If you're a coach, you have a couple of basic things that you can try to do.
#1 improve the defense
#2 improve the offense
Now, how you go about improving them depends on what you think the problem is. If the coaches cannot identify the actual problem, then the attempts to fix it will be in vain.
Now, the offensive and defensive schemes are supposed to go together. The attacking D is supposed to get turnovers, but it also gets burned by the big play. This is ok when the offense is an uptempo high powered thing, because they want the ball quickly over and over to go score points in a rabbid fashion, so the two schemes work together, at least in theory.
The main issue is, we don't have the high powered offense right now. I would call it a pedestrian offense, and it doesn't look much like it is using a lot of tempo either, mainly because it is first year and a freshman is running it. No foul there, it's just what it is.
Now, when you step back and look at your original scheme, as a coach, you have to realize one side of that equation isn't working (Offense isn't putting up 50+), and you should probably bring the other side (Aggressive defensive scheme) into a more traditional bend/don't break defense, because at this point, you can't really afford to give up those big plays, as you have no high powered offense to back you up. You can at least give yourself a shot to win by doing this adjustment on defense.
Changing things on D, would have gotten us some wins already this year, but it doesn't seem to be what they want to do. They are going to stick with that defense, so the other part of the equation is to figure out how to improve the offense.
The QB position is so important in this scheme, and because the defense is built to compliment the offense, it really comes down to being very effective and high powered on that side of the ball.
Martinez is a great athlete, his personal stats are quite good, but yet the yards and the stats don't back up the scoreboard, with penalties often being to blame.
Penalties surely impact the game in a negative way, but also are a result of the scheme being run as well as trust issues. Lots of moving parts and reads, creates lots of areas where things can go wrong, so it's not as simple to just eliminate the penalties as you might be able to do with a more vanilla offense. Furthermore, not having trust in the guy next to you creates areas of overcompensation where guys are trying to do too much and end up performing worse at their own tasks, losing focus and also getting penalties.
The big glaring problem I have, is if you are not going to change the defense, then you have to get something cooking more on offense and start making clutch plays.
Clearly your starting QB with off the chart athletic skills is the guy to do it right?
Except that position, doesn't need a world class athlete. It needs a field general. Someone who can make things happen, who hates to lose, who the men believe in to pull the rabbit out of the hat in overtime, to get the pass to them in such a way so they can get that first down. Clearly these are small little moments in the game, but it makes the entire offense work because everyone believes in that one guy who touches the ball on every play, can make it rain when he has to.
We don't have that right now.
Can those skills be learned?
I do not know, maybe it can be, but regardless if one can learn how to be a clutch player or not, the time window your teammates will leave open for that is incredibly small during the season.
How long are you going to keep marching out the guy that misses easy field goals or extra points? It's a small window.
I think Scott and some fans are truly enamoured with the gifts Martinez has.. but I openly question his suitability at the QB spot now. Problem is, we don't really have many other options either, so our hands are sort of tied there.. a 25-31 point offense is all we are going to get. Maybe Vedral is a more clutch player? I don't know that right now, but maybe he gets some playing time next week.
If as a coach, you're not going to change the defense to give yourself a chance to win, then you need to do something more on offense to create your own breaks, and unless there is something on offense that I have missed, that time window is closing fast, because next up is erosion mode.
If we keep doing the same things on both sides of the ball, we are going to keep getting the same result. The maddening part, is it doesn't have to be that way.
Scott used to be able to make it rain as a player, the question is, can he make it rain as a coach this season.
#1 improve the defense
#2 improve the offense
Now, how you go about improving them depends on what you think the problem is. If the coaches cannot identify the actual problem, then the attempts to fix it will be in vain.
Now, the offensive and defensive schemes are supposed to go together. The attacking D is supposed to get turnovers, but it also gets burned by the big play. This is ok when the offense is an uptempo high powered thing, because they want the ball quickly over and over to go score points in a rabbid fashion, so the two schemes work together, at least in theory.
The main issue is, we don't have the high powered offense right now. I would call it a pedestrian offense, and it doesn't look much like it is using a lot of tempo either, mainly because it is first year and a freshman is running it. No foul there, it's just what it is.
Now, when you step back and look at your original scheme, as a coach, you have to realize one side of that equation isn't working (Offense isn't putting up 50+), and you should probably bring the other side (Aggressive defensive scheme) into a more traditional bend/don't break defense, because at this point, you can't really afford to give up those big plays, as you have no high powered offense to back you up. You can at least give yourself a shot to win by doing this adjustment on defense.
Changing things on D, would have gotten us some wins already this year, but it doesn't seem to be what they want to do. They are going to stick with that defense, so the other part of the equation is to figure out how to improve the offense.
The QB position is so important in this scheme, and because the defense is built to compliment the offense, it really comes down to being very effective and high powered on that side of the ball.
Martinez is a great athlete, his personal stats are quite good, but yet the yards and the stats don't back up the scoreboard, with penalties often being to blame.
Penalties surely impact the game in a negative way, but also are a result of the scheme being run as well as trust issues. Lots of moving parts and reads, creates lots of areas where things can go wrong, so it's not as simple to just eliminate the penalties as you might be able to do with a more vanilla offense. Furthermore, not having trust in the guy next to you creates areas of overcompensation where guys are trying to do too much and end up performing worse at their own tasks, losing focus and also getting penalties.
The big glaring problem I have, is if you are not going to change the defense, then you have to get something cooking more on offense and start making clutch plays.
Clearly your starting QB with off the chart athletic skills is the guy to do it right?
Except that position, doesn't need a world class athlete. It needs a field general. Someone who can make things happen, who hates to lose, who the men believe in to pull the rabbit out of the hat in overtime, to get the pass to them in such a way so they can get that first down. Clearly these are small little moments in the game, but it makes the entire offense work because everyone believes in that one guy who touches the ball on every play, can make it rain when he has to.
We don't have that right now.
Can those skills be learned?
I do not know, maybe it can be, but regardless if one can learn how to be a clutch player or not, the time window your teammates will leave open for that is incredibly small during the season.
How long are you going to keep marching out the guy that misses easy field goals or extra points? It's a small window.
I think Scott and some fans are truly enamoured with the gifts Martinez has.. but I openly question his suitability at the QB spot now. Problem is, we don't really have many other options either, so our hands are sort of tied there.. a 25-31 point offense is all we are going to get. Maybe Vedral is a more clutch player? I don't know that right now, but maybe he gets some playing time next week.
If as a coach, you're not going to change the defense to give yourself a chance to win, then you need to do something more on offense to create your own breaks, and unless there is something on offense that I have missed, that time window is closing fast, because next up is erosion mode.
If we keep doing the same things on both sides of the ball, we are going to keep getting the same result. The maddening part, is it doesn't have to be that way.
Scott used to be able to make it rain as a player, the question is, can he make it rain as a coach this season.
