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TBBC Fans Interact: Thoughts On Indiana Hoosiers
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Huge shout-out to @qstorm9 @mmeals @CBJFan92 @micahmike33 @MEATBAT24 being the gracious fans this week for our fans interaction. Take a looksie at last weeks and you can see how passionate our fans are! I was truly amazed at how little language I had to remove! I am just kidding, they all were very well behaved and would make awesome bloggers!
Trusting your instincts, what would you say was the underlying problem with Ohio States Offense on Saturday against Indiana?
qstorm@ – Really the same problem that seems to have plagued the offense all season so far: Execution and play-calling. First of all let me preface that I am a big Urban fan and trust him very much so; my thoughts and opinions are strictly from a fan perspective as an outsider looking in.
Great game and great time. #GoBucks #BuckeyeFootballRoadTrip pic.twitter.com/awCLgpnVlB
— Jeff (@qstorm9) October 3, 2015
Cardale to me has proven to be more of a drop back, pocket QB who when he does run is a straight ahead, run over and through you type of runner. He has minimal “juke” moves or making an effort to make you miss. If team misses him on a tackle its because he ran over you. So why provide the illusion that you are running the zone read when everybody in the stadium knows you are going to give the ball to the RB? This allows the defense to 100% key in on the RB. Cardale is not a zone read QB because he is not quick enough to hit the hole if he does decide to keep the ball. I just think that the offense should cater to the strengths of the current starting QB and not make him out to be a JT Barrett or Braxton. Through coaching on my own I have learned to cater your system around your talent, not your talent around your system…let that sink in.
Turnovers, execution, and play-calling, and bad decisions all plagued OSU versus Indiana. Not a great day for the offense.
mmeals – This was the flattest team I can remember at Ohio State in years. There seemed to be no sense of urgency or explosion from anyone on offense. Look the CJ’s fumble that Decker recovered. In real time speed, he (Decker) seemed to be going in slow motion just to recover the ball. Whenever Ohio State ran an offensive play, it seemed like a lethargic beast was in the game, not the (what should be) most explosive and fastest and most skilled offense ever at Ohio State.
EZE saved the day, but the key play in my mind was 14 yard run that helped set up Elliot’s 55 yd score. That played showed that we could have some explosion and get a first down, which seemed to spark to the OLine and EZE that it would be a rushing game to win, even though we all thought CJ would throw for 400 yards against a terrible IU pass D to win
CBJFan92 – The underlying issue I’m seeing a lack of confidence/trust on the offensive side of the ball. Whether that’s the coaches not trusting skill guys to run the deep routes, not trusting Cardale or the line to change play/protection when reading defense, or not having enough faith in the game plan and having the players buy in. We got to see the heart of the offense Zeke explode for big runs yet we saw just as fast them go away from him for an entire series. This offense needs to have their Band of Brother moment where their faith in each other and the staff is unbreakable and without doubt. Til this confidence is restored as a whole we may see this pattern continue
But but arm chair coaches say differently https://t.co/wb73XL6vGd
— jaybuckeye74 (@CBJFan92) October 6, 2015
micahmike33 – I think they need to not worry about using the quarterback as the main offensive weapon. With all the read options and QB runs while effective at times are taking plays away from a Heisman in Zeke. I think the QB wether it be Cardale or JT needs to be a facilitator not a main runner. Get the ball in the hands of the weapons (Zeke, Braxton, Thomas) and use there running ability when it’s most effective, when the defense is on its heels spread out trying to guard the weapons and they get the 10yd to TD scramble from QB
Scientifically speaking… Braxton's spin move was truly amazing
— Micah Pfalzgraf ETT (@micahmike33) September 9, 2015
MEATBAT24 – Saturday was both play calling and execution as well. Indiana was stacking the box daring Cardale to beat them passing and yet the play calling didn’t take advantage of the situation. They could have run slants which if thrown correctly are almost impossible to defend or send a tight end down the seam but they didn’t do either. Inaccuracy and lack of touch are an issue with Cardale but I feel like thats more of an issue with Cardale trying to hard not to make a mistake. The turnovers and penalties are going to kill this team at some point if they aren’t cleaned up, they will not continue to win being minus 3 in turnover margin. It is a sad day when an Ohio State offense makes an Indiana defense look like the 85 Bears for an entire half.
