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Article on 3 "starring" and 3 "stumbling" elements for RU from the NM game...

RU848789

RU848789

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Liked Dunleavy's article today - agree with it completely. Top 3 were Mehringer's playcalling (especially the call for the bomb, when he almost called a running play, and the Grant-reverse-pass-TD call), then Martin's running, then the excellent performance of the D-line. Bottom 3 were Laviano's play, then RU's pregame "preps" (whatever they are ain't working), then the crowd.

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i..._starring_3_stumbling.html#incart_river_index

A few other random thoughts/comments from the game...

I generally like Cioffi's play, but WTF was that lame push on the QB as he was in the midst of a 40+ yard TD run? It's tackle, not 2-hand touch.

CL is such an enigma. Horrible misses on many easy passes, but he did throw that gorgeous strike to Harris (play of the game - we needed that momentum shift) and was excellent on the next drive, too. Speaking of that drive, I thought Patton was definitely interfered with on the long pass from CL (was a good pass if not for the PI, IMO). Personally, I'd love to take our lumps with Oden, as he's clearly our best running threat and can't be a lot worse than CL passing.

I assume NM went away from the "regular" punts to the rugby style ones after Grant had his punt return TD. But that first punt that Grant muffed was a great, long, high, hard-to-catch spiral - and Grant's TD isn't all on the punter.

Why can't we find a kicker who can kick the ball into the endzone? Everyone else seems to have one, but us. And while Cintron did a great job with the pooch kicks inside the 20, he doesn't seem to have the leg for regular kicks. Also, Bailey made a great play to catch that punt on the bounce at the one.

Thought it was a dumb move by Davie to try the onsides kick in the 4Q after cutting the lead to 31-28. Gave us good field position and led to the downed punt at the 1 and then the FG to put us up 6. Of course, he's a genius if they recover, lol.

Obvious statement, but we're gonna miss Grant.
 
RU848789 said:
....CL is such an enigma. Horrible misses on many easy passes, but he did throw that gorgeous strike to Harris (play of the game - we needed that momentum shift) and was excellent on the next drive, too. Speaking of that drive, I thought Patton was definitely interfered with on the long pass from CL (was a good pass if not for the PI, IMO). Personally, I'd love to take our lumps with Oden, as he's clearly our best running threat and can't be a lot worse than CL passing....
Click to expand...
When Laviano steps into his throws he makes good throws. The problem is that he seems to step into his throws about 30% of the time. He has a strong arm so some of his back-foot throws are completed, but given that we don't have receivers who get great separation (Harris shows some promise now that he's in the lineup), CL needs to step up in the pocket and deliver the ball with purpose. I think he does this in practice, then reverts to old habits in games.
 
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RutgersRaRa said:
When Laviano steps into his throws he makes good throws. The problem is that he seems to step into his throws about 30% of the time. He has a strong arm so some of his back-foot throws are completed, but given that we don't have receivers who get great separation (Harris shows some promise now that he's in the lineup), CL needs to step up in the pocket and deliver the ball with purpose. I think he does this in practice, then reverts to old habits in games.
Click to expand...

30% is damn generous.
 
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The Cioffi play was right in front of me, just a terrible play. And Grant is fun to watch.
 
I hope the crowd actually comes to watch a football game this week. When will people realize that third and fourth down are not the only times you can help the defense out.
 
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RutgersRaRa said:
When Laviano steps into his throws he makes good throws. The problem is that he seems to step into his throws about 30% of the time. He has a strong arm so some of his back-foot throws are completed, but given that we don't have receivers who get great separation (Harris shows some promise now that he's in the lineup), CL needs to step up in the pocket and deliver the ball with purpose. I think he does this in practice, then reverts to old habits in games.
Click to expand...

He throws off of his back foot all the time. It drives me insane. They even ran some very simple 3 level reads for him and he could not complete even an easy throw because of his foot work. Im convinced he is scared of contact.

Coaching for years I always told me QBs that there was 7 plays in every game where a QB can choose to protect himself, and not make a play, or he can choose to take a hit and make a play. Laviano constantly makes the decision to not make the play.
 
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gef21 said:
He throws off of his back foot all the time. It drives me insane. They even ran some very simple 3 level reads for him and he could not complete even an easy throw because of his foot work. Im convinced he is scared of contact.

Coaching for years I always told me QBs that there was 7 plays in every game where a QB can choose to protect himself, and not make a play, or he can choose to take a hit and make a play. Laviano constantly makes the decision to not make the play.
Click to expand...
The hard thing to watch is that this seems to be happening even when the pocket isn't collapsing and nobody is in his face. There is a lot to process with the new offense, but stepping into throws is pretty basic. I was watching other games this week and some freshmen QBs were stepping into their throws and I found myself getting jealous.
 
