B1G WEST TITLE may be squandered away this season.

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hungan1

hungan1

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Last Spring, PJ Fleck publicly stated that this 2021 Gopher football team is special. Here is a chance to win the Big Ten West outright.

With the extra year Covid exemption, suddenly the Gophers have the deepest and most experienced Offensive Lines in college football. The Transfer Portal also brought the key missing pieces for the Defense.

Well, I hate to crash his party. There are two intertwining problems.

1. They are stuck with a TOP game plan with no imaginative contingencies that they expected the rest of the Big Ten West will have difficulty with. Where are the slants, short passes, and putting the WRs in the best positions? I don't see the creativity of a Kirk Ciarrocca-run Offense.

2. They have an Offensive Coordinator and QB coach who seem unimaginative speaking kindly. Well, he did mention they have some creative plays in mind for Illinois. :poop:

Then came the monumental upset by BGSU. Elite coaches don't make this happen in their watch.
We thought the wake-up call had righted the ship because they won the next four games. Then came unranked Illinois and their veteran head coach Bielema.

The Gopher Offense seemed lost. The Defense seemed confused in the first half. Somewhere I heard that Illinois studied the BGSU film in detail as well the other Gopher games. They loaded the left side and disrupted Tanner Morgan's rhythm big time. Why couldn't Sanford Jr do something to counter the opponent's game planning? Why can't they make effective game-time adjustments?

The Gophers will be facing the top two Defense in the Big Ten West in the next three weeks. I think it may be too late.

PJ Fleck has the proof with the BGSU and Illinois loses. Sanford Jr may have already ruined the chances of winning the Big Ten West title outright. How long does he intend to link his coaching career to Sanford Jr? This is Robb Smith 2.0.
 
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hungan1 said:
PJ Fleck publicly stated that this 2021 Gopher football team is special. Here is a chance to win the Big Ten West outright.

With the extra year Covid exemption, suddenly the Gophers have the deepest and most experienced Offensive Lines in college football. The Transfer Portal also brought the key missing pieces for the Defense.

Well, I hate to crash his party. There are two intertwining problems.

1. They are stuck with a TOP game plan with no imaginative contingencies that they expected the rest of the Big Ten West will have difficulty with. Where are the slants, short passes, and putting the WRs in the best positions? I don't see the creativity of a Kirk Ciarrocca-run Offense.

2. They have an Offensive Coordinator and QB coach who seem unimaginative speaking kindly. Well, he did mention they have some creative plays in mind for Illinois. :poop:

Then came the monumental upset by BGSU. Elite coaches don't make this happen in their watch.
We thought the wake-up call had right the ship because they won the next four games. Then came unranked Illinois and their veteran head coach Bielema.

The Gopher Offense seemed lost. The Defense seemed confused in the first half. Somewhere I heard that Illinois studied the BGSU film in detail as well the other Gopher games. They loaded the left side and disrupted Tanner Morgan's rhythm big time. Why couldn't Sanford Jr do something to counter the opponent's game planning? Why can't they make effective game-time adjustments?

The Gophers will be facing the top two Defense in the Big Ten West in the next three weeks. I think it may be too late.

PJ Fleck has the proof with the BGSU and Illinois loses. Sanford Jr may have already ruined the chances of winning the Big Ten West title outright. How long does he intend to link his coaching career to Sanford Jr? This is Robb Smith 2.0.
Click to expand...
This post is spot on, with the exception of leaving in some fandom hope that this team will miraculously be able to beat IA and WI. The dye has been cast for some time , this offense has no chance with Michael Sanford Jr as it’s Offensive Coordinator. Not Offensive, Oh-ffensive.
 
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hungan1 said:
How long does he intend to link his coaching career to Sanford Jr? This is Robb Smith 2.0.
Click to expand...
No chance he is fired before the end of this season.

If Fleck follows the Robb Smith plan, then Sanford won't be fired until the middle of 2022 season.
 

hungan1 said:
PJ Fleck publicly stated that this 2021 Gopher football team is special. Here is a chance to win the Big Ten West outright.

With the extra year Covid exemption, suddenly the Gophers have the deepest and most experienced Offensive Lines in college football. The Transfer Portal also brought the key missing pieces for the Defense.

Well, I hate to crash his party. There are two intertwining problems.

