It was a tough pill to swallow. Some thoughts:
There might not be a single team in the country good enough to give up two consecutive scoop scores on offense to these guys and still win the game. If there is, it wouldn't be more than a few. Still, we DID give up the plays. We own them and they are a part of our current resume, sadly.
With the exception of those two plays, we controlled the action in a manner that was needed for us to win the game. We ran about 30 more plays than them in my estimation and controlled the ball for 2/3 of the clock. It wasn't always pretty because we left some plays out there. Had we been playing an even game, or even (gasp) with a lead, the chances of them knuckling under would have been pretty good, given the circumstances. However, the fact that they still had a lead gave them hope and energy despite their defense being out there forever.
Giving up 21 points is pretty good overall, but not great, considering how many plays they ran. However, the nature of the scores and drives we allowed was more of the nature that many of us have been hoping for. Specifically, in that we either got them off the field quickly or they scored quickly, leaving our offense on the field for the majority. More games like that will yield better results IMHO. Defense did enough to win.
In hockey, players are judged by +/- stats (goals scored vs allowed for the time you are personally on the ice). Our offense was plus 7 yesterday. That doesn't cut it. I haven't watched the replay, but here are my thoughts from the upper north viewpoint:
We are a 3 headed monster on offense and not the 4 headed monster we have been at times in the past. The QB, BB and AB position groups all pose a threat to some degree, but at WR it is sadly not the case. This is palpable, watching the action. At this point in time, the WRs are not even a working part of the offense. It will continue to be a struggle for us as long as this is the case. The only throws happening to them that have a chance are back shoulder throws with DBs draped all over them. We simply do not see separation. Back shoulder throws are great, but they won't be as effective if we never get free on other routes.
Although not a thing of beauty yesterday, some parts of the offense are starting to round into form.
I hope we all feel lucky that we have Mills. He looks like an NFL runner to me. He has vision and toughness and he will only get better from here. Think about that. He did a great job of picking holes and running the right track yesterday. He finishes runs like a man. Gotta love it.
