TGW: Patrick Skov successful but still a work in progress

[RyanS12]

Goddamn. We lost to a top 5 team at there place by a TD. Yes, we got roughed up a bit but that game was winnable. It's 1 loss to a top 5 team! Relax. I think the hype got to us fans as much as the team. Skov will do just fine. The team will be fine. We are not a playoff team. Not with this schedule. Not with what we lost. 9-3 is a success. The more I read through some of these posts you'd swear we lost by 28! Now if we **** the bed Saturday then I can understand.

 

[lv20gt]

Boy, imagine if he'd have used his roster right how good the O might have been. We might have been the most efficient offense ever, oh wait......

Maybe we wouldn't have lost to two teams we were clearly better than. After all, it's winning games that's the goal.

 

[yellojello]

Maybe we wouldn't have lost to two teams we were clearly better than. After all, it's winning games that's the goal.

If winning games is the goal, does the defense ever come into the picture or are we only going to be talking about the offense?

 

[lv20gt]

If winning games is the goal, does the defense ever come into the picture or are we only going to be talking about the offense?

Sure but it shouldn't be the scapegoat every time we lose, because it certainly isn't always the reason.

 

[yellojello]

Sure but it shouldn't be the scapegoat every time we lose, because it certainly isn't always the reason.

A simple application of the Pareto principle suggests that you should focus your efforts on the 20% that's going to net the 80% improvement. Given the track record of our offense, I think it's safe to say that the 20% high impact bucket is the defense.

It's funny how every time we lose a game, the detractors of the offense come right out of the woodwork. If only our offensive output wasn't as phenomenal as it has been, I would agree. But as things stand right now, there is no case to be made that the offense needs to be tweaked (not that it's going to stop fans from making those suggestions).

 

[lv20gt]

A simple application of the Pareto principle suggests that you should focus your efforts on the 20% that's going to net the 80% improvement. Given the track record of our offense, I think it's safe to say that the 20% high impact bucket is the defense.
/QUOTE]

The track record of our offense? Our offense last year was not what it would become in the first half of the year. It wasn't until after we made the bback change that it became so good, which is exactly why this line of conversation came up because the natural, and more than fair, criticism of Johnson is why did it take an injury to force Days to even get a shot? And it's also fair, in wake of the coaches coming out and saying that we aren't getting the production we should from Skov, to question if the same type of change wouldn't have a similar impact this year, because in the only game against a team with a pulse that we've played this year, it was the offense not carrying it's weight. And making personnel changes doesn't hinder our ability to work on the defense. It doesn't require extra snaps, or extra time spent on offense. Just a reallocation of time and snaps already spent.

And on top of that, it's a false dichotomy to say we should only focus on the defense. We should, and are focusing on both. Saying that our defense is weaker than our offense doesn't justify blindly defending every choice that is made on the offense and burying your head to the issues on that side of the ball.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Iv,
Has it even occurred to you that Days improved as time went by? Some guys never reach their full potential til circumstances force them to. None of us were at practices. Maybe the "lightbulb" finally went off when he was thrust into the spotlight? It's a common enough occurrence.

 

[stingyoa$$]

Iv insists that Days was so much better last year without considering that at the beginning of the year the O line was not that good and that JT was much better in the last 7 games than he was in the first 7. Laskey ran for 140 yards and 3 TD's against Ugag in a quarter and a half. There probably are many reasons why SD never got an opportunity to contribute much in 5 years on the Flats. I trust PJ knows why.

 

[B Lifsey]

It's funny how every time we lose a game, the detractors of the offense come right out of the woodwork.

This...except I'd almost say expected instead of funny

 

[awbuzz]

In a "vacuum" each individual player is good. Problem is Football is not played in a vacuum. Players have teammates that have to operate as a unit for the team to succeed. On top of that, the folks they are playing against are doing their best to keep our team from doing their best.

Bottom line is that everyone's light doesn't shine brightest for the whole season.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Oh. I see what you're saying. I was thinking of whether he CPJ was creative to get the ball into the hands of playmakers, who were typically starters.

I'm not sure that we've had a lot of times when we had someone who was good enough to be a playmaker but not good enough to start or get regular minutes.

I think maybe we used Embry Peeples as a passing target as a Fr in 2008 before he was getting regular minutes.

And I thought the way CPJ used Lucas Cox was rather imaginative.

 

[Techster]

The best two BBs GT has had, IMO, have been Dwyer and Anthony Allen. Both have said it takes 4-6 games to adjust to playing BB since it's such a physical position, and they have to get use to how fast they have to process information after the snap. CPJ and Cook alluded to that in the recent AJC article.

Skov isn't going to be Dwyer or Allen, but he's going to get better as the season progresses.

