My first thoughts, or hopes, when Childers started to emerge in the spring was that he could be a generic version of Jordan Lynch. At that time he was 229 pounds and could run. Or so I thought. After 4 games and 13 less pounds, and though it's early in the young man's career, I see far more similarities to Drew Hare in 2014.

Drew Hare 6'1", 218 lbs
M Childers 6'0", 216 lbs

Passing/game:
'14 Hare - 15/25(60%), 178yds, 1.4 tds, .15 int, 7.1 yd/a, 136 rating

'17 Chlds - 19/31(61%), 218yds, 2.25tds,.25 int, 6.9 yd/a, 140 rating

Rushing/game:
'14 Hare - 12a/69yds, 5.6ypc, .6 tds

'17 Chlds - 18a/66yds, 3.6ypc, .6 tds

Hare had problems with the deep ball his first year just like Marcus. Over the next two seasons he improved greatly. Hare was a really good runner in 14. Better than Childers is now. But it feels like they're forcing the run onto Marcus and teams are prepared. Too much is being put on Marcus right now with 30 pass attempts and 20 rushes. Let the RB's do more and his game will improve.

That 2014 team sort of reminds me of this year's. Both teams had something to prove. In 14 the team and Carey had to try to win without Lynch. Much more was on Carey that year than in 2013 when he was just baby sitting a winning roster. Now in 2017 Carey has to prove 2016 was a fluke and more importantly, the last decades worth of progress hasn't been flushed down the toilet.

In 2014 NIU won the MACC with a redshirt sophomore QB. I think he was 5th in the MAC in QB rating that year. That's the lowest rated QB to win a MACC in the last 10 years. Childers is currently ranked #4. While QB rating isn't some magic indicator of championships, it does show that the top QBs are usually the one's crowned. So while it's difficult and maybe not likely, it's possible Childers is playing well enough to win the MACC.

I watched Childers high school highlight film on HUDL earlier this week. He threw several good deep balls, hitting the receiver in stride. Let's give him some time. I like his composure out there so far, especially for a RS Freshman. Lot's of potential with Marcus. We have a lot to be excited about with this team and its future.

(10-28-2017 09:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Hare was a really good runner in 14. Better than Childers is now. But it feels like they're forcing the run onto Marcus and teams are prepared. Too much is being put on Marcus right now with 30 pass attempts and 20 rushes. Let the RB's do more and his game will improve.

Hare looked awkward as a runner, but had good results. He got hit multiple times where I didn't think he would get up from it. He was tough. But he needed to learn how to avoid those big hits.

(10-28-2017 10:34 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 09:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Hare was a really good runner in 14. Better than Childers is now. But it feels like they're forcing the run onto Marcus and teams are prepared. Too much is being put on Marcus right now with 30 pass attempts and 20 rushes. Let the RB's do more and his game will improve.

Hare looked awkward as a runner, but had good results. He got hit multiple times where I didn't think he would get up from it. He was tough. But he needed to learn how to avoid those big hits.

Hare was a bit faster than given credit for because he did run kind of awkwardly. He was also was better in the open field than Marcus is. I haven't seen too much from Childers when he has space to show me he can make rally big runs by beating defenders when he has them one-on-one. But its more important he can get those 3rd and 2 must have yards at the line.

It’s a great comparison actually. The biggest advantage Hare had vs Childers right now though is the offensive line. 3 years ago, we had a very solid line anchored by Ness, Colon, Myers, etc. Unfortunately our line has struggled quite a bit this year outside of our stud LT.


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(10-28-2017 10:40 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:34 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 09:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Hare was a really good runner in 14. Better than Childers is now. But it feels like they're forcing the run onto Marcus and teams are prepared. Too much is being put on Marcus right now with 30 pass attempts and 20 rushes. Let the RB's do more and his game will improve.

Hare looked awkward as a runner, but had good results. He got hit multiple times where I didn't think he would get up from it. He was tough. But he needed to learn how to avoid those big hits.

Hare was a bit faster than given credit for because he did run kind of awkwardly. He was also was better in the open field than Marcus is. I haven't seen too much from Childers when he has space to show me he can make rally big runs by beating defenders when he has them one-on-one. But its more important he can get those 3rd and 2 must have yards at the line.

