Rocky had three weeks. All he’s shown is that he can’t drive down the field and we have the worst offense in the country. It’s way past time to see how much the other guys progressed. I want to see them all. Hampt, Lynch, Cremscoli, and Kidd.

Wilson had no business being drafted that high. He still sucks. Real noodle arms…

If you’re not a running QB you need to be able to throw deep passes with accuracy. A vertical passing attack would do wonders for our running game. It’s been a while since we had a QB with this ability. Hampton may give us that threat.

We really need to recruit / develop dual threat QBs but easier said than done.

(09-17-2023 09:54 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(09-17-2023 08:48 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  The #1 Goal every season is to win the MACC.

And to have that chance you need to win the MAC West.

And arguably that only happens by winning at Toledo on 9/30. ITS A MUST WIN. (Weird that we play them to open conference play.)

I guess if you let Rocky start Tulsa…but if he has a bad first half….then you’ve gotta switch horses at halftime….whether it’s Hampton or someone else.

If they succeed you give them the keys to the car on 9/30….and pray.

It’s all about the MACC. We ain’t going to the Orange Bowl this year.

There’s really two seasons. The OOC part where you hope to build national recognition or maybe a chance to creep into the rankings by going 3-1 or 4-0. Then there’s conference play that’s all about a MACC. The OOC part is trashed and we now use the Tulsa game to get ready for Toledo. Doesn’t matter if we lose but figure out who your QB is, who your RB1 and if Rudolph's worth having out there. He looked like molasses on that KO return.

Rudolph did look like molasses on that KO return (physical) and looked hesitant to run (physical and mental).

For the uninitiated, Hamp was decisive and accurate. That translates well against any opponent…

(09-17-2023 11:04 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(09-17-2023 08:08 AM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(09-17-2023 06:41 AM)Lynchpin Wrote:  I’m not sold at all on Hampton honestly. 59% completion rate. 6 INT and 7 TD last year. Zero running threat. I do have a bias towards thinking we have more success with a duel threat QB.

That being said we have all seen how bad Rocky has struggled for 3 games now.

No issue giving Hampton a couple/few series next game, unless Rocky turns it around from the start (seems highly unlikely). IF the offense ignites with Hampton that kind of makes the decision easy from there.

I don't think he's the answer either. He got to play against the Nebraska 3rd string defense and they didn't even bother blitzing him. He has poor pocket presence and takes sacks and throws too many INTs but if we can't run the ball or pass well it's worth seeing what he can do out there. My concern was after Rocky's eligibility was over after this season so we might as well see if Hampton can lead this team or we need to go to the portal for a veteran QB.

Can't use his freshman year as a measuring stick for who he is as a player now. There's a lot of growth and development that can happen in an off season. Look at Zach Wilson when he lost to us, and the year before he was taken as a first round draft pick. Kids grow. These are the growing years. Rocky is what Rocky is. And he's not good, it's time to move on and accept whatever comes next, if we want to grow. Can't keep hanging on to the past.

This is Hampton's 4th year at NIU. Last year was his third year in the program. So he was basically a 21-yr old freshman last year when he played and went 0-4 as the starter.

Stats since the Harnish era. Bottom line,
*Chandler could pass but he can also run
*Lynch could run but he can also pass
*they both kept the defense honest by completing deep passes
*Hare was underrated
*we were spoiled.

I really thought Rocky was the next Harnish:

Yards per completion 5 or more starts:
Chandler Harnish 13.0
Jordan Lynch 12.2
Drew Hare 12.1
Anthony Maddie 11.5
Ryan Graham 11.0
Dan Santa 13.4
Marcus Childers 9.9
Ross Bowers 6.14
Rocky Lombardi 12.7
Ethan Hampton 10.6

(09-17-2023 03:16 PM)Djud Wrote:  Stats since the Harnish era. Bottom line,
*Chandler could pass but he can also run
*Lynch could run but he can also pass
*they both kept the defense honest by completing deep passes
*Hare was underrated
*we were spoiled.

I really thought Rocky was the next Harnish:

Yards per completion 5 or more starts:
Chandler Harnish 13.0
Jordan Lynch 12.2
Drew Hare 12.1
Anthony Maddie 11.5
Ryan Graham 11.0
Dan Santa 13.4
Marcus Childers 9.9
Ross Bowers 6.14
Rocky Lombardi 12.7
Ethan Hampton 10.6

Play calling and talent.

Maybe it was Hammock’s time in the NFL…but he certainly doesn’t understand the change in the college game - power run is dead cause high school kids aren’t built like that anymore - so his team can’t do it.

