MGB: UNT football media day notes

[Aldo]

1 minute ago, UNT90 said:

Well then, it's great to think that quick hitting routes will help the QB, until you realize this:

Once defenses figure out that the OL can't stop the pass rush, get ready for press coverage EVERY DOWN. That means zero space between receiver and DB. That means forcing the QB to read and react with a pass rush 2 seconds away. You can claim that this offense will do this and that, but defenses adjust to offensive weakness. I expect teams to dare is to throw deep, starting with SMU in the first quarter. The fact that Morris doesn't throw a great deep ball will also factor into this defensive decision.

If I'm the opposing team DC, I'm bringing the heat on the pass rush, whether that's 4, 5, or 6 guys. I'm forcing a QB with no experience to beat me and to beat me with minimal time to throw. 

I'll say this about that (though you're changing subjects):

Air Raid has plays that stretch the defense horizontally and vertically. Morris will read defensive keys that allows to him decide where to go with the ball. If the deep isn't open quickly enough, there will be enough routes in the short range that will be open - a range that Morris has very good accuracy in. These plays are designed to create at least one mismatch.

Will we be successful every time? Of course not.

Oh one last thought: To go one on one vs Terian Goree would be a mistake.

[Mean_Green09]

3 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Well then, it's great to think that quick hitting routes will help the QB, until you realize this:

Once defenses figure out that the OL can't stop the pass rush, get ready for press coverage EVERY DOWN. That means zero space between receiver and DB. That means forcing the QB to read and react with a pass rush 2 seconds away. You can claim that this offense will do this and that, but defenses adjust to offensive weakness. I expect teams to dare is to throw deep, starting with SMU in the first quarter. The fact that Morris doesn't throw a great deep ball will also factor into this defensive decision.

If I'm the opposing team DC, I'm bringing the heat on the pass rush, whether that's 4, 5, or 6 guys. I'm forcing a QB with no experience to beat me and to beat me with minimal time to throw. 

I sure do hope SMU does this. 

I sure do hope they force a QB who made few to no mistakes against a top 5 defense everyday in practice to make good quick decisions.

I sure do hope they force us to throw deep against a secondary that gave up nearly 16 yards per completion last year. Which would rank 127th

I sure do hope they think that Goree and Bussey cant win on the outside. 

I sure hope they think that their LBs and Safeties can cover our inside WRs with no help.

Morris might set records against that.

[UNT90]

24 minutes ago, Aldo said:

I'll say this about that (though you're changing subjects):

Air Raid has plays that stretch the defense horizontally and vertically. Morris will read defensive keys that allows to him decide where to go with the ball. If the deep isn't open quickly enough, there will be enough routes in the short range that will be open - a range that Morris has very good accuracy in. These plays are designed to create at least one mismatch.

Will we be successful every time? Of course not.

Oh one last thought: To go one on one vs Terian Goree would be a mistake.

And those short range routes will be press covered. WRs will be bumped off their routes. And if the OL can't provide more than a couple of seconds of protection, Morris will either be on his back or throwing the ball to Littrell on the sideline. 

You asked for specifics and I gave them to you. How the hell is that off topic?

[Wag Tag]

30 minutes ago, Aldo said:

I'll say this about that (though you're changing subjects):

Air Raid has plays that stretch the defense horizontally and vertically. Morris will read defensive keys that allows to him decide where to go with the ball. If the deep isn't open quickly enough, there will be enough routes in the short range that will be open - a range that Morris has very good accuracy in. These plays are designed to create at least one mismatch.

Will we be successful every time? Of course not.

Oh one last thought: To go one on one vs Terian Goree would be a mistake.

Press and you can run quick slants all day. Also blitz to bring pressure could open the running game . The running game could be a nice surprise! GMG

[UNT90]

31 minutes ago, Mean_Green09 said:

I sure do hope SMU does this. 

I sure do hope they force a QB who made few to no mistakes against a top 5 defense everyday in practice to make good quick decisions.

I sure do hope they force us to throw deep against a secondary that gave up nearly 16 yards per completion last year. Which would rank 127th

I sure do hope they think that Goree and Bussey cant win on the outside. 

I sure hope they think that their LBs and Safeties can cover our inside WRs with no help.

Morris might set records against that.

Few to no mistakes against a top 5 defense? Jeez dude! If that were true he would be starting QB for Alabama right now. 

He was third team, so he didn't even see reps "against a top 5 defense" after he lost the battle for the starting spot and didn't even claim the backup spot.

This is just ridiculous green koolaid chugging bulsh. 

If the OL is terrible (a distinct possibility), records may be set, but the record set may be sacks given up in a game. It doesn't matter if your receiver breaks free long if your QB is on his back before that break. 

