Offensive Ineptness

[webbmaster]

If your defense can dominate consistently throughout the entire year, then there is room for your offense to sputter at some points.

I'll gladly take a week or two where the offense stumbles and the defense plays lights out every game. Its almost impossible to do well the other way around.

Thats why I think its kinda funny that some say Bamas offense is in a slump right now, or the reason is Prothros abscence. That may be true to some degree, but when you have a dominating defense- you can allow that.

[Po Monkey Lounger]

Bama's offense may not light up the scoreboard, but at least it moves the chains enough to play field position football, takes advantage of opportunities the defense provides, and makes critical plays in crunch time. With a great defense and a sound kicking game, that is all you need to be successful.

UM cannot do any of these minimal things on offense right now to complement our good defense. And our field goal kicking has been poor, although it is starting to come around.

After watching the replay of the UM-Auburn game and getting over my initial venting over losing, I think the Rebels are slowly moving in the right direction in all phases of the game, just not as fast as many Reb fans(including me) had hoped. IF Ethan Flatt cannot spark our offense these last three games, then I think we are as good offensively as we are going to get this season. Our offense can only go as far as the OL and QB allows. While our OL is improved from the beginning of the season, we still have a long way to go, especially when matched up against some of the top defenses in the SEC (ie Auburn, Alabama, LSU). The OL situation is not a quick fix. The pass blocking is now servicable, but the run blocking lacks the consistency to get any real steady running game going. The returning young players must learn from their mistakes and get better in the offseason. The coaches need to recruit some help ----we need at couple of top Juco players who can provide some immediate help and depth for next season. When our offense can start converting the 3rd and short runs consistently, then we will know that we are where we need to be. The QB situation is likely to a big focus of our recruiting this year ---I look for us to sign as many as 3-4 QBs, with one or more being a Juco. The returning QBs (Flatt, Lane, and Tapp) may turn out to start next season, at least at the beginning of the season, but I have serious doubts at this point. It is likely that our futire QB is not on campus. The kicking game is improving and should continue to improve now that we seem to have settled on one field goal kicker (Hinkle). His mechanics are good, he just needs more experience and confidence. Our freshman punter is doing well. Our kick off man (Mosely) leads the SEC in touchbacks. And our coverage has been very good. Our return game has not been bad, but has not really been that much of a consistent threat this season ---we could use an infusion of talent there. Espy tries hard and is sure handed, but he lacks explosiveness against teams with real speed and he often tries to run east/west rather than just going up the field and taking what is there. And the defense, I discussed above. Good to very good at times. Still not there yet ----not opportunistic enough ---need more forced turnovers and defensive scores.

Flatt has not had a fair chance at QB this season to this point. Early in the season, with our poor OL play, the coaches went with Spurlock and Lane due to their mobility. Even Lane's mobility was not enough behind our woefull OL during the first few games. Even hurt, Spurlock appeared to be our best option at QB. However, teams are now bringing outside pressure to keep Spurlock from rolling out, and he seems to be very uncomfortable in the pocket. Now that our OL at least seems to be pass blocking enough for our QBs to have time to set up in the pocket, it appears that Flatt now may be a viable option at QB due to his better passing skills. If opposing defenses do not have to worry about the pass, then it will be hard to run the football with any OL. Soooo, we shall likely see if Flatt can get it done when the Rebs play Arkansas in a couple of weeks. I still like Lane at FB and H-back/TE. Hopefully, we figure out a way to include him more and more in the gameplan. If Ethan can just distribute the football to our playmakers, and limit his turnovers, then he should do wonders for our offense. At this point, he does not have to be a superstar, just servicable will do.

[GordonGekko]

maybe I think different than most, but I can excuse offensive ineptness when 2 things are happening, you are playing with a backup QB or you are winning all your games.... no reason to complain....

where it really hurts the SEC is the scorboard watching AP voters.... A lot of these guys see 6-3 games and 10-7 games and think that the teams offense is really that bad...they don't understand the parity in the SEC....
He11 playing in the PAC-10 would be like playin' in a league where Kentucky, is one of the stronger teams in the conference (sorry for that state fans).... But, there really is no depth in that league.... They stack all their playmakers on offense and then hope to win in shootout's (except for USC that is)....

The SEC has gone and pursued these coaches that were offensive genius's in other leagues and they never seem to pan out (Urban Meyer being the latest example) not that they are bad coaches, but their systems just don't work in a league with so much parity.... But, the guys with the votes don't think that way, because that would mean they'd have to actually watch these 6-3 games and understand the game...and that's much more difficult than seeing who hung half a hundred on Utah School for the Deaf, and voting them No. 1....

I'm not saying that the top 3 teams aren't where they should be...I'm just saying that our teams (the SEC) with 1-2 losses are better than almost any 1-2 loss teams in the country.... But, they aren't as flashy so don't gather as many votes.....

