This offense sucks, plain and simple

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Guys, we are watching a college football team. Very, very few teams are polished and operate like a well oiled machine ever week. The teams are made up of young players, half of them are inexperienced in the positions they are playing. Winning college football is all about getting enough done and finding a way to win, not steam rolling your opponents.


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Pompous Elitist said:
To be fair, we amassed 283 yards today on 10/19 passing and 3.6 YPC vs a pretty average to bad defense. The turnovers and short fields were huge. Without the turnovers hard to believe we still march down and score 38.

We capitalized and that's the sign of a competent team. It doesn't mean we're a high flying offense but we did a good job today taking care of business. We need to get better if we want to get to the championship game. The defense is starting to play championship level football time for the offense to match it.
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A short field also makes it harder to amass yardage.

We ran the ball effectively. We converted third downs respectably. We didn't turn the ball over. For our offense, in a Big 10 road game, it was a successful day.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
A short field also makes it harder to amass yardage.

We ran the ball effectively. We converted third downs respectably. We didn't turn the ball over. For our offense, in a Big 10 road game, it was a successful day.
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I didn't say that it wasn't a successful day, especially on the scoreboard. I would disagree with your first point. We had 16 possessions, 15 minus the game-ender reflecting the additional possessions, and an outsize TOP of 33+. Our average possessions/game is 12.7 in 2016. Historically around 11-12 under Kill. If we don't include the possessions that included a short field our points per possession goes way down.

The third down percentage indeed was average, against an average to below average defense. I don't know if that rates a game ball but I suppose it's not below average.I agree we have done a superb job on turnovers this season. We are +10 on the year which will probably be Big Ten leading at the end of today.

My issue is why can't fans of a football team have an honest discussion about strengths and weaknesses without it turning into a pout fest? I already stated I disagree with the OP but I think there can be a discussion about the offense.
 

If Claeys wins out I guarantee there will be zero posters calling for his firing. If so I agree to leave this board forever *.




* I will return under the pseudonym Indignant Homer





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Some Day...Is Coming! said:
No one can argue that. You'd have to have never seen the game of football to not know that. They had 2 opportunities starting in Illinois territory to put the game away by going up 3 scores, (even with a field goal!!!) and they couldn't do it! Just imagine NE and WI. I'll gladly eat my words if I'm wrong, and I hope I get to do that, but I don't think so.

This offense does everything to make the game close. Does nothing to help the defense EVER! Leaves it up to the defense EVERY TIME. Can't go out and win it themselves, EVER!


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I think more appropriately we are a frustrating offense and often the pattern of play calling seems out of sorts. Leidner has no ability to extend a play! The good news is that these backs are indeed special and I believe the offensive line will continue to improve over the next couple of years. Got to be 9-3!
 


Pompous Elitist said:
I didn't say that it wasn't a successful day, especially on the scoreboard. I would disagree with your first point. We had 16 possessions, 15 minus the game-ender reflecting the additional possessions, and an outsize TOP of 33+. Our average possessions/game is 12.7 in 2016. Historically around 11-12 under Kill. If we don't include the possessions that included a short field our points per possession goes way down.

The third down percentage indeed was average, against an average to below average defense. I don't know if that rates a game ball but I suppose it's not below average.I agree we have done a superb job on turnovers this season. We are +10 on the year which will probably be Big Ten leading at the end of today.

My issue is why can't fans of a football team have an honest discussion about strengths and weaknesses without it turning into a pout fest? I already stated I disagree with the OP but I think there can be a discussion about the offense.
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Good post. Most of our scoring recently has come on really short fields. It's great that our offense is really good in the red zone this year, however, stringing together long scoring drives is starting to become a problem. If we can't do it against these bad defenses, we probably won't do it in our last three games. Also in those last three, we probably won't see all the great field position either.
 


Where has the original poster been for the last 11 years? They broadcasters said it's the best_________ offense the Gophers have had since 2005. I think the blank was scoring offense for B1G games.

Does anyone remember?
 






The offense has its warts. Its tough to argue against a 40 point performance though. I mean the Iowa game plan still bothers me. I am concerned about our ability to move the ball vs our final 3 opponents. It seems like we get predicable in 3rd in short and in the redzone. It hasn't hurt us as much in the redzone but we've defiantly had our struggles on 3rd and short. Hopefully we're able to some things figured out going into the last month of the season.
 

Coach Taylor said:
The offense has its warts. Its tough to argue against a 40 point performance though. I mean the Iowa game plan still bothers me. I am concerned about our ability to move the ball vs our final 3 opponents. It seems like we get predicable in 3rd in short and in the redzone. It hasn't hurt us as much in the redzone but we've defiantly had our struggles on 3rd and short. Hopefully we're able to some things figured out going into the last month of the season.
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This is far too reasonable a take.
 