This truly isn't rocket science. 

Edited August 24, 2016 by UNT90

[TreeFiddy]

Seems like we should hear something official on the starting QB any day now.  Pretty common for the QB to be named before the 2 deep comes out.

[UNT90]

1 minute ago, Wag Tag said:

Press and you can run quick slants all day. Also blitz to bring pressure could open the running game . The running game could be a nice surprise! GMG

Quick slants IF your receiver can get off the line of scrimmage in press, bump and run coverage. Even then, that WR is going to have a DB draped all over him when the ball arrives.

[Mean_Green09]

8 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Few to no mistakes against a top 5 defense? Jeez dude! If that were true he would be starting QB for Alabama right now. 

He was third team, so he didn't even see reps "against a top 5 defense" after he lost the battle for the starting spot and didn't even claim the backup spot.

This is just ridiculous green koolaid chugging bulsh. 

Saban and Kiffin came out last year and say this kid was leading the QB battle for much of the camp. They were the ones that said he made very few mistakes against their number 1 defense during the season. He lost the battle because Coaker and Batemen had more upside/potential.

And its pretty tough to run press coverage against an Air Raid team. You know you can use things like motion that really cant be pressed. Mesh routes will be used all day long against your idea. Who says SMU has a good enough DL to get pressure? Their DL was one of the worst in the country last year. You also assume that SMU has all conference DBs. 

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

Well then, it's great to think that quick hitting routes will help the QB, until you realize this:

Once defenses figure out that the OL can't stop the pass rush, get ready for press coverage EVERY DOWN. That means zero space between receiver and DB. That means forcing the QB to read and react with a pass rush 2 seconds away. You can claim that this offense will do this and that, but defenses adjust to offensive weakness. I expect teams to dare is to throw deep, starting with SMU in the first quarter. The fact that Morris doesn't throw a great deep ball will also factor into this defensive decision.

If I'm the opposing team DC, I'm bringing the heat on the pass rush, whether that's 4, 5, or 6 guys. I'm forcing a QB with no experience to beat me and to beat me with minimal time to throw. 

This is the coach:

 

Not this:

 

It's not going to be like the Dodge spread with too many high school coaches in the mix...including the Cuss Word Patrol Coach who doubled as an offensive coach, and should have been paying attention to the game, not whether a defensive player was letting an f-word fly in frustration.

[GOMG2013]

11 minutes ago, Mean_Green09 said:

And its pretty tough to run press coverage against an Air Raid team. You know you can use things like motion that really cant be pressed. Mesh routes will be used all day long against your idea. Who says SMU has a good enough DL to get pressure? Their DL was one of the worst in the country last year. You also assume that SMU has all conference DBs. 

The times I have seen air raid type offenses slowed down was with press, in your face, man to man coverage.

Air raid offense was never designed for the line to be able to block for a long period of time.  It's only 5 of them.  The ball is supposed to be out quick.  If the QB is getting sacked, then he is hesitating and making the wrong reads if he is running air raid.  

A bigger issue is the WRs route running and gettng seperation.  He wont have time to wait for someone to get open...even if he had a good line.

[UNT90]

22 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

This is the coach:

 

Not this:

 

It's not going to be like the Dodge spread with too many high school coaches in the mix...including the Cuss Word Patrol Coach who doubled as an offensive coach, and should have been paying attention to the game, not whether a defensive player was letting an f-word fly in frustration.

Gee, nothing to argue my point. 

Not surprising anymore. 

Things just won't suddenly be magical because Littrell is coach. That isn't the way the college football world works. See SMU 2015...

Edited August 24, 2016 by UNT90

[Mean_Green09]

11 minutes ago, GOMG2013 said:

The times I have seen air raid type offenses slowed down was with press, in your face, man to man coverage.

Air raid offense was never designed for the line to be able to block for a long period of time.  It's only 5 of them.  The ball is supposed to be out quick.  If the QB is getting sacked, then he is hesitating and making the wrong reads if he is running air raid.  

A bigger issue is the WRs route running and gettng seperation.  He wont have time to wait for someone to get open...even if he had a good line.

What normally happens when Air Raid teams get shut down is they go up against teams with superior athletes in the DL. Or you will see some really good schemes like LSU vs the Aggies a couple of years or go. Or ND State vs Montana. 

With the exception of Florida we wont be going up against superior athletes all the time. We also wont face a bunch of DCs with schemes that make me worried. 

[UNT90]

2 minutes ago, Mean_Green09 said:

What normally happens when Air Raid teams get shut down is they go up against teams with superior athletes in the DL. Or you will see some really good schemes like LSU vs the Aggies a couple of years or go. Or ND State vs Montana. 