It is a good thing for the Buckeyes that Zeke Elliott is a stud be cause he literally carried not only the team but the entire fan base on his back in the second half. He made a man miss and then out ran the secondary on the 55 yard run. On both the 65 & 75 yard TD runs by Zeke he was hit close to the line of scrimmage and broke tackles to score, the blocking was average but Zeke as we all know is anything but average. The slobs need to get their act together and start working as a the cohesive unit they were last year if this team wants to remain in the hunt for another title.
It is noteworthy that Dontre Wilson seems to be giving great effort which is something he has lacked in the previous seasons. He worked hard to block downfield on Zeke’s 55 yard TD run. Dontre also ran down the Indiana defender after Cardale’s horrid interception, played through a block and made what was a probable TD and possibly season saving tackle.
The overall underlying problem with the offense as a whole in my opinion has to do with Ed Warriner trying to wear two hats. The offensive line which Warriner coaches was supposed to be a strength this year and it has been anything but that. It appears that the burden of calling plays as well as coaching the o-line has taken its toll on both. If he continues to struggle calling plays then a change may be in order though it is not something that will or should happen during the season.
Do you think the term “Silver Bullets’ has been thrown around to easy recently? What would you say was their weakness on Saturday?
qstorm9 – Really to me it was more communication versus getting beat. There was miscommunication on a few wide open receivers and on the long run by the QB. They finally started getting the pass rush going in the 4th quarter. The other issue is the defense is on the field too long because the offense cannot sustain any drives due to inefficiency. Eventually this wears a defense down over the course of the game.
mmeals – No, but only because of the wording of the question. Silver Bullets are like the Blackshirts at Nebraska. That’s the name everyone on the squad tries to live up to. Do I think our D is playing like the Silver Bullets of the past? No. Raekwon McMillian is the most silent inside linebacker I can remember in years. He is so incredibly strong and solid, but he hasn’t made a “signature” play yet.Everyone seems to have unrealistic expectations for Bosa, so people want to be down on him this year too.But they both are playing well this year, and did again against IU.
I think the D is fine. We need them to force more turnovers, and not to drop interceptions like Saturday, but I though the D played well. We can’t lose the turnover battle, which is the one weakness we showed this week. And as I said on Twitter, since Meyer got to Columbus, the open field tackling has gotten so much better. It’s not often that a Bullet will miss a 1-on-1 tackle.
Remember, IU isn’t some crap O that we can push around. They have talent and will make noise before the year is out.
CBJFan92 – The Silver Bullets are Back! We were told this. There was a video hyping us to this mantra. Are they back? I’m gonna say Yes! Saturday to me was a hiccup. This is a swarming, hard hitting defense. Last year we saw guys like Darron Lee, Vonn Bell, Eli Apple emerge. This year it’s added Tyquan Lewis, Gareon Conley, and Raekwon McMillan. They may give up a head scratching play (yes I’m talking about pretty boy’s td run) but I wholeheartedly trust this defense when the game is on the line. They’ve earned the respect and trust from their fan base.
micahmike33 – I think so besides the linebackers no one else has been overly impressive and the secondary especially lackluster this past Saturday.
MEATBAT24 – Absolutely the term “Silver Bullets” has been thrown around to easily. That moniker must be earned against top notch competition. This defense is good not great and lets remember they have only played 1 team that is top 20 offensively Indiana at 14th. Everyone else have been below average Va. Tech is 65th,NIU 72nd,W.Michigan 105th and Hawaii 122nd out of 128 teams hardly offensive juggernauts.
Silver Bullet defenses do not give up 21 first downs and 402 total yard to Indiana period. They were Silver BB’sSaturday, big enough for “small game” but they have a way to go to be Silver Bullets capable of taking down “big game”.
