(09-27-2018 08:33 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Eagle King,
You said exactly what Coach Creighton said about earlier kick-offs. That's why the squib attempt.

I know we all have 20/20 hindsight, but I'm sure Creighton also thought about kicking the ball out of bounds and giving them the ball at the 35 yl.

Just talking about that game pisses me off.

We were scared. You go for the win. F*c* that. We left a game on the table. I stayed up until 3 am for that finish? Glass forces it a lot. It's only a matter of time before he throws more and more pics.

Let's hope we can pass block and our receivers can get open this weekend for Weigers to be able to operate in the pocket.

If we don't punish a weak NIU team I will very disappointed.

Powells is a good place but probably not suitable for a d1 coaches luncheon. I was trying to be sarcastic and failed. Im sure many assistant coaches and GA's have drowned their sorrows there are a emu loss.

Dear Friends,
Coaches Luncheon number three. About thirty people in attendance with Jeremiah Harris and Jeremy Hickey the guest players in attendance. Jeremy Hickey is done for the season with a knee injury, for those of you who may have wondered.
I had a private discussion with Coach Creighton about some of the offensive calls in the Western game. Just to give one example: Why go with the quarterback sneak on fourth and less than a yard when everyone knew it was coming? His response was, Tyler is 6'4" and 227lbs. and Westen's defensive line was lighter than Eastern's offensive line, so we should be able to make that. He also explained that the line judge (in his opinion) did not place the ball where it should have, and that resulted in not making the first down.
To the luncheon group as a whole, he mentioned that all it takes for any play to not work is for one player to miss his assignment. When they go over the film of the games on Sunday they can see who was in the wrong place, who missed their block, etc., so it is important for the plays to be successful that everyone completes their task. I don't think Coach Creighton is making excuses as some may think. I thought he did a good job of explaining what goes into successful play calls. Along those lines he said the most important statistic besides the final score is the take away ratio. In many cases that is what will determine the outcome of a game.
Everyone is still upbeat, and I forgot to mention that two members of the Board of Regents were in attendance; James Webb and Michelle Crumm.
Any questions?

(10-10-2018 01:43 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Coaches Luncheon number three. About thirty people in attendance with Jeremiah Harris and Jeremy Hickey the guest players in attendance. Jeremy Hickey is done for the season with a knee injury, for those of you who may have wondered.
I had a private discussion with Coach Creighton about some of the offensive calls in the Western game. Just to give one example: Why go with the quarterback sneak on fourth and less than a yard when everyone knew it was coming? His response was, Tyler is 6'4" and 227lbs. and Westen's defensive line was lighter than Eastern's offensive line, so we should be able to make that. He also explained that the line judge (in his opinion) did not place the ball where it should have, and that resulted in not making the first down.
To the luncheon group as a whole, he mentioned that all it takes for any play to not work is for one player to miss his assignment. When they go over the film of the games on Sunday they can see who was in the wrong place, who missed their block, etc., so it is important for the plays to be successful that everyone completes their task. I don't think Coach Creighton is making excuses as some may think. I thought he did a good job of explaining what goes into successful play calls. Along those lines he said the most important statistic besides the final score is the take away ratio. In many cases that is what will determine the outcome of a game.
Everyone is still upbeat, and I forgot to mention that two members of the Board of Regents were in attendance; James Webb and Michelle Crumm.
Any questions?

Thanks Ken. I too thought that the refs marked that ball about a half a yard short. Not sure if it would have made a difference but it was a bad spot.

Thanks Ken!

(10-10-2018 01:43 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Coaches Luncheon number three. About thirty people in attendance with Jeremiah Harris and Jeremy Hickey the guest players in attendance. Jeremy Hickey is done for the season with a knee injury, for those of you who may have wondered.
I had a private discussion with Coach Creighton about some of the offensive calls in the Western game. Just to give one example: Why go with the quarterback sneak on fourth and less than a yard when everyone knew it was coming? His response was, Tyler is 6'4" and 227lbs. and Westen's defensive line was lighter than Eastern's offensive line, so we should be able to make that. He also explained that the line judge (in his opinion) did not place the ball where it should have, and that resulted in not making the first down.
To the luncheon group as a whole, he mentioned that all it takes for any play to not work is for one player to miss his assignment. When they go over the film of the games on Sunday they can see who was in the wrong place, who missed their block, etc., so it is important for the plays to be successful that everyone completes their task. I don't think Coach Creighton is making excuses as some may think. I thought he did a good job of explaining what goes into successful play calls. Along those lines he said the most important statistic besides the final score is the take away ratio. In many cases that is what will determine the outcome of a game.
Everyone is still upbeat, and I forgot to mention that two members of the Board of Regents were in attendance; James Webb and Michelle Crumm.
Any questions?

Bigger offensive linemen, and a 227lb QB..........and we STILL can't get a half yard!

