What area needs to be improved the most

[Sheboygan]

Your profile says you joined May 6, 2019, and I don't think GTSwarm even existed 10 years ago - I joined really early on but wasn't active here for probably most of the time. Did another board merge with this one?

No, I have used a couple of different names over the years. My memory is not as good as it once was, but it was waaaay before Collins got here,

 

[Sheboygan]

Coaching....but specifically game strategy prep, the week before the game. This imo is where most games are won and lost, or if way outmanned, how close it is or isn't.

Many times it seems to me that we start each game with what worked the last game, on offense and defense, hence our congenitally slow starts. This seems to fly in the face of understanding that scouts for our opponents saw our last game too. The problem is compounded IMO, because we seem to not anticipate that the opposing team might ( successfully ) take away what we did last week and we got NUTHIN, at least until halftime and sometimes not even then. This is also part of game strategy prep where we cannot get it done in a regular week , but fare better with an extra week .......like now. Many other coaching staffs seem to be playing 3 dimensional chess and we are playing checkers.

 

[forensicbuzz]

No, I have used a couple of different names over the years. My memory is not as good as it once was, but it was waaaay before Collins got here,

The site started in late March of 2013

 

[forensicbuzz]

You are missing my point. Let's go to the scheme or performance, that you started with. Both are on P'naude. Personally, I don't like his scheme. It's boring and unimaginative. It doesn't take degrees in coaching to see that. To add, I can see that we fail to swing Gibbs out of half back passes.. I also see that we fail to conduct high percentage passing routes, to help Sims gain more confidence. These are visual and noticeable aspects that we're missing. Do I have a say on who we keep/fire? No... Will I cheer for our young men, out there battling each game? Hell yeah.... I think Sims and Gibbs can be one of the best 1-2 combinations in college football, given the right scheme and guidance. To me, that is what eats at me the most.. We have some really good talent and we fail to promote that talent.

I don't think I missed your point (maybe I did), I just don't necessarily agree with what you're saying. We do swing Gibbs out on halfback passes. I've seen that with Gibbs, Smith, and Mason, but mostly with Gibbs and Smith. Maybe we should do it more, I don't know.

You also do know that we're not running high percentage pass routes for Sims. Just because he doesn't choose them doesn't mean receivers aren't running these routes. Maybe Sims is young and still learning to read defenses. Maybe the defenses are taking away these high percentage routes. There's a lot that in what you're saying that could be unpacked during film review after each game that neither you nor I are privy to.

You don't like the scheme. Okay, that's fair. Many didn't like our last scheme and thought that was boring. It was about 8 plays run 100 different ways that mostly looked like the same 8 plays. When the players didn't execute, it looked like hell. But when it was well executed, it was a thing of beauty. I think any offensive scheme is like that. When it works it looks incredible but when the players don't execute (sometimes even 1 lack of execution) it looks horrible and like bad playcalling. I think when Sims really gets the scheme and the OL is capable of doing what it needs to do, this offense will be very exciting.

I think execution is mostly on the player. Sometimes you can put it on the coach, but mostly execution is on the player. Now, what is on the coach is recognizing the ability of your players and not calling plays that the players can't execute. I don't know that I've seen that yet. I think part of the reason it looks boring is because the playbook is somewhat limited due to lack of execution.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

Just circling back to add my thoughts on what needs improvement on the defensive side. As I mentioned earlier, we still seem unable to consistently produce pressure on the QB and this has directly led to losses to NIU and Pittsburgh. I was really excited watching the UNC game and thought we had finally found something we could lean on going forward, be it formation, personnel, coaching, attitude, or whatever. Then Pittsburgh happened and it was all gone. Totally disappeared. I cannot imagine two more different outcomes. It really is inexplicable.

I think we are still not up to snuff talent-wise on this side of the ball. We have a lot of players on the defensive line but none that really jump off the page and are capable of dominating a game. I originally thought Dominick was going to be that guy but he has only flashed on occasion and has not been able to consistently beat his man and bring the heat. The much-ballyhooed transfers at defensive end, have been pretty much no-shows and to date only a walk-on, Brooks has been showing much at the Tackle spot. The linebackers have been pretty good. I think Eley is growing into a solid middle backer and Thomas and Jackson are playing up to their abilities. We need some more depth there.

The real issue continues to be our secondary. With the experience those guys have and the continuity they have enjoyed, they should be performing much better. I am left to believe that we just don't have the talent there that we thought we had. I think it is time to play the younger guys more and see if we can generate better results. The coaching here should be among the best on the team. This is Collin's base area of expertise and the guys coaching the positions are seasoned and were very good players when they played the game. Our pass defense is among the worst in Division One and I genuinely fear what might happen to us as we head to Virginia next weekend.

I think Coach Collins needs to take direct control of the Defense. Much like some offensive-minded Head Coaches take over the role of Offensive Coordinator, he needs to take charge and give this his full attention. He can delegate other things to other staff members. I like Thacker and think he might grow into the job but for now, he needs some help.

In general, our whole attitude on defense is wrong. To me, we play soft and try to keep everything in front of us. We need to be more attacking, disruptive, and play with an aggressive, mean-spirited attitude. Collins was once known as the "Minister of Mayhem". He needs to earn that title back and get our guys bringing the lumber every chance they get.

Go Jackets!