Many here felt we would win anywhere from 6-8 games this year even though we clearly had some glaring questions on both sides of the ball. Since the bulk of the OOC games were in the first half of the schedule, we were counting on them to pad the win column. So, let's look at where we stand so far:
Quarterback- Without beating the dead horse of who should have gotten the starting job, it is really pretty damn hard to fault the coaching staff with what we have seen so far. Both guys were totally raw in terms of experience so who ever got the job was definitely going to make rookie mistakes. Laviano has had his share of mistakes.
However, his stats show a player that is doing a good job all in all. And, I think it is fair to say that he is showing improvement as the games go which is all you can ask for. I really think that had Rettig gotten the job, we would be seeing a pretty similar trajectory. We are blessed to have two capable players, but due to Laviano getting the job, he is probably a lot farther ahead of Rettig than at beginning of the season. There is simply no substitute for game reps.
Offensive Line- Another question at the beginning of the season seems to be getting better too. The stats show that they are doing a better job of protecting the QB and making holes for the running backs. I do feel that our offense is just too predictable and that has to be taken into consideration when you look at the OL's job.
Defense- Our overall defense has not been all that good and the number of points we have given up support this. In some ways, it looks like we are not all that confident in attacking the other team but are simply trying to contain the gains. I'm disappointed in what used to be a much more aggressive, get after the QB, plan has been really diminished. Remember Turay???
Of course, the injuries and arrests have to be considered here, but still not what I had hoped for at the beginning of the season. Our defense pretty much dictates that our offense has to keep putting points on the board to stay in the games.
Special Teams- Overall a real asset for the team. As good as advertised.
Kicking- We saw yesterday's game come down to a last second field goal. This is a major part of the game and we won because we made the FG. But, what the hell is happening with extra points? An argument could be made that if you make the extra points, you are not forced into making last second FG's. Punting appears to be adequate, but our kick offs need work. Indiana kept Grant completely neutralized with kicking the ball into the end zone.
Anyway, with 6 more games to go, we need to win three more to go bowling. Right now, Army looks like a lock if we don't implode. Maryland is a mess right now with the coaching change and if you look at their stats, they are pretty much at the bottom of the BIG in just about every important category. It gets a lot tougher to find that number 6 win. I think it is possible if we can stay healthy and improve our defense. We will be going through a bit of meat grinder the rest of the way, keep the faith.
Quarterback- Without beating the dead horse of who should have gotten the starting job, it is really pretty damn hard to fault the coaching staff with what we have seen so far. Both guys were totally raw in terms of experience so who ever got the job was definitely going to make rookie mistakes. Laviano has had his share of mistakes.
However, his stats show a player that is doing a good job all in all. And, I think it is fair to say that he is showing improvement as the games go which is all you can ask for. I really think that had Rettig gotten the job, we would be seeing a pretty similar trajectory. We are blessed to have two capable players, but due to Laviano getting the job, he is probably a lot farther ahead of Rettig than at beginning of the season. There is simply no substitute for game reps.
Offensive Line- Another question at the beginning of the season seems to be getting better too. The stats show that they are doing a better job of protecting the QB and making holes for the running backs. I do feel that our offense is just too predictable and that has to be taken into consideration when you look at the OL's job.
Defense- Our overall defense has not been all that good and the number of points we have given up support this. In some ways, it looks like we are not all that confident in attacking the other team but are simply trying to contain the gains. I'm disappointed in what used to be a much more aggressive, get after the QB, plan has been really diminished. Remember Turay???
Of course, the injuries and arrests have to be considered here, but still not what I had hoped for at the beginning of the season. Our defense pretty much dictates that our offense has to keep putting points on the board to stay in the games.
Special Teams- Overall a real asset for the team. As good as advertised.
Kicking- We saw yesterday's game come down to a last second field goal. This is a major part of the game and we won because we made the FG. But, what the hell is happening with extra points? An argument could be made that if you make the extra points, you are not forced into making last second FG's. Punting appears to be adequate, but our kick offs need work. Indiana kept Grant completely neutralized with kicking the ball into the end zone.
Anyway, with 6 more games to go, we need to win three more to go bowling. Right now, Army looks like a lock if we don't implode. Maryland is a mess right now with the coaching change and if you look at their stats, they are pretty much at the bottom of the BIG in just about every important category. It gets a lot tougher to find that number 6 win. I think it is possible if we can stay healthy and improve our defense. We will be going through a bit of meat grinder the rest of the way, keep the faith.
