Rebuilding

[MidlandsPaladin]

It is still perplexing how we can still look so bad on offense after we have played this many games. Yeah, our defense didn't play great today and gave up way too many 3rd downs and big plays, but they played almost the entire game. Unfortunately, they had NO help from our offense again. I think that our poor offensive performance illustrates that we have a talent gap in multiple positions that needs to be addressed. In my opinion, this is deeper than a coaching issue. I am tired of playing teams each week that seem to have breakout players making huge plays while we are having fistfights with ourselves trying to get a sustained drive together. We need some playmakers that are capable of taking a game over and rising to the occasion. We have to win some one-on-one matchups. We need somebody to count on when the game gets tight and we have to score. We are unable to do that with the current offensive roster as far as I can tell...

David Cobb on the postgame said it best. “We just don’t have any playmakers on offense with the possible exception of Wynn.” Tried to listen to CCH on the postgame but I don’t think he ever came on did he? If he did I missed him.

We saw Kendall Thomas early on yesterday so I was optimistic they were going to try to work him into the offense. IIRC he never touched the ball again. The kid has great speed and has shown flashes of brilliance. I would consider him a potential playmaker, but he seldom gets a touch. Baffling to me.

[Sad Din]

We truly are terrible. I have said that all along and some have said (I can only remember Jackal being included) that our defense was good while I have said no, they are just better than our offense.

We have been this bad before but I never remember a time during my many years of watching FU football where there was such a gap or discrepancy between where we are and where we thought we were. That is what is truly shocking and stunning! Glad we had the extra week to prepare for this.

this right there! For some reason SD has noticed that any Dins Team (and maybe others) as soon as they start hearing that they are good the opposite happens. Do you think Belichik goes around during the preseason telling the media that he thinks they have a chance to very good? The uconn womens frosh won NCAA player of the year. What did coach say after the game they lost? She is good but has to get lots better!

[Furmanoid]

We don’t seem to have ways to get the ball to playmakers in space. Look at what CU did with ETN when they realized they couldn’t run block. They threw it to him. They also throw tons of screens that put a WR in position to make one guy Miss and then go a long way. Everybody does that. It looks like we have no confidence in throwing the ball more than 15-20 yds in the air which makes it hard to get the ball to the edge. But we could at least do jet sweeps.

[Sad Din]

We don’t seem to have ways to get the ball to playmakers in space. Look at what CU did with ETN when they realized they couldn’t run block. They threw it to him. They also throw tons of screens that put a WR in position to make one guy Miss and then go a long way. Everybody does that. It looks like we have no confidence in throwing the ball more than 15-20 yds in the air which makes it hard to get the ball to the edge. But we could at least do jet sweeps.

This is what makes no sense on the playing calling side. We used to run the option lots more. Teams like Army, Navy and AF are very successful without throwing much

What was the first series at Merc?

1st and 10 at FUR25 rush for 6 yards
PASS 2nd and 4 at FUR31 pass complete
PASS 1st and 10 at FUR45 pass complete
PASS 2nd and 4 at MER49 pass incomplete
PASS 3rd and 4 at MER49 pass incomplete
4th and 4 at MER49 punt

4 passes and after Wynn got 6 yards on the 1st play and needing 4 2x to get 1st down

[Furmanoid]

I’ve been thinking maybe we should swallow our pride and become an option team. Anybody can cut block. You don’t need arm talent. You just need good running backs and practice, practice, practice. And you need a QB who can make those split second reads. You can’t read when you’re staring at the guy you’re gonna pitch to.

[Affirm]

I have no idea how to fix this!

Coaches were successful with an exceedingly questionable roster but now can't compete with the guys they recruited and plenty of depth.

As long as we are discussing the sky falling, how many other teams do yall think are better set up for long term success in the conference. I don't see this as the beginning of a VMI dynasty.

/I am still for banning fans that bring up Pioneer.

Pioneer might be best football option for Furman.
I will be bringing it up when I think it is relevant.
I am for banning fans who do not like to think, do not want to adapt, do not deal in reality but instead are in some sort of dream world.

[Affirm]

Dear JD,

Pls bring back baseball and cut FCS FB.

