forensicbuzz
Helluva Engineer
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It's Thursday after the big win against VPI in Blacksburg. I've been enjoying the victory (unfortunately I don't work with any VPI grads any more). We're going into a bye week, and I thought it's a good time to reflect on what we've done to-date and what we need to do to get where we want us to be. Here's my summary of what I've seen and what I expect.
Our season so far has been against what appears to be a strong FCS team in Wofford, followed by a pumped up Tulane team opening a new stadium, then a Georgia Southern team, who we've never played, out to prove they're the real deal, and finally a Virginia Tech team that always plays well at home. Obviously, we won each game, but none in resounding fashion. In my opinion, each team we have played has been a progressively tougher opponent, and we've done what it has taken to win each game. We've also given out opponents reason to think they could play with us each game.
Our performance thus far has been one of fits and starts. In each game we've shown dominance on the offensive side of the ball, but we've also shown we can be completely shut down. I think some of this is youth at QB and other key positions, but it's also about execution from the experienced guys. To me, it's not a talent thing, it's a mental thing and a coaching thing. If we don't have the physical skills to do what the coaches are asking us to do, we need to either get players on the field who can or alter our scheme to allow the players we have to be successful. This is an underlying tenant of management that anyone on this board who has ever had managerial duties will be able to relate to.
Enough with the pretense, here are my thoughts:
1. We really don't know what we are yet. Are we good? Are we bad? Somewhere in the middle? I don't think anyone can answer that question yet. We are young at some key positions, thin at some key positions, but in the end, we've been able to get done what must get done to win. There is something important about being able to say that. We haven't always been able to say that.
2. Our competition appears to have gotten better each week. If we play against Tulane like we did against Wofford, we lose to Tulane. If we play Georgia Southern like we played against Tulane, we lose to Georgia Southern. If we play against VPI like we did against GSU, we lose to VPI. I can't tell is this is because we're improving each week and becoming more comfortable in our own skin or if we're simply playing to the level of our competition. Either can be an answer.
I'd rather believe we're improving each week and that we will continue to improve for each game. To me, that question remains to be answered.
3. Is our competition for the first 4 games good or did we just scrape by some pretty bad teams. Tulane lost to Tulsa and Duke, beating a directional LA team; and VPI lost to ECU, but beat tOSU. What does that mean? At this point, I think this is also an unaswered question. tOSU is without their starting QB, but they should have the talent on that team to compete with anyone in the Nation with their back-up QB. ECU appears to be a pretty good team, and the game came down to the wire.
4. During the first 4 games, I saw missed tackles, blown coverages, missed assignments, piss-poor blocking, bad reads, bad throws...bad decisions all around. That's part of a young team growing up, but we're not young everywhere, and there are instances where these lapses are coming from upperclassment that are in their 5th year in the program. As a player, I was always taught that a physical error is correctable, but that a metal error is unacceptable because I should always know what to do in a given situation. That's a combination of my game knowledge and the coaches coaching properly. I have seen an awful lot of metal mistakes these first 4 games.
5. During the first 4 games I have seen a young QB start to grow up. Some of the mistakes JT was making in the earlier games were corrected for the latter games. To me, he has exhibited a tremendous football IQ, adjusting to what the defense is giving him and a tremendous athletic ability. He is tough and fearless. There was much talk about his ability to stay healthy over the course of the season. From what I've seen so far, JT hasn't backed down from contact and when he has gotten crushed, he's popped up and went back for more. Can he maintain that through the season? Don't know, but I can't wait to find out.
6. Our receiving corps has really impressed me. This includes the AB's as well as the WR's. Not only have I not seen a true drop, but I've seen some spectacular catches. The pass down the sideline to Waller is first to mind. I thought JT was throwing that ball away, but DW went up and pulled in down, maintaining contact with the playing field before going out. Wow! That was impressive.
7. I hate the bend-don't-break philosophy on defense. I want an aggressive defense that takes the game to the offense. I think that's what VPI does, and we could be a much better team with an attacking defense. I've been disappointed with our defensive efforts so far. We shouldn't be giving up the points we have in the first 4 games, and this scares me for the remaining games we have. I hope that CTR has a solid plan that words. I hate seeing the CB's giving 10-12 yard cushions and our opponents have converted way too many 3rd and longs.
Bottom line is I don't know what to really think about this team, both offensively and defensively. Somehow I think that we won't be shut down on offense, but I'm not really sure how much we've really been tested yet. Likewise, I'm not sure our defense is capable of keeping our opponents out of the endzone or getting the ball back for our offense.
After 4 games, I'm still as unsure as preseason. I think the next 4 games will be the true test for this team. If we're 4-4 or 8-0, we'll know what we have. If we're 6-2, it'll still be a question. As has been said many times this past week, we need to take this season one game at a time and reassess each week. Personally, I think Miami is a much different team than VPI, so I am very interested (and apprehensive) to see how we perform. I am optimistic, but there's always a lingering doubt.
