Rational and disappointed

[Go Gophers Rah]

Contrary to the evidence provided by 90% of the posters her, it is possible to be disappointed in today's game but still rational. I'm not yelling to fire Brewster or to bench Weber. And I hadn't really expected a victory today.

But, our offense is clearly worse than last year's offense. We didn't really lose anyone on offense. I think Tow-Arnett is as good/better than Jack Simmons- so who else did we lose? So if it isn't a lack of talent it has to be one of a few things (or a combination of several of them):

A) Individual players (ie Weber) are playing worse than last year;
B) The players don't understand the offense;
C) The offensive scheme is fundamentally unsound;
D) Bad in-game playcalling.

What else could it be? Personally, I think it is probably C and D. I was one who disliked Mike Dunbar's offense - but maybe he did a better job than given credit for at having an offense that suited the talent? I like Fisch's philosophy, but it sure isn't resulting in any offensive effectiveness. 175 passing yards as a 2-week grand total is just plain bad unless you are Georgia Tech or Air Force.

I am very disappointed in our offense - not just today - but this year as a whole. Unless we can show offensive improvement over the next 5 games, I think that Brewster will have to make some personnel changes (AGAIN) in order to keep his job.

 

[cncmin]

Contrary to the evidence provided by 90% of the posters her, it is possible to be disappointed in today's game but still rational. I'm not yelling to fire Brewster or to bench Weber. And I hadn't really expected a victory today.

But, our offense is clearly worse than last year's offense. We didn't really lose anyone on offense. I think Tow-Arnett is as good/better than Jack Simmons- so who else did we lose? So if it isn't a lack of talent it has to be one of a few things (or a combination of several of them):

A) Individual players (ie Weber) are playing worse than last year;
B) The players don't understand the offense;
C) The offensive scheme is fundamentally unsound;
D) Bad in-game playcalling.

What else could it be? Personally, I think it is probably C and D. I was one who disliked Mike Dunbar's offense - but maybe he did a better job than given credit for at having an offense that suited the talent? I like Fisch's philosophy, but it sure isn't resulting in any offensive effectiveness. 175 passing yards as a 2-week grand total is just plain bad unless you are Georgia Tech or Air Force.

I am very disappointed in our offense - not just today - but this year as a whole. Unless we can show offensive improvement over the next 5 games, I think that Brewster will have to make some personnel changes (AGAIN) in order to keep his job.

What is wrong has been gone over many times on this board previously - it's this simple: the offense revolves around the play of your QB. I love Weber's toughness, but since his knee injury either he or the coaches have tried to change his game. When the Gophers offense was decent, Weber was a runner/passer, someone who threw on the run often, and tucked it in and punished small defenders to get first downs. Since his injury last season, he has turned into a pocket passer and rarely runs. It is no coincidence that his play has fallen off drastically, that in turn the offense has diminished drastically, and that in turn the Gophers have not improved as a football team (since before his injury).

The offense will be just fine when Weber starts hitting open receivers. To do that, the winning equation, to me, seems to be letting him play like he's comfortable doing - and that includes running the football.

By the way, how many option plays have you seen Weber run since his injury...they used to work pretty well, I seem to recall, pre-injury.

Now, are there other factors (like a below-average O-line and RBs)? Certainly, but it's not like the Gophers were outstanding in either of these when they were scoring points previously.

 

[MGGopher]

Contrary to the evidence provided by 90% of the posters her, it is possible to be disappointed in today's game but still rational.

Agreed. We're here to discuss Gopher football...good and bad.

I was one who disliked Mike Dunbar's offense - but maybe he did a better job than given credit for at having an offense that suited the talent?

I agree. I personally didn't dislike Dunbar at all. To me, the spread is the way to go when you're completely under-manned--especially in the trenches. YOu can't "pound the rock" like an NFL team when your O-line and RB's are very, very average. To stay on the Dunbar topic, it's obvious to me that he was spoon-feeding Weber for the past two years with creative play design, good in-game calling, and more direction on where to throw the ball. I mean, regardless of offensive philosophy, reading a defense is essentially the same. What coverage are they in...where are the gaps in that coverage...where am I thinking I'll go with the ball pre-snap? I don't see much of that this year.

Anyway, extremely disappointing loss today. I'll continue being disappointed, although I'll never give up hope or "turn" on the team or program.

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

although I'll never give up hope or "turn" on the team or program.

Amen brother.

 

[magpie]

No one will reasonably dispute that the offense is not working, either because it's too complicated or because it's too new to have been digested yet, but you can't rule out the players not stepping up either.

Fisch needs to understand these are college kids and simplify accordingly. If our QB's can't handle it, he needs to adjust. If a certain QB just isn't working, Brewster needs to understand the value of investing in the underclassman --- UNLESS.... he knows Fisch's scheme (or maybe another OC... /sigh) is gone at year's end.

We can only really ride this wave... or nosedive... out and see what happens. We're an average team and should make a bowl, but we need a better OL, a better understanding of the offense by the players (especially the QB's), and better execution.

I like your point of trying to be cordial about the problem, but when the obvious was stated weeks ago, but Mason... erhm... Brewster didn't make any changes, the problem spreads to other areas. I think people are more upset about that, than just one specific within.