Forcing the run onto Childers... that's a big part of the offense. With Lynch it worked because he was such a good runner and could deliver a hit at the end of the run. How many times did it look like he was going to lose yardage and it ended up being a 40-60 yd td? Harnish was a very good runner too. The NIU QB's since them aren't as good, but the offense requires them to run a lot. When we play good defenses, this offense is tough to watch. Carey or OC should try to change a little bit to use the team's strengths. Wimann over the middle, RB between the tackles... Blake is very good and he seems to be wasted in this offense. They have tried using him, but they have missed him when he was wide open and the attempts have gone down lately.

It is an interesting thought. I remember hating on Harnish for his horrible deep passing after his first year...he got much, much better at it as time went on. Harnish was a much more efficient runner though even in his first year from what I can remember

(10-28-2017 10:54 AM)NIU32 Wrote:  It’s a great comparison actually. The biggest advantage Hare had vs Childers right now though is the offensive line. 3 years ago, we had a very solid line anchored by Ness, Colon, Myers, etc. Unfortunately our line has struggled quite a bit this year outside of our stud LT.


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I'm not going to go as far as saying I'm disappointed in the O-line, but I'd like to see more push from then. The pass blocking is solid. Scharping is on pace to be one of our best left tackles. But the run blocking has been so-so.

Just had a stat on the Rutgers/Michigan broadcast , there are only 2 QBs in FBS that are unbeaten with no picks, Rutgers QB and your very own Marcus Childers

And wow, not everyday you see large sections of Michigan Stadium empty.

(10-28-2017 11:12 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:54 AM)NIU32 Wrote:  It’s a great comparison actually. The biggest advantage Hare had vs Childers right now though is the offensive line. 3 years ago, we had a very solid line anchored by Ness, Colon, Myers, etc. Unfortunately our line has struggled quite a bit this year outside of our stud LT.


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I'm not going to go as far as saying I'm disappointed in the O-line, but I'd like to see more push from then. The pass blocking is solid. Scharping is on pace to be one of our best left tackles. But the run blocking has been so-so.

I feel like we’ve let up quite a few sacks this year where as we’ve been a leader in not letting up sacks years prior (mainly to do with how fast we get the ball out).

Our OL used to be a strength of our team for quite awhile. We are young now and I’d consider it to be much more mediocre than it has in years past. Those years when Hare was playing we basically had a same starting 5 for 4 straight years and they were dominant a majority of the time


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(10-28-2017 10:57 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:40 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:34 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 09:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Hare was a really good runner in 14. Better than Childers is now. But it feels like they're forcing the run onto Marcus and teams are prepared. Too much is being put on Marcus right now with 30 pass attempts and 20 rushes. Let the RB's do more and his game will improve.

Hare looked awkward as a runner, but had good results. He got hit multiple times where I didn't think he would get up from it. He was tough. But he needed to learn how to avoid those big hits.

Hare was a bit faster than given credit for because he did run kind of awkwardly. He was also was better in the open field than Marcus is. I haven't seen too much from Childers when he has space to show me he can make rally big runs by beating defenders when he has them one-on-one. But its more important he can get those 3rd and 2 must have yards at the line.

Forcing the run onto Childers... that's a big part of the offense. With Lynch it worked because he was such a good runner and could deliver a hit at the end of the run. How many times did it look like he was going to lose yardage and it ended up being a 40-60 yd td? Harnish was a very good runner too. The NIU QB's since them aren't as good, but the offense requires them to run a lot. When we play good defenses, this offense is tough to watch. Carey or OC should try to change a little bit to use the team's strengths. Wimann over the middle, RB between the tackles... Blake is very good and he seems to be wasted in this offense. They have tried using him, but they have missed him when he was wide open and the attempts have gone down lately.

Both outside WRs are going to suffer in this offense. For now anyway. That's the worst part. And you're right, this style offense struggles vs a tough D. While that sounds obvious, offenses struggling vs better a defense, it's magnified by an offense that does all it's work within the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. The O will need Tears and Blake when it faces a good defense. It's Uremovich's #1 job moving forward to get those 2 more involved. Find a pass Childers can make 15 yards down field...outs, post, curl....idk. It's essential to find one that works.

(10-28-2017 11:16 AM)NIU32 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:12 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:54 AM)NIU32 Wrote:  It’s a great comparison actually. The biggest advantage Hare had vs Childers right now though is the offensive line. 3 years ago, we had a very solid line anchored by Ness, Colon, Myers, etc. Unfortunately our line has struggled quite a bit this year outside of our stud LT.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I'm not going to go as far as saying I'm disappointed in the O-line, but I'd like to see more push from then. The pass blocking is solid. Scharping is on pace to be one of our best left tackles. But the run blocking has been so-so.

