Elsdon should not be playing meaningful snaps
- Thread starter PSUWrestlingFanSince2011
- Start date
Yeah I hate to bust on a kid but he looked really bad and slow
#32 Wylie and #13 Rojas were in at LB briefly in the 4th Quarter. Rojas failed to keep contain on a run.
Hopefully one or both will move ahead of #43 as the season goes on.
Hopefully one or both will move ahead of #43 as the season goes on.
Yes ... Hate to focus on one guy negatively but his play or lack thereof really hurt the defensive performance.
absolutely...he looked so stiff and slow...plus he's got short arms so his tackling must be spot on because his margin of error is like 0...honestly he looks like a walk-on
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It wasn't just Elsdon. A lot of guys need to step it up on D starting with all of our LBs and the middle of our line.
either their running back was strong as a bull, or a lot of our players missed on tackles
Damn, I swear the game I watched...the 1st team D gave up 1 score.
None of the backers looked great. Missed a lot of tackles. Admit 43 did not look great, seemed a step late and no hitting power.
3 Tech guys get moved way too much for my liking. The guard just helps them move the way they choose, but 2 - 3 gaps away, leaving huge void in middle. They weren't even really double teaming much, leaving the center free to take on the linebackers. We need to get off blocks and make plays.
Of course, we really only gave up 7 points, so we weren't terrible for a first game. And, those seven were due to 2 coverage breakdowns as well. Tackling should get better and we'll figure out stuff. Thought safeties played well. Other than blown coverage on WV TD drive, I thought Dixon played great. Not sure who blew that assignment, but that'll get ironed out.
3 Tech guys get moved way too much for my liking. The guard just helps them move the way they choose, but 2 - 3 gaps away, leaving huge void in middle. They weren't even really double teaming much, leaving the center free to take on the linebackers. We need to get off blocks and make plays.
Of course, we really only gave up 7 points, so we weren't terrible for a first game. And, those seven were due to 2 coverage breakdowns as well. Tackling should get better and we'll figure out stuff. Thought safeties played well. Other than blown coverage on WV TD drive, I thought Dixon played great. Not sure who blew that assignment, but that'll get ironed out.
Elsdon, Caedan (who whiffed many times last night) are guys who JF plays because of their 'veteran' leadership and experience. Similar to what Joe used to do.
But, I highly doubt Caedan is the best RT on the roster....especially after the droves of OL we have brought in...many who were really highly rated. If Caedan truly is, than Traut isn't the guy and our ceiling is what it has been.
Neither should be getting the minutes they do.
But, I highly doubt Caedan is the best RT on the roster....especially after the droves of OL we have brought in...many who were really highly rated. If Caedan truly is, than Traut isn't the guy and our ceiling is what it has been.
Neither should be getting the minutes they do.
Dixon, Cam Miller and Carter.. Even though he whiffed on the one run when he was left on an island as big as
Australia. Take away the 2 coverage breakdowns and they pitch a shutout.
The D will see a lot of tackling drills this coming week... And I bet special teams gets lots of practice.
Coaches never get it right...why can't they see what is so clear to all of us?
LBs, including No. 11, were taking bad angles and were not effective at point of attack. Of course when the other team's all america center is able to get to the next level with ease there is a chance the LB's are going to look bad.
Yeah, that was happening. No. 11 ended up with just one tackle though he did produce pressure on the QB.
Curtis Jacobs had a good game -- 10 tackles and a sack. He made adjustments to the WV running/QB scrambling and took better angles.
Jeez...we are allowed as fans to have an opinion and criticize performance. And, it's not like I'm dissecting Rojas's game, who literally played his first cfb. Caedan and Elsdon have been here for yrs and just aren't top flight and mediocre at best. Not everyone needs to be a coach.
I warned the board about this guy, the RB. He was 6-1 and just under 240lbs For that size, he’s very athletic and pretty fast. He’s not going to run the edge. But PSU is weak up the middle and WVU has an all American center as well as an all ACC left tackle. They return four of five starters.
That kid moved from TE to RB before last year and had 540 yards rushing in 6+ games. He got hurt in game seven and didn’t play again.
Make sure to let Manny know you disapprove of his personnel decision.
Yes, and that 3.5 ypc surrendered was horrible. The D played like Custer's men at the Little Bighorn. 😂
Agree, he’s not very athletic, and was hoping he could be a tough between the tackles plugger like Cabinda (who was also limited athletically), but that hasn’t panned out. I was rooting for him as I’m also a coal region guy, but it’s not happening.
