I would start my perspective, optimist that I often am, that RU has faced a murderer’s row of opponents to open the season, facing 3 of the top 5 teams in the country during these 1st 6 games (and each are terrific both offensively and defensively) … plus a pre-season top 25 team (even if over-rated) in Iowa. Hopefully, the next 6 games will not be as difficult for the team, and will provide an easier path for improved performance. I still see that RU has at least a chance for a victory in every one of the remaining 6 games this season. That is not to say RU will win every (or any) of those games, but none create such mismatches as the games against Washington, OSU and UM. I believe that RU has a reasonable chance to find a way to win as many as 3 of those remaining 6 games, and be competitive in all, or nearly all, of those games.
I also want to preface my discussion by reminding people that I have always – and I mean always, like from the time the staff was hired - though Laviano was a bad fit for the type of offense that the new coaching staff wished to run. Additionally, I also know that Laviano has NOT played particularly well – even before the OSU and UM games.
With all that out of the way, let me give my opinion and perspective on the team, position by position:
Quarterback: As I said above, Laviano is not a good fit for this offense. And we KNOW for certain that the coaching staff is not pleased with either Laviano, or the other QB options at their current disposal. I will also say that NO RU QB had any chance to execute anything in the UM game. The RU OL was so weak it allowed a minimum of 1 - but sometimes 2 or 3 – defenders penetrate and oftyen come clean to the QB and running back within just 2-3 steps (i.e. less than 2 or even 1.5 seconds). However, there are many on this Board who loudly proclaimed that the QB has to be “Anybody But Laviano,” and often repeatedly and loudly argue that one reason to NOT use Laviano is that “it cannot be worse,” or “what have we to lose.” Guess what? I can now definitively state that we now can see that it actually IS worse with a QB other than Laviano … because as bad as Laviano has been, Allen was actually worse. And frankly, it was not all that close. Allen is a much worse passer (his few passes made without as much pressure were wildly inaccurate. His running was not materially better (he might be a tad faster, but he is hardly elusive). His judgment on when to keep versus when to hand off seemed as bad as Laviano’s. And he turned the ball over, while Laviano did not. That said, I will admit I do not know why Oden or Rescigno did not play against UM. I can only think that the coaching staff, seeing what was happening in the UM game, decided they had to protect Oden’s psyche by not exposing him to the massacre of RU’s OL that was happening on almost every play against UM … that might have been appropriate rationale. Not sure why Gio did not get 1-2 series, however. And for those who still have a woody for Rettig: Get over it. It would seem extremely unlikely he will ever see a snap at Rutgers at this stage … get used to it. And if I had to guess, the coaching staff has legitimate reasons (as the 3rd coaching staff to make essentially the same decision).
Running Backs: This position is the best performing position on the team. Martin has been very good, and has earned the #1 slot with his hard and skilled running (and I am a big Hicks fan). I do not use his performance against UM as any measure: There were literally no holes to run through at any time in the game, except for perhaps 4-5 running plays. It is a shame that the RU coaching staff had to switch Hicks to Safety this past week – but that Hicks was not yet ready to PLAY safety, since Hicks is the far superior running back to Goodwin. I was wondering why Hicks did not play at running back in the UM game. But when I noticed that neither Hampton nor Hester played – and that Ross-Douglas started (which did not last long, by the way), and Gray – a true Freshman – ended up playing most of the game at safety, I guess that makes sense.
Offensive Line: Ugh. I do not believe I have seen a worse performance by a Rutgers OL in the 40+ years of watching RU football, as I saw in the UM game. They were, quite simply, awful. They executed poorly in the OSU game, but were on a whole different level of poor performance in the UM game. I do not think the RU OL had even 10 plays all game where they prevented an UM defender from not getting penetration behind the RU line of scrimmage. And on MANY plays UM was able to get 2 or 3 players deep into RU’s backfield – and get that penetration VERY quickly as well. Specifically, even understanding RU was missing Tariq Cole, individual OL had immense problems. As has happened in his entire career, Denman (the starting RT) shows little ability to block any DE who can move faster than a snail. There were countless plays where UM players simply went right by Denman with barely any contact or resistance. Heeman had problems in this area also. Even Dorian Miller, supposedly RU’s most consistent OL, had problems with UM’s quickness and power – and was repeatedly pushed backwards into the RU backfield. And the OL has had problems with consistently opening holes for the running backs, but ESPECIALLY pass protecting the QB, all season. And this has been evident even against Iowa and New Mexico. Not sure what can be done, except hope the next 6 opponents are not as athletic and strong as the OSU and UM defenses are.