I feel like we’ve let up quite a few sacks this year where as we’ve been a leader in not letting up sacks years prior (mainly to do with how fast we get the ball out).

Our OL used to be a strength of our team for quite awhile. We are young now and I’d consider it to be much more mediocre than it has in years past. Those years when Hare was playing we basically had a same starting 5 for 4 straight years and they were dominant a majority of the time


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Some of those sacks have been on the inexperienced QB play. But to be fair to all the QBs, it is tough on many occasions to find any separation with receivers.

(10-28-2017 11:18 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:57 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:40 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:34 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 09:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Hare was a really good runner in 14. Better than Childers is now. But it feels like they're forcing the run onto Marcus and teams are prepared. Too much is being put on Marcus right now with 30 pass attempts and 20 rushes. Let the RB's do more and his game will improve.

Hare looked awkward as a runner, but had good results. He got hit multiple times where I didn't think he would get up from it. He was tough. But he needed to learn how to avoid those big hits.

Hare was a bit faster than given credit for because he did run kind of awkwardly. He was also was better in the open field than Marcus is. I haven't seen too much from Childers when he has space to show me he can make rally big runs by beating defenders when he has them one-on-one. But its more important he can get those 3rd and 2 must have yards at the line.

Forcing the run onto Childers... that's a big part of the offense. With Lynch it worked because he was such a good runner and could deliver a hit at the end of the run. How many times did it look like he was going to lose yardage and it ended up being a 40-60 yd td? Harnish was a very good runner too. The NIU QB's since them aren't as good, but the offense requires them to run a lot. When we play good defenses, this offense is tough to watch. Carey or OC should try to change a little bit to use the team's strengths. Wimann over the middle, RB between the tackles... Blake is very good and he seems to be wasted in this offense. They have tried using him, but they have missed him when he was wide open and the attempts have gone down lately.

Both outside WRs are going to suffer in this offense. For now anyway. That's the worst part. And you're right, this style offense struggles vs a tough D. While that sounds obvious, offenses struggling vs better a defense, it's magnified by an offense that does all it's work within the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. The O will need Tears and Blake when it faces a good defense. It's Uremovich's #1 job moving forward to get those 2 more involved. Find a pass Childers can make 15 yards down field...outs, post, curl....idk. It's essential to find one that works.

How’s this for a stat to reinforce your observation about Blake:
In the SDSU game, Santa’s last game; Blake had 13 catches for 160 yards and 2 TDs; in the four games since the QB duties have been given to Childers; Blake has had a total of 9 catches for 81 yards. That’s a dramatic drop off in production.

(10-28-2017 11:14 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Just had a stat on the Rutgers/Michigan broadcast , there are only 2 QBs in FBS that are unbeaten with no picks, Rutgers QB and your very own Marcus Childers

And wow, not everyday you see large sections of Michigan Stadium empty.

Can't draw big crowds on a Saturday afternoon game! ?

Michigan not as good as expected and Rutgers not a big name team. That's what we are dealing with almost every game.

(10-28-2017 11:29 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:14 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Just had a stat on the Rutgers/Michigan broadcast , there are only 2 QBs in FBS that are unbeaten with no picks, Rutgers QB and your very own Marcus Childers

And wow, not everyday you see large sections of Michigan Stadium empty.

Can't draw big crowds on a Saturday afternoon game! ?

Michigan not as good as expected and Rutgers not a big name team. That's what we are dealing with almost every game.

And we have to deal with the fact that our conference has systematically removed our fanbase for over a decade.

(10-28-2017 11:28 AM)Djud Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:18 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:57 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:40 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 10:34 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  Hare looked awkward as a runner, but had good results. He got hit multiple times where I didn't think he would get up from it. He was tough. But he needed to learn how to avoid those big hits.

Hare was a bit faster than given credit for because he did run kind of awkwardly. He was also was better in the open field than Marcus is. I haven't seen too much from Childers when he has space to show me he can make rally big runs by beating defenders when he has them one-on-one. But its more important he can get those 3rd and 2 must have yards at the line.

Forcing the run onto Childers... that's a big part of the offense. With Lynch it worked because he was such a good runner and could deliver a hit at the end of the run. How many times did it look like he was going to lose yardage and it ended up being a 40-60 yd td? Harnish was a very good runner too. The NIU QB's since them aren't as good, but the offense requires them to run a lot. When we play good defenses, this offense is tough to watch. Carey or OC should try to change a little bit to use the team's strengths. Wimann over the middle, RB between the tackles... Blake is very good and he seems to be wasted in this offense. They have tried using him, but they have missed him when he was wide open and the attempts have gone down lately.

