I’ll start with the positives. I thought the QB play was generally really good. Patterson and McCaffrey both had a good command of the offense and made accurate throws. Patterson did have two turnovers but both were a product of pressure. I think Patterson is on a trajectory more similar to Rudock than he is Speight. I thought the WRs looked to be improved as well. DPJ, Collins, Perry, and Martin all had some nice catches and generally did a nice job getting open. I don’t always love our route trees or route combinations, but I think thebpaasing game will improve and eventually be solid. We punted the ball well, most of our kickoffs went through the end zone, Thomas had a huge return, and Nordin made his only FG attempt. If it weren’t for the dropped FG snap special teams would have had a good night.
Now for a few of things that disappointed me. First, I was disappointed with Gentry. The dropped TD was a play an elite TE makes. Use your frame to block the defender and catch the ball. Second, Higdon and Evans are average running backs. We keep waiting for theme to break through, but at this point I don’t think it’s going to happen. They are guys who can put up big numbers against poor competition, but the tens to disappear against top defenses. Finally, it seems like the offensive line hype wasn’t warrented. The tackles had an especially rough night and it really affected our ability to move the ball. Both turnovers were the result of pressure and we had several drives stall because our tackles got beat. I might be tempted to go with the young guys and see what happens.
I’ll finsih up with some things that I found problematic. The staff still shows very poor clock management skills. Our offense doesn’t know how speed things up and it costs us late in games. I’m don’t typically criticize play calling because I know the staff has much more information than I do, but I didn’t think the staff called a good game tonight. I thought they could have put our players in better positions throughout the game. The defense was exposed a bit in the first half. They didn’t play disciplined, couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down, and missed some opportunities to make big plays. It might not be a fair expectation, but the defense can’t have off games. They need to carry us early in the season. The penalties were especially frustrating and should happen with a veteran group.
I don’t know what this means for the rest of the season. There are things that I really like about this team. There are also things I find extremely troubling. I think they will improve, and the potential to be very good, but I’m not sure if it’s a championship caliber team. It’s going to be an interesting season to watch unfold.
Now for a few of things that disappointed me. First, I was disappointed with Gentry. The dropped TD was a play an elite TE makes. Use your frame to block the defender and catch the ball. Second, Higdon and Evans are average running backs. We keep waiting for theme to break through, but at this point I don’t think it’s going to happen. They are guys who can put up big numbers against poor competition, but the tens to disappear against top defenses. Finally, it seems like the offensive line hype wasn’t warrented. The tackles had an especially rough night and it really affected our ability to move the ball. Both turnovers were the result of pressure and we had several drives stall because our tackles got beat. I might be tempted to go with the young guys and see what happens.
I’ll finsih up with some things that I found problematic. The staff still shows very poor clock management skills. Our offense doesn’t know how speed things up and it costs us late in games. I’m don’t typically criticize play calling because I know the staff has much more information than I do, but I didn’t think the staff called a good game tonight. I thought they could have put our players in better positions throughout the game. The defense was exposed a bit in the first half. They didn’t play disciplined, couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down, and missed some opportunities to make big plays. It might not be a fair expectation, but the defense can’t have off games. They need to carry us early in the season. The penalties were especially frustrating and should happen with a veteran group.
I don’t know what this means for the rest of the season. There are things that I really like about this team. There are also things I find extremely troubling. I think they will improve, and the potential to be very good, but I’m not sure if it’s a championship caliber team. It’s going to be an interesting season to watch unfold.
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