The biggest weakness is lack of communication which resulted in a big play, they aren’t really getting beaten physically. The pass rush was better in the second half and they were literally a step or two away from a couple of sacks. On a positive note the defense is tackling well for the most part , wrapping up instead of going for “kill shots” and missing. Part of the defensive issues Saturday were probably a result of being on the field so long since the offense struggled to maintain a drive.Fatigue was probably a factor in being just a step behind on some assignments, fatigue was not a factor in the two blatant face mask penalties though.
Grade the teams overall performance and what do they need to do to get better as the season goes?
qstorm9 – People tend to forget we are undefeated despite the struggles. Overall I would give them a B- and that’s only because the defense has really been carrying us all season. Otherwise my grade would be lowered.
To get better? Well Tom Herman is not coming back to run the offense, so it’s on Urban to figure it out whether it be personnel changes or coaching adjustments. One thing we had last year was week to week improvement which culminated with the best final three games that I have ever seen. I’m not seeing the week to week improvement this year and like at Indiana, I’m seeing regression. This is concerning.
mmeals – C-. When things went well, that was great. But it wasn’t often they seemed to go well. My grade starts at the top with the coaching staff. They need to be better at play calling, and they need to find a way to get some spark into these guys. That has seemed to have went away after leaving Blacksburg. I want to see Brax get more looks past the LOS, even if they are small, short routes. Let him get the ball past the LOS, and then make his plays. I would like to see the play calling try to feed EZE earlier in the game (not saying he needs 732 touches each game), but when you let him get 30-50 yards early, it sets up a lot with the rest of the team.
Overall, a W is a W, and we need close Ws as much as blow outs. As frustrating as it was to watch at times, I still love this team and it is a wonderful fall to be a Buckeye.
CBJFan92 – Grading the team. I’ll give the offense a C. We have got to score a TD if we get the ball at opponents 10-12 yd line. No excuses. Michael Thomas needs the ball, so throw him the damn ball!
Defense I’ll say is a B-. Not our finest day by a long shot. We had some coverage issues, a few missed tackles, but give credit to Indiana playcalling as well. Problems on defense are IMO very fixable.
Special teams A! Joe Burger made a spectacular stop on the fake. Cam Johnston was again very solid and at some point this season Vonn Bell will repay the Aussie for letting that ball get into the end zone.
micahmike33 – Overall a C simply because of Zekes performance but think they are playing down to their competition instead of making it a mission to make a statement.
MEATBAT24 – This team has been average at best in my opinion they are only ranked #1 because they are the defending Champs they are really playing like they are a top 15 team not the top dog. Because of this I would give the team a C minus so far this season. They have simply done enough to win and that is all. The offense in spite of being ranked 27th in the country is below average.The stats are a bit misleading because we have not played great defense yet.
The offense needs to quit trying to force the ball to play makers and simply get the ball to them during the normal course of the game. Utilize the screen pass to Zeke, slants and the tight end a bit more which will open up the run as well. Stop running zone read with Cardale, he is a bulldozer not a Ferrari and we all know he will hand the ball to Zeke 95% of the time anyway.
The defense has been decent thus far B minus but not “Silver Bullet” worthy yet.I have a feeling the defense will do nothing but get better if they can refrain from drive prolonging personal fouls, communicate a bit better and finish sacks when they are in position.
All the Buckeyes really need to do is clean up the turnovers lessen the penalties and they will probably be poised to make another Championship run. This team is winning in spite of loosing the turnover battle and playing below average so far, in my opinion they will be peaking at just the right time again this season, lets not forget they are the defending Champs and everyone is giving them there best shot.
An UGLY win is ALWAYS better than a pretty Loss! And heading into Saturday, the Buckeyes are 5-0.
One final parting note
For the record though I am a traditionalist and not a big fan of the Black Uniforms that are going to be worn against Penn State I am also a realist. The players love the uniforms and, “you can’t build tradition without players.” So I will embrace them since the players do at least for one game.
O.H.
