What a season! Highlighted by the coup Marc & Kevin pulled. And these six nuggets were totally worth the price.
As disappointing as the inability to defend is, the addition of Kirk, Ross, and NB (along with the "Wisemen") really make the "Lounge" THEE ultimate site.
I think most members agree that the QB controversy and the coaching changes were the major impediments to our chance to defend our title. These (6) Nuggets IMO gave us a glimpse of what would develop.
I "feel" for Meyer. What a task he had. As I've said repeatedly. I believe (and it's JMO) that the QB situation was not due to his desire of enticing CJ to come back. But of trying to fulfill a belief of legendary coach Ginn, that CJ could benefit not only on the field, but in life with another season. He knew he had to replace Herman but felt confident that it was possible. But often when a machine loses one part it can be enough to stop it.
August 11th: Biggest Challenge
the Second Wiseman of OSU football wanted to chime in on an area of early season concern...
"its important for people to recognize that a huge change came down for the OSU offense this year. We lost Tom Herman, and replaced him with a very capable Ed Warinner. But the changes go deeper than that.
Tom coached QB's--and called the plays---all from the relative solitude of the coaching booth.
Ed is being asked to coach the toughest position on the field--the OLine---which is the only spot where you have five guys at one time---AND call the plays---all from the sidelines.
Ed has never done this before. At Kansas, Ed coached the QB's when was the OC. Ed was a quarterback himself, so he has always been a guy that knows and understands that position. Now Coach Beck has the QB's and Ed is having to integrate himself into a lot of the passing discussions and concepts that Coach Beck and the QB's are constantly changing in coordination with the WR group.
Its a challenge. And a big one--and one that if anyone can handle its Coach Warinner.
But its going to be different, and if anyone has ever been on the sideline at an OSU game---you realize that its kinda like a combination of Hineygate and Interstate 270---its nuts. And Ed is being asked to do the same job he has for the last few years, AND call the plays---all with a very focused Coach Meyer on the headset breathing down his neck and demanding excellence.....
this isn't a small change---and will bear some early season watching for sure....." August 14th:Camp Musings was talking to the Third Wiseman, and here is what he had to say....
"In my opinion, I think JT Barrett will be the guy who wins the job---and I know that is a minority opinion around here. JT is just playing at such a high level right now, that I don't see anyone beating him out--plus he has total command of the offense and the total respect of his team mates. I think he is the guy.
August 17th: Observations Noah Brown is making a huge move---and built off a fine scrimmage with a breakthrough practice. Had four of five circus catches today, along with some devastating blocks coming back inside(think Spencer, Evan). So tough to match up with as he is so physically strong, but surprisingly quick. My pick for breakout player of the year on offense(along with Torrance Gibson)
August 21st:QB battle
was talking to someone very close to the OSU QB situation and this is how they broke it down for me....
"when Cardale decided to come back one of the assurances that he got was that the position battle would be wide open, with no preconceived notions of who would win, and that it would be as objective a process as you could create to identify a starter
So Coach Meyer, Warinner and Beck agreed upon a criteria where they would evaluate the guys--starting the first day that they could actually formally supervise them in practice as mandated by the NCAA. This criteria included a daily grade for how they worked out, attendance at meetings, performance on team mandated exams, leadership, etc etc etc and a very detailed breakdown of their practice performance which would include an overall grade for every rep in practice(videoed) where they would be graded for 1) accomplishing their objective on the play 2) using proper technique and then assigned an overall grade....
Now Coach Meyer has asked up until now to not see how the grading is going---as he wants to be able to reconcile what he is "seeing" and "feeling" with what the statistical model is "scoring" and "evaluating"
but from watching the other two coaches carefully(Warinner and Beck) you can pretty much draw the conclusion that the job is JT Barrett's to lose. The way they talk about his performances after practice, the way they interact with him during the practice, the way they seem to be preparing him--- all would lead one to believe that he is the guy...
and from an observer's perspective, JT seems to have clearly distanced himself from Cardale with outstanding performance all Fall---where Cardale has been a little uneven....both had had outstanding moments for sure---but JT just makes very very few mistakes---and we all know that mistakes can ultimately kill you...
and from JT's perspective, he seems to have taken the mantle of leadership to heart as who is the guy breaking down the team when they leave the field or move from station to station? its JT.....
all these things lead me to believe that barring something unforseen happening, I think JT is the guy when we line it up against VT......but I will know more after this weekend....stay tuned....
Oct 4th: QB situation Had a very lengthy exchange with the Third Wiseman regarding the OSU QB situation....
he had some very interesting observations.....
