| 10 September 2011
We talk about needing a special teams coach. I never looked around to see if other college teams have special teams coaches. The NFL has special teams coaches. A few short years ago we just assumed we would be better on special teams than anyone we went up against. Buchanan was very good again. We got the punt return but overall we are not a good special teams football team. Not nearly good enough. I don't know if any colleges have special teams coaches. I know we need one.
The pass rush with the front four is still lacking. We get more out of the bigs, the nose, the 3-tech and the strong side end, than we do out of the Edge, which is a position designed to give the player at that position an advantage in the pass rush. We are not seeing any of the players lined up there do anything with that advantage. Moore played well overall but did not have an impact as a pass rusher. Big Hank had a great game. I don't know if he left the field. That says something about his conditioning. He was a menace the entire game. Simon was a one man wrecking crew after returning from the
cramping. In that short time he probably earned player of the game honors. I like Bennett on the field. He always gets my attention when he is out there. Bellamy will soon be back getting most of his reps at the 3-tech if he does not find some more plays.
They said Vrabel was in the face of his linebackers after the touchdown after the blocked punt. How do they let a back drag across the middle on the field, playside no less, catch the ball with nobody near him, and go into the end zone with no linebacker in sight??? They were much better after that conversation. The Toledo offense is about open spaces and speed. Spread it out and be faster. I was surprised to see Klein on the field this much in a game like this. I would be in nickle all the time and dime a good deal of the time. If I had three linebackers on the field it would be Sweat, Sabino and Shazier. Nice interception by Klein and at a key moment but I don't need a middle linebacker on the field against this kind of offense.
We are seeing a lot of I-formation and I love it. I think we are more diverse. I like what I am seeing. I like it alot. It makes me wonder. We talked about whether the offense was Bollman or Tressel. I see something much better. Jim Tressel is the one no longer here.
Verlon Reed is already a member of the "Chain Gang", that long and impressive line of possession receivers the Buckeyes have produced over the years who move the chains, get those first downs. The great thing is it looks like he can be more than a possession receiver. He may not be a guy who stretches the defense but he can make a play down the field.
On the second end around Philly Brown made such a mental error. He lined up on the line of scrimmage. He took his blocking angle away. The Toledo defender cut inside his block and forced the play wide. He was covering the tight end so I know that was not the way the play was drawn up.
If Carlos Hyde is not a great back here I think it is a good bet it will be because of injury. He was so much better today. I can only remember one run, in the first half, where he made a bad read. On Hydes long touchdown run I gave myself a Buckeye leaf. I called that play. It was very well blocked. Smith is an immense talent. We saw what he can do on the bobbled pitchout but he is still a work in progress. He is not running instinctively. He is not running with his eyes. Considering his number of carries his fumble numbers are way too high. That alone is enough reason not to play him as much.
Marcus Hall is the one area of concern I have on the offensive line. He looks rusty but he is doing everything very aggressively. I can live with mistakes like that. Mewhort looks like a veteran out there. Norwell is playing very well. It is early. This is MAC talent they are going against so we can't get too excited yet but I like what I see from the left side so far. Shugarts is playing well but here we have him with another motion penalty. He is a fifth year senior and he is still doing this.
Nobody is going to run on this team. Just come in ready to throw the ball at least 40 times if you want to win.
We are as good as we have been at corner. We can play with anyone and our top guy has not played yet. Roby has that Malcolm Jenkins-like physical style. Dominic Clark showed NFL ball skills once again, and he is a willing run defender and tackler. For his sake I hope Travis Howard did not take anymore $100 handshakes. He can't afford to miss anymore time. He was coming off a great run down the stretch last year but he needs to work his way out of that doghouse. I see no reason to just give him the job back.
Feast or famine with C.J. Barnett. He was really bad in the first half and really good in the second half. We forget he has played so little football. I see a much improved Ohrian Johnson. He has been really good today.
Hate the collar tackle rule. I am a believer in improving the safety of the game but how many people have been hurt by that kind of tackle? I think the rule is going overboard.
Did you see the relief on Fields face after the punt return? He got the monkey off his back. He made a play. Maybe that is the start of something good. It could not come at a better time, now with Philly Brown out for a time. Did you see Shazier celebrating the block? He was not even looking at Fields. He was happy that he laid a guy out. Typical linebacker. There is something very wrong with that segment of society.
Can you believe that we finally got an officials crew that actually called holding, at least most of the time?
I think we may be seeing the thing that will usher in the Braxton Miller era. Toledo brought it. Bauserman did not handle it that well. He had some balls that had me talking to the television, slow down, Joe. Ease up. We had a touchdown to Devin Smith thrown into the cheap seats. Other staffs will see that pressure is his bane.
The big catch Smith made in the third quarter showed his speed. He was coming back toward the line of scrimmage on the catch. The defensive back coming back toward the ball still never made up any ground. We see more of Smith after the injury to Brown. Alot more. He got on the field and showed more for the quarterback. Too bad BausermanAA was missing him. Several plays were just good plays by the defense but there were a couple that Bauserman just missed him. We need to face the reality about Brown. His promise is after the catch. Thus far he has not showed he can get open or catch the ball consistently. After the catch does not matter much if you do not get open and catch the ball first. Smith is doing that. Brown may see less game reps if Smith keeps doing what he is doing.
The long hand-off is such a difficult play to defend. It has a great impact on a team that wants to blitz. I would love to see us use it with Hall or Berry in the game.
I am sure the who is the next head coach talk will now begin. I think we are young. I think our quarterback did not perform as well as he did last week. I think we have a glaring problem on special teams. I think the lack of a pass rush out of our designated pass rush player is really hurting us. I think Toledo is a very good football team. Boise State might be the only team that even gives them a game the rest of the year. I see a good win. That said, Toledo better be as good as I think they are or this could be the game that costs Fick the job. If Fickell is not the next head coach I think we should at least interview Beckman. His team had way too many penalties but I was impressed with him and his team overall. I don't think I would have went to Owens late in the game like that but I can't say Owens was the reason Toledo lost. Some would question his decision to run the ball on third and ten with less than a minute to play but I like the aggressiveness. That play nearly popped.
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