The Record this morning said Allen got in because he had the best prep week regarding the game plan. The OC must have chosen plays they didn't work on during the week. Still don't understand calling the fade on 3rd down except to minimize the interception chance. He really hadn't attempted a pass and the play call is for something precise.
Almost the ideal situation for a new qb, ahead at the time, already in fg range and 1st down. Can almost run any play and have NM guessing. We end up 3 and out and kick a fg and one of the runs was to get it in front of the goal post. Should have given Allen something better to work with in that situation. If the staff has trust in the backup qb, than show it.
Can't do much about the present dilemma except to adjust.
Next up - Iowa.
 
RutgersRaRa said:
The hard thing to watch is that this seems to be happening even when the pocket isn't collapsing and nobody is in his face. There is a lot to process with the new offense, but stepping into throws is pretty basic. I was watching other games this week and some freshmen QBs were stepping into their throws and I found myself getting jealous.
Click to expand...
Yeah but we're not exactly throwing out of the pocket either. A lot of his throws are rolling to the left which is not easy but throws he obviously throws he can make or they would not call those plays. However, I suspect he was benched for not seeing the Defense pre snap and making the right decisionn. NM was pulling out the same blitz package Schiano used to shut down Grothe and other QB's back in the Day. They were showing 3 guys on the left (right side of Offense) on one play and sent them all. CL decided to try and throw a quick pass to Harris to that same side (not sure if this was the right call or not) and they all 3 jumped blocking his passing lane. Then he just threw it away cause he would have been killed. I suspect he should have been rolling left (away from pressure) and hitting someone else but what do I know? All I do know is he was rattled around that time and they pulled him right around that time.
 
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RU848789 said:
Liked Dunleavy's article today - agree with it completely. Top 3 were Mehringer's playcalling (especially the call for the bomb, when he almost called a running play, and the Grant-reverse-pass-TD call), then Martin's running, then the excellent performance of the D-line. Bottom 3 were Laviano's play, then RU's pregame "preps" (whatever they are ain't working), then the crowd.

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i..._starring_3_stumbling.html#incart_river_index

A few other random thoughts/comments from the game...

I generally like Cioffi's play, but WTF was that lame push on the QB as he was in the midst of a 40+ yard TD run? It's tackle, not 2-hand touch.

CL is such an enigma. Horrible misses on many easy passes, but he did throw that gorgeous strike to Harris (play of the game - we needed that momentum shift) and was excellent on the next drive, too. Speaking of that drive, I thought Patton was definitely interfered with on the long pass from CL (was a good pass if not for the PI, IMO). Personally, I'd love to take our lumps with Oden, as he's clearly our best running threat and can't be a lot worse than CL passing.

I assume NM went away from the "regular" punts to the rugby style ones after Grant had his punt return TD. But that first punt that Grant muffed was a great, long, high, hard-to-catch spiral - and Grant's TD isn't all on the punter.

Why can't we find a kicker who can kick the ball into the endzone? Everyone else seems to have one, but us. And while Cintron did a great job with the pooch kicks inside the 20, he doesn't seem to have the leg for regular kicks. Also, Bailey made a great play to catch that punt on the bounce at the one.

Thought it was a dumb move by Davie to try the onsides kick in the 4Q after cutting the lead to 31-28. Gave us good field position and led to the downed punt at the 1 and then the FG to put us up 6. Of course, he's a genius if they recover, lol.

Obvious statement, but we're gonna miss Grant.
Click to expand...
Ash or Mehringer said that Gio and Oden need work on their passing game. Scary considering what we currently have.
:weary:
 
gef21 said:
He throws off of his back foot all the time. It drives me insane. They even ran some very simple 3 level reads for him and he could not complete even an easy throw because of his foot work. Im convinced he is scared of contact.

Coaching for years I always told me QBs that there was 7 plays in every game where a QB can choose to protect himself, and not make a play, or he can choose to take a hit and make a play. Laviano constantly makes the decision to not make the play.
Click to expand...

gef21, here is Laviano's high school highlights. Were his mechanics better in high school?
 
Bamrinnj said:
I hope the crowd actually comes to watch a football game this week. When will people realize that third and fourth down are not the only times you can help the defense out.
Click to expand...

Right now Stubhub has lots of lower level seats for Iowa at $19 ! and the RU Rivals ticket and parking pass resale message board is as soft for Iowa as it was for New Mexico. Very sad that even Iowa isn't exciting to the fans.

It appears last years disaster and prospects for this year has just killed the appeal for RU football.

http://www.stubhub.com/rutgers-foot...-iowa-9-24-2016/event/9491191/?sort=price+asc
 
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RutgersRaRa said:
When Laviano steps into his throws he makes good throws. The problem is that he seems to step into his throws about 30% of the time. He has a strong arm so some of his back-foot throws are completed, but given that we don't have receivers who get great separation (Harris shows some promise now that he's in the lineup), CL needs to step up in the pocket and deliver the ball with purpose. I think he does this in practice, then reverts to old habits in games.
Click to expand...

Did you say that Laviano has a strong arm?
 
