I don't see any speed anywhere - particularly the defensive line, linebackers, offensive line or receivers. Everyone looks big and thick legged, not lean and quick. Maybe that works after every team has been pounded for a few weeks and the weather turns cold, but in the early season it is a recipe for losing. I am surprised because I thought the recruiting focused on speed.
Slow
- Thread starter techtim72
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There is a difference between playing slow and actually being slow. Moten played slow on kickoffs but we all know he is not slow.
I don't know the answer to that. But I do know no coach can compensate for the inability to block. Duke had no fear of anything we could throw or run at them because they knew we couldn't block ... coaches call that lack of execution. ********. It's an alarming lack of ability on the OL.
Ditto on defense. Just substitute inability to tackle for blocking. And repeat the rest.
GOUNUII
FWIW, the first thing Cutcliffe recruited at Duke was speed. You haven't seen slow until you've seen Duke from 1998-2008. Nowadays our teams are often very undersized and get bullied in the trenches but we have speed everywhere. Guys winning ACC track and field events.
You weren't faster than us. The game was lost on the line of scrimmage, like it does most of the time.
I know we are more athletic than ever, but I think they look slow too. They look huge, but slow. It would be a great team in 1987. I also have tried to bury it, but Thorson does not seem to have any feel or moxy. I'm sure I am off and both of those thoughts are intensified due to the bad loss.
Re passing, we are back to where we were pre Carr. No separation. Thor made a few good throws but the Duke guys were side by side with our guys. Nobody open
They sure looked pretty dam fast as they ran past NU's secondary. Did you watch the LB core. Slow, slow slow.
Players who don't recognize what they are seeing or who have to cover for 5+ seconds are going to look slow. Doesn't mean they are slow.
Look, we sucked today. No arguement from me. But lack of speed had nothing to do with it.
This is just inaccurate. Not sure what game you were watching. We were slower, outmuscled and out coached in every aspect of the game
This is the typical reaction of a frustrated fan whose team got whipped but doesn't understand why. I watched the same game you did. I just know the athletic capabilitoes of NU players a lot better than you do. Duke was not faster or stronger than we are. The coaching part of your complaint is another story.
"We were slower, outmuscled and out coached in every aspect of the game"
The most accurate statement I've read.
Absolutely awful in every aspect of the game.
I refuse to believe some of these linemen who have pushed us around with Northern Ill, with Western Mich, even Illinois -within our recruiting area with any school that's not going to win a major championship and is no where near the prestige of a NU education would not have signed with NU given the chance.
The most accurate statement I've read.
Absolutely awful in every aspect of the game.
I refuse to believe some of these linemen who have pushed us around with Northern Ill, with Western Mich, even Illinois -within our recruiting area with any school that's not going to win a major championship and is no where near the prestige of a NU education would not have signed with NU given the chance.
That's actually not true - there were a couple of guys getting separation, including early across the middle, but pocket was collapsing too fast and ball was also not coming out quick enough in numerous instances - there were also several drops in just decent coverage that need to be made
What about the many, many times when our from seven could clearly "see" the QB or RB and had a chance to contain or bring them down, but it was alarming how easily their QB or RB could simply get to the edge for an easy 8-12 yard gain.
That is what concerns me the most, because in combination with our depletion in the secondary It just shows we're simply overmatched, plain and simple. Against ISU last year you could just say the whole team didn't come to play, but in this case we just looked physically unable to compete against an average team and that's not something "fixable."
I have no additional comment on our OL because the problems there are not really even up for debate.
We will get some guys back in the secondary, but as far as I know we don't have any significant injuries on OL or DL - so what we see is what we have, and I don't see how we compete against Wisky, Iowa, PSU etc. with these lines.
It is the only way to call out the coaches who are well paid and not blame the players/