Receivers: Without Grant RU has extremely limited possibilities – and even Grant was not a polished receiver or route runner – though he was potentially explosive, and a play maker. Coming into the season RU did not actually have a single receiver who could be categorized as a true #1 WR – even Grant is not really a #1 WR. You have heard the coaches repeatedly state that RU’s receivers have a problem getting open against press coverage. There is very little RU will be able to do to change this until new WR talent enters into the program … hopefully as soon as 2017. Harris has real potential, but he is a Freshman who did not participate in Spring because of baseball – so still has a LOT to learn. Patton and Tsimis are the other 2 WR’s who play … and they are … very limited. Here is an example: RU had a chance to complete a long pass to Patton (1st or 2nd play of the game). It is true Laviano underthrew the ball slightly. But the ball was still quite catchable. Patton could not hold onto the ball, with contact from the UM DB. My point? The UM WR’s made TWO similar catches against tight coverage by RU DB’s, one a diving catch for a TD, and another a deep pass for 40+ yards gain. RU’s WR’s do not seem to make those receptions very often, while better teams’ WR’s DO make those catches. Finally … RU’s TE’s are … let us be extremely generous … very mediocre … in their ability to get open, in their ability to catch the ball and in their blocking ability.
Defensive Line: I think the RU defensive line has generally been solid, even though they were over-matched against the OL’s of OSU and UM. The front 4 does not pressure the QB much, but they have often been very solid against the run. The loss of Lambert hurts the run defense, as Davis is not nearly as good as Lambert (though he has been decent, and showed some good flashes). But still, Hamilton, Joseph, Wilkins and JPO have all been pretty decent more often than not. Bateky has been okay as a back-up. Hogan and Nash still have potential, though they have not really show all that much. Turay … well everyone has their opinion. I agree he still has great athleticism. But he has missed most of the last year of practice and conditioning due to 2 surgeries, and he is still apparently very raw. And though some think he should play more, I will say that he cost RU a time out in each of the Iowa and OSU games, due to being late to come in or due to being in the wrong position. I do not think it is quite so simple as “just put him in and let him rush the passer.”
Linebackers: Um ... Well … Tyreek Maddox-Williams looks like he might develop into a GREAT player. He is obviously too small now at only a listed 215 pounds. But he looks really explosive, and shows great speed. If he can get to 235 pounds, and maintain his speed, I see a very large upside. I think he may actually be faster than Longa was. But he is still just a true Freshman. Roberts … I have not decided. He shows some flashes sometimes. But he is also often in the wrong position – at least he was against OSU and UM. I suspect hi still is too small to effectively play on the inside in the Big Ten. He is also still very inexperienced. And both those showed on one play in particular. UM ran right up the middle in the 3rd quarter for a 15-yard TD run (or something like that). Roberts run-blitzed, and literally bounced off the UM OL, bouncing back 2-3 yards, leaving a gaping hole. Ash and Niemann had a long conversation with Roberts on the sideline after that play (I do not think they were yelling, but rather they were clearly talking about the play). Morris? Sure, he had 11 tackles against UM, but frankly, I find him invisible. Losing Jones hurts, because he had been RU’s best LB this year, to date, in my opinion. And apparently the other LB are not quick or fast enough to play more than in emergencies.
