I've read a lot of coaching strategies on the forums over the past couple of days. Some of you actually know what you're talking about. Some of you...well, what's that saying about being it being better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt?
Personnel Options
Option #1 - Status Quo
This has the advantage of keeping everyone in their comfort zone and continuing to drill, drill, drill. It would be unrealistic to expect all that drilling to actually strike oil, but slow steady improvement should result.
Option #2 - Shuffle the Deck
This is the often-mentioned "putting the best 5 on the field." As I've posted before, the only possible help from the interior would be Mangiro or Mahon. Mangiro may be the better tackle but that means moving and replacing the center. Next up at C would be Laurent, maybe Dowrey. Now, the easier option would be to move Mahon. Dowrey played in a rotation with both Mahon and Gaia against Temple, so having him start at guard would not be any real change at all.
Option #3 - Youth Movement
I've heard a bunch of names thrown out there. Obviously Beh and Sorrell, but also Bates, Gonzalez, and Brosnan. Some have said, "Throw them in there. Hell, it can't get worse."
Option #4 - Big Toe
*Insert joke here
You can bet that every one of these options (except for #4, sorry Joey) have been considered. But the advantage Coach Hand (besides a ton more knowledge and experience with college football) is that he gets to see these guys practice. And not just watch a practice from the sidelines like I occasionally get to do. He sets up the drills and knows the techniques he is looking for. Then he watches film of the practice. Then the OL comes to position meetings and they review the practice together, play-by-play, drill-by-drill. That coach knows my own son's abilities better than I do. It's the reason I have never questioned playing time for my boys. Sure, I'd love to see them playing all the time. But I trust that all the coaches want to win, and will play the athletes they feel give them the best chance of doing that. If my sons are on the bench then they don't give the team the best chance to win at that moment. I truly believe that. That's why it kills me when I hear someone say, "I know for a fact Player A is better than Player B." Half the time Player A has never played in a college game, but the poster has seen pictures from Lift-for-Life and all of the kid's high school highlights. And I'm thinking, hey, maybe here's another opportunity to be that quiet fool.
Everyone wants Option #1 to work. The OL has been plugging away in that direction since the spring. Will it work? Well, it's definitely off to a rough start. I think the biggest factor with Paris Palmer is time. With time, I believe he can be a very good Division I OT. Have we run out of time or can he still apprentice on-the-run? I don't know. Coaches are working on that question as I type this.
Option #2 is always a play away. It could happen for Game 2, it could happen for Game 8, or maybe it never happens. The nice thing about Option #2 is that it buys Palmer time. And you can always switch back to Option #1 if you feel he is ready to take it on. But before you start thinking that this option is a no-brainer, remember that it comes at a cost. One, two, or three players out of their original positions. Interior depth is also sacrificed, but I don't see that as a big concern at this point since the exterior depth is just "smoking mirrors" (love that phrase). Actual tackle depth is really coming from the interior anyway.
And Option #3 is sort of like Option #1 on crack. Seriously, if they guy you think is the closest to being ready to play needs more time, where does that leave those who still may be a year away from where Palmer is right now?
And by the way, I get that sacks are an OL stat, like interceptions are a QB stat. A QB can hit five receivers in the chest and have them bounce off for picks. The QB is still credited with the INTs. Same with the OL. Sure, some of those ten sacks land squarely on the big guys' shoulders. But not all ten, so stop with the "10 sacks! That's all I need to know! The OL sucks!" Our ten sacks are a systemic problem. And the whole "Five of them can't even block a two-man rush!" Well, four of them did what was needed. And the coaching staff is working hard on a plan for that fifth spot.
That's it. Have a nice day.
Personnel Options
Option #1 - Status Quo
This has the advantage of keeping everyone in their comfort zone and continuing to drill, drill, drill. It would be unrealistic to expect all that drilling to actually strike oil, but slow steady improvement should result.
Option #2 - Shuffle the Deck
This is the often-mentioned "putting the best 5 on the field." As I've posted before, the only possible help from the interior would be Mangiro or Mahon. Mangiro may be the better tackle but that means moving and replacing the center. Next up at C would be Laurent, maybe Dowrey. Now, the easier option would be to move Mahon. Dowrey played in a rotation with both Mahon and Gaia against Temple, so having him start at guard would not be any real change at all.
Option #3 - Youth Movement
I've heard a bunch of names thrown out there. Obviously Beh and Sorrell, but also Bates, Gonzalez, and Brosnan. Some have said, "Throw them in there. Hell, it can't get worse."
Option #4 - Big Toe
*Insert joke here
You can bet that every one of these options (except for #4, sorry Joey) have been considered. But the advantage Coach Hand (besides a ton more knowledge and experience with college football) is that he gets to see these guys practice. And not just watch a practice from the sidelines like I occasionally get to do. He sets up the drills and knows the techniques he is looking for. Then he watches film of the practice. Then the OL comes to position meetings and they review the practice together, play-by-play, drill-by-drill. That coach knows my own son's abilities better than I do. It's the reason I have never questioned playing time for my boys. Sure, I'd love to see them playing all the time. But I trust that all the coaches want to win, and will play the athletes they feel give them the best chance of doing that. If my sons are on the bench then they don't give the team the best chance to win at that moment. I truly believe that. That's why it kills me when I hear someone say, "I know for a fact Player A is better than Player B." Half the time Player A has never played in a college game, but the poster has seen pictures from Lift-for-Life and all of the kid's high school highlights. And I'm thinking, hey, maybe here's another opportunity to be that quiet fool.
Everyone wants Option #1 to work. The OL has been plugging away in that direction since the spring. Will it work? Well, it's definitely off to a rough start. I think the biggest factor with Paris Palmer is time. With time, I believe he can be a very good Division I OT. Have we run out of time or can he still apprentice on-the-run? I don't know. Coaches are working on that question as I type this.
Option #2 is always a play away. It could happen for Game 2, it could happen for Game 8, or maybe it never happens. The nice thing about Option #2 is that it buys Palmer time. And you can always switch back to Option #1 if you feel he is ready to take it on. But before you start thinking that this option is a no-brainer, remember that it comes at a cost. One, two, or three players out of their original positions. Interior depth is also sacrificed, but I don't see that as a big concern at this point since the exterior depth is just "smoking mirrors" (love that phrase). Actual tackle depth is really coming from the interior anyway.
And Option #3 is sort of like Option #1 on crack. Seriously, if they guy you think is the closest to being ready to play needs more time, where does that leave those who still may be a year away from where Palmer is right now?
And by the way, I get that sacks are an OL stat, like interceptions are a QB stat. A QB can hit five receivers in the chest and have them bounce off for picks. The QB is still credited with the INTs. Same with the OL. Sure, some of those ten sacks land squarely on the big guys' shoulders. But not all ten, so stop with the "10 sacks! That's all I need to know! The OL sucks!" Our ten sacks are a systemic problem. And the whole "Five of them can't even block a two-man rush!" Well, four of them did what was needed. And the coaching staff is working hard on a plan for that fifth spot.
That's it. Have a nice day.
