Can KC get Clifford back on track and protected? I get he does not coach the O-Line, but Clifford really had a subpar back half of the year and I was as excited about him as anyone. For all the good and bad of RR, I feel like our QB's regressed under him in addition to getting totally beat up in this offense. Sure, RR cannot be blamed for WRs dropping passes or the line not blocking rushers(although fries has been exposed as a guy you can't put on an island against speed rushers), but our WR's and QB's seem to see ghosts as the season goes on and the defenses get better. I am really hoping KC can do a little max protect offense with some quick timing throws and reestablish Clifford's confidence early next year. If we want to get to the playoffs, we need to have a healthy, productive, confident QB next year. Thoughts?
QB Development and the new OC
- Thread starter ram2020
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I wouldn’t be surprised to see Clifford’s completion percent go up by about 10 points. The Moorhead and Rahne offenses lived and died on big pass plays. We’ve decreasingly had the tools for a big downfield game since 2016, so as went that part of the game, so did Clifford’s completions.
We now have tremendous tools around the line of scrimmage with Freiermuth, all the running backs, and Dotson. Yes, I think KC will spread defenses out but keep it mostly safe with easy passes off the RPO.
We now have tremendous tools around the line of scrimmage with Freiermuth, all the running backs, and Dotson. Yes, I think KC will spread defenses out but keep it mostly safe with easy passes off the RPO.
I think it will occur to the OC that he needs to get his best players on the field. That seems pretty basic, but often it takes a fresh viewpoint to make that happen.
What I think that means is increasing use of the talented Running Back group with greater pass catching. Could mean more 2-back offenses, and IMO more use of Ricky Slade and Devyn Ford as a slot receiver.
What I think that means is increasing use of the talented Running Back group with greater pass catching. Could mean more 2-back offenses, and IMO more use of Ricky Slade and Devyn Ford as a slot receiver.
Clifford can run, but he's no Levis, and he seems to get rattled easily. In fact, he seems to start off rattled in the bigger games. So, opposing D's began to tee off on him the second half of the season. His stats looked good earlier in the year, but he was going against some pretty pitiful defenses. Can KC make something of him? TBD...wouldn't bet either way...
Clifford needs to chill out in the pocket. This season he was completely dependent on his first read - if the first option was covered, he panicked in the pocket and then either ran or sacked himself.
Is that an eyes problem? Feet? By the end of the year he was throwing passes flatfooted, regardless of pressure. See his pick to start the second half on Saturday.
Hopefully KC can make the second reads easier on Clifford. I'm also hoping he completely trashes Rahne's down the field passing game.
Is that an eyes problem? Feet? By the end of the year he was throwing passes flatfooted, regardless of pressure. See his pick to start the second half on Saturday.
Hopefully KC can make the second reads easier on Clifford. I'm also hoping he completely trashes Rahne's down the field passing game.
Yes, Rahne didn't like to throw to the backs for some reason even though all four appear to have good receiving skills. He didn't like screens or slants, even though they can be just as effective as bombs at countering a defense that is stacked to stop the run. The way Brown runs, it was a crime that PSU didn't use wheel routes or just send him to split the safeties.
And I don't buy for a second that Clifford couldn't throw those passes safely -- a running back passing game in fact can be very low risk.
There are just so many ways that PSU hasn't taken advantage of the skills of the skill players in the last two seasons. I can't come up with a good reason except to guess that Rahne was overwhelmed and just couldn't get the offensive team prepared. Being a coordinator is a really hard job and clearly not everybody's cut out for it.
That said, Ciarrocca is going to be coming in next fall with a lot of advantages. This line and these backs -- and the performance in the Cotton Bowl, even though it was against a weak defense -- that is going to be what Big Ten D-coordinators are going to be looking at in the off-season. B1G teams are going to at least start the season gameplanning to stop the run. And that makes it so much easier to throw the ball.
I would be super surprised if there isn't dramatic improvement in the passing game, for a lot of reasons.
I'm sure he's a good coach or CJF wouldn't have hired him.
But some of you are going to be disappointed when your new shiny thing doesn't make you happy. And you won't be, because nothing will be "elite" enough for you.
