Ok as I have said before, we all love The Jackets and in that vain I say the following.
I am not a CPJ homer but I do think that if we ever get it down we will be unstoppable. With that said. I think CPJ is starting to coach in a wide eyed mode. It looks like everything has to be a home run in his mind. In particular in the passing game. We need to pass over the middle and run something other than go routes. The long pass is not something that Lee can throw with accuracy right now and if he could he doesn't have the time to.
I think the play calling is also a result of the players displayed abilities to finish the play. Waller just refuses to go get the ball and therefore plays as if he is shorter than he is. that style of play takes the weapon he brings , his size, out off the field and makes it easier to cover him 1-1. Smelter is a stud but one that I think could absolutely be better used in slants and WR screens, we seem stuck to the side lines on our routes.
The QB's today proved two things, we have no pass protection ( which plays into CPJs pass calls I think) and they are extremely young. Both had plays today where they looked lost or panicked. They therefore are not seeing the field in a passing perspective or the option. I think the game is still extremely fast to them.
The OL. Coach said we lost two today in the 1st quarter. Overall they played better but I still think they dive at where they think the defensive will be rather than where he is. They cannot communicate and are easily fooled with corner blitz pick up and stunts. And as I said pass blocking - well they don't do it.
The defense, the soft defense we played today is, to me the very most frustrating thing to watch. CTR brought an aggressive mindset to the team but I cannot stand to watch our guys 10 yards off the WRs. I dont understand why we do it and it is anything but attacking. Our DBs spent more time today trying to figure out who they were going to hand their WR off to than they did putting them on their asses at the line. A simple move like allowing us to line up and then flopping the WRs before the snap confused the hell out our backs. There were two long receptions, one for a TD in which the Miami WRs who were out wide and side by side simply switched positions, the one farthest out came in and the other went out. They then got set and the ball was snapped. The Tech backs who I guess were in man on those plays couldn't figure out which one they were suppose to cover.
This soft defensive tech. Can be adjusted and that's all coaching. I do t know if CTR was/ is protecting someone but they never came out if it.
Overall our guys seem to be lacking a football instinct. The type that tells you to cut in rather than out, to dive rather than slide. When Nealy ( I think it was) picked the ball off and was running it back he had the entire sideline, Gostis and their QB, who was limping ahead of him. Rather than slowing up slightly so Gostis could lay out the QB, Nealy cut it inside so hard he got tackled in the middle of the field. On the long pass ( of course down the sideline ) to Summers, rather than planting his foot and jumping up to the balls high point, Summers squatted and waited on it to fall to him. When it actually went between the defenders hands it hit him in the chest and he dropped it. If instinct tells him to go up, he catches it or is interfered with.
Overall this team is missing something, I think its instinct but I am not positive. Watts is the best example maybe. He truly could be a stud but he seems late on hits or his angles. Something always puts him out of place.
Bottom line to me is that the VT game is still the one. It will be the game that killed us. Our guys aren't good enough to give games away and certainly not the big games. I think the players gave the VT game away and I think CTR or CPJ ( who ever is responsible for the defensive adjustments and game plan) gave today's game away.
Even if we ain't throwing short routes and can't block worth a damn, we scored 30 ( 23 if u like) if our defense adjusted to an attacking mindset we win this game.
By the way am I the only one who thinks Young was held at the end of the long TD pass ? I swear the blocker hooked his arm at about the 5 yard line, right I front if the ref.