The post TBBC Fans Interact: Thoughts On Indiana Hoosiers appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Huge shout-out to @qstorm9 @mmeals @CBJFan92 @micahmike33 @MEATBAT24 being the gracious fans this week for our fans interaction. Take a looksie at last weeks and you can see how passionate our fans are! I was truly amazed at how little language I had to remove! I am just kidding, they all were very well behaved and would make awesome bloggers!
Trusting your instincts, what would you say was the underlying problem with Ohio States Offense on Saturday against Indiana?
qstorm@ – Really the same problem that seems to have plagued the offense all season so far: Execution and play-calling. First of all let me preface that I am a big Urban fan and trust him very much so; my thoughts and opinions are strictly from a fan perspective as an outsider looking in.
Great game and great time. #GoBucks #BuckeyeFootballRoadTrip pic.twitter.com/awCLgpnVlB
— Jeff (@qstorm9) October 3, 2015
Cardale to me has proven to be more of a drop back, pocket QB who when he does run is a straight ahead, run over and through you type of runner. He has minimal “juke” moves or making an effort to make you miss. If team misses him on a tackle its because he ran over you. So why provide the illusion that you are running the zone read when everybody in the stadium knows you are going to give the ball to the RB? This allows the defense to 100% key in on the RB. Cardale is not a zone read QB because he is not quick enough to hit the hole if he does decide to keep the ball. I just think that the offense should cater to the strengths of the current starting QB and not make him out to be a JT Barrett or Braxton. Through coaching on my own I have learned to cater your system around your talent, not your talent around your system…let that sink in.
Turnovers, execution, and play-calling, and bad decisions all plagued OSU versus Indiana. Not a great day for the offense.
mmeals – This was the flattest team I can remember at Ohio State in years. There seemed to be no sense of urgency or explosion from anyone on offense. Look the CJ’s fumble that Decker recovered. In real time speed, he (Decker) seemed to be going in slow motion just to recover the ball. Whenever Ohio State ran an offensive play, it seemed like a lethargic beast was in the game, not the (what should be) most explosive and fastest and most skilled offense ever at Ohio State.
EZE saved the day, but the key play in my mind was 14 yard run that helped set up Elliot’s 55 yd score. That played showed that we could have some explosion and get a first down, which seemed to spark to the OLine and EZE that it would be a rushing game to win, even though we all thought CJ would throw for 400 yards against a terrible IU pass D to win
CBJFan92 – The underlying issue I’m seeing a lack of confidence/trust on the offensive side of the ball. Whether that’s the coaches not trusting skill guys to run the deep routes, not trusting Cardale or the line to change play/protection when reading defense, or not having enough faith in the game plan and having the players buy in. We got to see the heart of the offense Zeke explode for big runs yet we saw just as fast them go away from him for an entire series. This offense needs to have their Band of Brother moment where their faith in each other and the staff is unbreakable and without doubt. Til this confidence is restored as a whole we may see this pattern continue
But but arm chair coaches say differently https://t.co/wb73XL6vGd
— jaybuckeye74 (@CBJFan92) October 6, 2015
micahmike33 – I think they need to not worry about using the quarterback as the main offensive weapon. With all the read options and QB runs while effective at times are taking plays away from a Heisman in Zeke. I think the QB wether it be Cardale or JT needs to be a facilitator not a main runner. Get the ball in the hands of the weapons (Zeke, Braxton, Thomas) and use there running ability when it’s most effective, when the defense is on its heels spread out trying to guard the weapons and they get the 10yd to TD scramble from QB
Scientifically speaking… Braxton's spin move was truly amazing
— Micah Pfalzgraf ETT (@micahmike33) September 9, 2015
MEATBAT24 – Saturday was both play calling and execution as well. Indiana was stacking the box daring Cardale to beat them passing and yet the play calling didn’t take advantage of the situation. They could have run slants which if thrown correctly are almost impossible to defend or send a tight end down the seam but they didn’t do either. Inaccuracy and lack of touch are an issue with Cardale but I feel like thats more of an issue with Cardale trying to hard not to make a mistake. The turnovers and penalties are going to kill this team at some point if they aren’t cleaned up, they will not continue to win being minus 3 in turnover margin. It is a sad day when an Ohio State offense makes an Indiana defense look like the 85 Bears for an entire half.
