P.J. Fleck has pored over Gophers’ 2021 game film in quest to improve offense

[BleedGopher]

per Greder:

Minnesota Golden Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck will, on average, go back and watch a season’s worth of games two or three times before spring practices start. This year, Fleck hit rewind on the 2021 season four or five times, and he just finished reviewing the regular-season finale against Wisconsin before his spring kickoff news conference Tuesday.

“We were too inconsistent,” Fleck said “We had way too many three-and-outs. It just didn’t flow together. That starts with me.” Next in line, making sure the adjustments will fall to offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, which is a move the past and future.

P.J. Fleck has pored over Gophers’ 2021 game film in quest to improve offense

The Gophers must replace four of five starting offensive linemen and six of the top eight defensive linemen from the 2021 team

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Go Gophers!!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

that's fine. and it's exactly what every other coach in the country does, down to the HS level.

Hey, it's the start of Spring Practice and they have to write something.

 

[Dakota2]

that's fine. and it's exactly what every other coach in the country does, down to the HS level.

Hey, it's the start of Spring Practice and they have to write something.

Let's hope he noticed how disorganized it looked with the QB constantly fight to get the snap before zero.

 

[Denver_Gopher]

Let's hope he noticed how disorganized it looked with the QB constantly fight to get the snap before zero.

Good point, but I have to admit it took me a minute to understand what you meant. I get nervous every time the clock hits 7 seconds

 

[hungan1]

Steve Spurrier offered an alternative early-season presser:

 

[Panthadad2]

Steve Spurrier offered an alternative early-season presser:

It's like Spurrier was channeling the late great John Gagliardi.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

there is something to be said for having a sense of humor, and for being willing to poke fun at yourself.

On the "watching the film" thing - my question would be "what did you see on the film and how do you plan to correct it?"

 

[hungan1]

there is something to be said for having a sense of humor, and for being willing to poke fun at yourself.

On the "watching the film" thing - my question would be "what did you see on the film and how do you plan to correct it?"

He would surely see milking the clock for the sake of TOP is inane. Milking the clock to almost zero gave opposing defenses plenty of time to catch their breath.

They have to mix it up a little and keep the opponents guessing. The Gophers made themselves very predictable. The Gophers did not make adjustments to counter the opponents in the second half. They have enough talent to win the title last season. The losses to BGSU and Illinois were on the coaches.

PJ Fleck should re-watch the 2019 game films. They have to get that magic back.

 

[HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving]

I heard that PJ tried to pore over game film but the incessant staring at the sideline by Morgan put him to sleep.

 

[PoockItInfor6]

He would surely see milking the clock for the sake of TOP is inane. Milking the clock to almost zero gave opposing defenses plenty of time to catch their breath.

They have to mix it up a little and keep the opponents guessing. The Gophers made themselves very predictable. The Gophers did not make adjustments to counter the opponents in the second half. They have enough talent to win the title last season. The losses to BGSU and Illinois were on the coaches.

PJ Fleck should re-watch the 2019 game films. They have to get that magic back.

It also helps our defense. Milking the clock was done in 2019 too, and VERY successfully. Last year’s problems on offense were a big part play calling, mixed in with drops by WRs and Morgan’s confidence eroding. All very fixable things when you change OCs.

 

[Urbandale]

there is something to be said for having a sense of humor, and for being willing to poke fun at yourself.

On the "watching the film" thing - my question would be "what did you see on the film and how do you plan to correct it?"

He said, among other things:

“We were too inconsistent”
“We had too many three and outs”
“It didn’t flow together”
“We need more people involved in the passing game”
“When we’re really good…we have throws that are easy to throw and make”

What exactly were you looking for?

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Let's hope he noticed how disorganized it looked with the QB constantly fight to get the snap before zero.

He knows, it's intentional. He has been tracking it and I'm sure he's pretty pumped we made the last second adjustment on plays like CAB's TD against WI.

It is a strategy used by tons of coaches throughout college football. People only notice it on the plays that don't work. When the plays work, we don't remember any of the pre-snap stuff. I don't care if sticks with it or moves away from it, but it is a really common strategy that has its plusses and minuses. This isn't just a "sloppy Gopher offense" thing. I'm not saying you don't get that, I've just heard other people make that claim.