At least with baseball if they finished higher than 6th place in SoCon SD was happy

Put the funds in teams that can be D1 competitive... bball, soccer, golf, tennis, wlax, XC

We can possibly do everything you want AND keep FCS football. Pioneer Football League consideration should be seriously underway.

If that happened I don’t believe many folks would come. I look at the schedule now and don’t see App State and Ga Southern and very few OOC big games. We should whip most of the teams in the conference easily. Another year or two of this and we will lose many of the loyal Furman football fans.

If that happened, maybe fewer would come, but the state of Furman Athletics and of Furman overall might improve significantly.

[The Jackal]

Yesterday was hard to watch.

Defensively, we are fine. Furman's defense has played well all season and looks to keep getting better. You just can't keep putting the defense in a situation where they have to hold an offense out from the 50 yard line all afternoon.

The offense has looked terrible. Hard to sugar coat it any other way than that.

[apaladin]

Yesterday was hard to watch.

Defensively, we are fine. Furman's defense has played well all season and looks to keep getting better. You just can't keep putting the defense in a situation where they have to hold an offense out from the 50 yard line all afternoon.

The offense has looked terrible. Hard to sugar coat it any other way than that.

Defense is better than the offense of course. The run defense seems to be good. Pass defense is not very good, but when has it ever been good? Yesterday we saw a freshman more than double his previous high in passing yards and throw for well over 400 yards and shred the defense. We rarely get to the QB and when we do we miss the tackle more than not. Rarely get off the field on third and long because no pass rush.

[gofurman]

Yesterday was hard to watch.

Defensively, we are fine. Furman's defense has played well all season and looks to keep getting better. You just can't keep putting the defense in a situation where they have to hold an offense out from the 50 yard line all afternoon.

The offense has looked terrible. Hard to sugar coat it any other way than that.

right. Look, I saw what we all saw yesterday. I don't sugar coat it.
O IS HORRIBLE. Can't run option.. can't get 3 yards on a rushing play... But w all this talk of pioneer - c'mon. we made the playoffs 2 of the last 3 years and won the conference 2 years ago (granted, mostly w a different OC !!!). We just need to really change the offense. maybe the coaches think these players can't block or throw or get open for a long pass ? I am guessing - that does take strong LOS and QB and WR w speed... Maybe they don't think we have the capability? which is bad since it is their players now... No sugar on that either.

Someone posted up thread about no use of Kendall T. He did carry it ONCE I yesterday - and got 5 yards. He has speed we need on the field in my (admittedly uneducated) spectator opinion. Just like a few weeks ago Jackal noted where we blocked incorrectly and he still got an 11 yard TD.

WE NEED MORE SPEED AT SKILL POSITIONS. A Peay exploited this over and over against us and made us look foolish.. We also need better BLOCKING !!!!!!!

[apaladin]

Here is what Mercer’s offense has done so far:
Opponent/Total Yds/Pass yds.
Wofford. 312/131
Citadel. 354/208
VMI 170/100
WCU. 426/118
UTC. 373/167(against utc subs)
Avg. 327/145
FUR. 507/406. The 406 passing yards given up by the FU defense was a Mercer school record.
Of course a lot of that yesterday was on the offense but still.

[purplehorse]

The last Mercer TD had to be a blown assignment as no one was within 10 yards of the receiver. Jackal I defer to your football wisdom but as an ordinary fan I think our defense is B at best. Our pass defense has been very porous this year and even our run defense seems to not be as good as many of our stout defenses in the past. True they have been on the field a lot but it does not seem like they have gotten many “big stops.” I think our problems are in all 3 areas, not just offense.

[apaladin]

I will say:
Special teams seem to have improved.
Punting has been excellent.
Place kicking has been better than expected.

[gofurman]

I will say:
Special teams seem to have improved.
Punting has been excellent.
Place kicking has been better than expected.

agree mostly, but we were L U C K Y not to have a punt blocked. We only forgot that bc it didn't quite happen. They literally missed 4 punt blocks by a matter of inches - AGAIN, they scouted us better during the weak and found a weakness. in 5 days Mercer discovered a glaring weakness. They could have gotten to two of those punts... I thought one punt might have been knicked?

[Sad Din]

SD thinks its time to call in the big guns... (name of the team has been changed to protect the innocent. Any resemblence of Knights to Paladins is totally coincidental)