OC Watson
- Thread starter gary2
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1st half was solid. We have scored 10 points in 8 quarters of second half football. That is on coaching. Terrible job of making adjustments.
A lot of what everyone runs against UNC’s D works. they suck.
Called a good second quarter. Didn’t outweigh the pathetic play calling in the second half, and his overall game plans are embarrassing. The guy’s a lifelong loser. Had some good runs with a ton of talent 15-20 years ago. Never caught on to the modern game of college football, never will.
I mean, he was canned at Texas for his awful playcalling and was an offensive assistant at Indiana when Narduzzi hired him. Of all the coaches in America, so many bright, young offensive minds....Narduzzi hires a re-trend who is absolute garbage.
Really it was one drive. It seems Watson can open the playbook once or twice but cant continue. Canada hit you with the same few plays until you could stop it.
Why did Watson only run 2 or 3 jet sweeps. The only short gain was sulamond(7...I don't know his name) but he had an option of cutting behind blocks and hitting a big play.
The touch read option shovel pass that netted a touchdown seemed to not get called once in the 2nd half. Why?
Do we have any screens? Bubble screens? (He at least called one yesterday but Kenny sailed it high on the receiver) Do right ends factor into play calls? Any crossing routes over the middle? I am all for qb mobility and rolling the pocket but it seems we do that out of a power formation and usually there is only one wr on the side where Kenny is rolling to.
Watson is not very good at making adjustments. This is a critical part of the game and cost us this game. The long term problem is that he is a very bad recruiter and is costing us recruits....very good recruits that PITT cannot afford to lose.
This game was a huge black mark on Narduzzi's resume but it is standard for Watson. He will definitely be gone next season. I feel bad for the offense since we will be bringing in our 5 OC in the past 7 years.
This game was a huge black mark on Narduzzi's resume but it is standard for Watson. He will definitely be gone next season. I feel bad for the offense since we will be bringing in our 5 OC in the past 7 years.
In the first half. Unfortunately the defense was as helpless in the second half as it was in the first half. It's gotten to the point where I fully expect any opponent Pitt plays to convert 3rd and long at will...if Pitt even gets them in a 3rd down situation.
The GT game gave me some hope that the team was getting better and could have a good year. Yesterday was a reality check. This is a poor team that is poorly coached. We can't cover people, we can't get pressure, we can't tackle, we can't throw the ball over 5 yards, we can't protect the QB, we might as well not have a TE, our WR can't get separation and when they do our QB can't fit the ball in there. We are able to run the ball...in the first half of games. After the other coaching staff makes their halftime adjustments it's over. At that point Pitt appears to be helpless in all facets of the game. I'm a glass half full guy but it gets harder and harder to be optimistic and positive with this trainwreck.
In retrospect the Watson hiring signaled the shift in Narduzzi attitude to the job. A white flag.
Anyone who knows the game knew Watson was a hack. If your offenses fail with Texas talent against Big 12 defenses, you sure as hell will fail elsewhere. We gave Narduzzi benefit of the doubt on that hire, as we really should have, he had earned it, but the reasons for doubt were valid.
Anyone who knows the game knew Watson was a hack. If your offenses fail with Texas talent against Big 12 defenses, you sure as hell will fail elsewhere. We gave Narduzzi benefit of the doubt on that hire, as we really should have, he had earned it, but the reasons for doubt were valid.
It matters because narduzzi took forever to find him. Similar to bates. Sometimes you need to open the bank for assistants as well. And sometimes you get what you pay for.
But here's the problem.
There's four quarters in a football game.
Watson was good 25% of the time.
Go to your job and be good only 25% of the time and let me know how things work out?
I mean the problems just go on and on, it’s embarrassing. Seriously where the hell our are tight ends? What’s crazy is we still scored 35 points yesterday. I know, I know, carolina’s defense is horrendous. But still, I don’t think this offense is as bad as people think. Watson is just setting these kids up to fail, he’s completely holding everyone back.
Peaks podcast is spot on. The offense has room to grow. The defense is full of experienced players and seems to be the same thing game in and game out.
I don’t usually think firing coaches left and right is the way to go. But.... I don’t see them growing under Watson, but they definitely could be good enough with the personnel. Defensively the talent is there right now to have one of the better defenses in the ACC. The fact they are so disgustingly pathetic in narduzzi’s 4th year just shows they will never be any good under him. I just don’t see the point anymore in giving him more time, it’s gotten way worse than it ever should’ve been.
I'm no great football mind, but to me the problems of the second half seem special teams. If we don't kick off or go for it deep in the opponents territory then its bad for us. Punt and Punt return have been horrible in the 2nd half and made it an uphill battle for the offense. I'd like to see us try to punt block more or try have 2 guys back (cross field lateral). Just something that helps us not start at our own 5 each possession. Also on the punt try a rugby style kick to help the kicker have more time to get it off also it lets our coverage team get down the field.
H2P
HCPN has Watson's back. Plain and simple. They will look at "the tape" and it will all come down to execution. It's always the tale of the tape with Duzz. The OL won't be changed because of grades in practice and game conditions. He'll stick with Watson until Blondie forces changes.
Whomever was the interim director after Barnes left
Lyke was hired six weeks or so after Watson
When the AD forces a coach to change things "it's over" for that coach or should be over.
But I do think Narduzzi has an "old school" coaching mentality of "circling the wagons", don't let anyone in, it's PITT football business, I'm the head of PITT football, and you're the AD.