Some Day...Is Coming! said:
No one can argue that. You'd have to have never seen the game of football to not know that. They had 2 opportunities starting in Illinois territory to put the game away by going up 3 scores, (even with a field goal!!!) and they couldn't do it! Just imagine NE and WI. I'll gladly eat my words if I'm wrong, and I hope I get to do that, but I don't think so.

This offense does everything to make the game close. Does nothing to help the defense EVER! Leaves it up to the defense EVERY TIME. Can't go out and win it themselves, EVER!

Brutal


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This. After a 40 - 17 Big 10 road win. Really?
 

Some Day...Is Coming! said:
No one can argue that. You'd have to have never seen the game of football to not know that. They had 2 opportunities starting in Illinois territory to put the game away by going up 3 scores, (even with a field goal!!!) and they couldn't do it! Just imagine NE and WI. I'll gladly eat my words if I'm wrong, and I hope I get to do that, but I don't think so.

This offense does everything to make the game close. Does nothing to help the defense EVER! Leaves it up to the defense EVERY TIME. Can't go out and win it themselves, EVER!

Brutal


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You're an idiot.
 


Wisconsin offense is nearly equally awful

We'd all love team with dominant defense and good running
 

Anyone notice, that when we run a play, Mitch slaps his hands together when in shotgun, and the ball is snapped. In the first quarter, when we were on D, George was imitating this, but the center was slightly pausing before snapping, and thus drawing us offsides twice (only the first was called). Pretty clever coaching, as our D is probably used to Mitch's Slap your hands together cadence from practice the last 4 years. Not saying this is Mitch's fault, probably the O coordinator. Does any other team do this? I be the opposing defensive lineman love it!
 



The worst part about the OP opening diatribe is he first tried it in at least two other threads before starting this insipid thread.


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It's not we scored 40 over Illinois


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I'm calling today's game a win. Others can agonize over the details. :cool:
 

Iceland12 said:
Some people are more interested in seeing Claeys fired than they are in seeing the Gophers win.
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TC will be here for as long as he wishes. I agree that some folks have worried that he would win too many games this season and would receive the nice contract extension and raise that he is about to receive. Got to be extremely bullish on TC & the STAFFRS near-term and mid-term future at Minnesota. Beat the Boilers, GOPHER!
 

smidteye said:
Anyone notice, that when we run a play, Mitch slaps his hands together when in shotgun, and the ball is snapped. In the first quarter, when we were on D, George was imitating this, but the center was slightly pausing before snapping, and thus drawing us offsides twice (only the first was called). Pretty clever coaching, as our D is probably used to Mitch's Slap your hands together cadence from practice the last 4 years. Not saying this is Mitch's fault, probably the O coordinator. Does any other team do this? I be the opposing defensive lineman love it!
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Fyi. Our starting defense doesn't practice against our starting offense. They literally do not see Mitch all week.
 

To be positive, one area of improvement in the Kill/TC era is pass defense. We were lousy on pass defense for decades, not years. The offense will have problems with Nebraska and Wisconsin and probably Northwestern, which may change the dialogue on that topic. Next year, Seth Green and a more dangerous offense?
 

imthewalrus said:
TC will be here for as long as he wishes. I agree that some folks have worried that he would win too many games this season and would receive the nice contract extension and raise that he is about to receive. Got to be extremely bullish on TC & the STAFFRS near-term and mid-term future at Minnesota. Beat the Boilers, GOPHER!
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Wrenny, that's a really brief comment from you. I expect more. You even used punctuation. Crazy...
 

Passing game has been sucking not entire offense. We might have one of he better rushing attacks in the B1G
 

I hate for us to be too predictable, but can we all impose a rule that we have to run it on first and second down? Eat some clock and don't run the risk of trying to overcome a sack on first or second down.
 

Passing on first down is normally a fine idea, if your team can pass. Running on third down can catch them off-guard. I don't think becoming 100% predictable is the answer. Even vs the likes of Kent State running into 9 man boxes is a long day and while we might get lucky and break some tackles or out of position it just isn't smart.

What we need to do is get better at passing. Also, utilize the short game; check down to the dump offs, the wheels, the flats, the fullback, the screen, the meshes. Run more zone read, inverted veer, speed option, etc.

We have a combination of personnel, coaching, execution issues. But I think it would be a mistake to run 80%+ and pass only on third and long. We've seen that movie.
 

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