Thoughts from my Offense and Defense Slow Motion Review:

Longestday

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Thoughts from my Offense and Defense Slow Motion Review:

The offense is starting off better than 2016. Minimizing or eliminating fumbles are the key to future victory. GT could/should win any game they win the turnover margin.

QB: I think there are some obvious trade offs from JT to TQM. GT gives up speed for down hill yet slippery running. TQM is still learning the DE pinch/delay and or DE going "inside" for the triple O. These are both "muddled" reads and are normally give reads. TQM will get this down as the year progresses. I think JT and TQM have about the same passing ability. The question will become durability if he continues to take monster hits. Tevin, please transfer you hit evasion skills to TQM.

BBacks: Benson has proven himself and yet is still learning the running tracks. I really like what he has brought to the table, and I think GT could have done even better if we maintained some BB experience. Experience is very valuable. QW had a great Pitt game with churning feet through trash. Howard looks good and I look forward to seeing him grow (and stay low).

ABacks: There is a lot of talent here. The opposing teams have done well defeating or reducing the effect of cut blocks. Abacks are making partial blocks, and are having issues taking players to the ground. The 2014 team was better at taking people to the ground. The current group is just as good or better at running and receiving than the 2014 group.

OL: GT has a very good OL and a true pillar of strength for the team. They are good at moving the LOS for UT and Pitt. The OL struggled with JaxSt at the LOS. UT and Pitt had more of a sit-back DL where JaxSt had an attacking DL. I expect Duke, Miami, and Clemson to be attacking DL and push our OL to perform. Pass blocking is alright, and I expect pass blocking improve as the year progresses. The MLB blocking, getting to the right defender on the rocket toss, as well as false starts have been areas for improvement for the OL.

WR: The WR block very well and have done their job superbly. June has made receptions on balls thrown to him. Brad has had few to no targets. JC has been in the game and has blocking fairly well too.




Defense: Ted had brought the safeties back into the game. The CB are playing more aggressive and the LB task has been varied. Mitchell had a great Pitt game and showed some good fits in the JaxSt game. The key to victory here is finding varied ways to pressure the QB without opening up a weakness, keeping the safeties in play, and guarding the 1st down line on 3rd down.

The CB are doing great in press coverage and have fired off in blitzes during the Pitt game. I expect less CB blitz for the UNC game, but I hope we have at least 1 or 2.

The safeties have fired off on blitzes and do not take off backwards at the snap. They are much more in position to fire forward to backup the CB or stop the run. I believe the NB is used right now because this gets the best players on the field. It is good to have a scheme that has safeties more in the game.



These are my thoughts and I am looking forward to seeing this team fire on all cylinders, win the turnover margin, and continue to see the defense operate below 30% first downs allowed!
 

MWBATL

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I agree with all these comments.

I expect offenses to try to take advantage of our safeties and try more home run passes against us. They'll complete a couple, and the question will become whether Ted will crawl back into his shell then, or accept that as the price of an aggressive defense?

if we can correct the turnover problem, we'll be bestial on offense. Certainly Top Ten FEI type offense.

I also expect VPI&SU will attack our O line rather than play read and react. As the year goes on, I think we will need to spring some long plays on folks to try to back them off the attacking defenses. This will require TM to be more accurate with his deep throws than he was last Saturday.

Special teams is 1/3 of football, and we aren't talking enough about them. (then again, I have nothing intelligent to say about them other than "I hope we get better").
 

YJMD

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Putting TQM passing on the level of JT is ridiculous. But he's got potential enough there to be a threat or to make first downs with his feet. I don't like him on the draw play, though, he dances too much trying to find the initial hole, but he's much more slippery and decisive than JT when he does.

Good comments on the D. Plenty of zone stuff but that's fine. Really getting our LB and secondary involved in all areas of the field and making tackles with some momentum instead of waiting for a guy to come to them or having too much ground to cover. Exceptional on 3rd and long, covering screens and guys out of the flat, and getting pressure from the ends. First down run defense has been good; some soft spots on the edges, though. Need to take a few more chances in coverage on first and second downs against the more capable teams IMO. Might give up something on a double move, but I'd rather do that and be more aggressive trying to keep them from getting positive yards on first down.
 