 

[MNVCGUY]

It also helps our defense. Milking the clock was done in 2019 too, and VERY successfully. Last year’s problems on offense were a big part play calling, mixed in with drops by WRs and Morgan’s confidence eroding. All very fixable things when you change OCs.

There's milking the clock and there is what we did last year. Fleck's offense philosophy is built around controlling time of possession, being efficient, and limiting the other team's chances with the ball. Mason did it, Wisconsin has done it for years, it is a very common strategy.

You can play that style and not do what we did for a good chunk of last year. The constant checks and adjustments right up to the final second of the play clock was new under Sanford, it was not like that under KC.

Thought it was interesting that Fleck specifically mentioned watching the TV copies of games in his evaluation. TV copies are very different then coaches film. Tells me he is really digging into the flow of the game and will be curious to see what adjustments he makes.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

He said, among other things:

“We were too inconsistent”
“We had too many three and outs”
“It didn’t flow together”
“We need more people involved in the passing game”
“When we’re really good…we have throws that are easy to throw and make”

What exactly were you looking for?

Not targeting short ornery norwegian here but generally speaking:

It's amazing how many people show up to bitch about X, Y, Z or PJ not saying / thinking about X, Y, Z, or they wonder why PJ doesn't notice / know ... and PJ straight up addresses it in his pressers, often repeatedly.

You can't win if you're a HC, the complainers don't listen to what the HC says and then they bitch about what they say...

If you watch some press conferences / interviews, a lot of stuff we talk about in here he addresses directly, and even hints at things to come.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Not targeting short ornery norwegian here but generally speaking:

It's amazing how many people show up to bitch about X, Y, Z or PJ not saying / thinking about X, Y, Z, or they wonder why PJ doesn't notice / know ... and PJ straight up addresses it in his pressers, often repeatedly.

You can't win if you're a HC, the complainers don't listen to what the HC says and then they bitch about what they say...

If you watch some press conferences / interviews, a lot of stuff we talk about in here he addresses directly, and even hints at things to come.

The other thing that happens is that everything is chalked up to coach speak and so even if the coach is being honest there are those that won't believe them on principle.

But yeah, it is a no win situation, no matter what a coach says you can guarantee there will be someone who doesn't like it or gets upset about it.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

The other thing that happens is that everything is chalked up to coach speak and so even if the coach is being honest there are those that won't believe them on principle.

But yeah, it is a no win situation, no matter what a coach says you can guarantee there will be someone who doesn't like it or gets upset about it.

Depends on the coach too. So I get why folks might not expect to get anything out of press conferences / interviews.

Some are just concrete walls. And that's their call / their style.

PJ though, I've found him to be pretty forthcoming / open.

It's a weird world:

I heard a story from some new college grads who worked at a newspaper in Alabama: They ran into Saban randomly and he was waiting to get picked up by someone and so they chatted. They told him they just graduated from Alabama and he gave them a few minutes for questions, but off the record.

Some OL guy had been out and it was late in the season. They asked if he would be back. Saban said they're not commenting but also noted how his replacement was doing a great job, and despite that the replacement might see fewer in game reps.

There was no obvious replacement for the replacement OL guy. So this was obviously an off the record hint that the OL guy was going to be back... but maybe in limited capacity in the next game or two.

But one of the two new grads didn't get the hint .... he kept asking directly about the OL guy (same question as before that Saban refused to answer). Saban looked annoyed. Nobody likes repeated identical questions ...

Car pulled up and he looked at the other grad "I guess it's your story now right?"

Other reporter ran with it, cited "sources inside the program indicate X will be back in a limited capacity". All the local reporters doubted him, and then it happened. Dude got a very nice free scoop nobody else had because he was paying attention

 

[MNVCGUY]

Depends on the coach too. So I get why folks might not expect to get anything out of press conferences / interviews.

Some are just concrete walls. And that's their call / their style.

PJ though, I've found him to be pretty forthcoming / open.

Fleck has always come across as one who enjoys interacting with the media. There are lots of coaches who always look like they want to be anywhere but there whereas Fleck engages with them and answers questions pretty honestly.

 

[Dakota2]

He knows, it's intentional. He has been tracking it and I'm sure he's pretty pumped we made the last second adjustment on plays like CAB's TD against WI.

