Questions

[I. Melvin]

Still scratching my head over a few things:

* Whose decision was it not to play Cobb at QB in the 4th quarter - Joker or CRB?

* Rich Brooks is by reputation a very good defensive coach. Why did he not mandate adjustments after watching us get gashed time and again?

I coach young pitchers. I often leave them in - when a winning strategy would be to remove them - solely to let them work through the situation in hopes that they will grow from the experience. I can't believe CRB was dealing with his coordinators in a similar fashion, but I swear the look on his face said exactly that.

Am I crazy? Is that what happened?

[SBCatMan]

I cannot even venture a guess on question #2. That is a total puzzle to me.

And, while I do not know the answer to #1, let me at least make a comment or two.

First, I, too, thought that maybe Cobb should have been at QB when we ahd first and goal at the four. That was my first reaction -- largely out of frustration. But consider this:

* On the first and goal drive and on the final drive, it was Newton at QB who got us there in the first place both times. And, on the final drive, he made a couple of fantastic passes.

* At the end of the first half on our TD drive, Newton ran extremely well. Dare I say as well as Cobb could have run, and, in fact, far more effectively than Cobb has been running out of the WC. He picked up valuable yards and scored the one TD from just about the same distance -- 3 or 4 yard line -- standing up.

* The way Newton had been running and the way MSU was doubling Cobb, it made sense to keep Cobb at WR. In fact, MSU was keying on Cobb so much that he was virtually ineffective out of the WC up until that point.

Now, obviously, none of that worked out in the end. We failed to score on the first and goal and our final drive bogged down when it looked like we might tie the game.

I am certainly NOT defending the staff's decision not to get the ball in Cobbs hand for the last quarter and a half. But, playing Newton at QB rather than Cobb was not as bizarre of a decision as it might appear at first glance.

[RV]

From Monday's press conference:

-WR Randall Cobb will not have any contact but will practice. Brooks said 'he's not moving very well right now' with hamstring and shoulder issues but he just keeps answering the bell.

-Brooks said a lot of the defensive woes the other night were basically everyone either getting blown out of their gaps or taking awful angles to the football. he said the DT's were blown out of the box all game, the LB's where rarely where they were supposed to be and the safeties weren't much better. He called it a 'calamity of mistakes' but defended being in nickel for a large portion of the game, saying MSU's personnel and sets dictated that because if not UK would have had a LB trying to check a WR and MSU would have thrown on them.

[I. Melvin]

Thanks, RV.

In hindsight,though, I think I'd rather had Danny chasing a receiver and making MSU's really average QB throw with accuracy than letting Dixon eat our children.

Sigh.

[The Hack]

I sat through much of the 4th quarter hoping to see Fidler or Cobb get a series or two.
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The analogy that I. Melvin uses is what I thought CRB and Joker were doing with Newton, by leaving him in in a tough game, hoping for growth. They got some of it, but we still came up a few yards short in spite of a gutsy performance by Newton, Chris Matthews and LaRod King.
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Let's face it, Cobb got racked BAD on several first half plays. The coaches are always closer to the action than we are, and likely knew he was hurting, and that State had schemed well.
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All Newton lacks is that milli-second of quick decision making that only experience will bring. Several times, especially early in the game, he seemed a tad hesitant in his runs. Late in the game he became a bit more decisive and effective, running and throwing. The 4th quarter pick was a classic freshman mistake that I doubt he makes, again.
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Our defense has been victimized by running backs cutting back against the grain all season. Obviuosly, the Miss. State line was dominating our front four, but you'd hope to have a linebacker or safety consistently hold a good back to 4 to 6 yards on a well blocked running play.
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Honestly, when Micah goes toward the action at full speed, toward the gap the back initially is headed toward, he has difficulty at his weight (and with his injuries) reversing his field when the back does his cut-back. I'm not putting it all on Micah, but I have noticed that he'll be headed for the apparent gap with the runner, and then not make the shift as quickly as can the runner.

[RV]

Originally Posted by The Hack

...The 4th quarter pick was a classic freshman mistake that I doubt he makes, again.
...

Ala Randall Cobb vs. Georgia last year.

Why folks yammer for Frosh QB's to play I'll never know.

[sojourner]

Originally Posted by RV

Ala Randall Cobb vs. Georgia last year.

Why folks yammer for Frosh QB's to play I'll never know.

Because what you call a freshman mistake I call an inexperience mistake and until they get to play they will be inexperienced no matter what year they are.

I can see redshirting for size and maturity but it doesn't make the player any better at game time reactions.

[The Hack]

I. Melvin, I have to agree, ESPECIALLY after we got burned for the long pass in the 2nd half. I do not know for certain who got burned, but Calvin H. was the closest trailing DB, and I think made the tackle inside our 10 yard line (or did they get the TD on the throw?). Anyhow, someone mentioned in another thread that Calvin immediately jumped the case of a corner after the long completion, so the receiver might have been a corner's responsibility.
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In some games, I find myself shouting "make 'em beat us passing," and "get out of the nickle."
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But I'm not a coach.

[Matt Dillon]

Randall's already beat to death, to the point of not being able to have contact in practice, and some want to put him in a position to take more punishment in these games.

[poodoo]

Originally Posted by RV

From Monday's press conference:

-WR Randall Cobb will not have any contact but will practice. Brooks said 'he's not moving very well right now' with hamstring and shoulder issues but he just keeps answering the bell.

-Brooks said a lot of the defensive woes the other night were basically everyone either getting blown out of their gaps or taking awful angles to the football. he said the DT's were blown out of the box all game, the LB's where rarely where they were supposed to be and the safeties weren't much better. He called it a 'calamity of mistakes' but defended being in nickel for a large portion of the game, saying MSU's personnel and sets dictated that because if not UK would have had a LB trying to check a WR and MSU would have thrown on them.

Thanks for sharing both of those Brooks comments, RV. I hate to read those words about Randall, though (even though we had already known that Randall was "beaten up"). It surely would be nice somehow to get a big lead on EKU and get some of these guys some rest. Having said that, oh, no, it's still firmly ONE game at a time from this corner.

By the way, in regard to our getting "blown out of the box" all game, the intensity had not been the same last Saturday, to which Coach Brooks referred tonight. Coach Brooks put blame on himself, but, to me, any blame must be shared by all (and, yes, I include us fans in the equation -- at least to a degree). Having said that, I also give credit to MSU's offensive line, in particular, and MSU is a very good team, but, unfortunately, not one with a "big" name that gets our players' attention and genuine respect. The lesson is hopefully learned. It's on to the next game. GO CATS! BEAT MSU!

[johnkyblue]

Originally Posted by sojourner

until they get to play they will be inexperienced no matter what year they are.

I disagree. Honest, it sorta depends. If the team you practice against are as good as the team you play against then you will learn. That's why depth building is so important.