Tackling is atrocious across (college) football, it's better for athlete safety, but the lack of contact and live tackling in practices, coupled with terrible teaching of fundamentals setting bad habits and the absence of practice time to fix it after that's settled in.
UMD Thoughts
- Thread starter ZOOCONN
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2011
- Messages
- 775
- Reaction Score
- 3,248
I agree that tackling has fallen off across the board but it just seems that ours is a whole other level of bad. Hopefully it gets better this week and continues to improve throughout the season.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 4,017
- Reaction Score
- 4,130
It's a friggin' "want to" problem. Run tacling drills: two players 7 yds apart between 3 foot wide corridor between blocking dummies. Two trains running into each other at top speed. And run this drill every day for long sessions. Smash or be smashed. Guessing they need a refresher in tackling.
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 37,287
- Reaction Score
- 39,465
Now you're making seem like rocket science... no wonder we can't do it!
cttxus
The CT-TX-US Connection: Historic, Alive and Well
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 1,024
- Reaction Score
- 3,871
That was known as the suicide drill on my HS team. We did it every practice. Did not like it, as I was a skinny, 2nd string DB. Another one was known as the kahuna drill. DBs lined up 7 yds apart from ends/RBs running towards each other, looking at coach who threw a jump ball between us. Did not like that one either. Both had me looking forward to the games.
.-.
Our wr core weren't clearly open but in the past we've been outclassed by g5 players. This is why I have some hope about things.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2011
- Messages
- 4,259
- Reaction Score
- 9,595
Watched most of the BC game and their secondary tackled very well. It was a big reason they did not lose their lead. We should have a board in our locker room showing where each position group is ranked nationally in regards to missed tackles. There needs to be way more accountability for this long running problem.
One thing I take solace in is that this game no matter how bad it was - it was only 1 game. Even if we had pulled massive upset - it’s onto the next game.
I agree with missed tackles (#15 worst in that category) and poor play calling.
On the bright side I though our OL did a good job against a massive DL to protect QB.
What the offense didn’t do well was hold blocks - looked terrible blocking. We can’t run the ball if the RBs don’t have a path to run the ball.
The receivers also dropped a lot of balls. If a ball is a foot off the mark, yes if you’re open you need to catch that ball for the QB.
I think the fundamentals were lacking last Sat and these are one of the only parts of the game that are within your control - D-
I do think as much as I didn’t think I would say this - Start Fagnano -the dude looks comfortable in the pocket. Please give Welliver some snaps. Save Nick for games 3/4 and let this QB situation sort itself out.
I agree with missed tackles (#15 worst in that category) and poor play calling.
On the bright side I though our OL did a good job against a massive DL to protect QB.
What the offense didn’t do well was hold blocks - looked terrible blocking. We can’t run the ball if the RBs don’t have a path to run the ball.
The receivers also dropped a lot of balls. If a ball is a foot off the mark, yes if you’re open you need to catch that ball for the QB.
I think the fundamentals were lacking last Sat and these are one of the only parts of the game that are within your control - D-
I do think as much as I didn’t think I would say this - Start Fagnano -the dude looks comfortable in the pocket. Please give Welliver some snaps. Save Nick for games 3/4 and let this QB situation sort itself out.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2013
- Messages
- 1,979
- Reaction Score
- 4,307
Thought the backs looked good running the ball early. Maybe went more passing because they fell behind? Gotta make catches.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2016
- Messages
- 5,305
- Reaction Score
- 11,189
Please. Save Nick? This is exactly the kind of game he should use to shake the cobwebs out. I say play all three although I recognize that if they want to sharpen Nick up he will likely get almost all of the snaps. What he needs right now is game snaps, pure and simple. Some miles under the belt so the game slows down for him and an extra option is considered before each decision.
.-.
I agree Evers needs to play against Merrimack to get actual game experience. Merrimack is a perfect opponent to get reps against before facing Duke. Duke has a very good defense. UConn will have trouble moving the ball against them. Good news is Duke offense is just average especially lost QB to ND.
BC hired a good coach and he brought in a good coaching staff. The team looked well prepared. Compare to UConn who looked like they had not practice together and look ill prepare for the game. Makes you question UConn coaching staff. OC appears to be learning on the job to be an OC. QB play was bad. Secondary was very very bad. Could not tackle nor cover. It looked very familiar to last years team.
Looked like we were doing the same thing with Brown when he Brinson whiffed on tackle that lead to a Maryland touchdown!
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 584
- Reaction Score
- 3,586
I think a good OC gives you the biggest bang for your buck in college football. We saw with Lashlee how a competent and innovative OC can take an offense from listless to dynamic in a single season. And how quickly that same offense will regress once the play-calling reverts back to being stale and predictable.
But it’s like UConn learned nothing at all from that experience.