Jmonty71

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Thoughts from my Offense and Defense Slow Motion Review:

The offense is starting off better than 2016. Minimizing or eliminating fumbles are the key to future victory. GT could/should win any game they win the turnover margin.

QB: I think there are some obvious trade offs from JT to TQM. GT gives up speed for down hill yet slippery running. TQM is still learning the DE pinch/delay and or DE going "inside" for the triple O. These are both "muddled" reads and are normally give reads. TQM will get this down as the year progresses. I think JT and TQM have about the same passing ability. The question will become durability if he continues to take monster hits. Tevin, please transfer you hit evasion skills to TQM.

BBacks: Benson has proven himself and yet is still learning the running tracks. I really like what he has brought to the table, and I think GT could have done even better if we maintained some BB experience. Experience is very valuable. QW had a great Pitt game with churning feet through trash. Howard looks good and I look forward to seeing him grow (and stay low).

ABacks: There is a lot of talent here. The opposing teams have done well defeating or reducing the effect of cut blocks. Abacks are making partial blocks, and are having issues taking players to the ground. The 2014 team was better at taking people to the ground. The current group is just as good or better at running and receiving than the 2014 group.

OL: GT has a very good OL and a true pillar of strength for the team. They are good at moving the LOS for UT and Pitt. The OL struggled with JaxSt at the LOS. UT and Pitt had more of a sit-back DL where JaxSt had an attacking DL. I expect Duke, Miami, and Clemson to be attacking DL and push our OL to perform. Pass blocking is alright, and I expect pass blocking improve as the year progresses. The MLB blocking, getting to the right defender on the rocket toss, as well as false starts have been areas for improvement for the OL.

WR: The WR block very well and have done their job superbly. June has made receptions on balls thrown to him. Brad has had few to no targets. JC has been in the game and has blocking fairly well too.




Defense: Ted had brought the safeties back into the game. The CB are playing more aggressive and the LB task has been varied. Mitchell had a great Pitt game and showed some good fits in the JaxSt game. The key to victory here is finding varied ways to pressure the QB without opening up a weakness, keeping the safeties in play, and guarding the 1st down line on 3rd down.

The CB are doing great in press coverage and have fired off in blitzes during the Pitt game. I expect less CB blitz for the UNC game, but I hope we have at least 1 or 2.

The safeties have fired off on blitzes and do not take off backwards at the snap. They are much more in position to fire forward to backup the CB or stop the run. I believe the NB is used right now because this gets the best players on the field. It is good to have a scheme that has safeties more in the game.



These are my thoughts and I am looking forward to seeing this team fire on all cylinders, win the turnover margin, and continue to see the defense operate below 30% first downs allowed!
Only things I would comment on... I think the LBs need to weed through the trash better. Meaning, they tend to get caught up in the blocking fray, a little more than they should.
 

dressedcheeseside

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Penny.jpg

for your thoughts!

Btw, I concur on all of them. I would add that we seem to be getting decent pressure off the 4 man rush now. Simmons and Frenchie are starting to come into their own.
 

Longestday

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Adams got several snaps on Saturday. He had a nice nock down on a side handed screen pass. I would like to see more Adams and Owens please. No need to rotate much as the defense did not have many plays.
 

alagold

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The def on SAT had to have the BEST 3rd down % stop in Roof and maybe PJ era at 1 for 13 supposedly..That's just amazing compared to before.Of couse Pitt was fairly bad on OFF but the DEF made them that way somewhat.
 

