Replace Greg Harbaugh Jr. With?

I mean, watching the game today, the playbook was about as imaginative as you can ask for, loads of motion, misdirection, screens to take advantage of aggressive edge rush, changing formations, wildcat - seems like Harbaugh went absolutely all out on this gameplan, not trying to just burn clock and keep the score down. Unfortunately only led to 13 points, which is disappointing considering so few offensive penalties and no turnovers.
 

I mean, watching the game today, the playbook was about as imaginative as you can ask for, loads of motion, misdirection, screens to take advantage of aggressive edge rush, changing formations, wildcat - seems like Harbaugh went absolutely all out on this gameplan, not trying to just burn clock and keep the score down. Unfortunately only led to 13 points, which is disappointing considering so few offensive penalties and no turnovers.
Apart from the run game being non-existent (which I blame on the OL more than anything) the thing the bothers me the most this season is how many times we throw behind or at the line of scrimmage and either get immediately stood up or only 1-2 yards. It feels like any time we have a player roll out that way opposing defenses always bite on it because we haven't been able to make them pay for it.

I'm not sure if Drake is going to the check down too early, if he's missing down field reads, if the TE and WR are giving him nothing so he's forced to throw it, or if the OC is just continually calling plays where this is the first or second read and it's just not working.
 

Apart from the run game being non-existent (which I blame on the OL more than anything) the thing the bothers me the most this season is how many times we throw behind or at the line of scrimmage and either get immediately stood up or only 1-2 yards. It feels like any time we have a player roll out that way opposing defenses always bite on it because we haven't been able to make them pay for it.

I'm not sure if Drake is going to the check down too early, if he's missing down field reads, if the TE and WR are giving him nothing so he's forced to throw it, or if the OC is just continually calling plays where this is the first or second read and it's just not working.
Yeah, I didn’t say it was smart or effective. For all the motion and misdirection it is a lot of horizontal behind the LOS stuff. It depends on guys breaking tackles basically.
 

I'd take a hard look at Joel Gordon at USF if making a change after this season. Spent time at ISU, is doing pretty well at USF, and has plenty of experience as a QB coach (and played QB himself).
 

I'd take a hard look at Joel Gordon at USF if making a change after this season. Spent time at ISU, is doing pretty well at USF, and has plenty of experience as a QB coach (and played QB himself).
Joel Gordon!? THE Joel Gordon?? Never heard of him. And with the USF roster and the talent edge they have over pretty much everyone they play in their conference it seems pretty tough to really evaluate his skill set.

"Gordon, Gordon, Gordon!"
 


Hot take OC is not the issue, talent is the issue. If we fire our OC players leave and decommit. If Lindsey were to stay he has to learn a whole new playbook again.
 

I'd take a hard look at Joel Gordon at USF if making a change after this season. Spent time at ISU, is doing pretty well at USF, and has plenty of experience as a QB coach (and played QB himself).
The veer and shoot at minnesota is equivalent to wisconsin running the air raid
 

Id be willing to bet money that Simon has told PJ that things need to change. Harbaugh was made co-cordinator and play caller to make sure PJs preferred boring early 2000s Ohio state offense is kept to, even in its passing form. The kids need to be coached up to improve. That said, this team won't improve offensively until the expectations and philosophy change.
 

Id be willing to bet money that Simon has told PJ that things need to change. Harbaugh was made co-cordinator and play caller to make sure PJs preferred boring early 2000s Ohio state offense is kept to, even in its passing form. The kids need to be coached up to improve. That said, this team won't improve offensively until the expectations and philosophy change.
What expectations and philosophy should we change to?
 



Id be willing to bet money that Simon has told PJ that things need to change. Harbaugh was made co-cordinator and play caller to make sure PJs preferred boring early 2000s Ohio state offense is kept to, even in its passing form. The kids need to be coached up to improve. That said, this team won't improve offensively until the expectations and philosophy change.
You’re right. co OC Simon probably has no fault and other co OC is simply holding Simon back 😂
 

I’ve thrown this name out several times and it’s widely ignored but…my buddy Dylan. He’s an elite Madden player, great clock management, from MN so will stay and is currently unemployed so would be cheap. Pay him $300k, invest the rest in the DC.

JUST AN IDEA!!
If he can keep Fleck from wasting timeouts… I’m totally down with it.
 

Given how many times Fleck has had the opportunity to promote Matt Simon, yet hasn't, has led me to believe Matt Simon is refusing the job and doesn't want to be an OC.
And instead Fleck has hired Sanford and Harbaugh.

Maybe we should take the OC hiring decision out of Fleck's hands?
 





Problem is we don’t have the guys necessary to run this scheme….IMO

TEs are okay wideouts but not good wideouts.
OL isn’t good enough to run against heavy boxes.
TEs create heavy boxes.