Here's how this movie ends in case you don't have the time or interest to watch all of it.
Lyke fires Narduzzi!
When??
But thats The End!
Just for the record, I was not saying Watson was a good OC. I was unhappy with his hire. I looked at Watson as a retread on the downside of his career.
Having said that now, I repeat he did do a couple or so interesting things against UNC that were successful and successful at important times.
He did a decent job for once, especially in the first half, but I am still not impressed overall.
Sure, most of the post-Canada season decline is talent. Almost everyone reasonable agrees on that. But it's still a less creative version of that offense when it comes to the constant shifts and changes of tempo and even something as less important like trick plays. Even if 90% of it is talent and 10% is coaching, getting roughly 10% more points could have gotten us into overtime with UNC.
Sure, most of the post-Canada season decline is talent. Almost everyone reasonable agrees on that. But it's still a less creative version of that offense when it comes to the constant shifts and changes of tempo and even something as less important like trick plays. Even if 90% of it is talent and 10% is coaching, getting roughly 10% more points could have gotten us into overtime with UNC.
I was looking at the game Saturday and it looked like our running backs must only practice one, or two, plays. They call the same thing - over & over - without a hint of creativity. The kid from DC, Salahuddin, I reckon can only run one play.
Maryland, under Canada, is averaging 258 yards per game. That's 12th in the country running the ball. In the win Saturday, against previously unbeaten Minnesota, Maryland had nine guys run the ball for a combined 315 yards and 4 TDs.
Why isn't AJ Davis running the ball the last two games? Darrin Hall has just 24 carries this season. Ollison, Hall and Davis are each averting over 4 yards per carry. Ollison and Hall both over 6 yards per carry.
Maryland, under Canada, is averaging 258 yards per game. That's 12th in the country running the ball. In the win Saturday, against previously unbeaten Minnesota, Maryland had nine guys run the ball for a combined 315 yards and 4 TDs.
Why isn't AJ Davis running the ball the last two games? Darrin Hall has just 24 carries this season. Ollison, Hall and Davis are each averting over 4 yards per carry. Ollison and Hall both over 6 yards per carry.
http://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa...watson-joe-wickline/a9pjxid0x2v31gzqrpcs1s31c
Texas coach Charlie Strong made some big changes following his team's 38-3 loss to Notre Dame in the season opener.
Strong, in his second season as Longhorns head coach, demoted co-offensive coordinators Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline, stripped Watson of play-calling duties and named receivers coach Jay Norvell his new play-caller.
(I like Jay Norvell)
"We have to evaluate every aspect of this program and what's key is getting this program on track," Strong said during a Tuesday evening press conference. "We have to do a better job of coaching. There's no reason for us to go out and perform at the level we've been performing. There's no reason at all.
"It was a tough decision because Shawn and Joe and I have been friends for a long time. You have to do what's best for the program."
Norvell was on Bob Stoops' staff at Oklahoma for seven seasons, serving four of those as co-offensive coordinator, prior to joining Texas this year.
The Longhorns, who host Rice on Saturday, had an FBS-worst 163 yards of total offense against the Fighting Irish. The anemic offensive showing came after Texas ranked 110th in total offense in Strong's first season in Austin.
"I had a conversation with the whole offensive staff," Strong said. "We just knew something needed to be done. It's about fixing a problem. I couldn't let it go. Too many people are involved.
"You have to set aside your friendships and do what's best for the program."
Texas coach Charlie Strong made some big changes following his team's 38-3 loss to Notre Dame in the season opener.
Strong, in his second season as Longhorns head coach, demoted co-offensive coordinators Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline, stripped Watson of play-calling duties and named receivers coach Jay Norvell his new play-caller.
(I like Jay Norvell)
"We have to evaluate every aspect of this program and what's key is getting this program on track," Strong said during a Tuesday evening press conference. "We have to do a better job of coaching. There's no reason for us to go out and perform at the level we've been performing. There's no reason at all.
"It was a tough decision because Shawn and Joe and I have been friends for a long time. You have to do what's best for the program."
Norvell was on Bob Stoops' staff at Oklahoma for seven seasons, serving four of those as co-offensive coordinator, prior to joining Texas this year.
The Longhorns, who host Rice on Saturday, had an FBS-worst 163 yards of total offense against the Fighting Irish. The anemic offensive showing came after Texas ranked 110th in total offense in Strong's first season in Austin.
"I had a conversation with the whole offensive staff," Strong said. "We just knew something needed to be done. It's about fixing a problem. I couldn't let it go. Too many people are involved.
"You have to set aside your friendships and do what's best for the program."
That wasn't really the reason that was posted, to point out that Charlie Strong was trying to save himself.
Canada was able to effectively use clever shifts and motion action to effectively confuse defensive alignments and make them follow things with their reads/keys/eyes that allowed Pitt to make things like jet sweeps or shovel passes work. Watson tries to do these things without the deception and it's a big fail.
Yeah in total we have less shifts, less motion, and less formations total per game. If anything we should be doing more of that stuff to make up for our lack of overpowering talent. Either we need to run the Canada offense's series (like fly sweep gets paired with outside zone read with defensive end unblocked but frozen by the motion) or Watson should install his own offense, whatever the heck that is. This is the second year of some sort of weird compromise where it looks like a more paired down version of the past.
