First I want to say that I have alot of respect for McElwain and I think he does a good job.
But I found myself thinking about the game and the calling that went into it.It is not really anything specific like the goal line stand or anything, it makes you wonder about it but I can live with it.
First, at the Ole Miss game McElroy started his struggles, and they peaked against South Carolina. Every player goes through a slump at some point, and after such a hot start I figured it must've caught up with him. This limited our passing game obviously, but my problem is how easy it carries over into his calling into the next game.
Against Tennessee, I thought McElroy looked alot better. He wasn't all back, but he had made some progress. He was feeling pressure, and dumping off when he had to(I don't give a rats ass what Danielson says, that pocket was about to collapse) He had the pocket presence we are used to seeing.
Yet, we didn't choose to take advantage of it. We tried only one deep throw, it was to Julio, and it was a foot away from a touchdown.
Ingram was HOT, the statistics dont show it, but if you saw it, you'd have realized how he was a tackle away from breaking a big one almost every time, he deserved a few more touches than what he got.
Championship teams make championship plays, we see this all the time with our D when they choose to blitz, else wed play zone coverage the entire game.
There is no doubt in my mind that the offense is championship caliber, the guys are brimming with talent. What I worry about is that at times McElwain seems to forget that, and just goes with what is working until our opponents adjust, and then him taking away more until the opponents make another adjustment .........
Like with what happened last year. So I wish he'd take the shots when they are there, and not worry about our ability to execute it last game.
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I kinda rambled, I hope I made sense.
EDIT to clarify the main point and to sound a bit like Saban:
We need to be consistent in all areas of the offense in order to be effective. Making explosive plays means taking risks, whether it be an interception or a sack or fumble or whatever. Championship teams make those plays, sometimes not always, but at key moments they do. We have an offense that can make those plays, and to do so makes us a better team.
The purpose of this post is to suggest that we call more of them, because in this day nd age a great D isnt enough. Playing it safe like we did with Tennessee will ultimately get us beat. The goal line play calllng isnt the problem IMO, its that we arent opening it up, despite being capable Saturday.
But I found myself thinking about the game and the calling that went into it.It is not really anything specific like the goal line stand or anything, it makes you wonder about it but I can live with it.
First, at the Ole Miss game McElroy started his struggles, and they peaked against South Carolina. Every player goes through a slump at some point, and after such a hot start I figured it must've caught up with him. This limited our passing game obviously, but my problem is how easy it carries over into his calling into the next game.
Against Tennessee, I thought McElroy looked alot better. He wasn't all back, but he had made some progress. He was feeling pressure, and dumping off when he had to(I don't give a rats ass what Danielson says, that pocket was about to collapse) He had the pocket presence we are used to seeing.
Yet, we didn't choose to take advantage of it. We tried only one deep throw, it was to Julio, and it was a foot away from a touchdown.
Ingram was HOT, the statistics dont show it, but if you saw it, you'd have realized how he was a tackle away from breaking a big one almost every time, he deserved a few more touches than what he got.
Championship teams make championship plays, we see this all the time with our D when they choose to blitz, else wed play zone coverage the entire game.
There is no doubt in my mind that the offense is championship caliber, the guys are brimming with talent. What I worry about is that at times McElwain seems to forget that, and just goes with what is working until our opponents adjust, and then him taking away more until the opponents make another adjustment .........
Like with what happened last year. So I wish he'd take the shots when they are there, and not worry about our ability to execute it last game.
----
I kinda rambled, I hope I made sense.
EDIT to clarify the main point and to sound a bit like Saban:
We need to be consistent in all areas of the offense in order to be effective. Making explosive plays means taking risks, whether it be an interception or a sack or fumble or whatever. Championship teams make those plays, sometimes not always, but at key moments they do. We have an offense that can make those plays, and to do so makes us a better team.
The purpose of this post is to suggest that we call more of them, because in this day nd age a great D isnt enough. Playing it safe like we did with Tennessee will ultimately get us beat. The goal line play calllng isnt the problem IMO, its that we arent opening it up, despite being capable Saturday.
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