|
|
Post by newwestcoasthoya on Sept 23, 2007 19:55:42 GMT -5
I was there yesterday. If anybody else on here was also, I’m sure you also heard the HC defense not only calling out our plays… but ALSO calling out the players getting them. This as BAD!
Football is WAR! And you cant send your warriors into a gunfight with knives... let alone their bare hands! You MUST know what kind of fight its going to be. THIS EQUALS PREPARATION! Now, when it comes to warriors, Georgetown has pretty good athletes on both sides of the ball but they are fighting a gunfight with their bare hands. The defense is on the field toooo long to be consistently effective and the offense does not run plays designed to score quickly!
1) I witnessed our offense run maybe all of 3-4 diff plays the entire game. I knew exactly what they were going to run and I have never been to a game or practice before. They are very predictable and any time the defense can call out your plays before your run them, YOU WILL LOSE! It’s impossible not too. They might as well wear signs saying “I GET THE BALL NEXT”. DECEPTION is the key to winning a war and a football game, especially when your O-line and D-line is smaller than everybody else. If Georgetown is stuck on using the same outdated formations… then (Same formation-Different plays) may be a good start.
2) On top of this, WE HAVE NO PASS GAME! I saw swing passes that got maybe 2-3 yds because the defense seemed to be waiting on them to happen. But, they ALL started from behind the line of scrimmage. What if we used the SAME formation but sent the Rbs or rec for maybe 5 and out… This 2-3 YAC will result in a 7-8 yd play that will drive the ball down field. But, we NEVER threw the ball more than 5 yds PERIOD!. This causes every opposing defense to disrespect our pass game and there is no reason to honor it. As a result, their secondary STAYS HOME every play and makes it impossible for out skilled playmakers, QB included, to maneuver lanes. It does not matter how athletic they are. THERE ARE NO LANES because every cornerback, safety and linebacker is occupying the area! It’s a well known strategy to Pass to Setup runs and Run to setup Passes. We are lopsided!
3) And, the defense is toooooooo conservative. They are soo afraid of giving up big plays that they gave up 8 yds a pass ALLLLL day! They have got to switch coverages to confuse the Offense and cause mismatches or miscommunications to disrupt an offense. Or, the defense will never stop the run or pass! And, play more aggressive! PERIOD!
However, we can’t blame this on the athletes, or the stadium or the fans or alumni or even the coaches. IT IS A COMBINATION OF ALL!!! There is no “I” in team and we all should be a part of it. We may not be the biggest, or fastest but we can’t concentrate on our weaknesses. WE MUST EXPLOIT OUR STRENGTHS! We do have some bullets that we can use to compete but our team as a whole has got to bring out the guns!
Sure, a new stadium will be great but WINNING is even greater. Its about time we SIMPLY loaded our guns and came ready and prepared to fight!
“If it aint broke, don’t fix it”. “Keep doin what you’ve been doing and you will keep getting what you’ve been getting”. WELL IT IS BROKEN!!!! WE HAVE TO FIX IT BY DOING THINGS DIFFERENT! We cant come out week after week doing the EXACT same thing and expect a different result!
|
|
|
|
Post by 98hoya on Sept 23, 2007 20:42:06 GMT -5
Good post, except for calling football "war." War is what young kids the same age as the kids on our football team are getting killed in. Football is a game that privileged kids from Georgetown play on their way to boundless opportunities and wonderful lives.
I was there yesterday too. Today is my "keep it in perspective" day. Yesterday was the day that I truly felt that the school should consider dropping the football program so as to not further tarnish names like Al Blozis (an actual warrior).
|
|
DFW HOYA
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,778
|
Post by DFW HOYA on Sept 23, 2007 21:47:18 GMT -5
I distinctly remember watching the 2002 season opener with Lehigh where the Engineers approached 300 yards in the first quarter and led 28-0 after one and 49-0 at the half. The game effectively ended Morgan Booth's college career (4 for 18 at the half) but no one was looking to fold the tents or rejoin the MAAC.