Both outside WRs are going to suffer in this offense. For now anyway. That's the worst part. And you're right, this style offense struggles vs a tough D. While that sounds obvious, offenses struggling vs better a defense, it's magnified by an offense that does all it's work within the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. The O will need Tears and Blake when it faces a good defense. It's Uremovich's #1 job moving forward to get those 2 more involved. Find a pass Childers can make 15 yards down field...outs, post, curl....idk. It's essential to find one that works.

How’s this for a stat to reinforce your observation about Blake:
In the SDSU game, Santa’s last game; Blake had 13 catches for 160 yards and 2 TDs; in the four games since the QB duties have been given to Childers; Blake has had a total of 9 catches for 81 yards. That’s a dramatic drop off in production.

Tears and Blake were getting wide open deep the first few games Childers started. And he missed them by a mile. Could it be that both those guys have lost that extra effort required to get that extra step to get open deep? They've looked very frustrated at the missed deep passes and haven't been open as of late on those same routes. Or could it be they run those plays now as a decoy? Almost like they're only purpose is to keep the safeties from creeping up and there's no intention to complete them because of the interception risk? That's kinda conspiracy theory and wild conjecture on my part I know, but he misses those passes by sooooo much it's almost hard to believe he's trying to connect or that the WR is where he's suppose to be.

(10-28-2017 11:31 AM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:29 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:14 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Just had a stat on the Rutgers/Michigan broadcast , there are only 2 QBs in FBS that are unbeaten with no picks, Rutgers QB and your very own Marcus Childers

And wow, not everyday you see large sections of Michigan Stadium empty.

Can't draw big crowds on a Saturday afternoon game! ?

Michigan not as good as expected and Rutgers not a big name team. That's what we are dealing with almost every game.

And we have to deal with the fact that our conference has systematically removed our fanbase for over a decade.

Its going to take some forward thinking person at one of the schools to speak up to change this course. This thing is headed for extinction. It would be like opening a pizzeria but only open from 3am-9am.

(10-28-2017 11:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Or could it be they run those plays now as a decoy? Almost like they're only purpose is to keep the safeties from creeping up and there's no intention to complete them because of the interception risk? That's kinda conspiracy theory and wild conjecture on my part I know, but he misses those passes by sooooo much it's almost hard to believe he's trying to connect or that the WR is where he's suppose to be.

I'm sure they don't run those plays thinking that they are throwaway plays and have 0% chance of success...that being said, deep shots definitely play a role in setting up the defense for other plays whether they are completed or not. It is pretty amazing how bad he has been on those throws. If he's thrown 20 balls 20+ yards, only one or two of them were even catchable, and half of them were out of bounds by 15 yards

(10-28-2017 11:31 AM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:29 AM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:14 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Just had a stat on the Rutgers/Michigan broadcast , there are only 2 QBs in FBS that are unbeaten with no picks, Rutgers QB and your very own Marcus Childers

And wow, not everyday you see large sections of Michigan Stadium empty.

Can't draw big crowds on a Saturday afternoon game! ?

Michigan not as good as expected and Rutgers not a big name team. That's what we are dealing with almost every game.

And we have to deal with the fact that our conference has systematically removed our fanbase for over a decade.

Yep. We don't have many Saturday games, big name teams, rivalry games, or a big name conference, so alumni and students don't care as much when they keep winning the MAC. And we're on TV, which makes it even easier to not go to games on a weeknight in cold weather. It's bad when even our homecoming doesn't draw fans.

(10-28-2017 11:44 AM)armour248 Wrote:  

(10-28-2017 11:43 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Or could it be they run those plays now as a decoy? Almost like they're only purpose is to keep the safeties from creeping up and there's no intention to complete them because of the interception risk? That's kinda conspiracy theory and wild conjecture on my part I know, but he misses those passes by sooooo much it's almost hard to believe he's trying to connect or that the WR is where he's suppose to be.

I'm sure they don't run those plays thinking that they are throwaway plays and have 0% chance of success...that being said, deep shots definitely play a role in setting up the defense for other plays whether they are completed or not. It is pretty amazing how bad he has been on those throws. If he's thrown 20 balls 20+ yards, only one or two of them were even catchable, and half of them were out of bounds by 15 yards

NIU runs one deep route, that is it. Opposition has caught onto this, and those opportunities will not be there anymore. He is forced to overthrow the receiver or it will be intercepted.