Another great year under Franklin.....

[LaJolla Lion]

His haters are having a hard time as he keeps winning and just got extended. I do however think that TO at the end of the first half was idiotic...not the TO itself but not letting the clock wind down. If you are a HC in the NFL or the NCAA and you leave a minute left for any team with a pulse, you are giving up free points more often than not.

So looking to 2020, here are the few missing pieces.

DE...some young talent there, but we need Isaac and Oweh to really blow up. Maybe Toney does come back and really develop into that every down DE. The athleticism is off the charts here, but the mass and run stopping part of the game is a concern. Oweh in his 3rd year may take that big step and it will be needed.

RT...This has to get addressed. Fries needs to either $h!t or get off the pot because he did not have a good year. He had trouble with anyone with a decent step and was pushed back way too often. Can Wallace or Holmes step up if he is not the answer?

O - Passing game, it simply lacks any imagination right now. I'm thrilled PSU can run the ball and they did against everyone this year for the most part...need this part of the O fixed.

QB - Clifford has to make his decision to run sooner. I love that he looks downfield, but he there are too many times where 10-15 yards are there and he hesitates. I think the game will slow down for him even more in year 2 as a starter.

 

[Sooner Lion]

You left out the secondary.

 

[Springcity]

You left out the secondary.

Finally people are focused on secondary. That has killed us for the past 3 years.

 

[tlbakernc]

My biggest concern is with the LB/secondary pass coverage. We’re going to be very young at CB. We blow way to many coverages. Blown coverages has been an issues past few years. It needs to get resolved.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

My biggest concern is with the LB/secondary pass coverage. We’re going to be very young at CB. We blow way to many coverages. Blown coverages has been an issues past few years. It needs to get resolved.

I like the young DB's...Wilson and Ellis are going to be pretty damn good.

 

[Erial_Lion]

I was also impressed with Porter in the time he played

 

[Sooner Lion]

One other challenge. Tackling. Been a problem going on three years.

 

[bdgan]

I like the young DB's...Wilson and Ellis are going to be pretty damn good.

We'll need them with Reid and Taylor gone.

 

[Zone-Blitz]

His haters are having a hard time as he keeps winning and just got extended. I do however think that TO at the end of the first half was idiotic...not the TO itself but not letting the clock wind down. If you are a HC in the NFL or the NCAA and you leave a minute left for any team with a pulse, you are giving up free points more often than not.

So looking to 2020, here are the few missing pieces.

DE...some young talent there, but we need Isaac and Oweh to really blow up. Maybe Toney does come back and really develop into that every down DE. The athleticism is off the charts here, but the mass and run stopping part of the game is a concern. Oweh in his 3rd year may take that big step and it will be needed.

RT...This has to get addressed. Fries needs to either $h!t or get off the pot because he did not have a good year. He had trouble with anyone with a decent step and was pushed back way too often. Can Wallace or Holmes step up if he is not the answer?

O - Passing game, it simply lacks any imagination right now. I'm thrilled PSU can run the ball and they did against everyone this year for the most part...need this part of the O fixed.

QB - Clifford has to make his decision to run sooner. I love that he looks downfield, but he there are too many times where 10-15 yards are there and he hesitates. I think the game will slow down for him even more in year 2 as a starter.

Caedan Wallace will challenge for PT at RT

the passing game needs a complete overhaul and thankfully they hired a good OC that will hopefully get things straightened out. I love our TE’s but the WR’s need to become part of the passing game again.

I think the secondary will be better with Marquis Wilson, Ellis, Porter Jr and the return of Donovan Johnson. Also Trent Gordon. The safety position is worrisome however. It’s a shame Nick Cross wanted to lose games in college instead of come to PSU

DE- very excited about Isaac and Oweh, hopefully Shaka returns and Simmons stays on for veteran depth

 

[PSU Soupy]

With our depth going into next year. I hope that we run more physical practices.

I like the Ryan Day talk about teams feeling the tOSU violence, we should approach 2020 with that thought.

 

[Ceasar]

Just a thought, with Gonzalez graduating I wonder if there is any chance Fries moves inside. He played some at G as a RS FR. If he hopes to play in the NFL it doesn’t look like it will be at T.

