Yes. But that takes time. I don't expect us to get substantially better at blocking and tackling by next Saturday. I do think that better red zone scheming can be installed by next Saturday.
I do expect us to get better in those basic fundamentals, by next Saturday. because I expect them to practice it. What concerns me about Diaco, and I've held this all along, is that if there is really anything under that polished salesman, with a plan. If your players can't make the blocks, and can't make the tackles, then you're not coaching them well. Football is not a sport where you need life long developed physical skills to compete (i.e. soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.)
If your players aren't able to block and tackle well, then you've failed as a coach. These players, for the most part, have been playing football for a few years now, and should have knowledge of the basics, they just need to be perfected on it. When they are coached well, when they can maintain good positioning, contact, and leverage, and can move together as a team, within a basic framework of creating space and taking away space, it's a matter of how well you match up with the basic measurable of weight, height and speed with your opponents.
With an opponent like Stony Brook, we are going to get a good look at where our program is. If we have the size, speed, and strength to compete at the 1-A level, we should be able to take a handful of offensive plays, and defensive sets, and run them all day long, and destroy this team. We should be drilling all week long, and a short handful of plays, to make sure that every single block, and every single run fill, gap assignment tackling, and pass coverage is perfect.
Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect, and it's harder to be perfect in practice when you're using 53 players on offense, and running all kinds of schemes.
Simpler is better, easier, I think, when you're developing a program - especially against an opponent that hopefully, we are physically better than.
That's what worries me about Diaco's "plan". I wonder if the guy is just way overthinking things. PIck your players, line up and play ball. Save the complex game plans, and all the other development game experience stuff for the round table talks.
Have people forgotten that Pasqualoni and co? did the exact same thing, rotating players all over the place - to get experience? How did that work out?
Pick your damn lineup and play them. Honestly, if we have to be concerned about scheming and game plans to beat Stony Brook, we are really in a hole with this program. I refuse to believe that until I see it.
I think what's best is that we pick a lineup of 22 players, on offense and defense, and run a handful of sets, and keep running them, and ideally, if we are able physically, and size, speed to compete at 1-A, we should roll this team in the dirt, and at the same time, get a whole bunch of players the good feeling of what destroying a team, and winning and breaking their will feels like. THey need that, more than anything- not everybody on the team, the 11 best on offense and defense - right now.
Ok - I got it out. Deep breath.