Go ahead, and fire away...but think about it... Just last week, we're going on and on about how Jimbo's just not calling the right plays. We had a limited playbook, and while we were excellent on offense in the 1st half versus Troy, we shut it down with the game in doubt in the 2nd half. Now, this week, what happens? I saw some of the worst playcalling in the Saban Era tonight. THREE REVERSES ON ONE DRIVE, TWO DURING ONE SET OF DOWNS? They run the ball, run the ball, run the ball...With JaMarcus Russell in the game. Your passer is asked to just run the offense...This I understand. I think that JaMarcus ratcheted down this week. I think that doing so was EXACTLY what the staff was looking for. He did what was asked, and he was rewarded with the start. He played well and operated the offense that he was asked to execute. Then we bring in Marcus Randall...We throw the ball three times, and all of the sudden, our pass pro breaks down, and Randall has to scramble three times... Why do we go shotgun and throw the ball three straight times with Randall? What is that telling Russell? That we're going to ask you to button it down and just sit on it, hand the ball off, and then we bring in the backup & tell him to gun the ball down the field? I mean, he didn't get the opportunity to throw it on the first drive he was in, mainly because our pass protection-AGAIN-broke down, mysteriously as soon as Randall went into the game. Still, the ONLY player that was given the opportunity to throw the ball vertically is the guy that people say can't do it. I know he's got the arm, but don't take that away from Russell. If he's operating the offense efficiently, reward him with the opportunity to make the big play. But no, we give the long ball to Randall. He delivered with a touchdown pass, I'll admit it, but to be honest, it was a poor decision (like the other one he threw downfield, right before getting clobbered-PASS PRO PROBLEM AGAIN!) that Buster Davis made an EXCELLENT MOVE on to go up and get the ball (It was thrown up for grabs). In other words, I'm glad that Randall got the opportunity, but what kind of lesson are you teaching Russell here? That if you do what we ask you to do, we'll put in the other quarterback and give HIM the opportunity to do what YOU do best? Three reverses in one drive is ridiculous. The absolutely PERPOSTEROUSLY easy to call 1st & 10 shotgun draw to Addai (I called in correctly EACH TIME IT WAS RUN AGAIN TONIGHT-If I can do this, IT IS TOO PREDICTABLE) is ridiculous. The playcalling is just absolutely ridiculous. The pass pro is absolutely horrendous. With Ben Wilkerson suffering what's probably a season ending and career threatening left knee injury on the last play of the game, we're going to have even more issues, and on another level, our running game is going to suffer. This is because we were running using Wilkerson a great deal tonight. We were able to run with 9 in the box tonight. This was an inferior team from an athlete standpoint. I'm glad we were able to perservere. There is a problem, however. This predictable shotgun offense for Marcus Randall is going to BLOW UP IN OUR FACE when we go up against decent teams like Alabama, Ole Miss, & Arkansas. Those teams may not have the caliber of athlete that we possess. The problem is that they have a higher caliber of athlete than Troy & Vandy. They also have more of them. They are going to shove it down our throat. Three reverses in one drive didn't work against Vandy, and that kind of ridiculous "going to the well once and twice too often" will get our wideouts drilled into Tiger Stadium Grease Spots with the quickness, as the young folk say. We need creativity from our playcalling. Our defense-again-isn't playing poorly, it's just being put in position to bail out our offense time after time after time. The onus for this situation is on Jimbo Fisher & the team execution of the offensive line. Both are horrid at this point, and dreams of a 9-2 regular season will be stretched to the limit against SEC teams like Alabama, Mississippi, and the Razorbacks... I will say it again...Jimbo Fisher has worn his welcome out with his performances this year. He is in a fog, or busy updating his resume, one or the other. Either way, he is costing us each week. He is still not calling vertical pass plays with enough regularity as to stop defenses from crowding the box (We were just able to outmuscle them tonight), and the ridiculous draw out of the shotgun doesn't fool a 25 year old who never played high level high school ball, much less SEC D-Coordinators. Get him out of here, and find someone who gives Saban what he's said he prefers since his 1st press conference: Multiplicity on Offense. Jimbo isn't cutting the mustard. Cut the bait. Fire away, everyone...