 

[delcoLion]

His haters are having a hard time as he keeps winning and just got extended. I do however think that TO at the end of the first half was idiotic...not the TO itself but not letting the clock wind down. If you are a HC in the NFL or the NCAA and you leave a minute left for any team with a pulse, you are giving up free points more often than not.

So looking to 2020, here are the few missing pieces.

DE...some young talent there, but we need Isaac and Oweh to really blow up. Maybe Toney does come back and really develop into that every down DE. The athleticism is off the charts here, but the mass and run stopping part of the game is a concern. Oweh in his 3rd year may take that big step and it will be needed. [\QUOTE]
I think the entire defensive unit needs re-evaluation. Yes, they won 11 and should have won 12 but for a questionable OPI call vs Minn.
I guess 40+ years of watching great defense under Joe has too much of an influence on the psyche. But I do think they need a much more physical front 4.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

The game has changed so the references to Joe are bogus to me. It's a different offensive era...outside of Iowa and Wisky maybe.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

I think Brisker has started to turn a corner and you can start to see some real potential for him at Safety. GT was good closer to the line of scrimmage but he seemed to be lost in coverage. Wade/Brisker/Sutherland + the young corners sounds solid enough to me. I think the coaching could use a boost here, too many blown coverages.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

I think Brisker has started to turn a corner and you can start to see some real potential for him at Safety. GT was good closer to the line of scrimmage but he seemed to be lost in coverage. Wade/Brisker/Sutherland + the young corners sounds solid enough to me. I think the coaching could use a boost here, too many blown coverages.

Agree on Brisker although he got call watching the QB badly a couple of times, but also almost had 2 picks.

 

[BBrown]

His haters are having a hard time as he keeps winning and just got extended. I do however think that TO at the end of the first half was idiotic...not the TO itself but not letting the clock wind down. If you are a HC in the NFL or the NCAA and you leave a minute left for any team with a pulse, you are giving up free points more often than not.

So looking to 2020, here are the few missing pieces.

DE...some young talent there, but we need Isaac and Oweh to really blow up. Maybe Toney does come back and really develop into that every down DE. The athleticism is off the charts here, but the mass and run stopping part of the game is a concern. Oweh in his 3rd year may take that big step and it will be needed.

RT...This has to get addressed. Fries needs to either $h!t or get off the pot because he did not have a good year. He had trouble with anyone with a decent step and was pushed back way too often. Can Wallace or Holmes step up if he is not the answer?

O - Passing game, it simply lacks any imagination right now. I'm thrilled PSU can run the ball and they did against everyone this year for the most part...need this part of the O fixed.

QB - Clifford has to make his decision to run sooner. I love that he looks downfield, but he there are too many times where 10-15 yards are there and he hesitates. I think the game will slow down for him even more in year 2 as a starter.

I agree with most of that but IMO you left off the 2 biggest issues.
We need dependable WR's. Right now we have 2 and 1 of them might be gone but even more so is our DB's. They are flat out stinky. Both Pry and Smith better get it figured out. I can't believe every DB we have has to play 10 yards off the WR because they can't cover them.

 

[BBrown]

Finally people are focused on secondary. That has killed us for the past 3 years.

Not if you've read any of my posts. Ive been much more critical of Pry and the defense then I have of JoMo or RR.

 

[BBrown]

One other challenge. Tackling. Been a problem going on three years.

Actually I thought we were much better this year and this was the first game I really noticed it. Maybe the layoff?

 

[Chris92]

 

[BBrown]

View embedded media

Nice.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

I agree with most of that but IMO you left off the 2 biggest issues.
We need dependable WR's. Right now we have 2 and 1 of them might be gone but even more so is our DB's. They are flat out stinky. Both Pry and Smith better get it figured out. I can't believe every DB we have has to play 10 yards off the WR because they can't cover them.

Yep. WRs need to step it up. I believe you now see the reason why CJF took so many in this class. Again, I like the young DB's. They are longer and physical, but were also true frosh. Porter, Ellis, and Wilson all flashed this year. Ellis leveled someone today. They need to clean up the coverage issues, but some of that is aggressive play. There was a deep ball today that was all on Brisker watching the QB, jumping a route, and letting someone run right by him. That can be corrected and hopefully will be.