1. They are stuck with a TOP game plan with no imaginative contingencies that they expected the rest of the Big Ten West will have difficulty with. Where are the slants, short passes, and putting the WRs in the best positions? I don't see the creativity of a Kirk Ciarrocca-run Offense.

2. They have an Offensive Coordinator and QB coach who seem unimaginative speaking kindly. Well, he did mention they have some creative plays in mind for Illinois. :poop:

Then came the monumental upset by BGSU. Elite coaches don't make this happen in their watch.
We thought the wake-up call had right the ship because they won the next four games. Then came unranked Illinois and their veteran head coach Bielema.

The Gopher Offense seemed lost. The Defense seemed confused in the first half. Somewhere I heard that Illinois studied the BGSU film in detail as well the other Gopher games. They loaded the left side and disrupted Tanner Morgan's rhythm big time. Why couldn't Sanford Jr do something to counter the opponent's game planning? Why can't they make effective game-time adjustments?

The Gophers will be facing the top two Defense in the Big Ten West in the next three weeks. I think it may be too late.

PJ Fleck has the proof with the BGSU and Illinois loses. Sanford Jr may have already ruined the chances of winning the Big Ten West title outright. How long does he intend to link his coaching career to Sanford Jr? This is Robb Smith 2.0.
Click to expand...
1) they literally ran those plays yesterday and the guys weren’t open.

2) I agree the plan wasn’t good yesterday. But the solution wasn’t to be more like a KC offense…the solution was to be less like a KC offense
 


Some guy said:
1) they literally ran those plays yesterday and the guys weren’t open.
Click to expand...
Tanner was throwing the ball behind guys all day.

Plenty of blame to go around for all.
 

Is the OL really that good?

It's not bad, but is it really the team strength we think it is, just because the guys have been around a long time?

Both of the non-Ohio State losses saw the OL be the primary problem, among many. Both sides of the line have been picked on in pass protection.

The Gophers don't have a particularly great rushing YPC and haven't since the Mason days.

In certain matchups (not always the ones you would expect) the OL seems to be able to win but too often they are even-up or losing to younger, smaller guys.
 

fmlizard said:
Is the OL really that good?

It's not bad, but is it really the team strength we think it is, just because the guys have been around a long time?

Both of the non-Ohio State losses saw the OL be the primary problem, among many. Both sides of the line have been picked on in pass protection.

The Gophers don't have a particularly great rushing YPC and haven't since the Mason days.

In certain matchups (not always the ones you would expect) the OL seems to be able to win but too often they are even-up or losing to younger, smaller guys.
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I would agree with this. They’re a good not great o line. We have a few guys who will be mid to late round picks. A great offensive line will have multiple guys selected in the first two rounds. Not sure we have that.
 




MplsGopher said:
No chance he is fired before the end of this season.

If Fleck follows the Robb Smith plan, then Sanford won't be fired until the middle of 2022 season.
Click to expand...
I say Fred Sanford Jr is fired after the Indians game. If not, most definitely after Wisconsin.
 

IA and WI are full of warts this year with highly suspect QB play. OSU is likely to go to CFP. Challengers in the East will all likely have 2 losses. Gophers have an experienced team that will likely take a step back next year with all the new players. The stars aligned this year for the Gophers to get to the Rose Bowl, and we instead decided to shit the bed by losing to garbage teams.
 


I wholeheartedly agree that experienced isn't the same thing as talented.

Top quality guys like Mo hid the deficiencies of this OLine.

Now they've been outed.
 



Some guy said:
1) they literally ran those plays yesterday and the guys weren’t open.

2) I agree the plan wasn’t good yesterday. But the solution wasn’t to be more like a KC offense…the solution was to be less like a KC offense
Click to expand...
Wrong. Not at all like a KC offense yesterday. What were you watching. There were repeatedly passes with just two receivers running long developing routes. The offense has not been the same since he left - they were still running it in the Auburn game.
 

Ozzy&Ray said:
Wrong. Not at all like a KC offense yesterday. What were you watching. There were repeatedly passes with just two receivers running long developing routes. The offense has not been the same since he left - they were still running it in the Auburn game.
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Ok
 

MplsGopher said:
Tanner was throwing the ball behind guys all day.

Plenty of blame to go around for all.
Click to expand...

You need to rewatch the game as I just did. There were, maybe, two or three throws behind receivers.

The bigger problem was getting behind the sticks with penalties and negative plays, piss poor protection, and playing down 14 as the game wore on. Throws under duress, long developing routes.