 

[bke1984]

So Skov scored all of our points against Notre Dame...maybe we should ease up on the guy...if we had won the game everyone would be saying he's a beast and such a tough runner that gets yards Laskey couldn't pick up. Instead, we fall and everyone thinks Marshall should start.

That being said, he can definitely improve. There were some yards left on the field. I was a bit surprised that Marshall didn't play more in South Bend. Especially looking at how the safety was jetting to the outside and they were relying on the line and backers to stop the B back. It seems like the missed cuts by Skov may have been executed by Marshall.

However, it's still only one aspect of a game where we had all sorts of issues. We flat out were not going to win on Saturday. We were not prepared for that game.

Why don't we wait to see us play a few more competitive teams and see how things progress with each guy...

 

[Yoda]

The best two BBs GT has had, IMO, have been Dwyer and Anthony Allen. Both have said it takes 4-6 games to adjust to playing BB since it's such a physical position, and they have to get use to how fast they have to process information after the snap. CPJ and Cook alluded to that in the recent AJC article.

Skov isn't going to be Dwyer or Allen, but he's going to get better as the season progresses.

Skov can be AA all day. Maybe even better. I think by mid year the BB position is gonna be a wrecking ball.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Synjyn was probably a top 25 player on our roster but went to waste for a good chunk of that time.

I was a Synjyn fan but it took a long time for the light to come on for him. For most of his career he could not hang onto the ball to save his life. Then he went through a period where he just kept missing his assignments. He finally put all that together plus adding about 20 pounds of muscle and he was ready. Sorry he did not make the pros but he has kind of been a project at every level.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

So yeah. 4.6 isn't getting it done.

I have not checked each game for all those years but my first reaction is to wonder if what someone averages after 3 games, especially when they are new to system, is really a good measuring stick. I will be surprised if that average does not get better as the season progresses.

 

[Longestday]

Skov is a very good blocker!!!, has good hands, and gets positive yards. Skov could improve on vision after the LOS and improve on keying on the guards direction (very fast decision required). I am so glad Skov is here.

Skov would be good on the power option (lead blocker) and Marshall should be good in a speed option (running).

 

[Northeast Stinger]

It would be nice to see what he can do, especially in a game like ND where we were struggling to sustain drives. How nice would it have been to see him pop a big run like he did against Alcorn? I'm not saying it would've happened, but it definitely wasn't going to happen with him getting one touch.

I thought he did not get playing time due to ND's defense. There was not much room to run. We needed someone heavier who could run in traffic, hang onto the ball and hopefully move the pile a few yards. To me it did not look like MM's type of game. Now, had the offensive line done a better job getting to the second level and sealing off linebackers there would have been some room for MM to run.

Anyway, that was the way it looked to me at the time and I was actually a little worried that CPJ might put him in and we would have a key fumble. ND just did not look like the kind of team I would want a freshman to have a learning experience with. The last few years I have noticed that CPJ tries to protect the psyche of freshman players by creating confidence building situations and avoiding situations that could shatter that optimism. When Tevin was quarterbacking and Vad Lee was being mixed in some people wanted Vad to start full time but I thought CPJ did a good job giving him game situations where he could have success and build confidence. Of course the next year when he started it didn't help him that he had looked so good the previous year.

 

[croberts]

Kinda like how it took forever for CPJ to use Synjyn. Synjyn was probably a top 25 player on our roster but went to waste for a good chunk of that time.

I also think we underused our 2 NFL wide outs last year and the year before; I understand with Waller there was motivation issues, but that's why the coaching staff gets paid megabucks - to figure out how to make a meal with the ingredients they have.

synjyn was one of my all time favorites . It had nothing to do with his football skills and everything to do with the person. #25 is not a starter (22 of them) and I don't remember coaches concerning themselves with how to work someone in to a lineup that hasn't shown they were special. Concerning our two nfl wideouts, they were used enough to have one of highest rated offenses ever . Let me say one more time. Ever. It is clear that we both love Tech but look at things very differently. The two wideouts, from my view were used brilliantly. Made teams play us honestly and this is why we were special.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Are you really complaining about 4.6 ypc? Should the basis of comparison be BBs in CPJ's system or RBs in general? I'm inclined to believe RBs in general. But to each his own.

Patrick Skov is a godsend. He is a competent, mature, intelligent player that landed on the Flats when the BB position was in disarray. He has provided meaningful depth and quality playing time, giving Marshall and Allen time to develop. No one in their right mind should have expected him to walk in and be Jonathon Dwyer. But there is a learning curve for him, too. He's got nothing but upside. And he has provided the muscle at the goal line now that Tim Byerly is not available. It is very unfair to focus on his shortcomings in his third game in the system against a quality opponent---especially when at least 40 players in white and gold were having off days, too.