It is a strategy used by tons of coaches throughout college football. People only notice it on the plays that don't work. When the plays work, we don't remember any of the pre-snap stuff. I don't care if sticks with it or moves away from it, but it is a really common strategy that has its plusses and minuses. This isn't just a "sloppy Gopher offense" thing. I'm not saying you don't get that, I've just heard other people make that claim.

Like all strategies, execution is the key. While a strategy to use all of the play clock for possible play changes is not inherently sloppy, poor execution makes it both sloppy and inefficient.

A good use of the strategy to use the play clock for possible adjustments would dictate coaches reacting faster than they did the last two years and giving Morgan the ability to get set with seven seconds and then call the snap in plenty of time. Going to one second and barely being set is sloppy and not a good use of the strategy.

Maybe we scored on Wisconsin with a late play switch. Maybe we had other good plays directly resulting from a play switch. I am a little doubtful of the overall effectiveness when measured against all the plays started by a panicked quarterback, time outs burned, and delay penalties. I don't see a good balance there.

Also, if you watch the defense while Morgan is running up and down the line calling out the new/old/another play, usually they are just set in place and not moving. What did coaches see late that they couldn't see 20 seconds earlier? So yes, maybe as you say, a lot of coaches use this strategy but did many successfully use it with as poor execution as did Sanford? I doubt it.

Some have argued KC did the same in 2019. He did have the QB look at the sidelines but usually we were ready for the snap well before panic time. So, same strategy, better execution.

But here's a thought that I don't recall being discussed here. I would like to hear your opinion.

It's a given in college football that QB experience is very valuable. But what is the single most valuable asset a quarterback can gain from playing experience? I would say it is learning to read defenses.

Has Morgan learned much about reading defenses while looking at the sideline then running back and forth behind his line? Hard to learn to read a defense when you have no time to even look out over the field. This, to me, would be a glaring deficiency in the poorly executed strategy to use all of the play clock.

If a QB can read the defense himself, he is in the best position to see where single coverage will be and who is likely to be double covered. He is in the best position to see late creeping towards or away from the box. He can then shout a simple one word audible, run or pass.

So the question in my mind is this: Does Fleck favor this strategy because he believes sideline coaches can best make adjustment decisions from the original play, rather than the quarterback? Or is he using the strategy primarily to assure maximum time is burned every down?

 

[Dakota2]

There's milking the clock and there is what we did last year. Fleck's offense philosophy is built around controlling time of possession, being efficient, and limiting the other team's chances with the ball. Mason did it, Wisconsin has done it for years, it is a very common strategy.

You can play that style and not do what we did for a good chunk of last year. The constant checks and adjustments right up to the final second of the play clock was new under Sanford, it was not like that under KC.

Thought it was interesting that Fleck specifically mentioned watching the TV copies of games in his evaluation. TV copies are very different then coaches film. Tells me he is really digging into the flow of the game and will be curious to see what adjustments he makes.

I would suggest that good running teams like Wisconsin control the clock by getting first downs and keeping the ball. Trying to milk every second from the play clock in order to gain TOP is folly if you are going three and out. (Fleck did mention in his press conference that he was very concerned with the number of short possessions).

 

[Dakota2]

Not targeting short ornery norwegian here but generally speaking:

It's amazing how many people show up to bitch about X, Y, Z or PJ not saying / thinking about X, Y, Z, or they wonder why PJ doesn't notice / know ... and PJ straight up addresses it in his pressers, often repeatedly.

You can't win if you're a HC, the complainers don't listen to what the HC says and then they bitch about what they say...

If you watch some press conferences / interviews, a lot of stuff we talk about in here he addresses directly, and even hints at things to come.

And imagine how they would bitch if the HC didn't have any press conferences and said nothing about nothing?

 

[MaxyJR1]

I've said this to friends before. If you really listen to what Fleck says, he's really transparent about the team outside of off the field and injury items.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I would suggest that good running teams like Wisconsin control the clock by getting first downs and keeping the ball. Trying to milk every second from the play clock in order to gain TOP is folly if you are going three and out. (Fleck did mention in his press conference that he was very concerned with the number of short possessions).

We will never know the answer but there are some in here that assume that Fleck's philosophy is to drain the play clock to 1 second before snapping the ball and he was the one dictating that.

I don't believe that is the case. Fleck wants to control the play clock and play at a more deliberate pace by not rushing to snap the ball. Some teams huddle to do this, we line up and then get the play from the sideline but in either case the pace of the offense is designed to be slower which helps gain TOP.