"Been watching this OSU offense the first few games and have been scratching my head and wondering what is not working. Had the opportunity to watch a lot of Fall Camp and I felt that the offense executed better with JT back there--and I stated as much at the time. But when the bullets start flying for real, Coach Meyer goes with Jones, which was a bit of a head scratcher to me.
Clearly Meyer wants to win ball games, and he feels that Jones gives Ohio State a vertical presence that they need when he is back there. But the OSU offense just seems to sputter against opponents that it shouldn't struggle against. And the QB play isn't helping the situation.
I think there are a couple of reasons that have become readily apparent to me.
First of all is that the OSU staff administers a test to the QB's every week describing down and distance scenarios, defensive fronts and give a written test as to what is the proper play to run in that situation. The objective is to see whether or not that QB is getting the offense into the proper spots and calling the correct plays. Unfortunately, Jones is not scoring high enough on these exams, and so he has not earned the staff's trust enough to be given the right to call audibles at the line, and instead looks to the sidelines for all calls. This puts the offense at a big disadvantage like it did today when Indiana was loading the box and Jones was continuing to run plays from the script instead of checking into a more advantageous spot.
Secondly, Jones' lack of success the zone read has almost eliminated it from the OSU offense as an effective play---so what was once a staple of the OSU offense has now become almost a pre-determined read, because Cardale is just not good at executing this portion of the playbook. Remember, JT was an option QB in high school, Cardale was a drop back kid who could also run a little. Huge difference, and huge step back for the offense in my opinion.
Keep in mind that none of this is a knock on Cardale, or meant to be some ringing endorsement of JT. I've known both kids for a long time, and its not about who is the better QB---its about who is the better guy to be running the OSU offense at the highest level.
I think that guy is Barrett. Coach Meyer obviously feels that he has made a commitment to Jones(both before the season, and now)--and so that is what we have. An offense with a QB that has a propensity to stare down receivers, who is limited running the football and whose mechanics can sometimes get sloppy. He will make the big play for you, but not be able to execute the more simple throws---and when that happens you become a big play offense, but not a chain moving offense.
We are not close to where we need to be on third down. We are not close to where we need to be on ball security. We are almost halfway into this season and the play of the QB is an issue--not a strength.....
I knew before the season the the staff upheaval would present huge issues on this side of the ball---but the QB situation is making it worse...
in a season where you have so many talented guys on that side of the ball, your QB should be your best distributor---your point guard back there....
I really think we have the wrong horse for the course starting for us now....and I don't think the staff trusts him with the ball in his hands and the game on the line.....
just my two cents....."
Nov. 23rd: Zeke's frustration
spoke to a very very good source on the matter and this is what I got...
"the problem is that the offense has spent this entire season practicing certain concepts. And you and I have talked about them---in real time----about attacking the edges, distributing the ball around, and specifically for this week attacking the quarters coverage that you get from MSU...
now if you had been asked to describe the game plan heading into the Michigan State game you would have described something 180 degrees different than what actually transpired---and you would have looked like the most clueless guy on the planet...
the reality is that this year---for whatever reason----the offense gets provided a written game plan early each week---they practice executing that plan during the week---but come game day?? the entire plan seemingly gets tossed out the window and they start from scratch...almost as if you can feel them "tightening up" and being afraid to go with it....
almost as if you were playing a pickup game in your backyard....
we were good enough to beat the first ten opponents doing this, almost on talent alone...
not good enough to beat a well coached MSU defense...
we were almost impossibly bad, and the frustration on the offense side of the ball has been boiling up all year as a result...guys just NEVER know what to expect...
Herman was great. Made a plan, tweaked it as necessary--but had faith enough in it to KNOW that what they had drawn up could work and they stuck with it.
This year its totally different. Night and day.
To say that the players don't have faith in the offensive brain trust is probably an understatement...
that's why you get Elliott making dumb statements like that after the game. Statements that without a doubt will hurt him come NFL draft time.
On one hand I can't believe he did it---on the other hand I understand why he did it....
something has to change....."
Meyer, IMO, carried as much weight as a coach could and injuries derailed his plan when the exceptional Noah Brown went down. Not only did we become much more limited in our vertical passing game but Ed and Tim had to revamp everything they had developed early on with two vertical threats. Also gone was the most devastating WR blocker that much of the Read Option depends on. CJ is an exceptional player and man. But as we saw, neither he, nor JT could function with all the noise going on. Chase did all he could his entire career going back and forth from offense to defense as needed, so his contribution IMO was as much as a player could give. JT should not have the distractions in the future and have more weapons. Ed will be successful from above and Meyer will bring another NC to the WHAC. And we members will continue to catch the glow from the Nuggets the "Wisemen" provide, from Kirk and Ross' breakdowns and the recruiting news that continues to be A1. Happy New Year to all and Go Bucks!!!