I would seriously have a 15 minute session, twice a week......with 6 OLinemen, the QB, 4 DLinemen, and 3 LB's up close, to practice this exact situation.

If these guys can't get a yard on a QB sneak, even when the D knows it's coming, there is something seriously wrong. We know the snap count, they don't! That tiny fraction of an advantage is huge. It's about physicality and 'want to'.

On the flipside, since we obviously suck at it, and continue to fail over and over, maybe it's time to try something/anything else.

Dear Friends,
Coaches Luncheon number five. About thirty people in attendance, including President Smith and his wife, and Athletic Director Wetherbee. There were no players in attendance, and in their place was Special Teams Coach Nunez. I asked him why Eastern didn't run back kick-offs if we were catching the ball on the fifteen yard line, instead of calling for a fair catch? He said that Army's scheme for covering kick-offs made Eastern always want to start at the 25 yard line, rather than be short of that. He also gave percentages of how far any team might advance the ball on kick-offs based on where it was caught.
As far as the Army game went, Coach Creighton said, when Eastern was behind by nine points, they felt they were still in the ball game, and it wasn't until Army scored the first touchdown just before half, that adjustments would have to be made. Question was brought up about the three penalties that were called against Eastern on one play. The initial call was face mask against Eastern. The second was unsportsmanlike conduct by an Eastern player, and the third was unsportsmanlike call against Coach Creighton for complaining about the original face mask call. Which Coach Creighton said was not a face mask call, but should have been a holding call, and the film afterward proved it was holding.
For the Central game Ian Eriksen will be ready, and Coach Creighton implied that there may be some new wrinkles in the offense. And as always no reports on who may be injured and unable to play in the Central game. He also said that there is a feeling of animosity towards Central as a rival that is not quite there with Western.
In private, I asked Athletic Director Wetherbee about the lawsuit. He said they are working on an agreement, and it should be announced in a few says to a week. He thinks Eastern will come out of it okay.
Another side note that has nothing to do with today's team, but I sat next to a former player from the George Manns tenure as coach at Eastern, and he said Manns was the biggest a-hole of a coach that Eastern could have hired. He continued to say that Manns had no respect for the players, and it sounded like another coach we had.... Ron English.
Any questions?

(10-31-2018 02:03 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Coaches Luncheon number five. About thirty people in attendance, including President Smith and his wife, and Athletic Director Wetherbee. There were no players in attendance, and in their place was Special Teams Coach Nunez. I asked him why Eastern didn't run back kick-offs if we were catching the ball on the fifteen yard line, instead of calling for a fair catch? He said that Army's scheme for covering kick-offs made Eastern always want to start at the 25 yard line, rather than be short of that. He also gave percentages of how far any team might advance the ball on kick-offs based on where it was caught.
As far as the Army game went, Coach Creighton said, when Eastern was behind by nine points, they felt they were still in the ball game, and it wasn't until Army scored the first touchdown just before half, that adjustments would have to be made. Question was brought up about the three penalties that were called against Eastern on one play. The initial call was face mask against Eastern. The second was unsportsmanlike conduct by an Eastern player, and the third was unsportsmanlike call against Coach Creighton for complaining about the original face mask call. Which Coach Creighton said was not a face mask call, but should have been a holding call, and the film afterward proved it was holding.
For the Central game Ian Eriksen will be ready, and Coach Creighton implied that there may be some new wrinkles in the offense. And as always no reports on who may be injured and unable to play in the Central game. He also said that there is a feeling of animosity towards Central as a rival that is not quite there with Western.
In private, I asked Athletic Director Wetherbee about the lawsuit. He said they are working on an agreement, and it should be announced in a few says to a week. He thinks Eastern will come out of it okay.
Another side note that has nothing to do with today's team, but I sat next to a former player from the George Manns tenure as coach at Eastern, and he said Manns was the biggest a-hole of a coach that Eastern could have hired. He continued to say that Manns had no respect for the players, and it sounded like another coach we had.... Ron English.
Any questions?

Thanks as always Ken

(10-31-2018 04:48 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(10-31-2018 02:03 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Coaches Luncheon number five. About thirty people in attendance, including President Smith and his wife, and Athletic Director Wetherbee. There were no players in attendance, and in their place was Special Teams Coach Nunez. I asked him why Eastern didn't run back kick-offs if we were catching the ball on the fifteen yard line, instead of calling for a fair catch? He said that Army's scheme for covering kick-offs made Eastern always want to start at the 25 yard line, rather than be short of that. He also gave percentages of how far any team might advance the ball on kick-offs based on where it was caught.
As far as the Army game went, Coach Creighton said, when Eastern was behind by nine points, they felt they were still in the ball game, and it wasn't until Army scored the first touchdown just before half, that adjustments would have to be made. Question was brought up about the three penalties that were called against Eastern on one play. The initial call was face mask against Eastern. The second was unsportsmanlike conduct by an Eastern player, and the third was unsportsmanlike call against Coach Creighton for complaining about the original face mask call. Which Coach Creighton said was not a face mask call, but should have been a holding call, and the film afterward proved it was holding.
For the Central game Ian Eriksen will be ready, and Coach Creighton implied that there may be some new wrinkles in the offense. And as always no reports on who may be injured and unable to play in the Central game. He also said that there is a feeling of animosity towards Central as a rival that is not quite there with Western.
In private, I asked Athletic Director Wetherbee about the lawsuit. He said they are working on an agreement, and it should be announced in a few says to a week. He thinks Eastern will come out of it okay.
Another side note that has nothing to do with today's team, but I sat next to a former player from the George Manns tenure as coach at Eastern, and he said Manns was the biggest a-hole of a coach that Eastern could have hired. He continued to say that Manns had no respect for the players, and it sounded like another coach we had.... Ron English.
Any questions?

