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some things are apparent even to the average fan:

- Too many penalties and usually at the worst possible time.
- Not staying with something that is working for you moving the ball.
- Getting 'cute' with play calling in the Red Zone and flopping.
- Mental errors (2 point conversion instead of PAT)?
- Not being ready to play out of the gate, need a half to start hitting your stride.
- Not being able to finish when knocking on the door.

Most if not all of these are coaching. Execution errors we'll set aside for the time being, that's on the players.

(10-15-2017 03:53 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  some things are apparent even to the average fan:

- Too many penalties and usually at the worst possible time.
- Not staying with something that is working for you moving the ball.
- Getting 'cute' with play calling in the Red Zone and flopping.
- Mental errors (2 point conversion instead of PAT)?
- Not being ready to play out of the gate, need a half to start hitting your stride.
- Not being able to finish when knocking on the door.

Most if not all of these are coaching. Execution errors we'll set aside for the time being, that's on the players.

Those were driving me insane...

Even if we allow the execution errors for inexperienced players, had we not committed half the above mistakes we beat Akron. The Coaching Staff owns this loss.

be interesting to see what Lester has to say in his press conference... Maybe after some adversity and the alumni and administration starting to come down on him he may realize that he can't just be happy go lucky Timmy anymore and needs to show some damn emotion and hold some of these guys accountable...

Including his own staff. He had better say that this loss is on himself.

I want to see some passion. Not monotone Tim.

I hope he understands how this loss plays with 'Bronco nation.'

(10-15-2017 03:59 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  be interesting to see what Lester has to say in his press conference... Maybe after some adversity and the alumni and administration starting to come down on him he may realize that he can't just be happy go lucky Timmy anymore and needs to show some damn emotion and hold some of these guys accountable...

Can't ask Lester to be something he is not.

(10-15-2017 03:53 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  - Not staying with something that is working for you moving the ball.
- Getting 'cute' with play calling in the Red Zone and flopping.

These items are inexcusable. There was no rhyme or reason to the changes in play-calling mid drive. It looked like amateur hour out there.

(10-15-2017 04:02 PM)wmutkelaw Wrote:  

(10-15-2017 03:59 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  be interesting to see what Lester has to say in his press conference... Maybe after some adversity and the alumni and administration starting to come down on him he may realize that he can't just be happy go lucky Timmy anymore and needs to show some damn emotion and hold some of these guys accountable...

Can't ask Lester to be something he is not.

Then maybe he's "NOT" what this team needs going forward... I wouldn't be surprised if he's replaced before the end of his third season... Just saying... Outside of the USC game... this team has shown an un-disciplined and passion-less style of play we just haven't seen in awhile... Last years team just executed... you knew what they were going to do and they did it successfully while not taking many penalties and barely ever turning it over... execution, and discipline... Two things this team is heavily lacking in.

I saw the press conference, it was very brief. Unless there was more questions after the feed was discontinued it looks like the AD cut it short. You missed nothing, trust me.

(10-15-2017 04:35 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  I saw the press conference, it was very brief. Unless there was more questions after the feed was discontinued it looks like the AD cut it short. You missed nothing, trust me.

So likely the quickest a coach has hit the hot seat in the history of D1?

(10-15-2017 04:36 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  

(10-15-2017 04:35 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  I saw the press conference, it was very brief. Unless there was more questions after the feed was discontinued it looks like the AD cut it short. You missed nothing, trust me.

So likely the quickest a coach has hit the hot seat in the history of D1?

Not likely.

Lester is KB's legacy hire. He's not going anywhere while she's still there.

When she retires in the next year or two, we'll see how safe he is.

(10-15-2017 03:53 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  - Mental errors (2 point conversion instead of PAT)?

At 10 minutes left in the game, I'd usually against starting to play the 2-point conversion game. Seems a little too early.

However, our offense was anemic for the whole game in the redzone. So it might've been wise to try it at that point. As generally expected, we didn't hit paydirt in the endzone the rest of the game.

But obviously this was just one instance of shoulda woulda coulda. The whole game was riddled with problems.

IMO, the bigger problem was when we didn’t just kick a short FG in the 3rd quarter and bring it to a one possession game (14-6).