With the exception of Florida we wont be going up against superior athletes all the time. We also wont face a bunch of DCs with schemes that make me worried. 

We have less than 70 scholarship players. Most teams we play will have superior athletes. 

[Mean_Green09]

Just now, UNT90 said:

We have less than 70 scholarship players. Most teams we play will have superior athletes. 

That is such a BS statement. 

So we are playing a bunch of P5 schools that are consistently in the top 25 of recruiting?

Your saying the 11 we put on the field aren't good athletes?

Are we putting 11 weak slow walk-ons on the field?

4 WRs who run a 4.7 or slower?

I get that we dont have a ton of talent or depth. But dont say most teams we play will have superior athletes, because that is such a weak statement. Its lazy.

[UNT90]

13 minutes ago, Mean_Green09 said:

That is such a BS statement. 

So we are playing a bunch of P5 schools that are consistently in the top 25 of recruiting?

Your saying the 11 we put on the field aren't good athletes?

Are we putting 11 weak slow walk-ons on the field?

4 WRs who run a 4.7 or slower?

I get that we dont have a ton of talent or depth. But dont say most teams we play will have superior athletes, because that is such a weak statement. Its lazy.

I'm saying our rotations are thinner with less talent at the bottom of the rotation. I'm saying that fresh talent beats tired talent every time. 

I'm saying this is a lot of the same talent that lost by 59 points to an FCS school. A school with 65 scholarships. 

I'm saying a system isn't a miracle. I'm saying this is the same crap we heard when Dodge came in. I'm saying talent trumps systems EVERY time. 

I'm saying you are absolutely drunk on green Kool aid. I get it. It's preseason. Everyone wants to believe this year will be different and we will magically go to a bowl. 

It wont. The talent isn't here yet. Give it time. 

For reference, see SMU 2015.

[Aldo]

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

And those short range routes will be press covered. WRs will be bumped off their routes. And if the OL can't provide more than a couple of seconds of protection, Morris will either be on his back or throwing the ball to Littrell on the sideline. 

You asked for specifics and I gave them to you. How the hell is that off topic?

Weren't we originally talking about an injury to Morris leading to Fine starting, not defensive schemes that will shut down the pass game by making the assumption that our WRs can't beat press and our QB can't handle pressure? Those are big assumptions. You haven't watched a game.

All I'm talking about is how this offensive system can provide a solution to your proposed problem.

The wide split offensive lines push the DEs out. When the plays are designed to release the ball after 2-3 seconds, they get factored out.

This puts the DTs one on one, and opens up lanes for the LBs. There are plays designed for the inside receiver to take those empty spots on the field over the middle (literally most - if not all - of them), like a vacated LB spot. Also, we'll see plenty of one or two back sets, who become extra lineman. If those RBs don't have any one to block, they release either up the middle, our out on a wheel route. If the H-back release out on a wheel route, and he's uncovered because of a blitz, there's that too.

There are a longer list of reasons why our [incredibly] suspect o-line won't hinder the passing game, or put Morris on his back (we've discussed his pocket awareness before).

Additionally, if we are forcing opposing defenses to go 1-on-1 in this league in your hypothetical, I can't think of specific corners that I'd be concerned about. I would probably be most concerned with MTSU, Marshall, USM(?) but most of the defenses we are facing are malleable. 

Goree is very good off the blocks, and I watched him last year beat his guys senselessly while either Harris was catching an underthrown ball, or DSmith was running for a short gainer.

Kelvin Smith and Thad Thompson are big bodied receivers. Thompson is a very good route runner. I haven't done much scouting on Rutherford. Bussey is fast as well as Hair Griffin, and they can just flat outrun their defenders.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Aldo

[greenminer]

49 minutes ago, Mean_Green09 said:

That is such a BS statement. 

So we are playing a bunch of P5 schools that are consistently in the top 25 of recruiting?

Your saying the 11 we put on the field aren't good athletes?

Are we putting 11 weak slow walk-ons on the field?

4 WRs who run a 4.7 or slower?

I get that we dont have a ton of talent or depth. But dont say most teams we play will have superior athletes, because that is such a weak statement. Its lazy.

We are going to find out 1 or 2 things this Fall: the gap between us and the rest of CUSA, and/or the effort (or lack thereof) that was really there in 2014 and 2015.

Having a roster with scholly players running across your two-deep is huge.  I don't believe we don't have that.

[UNT90]

16 minutes ago, Aldo said:

Weren't we originally talking about an injury to Morris leading to Fine starting, not defensive schemes that will shut down the pass game by making the assumption that our WRs can't beat press and our QB can't handle pressure? Those are big assumptions. You haven't watched a game.