Thanks as always Ken

I second those thanks Ken.

I'm guessing the former player you sat next had the initials BM. Nevertheless Mans and English shared a common thread, they were U-M assistants. Our two most successful coach hires since then, Harkema and Creighton were head coaches from less hallowed institutions. Thus they regard the EMU job with some reverence and have looked to build a program rather than simply whip a bunch of kids into a good season or two before accepting a more attractive offer elsewhere.

Thanks Ken!

New wrinkles??? Likely means Glass isn't playing........and at least they realize the base offense without him needs some help.

Still waiting for the double pass again from Holder.

(10-31-2018 09:05 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  Still waiting for the double pass again from Holder.

Agreed! The "Philly Special" two point conversion pass was probably the highlight of the Army game. The kid also isn't a bad receiver. If he gets enough snaps, opposing defenses won't be able to cheat on the double pass threat. We could probably mix Grissom in a similar wrinkle as well. Let's see how much our opponents know about our players.

(10-31-2018 09:05 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  Thanks Ken!

New wrinkles??? Likely means Glass isn't playing........and at least they realize the base offense without him needs some help.

Still waiting for the double pass again from Holder.

So was the new wrinkle that Glass would be returning?? I certainly so no new plays or anything impressive for that matter. Still very limited use of TE, no double pass or trick plays that I recall. I guess Drummond's catches were impressive.

Hi Ken,

Could you please ask coach Creighton two things for me:

1) Why do we substitute so many offensive linemen? It seemingly confuses us plus we do not get continuity. Do we have OLine that pass block better than run block and vice versa. If that's the case, aren't we informing the defense what our next play is? Rob Rubbick said on the air that our OLine subbing is "Weird"!!

2) Why do we use so many TOs during the early part of the game? We typically do not have them for the end of the 2nd or 4th quarter. The OLine subbing is a root cause of the unnecessary Time Outs.

After these two questions, please thank him for me on giving up the rugby style punts :-)!!!

Thanks!!!

Dear Friends,
Last Coaches Luncheon for the year. About thirty five people in attendance, including non-other than emusuperfan! Guest player was Lamar Harris, wide receiver. He injured his hand in the Ball State game and had to have surgery, and, as a result could not play the rest of the year.
Revisiting the Central game, Coach Creighton said we definitely should have scored more points, but four incursions into their red zone, we ended with a fumble, missed field goal, interception, and stop on downs.
Akron will be a challenge because we don't know if their quarterback will play, and they have some very good players at various positions that can play very well, and they also have the incentive to win out. Because their game with Nebraska was cancelled, they have a game with South Carolina in December.
For Luckeyone; The offensive linemen rotation is to just spell people to give them a break. Creighton emphasized it had nothing to do with pass plays versus running plays. The time outs were just coincidental with changes in the linemen, and were called for other reasons.
For those interested in attending basketball luncheons, they will be held at the Ale House in the old Huron Hotel on Washington Street, beginning in December.
Any questions?

(11-07-2018 02:55 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Last Coaches Luncheon for the year. About thirty five people in attendance, including non-other than emusuperfan! Guest player was Lamar Harris, wide receiver. He injured his hand in the Ball State game and had to have surgery, and, as a result could not play the rest of the year.
Revisiting the Central game, Coach Creighton said we definitely should have scored more points, but four incursions into their red zone, we ended with a fumble, missed field goal, interception, and stop on downs.
Akron will be a challenge because we don't know if their quarterback will play, and they have some very good players at various positions that can play very well, and they also have the incentive to win out. Because their game with Nebraska was cancelled, they have a game with South Carolina in December.
For Luckeyone; The offensive linemen rotation is to just spell people to give them a break. Creighton emphasized it had nothing to do with pass plays versus running plays. The time outs were just coincidental with changes in the linemen, and were called for other reasons.
For those interested in attending basketball luncheons, they will be held at the Ale House in the old Huron Hotel on Washington Street, beginning in December.
Any questions?

Thanks Ken!

Thanks for covering this year after year

Great job Ken, as always.