But some of you are going to be disappointed when your new shiny thing doesn't make you happy. And you won't be, because nothing will be "elite" enough for you.
He’s the best QB coach we’ve had this century besides O’Brien
I think we will see a couple main things. First I think you have to look to the Minny game as a good gauge. The PSU defensive line was far superior to the Minny offensive line. We didn’t get close to their QB in that game. I think you will see a lot more passing in the middle of the field, a lot more slants and crossing patterns. You will see the ball coming out of the QBs hand quickly on a majority of passing plays. I think you will see much less reliance on the deep pass and you will see PSU attack within 20 yards much more often. Try to get the receivers in space making YAC.
Listening to a couple of the media guys, they think the short yardage offense will be much better - because the QB will get under the center and their will be a blocking back (aka fullback) employed.
I thought and said the same thing in another post but @SJLuvsLions had the stats and it did not back up what you and I thought. I will dig around to see if I can find my post.
But it was really surprising and not at all what my perception was.
PSU Completions to RBs in 2019 : 39
2nd highest number of completions to RBs in the last 7 years (second only to 2017 - Barkley's senior year - when there were 61)
But.... yeah
"Not throwing to RBs" was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the list of Rahne FUBARs
Ok guess I don't have to dig. Thanks.
Sweet Retarded Jeebzus.
Well...… since there have been all of 4 of them in that time frame
1) JVP Jr
2) O'Brien (Fisher
3) Rahne
4) Moorhead
3b) Rahne, Part Deux
It would appear that the preponderance of the evidence would rank Rahne as "4th of 4"...…. but you might be able to make an argument for 3rd (aka "next to last")
I am referring to Kirk Ciarrocca and yes Rahne would be behind all but the obvious one.
I'm interested to see how much of our playbook he keeps. His QB at Minny ran for negative yards meaning he ran very little and sacks negated the numbers. Will he do the same here or rely on QB runs that tend to get our QB1 beat up?
Minimal change and no change in terminology . CJF made it clear he wasn't looking for radical change
I hope RR took all his pass patterns with him and KC brings his own with him. Oh, Parker Washington wins the slot job as a frosh!
Lévis has the better arm too but he needs reps. Open up the competition and may the best man win.
Part of Clifford’s problems with his second and third reads is the inconsistent pass protection he gets. The consecutive holding calls against Fries when he was executing matador blocks on the Memphis DE immediately come to mind Let’s hope Ciarroca is an improvement. While he maybe should use it less and more strategically, there is no reason to abandon downfield passing plays. Minny completed several against PSU as I recall.
Coach Ciarocca history shows that he has not a proponent of the 2 back set....accorrding to Matt Jessen Howard a writer for Minnesota football.
Will Fries had 2 bad plays (unfortunately in a row) other than those plays , he played ok. The guys inside really struggled in pass pro as did #53, so I think people need to stop signaling out Fries, he actually played pretty well, except for those 2 plays. I rewatched the game, have you?
Well, we know he game planned the absolute heck out of us, but his team could only score 17 against Wisconsin at home with the West Division title on the line and their growing prestige at stake. PSU should not have lost to them. Minnesota's 2018 season scoring body of work was up and down. Hopefully, with the better talent PSU has he's setup to be even more successful. I agree that we're already setting our expectations so impossibly high when they are not met the board will go into its usual meltdown. I'm hoping the absolute best for KC as he meets this tough new challenge.
That doesn't give me the warm fuzzies. Defenses always catch up to what even the best play callers are doing. Gotta evolve, sometimes significantly.
My guess is KC is an upgrade over RR but people expecting dramatic change are going to be disappointed. CJF has been clear he was looking for someone who isn’t looking to make dramatic changes. Also he can only coach up players as far as their talent allows.
I agree our interior did a terrible job in pass protection. Fries just isn’t athletic enough to play OT. I do think he could make a really good guard.
It only bursts balloons when you stick to the facts. A veteran offense and personnel recruited to play a certain O...isn't gonna see radical change.
if he isn't athletic enough, then neither are 53 and 75, they struggled as well with pass pro. We will see.
Could playing against better defenses in the 2nd half be the reason he was less effective?
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