Need to get better at TE receiving/route running and OL to be successful in this offense

TEs too slow to get separation but their presence brings extra defenders into the box and OL can’t get it done.
Just a bad mix against the good teams.

TEs good enough to be good wideouts vs the bad teams. And OL doesn’t show as bad against the bad teams.
I should rewatch Nebraska and figure out why it actually worked against them.
 

I was really disappointed in Oline play yesterday on how many mental errors we seem to make on the interior at left and right guard or center with just simply moving the wrong way or not even making the right call read. That's not a foot speed or physical error issue, that is mental. Gophers seem to be really struggling with transition from zone blocking scheme to man gap. I mean we got guy's trying to tandem block, instead of picking up their GAP responsibility. Some of it was speed by Oregon D line, but some of it was pure anxiety, bad positioning of hands and feet, not being ready at the snap of the ball, or just being flat out beat because you moved the wrong way and got caught flat footed. Right takcle been a liability, dependent on tight ends and RB support all year. Offensive line play has to be one of the biggest let downs so far from 2024 to 2025. By far one of the biggest disappointments. The whole Oline needs to watch film as a group and figure out these mental mistakes. You can't be making the level of mental mistakes this many games in 10 games into a season. We clearly relied heavily on the tight ends the previous two season's to support the tackles, and we had NFL level tight ends and tackles previously, right now we might have 1 that is that level. It is clear we do not have the level of blocking at tight ends we were getting from the past to support the Oline, and that they the tight ends have covered for some physical discrepancy's.
 
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Simon is co-OC already. Why doesn’t he fix it now?
This is why I always jokingly make the Matt Simon is great posts. Our WRs have been mediocre at best and he already has been the CO-OC for years, but people think he is some elite offensive mind because he called 1 bowl game with a talent loaded roster in a playbook that was designed by Kirk C.
 


Apart from the run game being non-existent (which I blame on the OL more than anything) the thing the bothers me the most this season is how many times we throw behind or at the line of scrimmage and either get immediately stood up or only 1-2 yards. It feels like any time we have a player roll out that way opposing defenses always bite on it because we haven't been able to make them pay for it.

I'm not sure if Drake is going to the check down too early, if he's missing down field reads, if the TE and WR are giving him nothing so he's forced to throw it, or if the OC is just continually calling plays where this is the first or second read and it's just not working.

RG3 (wrongly) pointed out how receivers/TEs were open but Lindsey wasn't patient enough to let the play develop. Problem is, it's impossible to be patient when the right tackle barely even touches the DE. It's been a big problem all year.
 

I was really disappointed in Oline play yesterday on how many mental errors we seem to make on the interior at left and right guard or center with just simply moving the wrong way or not even making the right call read. That's not a foot speed or physical error issue, that is mental. Gophers seem to be really struggling with transition from zone blocking scheme to man gap. I mean we got guy's trying to tandem block, instead of picking up their GAP responsibility. Some of it was speed by Oregon D line, but some of it was pure anxiety, bad positioning of hands and feet, not being ready at the snap of the ball, or just being flat out beat because you moved the wrong way and got caught flat footed. Right takcle been a liability, dependent on tight ends and RB support all year. Offensive line play has to be one of the biggest let downs so far from 2024 to 2025. By far one of the biggest disappointments. The whole Oline needs to watch film as a group and figure out these mental mistakes. You can't be making the level of mental mistakes this many games in 10 games into a season. We clearly relied heavily on the tight ends the previous two season's to support the tackles, and we had NFL level tight ends and tackles previously, right now we might have 1 that is that level. It is clear we do not have the level of blocking at tight ends we were getting from the past to support the Oline, and that they the tight ends have covered for some physical discrepancy's.
And, for a B10 player it should be easy. Figuring out who to block regardless of scheme is about as hard as counting to five and having the mental acuity to think fast and act appropriately based upon what presents itself. The past two years we have had d line and LBers running loose at the line of scrimmage and in the backfield. It’s really unbelievable.
 

You jest, but Sanford's offenses ran laps around this year's version.
If point per game are the metric you are correct.

2020 Sanford All Conference COVID year 27.3 ppg
2021 Sanford got "fired" offense scored 25.5 ppg.
2022 Kirk Ciarrocca 28.2 ppg
2023 Harbaugh 20.9 ppg
2024 Harbaugh 26.2 ppg
2025 Harbaugh 22.7 ppg
 
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If point per game are the metric you are correct.

Sanford All Conference COVID year 2020 27.3 ppg
Sanford got "fired" after 2021 and his offense scored 25.5 ppg.
2022 Kirk Ciarrocca 28.2 ppg
2023 Harbaugh 20.9 ppg
2024 Harbaugh 26.2 ppg
2025 Harbaugh 22.7 ppg
At the very least, these numbers should be compared against the average ppg allowed of the defenses we played in each year.

That's a lot of work to do and I don't expect you to do it. I'm just saying that would make the comparison a lot more valid and fair.
 




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