change the "of" to "on", and add a "but" before "this".

So he can't spell and you can't read. He was talking about Whitmer. He put down Obi in his initial rant...

 

[sportsart]

So he can't spell and you can't read. He was talking about Whitmer. He put down Obi in his initial rant...

Carl...he used poor grammar and punctuation (probably alcohol related) and mixed his sentences together. He was talking about Obi costing us the game.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So far I think Obi' s problems have been coaches have too much confidence in his abilities as much as him straight screwing up.

He can't cover WR's one on one. He is a plus talent against the run and he can provide over the top help. It's up to the coaches to figure out schemes that don't isolate him deep.

 

[Confident Carl]

scottieskis said: ↑
Everyone pics of Whitmer this kid doesn't belong in college football at all. He is awful. Cost us the game



I think he was talking about Obi, not Whitmer. Change the "of" to "on", and add a "but" before "this".

No, sorry but "Everyone picks off Whitmer sounds like he was talking about a Quarterback and not a Safety! Last time I checked a pick was an interception.
Let's all just cut the and kick the out of USF.

Getting back to Obi Melifonwu, Both Pasqualoni (who is a defensive guy) and Diaco see the immense talent in Obi. I don't believe a few blown assignments will diminish the belief that he has the size, speed, intelligence and skill sets to become one of the best Safety's in the country and a high NFL draft pick!

http://articles.courant.com/2014-08..._1_bob-diaco-obi-melifonwu-anthony-poindexter

The reality is Chandler Whitmer is starting at Quarterback and Obi Melifonwu is starting at Safety against USF. I will support the coaches decision and I believe UCONN will win in Tampa.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Watch the replay. I don't think he ever had a realistic shot. The analyst actually related the play to personal experiene playing as a WR. Usually when being given that much of cushion by a safety he'd let the QB know in the huddle that it was open season. It's already a positional mismatch, the 12 yard cushion just exacerbates that. His best shot is jamming him in the first five yards.

That was Joey Galloway and he basically said anytime he ever saw a safety playing man on him in a slot with a 12 yd cushion, it was free money...

 

[Nostical]

Joey Galloway was an OSU All-American who burned lots of excellent DB's. The good news is Galloway isn't showing up in Tampa. The Bulls will target Obi off the Boise game. They'll regret it as Obi should have a great game. Look for him to grab his first INT.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

On a side note...Galloway was strong. He actually provided insight from his experience as a player. It's amazing how many ex athletes who do color, forget that the reason they are there is to share their perspective and experiences.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I watched the replay. The TD that Obi got beat on was a tough assignment. But it's still a play, with the proper technique and eye discipline (God I sound like Edsall), that could have made. Or, even made more difficult. In fairness to Obi, maybe the coaches are asking him to do a little too much there. Things that he's maybe not quite ready for.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I watched the replay. The TD that Obi got beat on was a tough assignment. But it's still a play, with the proper technique and eye discipline (God I sound like Edsall), that could have made. Or, even made more difficult. In fairness to Obi, maybe the coaches are asking him to do a little too much there. Things that he's maybe not quite ready for.

I'm actually watching replay of the game now, that website is pretty cool. On the TD late in the 2nd Q, it looks like Boise had set up Obi to get beat. They must have seen it against Stony Brook, and what we were doing to stop Ajayi through 2 quarters. On the play before, he's set up in man coverage on the slot, they run a play fake to Ajayi in the backfield, and throw to the slot on square in route. Obi closes and makes a good tackle. The next play, same coverage, the QB runs play action again run fake again to Ajayi, then adds a pump fake to the slot, the receiver runs a simple hitch and go type of route, both motions, the QB, and the receiver, freezes Obi, who had to have been watching the QB pump fake the ball, and then he doesn't have enough space to close the gap, before the TD. He's actually fast enough, that if that happens on the other 20 yard line, he most likely makes the tackle. Big gain, in the open field, but in that postion, a big mistake that cost us 6.

http://uconnhuskygames.com/2014-football-game-replays/

He's simply got to get better at his gulp,,,I agree....Edsallian terminology - eye discipline.

There is no doubt that other teams we will play, have seen this, and try to exploit it. When he's in man coverage, he's got to keep his eyes on his man. Save the watching the backfield for other situations.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I'm actually watching replay of the game now, that website is pretty cool. On the TD late in the 2nd Q, it looks like Boise had set up Obi to get beat. They must have seen it against Stony Brook, and what we were doing to stop Ajayi through 2 quarters. On the play before, he's set up in man coverage on the slot, they run a play fake to Ajayi in the backfield, and throw to the slot on square in route. Obi closes and makes a good tackle. The next play, same coverage, the QB runs play action again run fake again to Ajayi, then adds a pump fake to the slot, the receiver runs a simple hitch and go type of route, both motions, the QB, and the receiver, freezes Obi, who had to have been watching the QB pump fake the ball, and then he doesn't have enough space to close the gap, before the TD. He's actually fast enough, that if that happens on the other 20 yard line, he most likely makes the tackle. Big gain, in the open field, but in that postion, a big mistake that cost us 6.

http://uconnhuskygames.com/2014-football-game-replays/

He's simply got to get better at his gulp,,,I agree....Edsallian terminology - eye discipline.

There is no doubt that other teams we will play, have seen this, and try to exploit it. When he's in man coverage, he's got to keep his eyes on his man. Save the watching the backfield for other situations.

That is exactly as I saw the play as well. Obi got caught with his eyes in the backfield, reacted to the pump fake, and got roasted.

 

[Carl Spackler]

That is exactly as I saw the play as well. Obi got caught with his eyes in the backfield, reacted to the pump fake, and got roasted.

You know, if we're going to evaluate Obi, you got to include everything, and right before the half, and the first and goal situation we had down 14-10, he saved a TD, earlier, by closing a ridiculous amount of space on the field, to cover up for Graham Stewart. We stuffed the sh8888t out of Ajayi, but they ran and end around play fake throw to the QB, that we completely broke down on. No edge contain. They did run that same kind of play later in the game, and we stuffed it. They show progression, and learning both through 3 games, and individual games.

Obi just got to decide if he's in man coverage or not, and then stop looking in the backfield when he's in man coverage.

I hope we beat the snot out of USF.