NOTE: Italicized wordings are Nevada's Nuggets and Bold type the Date posted.
1
As disappointing as the inability to defend is, the addition of Kirk, Ross, and NB (along with the "Wisemen") really make the "Lounge" THEE ultimate site.
I think most members agree that the QB controversy and the coaching changes were the major impediments to our chance to defend our title. These (6) Nuggets IMO gave us a glimpse of what would develop.
I "feel" for Meyer. What a task he had. As I've said repeatedly. I believe (and it's JMO) that the QB situation was not due to his desire of enticing CJ to come back. But of trying to fulfill a belief of legendary coach Ginn, that CJ could benefit not only on the field, but in life with another season. He knew he had to replace Herman but felt confident that it was possible. But often when a machine loses one part it can be enough to stop it.
August 11th: Biggest Challenge
the Second Wiseman of OSU football wanted to chime in on an area of early season concern...
"its important for people to recognize that a huge change came down for the OSU offense this year. We lost Tom Herman, and replaced him with a very capable Ed Warinner. But the changes go deeper than that.
Tom coached QB's--and called the plays---all from the relative solitude of the coaching booth.
Ed is being asked to coach the toughest position on the field--the OLine---which is the only spot where you have five guys at one time---AND call the plays---all from the sidelines.
Ed has never done this before. At Kansas, Ed coached the QB's when was the OC. Ed was a quarterback himself, so he has always been a guy that knows and understands that position. Now Coach Beck has the QB's and Ed is having to integrate himself into a lot of the passing discussions and concepts that Coach Beck and the QB's are constantly changing in coordination with the WR group.
Its a challenge. And a big one--and one that if anyone can handle its Coach Warinner.
But its going to be different, and if anyone has ever been on the sideline at an OSU game---you realize that its kinda like a combination of Hineygate and Interstate 270---its nuts. And Ed is being asked to do the same job he has for the last few years, AND call the plays---all with a very focused Coach Meyer on the headset breathing down his neck and demanding excellence.....
this isn't a small change---and will bear some early season watching for sure....." August 14th:Camp Musings was talking to the Third Wiseman, and here is what he had to say....
"In my opinion, I think JT Barrett will be the guy who wins the job---and I know that is a minority opinion around here. JT is just playing at such a high level right now, that I don't see anyone beating him out--plus he has total command of the offense and the total respect of his team mates. I think he is the guy.
August 17th: Observations Noah Brown is making a huge move---and built off a fine scrimmage with a breakthrough practice. Had four of five circus catches today, along with some devastating blocks coming back inside(think Spencer, Evan). So tough to match up with as he is so physically strong, but surprisingly quick. My pick for breakout player of the year on offense(along with Torrance Gibson)
August 21st:QB battle
was talking to someone very close to the OSU QB situation and this is how they broke it down for me....
"when Cardale decided to come back one of the assurances that he got was that the position battle would be wide open, with no preconceived notions of who would win, and that it would be as objective a process as you could create to identify a starter
So Coach Meyer, Warinner and Beck agreed upon a criteria where they would evaluate the guys--starting the first day that they could actually formally supervise them in practice as mandated by the NCAA. This criteria included a daily grade for how they worked out, attendance at meetings, performance on team mandated exams, leadership, etc etc etc and a very detailed breakdown of their practice performance which would include an overall grade for every rep in practice(videoed) where they would be graded for 1) accomplishing their objective on the play 2) using proper technique and then assigned an overall grade....
Now Coach Meyer has asked up until now to not see how the grading is going---as he wants to be able to reconcile what he is "seeing" and "feeling" with what the statistical model is "scoring" and "evaluating"
but from watching the other two coaches carefully(Warinner and Beck) you can pretty much draw the conclusion that the job is JT Barrett's to lose. The way they talk about his performances after practice, the way they interact with him during the practice, the way they seem to be preparing him--- all would lead one to believe that he is the guy...
and from an observer's perspective, JT seems to have clearly distanced himself from Cardale with outstanding performance all Fall---where Cardale has been a little uneven....both had had outstanding moments for sure---but JT just makes very very few mistakes---and we all know that mistakes can ultimately kill you...
and from JT's perspective, he seems to have taken the mantle of leadership to heart as who is the guy breaking down the team when they leave the field or move from station to station? its JT.....
all these things lead me to believe that barring something unforseen happening, I think JT is the guy when we line it up against VT......but I will know more after this weekend....stay tuned....
Oct 4th: QB situation Had a very lengthy exchange with the Third Wiseman regarding the OSU QB situation....
he had some very interesting observations.....
"Been watching this OSU offense the first few games and have been scratching my head and wondering what is not working. Had the opportunity to watch a lot of Fall Camp and I felt that the offense executed better with JT back there--and I stated as much at the time. But when the bullets start flying for real, Coach Meyer goes with Jones, which was a bit of a head scratcher to me.