All I'm talking about is how this offensive system can provide a solution to your proposed problem.

The wide split offensive lines push the DEs out. When the plays are designed to release the ball after 2-3 seconds, they get factored out.

This puts the DTs one on one, and opens up lanes for the LBs. There are plays designed for the inside receiver to take those empty spots on the field over the middle (literally most - if not all - of them), like a vacated LB spot. Also, we'll see plenty of one or two back sets, who become extra lineman. If those RBs don't have any one to block, they release either up the middle, our out on a wheel route. If the H-back release out on a wheel route, and he's uncovered because of a blitz, there's that too.

There are a longer list of reasons why our [incredibly] suspect o-line won't hinder the passing game, or put Morris on his back (we've discussed his pocket awareness before).

Additionally, if we are forcing opposing defenses to go 1-on-1 in this league in your hypothetical, I can't think of specific corners that I'd be concerned about. I would probably be most concerned with MTSU, Marshall, USM(?) but most of the defenses we are facing are malleable. 

Goree is very good off the blocks, and I watched him last year beat his guys senselessly while either Harris was catching an underthrown ball, or DSmith was running for a short gainer.

Kelvin Smith and Thad Thompson are big bodied receivers. Thompson is a very good route runner. I haven't done much scouting on Rutherford. Bussey is fast as well as Hair Griffin, and they can just flat outrun their defenders.

I think you view everything in a picture perfect, more than best case scenerio for this offense, and I think that is incredibly naive. 

Push the DEs out? What if the DEs beat the OGs to the inside? Remember those large splits you talked about? Straight line to the QB. Going through progressions takes time. 

Pocket awareness? You have never seen Morris play one down of live action FBS college football, yet you have anointed him all-CUSA apparently. You have zero idea what his pocket awareness is like under live fire. Much like your "better than DT" statement and your "made zero errors against a top five defense in practice" statement, this is just a complete bullshit statement. You have zero idea what his pocket awareness is like.

Quit telling people this offense is going to be the next coming. It isn't. Not this year. I think many will be surprised, some even maddened, by how many times Littrell runs the football against SMU. 

This is going to take a year or two. 

[Army of Dad]

1 hour ago, Mean_Green09 said:

That is such a BS statement. 

So we are playing a bunch of P5 schools that are consistently in the top 25 of recruiting?

Your saying the 11 we put on the field aren't good athletes?

Are we putting 11 weak slow walk-ons on the field?

4 WRs who run a 4.7 or slower?

I get that we dont have a ton of talent or depth. But dont say most teams we play will have superior athletes, because that is such a weak statement. Its lazy.

Wait, haven't we been near the bottom of our conference in comparing recruiting classes?

(yes, comparing recruits is an inexact science, but if we have been as low as I think we've been then...)

[Mean_Green09]

2 minutes ago, Army of Dad said:

Wait, haven't we been near the bottom of our conference in comparing recruiting classes?

(yes, comparing recruits is an inexact science, but if we have been as low as I think we've been then...)

The discussion was talent vs athlete.

Apparently we have below FCS level athletes. Everyone we play will be superior athletes compared to our weak slow guys.

[untjim1995]

2 minutes ago, Mean_Green09 said:

The discussion was talent vs athlete.

Apparently we have below FCS level athletes. Everyone we play will be superior athletes compared to our weak slow guys.

Its ok to recognize that we have very little developed talent here. You cannot rank dead-ass last in recruiting within the last few seasons, as well as have 68 scholarships and not think its not going to hurt when playing other programs at the G5 level. Right now, exactly one team on our schedule has less overall talent than us--Butt Cookman. Everyone else has more recruited/scholarship players than we have, including UTSA.

Nobody says are guys are weak or slow. They are saying we don't have enough guys here to make up the difference between the 10 G5 teams on our schedule having 80-85 scholarship players.

SMU has better players than us right now. So does Army. So do UTSA and UTEP. But its not always gonna be this way if Littrell and company can recruit successfully here in Texas and create the right mindset within the locker room. If they do that, we will look back on 2016 as the point where the bottoming out had ended and we began to rebound, The only way we aren't officially at the bottom yet is if we go 0-12. And I don't think we will do that...

[Mean_Green09]

6 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

I think you view everything in a picture perfect, more than best case scenerio for this offense, and I think that is incredibly naive. 

Push the DEs out? What if the DEs beat the OGs to the inside? Remember those large splits you talked about? Straight line to the QB. Going through progressions takes time. 