Skeptic

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Putting TQM passing on the level of JT is ridiculous. But he's got potential enough there to be a threat or to make first downs with his feet. ....
Imight stop short of ridiculous but the sentiment is right. Marshall has a long way to go throwing the ball. He has not -- yet -- proved to be the first Johnson QB who could throw the deep ball accurately and missed a big one Saturday. Then the one he got picked off that was overturned -- he lives right maybe -- was just awful. Where I think he has a definite advantage over Thomas is strength, manifested in his midline carries. He is much tougher to get to grouond. The midline has made its way back into the offense with Thomas graduated, and if they stop fumbling and continue good defense there is real hope for this team. At the same time I am really curious about Jones at QB and want to see a lot more of him.
 

Longestday

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2017 TQM 14 of 23 for 60.9% completion a lot more season to play and improve (not sure if this includes Pitt 4 of 7)
2014 JT 96 of 187 for 51.3% completion

I would not say ridiculous but I understand your point of view. I only remember JT's good passes because he had some clutch ones!!!!
 

GTBandman

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One question on long passes, especially to A backs: we repeatedly run the outside receivers deep on the same play. This enables the defensive backs to peel off and play the ball. It happened on the long interception where the aback ran free but the corner came off the wideout to pick it off. The roughing call negated it, but I've seen it before. Last year mutt game aback was caught by corner after the catch for same reason. If wideout squares out, the aback won't have anyone within 20 yards. What am i missing? Does your film study show anything?
 

Skeptic

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One question on long passes, especially to A backs: we repeatedly run the outside receivers deep on the same play. This enables the defensive backs to peel off and play the ball. It happened on the long interception where the aback ran free but the corner came off the wideout to pick it off. The roughing call negated it, but I've seen it before. Last year mutt game aback was caught by corner after the catch for same reason. If wideout squares out, the aback won't have anyone within 20 yards. What am i missing? Does your film study show anything?
With the WRs and the Abacks Johnson notes he has four wide receivers on every play, and the result is that remarkable yardage per catch, a function of single coverage. It's Johnson's best recruiting aid: we put you in a position with single coverage to go out and make a play. And so he gets again and again those 6-3 and 6-4 wideouts. (Jeune, for instance.). My only complaint remains what I see as a one-receiver target no matter who else might be open. And we see that often, or have in past years.
 

Skeptic

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Time to throw is minimal. We are either rolling out or have a collapsing pocket. TM got crushed on the latter.
I didn't intend it as a one game or one play observation. This seems to me part and parcel of Johnson's vertical offense, and it goes back 10 seasons here. That could relate to time permitted, but we have left a lot of points off the board.
 

takethepoints

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Where I think he has a definite advantage over Thomas is strength, manifested in his midline carries. He is much tougher to get to grouond. The midline has made its way back into the offense with Thomas graduated, and if they stop fumbling and continue good defense there is real hope for this team. At the same time I am really curious about Jones at QB and want to see a lot more of him.
I've been watching and I haven't seen much of the midline. Most of the in the middle stuff involving the QB has been QB follows on short yardage, if I'm not mistaken. We are running it - I saw a couple of plays that looked like it against UT - but about as much as with JT. This makes sense, given Marshall's size.

You're right about him being strong, however. All that work at AB appears to be paying off.
 

SidewalkJacket

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I didn't intend it as a one game or one play observation. This seems to me part and parcel of Johnson's vertical offense, and it goes back 10 seasons here. That could relate to time permitted, but we have left a lot of points off the board.

I would contend that if we do anything on offense, it's not leave points off the board.
 

ibeattetris

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One question on long passes, especially to A backs: we repeatedly run the outside receivers deep on the same play. This enables the defensive backs to peel off and play the ball. It happened on the long interception where the aback ran free but the corner came off the wideout to pick it off. The roughing call negated it, but I've seen it before. Last year mutt game aback was caught by corner after the catch for same reason. If wideout squares out, the aback won't have anyone within 20 yards. What am i missing? Does your film study show anything?
http://smartfootball.blogspot.com/2009/03/getting-vertical-with-dan-gonzalez.html

https://www.afcaweekly.com/2016/02/a-perfect-passing-play-four-vertical/
 
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