ATTN Giufre and Horton - things to fix moving forward

[uconnfan68]

I would love a career change but this one job is good for 2 months or so. That said, if anyone has either played and or watched football, it isn't rocket science. Take advantage of your strengths and opponents weakness and help mask your deficiencies. I still think we have decent receivers, tight ends and some very good young running backs. Get them in a position to make a play.

We started with some misdirection but we have to loosen up the line of scrimmage to help the O line. Also, our offense is so rudimentary, we don't know how to handle a blitz.

I should have added stop with the 5 wide. Tom Brady couldn't get through a 5 progressions with the lack of time the O line provides. Time to keep an RB in the backfield to help with either a blitz or again, chip a lineman!!

Someone has read Sun Tzu. ;^)

 

[BlueDogs]

They run way too many Zone read runs and the line isn't blocking it well at all. We need to take more advantage of the lines inability to block well with more screen and more traps where you actually want a bit of penetration. To run the ball other than that they're going to have to go back to basic run blocking, because they sure as heck can't seem to manage the zone block scheme. Krajewski needs to remain the QB... I'd love to see a RPO installed as I felt like Krajewski also made his best throws on the move with roll outs and bootlegs, but I don't think we have any of that installed in the offense (at least not that I recall seeing used yet). His throws on the three-step swing and bubble screen plays weren't consistent, that needs to improve.

Defensively the secondaries inability and/or unwillingness to tackle is well documented, but I was shocked at how slow they were to break on the ball while playing the soft-zone that let Purdue go 30-36 passing. There were a ton of times where it felt like guys were content to let themselves be blocked vs fighting through the block to make a stop or at least close down the edge.

Yes, yes, yes. Get rid of the damn zone read run. It’s been killing us forever. Create holes with schemes and go to the hole. We have neither speed nor talent at RB or OL to execute zone reads. Bubble and WO screens should be used judiciously not as a main staple. Trying to beat the edge as the slower team is plain stupid. My suggestions:
1. More QB under center with play action and use of TEs
2. More trap and misdirection running plays
3. Put in an FB to give the QB some protection. Convert an LB that can’t tackle for crap into somebody who can at least block somebody.
4. Stretch the field vertically, not horizontally… need to creat spacing been LBs and secondary.
5. Simple Assignment blocking
6. Close the spacing between lineman a bit and make sure the QB steps up into the pocket, not out. We are getting killed on pass rush. Clog the middle and slow the rush. FB picks up and kicks out any free edge rusher and then releases.
7. Draws, like screens, are the exception not a staple.

 

[Bubba1957]

All of your suggestions make sense to me. It's likely none get implemented, which leaves me scratching my head. The last two games we were victimized quick hitters at the hole by guys who weren't flashy at all. Burns would excel in that role. Personally I had experience with the Delaware Wing T. No one would run it now, but it featured a lot of quick hitters and a lot of trapping. Good for an undersized line. Made it really tough on the Ds reads. One misstep and you'd get a guard on your chest. Designed to create confusion and hesitation. More conducive to the passing game than the triple option, but with a lot of the benefits in the running game. I liked trying to outsmart and out execute the other team as opposed to doing what everyone else does (shot gun, zone read). The best team doesn't win. The team that plays best usually does.