You can be a heavy TOP/grind the clock team without doing what we did under Sanford. I highly suspect we are going to see a return to an offense that looks much more like what we saw in 2019 where they would take full advantage of the play clock but in a much more controlled and less frantic way.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I've said this to friends before. If you really listen to what Fleck says, he's really transparent about the team outside of off the field and injury items.

100%, but there are too many looking for a reason to be offended or upset about something so they don't really pay attention.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

So the question in my mind is this: Does Fleck favor this strategy because he believes sideline coaches can best make adjustment decisions from the original play, rather than the quarterback? Or is he using the strategy primarily to assure maximum time is burned every down?

I think it's both. I think if we didn't check to the sidelines on every down, he'd still drag the clock down to zero. I also think if he didn't care about dragging the clock down to zero, he'd still want to the QB to check the sidelines.

You're right in that it's a dangerous combination to do both on every play.

 

[FullBanana]

I think it's both. I think if we didn't check to the sidelines on every down, he'd still drag the clock down to zero. I also think if he didn't care about dragging the clock down to zero, he'd still want to the QB to check the sidelines.

You're right in that it's a dangerous combination to do both on every play.

I don’t mind it for most of the game. Would be nice to throw in some up tempo series or plays to catch the other team off guard. Due to our plodding style I could see it being an effective tactic.

 

[Bayfield Gopher]

Fleck has always come across as one who enjoys interacting with the media. There are lots of coaches who always look like they want to be anywhere but there whereas Fleck engages with them and answers questions pretty honestly.

There’s not a mic that PJ doesn’t like.

 

[hungan1]

We will never know the answer but there are some in here that assume that Fleck's philosophy is to drain the play clock to 1 second before snapping the ball and he was the one dictating that.

I don't believe that is the case. Fleck wants to control the play clock and play at a more deliberate pace by not rushing to snap the ball. Some teams huddle to do this, we line up and then get the play from the sideline but in either case the pace of the offense is designed to be slower which helps gain TOP.

You can be a heavy TOP/grind the clock team without doing what we did under Sanford. I highly suspect we are going to see a return to an offense that looks much more like what we saw in 2019 where they would take full advantage of the play clock but in a much more controlled and less frantic way.

That difference between the 2019 and 2021 Gophers editions is very evident. They didn't deliberately milk the clock down to the very last second in 2019. The flow and execution of the TOP flowed more efficiently.

 

[Some guy]

He would surely see milking the clock for the sake of TOP is inane. Milking the clock to almost zero gave opposing defenses plenty of time to catch their breath.

They have to mix it up a little and keep the opponents guessing. The Gophers made themselves very predictable. The Gophers did not make adjustments to counter the opponents in the second half. They have enough talent to win the title last season. The losses to BGSU and Illinois were on the coaches.

PJ Fleck should re-watch the 2019 game films. They have to get that magic back.

In 2019 they had like 90% of their snaps with less than 5 on the play clock just FYI

 

[Some guy]

That difference between the 2019 and 2021 Gophers editions is very evident. They didn't deliberately milk the clock down to the very last second in 2019. The flow and execution of the TOP flowed more efficiently.

The last second is bad. But they were under 5 almost all the time in 2019

I would agree that they were better at it in 2019. But milking the clock wasn’t the issue in 2021, it was doing a bad job of milking the clock where they ended up rushing while they were going slow.
2019 they went slow but weren’t rushed at the end nearly as often.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

He would surely see milking the clock for the sake of TOP is inane. Milking the clock to almost zero gave opposing defenses plenty of time to catch their breath.

They have to mix it up a little and keep the opponents guessing. The Gophers made themselves very predictable. The Gophers did not make adjustments to counter the opponents in the second half. They have enough talent to win the title last season. The losses to BGSU and Illinois were on the coaches.

PJ Fleck should re-watch the 2019 game films. They have to get that magic back.

I wonder if PJF believes calling runs on 80+% of first downs is smart strategy. Maybe it is, but most college teams in recent decades don’t do that even with dominant run games, suggesting at least to me there is some tactical edge gained by making defensive players and coaches guess wrong more often. MN 2021 yards per carry were actually still decent despite such a high run rate, probably a credit to a talented and large offensive line, and some good tight ends and backs.