(09-07-2021 06:32 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(09-07-2021 01:57 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  What concerns me is the 'preseason' attitude that I still worry about. I don't know if its still there. I think its clearly not on defense or in the players... but I worry that its in the coaches. Don't show your best plays... it will hurt you in conference?? Really?? Not if you're good at them,. Why not just get more 'best' plays??

I wonder what plays you think we are hiding/saving for later? The fake punt?

I do think of our schedule as a two part season - the "big" guys (first three) and the "little" guys (last nine). But I don't think Bloom or anybody is sacrificing anything against the big guys to save it for the little guys. JMHO.

Now, if we see a whole new playbook for the conference games, then you have a point. But I expect to see the same old playbook all season.

Ibid to Tomball's post....

But I guess I should say it differently.

Paraphrasing Sun Tzu. If equally matched as in the last 9, you do battle. Your plan against theirs... your scheme against theirs. If outmatched as in the first 3 (and just using your words, not trying to debate them) then you cannot win an 11 on 11 game. You have to focus on smaller skirmishes... you have to engage in isolation. Try and find the one player where you have an advantage, or the one area (player intelligence?) where you have an advantage and exploit it. That's where I talk about changing formations or other alignment type plays where you can get the other team out of position to create at least a stalemate from an inferior athletic position. This is very much what Hatfield did. Remember when he started dropping DL into the passing lanes against the run and shoot?? He did this because it created confusion for linemen which allowed other rushers to come free and/or messed up the QB or WR reads as they were predicated on reading the linebacker. The linebacker would blitz which meant the read was you throw to the area he vacated, but then the lineman would drop into that area. Remember against A&M when Bailiff (was it Mensa?) went unbalanced and A&M struggled for a bit?

Bottom line, I guess I expect to see 'more' on offense against the first 3, not less... and if it works against them, it will KILL against CUSA. On Defense, I expect to see essentially the same... because the offenses we will see will be similar, just with 'not quite as good' players.