CougarCorner This is the Place, for Cougar Fans! 2017-12-05T23:44:12-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/app.php/feed/topic/21124 2017-12-05T23:44:12-06:00 2017-12-05T23:44:12-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241584#p241584 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
Outside of anonymous online posters, every person I know who knows football (either from playing collegiate and beyond or coaching) has praised the offensive line this season (other than the UMass cluster).

See, for example:
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This was my first thought. I don't watch the trench battles enough to really know what's good technique or if one line is better than another besides which side is moving the ball more freely. But it seems there has been a lot of praise for the o-line play this season.

Statistics: Posted by BroncoBot — Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:44 pm


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2017-12-05T17:20:45-06:00 2017-12-05T17:20:45-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241573#p241573 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
See, for example:
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Statistics: Posted by snoscythe — Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:20 pm


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2017-12-01T21:38:17-06:00 2017-12-01T21:38:17-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241476#p241476 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
For whatever reason, this team hasn't been united all season. Talking to players, I have been bluntly told that they don't feel there is unity, there isn't a leader, etc. ...
And all that comes down to the head coach. I don't know what it was he did that lead to the dischord, but the team was not united.

I hope he can fix it next year.
Nailed it with what I emphasized. Sitake fomented discord among his coaching staff and it seeped into the culture. Players saw the coaches weren't united. Then you start losing games and small issues quickly become big issues. And big issues become catastrophic issues.

Statistics: Posted by SpiffCoug — Fri Dec 01, 2017 9:38 pm


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2017-12-01T16:40:40-06:00 2017-12-01T16:40:40-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241473#p241473 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
Football is [probably] the ultimate team sport. One guy (almost never) wins or loses a game. Sure one guy, a kicker, can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (or vice versa) with one kick at time runs out ... but the truth is that it was the team that put them in that position. Typically the O hasn't put up enough points, or the D gave up too many. I can't think of any instance in which both O and D played well, and it came down to a kick to save the game.

So, in answer to your question, the O-line did many things good this year. They had some key break-downs though ... penalties always hurt, and sometimes are crucial; giving up sacks kills drives; QB hurries (even when it is just that the QB feels some pressure and so doesn't check through all his progressions) hurt. Sometimes it is that the QB, the RB, the coach, doesn't have confidence in the line to do a certain job and that affects play calling, running, etc.

sometimes it is that the O-line doesn't have the confidence in the back, QB, coach, team, and that results in lack-luster play.

For whatever reason, this team hasn't been united all season. Talking to players, I have been bluntly told that they don't feel there is unity, there isn't a leader, etc. These things reflect differently on different position groups: receivers who aren't confident in the QB or the play-calling, run soft routes, and don't fight for the ball; O-line makes mistakes, don't hold a block as well, etc; QB's get happy feet, over/under throw, etc; etc.

I saw the O-line make some bad mistakes. I also saw them play some good ball. The biggest problem that I saw was that the TEAM wasn't ever "in synch" ... they lacked the leader who would/could guide them through the trouble spots and carry them home. D had Fred Warner ... and the D didn't gel around him ... too much turmoil. O never had a real leader.

And all that comes down to the head coach. I don't know what it was he did that lead to the dischord, but the team was not united.

I hope he can fix it next year.
I have suspected something like this was going on, so thanks for putting this on. It is a sad commentary and I too hope it can be fixed.

Statistics: Posted by nuk13 — Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:40 pm


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2017-12-01T12:50:48-06:00 2017-12-01T12:50:48-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241471#p241471 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
So, in answer to your question, the O-line did many things good this year. They had some key break-downs though ... penalties always hurt, and sometimes are crucial; giving up sacks kills drives; QB hurries (even when it is just that the QB feels some pressure and so doesn't check through all his progressions) hurt. Sometimes it is that the QB, the RB, the coach, doesn't have confidence in the line to do a certain job and that affects play calling, running, etc.

sometimes it is that the O-line doesn't have the confidence in the back, QB, coach, team, and that results in lack-luster play.

For whatever reason, this team hasn't been united all season. Talking to players, I have been bluntly told that they don't feel there is unity, there isn't a leader, etc. These things reflect differently on different position groups: receivers who aren't confident in the QB or the play-calling, run soft routes, and don't fight for the ball; O-line makes mistakes, don't hold a block as well, etc; QB's get happy feet, over/under throw, etc; etc.

I saw the O-line make some bad mistakes. I also saw them play some good ball. The biggest problem that I saw was that the TEAM wasn't ever "in synch" ... they lacked the leader who would/could guide them through the trouble spots and carry them home. D had Fred Warner ... and the D didn't gel around him ... too much turmoil. O never had a real leader.

And all that comes down to the head coach. I don't know what it was he did that lead to the dischord, but the team was not united.

I hope he can fix it next year.

Statistics: Posted by mtnradio — Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:50 pm


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2017-12-01T12:41:09-06:00 2017-12-01T12:41:09-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241470#p241470 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]> Statistics: Posted by SenorCougar — Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:41 pm


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2017-12-01T11:40:58-06:00 2017-12-01T11:40:58-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241466#p241466 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
All of these problems can be explained by the astoundingly poor play of the offensive line. Even the loss to UMass can be hung on key penalties made by the big men. So was that Ty's fault? Perhaps because Ty neglected to beat down on Mike Empey (everyone knows that Ty is a classy guy who doesn't do that sort of thing).
I'm not sure I agree with the bolded statement. Against Umass, yes, the OL should be embarrassed by that game. The rest of the season I thought they were our strongest offensive unit. Not that they were great by any stretch, but I certainly wouldn't call their overall performance this year astoundingly poor.

There were just too many things going wrong to pin it on one position group, or one coach.

I don't know what the answer is to fix it, but I'm also not the one getting paid the big bucks to do so.

Statistics: Posted by tmoney35 — Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:40 am


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2017-11-30T13:13:06-06:00 2017-11-30T13:13:06-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241431#p241431 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]>
The team hadn't given up many sacks this year, until the UMass game.
17 sacks allowed in the 11 games prior to UMass. Including just 8 in the 7 seven prior. UMass clearly was doing something we hadn't seen before. On the season, 27% of the sacks came in one game (UMass), which was just 7.7% of the season.

Statistics: Posted by SpiffCoug — Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:13 pm


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2017-11-30T10:36:13-06:00 2017-11-30T10:36:13-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241426#p241426 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]> Statistics: Posted by Mars — Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:36 am


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2017-11-30T08:21:50-06:00 2017-11-30T08:21:50-06:00 https://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?p=241415#p241415 <![CDATA[Re: The OFFENSIVE line - am I missing something here?]]> Statistics: Posted by pikoi — Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:21 am


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