Your recipe for success right now

Donate To GopherHole
O

Ole

Active member
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
2,554
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Alot of frustration around here and it hasn't worn off since Sat.
Maybe an exercise could help,
How would you, right now, for this week and then the bowl game, right the ship so to speak.
Personnel changes, strategies, what would you do?
It'd be nice to keep this aproductive exercise, but I suppose it would be too much to ask to keep it civil and refrain from posting stuff like "Fire Brew, Hire Dungy or Hire X coach"

My thoughts:
Gray gets more time, including a few series, run the spread option with him but with more of an emphasis on run/pass options out of it. He should be more prepared for it by now. Weber in for 60% of the plays.
Stoudemire gets 5 rushes for the iowa game and gets 2-5 for the bowl game.
Get Bennett and Whaley on the field at the same time, run the classic dive/flip.
Simplify the routes, more curls/stops/hooks.
More pump and gos, especially with Stoudemire and Allen(speed guys)
Stommes plays TE for a few plays, double Clayborn with Stommes/Alford
Hoese gets the goal line/short yardage carries at RB with Small at FB
On D, go to a 3-4 look more often.
mix up the coverages/zone blitzes early and often.
There needs to be an emphasis on early hitting, make those freshmen runningbacks for iowa feel it early.
Special teams, run the fake reverse on the opening kick between Carpenter and Stoudemire, make sure Troy gets the ball.
 


I'm with Kool Aid on this one.

Seriously, the die is cast. Until Fisch learns how to orchestrate a drive that doesn't involve getting lucky with a long pass, we'll sputter. We just have to show up and play hard with what we've got and hope for the best. And then cross our fingers that fisch can learn from his mistakes and be better next year.
 

The easy answer is that you play as many young guys as possible at this point (without burning any redshirts). We keep hearing about all the depth this team has, so let's see it. There's no reason to worry about "losing" the seniors in the locker room. They've either already been lost or they're smart enough to understand that it is in the best interest of the team to give the young guys some game experience.

Gray should be playing every other series at QB. If there will truly be an open competition for the QB spot this spring, why not start it now? Based on what we've seen from Weber this year what's the downside?

Fisch should try to set an offensive gameplan and stick with it. People always talk about the lack of identity on offense - these final two games would be a great time for him to set a foundation. He needs to decide what this offense really is and what it can be - plan around that - and then stick with that plan to see if they can succeed with it.
 

I'd probably do the typical give your QB some confidence by dialing up some of the more traditional 3 step drop routes. I'd also try to mix in some screens early in the first two series. Especially on first down where Iowa isn't known to be in Man coverage. I'd try to set up with some more power sweeps to the wide side. I'd like to see some more iso to twins, if with whaley that might mean more of where the full back is picking up the end and j blocking him up field.

I'm not sure what to do with Gray. It is pretty obvious every time he comes in he is going to run zone read and he isn't going to hand the ball off. Maybe a full series will make him actually read the defense instead of just getting his carry in.
 


My recipe for success this Saturday involves hopefully seeing more Gray, a bottle of Bushmill's Black, and a big straw.
 

Good lord, is everyone really THIS down?
No fire in the belly left?(except GophBen with the Bushmills)
It's dang IOWA week, no smacktalkin, no CHANCE we pull off the upset?
COME ON! How do we do it?
 

Let's start with the lines. Better O-line pass and run blocking along with more pressure on the QB's from the D-line. This would go a long way.
 

GophBen said:
My recipe for success this Saturday involves hopefully seeing more Gray, a bottle of Bushmill's Black, and a big straw.
Click to expand...

Personal success lies in a bottle of 7 year Jameson, not that Protestant piss :p

Don't worry guys, we're going to win. It's in the cards. Cool Spot verifies this :cool03:
 



Noonan said:
Let's start with the lines. Better O-line pass and run blocking along with more pressure on the QB's from the D-line. This would go a long way.
Click to expand...

If this happens, we will win the game and will be the biggest predictor for success next year....Mr. Henderson and possibly Mr. Allen or the DE from Colorado are on my wishlist!

I really believe if the o'line plays better Sat. we win the game. We also need to throw the ball to Brandon Green more often.
 

This Week:

Simplify the offese. Figure out what we execute the best, and stick to that. Trim the playbook. Give Gray a meaningful role. No more 1-play and out for him. Let him run a series from the gun. Plenty of zone read, with some play action thrown in to show it. Make him a real threat and make the defense have to think when he's in there. Right now they can just play the run.

Get the ball to your best receivers. That means Brandon Green and Tow-Arnett.

We have not picked up the blitz well, and i expect to see a ton of it this Saturday. Run screens and draws early. Mix up the play calls. Run twice in a row for a change. Let Gray play on 3rd and short, spread the field, and let him beat the D with his legs. Show Iowa looks they haven't seen from us on film.

Defensively.....Mix it up. Actually use a nickle package on 3rd down against multiple receiver sets. One of my biggest pet peeves has been seeing the base personnel on the field on 3rd down against 3 & 4 WR packages. It gives away our coverage (always zone) and the QB knows instantly where the soft spots are.

Our corners are weak and our safeties are weaker. We need to bring pressure from our LBs more often in long-yardage situations. Our 4 man rush does not work.

Next year:

Move Stoudermire to corner. He's explosive in the return game, but does not have the hands to be a top-shelf WR.

Move Shady to safety. He's a football player, but he has no chance to move up the depth chart at RB.