(09-17-2023 04:15 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  Maybe it was Hammock’s time in the NFL…but he certainly doesn’t understand the change in the college game - power run is dead cause high school kids aren’t built like that anymore - so his team can’t do it.

It's not that, we just aren't good at it....but then again, there's not a whole lot we are good at on offense

I think we should chain move with Carter, and find Rut to make yac plays...what we are doing isn't working, not even against SIU

I get that playcalling can be better (it always can be) but this offense is bordeline terrible. We have a QB who can't run and completes 40% of his passes. We have a "star" receiver who can't get open. We have an offensive line that can't block.

Is playcalling an issue? Yes. But at some point, its not going to matter what play they call. The personnel on this offensive unit probably can't execute it with any kind of regularity.

Either way, both of those things fall squarely on the shoulders of Thomas Hammock and he's yet to demonstrate he can make improvements other than in the negative direction.

He caught the luck fairy by the short hairs in 2021 and used up all of his house credits and has yet to earn any more.

(09-17-2023 06:14 PM)Big Red Wrote:  I get that playcalling can be better (it always can be) but this offense is bordeline terrible. We have a QB who can't run and completes 40% of his passes. We have a "star" receiver who can't get open. We have an offensive line that can't block.

Is playcalling an issue? Yes. But at some point, its not going to matter what play they call. The personnel on this offensive unit probably can't execute it with any kind of regularity.

Either way, both of those things fall squarely on the shoulders of Thomas Hammock and he's yet to demonstrate he can make improvements other than in the negative direction.

He caught the luck fairy by the short hairs in 2021 and used up all of his house credits and has yet to earn any more.

Can’t run, can’t block, can’t throw, and can’t catch. What exactly is the problem????

(09-17-2023 06:55 PM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  

(09-17-2023 06:14 PM)Big Red Wrote:  I get that playcalling can be better (it always can be) but this offense is bordeline terrible. We have a QB who can't run and completes 40% of his passes. We have a "star" receiver who can't get open. We have an offensive line that can't block.

Is playcalling an issue? Yes. But at some point, its not going to matter what play they call. The personnel on this offensive unit probably can't execute it with any kind of regularity.

Either way, both of those things fall squarely on the shoulders of Thomas Hammock and he's yet to demonstrate he can make improvements other than in the negative direction.

He caught the luck fairy by the short hairs in 2021 and used up all of his house credits and has yet to earn any more.

Can’t run, can’t block, can’t throw, and can’t catch. What exactly is the problem????

The problem???? No creativity from the coaching staff.

Let’s be honest there is no QB answer in this current roster. This is a 2 or 3 win team.

(09-18-2023 07:20 AM)pjfleck82 Wrote:  Let’s be honest there is no QB answer in this current roster. This is a 2 or 3 win team.

I would like to see for myself. Hampton looked good in the final drive. That's all we have to go by. Lynch looked good in his packages although limited. The signs are there that they've matured and progressed.

(09-18-2023 07:53 AM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  

(09-18-2023 07:20 AM)pjfleck82 Wrote:  Let’s be honest there is no QB answer in this current roster. This is a 2 or 3 win team.

I would like to see for myself. Hampton looked good in the final drive. That's all we have to go by. Lynch looked good in his packages although limited. The signs are there that they've matured and progressed.

Did Lynch play at all against Nebraska? Given how poorly the O was doing I'm surprised they didn't try him.

(09-18-2023 08:08 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-18-2023 07:53 AM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  

(09-18-2023 07:20 AM)pjfleck82 Wrote:  Let’s be honest there is no QB answer in this current roster. This is a 2 or 3 win team.

I would like to see for myself. Hampton looked good in the final drive. That's all we have to go by. Lynch looked good in his packages although limited. The signs are there that they've matured and progressed.

Did Lynch play at all against Nebraska? Given how poorly the O was doing I'm surprised they didn't try him.

Lynch is Hammock's surprise secret weapon. He's saving him for MAC play to shock the MAC competition. They would never think that Lynch will run.

The Lynch "wildcat'' package was only used against BC. Too bad, he had a TD pass and a big run in the red zone. I guess it was too successful to use when you're trying to be the worst offense in the country.

(09-18-2023 08:17 AM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  The Lynch "wildcat'' package was only used against BC. Too bad, he had a TD pass and a big run in the red zone. I guess it was too successful to use when you're trying to be the worst offense in the country.

Yea, scoring TDs and all that, just isn't who we are.