If you wonder why the offense is struggling watch this series at the end of the first half against Toledo. It's a failure of both execution and scheme. The situation is first and ten at the Toledo 11 yard line with a chance to punch it in and take the lead.
On first down Toledo brings pressure up the middle which is not picked up. Bowers has to unload the ball and there's no hot receiver.
On second down Toledo runs a twist off the right side that is not picked up. Bowers has to unload the ball and there's no hot receiver.
On third down Toledo brings pressure which is picked up reasonably well, nice job by Collins. Still Bowers has to unload the ball and once again, no hot receiver.
(This post was last modified: 12-08-2020 09:35 AM by NIU1981.)
The 2 minute drill is non-existent for NIU. The offense has no sense of urgency even when down by several touchdowns. They continue to run the clock down on every play. Very frustrating.
(12-08-2020 09:50 AM)MiamiHuskie Wrote: The 2 minute drill is non-existent for NIU. The offense has no sense of urgency even when down by several touchdowns. They continue to run the clock down on every play. Very frustrating.
(12-08-2020 09:50 AM)MiamiHuskie Wrote: The 2 minute drill is non-existent for NIU. The offense has no sense of urgency even when down by several touchdowns. They continue to run the clock down on every play. Very frustrating.
I think there is a legitimate fear of putting our defense out there too often. We have below average corners and young safeties. Terrible combo when a team gets the ball with a minute or so less.
Hammock legit tries to eat all of the clock before he worries about scoring. Strategy wise I get it. You can keep this young team in the game and not give them anything to hang their heads over at the end of the first half.
As this team matures I am sure we will see more aggressive play calls. The defense is being babied...because they are babies.
(12-08-2020 09:22 AM)NIU1981 Wrote: If you wonder why the offense is struggling watch this series at the end of the first half against Toledo. It's a failure of both execution and scheme. The situation is first and ten at the Toledo 11 yard line with a chance to punch it in and take the lead.
On first down Toledo brings pressure up the middle which is not picked up. Bowers has to unload the ball and there's no hot receiver.
On second down Toledo runs a twist off the right side that is not picked up. Bowers has to unload the ball and there's no hot receiver.
On third down Toledo brings pressure which is picked up reasonably well, nice job by Collins. Still Bowers has to unload the ball and once again, no hot receiver.
So hot routes at the goal line are understandably absent. The routes aren’t long anyway, so in general a hot route isn’t wasted - plus a 3 yard route with the time running down isn’t super advisable most of the time - so they are missing from 2 minute drills as well (modern football loves math...over logic most of the time.)
That said, I would think when you have proven you can’t protect even for the minimum amount of time you throw in a hitch or 2. But if you complete said hitch and the clock hits 30 do you spike it? Do you rush a play with a young team? I don’t know the answer, but I have a feeling our coaches don’t either...and don’t care to find out.
It's a good point that they have to throw it to the end zone on third down there. I think a checkdown could have worked on first down when it was clear Toledo was bringing the house. It's also frustrating that our line can't protect for even ten yard routes as you said.
They were also in that situation because they wasted timeouts earlier in the half, which they've done every game this season.
(This post was last modified: 12-08-2020 11:21 AM by NIU1981.)
(12-08-2020 09:50 AM)MiamiHuskie Wrote: The 2 minute drill is non-existent for NIU. The offense has no sense of urgency even when down by several touchdowns. They continue to run the clock down on every play. Very frustrating.
I think there is a legitimate fear of putting our defense out there too often. We have below average corners and young safeties. Terrible combo when a team gets the ball with a minute or so less.
Hammock legit tries to eat all of the clock before he worries about scoring. Strategy wise I get it. You can keep this young team in the game and not give them anything to hang their heads over at the end of the first half.
As this team matures I am sure we will see more aggressive play calls. The defense is being babied...because they are babies.
I've been saying it for a while- both the offense and defensive coordinators are NOT good. I like Ham a lot, but he missed on those hires. Time to move on from them and get better coaches in the building.
Coaching staff is fine. The co-ordinators aren't kids, they've been successful. This is growing pains for the pups, we are headed in the right direction. Stay the course.
(12-08-2020 12:39 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote: What I didn't get was the cushion the defense was giving the WR all game against Toledo. Can someone explain that logic?
Well our corners are below average...the theory behind the defense is that if we play corners deep it will take longer for them to get beat so our pass rush will be able to pressure the qb and maybe make a sack. Totally doesn’t work out.
Our corners are just bad and need a cushion, but the problem is they give up short passes all day long...so no sacks there...but even with the cushion they stink.
They really hurt what the defense is trying to do and there flat out isn’t a fix on this roster. At this point we can only hope for growth and development...Thomas is what he is at this point though.
When they go up tempo why the big delay to get the play? In the day with Lynch they ran the play immediately. It worked so well many times. Is because they are so young or burning clock to control ball?
(12-09-2020 01:10 AM)MGMFIN86 Wrote: When they go up tempo why the big delay to get the play? In the day with Lynch they ran the play immediately. It worked so well many times. Is because they are so young or burning clock to control ball?
I 100% think it is ball control. Like I said, I believe Hammock is mico-managing this offense in to what it is - he isn't letting the OC do what he wants. Personally I would say open it up for the last game and lets see how it goes.
What's the worst that can happen? We lose? Been there, done that.
(12-08-2020 09:50 AM)MiamiHuskie Wrote: The 2 minute drill is non-existent for NIU. The offense has no sense of urgency even when down by several touchdowns. They continue to run the clock down on every play. Very frustrating.
I think there is a legitimate fear of putting our defense out there too often. We have below average corners and young safeties. Terrible combo when a team gets the ball with a minute or so less.
Hammock legit tries to eat all of the clock before he worries about scoring. Strategy wise I get it. You can keep this young team in the game and not give them anything to hang their heads over at the end of the first half.
As this team matures I am sure we will see more aggressive play calls. The defense is being babied...because they are babies.
You saw both of these at play in the Toledo game. I hate the 10-yard cushion the DB's were giving, but it did work to frustrate Toledo a bit with a lack of big plays, causing 2 turnovers in the first half/first series of the second. Bend, don't break, let them make a mistake. And it worked as long as our offense was doing something.
But in the 2nd half, the offense fell apart, really every piece of it, but especially the O-line. Plays on drives in the 2nd half- 6, 3, 6, 4, 9 (garbage time). While Toledo just wore the defense down and then started to get some bigger plays.
You've got a young D that can show some things, but let a competent offense run 80 plays against them? Won't go well. So I can see where the offense should run the clock down as much as they can, but they were so, so bad in the 2nd half, even that wasn't enough.
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Three instructive plays