Sat right behind the Bronco bench yesterday just to get a feel of this staff. Much different than the last four years of course. But what really turned my eye is Lesters apparent hands off approach. Fleck was front and center every time out. Lester didn't approach the huddle until a few secs before the refs broke it up. Almost a gesture that I'm the HC ! Many occasions he didn't even speak to the kids. Never once saw him go behind the standing players to talk to the offense or defense when they were on the bench. Different styles I assume but he didn't seem to be in the flow. The failure to call the two point conversion drew me back to the MSU penalty debacle. Only because in many interviews. Lester claims to be a math guy, the math behind 14-9 with a faltering offense later in the game is simple. The post game radio interview with John Creek he pretty much threw Wassink and the kicker under the bus. "We didn't come out in the first half", actually Tim your team marched the field only for your OC to call a pass into a mini monsoon in the far left of the end zone which seconds later deflated the team. The kicker had a rough day but he kept the game close. A lot of pressure to put on a new QB and teenage kicker in my opinion. Coaches can set kids up for failure, I hope looking back this staff realizes they did just that on many occasions Sunday. Akron is not a powerhouse by any means.

(10-16-2017 07:43 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  The post game radio interview with John Creek he pretty much threw Wassink and the kicker under the bus. "We didn't come out in the first half", actually Tim your team marched the field only for your OC to call a pass into a mini monsoon in the far left of the end zone which seconds later deflated the team. The kicker had a rough day but he kept the game close. A lot of pressure to put on a new QB and teenage kicker in my opinion. Coaches can set kids up for failure, I hope looking back this staff realizes they did just that on many occasions Sunday. Akron is not a powerhouse by any means.

This is what bothered me in the post-game presser so much.

Stunning/baffling to me that he doesn't recognize some of the mistakes they made as a coaching staff.

Is this the same board where every one was calling for coaches to "turn the QB loose?" So now we think we should "stay with what's working?"

I said to wife before the game, I thought Due to the one day delay, Akron would come out flat, while the Broncos would still be the home team and have some energy. It was exactly the other way. To me that was the story of the game. The lack of energy on the home side was obvious. Even on the field, guys just standing there looking bored.

You have to be able to run the ball some even if defense has eight in the box.

And you have to be able to pass even when defense is rushing only three-dropping eight.

Otherwise you are letting defense dictate your play-calling and that becomes the height of predictability.

(10-16-2017 08:50 AM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Is this the same board where every one was calling for coaches to "turn the QB loose?" So now we think we should "stay with what's working?"

It's situational, obviously.

When you are running the ball down the field in 5-7 yard chunks consistently like we were, there is NO reason to drop back and pass on 2nd down inside the red zone.

These things should be common sense.

Not only that... if you are going to pass the ball like that on 2nd down, call the right situational passing play. Lester blamed Wassink for throwing a flat ball (out of the back of the end zone), but I think the play call was garbage to begin with.

Obviously, yes I would still like to see the leash taken off Wassink... but our coaching staff needs to use their heads too and recognize what's working and what's not.

(10-16-2017 08:56 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 08:50 AM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Is this the same board where every one was calling for coaches to "turn the QB loose?" So now we think we should "stay with what's working?"

It's situational, obviously.

When you are running the ball down the field in 5-7 yard chunks consistently like we were, there is NO reason to drop back and pass on 2nd down inside the red zone.

These things should be common sense.

Not only that... if you are going to pass the ball like that on 2nd down, call the right situational passing play. Lester blamed Wassink for throwing a flat ball (out of the back of the end zone), but I think the play call was garbage to begin with.

Obviously, yes I would still like to see the leash taken off Wassink... but our coaching staff needs to use their heads too and recognize what's working and what's not.

The first thing to be reassessed is the Game Plan. You have to determine what is working on the field. Some coaches have the ability to make adjustments to game plans based on what is working, others do not. I always felt Bo Schembechler was a great PRE-GAME football coach. He'd come up with great strategies, but he wasn't so good at making adjustments during the game. He lost so many games in the second half when the other side made adjustments and Michigan didn't.

Maybe that's our staff's weakness, they can't or won't adjust to conditions on the field? After the first few series it was obvious we were running the ball a lot better than we were passing it. Throw the gusting wind into it and it's pretty apparent you stick to the run in the Red Zone. Throw in an occasional PA or Screen pass between the 20 yard lines just to keep the Defense honest so they don't start stacking the box. All you need to do is average 3.5 yards on a carry with Franklin in there! Worst case, you have a short FG.

Pretty disappointing.