Clearly Meyer wants to win ball games, and he feels that Jones gives Ohio State a vertical presence that they need when he is back there. But the OSU offense just seems to sputter against opponents that it shouldn't struggle against. And the QB play isn't helping the situation.
I think there are a couple of reasons that have become readily apparent to me.
First of all is that the OSU staff administers a test to the QB's every week describing down and distance scenarios, defensive fronts and give a written test as to what is the proper play to run in that situation. The objective is to see whether or not that QB is getting the offense into the proper spots and calling the correct plays. Unfortunately, Jones is not scoring high enough on these exams, and so he has not earned the staff's trust enough to be given the right to call audibles at the line, and instead looks to the sidelines for all calls. This puts the offense at a big disadvantage like it did today when Indiana was loading the box and Jones was continuing to run plays from the script instead of checking into a more advantageous spot.
Secondly, Jones' lack of success the zone read has almost eliminated it from the OSU offense as an effective play---so what was once a staple of the OSU offense has now become almost a pre-determined read, because Cardale is just not good at executing this portion of the playbook. Remember, JT was an option QB in high school, Cardale was a drop back kid who could also run a little. Huge difference, and huge step back for the offense in my opinion.
Keep in mind that none of this is a knock on Cardale, or meant to be some ringing endorsement of JT. I've known both kids for a long time, and its not about who is the better QB---its about who is the better guy to be running the OSU offense at the highest level.
I think that guy is Barrett. Coach Meyer obviously feels that he has made a commitment to Jones(both before the season, and now)--and so that is what we have. An offense with a QB that has a propensity to stare down receivers, who is limited running the football and whose mechanics can sometimes get sloppy. He will make the big play for you, but not be able to execute the more simple throws---and when that happens you become a big play offense, but not a chain moving offense.
We are not close to where we need to be on third down. We are not close to where we need to be on ball security. We are almost halfway into this season and the play of the QB is an issue--not a strength.....
I knew before the season the the staff upheaval would present huge issues on this side of the ball---but the QB situation is making it worse...
in a season where you have so many talented guys on that side of the ball, your QB should be your best distributor---your point guard back there....
I really think we have the wrong horse for the course starting for us now....and I don't think the staff trusts him with the ball in his hands and the game on the line.....
just my two cents....."
Nov. 23rd: Zeke's frustration
spoke to a very very good source on the matter and this is what I got...
"the problem is that the offense has spent this entire season practicing certain concepts. And you and I have talked about them---in real time----about attacking the edges, distributing the ball around, and specifically for this week attacking the quarters coverage that you get from MSU...
now if you had been asked to describe the game plan heading into the Michigan State game you would have described something 180 degrees different than what actually transpired---and you would have looked like the most clueless guy on the planet...
the reality is that this year---for whatever reason----the offense gets provided a written game plan early each week---they practice executing that plan during the week---but come game day?? the entire plan seemingly gets tossed out the window and they start from scratch...almost as if you can feel them "tightening up" and being afraid to go with it....
almost as if you were playing a pickup game in your backyard....
we were good enough to beat the first ten opponents doing this, almost on talent alone...
not good enough to beat a well coached MSU defense...
we were almost impossibly bad, and the frustration on the offense side of the ball has been boiling up all year as a result...guys just NEVER know what to expect...
Herman was great. Made a plan, tweaked it as necessary--but had faith enough in it to KNOW that what they had drawn up could work and they stuck with it.
This year its totally different. Night and day.
To say that the players don't have faith in the offensive brain trust is probably an understatement...
that's why you get Elliott making dumb statements like that after the game. Statements that without a doubt will hurt him come NFL draft time.
On one hand I can't believe he did it---on the other hand I understand why he did it....
something has to change....."
Meyer, IMO, carried as much weight as a coach could and injuries derailed his plan when the exceptional Noah Brown went down. Not only did we become much more limited in our vertical passing game but Ed and Tim had to revamp everything they had developed early on with two vertical threats. Also gone was the most devastating WR blocker that much of the Read Option depends on. CJ is an exceptional player and man. But as we saw, neither he, nor JT could function with all the noise going on. Chase did all he could his entire career going back and forth from offense to defense as needed, so his contribution IMO was as much as a player could give. JT should not have the distractions in the future and have more weapons. Ed will be successful from above and Meyer will bring another NC to the WHAC. And we members will continue to catch the glow from the Nuggets the "Wisemen" provide, from Kirk and Ross' breakdowns and the recruiting news that continues to be A1. Happy New Year to all and Go Bucks!!!
NOTE: Italicized wordings are Nevada's Nuggets and Bold type the Date posted.1
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