That 2002 team was hard pressed to be on the same field with Lehigh, but in 2007 Georgetown is just a victim of its own predicatability. Homecoming shines a brighter light on the team and it's up to the entire team to respond and absolutely take it to a Cornell team that ran up the score on them two years ago.
|
|
|
|
Post by 98hoya on Sept 23, 2007 22:38:45 GMT -5
Jeez, DFW, that'd be nice. I hope so. Even a loss that keeps it within, say, 14 points would be OK. It'd just be nice not to have to be embarrassed about the team.
After enduring the Gtown-HC game yesterday, I went over to the Harvard-Brown game (a cool event: Harvard's first EVER home night game). During the game, they announced local scores. Obviously, HC beat Harvard the week before, so Harvard fans think of HC as a decent team...but when the announcer said "Holy Cross 55...Georgetown 0," the crowd of 20,000+ collectively made the sound of being punched in the stomach ("ooph"). That's embarrassing to the G'town team and the university.
|
|
|
|
Post by 98hoya on Sept 23, 2007 22:44:00 GMT -5
As an aside, one of the themes of people explaining our team's breakdown is lack of funding...is there anything out there that breaks down the amount of funding the PL schools provide to their teams? I seem to remember seeing it, I just can't recall where. Just how far below the rest are we in funding?
|
|
vcjack
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,875
|
Post by vcjack on Sept 23, 2007 23:18:54 GMT -5
I have only seen our two home games but from what I have seen A. We are too conservative in our playcalling but also B. We don't have the talent to really open up the plays. I could be wrong but from where I saw it it looked like our O-line was crumbling on every play, there's no way they can provide the QB with more than a second of pocket protection in order to really pass the ball downfield.
I know people are say we have the talent but either we are WAY underutilizing it or its not really there at all
|
|
|
|
Post by newwestcoasthoya on Sept 24, 2007 6:12:51 GMT -5
From what I saw, our plays are not designed to even look down field! its true our line is very small compared to other schools, however you dont need long to pick up 10 yards. It should take a reciever no more than lets say 1.5 seconds to run 10 yds. If our QB formed out of the shotgun (which he did), and rolled to the strong side (which he did) and actually looked for those recievers teh defense that opposes us would HAVE to change!
This is because, the D would have to respect the fact that he MAY throw and the "OPTION" lanes which seems to be their bread and butter would open up a little better and actually be successful! And, we build from their!
But no matter how BIG or SMALL our O-Line is, if we NEVER PASS, an opposing defense only has to prepare for the run which is ALL we do. Even the swing passes, which are officially pass plays, but are really run plays becasue they all start from behind the line of scrimmage.
Once the Defensive scheme against us changes, and our QB actuall has time to look down field, then we take a few shots! But in comparison, lets say this was BASKETBALL! If every team we played KNEW we never shot the 3, why would they defend the 3. Its just one less thing they have to look out for
|
|
2ndRyan
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 329
|
Post by 2ndRyan on Sept 24, 2007 7:56:11 GMT -5
The team that pasted us on Saturday was itself 1-10 in 2003. (guess who their lone win was against). How did they turn it around?
I can't believe their practice facilities etc. are much better. Fitton Field does have a certain old school charm and there probably is less to do in Worcester on an autumn Saturday than in metropolitan DC. Still, I find it hard to believe they can consistently out-recruit us.
|
|
eagle36
Century (over 100 posts)
Posts: 132 
|
Post by eagle36 on Sept 24, 2007 8:54:10 GMT -5
The academic standards at Holy Cross are much different than Georgetown. They do not even require ACT or SAT scores to get in, submitting test scores is an option in the admissions process.
|
|
|
|
Post by 98hoya on Sept 24, 2007 9:02:39 GMT -5
Interesting. Is it an admissions problem? I'd think if you have a hypothetical player who is a great student and potentially a solid 1-AA football player, I'd guess the Ivy schools are going to get that student to come there over Gtown 90% of the time. If you have another hypothetical player who is a great 1-AA football player and only a decent student, they go to PL schools with lower academic standards b/c they couldn't get into Gtown. That leaves us with kids who are good enough students to get into Gtown, but not good enough to play in the Ivy League.