Draining the clock in the third and fourth quarters was also not the wisest thing, IMO. No urgency.

Fire Sanford, today.
 

MplsGopher said:
No chance he is fired before the end of this season.

If Fleck follows the Robb Smith plan, then Sanford won't be fired until the middle of 2022 season.
Click to expand...
I dunno, I’d say there may be a chance with Simon available to step in. We’ll see though. Unfortunately the offense has only been awful in the two games, and that might not be enough for Fleck to pull the trigger.
 

fmlizard said:
Is the OL really that good?

It's not bad, but is it really the team strength we think it is, just because the guys have been around a long time?

Both of the non-Ohio State losses saw the OL be the primary problem, among many. Both sides of the line have been picked on in pass protection.

The Gophers don't have a particularly great rushing YPC and haven't since the Mason days.

In certain matchups (not always the ones you would expect) the OL seems to be able to win but too often they are even-up or losing to younger, smaller guys.
Click to expand...
Read the thread just below this for a film analysis of the offensive line play in the first half. It shows the blocking was pretty good with Schlueter and Rushmeyer getting beat a few times.

Overall, the problem wasn 't the OL unit as it was Sanford's complete failure to adjust to Illinois sending one or two extra guys to block. Exactly the same failure occurred in the BG game when most fans also blamed the O line. They block the guy assigned for a particular play. If there are extra defenders to account for you need to make a change or throw quick pass to the area vacated.
 

Dakota2 said:
Read the thread just below this for a film analysis of the offensive line play in the first half. It shows the blocking was pretty good with Schlueter and Rushmeyer getting beat a few times.

Overall, the problem wasn 't the OL unit as it was Sanford's complete failure to adjust to Illinois sending one or two extra guys to block. Exactly the same failure occurred in the BG game when most fans also blamed the O line. They block the guy assigned for a particular play. If there are extra defenders to account for you need to make a change or throw quick pass to the area vacated.
Click to expand...

Re-watch the game. Protection, route design awful at times. Morgan isn’t without blame but he was put in terrible spots.
 




Pompous Elitist said:
You need to rewatch the game as I just did. There were, maybe, two or three throws behind receivers.

The bigger problem was getting behind the sticks with penalties and negative plays, piss poor protection, and playing down 14 as the game wore on. Throws under duress, long developing routes.

Draining the clock in the third and fourth quarters was also not the wisest thing, IMO. No urgency.

Fire Sanford, today.
Click to expand...
Not sure we fire Sanford today, but otherwise spot on. I agree. Not changing anything, was a bad strategy. Even just an occassional "quick" count might have helped.

Not all is lost, but much to work on.
 


Pompous Elitist said:
Re-watch the game. Protection, route design awful at times. Morgan isn’t without blame but he was put in terrible spots.
Click to expand...

I only saw a couple drives in the game. Multiple times in that short time, Illinois blitzed from the outside left with no TE or RB on that side to bock. The LT was covered. Gophs did nothing to address it. I don't know if that's an OC thing or a Tanner thing, but it left me shaking my head.
 
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FormerFatOL said:
I only saw a couple drives in the game. Multiple times in that short time, Illinois blitzed from the outside left with no TE or RB on that side to bock. The LT was covered. Gophs did nothing to address it. I don't know if that's a OC thing or a Tanner thing, but it left me shaking my head.
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Yup. It’s scheme somehow. Either supposed to be throwing off of the blitzed or supposed to pick him up. But letting him through untouched and holding the ball is probably bad strategy
 



Don’t know if it is coaches or players or both, but this year’s offense is not special. It is good, but has a very limited repertoire. A team that can’t mount even a simple passing game, a team that literally has no counterpunch to a defense that puts 6 or 7 on the line of scrimmage, isn’t special.

A special team has the ability to punish a defense that continually employs higher risk defensive strategies; it takes a team that isn’t special to succumb to higher risk strategies with no effective change in its own offensive strategies. Coaches might say personnel is the issue, but I think that it is on our coaches, who continue to play checkers when the opposition is playing chess. Illinois, like the team whose name cannot be mentioned, took lots of exploitable chances on defense. There are many tried and true ways to exploit a team that takes such chances. We didn’t exploit; we seem not to even changed tactics to try to exploit (except in one drive).

Can you be a special offense if you refuse or are incapable of taking what the defense openly gives you?
 
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