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RUsince52 said:
The Record this morning said Allen got in because he had the best prep week regarding the game plan. The OC must have chosen plays they didn't work on during the week. Still don't understand calling the fade on 3rd down except to minimize the interception chance. He really hadn't attempted a pass and the play call is for something precise.
Almost the ideal situation for a new qb, ahead at the time, already in fg range and 1st down. Can almost run any play and have NM guessing. We end up 3 and out and kick a fg and one of the runs was to get it in front of the goal post. Should have given Allen something better to work with in that situation. If the staff has trust in the backup qb, than show it.
Can't do much about the present dilemma except to adjust.
Next up - Iowa.
Click to expand...
-------
I hate the fade pass .... With our receivers today it will almost never work in a game, yet I bet it looks good in practice..... I could be wrong, but it looks like a " I give up, we are going kick a field goal now" play.
 
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gef21 said:
3 of his first 4 throws he fades away while throwing and does not follow through.
Click to expand...

Maybe my point/question is, should mechanics really matter that much on such short passes? Most anyone could hit the receiver sitting or standing on one foot. Not trying to make fun of CL, but it seems while part of the issue is mechanical, something is causing him to flub those short passes. And it is not arm strength. What is puzzling, is he threw that deep ball to Harris nearly perfectly, but many of those short passes are way off the mark.
 
Knight Shift said:
Maybe my point/question is, should mechanics really matter that much on such short passes? Most anyone could hit the receiver sitting or standing on one foot. Not trying to make fun of CL, but it seems while part of the issue is mechanical, something is causing him to flub those short passes. And it is not arm strength. What is puzzling, is he threw that deep ball to Harris nearly perfectly, but many of those short passes are way off the mark.
Click to expand...

His mechanic of fading backwards while throwing does two things that mess up in multiple ways.

1. It takes power out of his throw. This is why many of his deep outs and curls have been very low. He has no push when throwing the ball.

2. Stepping backwards forces his his shoulder level to change which forces him to try to compensate (resulting in either a high or lower pass depending on how he tries to compensate). He is either raising his arm up which forces the ball to travel at an angle down (with very little power) or he pulls his front shoulder up forcing the ball high.

He stepped into the deep throw. He had great shoulder level and he followed through.
 
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gef21 said:
His mechanic of fading backwards while throwing does two things that mess up in multiple ways.

1. It takes power out of his throw. This is why many of his deep outs and curls have been very low. He has no push when throwing the ball.

2. Stepping backwards forces his his shoulder level to change which forces him to try to compensate (resulting in either a high or lower pass depending on how he tries to compensate). He is either raising his arm up which forces the ball to travel at an angle down (with very little power) or he pulls his front shoulder up forcing the ball high.

He stepped into the deep throw. He had great shoulder level and he followed through.
Click to expand...
So, in your experience, is this correctable, or is this bad habit so ingrained, that it is not fixable?
 
Knight Shift said:
So, in your experience, is this correctable, or is this bad habit so ingrained, that it is not fixable?
Click to expand...

Anything if fixable. The issue is that at the college level you do not have the time to fix something like that. It is also easy to fix in practice but having it carry over to a game is very different. He has to be okay with getting hit sometimes in order to not fade backwards.

I honestly am going to assume he was taught to fade back on his boot throws in high school. That is a very old school way. Same way of telling QBs to fade backwards when making the option pitch.
 
gef21 said:
Anything if fixable. The issue is that at the college level you do not have the time to fix something like that. It is also easy to fix in practice but having it carry over to a game is very different. He has to be okay with getting hit sometimes in order to not fade backwards.

I honestly am going to assume he was taught to fade back on his boot throws in high school. That is a very old school way. Same way of telling QBs to fade backwards when making the option pitch.
Click to expand...
Not being critical of Mehringer, but you would think that as a former QB, he should zero in on this. The announcers for ESPN on Saturday's game kept harping on throwing off the back foot. Maybe they could bring in a physics professor or an engineering professor who teaches dynamics and give CL a lecture on how motion and force work. :grimace:
 
Knight Shift said:
Not being critical of Mehringer, but you would think that as a former QB, he should zero in on this. The announcers for ESPN on Saturday's game kept harping on throwing off the back foot. Maybe they could bring in a physics professor or an engineering professor who teaches dynamics and give CL a lecture on how motion and force work. :grimace:
Click to expand...
The only QB I have ever seen be successful at this was Joe Namath. I think that his 3/4 second clock in his head is way off, then he panics. And, "gef21" you are right, does not take the hit for the completion. It's a must for any successful QB.
 
KnightsofChrome said:
The only QB I have ever seen be successful at this was Joe Namath. I think that his 3/4 second clock in his head is way off, then he panics. And, "gef21" you are right, does not take the hit for the completion. It's a must for any successful QB.
Click to expand...

And didn't Friedgen spend a lot of time correcting defects in Nova's mechanics to a good degree of success in Nova's senior year?
 
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