Agree, disagree? Just a theory playing off of Eagle's comment.
|
|
|
|
Post by newwestcoasthoya on Sept 24, 2007 9:26:07 GMT -5
I disagree! We have as good of talent as the other teams. From what I saw sarurday at HC, the ONLY positions we seems to be below par at is Offensve & defensve linemen! And this is only because we are smaller than other teams (weight wise). Of course this is a huge position to be outmanned at, however their are wasy to get around that!
The teams we play are just more prepared than we are. Nobody just stood out like they were a 1st round draft pick for some future NFL team. They SIMPLY EXECUTED PLAYS THAT WERE DESIGNED TO BEAT OUR DEFEnSE... SIMPLE!!! We have to change our play-calling strategy. offensive & dfensive. Great playcalling makes your players look Great!
|
|
|
|
Post by 98hoya on Sept 24, 2007 9:33:34 GMT -5
Fair enough. NewWest, do you think the problem boils down to bad coaching? If so, what's your theory? Is it something that can be fixed with players adjusting to the system or is it an unfixable problem under the current leadership?
|
|
GIGAFAN99
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,487
|
Post by GIGAFAN99 on Sept 24, 2007 9:55:35 GMT -5
I disagree! We have as good of talent as the other teams. From what I saw sarurday at HC, the ONLY positions we seems to be below par at is Offensve & defensve linemen! And this is only because we are smaller than other teams (weight wise). Of course this is a huge position to be outmanned at, however their are wasy to get around that! We're only outmanned at half the positions on both sides of the ball and the ones that allow the other half to operate effectively? Wonderful. You are right, there are easy ways to get around our line (as every opponent has proven thus far). |
|
|
|
Post by 98hoya on Sept 24, 2007 10:11:18 GMT -5
This is about where we were on Saturday (except the quotes shouldn't be limited to 'the second half' as Coach Mora does):
|
|
|
|
Post by newwestcoasthoya on Sept 24, 2007 11:01:17 GMT -5
98- In my opinion, the current leadership has to tweak their system to fit the current players. If we had 320 pound lineman that opened gaping holes for 230 pound backs, then it wouldn't matter if the defense knew we were going to run the ball ALL day because it would be hard stop that! But even in that BEST case scenario, an opposing defensive coordinator would at least TRY to setup a scheme to stop it.
WE CANT JUST LAY DOWN! We have to CHANGE or strategies and formations to suit the players we have since we don't have the luxury of having a recruiting powerhouse (whether its due to fan support, finance, facilities, SAT, etc). The boys are NOT BAD, they are just doing what they are told to do!
Defense - Our corners need to stop giving up 10 yds off the line. Jam the receivers and let athletic ability dictate who wins. Let the safeties help on the long ball but the corners will still be in position to make a play if the run comes their way.
Offense - OPEN UP THE PLAYBOOK! I know good and well Georgetown has more than 4 plays. We are small on the line so we need more screen plays, quick outs, cross routes, spread formations that open up lanes for our backs. We seems to have talent at these skill positions but the plays they run are designed to fail. (no matter how good you are). This is not pop werner! You cant just say put the ball in their hands and expect GREAT things to happen!
GigaFan - you are right! Its a tough task to solve but its not impossible.
|
|
derhoya
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 584
|
Post by derhoya on Sept 24, 2007 12:05:41 GMT -5
98hoya - i can speak for several of the more recent classes/graduates and in particular my own, there are tons of guys on that roster who are picking georgetown over the ivies. trust me on that. I made quite a few coaches very angry when i told them of my intentions to play at Georgetown.
that being said, our lineman are tiny b/c we are left with a 2 former TEs, a former DE to fill the holes that attrition has given us in depth. The coaching staff wants the Oline to be strong but at the same time very quick in order to effectively get to the second level to block. This strategy helps but when trying to pass block and stop a strong bull rush - nothing helps more than just plain weight which many of them have lost.