Pocket awareness? You have never seen Morris play one down of live action FBS college football, yet you have anointed him all-CUSA apparently. You have zero idea what his pocket awareness is like under live fire. Much like your "better than DT" statement and your "made zero errors against a top five defense in practice" statement, this is just a complete bullshit statement. You have zero idea what his pocket awareness is like.

Quit telling people this offense is going to be the next coming. It isn't. Not this year. I think many will be surprised, some even maddened, by how many times Littrell runs the football against SMU. 

This is going to take a year or two. 

Not arguing that this wont take a year or two because we dont have all the pieces that fit the puzzle.

Going through progressions doesn't take time in this offense. Its designed to make decisions quick and easy. Its makes it easy for QBs. Speed up the decision making process.

You can tell if a kid has some pocket awareness. Lets not act like its impossible. 

I think many people will be maddened how many times they will THROW the ball vs SMU. Littrell wants to throw it and throw it a lot. Dont be completely fooled by what he did at UNC. 

Look I understand that you dont completely get the Air Raid offense and its principles. We have some of the best guys to every play in the Air Raid coaching it. We got guys coaching it who've learned from the best. Maybe some on here are overestimated what can be accomplished, but you are grossly under estimating the new offensive scheme. I get it you cant unsee the Dodge days, and the McCarney no offense. 

This offense isnt the next coming. Its the now.

[Aldo]

I think you're confusing accounts in your post. I'll just respond to things I said.

6 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

I think you view everything in a picture perfect, more than best case scenerio for this offense, and I think that is incredibly naive. 

I'm not telling you best case scenario, I'm not telling you Morris will be all conference, I'm just listing out things that combat your hypothetical press every down approach. A debate, if you will. I came to you with a reason why pressing every down won't work, and you're coming back saying it's naive. Give me evidence. What are SMU's defensive tendencies?

And if you're going that direction, your worst case scenario approach is not naive or an overreaction?

5 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Push the DEs out? What if the DEs beat the OGs to the inside? Remember those large splits you talked about? Straight line to the QB. Going through progressions takes time. 

DEs will push inside, sure. Not every down. It's still a long distance. Defenses will blitz, Morris will get sacked occasionally, he'll throw an INT. He's not going to be perfect, but the offensive scheme does not set him up for failure. If a receiver can't break loose, he's got the short range accuracy to place the ball in the right spot.

It's not exactly a progression, it's key reads and peeks. QB doesn't look at WR1, move to 2, to 3. They look at the defensive movement/rotation after the snap, which tells them where to go with the ball, all the while "peeking" at the fade route. This happens quickly.

14 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

Pocket awareness? You have never seen Morris play one down of live action FBS college football, yet . You have zero idea what his pocket awareness is like under live fire. You have zero idea what his pocket awareness is like.

I deleted stuff I didn't say.

There are three years worth of practice tape on Morris. Bama's coaches only had that as well, including for those QBs that beat out Morris. It's enough evidence to tell you what a QB has or doesn't. Practice film was enough evidence to show that Morris' downfield accuracy was not as good as the other guys who started. It's also enough evidence to show that he has good pocket awareness just the same.

QBs go into practice to win the starting job. Flaws appear. Good stuff appears too. Pocket awareness, feet, dropbacks, motions, it all comes out.

Just because a linebacker isn't bearing down on you doesn't mean your suckiness or your goodness as a QB won't show up.

In summary: I'm not giving you reasons or even saying this team will be the best, I'm just responding to the points you made about getting pressed and blitzed every down. Which is not a thing that will happen.

[SHD]

I've seen both scrimmages and spring ball but my take is a little different than most that are bashing the Oline, yes it maybe weak but you may be surprised as well,could go either way, here's why:

scrimmages, I have not seen morris running for his life every snap or even most snaps with the one OL.

most of our time has been spent on timing routes between the QB and WR and our defense knew this.  therefore, they had the 3rd down approach every play, with little or no regard to running the football.   Yes, QB had some hurries but not running for his life every play and if you were to mix in some draws, screens and flat out running the ball options, I think the OL we have now may fool you (or make some of you look like you should be picking six right numbers twice a week), only time will tell.  Most of Wyche long runs came behind the second team OLine with this unit our running game did well, they don't need as much reps with Wilson and willie running the ball, everyone knows they are the only bright spots from last year.

Littrell and Position coaches have a completely different approach with the players and they seem to be playing more for each other than for themselves which is the beginnings of a team and this could be the foundation of a turning point for mean grean.  Case in point the way HC handled the third team deep snapper that everyone was on, very calmly talked encouraged and the rest of his snaps were better, not great but better.

Contrary to the nay sayers, I think we gonna surprise some people, starting with SMU, my god they only won 2 games.