If we get to game 9 with an 8-0 record, I think the worst we'll do is go to the Orange Bowl.
Our season so far has been against what appears to be a strong FCS team in Wofford, followed by a pumped up Tulane team opening a new stadium, then a Georgia Southern team, who we've never played, out to prove they're the real deal, and finally a Virginia Tech team that always plays well at home. Obviously, we won each game, but none in resounding fashion. In my opinion, each team we have played has been a progressively tougher opponent, and we've done what it has taken to win each game. We've also given out opponents reason to think they could play with us each game.
Our performance thus far has been one of fits and starts. In each game we've shown dominance on the offensive side of the ball, but we've also shown we can be completely shut down. I think some of this is youth at QB and other key positions, but it's also about execution from the experienced guys. To me, it's not a talent thing, it's a mental thing and a coaching thing. If we don't have the physical skills to do what the coaches are asking us to do, we need to either get players on the field who can or alter our scheme to allow the players we have to be successful. This is an underlying tenant of management that anyone on this board who has ever had managerial duties will be able to relate to.
Enough with the pretense, here are my thoughts:
1. We really don't know what we are yet. Are we good? Are we bad? Somewhere in the middle? I don't think anyone can answer that question yet. We are young at some key positions, thin at some key positions, but in the end, we've been able to get done what must get done to win. There is something important about being able to say that. We haven't always been able to say that.
2. Our competition appears to have gotten better each week. If we play against Tulane like we did against Wofford, we lose to Tulane. If we play Georgia Southern like we played against Tulane, we lose to Georgia Southern. If we play against VPI like we did against GSU, we lose to VPI. I can't tell is this is because we're improving each week and becoming more comfortable in our own skin or if we're simply playing to the level of our competition. Either can be an answer.
I'd rather believe we're improving each week and that we will continue to improve for each game. To me, that question remains to be answered.
3. Is our competition for the first 4 games good or did we just scrape by some pretty bad teams. Tulane lost to Tulsa and Duke, beating a directional LA team; and VPI lost to ECU, but beat tOSU. What does that mean? At this point, I think this is also an unaswered question. tOSU is without their starting QB, but they should have the talent on that team to compete with anyone in the Nation with their back-up QB. ECU appears to be a pretty good team, and the game came down to the wire.
4. During the first 4 games, I saw missed tackles, blown coverages, missed assignments, piss-poor blocking, bad reads, bad throws...bad decisions all around. That's part of a young team growing up, but we're not young everywhere, and there are instances where these lapses are coming from upperclassment that are in their 5th year in the program. As a player, I was always taught that a physical error is correctable, but that a metal error is unacceptable because I should always know what to do in a given situation. That's a combination of my game knowledge and the coaches coaching properly. I have seen an awful lot of metal mistakes these first 4 games.
5. During the first 4 games I have seen a young QB start to grow up. Some of the mistakes JT was making in the earlier games were corrected for the latter games. To me, he has exhibited a tremendous football IQ, adjusting to what the defense is giving him and a tremendous athletic ability. He is tough and fearless. There was much talk about his ability to stay healthy over the course of the season. From what I've seen so far, JT hasn't backed down from contact and when he has gotten crushed, he's popped up and went back for more. Can he maintain that through the season? Don't know, but I can't wait to find out.
6. Our receiving corps has really impressed me. This includes the AB's as well as the WR's. Not only have I not seen a true drop, but I've seen some spectacular catches. The pass down the sideline to Waller is first to mind. I thought JT was throwing that ball away, but DW went up and pulled in down, maintaining contact with the playing field before going out. Wow! That was impressive.
7. I hate the bend-don't-break philosophy on defense. I want an aggressive defense that takes the game to the offense. I think that's what VPI does, and we could be a much better team with an attacking defense. I've been disappointed with our defensive efforts so far. We shouldn't be giving up the points we have in the first 4 games, and this scares me for the remaining games we have. I hope that CTR has a solid plan that words. I hate seeing the CB's giving 10-12 yard cushions and our opponents have converted way too many 3rd and longs.
Bottom line is I don't know what to really think about this team, both offensively and defensively. Somehow I think that we won't be shut down on offense, but I'm not really sure how much we've really been tested yet. Likewise, I'm not sure our defense is capable of keeping our opponents out of the endzone or getting the ball back for our offense.
After 4 games, I'm still as unsure as preseason. I think the next 4 games will be the true test for this team. If we're 4-4 or 8-0, we'll know what we have. If we're 6-2, it'll still be a question. As has been said many times this past week, we need to take this season one game at a time and reassess each week. Personally, I think Miami is a much different team than VPI, so I am very interested (and apprehensive) to see how we perform. I am optimistic, but there's always a lingering doubt.
If we get to game 9 with an 8-0 record, I think the worst we'll do is go to the Orange Bowl.