The issue in us not being able to recruit large lineman is an interesting one. I won't name anyone but there have been lots of duds in recruiting the proto-typical 6'5 300lbers at Georgetown. half of them can't run faster than 6.0 in the forty or lift a weight to save their life! This experience has taught coaches that size, though helpful, doesnt always translate into a good player.
The issue of under funding also hurts when offering larger and possibly better skilled lineman when competing against other schools ie. laf or lehigh or colgate or HC (who always seem to have big lineman). those schools are able to offer more 'assistance' to help the players in their choice, let alone their offensive schemes of smash mouth football are more appealing to the hogs up front. Yeah a Georgetown Education over a lifetime will outweigh an extra 5-10k/year one of those schools gives you, but some kids don't know that. The background in winning also compounds this problem - bc who wants to go to a losing program?
Some ways to fix these issues - 1. tie- winning/stadium 3. cash money 4. recruit the areas that others can't. tap into the CA, TX, FL, IL, GA, areas of the world that other schools don't get to as readily.
Here's to the Hoya team that played yale showing up this saturday!
WE DON'T LOSE HOMECOMING!
GO HOYAS!
|
|
|
|
Post by nycalumn on Sept 24, 2007 13:00:16 GMT -5
I did not attend either of the last 2 games but will remind you that Yale was up 14-0 after the first quarter and I suspect they were quite happy to get a win , move on to greener pastures i.e .. better facilities and better opponents .....It appears that GU is never in a position to realistically win any of these "higher profile" type games ...One wonders if we are just happy to be playing in them .. . and that's how bad this appears to have become !!!... its painful to write that !!!....I'm new to this chat but not new to GU football and have repeatedly read stories (on this board) about scheduling NAVY , beating MARYLAND in a summer 7 on 7 scrimmage and have viewed the nonsense photos depicting the Exorcist steps as some sort of football catwalk of arms , abs and juvenille hand gestures ....Lets all agree , this needs to stop ...GU gets manhandled in every game now and weightlifting seems to be popular with all our opponents too !!! ...RECRUITING ...if we barely have money for a scoreboard how can we recruit effectively in areas where other schools cannot...Lets get our players from everywhere possible BUT lets also be aware that the Eastern Coast Catholic High School leagues should be an area where GU does a much better job in identifying GOOD players...there continues to be many many catholic high schools that we dont get ANY players from ...GU may reach out to them BUT we dont get nearly as many "real" players as we should from these schools ...In more clear terms the other schools are "EATING OUR LUNCH" ...and while I understand the $ situation , WE are just getting out recruited i.e ...lots of duds ...anyone can have a bad game and ideally that will be the case here but being down 41-0 at halftime to HC must involve bad decisions across all aspects of this "program" ...GU RADIO BROACASTS ...it doesnt work ...enough said ....Look , GU has to improve in many ways , some of the things are quite minor but they all will add up and certainly all the little things will help improve the quality of the football team .........
|
|
|
|
Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Sept 24, 2007 13:59:10 GMT -5
I think we were in legitimate position to win the Yale game. We had 2 oppertunities to score that we got screwed by the refs/clock. If we get those two scores we could win the game. We would've been tied. I'm pretty sure Yale was playing their first team all most the entire time if not the entire time. We came up short. but if we'd gotten a few calls, we definetly could have won that game.
|
|
|
|
Post by nycalumn on Sept 24, 2007 14:14:57 GMT -5
Fair enough ...I wasnt there ...and it was 28-14 and only 350 yards in opponents offense which is clearly our best effort ...but lets agree that we really cant be satisfied with coming up short , forcing them to actually play starters , hoping for calls and having OUR OWN MALFUNCTIONING CLOCK screw us ....c'mon ...we are all rooting hard for GU ..we just have to improve on many fronts ....
|
|