It is a good thing for the Buckeyes that Zeke Elliott is a stud be cause he literally carried not only the team but the entire fan base on his back in the second half. He made a man miss and then out ran the secondary on the 55 yard run. On both the 65 & 75 yard TD runs by Zeke he was hit close to the line of scrimmage and broke tackles to score, the blocking was average but Zeke as we all know is anything but average. The slobs need to get their act together and start working as a the cohesive unit they were last year if this team wants to remain in the hunt for another title.
It is noteworthy that Dontre Wilson seems to be giving great effort which is something he has lacked in the previous seasons. He worked hard to block downfield on Zeke’s 55 yard TD run. Dontre also ran down the Indiana defender after Cardale’s horrid interception, played through a block and made what was a probable TD and possibly season saving tackle.
The overall underlying problem with the offense as a whole in my opinion has to do with Ed Warriner trying to wear two hats. The offensive line which Warriner coaches was supposed to be a strength this year and it has been anything but that. It appears that the burden of calling plays as well as coaching the o-line has taken its toll on both. If he continues to struggle calling plays then a change may be in order though it is not something that will or should happen during the season.
Do you think the term “Silver Bullets’ has been thrown around to easy recently? What would you say was their weakness on Saturday?
qstorm9 – Really to me it was more communication versus getting beat. There was miscommunication on a few wide open receivers and on the long run by the QB. They finally started getting the pass rush going in the 4th quarter. The other issue is the defense is on the field too long because the offense cannot sustain any drives due to inefficiency. Eventually this wears a defense down over the course of the game.
mmeals – No, but only because of the wording of the question. Silver Bullets are like the Blackshirts at Nebraska. That’s the name everyone on the squad tries to live up to. Do I think our D is playing like the Silver Bullets of the past? No. Raekwon McMillian is the most silent inside linebacker I can remember in years. He is so incredibly strong and solid, but he hasn’t made a “signature” play yet.Everyone seems to have unrealistic expectations for Bosa, so people want to be down on him this year too.But they both are playing well this year, and did again against IU.
I think the D is fine. We need them to force more turnovers, and not to drop interceptions like Saturday, but I though the D played well. We can’t lose the turnover battle, which is the one weakness we showed this week. And as I said on Twitter, since Meyer got to Columbus, the open field tackling has gotten so much better. It’s not often that a Bullet will miss a 1-on-1 tackle.
Remember, IU isn’t some crap O that we can push around. They have talent and will make noise before the year is out.
CBJFan92 – The Silver Bullets are Back! We were told this. There was a video hyping us to this mantra. Are they back? I’m gonna say Yes! Saturday to me was a hiccup. This is a swarming, hard hitting defense. Last year we saw guys like Darron Lee, Vonn Bell, Eli Apple emerge. This year it’s added Tyquan Lewis, Gareon Conley, and Raekwon McMillan. They may give up a head scratching play (yes I’m talking about pretty boy’s td run) but I wholeheartedly trust this defense when the game is on the line. They’ve earned the respect and trust from their fan base.
micahmike33 – I think so besides the linebackers no one else has been overly impressive and the secondary especially lackluster this past Saturday.
MEATBAT24 – Absolutely the term “Silver Bullets” has been thrown around to easily. That moniker must be earned against top notch competition. This defense is good not great and lets remember they have only played 1 team that is top 20 offensively Indiana at 14th. Everyone else have been below average Va. Tech is 65th,NIU 72nd,W.Michigan 105th and Hawaii 122nd out of 128 teams hardly offensive juggernauts.
Silver Bullet defenses do not give up 21 first downs and 402 total yard to Indiana period. They were Silver BB’sSaturday, big enough for “small game” but they have a way to go to be Silver Bullets capable of taking down “big game”.