Well I didn't go to the this one, but I did listen and it sounded like we didn't even attempt many passes. I too, was also very frustrated that we didn't call hardly any passing plays with Russell in the game. What's the point of that? However I don't know if Jimbo is to blame, because I don't know how much Saban has to do with this conservative offense.
Well, the Doctor from Nawlins that sits in front of me who listens to the 98.1 broadcast during the game said at halftime that Saban had said in the locker room that he was going to "Open up" the offense. Let me tell you people something...two deep passes from Randall isn't opening it up, even if one did go for a touchdown. We got one score giftwrapped via a turnover in our red zone (7 plays, THREE DRAWS...Again, what is this constant obsession with draws from Fisher?), and we got a special team score... We did NOT open up the offense. Saban said in post-game that he "wished we would have thrown the ball better", well then what the hell was he waiting on? If he was going to open the offense up in the 2nd half, why didn't he? Don't tell me that playcalling was opening it up... I hate to say this...But I think there is something more than the players here...There is a problem with the staff, and perhaps between Fisher & Saban...This playcalling is absolutely ludicrous, and even the casual observer can see it. Bottom line: We've got to fix whatever the problem is. Move Livings back to guard. Hope like hell whoever we put at Center can play with 4/10ths the savvy Wilkerson did. Let Bobby Williams call plays. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas will take this offense and chew it up and spit out the rubbery cartilage and the shoulder pads and pants...
I think most of use may have questioned JB play calling but ultimatly it is NS who has the final say in how he wants things to go. Judging by most of his press conferences I dont think he has much faith in JR or MR. This may be why he has become so conservitive on offense. I think he doesnt want to give up the turnovers like we have for the last several games. Now with that being said I have to agree with TE that this is not helping the team in any manor. It does not build confidence in thier abilities and heaven knows that both Qbs need the reps.
Well I agree that play calling on offense is as much to blame as any of the players performances this year. I've questioned that it's Jimbo myself, but my Dad believes it's Saban's conservative nature overriding him. You think maybe they take the red shirt off Ryan Miller if Ben is gone for the year? I sure hope Ben's all right though.
Not too sure, I tend to agree that the play calling has been suspect this year. Right from the beginning. I mean I can see it on the field but I am not sure why it's happening. We always see the play just AFTER or during it's development, so it's easier to predict what the Defense did or is doing. Anotherwords hindsight is 20/20. I would like to know what CNS thinks about this year's play calling. Not the media response, the ReallY DOWN DEEP coach Saban how do you feel about our play caling this year answer. It may not even be Jimbo's fault the play calling was sorry. Although, it would seem that he would be they guy to replace if he was or is faultering. Maybe he just needs an "off" week? LOL hopefully so. I don't really buy all that BS about "sending" a message to this QB or that QB though. I'm sure the message they get is, " You need to do this to help your team win, don't try to read anything into that" paraphrased as a best guess. Good Post TE. :thumb:
Niswanger is a capable replacement at center. I think that Will Arnold gets plugged in to start at one guard, and then McGill is moved over to the other, and we don't skip too much of a beat. I will say this, though...Livings moving in to guard and perhaps allowing someone else to make a go of it at RT would be a ballsy, but good move by this staff. Livings is getting his lunch money taken and continually coming back with bigger bills each day at lunchtime...I mean, he is getting his @ss handed to him-CONTINUALLY.
My memory could be a hazy here, but I believe it was two end arounds and then a reverse finally. I suppose his idea was after the two end arounds the defense would overpursue and the reverse would be wide open. Sounds good but it didn't work though. A little too fancy also when we could probably just run the ball down their throats.
TigerEducated...glad to see you've boarded my ship! While I'm not for booing or badmouthing my team, Jimbo has always been a thorn in our side IMO. And I don't buy into Saban overriding his calls - isn't that what an offensive co-ordinator is for? Just me 2 cents
I'm not boarding anyone's ship. I sail my own...Trust me...You don't want to get on my Brady Bashing Boat, I assure you that... I sail under my own flag, and on my own speed...No offense, but this is my own personal opinion. Fisher has been good for one bad game per year, but he's never been this consistently abhorrent. Cut bait.