Defensive Backs: While they have been inconsistent, I also do see some flashes of possibilities in this group. I think Austin and Wharton have been pretty solid in coverage at CB, actually – though Austin has been much better than Wharton. Austin is also a better tackler than Wharton. Still I think they are not major problems for the most part, but rather they are positives. I think Cioffi, though he is a really good ball hawk, has been … weak. His tackling has been atrocious, and his angles have been very inconsistent. Hampton got hurt early in the year, and was supposed to be very good, and RU’s best safety – we do not yet know. Hester has had weak moments, but starting with the 2nd half of the Howard game has been much better. Of course, he was also hurt and could not play against UM. I have been pleased with the play of Gray and Hayes, the true Freshmen. But they ARE still very young, and inexperienced. Ross-Douglas? If he was really that good, he would be playing ahead of Hayes and Gray, and the coaches would not have moved Hicks (even if temporarily) to safety.
Punter: Well … he got a lot of practice against UM, eh? 16 punts (I think it was exactly 4 punts in each quarter – which I have never seen before). He is pretty good with inside the 20 kicks, but frankly, his punting is extremely inconsistent, and WAY too often has rather poor punts. I do not think his leg is particularly good, frankly.
Placekicking: Incomplete, since there have only been 2 kick-offs the last 2 games, and no FG chances. I think the FG kicking looks solid and accurate from 40 yards and in. Kick offs are … weak. Hence the pooch kicks even on kick offs.
Return Coverage: Piss poor, both on kick offs and punts. Though the many poor punts and kick offs do not help.
Punt and Kick Returns: Non-existent without Grant. Harris has not had a chance, really – he may be good, but he has not rally had a chance to return a punt the last 2 games. Kick off returns? Hicks is simply not fast enough, and Goodwin almost always commits the cardinal sin: Hesitating and trying to be too elusive before hitting the point of attack.
Overall, the coaching staff is still clearly learning, but they have shown little hesitation replacing players seeking better performers: Especially on the OL, at Safety, and at WR … and a LITTLE bit at QB.
While I have hopes, I also think RU lacks depth at almost every position, and needs to get more athletic, bigger, stronger and faster … and needs to develop a QB (Laviano is clearly not the QB of the future, but is Oden?). But none of this will happen this year. Can RU claw out 2 or 3 more victories this year to win 4 or 5 games? I think it is POSSIBLE, and even reasonable to hope for. But it is not a given. Ash and his staff will need some time … probably until at least 2018 before we REALLY see progress. But that does not mean we cannot see flashes of progress, and some wins, in the meantime. We can only hope.
I also want to preface my discussion by reminding people that I have always – and I mean always, like from the time the staff was hired - though Laviano was a bad fit for the type of offense that the new coaching staff wished to run. Additionally, I also know that Laviano has NOT played particularly well – even before the OSU and UM games.
With all that out of the way, let me give my opinion and perspective on the team, position by position:
Quarterback: As I said above, Laviano is not a good fit for this offense. And we KNOW for certain that the coaching staff is not pleased with either Laviano, or the other QB options at their current disposal. I will also say that NO RU QB had any chance to execute anything in the UM game. The RU OL was so weak it allowed a minimum of 1 - but sometimes 2 or 3 – defenders penetrate and oftyen come clean to the QB and running back within just 2-3 steps (i.e. less than 2 or even 1.5 seconds). However, there are many on this Board who loudly proclaimed that the QB has to be “Anybody But Laviano,” and often repeatedly and loudly argue that one reason to NOT use Laviano is that “it cannot be worse,” or “what have we to lose.” Guess what? I can now definitively state that we now can see that it actually IS worse with a QB other than Laviano … because as bad as Laviano has been, Allen was actually worse. And frankly, it was not all that close. Allen is a much worse passer (his few passes made without as much pressure were wildly inaccurate. His running was not materially better (he might be a tad faster, but he is hardly elusive). His judgment on when to keep versus when to hand off seemed as bad as Laviano’s. And he turned the ball over, while Laviano did not. That said, I will admit I do not know why Oden or Rescigno did not play against UM. I can only think that the coaching staff, seeing what was happening in the UM game, decided they had to protect Oden’s psyche by not exposing him to the massacre of RU’s OL that was happening on almost every play against UM … that might have been appropriate rationale. Not sure why Gio did not get 1-2 series, however. And for those who still have a woody for Rettig: Get over it. It would seem extremely unlikely he will ever see a snap at Rutgers at this stage … get used to it. And if I had to guess, the coaching staff has legitimate reasons (as the 3rd coaching staff to make essentially the same decision).