The biggest weakness is lack of communication which resulted in a big play, they aren’t really getting beaten physically. The pass rush was better in the second half and they were literally a step or two away from a couple of sacks. On a positive note the defense is tackling well for the most part , wrapping up instead of going for “kill shots” and missing. Part of the defensive issues Saturday were probably a result of being on the field so long since the offense struggled to maintain a drive.Fatigue was probably a factor in being just a step behind on some assignments, fatigue was not a factor in the two blatant face mask penalties though.
Grade the teams overall performance and what do they need to do to get better as the season goes?
qstorm9 – People tend to forget we are undefeated despite the struggles. Overall I would give them a B- and that’s only because the defense has really been carrying us all season. Otherwise my grade would be lowered.
To get better? Well Tom Herman is not coming back to run the offense, so it’s on Urban to figure it out whether it be personnel changes or coaching adjustments. One thing we had last year was week to week improvement which culminated with the best final three games that I have ever seen. I’m not seeing the week to week improvement this year and like at Indiana, I’m seeing regression. This is concerning.
mmeals – C-. When things went well, that was great. But it wasn’t often they seemed to go well. My grade starts at the top with the coaching staff. They need to be better at play calling, and they need to find a way to get some spark into these guys. That has seemed to have went away after leaving Blacksburg. I want to see Brax get more looks past the LOS, even if they are small, short routes. Let him get the ball past the LOS, and then make his plays. I would like to see the play calling try to feed EZE earlier in the game (not saying he needs 732 touches each game), but when you let him get 30-50 yards early, it sets up a lot with the rest of the team.
Overall, a W is a W, and we need close Ws as much as blow outs. As frustrating as it was to watch at times, I still love this team and it is a wonderful fall to be a Buckeye.
CBJFan92 – Grading the team. I’ll give the offense a C. We have got to score a TD if we get the ball at opponents 10-12 yd line. No excuses. Michael Thomas needs the ball, so throw him the damn ball!
Defense I’ll say is a B-. Not our finest day by a long shot. We had some coverage issues, a few missed tackles, but give credit to Indiana playcalling as well. Problems on defense are IMO very fixable.
Special teams A! Joe Burger made a spectacular stop on the fake. Cam Johnston was again very solid and at some point this season Vonn Bell will repay the Aussie for letting that ball get into the end zone.
micahmike33 – Overall a C simply because of Zekes performance but think they are playing down to their competition instead of making it a mission to make a statement.
MEATBAT24 – This team has been average at best in my opinion they are only ranked #1 because they are the defending Champs they are really playing like they are a top 15 team not the top dog. Because of this I would give the team a C minus so far this season. They have simply done enough to win and that is all. The offense in spite of being ranked 27th in the country is below average.The stats are a bit misleading because we have not played great defense yet.
The offense needs to quit trying to force the ball to play makers and simply get the ball to them during the normal course of the game. Utilize the screen pass to Zeke, slants and the tight end a bit more which will open up the run as well. Stop running zone read with Cardale, he is a bulldozer not a Ferrari and we all know he will hand the ball to Zeke 95% of the time anyway.
The defense has been decent thus far B minus but not “Silver Bullet” worthy yet.I have a feeling the defense will do nothing but get better if they can refrain from drive prolonging personal fouls, communicate a bit better and finish sacks when they are in position.
All the Buckeyes really need to do is clean up the turnovers lessen the penalties and they will probably be poised to make another Championship run. This team is winning in spite of loosing the turnover battle and playing below average so far, in my opinion they will be peaking at just the right time again this season, lets not forget they are the defending Champs and everyone is giving them there best shot.
An UGLY win is ALWAYS better than a pretty Loss! And heading into Saturday, the Buckeyes are 5-0.
One final parting note
For the record though I am a traditionalist and not a big fan of the Black Uniforms that are going to be worn against Penn State I am also a realist. The players love the uniforms and, “you can’t build tradition without players.” So I will embrace them since the players do at least for one game.
O.H.
The post TBBC Fans Interact: Thoughts On Indiana Hoosiers appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...