The interior D is by far the weak link. Thankfully, Michigan is really the only elite team on our schedule that will have a strength where we’re weak.
The interior D is by far the weak link. Thankfully, Michigan is really the only elite team on our schedule that will have a strength where we’re weak.
one thing i didn't like is all our stunting from our DT's...i know Manny wants to confuse the OL but we were leaving big holes in certain gaps that allowed their OL to get to our LB's untouched...the perfect example of this is the first play of the 2nd quarter...Ellies just sprints to the outside and leaves a void and they just run right into that gap...why are we stunting our run-stuffing 300 lbs DT who isn't that mobile in the first at the goal against a team like WV?
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Yeah but I am sure he would prefer that you attend the film session and point it out to him. Funny I went on the WVU site and their head coach said that they probably wouldn’t play a better defense all year.
Our D was fine but Elsdon wasn't good. The D can play well with still a player or 2 not performing up to the standard. I need to rewatch to see the D-line performance, but Elsdon was clearly underperforming with no film re-watch needed.
It's old and tiresome, but that's his schtick - one oh-so-clever, non-value-added post at a time.
Yeah I mean its pretty clear that if Elsdon plays a lot vs Michigan we will struggle. We need to find a way to keep him off the field. Whether its playing freshman, or whatever, we need to find a solution.
I only watched the game live once...so I'm shooting from the hip a bit.
But I remember seeing Kobe King getting burnt too. Which makes me wonder...not if Elsdon is so bad and he should be benched...but we might just not have a good MLB? King wasn't highly rated out of HS...and maybe MLB (like DT) is just the weak spot on our D? Only so much you can do as a coach if you only have average options. (Like the year I had five average guards on my basketball team...one had to get more PT, but the reality was, all 5 shouldn't have been on the court.)
That said, WVU has one of the better OLs we'll face this year...and their QB looked solid. It's not like WVU is Delaware or Rutgers.
But I remember seeing Kobe King getting burnt too. Which makes me wonder...not if Elsdon is so bad and he should be benched...but we might just not have a good MLB? King wasn't highly rated out of HS...and maybe MLB (like DT) is just the weak spot on our D? Only so much you can do as a coach if you only have average options. (Like the year I had five average guards on my basketball team...one had to get more PT, but the reality was, all 5 shouldn't have been on the court.)
That said, WVU has one of the better OLs we'll face this year...and their QB looked solid. It's not like WVU is Delaware or Rutgers.
Exactly. Some of the posters are getting bent out of shape because WVU had some success running their 240 lb RB behind a good OL. But the fact is they averaged 3.7 yards per rush and managed a whopping 7 points against the first team defense.
Rojas is an OLB and not likely to move inside to Mike. Same with Wylie who is smaller than Rojas.
If Diaz is serious about planning for the stretch run he should burn Robinson's (#24, true freshman) redshirt and get him snaps every game. DeLuka also looked pretty weak last night which is where Wylie or Rojas could contribute. Put Elsdon on special teams and as an emergency Mike LB and let DeLuka focus on his special team captaincy........
The middle of the DL will look somewhat better when Izzard plays.
Agree with you...would like to see Tamere get some run, and Rojas get Deluca's reps. But, I am not convinced that Diaz, MY, or any of the coordinators/coaches have the total say of burning redshirts or who starts.
If at this point, Caedan, Deluca, and Elsdon are still playing/starting, that has JF's fingerprints on it. He LOVES guys with experience and age, regardless of the ceiling and potential talent of the guys behind them. I think he focuses on team morale/friendly vibe, as much as just cutting bait with a veteran who might not be up to snuff. It's infuriating.
IMO, the team is better off with Rojas, Keys, Tamere, learning on the fly and taking Elsdon's reps. Those guys will likely make mistakes, sure...but their likelihood of flashing, ala Abdul last year, is vast.
Izzard and Ellies just need to take up bodies and let the lb's make plays.
Yep. When PSU has great LB play the LB's fill the correct gaps, don't get sucked up into holes that take them out of plays, and the DL looks a lot better.
Jacobs is doing his part. But Carter still seems to be learning the position and Elsdon seems to be either getting knocked on his a$$, a day late and a dollar short, or contributing to a tackle 7-10 yards down field. Carter will improve. But Elsdon seems to have peaked at a level that won't contribute to a great LB group. I'm hoping Diaz can convince Franklin to burn Robinson's redshirt and give him the backup Mike snaps behind King. I'd like to believe I'm being too harsh on Elsdon and that he will turn it around, but it seems he can't make the plays required to play at a level necessary to be a very good Mike LB and he's had years to try and improve.