 

[BBG65]

One of the reasons that the secondary looked so bad is that it was often populated by young, inexperienced guys, Wilson, Ellis and Gordon.

 

[RickinDayton]

Caedan Wallace will challenge for PT at RT

the passing game needs a complete overhaul and thankfully they hired a good OC that will hopefully get things straightened out. I love our TE’s but the WR’s need to become part of the passing game again.

I think the secondary will be better with Marquis Wilson, Ellis, Porter Jr and the return of Donovan Johnson. Also Trent Gordon. The safety position is worrisome however. It’s a shame Nick Cross wanted to lose games in college instead of come to PSU

DE- very excited about Isaac and Oweh, hopefully Shaka returns and Simmons stays on for veteran depth

What is up with Tarburton? Hopefully he can play next year. I believe he would be stout against the run.

 

[tlbakernc]

I like the young DB's...Wilson and Ellis are going to be pretty damn good.

Is TCF going to return? Jumping to the NFL after the year he had would be a mistake.

 

[BBrown]

Is TCF going to return? Jumping to the NFL after the year he had would be a mistake.

I think he had an injury that just never got better. Not sure what point it happened but they took him out and he didn't come back in the game.
I hope he stays as well.

 

[hereforthebeer]

Regarding the defense, this isn't a complaint, but the scheme does the young DB's no favors. The LBs are always headed downhill. Pry places more of a premium on pressure than coverage. It's philosophical.

The secondary was always going to be "under development" this year as we broke in a bunch of kids, but they were not protected in any way. The dividends will come in due time.

 

[hereforthebeer]

I forgot to add that it was another damn good season overall, exceeding my expectations. The extra month of practice and good vibes heading into the off season riding a nice win bode well for next year. I think that Micah Parsons in 2020 might be the best college defender I have ever seen.

 

[bkmtnittany1]

I like the young DB's...Wilson and Ellis are going to be pretty damn good.

Talent is not the question mark....scheme and coaching are. Our secondary play regressed as the year went on, that is coaching. Perfect example....PSU goes up 14 with 630 to go. We rush 3 and drop 8 and Memphis had guys wide open! Check out the 2 completions before #8 picked off White...unreal. Talented players totally out of position, they were coached to be in those spots...

 

[LaJolla Lion]

Talent is not the question mark....scheme and coaching are. Our secondary play regressed as the year went on, that is coaching. Perfect example....PSU goes up 14 with 630 to go. We rush 3 and drop 8 and Memphis had guys wide open! Check out the 2 completions before #8 picked off White...unreal. Talented players totally out of position, they were coached to be in those spots...

We also had guys like Brisker out of position due to wandering eyes. It’s not always just black or white.

 

[bkmtnittany1]

We also had guys like Brisker out of position due to wandering eyes. It’s not always just black or white.

Whatever it is...it needs to be fixed! Biggest ?mark going into next season IMO...

 

[ftlpsu]

Perhaps Pry will benefit from speaking with Ciarocca on what he did to scheme against him...always got to be learning and not complacent.

Yes it’s philosophical pressure and blitz to force the ball out of the QBs hand as fast as possible but it didn’t work well enough this season.

hopefully Pry makes adjustments next season based on his personnel and the scheme.

 

[OhioLion]

Talented players totally out of position, they were coached to be in those spots...

I enjoy reading your posts, but the comment above isn’t always the case.
While this may be the case, many times in the heat of the game, the best coached players can still make mistakes.

OL

 

[katchthis]

One other challenge. Tackling. Been a problem going on three years.

CJF is going to show them the video of the post-Gatorade tackle to get the form down.

 

[bkmtnittany1]

I enjoy reading your posts, but the comment above isn’t always the case.
While this may be the case, many times in the heat of the game, the best coached players can still make mistakes.

OL

Well, since I have never spent one day on a football field coaching the sport you are probably correct. But I did spend 25 years coaching HS and college hoops and it just seems to me that PSU secondary did not get better as the season progressed. When you don't improve, it is on the coach. I always took it on myself if my teams were not better in March than they were in November. Again, football is a different animal and it may be that I am full of it, but to me it seems like we got worse. And like I posted earlier, the secondary needs to be a strength not a question mark next fall.