If there’s been one relative constant in UConn’s decade-plus of futility, it’s been our string of below-replacement-level OCs (Lashlee excluded). We just insist on this 1980s run-first, short-pass offense that requires guys to execute 20 plays in a row to generate a score. Sure, each individual play is “low risk,” but the point is to actually score - a distinction that every other college program seems to have grasped, but that continuously eludes our OCs.
Not going to get on our OC too much because it’s his first time doing a job he has absolutely no experience with. But it’s an institutional failure to put a guy like that in charge of playcalling. How does that even happen? Who thought that was a better idea than hiring someone who’s actually done the job successfully before?
.-.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 4,017
- Reaction Score
- 4,130
That's what I'm talking about. Two locomotives running in opposite direction down a 3 foot alley. Number to number contact, smash or be smashed football. "Only the strong survive".
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 5,025
- Reaction Score
- 19,563
My track coach kept things simple. Before each meet he’d gather us together and say. “Don’t forget to stretch in the blocks, breathe deep, then stay to the left and get back as quick as you can.“
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 5,025
- Reaction Score
- 19,563
This was the killer as I watched from the stands. First, MD was bigger and looked it. They were faster and showed it. They were tougher and broke more (bad) tackles than I’ve seen in a long time. But whatever Mora saw in Evers was stymied by some horrendous play calling. After a bunch of sprint outs forcing throws on the run that flopped—it was third and two on the MD 30. We’d moved the ball and need to extend it. In the stands we professional play callers decided a great play would be a short sprint out to the right then a turn back to the left and hit the RB who had drifted out. Nope! Evers sprinted to right and threw downfield into coverage. Sammis isnt just a poor play caller. His O team came off sulking on sideline. Even Evers. Bell was the only guy trying to rally. The saddest sack was Benedict who stayed off to the side sucking on a water bottle trying to look incognito while visions of B12 honchos snickering danced in his head.
Famous Abe Lemon quote also,
“Wish I could come back as a track coach, stay to the left and hurry back here”
Course might struggle with the PV or hammer throw
storrsroars
Exiled in Pittsburgh
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2012
- Messages
- 23,098
- Reaction Score
- 56,198
Had some insomnia, saw the replay was on B1G channel, so I turned it on. Game was in Q2, already 0-14.
What I saw from offense was actually mildly encouraging - for first time in 3 years we often had WRs getting open downfield. I interpret this both as we have better WR talent, and the offense has opened up. Now, getting the ball to those guys is another issue. In Q2 alone, UConn missed on two long pass plays that should've been complete, one where Evers threw behind a guy, another where the WR beat his guy down the sideline, then inexplicably slowed down so ball hit off his fingertips. That wasn't Evers fault. You could say that we're now talking about QB/receiver timing instead of the same stodgy offense we've seen the past two years. That said, the late INT in Q2 was all Evers and a horrible mistake after the D held for a FG instead of what seemed a sure TD.
On defense, I missed the first two TDs, so can't say. I did see good effort, swarming to ball, and pretty good play. That they kept MD out of the end zone after the dumb INT was pretty impressive.
I think UConn could've easily had 10-14 pts in Q2 if they connected on those two long passes.
Fagnano looked good in his first series. After that... missed reads, off target, nothing to suggest he keeps the job.
I think there's enough there to beat Merrimack with Evers.
What I saw from offense was actually mildly encouraging - for first time in 3 years we often had WRs getting open downfield. I interpret this both as we have better WR talent, and the offense has opened up. Now, getting the ball to those guys is another issue. In Q2 alone, UConn missed on two long pass plays that should've been complete, one where Evers threw behind a guy, another where the WR beat his guy down the sideline, then inexplicably slowed down so ball hit off his fingertips. That wasn't Evers fault. You could say that we're now talking about QB/receiver timing instead of the same stodgy offense we've seen the past two years. That said, the late INT in Q2 was all Evers and a horrible mistake after the D held for a FG instead of what seemed a sure TD.
On defense, I missed the first two TDs, so can't say. I did see good effort, swarming to ball, and pretty good play. That they kept MD out of the end zone after the dumb INT was pretty impressive.
I think UConn could've easily had 10-14 pts in Q2 if they connected on those two long passes.
Fagnano looked good in his first series. After that... missed reads, off target, nothing to suggest he keeps the job.
I think there's enough there to beat Merrimack with Evers.
.-.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
- Messages
- 13,905
- Reaction Score
- 25,921
Yeah. The team won 3 games and likely would have won fewer if his pick for starting qb had not been replaced at halftime of the Holy Cross game. I truly don’t get the Lashlee love Or the Pindell stuff for that matter. Sheriffs was a much better quarterback.
When I saw him in the backfield taking snaps, for a moment I was tricked into thinking Roberson was back on the team. Lol
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2011
- Messages
- 4,793
- Reaction Score
- 9,094
That's because the program had future NFL talent all over the place on defense. All or close to it were Edsall recruits. You are calling a Loss on Saturday and advocating shutting the program down for 10 years. You here to watch the program die
Yeah, but moving the barrel 30 yards upfield for McEntee waisted valuable time in practice.