[big gumbo]

USC could hang 40 points on any team in the league and thats a fact jack, I do not see any team breaking 30 on them. No team in the SEC will have a chance, Tubby will get his kicks on Bama and rain on the tides parade. No SEC is NC caliber this year, and lets be honest, this conference is down and has been for a couple years. Our head to head with other top conferences is less than stellar.

Nothing more would make me happier than to see Texas choke somewhere, I don't see it happening.

What is plaguing the SEC, I don't know. I think we beat up on each other too much, as bad as the piggies are Georgia players were quoted as saying we were one of the most physical teams they played. WE may one get one NC every ten years from now on. A playoff system would be in the best interest of the conference but the BCS was Kramer's devil seed and we're married to it.

[GordonGekko]

I'm not saying that USC isn't a good team, or that they wouldn't win the SEC, but if they played the schedule that SEC teams do I can guarantee they wouldn't be undefeated at the end of the year. The best team they've played was Notre Dame, and you wanna talk about a test, now how do you think they would have to line up the next week and play LSU, Bama, UGA, Auburn, etc. the very next week? I'm not saying they couldn't hang 40 on almost any team in the SEC, heck given the perfect game they could do it to anyone in the country...but to do it week in and week out against the speed and talent in the SEC it ain't gonna happen....

As for National championship teams in the SEC...well look at it this way, if you want to play in the SEC, you right now could go to Alabama, LSU, UGA, Auburn, and UF (and UT excluding this year) and be playing on a national stage with a team that is gonna be top 20 every year.... As for the PAC-10 you have USC, UCLA, and Cal.... No other teams get the media attention...as a result, it's much easier to get the kids you want...in the SEC because there are so many good teams we dilute our talent.... Not to metion we have the ACC in our own back yard with FSU, Miami, Virginia Tech, and others...the Southeast is a tough place to recruit....

I actually think that if the SEC was a weaker conference with only 2 or 3 nationally prominent programs, we would be more like to have a NC team...simply because the majority of the best talent would gravitate towards those programs, and the talent wouldn't be as diluted as it is....

[Po Monkey Lounger]

I'm gonna have to disagree on the SEC not being able to produce a NC and always "beating up on each other". True, there is a lot of parity and this is a tough league. But, Auburn made it through undefeated last season, and were it not for the unbelievable play of USC, would likely have played for the national title. The year before, 2003, LSU won a share of the national title, going unbeaten in SEC play.

Now this season, only the Tide has a chance to go unbeaten at this point. And they still have two very tough, but winnable games left ---LSU and Auburn. And then, if they win those two, the SEC championship game, which could be a re-match with Florida, or a battle with Georgia. And USC still is not out of the woods, with a tough UCLA team waiting on them at the end of the season. V. Tech still has a possible loss or two on the schedule(Miami and the ACC championship game --likely FSU), and so does Texas (Big 12 championship game). IF the Tide wins out, they could conceivably squeeze into the championship game. Stranger things have happened.

Great defense wins championships. And the Tide defense is playing great this season. With Croyle at QB, a solid RB, a good deep threat receiver, and a solid kicker, they have enough firepower to score enough to win against anyone.

Prediction: IF the Tide beats LSU, then I think they will win out and possibly play for the national title, with a little help and some good luck. Va. Tech and either Texas or USC may go down before the season's end ----there has been too much hype of these teams ---it is sure to jinx them.

[webbmaster]

I think Virginia Tech is the most balanced team. Defense, offense and special teams.

If they get past Miami this weekend, look out. I think most of their wins have come against second tier ACC defenses.

I think Bama will lose at least one game. I've never anticpated us playing in the NC game. I'll be happy with a trip and win to atlanta. Everything for bama at this point is gravy as far as i am concerned.

USC could hang 40 points on any team in the league and thats a fact jack

Just because they beat your crappy team by 70 points doesnt mean they can do it to everyone else.

[Greenhead22]

I knew that was coming.

[mottlet]

I think if anybody gets shut out (and somebody will), I believe it'll be VA Tech. We'll find out this weekend. Miami's defense if for real and will provide Vick the younger a real test. I doubt he'll run all over the place like he did against BC. The Tech defense ought to be able to handle Miami's offense.

mottlet

[big gumbo]

It will become increasingly harder to go undeafeated in the SEC. I dare say it will only happen once every 7 years or so if were that lucky. Auburn went undeated last year with an incredible backfield, but lets be honest the West with the exception LSU was most likely the weakest its been since the format change when SC and AR came aboard. And, that had alot to do with it.

Saw where ARk was sixth in total offense in the SEC, 1st in rushing and last in passing. Where's the huge problem other than not throw a pss longer than 5 yards, the defense, last in the league. If Ole Miss can't score on us, that will show you who has the most inept offense.

[Drakeshead]

The only silver lining that I can possibly see at this point for the Rebs is that potential recruits

According to Rivlas.com, Ole Miss is #17 in the nation in recruiting. Of course these are only verbal commitments. Until the letters are signed I am not going to get my hopes up.