[NU Sports] perspective and sutton

[Jonathan Hodges]

Sutton was the key guy in the 'Cats' 3rd quarter scoring drive,
ripping off multiple runs of 10+ yards.  If he doesn't have 8+ guys on
him at the line of scrimmage, then he can do nice things.  I'm not
sure what strategy the coaching staff is planning on going with for
the rest of the season, but this extremely conservative play calling
(runs from RB and QB and some passes shorter than 5 yards only) will
lead us nowhere.  These QBs will eventually have to prove themselves,
and severely limiting their options will not help in that regard.

Jonathan

On 9/17/06, Brad Wilson <bwdolphin146 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> OK, yes, the offense was horrible versus Eastern
> Michigan. Dull, plodding, predictable.
>
> But what should we expect, realistically?
>
> 1) We lost one of the best QBs to ever play at NU to
> graduation, plus a decent o-lineman and two talented
> receivers. The leadership lost may well have been
> worse than the talent.
>
> 2) Then we lose Coach Walker, one of most innovative
> offensive minds of his generation, and the offensive
> coordinator who directed the show.
>
> 3) Then the only QB who had a smidgen of experience
> and who was the no. 1 QB in the spring goes down with
> a nagging injury, along with a top receiver.
>
> 4) That leaves 2 inexperienced redshirt freshmen to
> play QB and a gap at wideout.
>
> 5) Since the playcalling is designed (in my view
> correctly, for now) to protect the young QBs and limit
> their mistakes, we're almost never throwing down the
> field (how many times did we do this Saturday? Five?
> Maybe?)
>
> So the result is a offense lacking experience and
> confidence, led by green QBs that has one strength:
> running the ball. Unfortunately, everyone else knows
> this, and the result is (and will be) eight-man
> fronts. While the offensive line is talented and
> experienced, it cannot open holes against eight- and
> nine-man fronts on a consistent basis. Last season,
> the respect for Basanez, Philmore, Fields, etc.,
> opened up lanes in the running game. Remember Coach
> Walker said he used the spread to run the ball first?
> It's harder to do when there's no downfield passing
> game.
>
> So I wouldn't quite blame the offensive line totally,
> not yet. Frankly, given what the offense has gone
> through, the struggles are very predictable.
>
> I do have a question: why wasn't Sutton getting the
> ball in the fourth quarter? You wonder if he's somehow
> in the doghouse. I hope not. While Jordan is a nice
> back, Sutton is special. He needs to have the ball.
>
> Brad Wilson
>
>
> "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.
>
> "We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular." -- Edward R. Murrow, 1954.
>
> "Quis ipsos custodes custodiet?" -- Juvenal
>
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-- 
Jonathan W. Hodges
829 Foster St Apt 401
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