Running Backs: This position is the best performing position on the team. Martin has been very good, and has earned the #1 slot with his hard and skilled running (and I am a big Hicks fan). I do not use his performance against UM as any measure: There were literally no holes to run through at any time in the game, except for perhaps 4-5 running plays. It is a shame that the RU coaching staff had to switch Hicks to Safety this past week – but that Hicks was not yet ready to PLAY safety, since Hicks is the far superior running back to Goodwin. I was wondering why Hicks did not play at running back in the UM game. But when I noticed that neither Hampton nor Hester played – and that Ross-Douglas started (which did not last long, by the way), and Gray – a true Freshman – ended up playing most of the game at safety, I guess that makes sense.
Offensive Line: Ugh. I do not believe I have seen a worse performance by a Rutgers OL in the 40+ years of watching RU football, as I saw in the UM game. They were, quite simply, awful. They executed poorly in the OSU game, but were on a whole different level of poor performance in the UM game. I do not think the RU OL had even 10 plays all game where they prevented an UM defender from not getting penetration behind the RU line of scrimmage. And on MANY plays UM was able to get 2 or 3 players deep into RU’s backfield – and get that penetration VERY quickly as well. Specifically, even understanding RU was missing Tariq Cole, individual OL had immense problems. As has happened in his entire career, Denman (the starting RT) shows little ability to block any DE who can move faster than a snail. There were countless plays where UM players simply went right by Denman with barely any contact or resistance. Heeman had problems in this area also. Even Dorian Miller, supposedly RU’s most consistent OL, had problems with UM’s quickness and power – and was repeatedly pushed backwards into the RU backfield. And the OL has had problems with consistently opening holes for the running backs, but ESPECIALLY pass protecting the QB, all season. And this has been evident even against Iowa and New Mexico. Not sure what can be done, except hope the next 6 opponents are not as athletic and strong as the OSU and UM defenses are.
Receivers: Without Grant RU has extremely limited possibilities – and even Grant was not a polished receiver or route runner – though he was potentially explosive, and a play maker. Coming into the season RU did not actually have a single receiver who could be categorized as a true #1 WR – even Grant is not really a #1 WR. You have heard the coaches repeatedly state that RU’s receivers have a problem getting open against press coverage. There is very little RU will be able to do to change this until new WR talent enters into the program … hopefully as soon as 2017. Harris has real potential, but he is a Freshman who did not participate in Spring because of baseball – so still has a LOT to learn. Patton and Tsimis are the other 2 WR’s who play … and they are … very limited. Here is an example: RU had a chance to complete a long pass to Patton (1st or 2nd play of the game). It is true Laviano underthrew the ball slightly. But the ball was still quite catchable. Patton could not hold onto the ball, with contact from the UM DB. My point? The UM WR’s made TWO similar catches against tight coverage by RU DB’s, one a diving catch for a TD, and another a deep pass for 40+ yards gain. RU’s WR’s do not seem to make those receptions very often, while better teams’ WR’s DO make those catches. Finally … RU’s TE’s are … let us be extremely generous … very mediocre … in their ability to get open, in their ability to catch the ball and in their blocking ability.
Defensive Line: I think the RU defensive line has generally been solid, even though they were over-matched against the OL’s of OSU and UM. The front 4 does not pressure the QB much, but they have often been very solid against the run. The loss of Lambert hurts the run defense, as Davis is not nearly as good as Lambert (though he has been decent, and showed some good flashes). But still, Hamilton, Joseph, Wilkins and JPO have all been pretty decent more often than not. Bateky has been okay as a back-up. Hogan and Nash still have potential, though they have not really show all that much. Turay … well everyone has their opinion. I agree he still has great athleticism. But he has missed most of the last year of practice and conditioning due to 2 surgeries, and he is still apparently very raw. And though some think he should play more, I will say that he cost RU a time out in each of the Iowa and OSU games, due to being late to come in or due to being in the wrong position. I do not think it is quite so simple as “just put him in and let him rush the passer.”