Find a RB with some size to give our running game a change-up. Whaley and Bennett are OK but they do not break tackles at all.

Try to run a series-based offense instead of a grab bag of formations and plays. It would be nice to see things set up once in a while.
 

frozengopher said:
Personal success lies in a bottle of 7 year Jameson, not that Protestant piss :p
Click to expand...

I could always just open the Powers and see what happens.

If we're serious about what we need to do to win, it starts with the offense being able to stay on the field and get some first downs. Penalties have absolutely killed us this year. I think some sustained drives on O would help the defense later in the game. I'd also like to see the D push around Iowa's kids. They're playing underclassmen at QB and RB. If experience is supposed to count for something in the Big Ten, our senior LBs and DTs should be able to get to them a little. Also: don't let DJK anywhere near daylight.
 

Ole said:
Good lord, is everyone really THIS down?
No fire in the belly left?(except GophBen with the Bushmills)
It's dang IOWA week, no smacktalkin, no CHANCE we pull off the upset?
COME ON! How do we do it?
Click to expand...

-We jump out early with a big play

-We go all-in with Whaley, he gets 25 carries at over 4/per and holds on to the ball

-Weber doesn't beat us with stupid plays, doesn't take bad sacks, and hits on one big play to McKnight on a play-action

-NTA gets 6+ receptions, including some drive-sustaining 3rd downers

-We get one big kick return

-Defense loads the box, musters some semblance of pressure, and forces Vanderbeek to beat us in the air

-Secondary makes a big play (I'm looking at you, Traye), at least one pick

-The defense holds off the late charge, and the offense stays on the field for at least their half

-The team gets to know Floyd (no, not like Iowa 'gets to know' pigs) on the bus ride home
 




Line up Hoese as the lone set-back.
Split McKnight wide right and Green wide left.
Put Stoudemire in one slot and Whaley in the other with one going in motion.
I think I'll name it the 'run and shoot'.

When Gray is in do something other than keep the ball himself.
When Weber is in, throw one or two fewer passes. (after the game we will decide which passes to not throw.)
 

Ohio State first half and Illinois second half every game all game.
 

- Run the second series of the game with Gray--no matter what happened on the first series.
- Screens and quick slants to keep Iowa's D-line off of the QB. Quick slants and crossing routes are underutilized by Weber -- he tends to throw to WRs open on curls and sit down routes but not WR in motion unless its a bomb.
- Misdirection runs up the middle (no sweeps) and QB draws.
- Oscillate between 3-4 and 4-3 defenses (like we did against Cal) to get Cooper in the game more.
 

station19 said:
When Gray is in do something other than keep the ball himself.
Click to expand...

This has been a big one for me. I'm assuming those are all designed options, as he always has the back there to at least fake the handoff to. But I can't think of a single time when I've seen Gray opt to hand it off, even when there's obviously an LB standing in his gap waiting. It's pretty much the only thing on the field I've seen that points to Gray not being ready to make even the simplest decisions, and basically the reason I haven't been calling for Gray for the last 3 weeks.
 

Ole said:
Good lord, is everyone really THIS down?
No fire in the belly left?(except GophBen with the Bushmills)
It's dang IOWA week, no smacktalkin, no CHANCE we pull off the upset?
COME ON! How do we do it?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty down right now. Wish I wasn't. I was mile-high after the MSU game, but that feeling has been crushed due to the effort-or lack of since. I really thought we had a shot at running the table for the first time in like 40 years. Hard to talk smack when worried:cry:
 

GophBen said:
I could always just open the Powers and see what happens.
Click to expand...

I never knew GH had proper whiskey drinkers! And throwing my two cents in, even though my Irish Catholic Granddad would roll over in his grave, nothing wrong with bushmills. Especially bushmills black but anything from that island is better than the rest of the horse piss over here.

I'm not an offensive coordinator (unless were playing vg's) so I'm going to wait until after our win and say exactly what we did was the recipe for success. Until then it's time to crawl back into a bottle and say nasty things about iowa.
 


Other people have said most of this already...

On offense:
1) Simplify the passing game - especially early on.
2) We seem to do pretty well throwing in the center of the field about 7-12 yards beyond the LOS, so crossing routes and tight end passes would be good.
3) Its only the option if there is a chance the pitch man will get the ball - who's ever heard of the "single" option?
4) Iowa rarely brings all-out blitzes, their DL is just good enough that they get penetration without the LB's, so some quick passes (screens) could be good.
5) DO NOT have offensive plays that go backward 6 yards before they ever have the chance to go forward.

On Defense
1) I like switching back and forth from 3-4 to 4-3.
2) Other than giving up 1 or 2 big passes per game, I can't really fault the defense.

On Special Teams
Obvious 1) don't boot kick-offs out of bounds.
Obvious 2) don't overpursue on KO & punt coverage

Personnel
1) At this point I think we all agree that Gray deserves more plays, even if he fails, could it be worse than the status quo for all games except Mich State.
2) Pick ONE RB and give him the ball at least a full quarter before switching him out.
3) If Tow-Arnett is ready to return at Center, give him the chance, we seemed to play better with him than without.
4) John Hoese has been (in the words of Brewster" a baller. Find ways of getting him involved.
5) Give Troy Stoudemire a play that doesn't involve him getting the ball behind the LOS.

I don't claim to be a great football strategist, these are just my thoughts. I think our coaches are doing the best they can (whether their best is good enough is a different topic).
 


Limit kickoff returns, get weber on a roll and have a good game, stop the hogeys on 3rd downs!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom