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Watson has lost the team. You will hear more in the next two weeks.
There was an article on PSN suggesting a few offensive players may transfer.Is this a prediction or a fact? And from whom will we hear more?
There was an article on PSN suggesting a few offensive players may transfer
Receivers in this program should desperately want to transfer to where they can get the rock a lot, Screw blocking. I would advise any HS receiver against this program.There was an article on PSN suggesting a few offensive players may transfer.
IMO, there is fault in both the QB and the OC. Watson is simply terrible. He doesn't make adjustments as the game plays out. Way to many wasted plays that have zero chance of working. For instance, we were able to run the ball between the tackles because our OL is built for road-grading. So we continued to try jet sweeps and outside runs that Stanford ate up. You can't run laterally against a defense that can run and with an OL that can't. Stupid wasted downs. Go back and look at our play calls when we were first and goal. Runs on 1st and 2nd down every single time. We gave ourselves no chance. So playcalling and coaching is most definitely a big problem.
That said, Pickett stinks.
Cruzer
Yup. Pretty much it. The 2nd FG red zone sequence was the worst. Gained 3 yds down to the 6 on 1st down then the head scratcher... pitch out to Hall. No chance to even get back to LOS.
Almost as bad as the the first FG sequence where Kenny does his thing.
Cruzer's post is the most accurate take I've seen so far. Unfortunately the most pessimistic too. But honestly:IMO, there is fault in both the QB and the OC. Watson is simply terrible. He doesn't make adjustments as the game plays out. Way to many wasted plays that have zero chance of working. For instance, we were able to run the ball between the tackles because our OL is built for road-grading. So we continued to try jet sweeps and outside runs that Stanford ate up. You can't run laterally against a defense that can run and with an OL that can't. Stupid wasted downs. Go back and look at our play calls when we were first and goal. Runs on 1st and 2nd down every single time. We gave ourselves no chance. So playcalling and coaching is most definitely a big problem.
That said, Pickett stinks. Yes, I know, he's young blah, blah, blah. Guess what...Trevor Lawrence is younger. Young is an excuse that loses make. I love the kids attitude, but he doesn't have the basic skill set needed to drive a team. First and foremost, he is terribly inaccurate. On those rare occasions that he does get time to throw, he either throws behind guys, throws into the ground, or airmails it. This has nothing to do with being young. High school QB's can make most of these throws. Secondly, he stares down receivers. Finally, he doesn't get through progressions. Either his primary is open, or he starts to get happy feet. BTW - I think there is a side effect to his inability to go to secondary receivers....if you watch Pitt's receivers run their routes when they are not the primary, you'll see a bunch of guys going through the motions. Terrible routes run at half speed. Half the guys on this board can cover someone who's not going full speed. I suspect that part of the reason is that the secondary receivers have zero faith that the ball is ever coming to them.
We clearly need a new OC and a very open QB competition. I'll lay odds that we'll get neither and that next year our offense will make this year look like the greatest show on turf.
Cruzer
I think (based on what Boberly accomplished this season) that the OL will be fine. Pitt ALWAYS finds a RB. We definitely need a TE or two. We need another WR to augment Mack and Ffrench. Pickett is fine. Don't know if we have/will use a FB or go three wide.Cruzer's post is the most accurate take I've seen so far. Unfortunately the most pessimistic too. But honestly:
Watson is the coach's pal;
Pickett has the gung ho personality coaches like;
Conservative coaches are generally loathe to change QBs in the best circumstances;
Narduzzi will see he has all new OL and all new RB (and hopefully new TE), so will not want to change up the OC and QB;
Those counting on Heather Lyke to intervene somehow and force the issue (as I've been seeing), should keep counting, because football is a separate animal from the other sports
Added all up, much SHOULD change with the offense and QB, because both are subpar; but next to nothing WILL change.
And thanks to the overhaul in the OL and RB as mentioned, the offense will struggle far mightily than it did even this year. At least for awhile. Just reality.
Hope that defense continues to come on strong!
I think it's more Pickett than Watson; regardless I think that both of us think differently than what Duz, and Pitt brass, thinks. They'll think football overachieved this season (which they did, ostensibly...4-8 looked like the ceiling). Duz doesn't want any change, Watson isn't in demand elsewhere so he won't leave, Lyke is focused on the other sports that she cares more about, ditto Gallagher, who only cares that costs do not increase.I think (based on what Boberly accomplished this season) that the OL will be fine. Pitt ALWAYS finds a RB. We definitely need a TE or two. We need another WR to augment Mack and Ffrench. Pickett is fine. Don't know if we have/will use a FB or go three wide.
Think Watson and Sherman get canned.
After a full season plus, I don't think he has it... since the 2nd half of Albany. I don't know what exactly happened but the light went totally off and is not back on.
Think of the third quarter when he had to throw a simple dump down to Mack. That play, 15 starts in, showed all you need. Doesn't have it.
After all these weeks and playing frankly some fairly bad defenses... the light has not come back on. There should have been improvement 5 games ago. He had a month to prepare. He failed spectacularly.
The position needs opened. Please, not another fruitless Tino situation, that guy never got it, three straight seasons that were absolute wastes of time, the laziest coaching decisions ever. Please, something better this time.
Agree with you on Beville. He is definitely the best QB prospect we have recruited in years. That said, he will not start ( or even play) next season.Hope it’s okay that I shortened your comments to your points about Kenny.
There are certainly other issues with this offense beyond Kenny (playcalling, no real threat at TE), but there were a number of games (especially the last 4 and the PSU game) if Kenny would have played at least average, results would have been much different.
The truth is Kenny can play well if the weather is perfect and there is no pass rush and poor pass coverage. He does has certain intangibles found in legitimately good QBs... but unfortunately also lacks certain other intangibles (and some tangibles) found in legitimately good QBs. So we are left with a kid who the coaches think has “IT”.. but actually only has “it” ... or in other words a lesser “it” factor, consisting of a fraction of the necessary tools needed to be a true differenc maker.
Like Tino had at Pitt, Kenny has unbelievable confidence in himself. Also like Tino, he struggles miserably with pressure. They both had a tendency to make easy passes look hard... (though at least Kenny has proven he has the arm to throw it downfield with some accurate when he has no pressure).
I started a thread awhile back about incoming QB Beville and how impressed I was with his HS tape. It shows he can move well in the pocket, run well with the ball, had good vision (becasue of his height) and scans the field nicely, he makes great decisions and shows incredible poise. He has a strong arm and proves he can throw accurate passes often.
He might be the most impressive QB recruit (on film) in over 10’ywars. How that will translate to his play in college is not known... but he needs to be looked at as a real option to start from the first day of camp.
I hope so but not going to count on it. I think the coaches will feel that just about everything else on offense is being overhauled, the RBs, the OL, and won't want to change the QB or the offensive plays. For a good QB and offense that makes solid sense, but we don't have those. So I'll factor that into my expectations for the season.Hope it’s okay that I shortened your comments to your points about Kenny.
There are certainly other issues with this offense beyond Kenny (playcalling, no real threat at TE), but there were a number of games (especially the last 4 and the PSU game) if Kenny would have played at least average, results would have been much different.
The truth is Kenny can play well if the weather is perfect and there is no pass rush and poor pass coverage. He does has certain intangibles found in legitimately good QBs... but unfortunately also lacks certain other intangibles (and some tangibles) found in legitimately good QBs. So we are left with a kid who the coaches think has “IT”.. but actually only has “it” ... or in other words a lesser “it” factor, consisting of a fraction of the necessary tools needed to be a true differenc maker.
Like Tino had at Pitt, Kenny has unbelievable confidence in himself. Also like Tino, he struggles miserably with pressure. They both had a tendency to make easy passes look hard... (though at least Kenny has proven he has the arm to throw it downfield with some accurate when he has no pressure).
I started a thread awhile back about incoming QB Beville and how impressed I was with his HS tape. It shows he can move well in the pocket, run well with the ball, had good vision (becasue of his height) and scans the field nicely, he makes great decisions and shows incredible poise. He has a strong arm and proves he can throw accurate passes often.
He might be the most impressive QB recruit (on film) in over 10’ywars. How that will translate to his play in college is not known... but he needs to be looked at as a real option to start from the first day of camp.
Picket thinks run first because that has been successful for him. Picket has the legs and the arm but he lacks confidence in the pocket and has a ton of work to do on game speed reads and progressions. He has gotten in the habit of fixing on the primary receiver, which was evident when he missed Lopes wide open in the end zone. All Kenny’s issues are fixable, hire Walt Harris as a QB consultant to coach him up and you will love Kenny next year.
As for the play calls as they affect the QB position, we have players that can make a difference and seem to have forgotten them. Want to drive the defense crazy, send both Carter and French on fly patterns they have crazy speed , send Mack,Lopes or Matthews on 12 yard fast release slants and curls . Picket and Mathews had this down to perfection earlier in the year, by the way where is Mathews that big body should have filled in for our lack of a tight end. Get Picket comfortable trusting his instincts by enforcing a 3 second releases. And please, enough with the flat passes, trust the Kid to make the plays or find some you can trust. One last thing Matthews could throw the ball, if we had to throw to the flat pass that would have been an interesting twist. HTP.
Agree with you on Beville. He is definitely the best QB prospect we have recruited in years. That said, he will not start ( or even play) next season.
I hope so but not going to count on it. I think the coaches will feel that just about everything else on offense is being overhauled, the RBs, the OL, and won't want to change the QB or the offensive plays. For a good QB and offense that makes solid sense, but we don't have those. So I'll factor that into my expectations for the season.