Linebackers: Um ... Well … Tyreek Maddox-Williams looks like he might develop into a GREAT player. He is obviously too small now at only a listed 215 pounds. But he looks really explosive, and shows great speed. If he can get to 235 pounds, and maintain his speed, I see a very large upside. I think he may actually be faster than Longa was. But he is still just a true Freshman. Roberts … I have not decided. He shows some flashes sometimes. But he is also often in the wrong position – at least he was against OSU and UM. I suspect hi still is too small to effectively play on the inside in the Big Ten. He is also still very inexperienced. And both those showed on one play in particular. UM ran right up the middle in the 3rd quarter for a 15-yard TD run (or something like that). Roberts run-blitzed, and literally bounced off the UM OL, bouncing back 2-3 yards, leaving a gaping hole. Ash and Niemann had a long conversation with Roberts on the sideline after that play (I do not think they were yelling, but rather they were clearly talking about the play). Morris? Sure, he had 11 tackles against UM, but frankly, I find him invisible. Losing Jones hurts, because he had been RU’s best LB this year, to date, in my opinion. And apparently the other LB are not quick or fast enough to play more than in emergencies.
Defensive Backs: While they have been inconsistent, I also do see some flashes of possibilities in this group. I think Austin and Wharton have been pretty solid in coverage at CB, actually – though Austin has been much better than Wharton. Austin is also a better tackler than Wharton. Still I think they are not major problems for the most part, but rather they are positives. I think Cioffi, though he is a really good ball hawk, has been … weak. His tackling has been atrocious, and his angles have been very inconsistent. Hampton got hurt early in the year, and was supposed to be very good, and RU’s best safety – we do not yet know. Hester has had weak moments, but starting with the 2nd half of the Howard game has been much better. Of course, he was also hurt and could not play against UM. I have been pleased with the play of Gray and Hayes, the true Freshmen. But they ARE still very young, and inexperienced. Ross-Douglas? If he was really that good, he would be playing ahead of Hayes and Gray, and the coaches would not have moved Hicks (even if temporarily) to safety.
Punter: Well … he got a lot of practice against UM, eh? 16 punts (I think it was exactly 4 punts in each quarter – which I have never seen before). He is pretty good with inside the 20 kicks, but frankly, his punting is extremely inconsistent, and WAY too often has rather poor punts. I do not think his leg is particularly good, frankly.
Placekicking: Incomplete, since there have only been 2 kick-offs the last 2 games, and no FG chances. I think the FG kicking looks solid and accurate from 40 yards and in. Kick offs are … weak. Hence the pooch kicks even on kick offs.
Return Coverage: Piss poor, both on kick offs and punts. Though the many poor punts and kick offs do not help.
Punt and Kick Returns: Non-existent without Grant. Harris has not had a chance, really – he may be good, but he has not rally had a chance to return a punt the last 2 games. Kick off returns? Hicks is simply not fast enough, and Goodwin almost always commits the cardinal sin: Hesitating and trying to be too elusive before hitting the point of attack.
Overall, the coaching staff is still clearly learning, but they have shown little hesitation replacing players seeking better performers: Especially on the OL, at Safety, and at WR … and a LITTLE bit at QB.
While I have hopes, I also think RU lacks depth at almost every position, and needs to get more athletic, bigger, stronger and faster … and needs to develop a QB (Laviano is clearly not the QB of the future, but is Oden?). But none of this will happen this year. Can RU claw out 2 or 3 more victories this year to win 4 or 5 games? I think it is POSSIBLE, and even reasonable to hope for. But it is not a given. Ash and his staff will need some time … probably until at least 2018 before we REALLY see progress. But that does not mean we cannot see flashes of progress, and some wins, in the meantime. We can only hope.
