gravedigger
11-05-2018, 12:39 PM
1. We all got frustrated last season with Mullen's inability to win big games, like he always did. Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss in 2017. So when he left we collectively thought "Cool, we get the talent but we also get the productivity and big play capability of the Penn State offense". Not one of us, or Moorhead or Fitz thought there was even the possibility that Fitz would not be able to adapt to the offense. None of us knew Fitz would be suspended for the first game and even if we did , we didnt think it would matter that much.
2. Our defense was stout and our biggest concern here was if Shoop could keep it going after Grantham had such a good year. That concern was proven quickly to be unfounded.
3. Fitz, after being drilled for 3 years in the checkdown offense of Mullen, had become pretty dependent on that style of qb play. Joe's offense required just the opposite. Read the defense presnap and post snap, know where your receivers and rb's are going to be running presnap and get the ball to them inside of 1 1/2 to 2 seconds. (See any highlight clip of Penn State from 2017). Problem is, Dan's qb's were taught to check 2 routes before going to the primary route to affect the defensive coverage and that was what Fitz was used to. This holding the ball and waiting to release caused him to throw harder in my opinion. The kid's got grit and he did his dead level best to just take control of games but UK and FL and LSU's defenses were ready for him and our running backs.
4. After head scratching losses to all three of those teams, Joe finally decided to take the decision making out of Nick's hands and give him very limited options on each play. Many state fans are mad that the coach didnt do this before, but Joe had a precedent to think that Fitz would catch on sooner. He had a TRUE freshman at Fordham at qb, te and much of the OL pickup the offense and beat Army who had much more talent. Certainly this kid after leading his team for 3 years could do this? No, the LSU game proved he just didnt have it. He melted on the field. Most fans were wondering why, if we could beat Auburn, and produce there, couldnt we beat LSU? Good question, but Auburn didnt have the luxury of watching the MSU Auburn game tape. LSU did.
5. now the offense is tailored to allow Fitz to act and not think so much. Problem is, it's pretty predictable, unlike Joe's original offense. Fitz will be pretty good vs ARK and OM but the Bama game will look a bit like the LSU and Florida games.
6. In the end, this years bowl prep will be like starting all over for Joe and the team. They will conform or fail. If Key and Jayden dont pick it up, someone will. If our starting receivers dont learn to run the correct routes, he'll get those who do. If our RB's dont learn their role, they will sit. Our defense will take a few steps backward due to losing 2 first round picks and a number of solid senior guys but the cupboard will not be bare.
This will not be a popular take but none of this means Mullen was a bad coach or that Moorhead is one either. Fitz is not a bad qb. He's a specialist in the offense Dan trained him in and that just was a poor fit for this particular offense. What probably messed things up the most was that the offensive line had to relearn blocking schemes and timing and the differences in what Dan expected and what Joe expects. They probably had the toughest job of all. Go back and watch the UK game. They were as frustrated as anyone.
Cohen made a great hire in spite of our teeth grinding fans that think he didnt. What is most frustrating is vocal fans are the ones who least understand what was required in the transition and it wasnt good enough to make the point 1-2 times. They needed to make it 25 times per game that they werent willing to wait on the team to absorb the new coaches offense. To those people I say stop it with trying to make everyone else as miserable as you are. Your predictions of us not making a bowl and Joe being fired this year or next is only a sign of your misery, not of reality.
2. Our defense was stout and our biggest concern here was if Shoop could keep it going after Grantham had such a good year. That concern was proven quickly to be unfounded.
3. Fitz, after being drilled for 3 years in the checkdown offense of Mullen, had become pretty dependent on that style of qb play. Joe's offense required just the opposite. Read the defense presnap and post snap, know where your receivers and rb's are going to be running presnap and get the ball to them inside of 1 1/2 to 2 seconds. (See any highlight clip of Penn State from 2017). Problem is, Dan's qb's were taught to check 2 routes before going to the primary route to affect the defensive coverage and that was what Fitz was used to. This holding the ball and waiting to release caused him to throw harder in my opinion. The kid's got grit and he did his dead level best to just take control of games but UK and FL and LSU's defenses were ready for him and our running backs.
4. After head scratching losses to all three of those teams, Joe finally decided to take the decision making out of Nick's hands and give him very limited options on each play. Many state fans are mad that the coach didnt do this before, but Joe had a precedent to think that Fitz would catch on sooner. He had a TRUE freshman at Fordham at qb, te and much of the OL pickup the offense and beat Army who had much more talent. Certainly this kid after leading his team for 3 years could do this? No, the LSU game proved he just didnt have it. He melted on the field. Most fans were wondering why, if we could beat Auburn, and produce there, couldnt we beat LSU? Good question, but Auburn didnt have the luxury of watching the MSU Auburn game tape. LSU did.
5. now the offense is tailored to allow Fitz to act and not think so much. Problem is, it's pretty predictable, unlike Joe's original offense. Fitz will be pretty good vs ARK and OM but the Bama game will look a bit like the LSU and Florida games.
6. In the end, this years bowl prep will be like starting all over for Joe and the team. They will conform or fail. If Key and Jayden dont pick it up, someone will. If our starting receivers dont learn to run the correct routes, he'll get those who do. If our RB's dont learn their role, they will sit. Our defense will take a few steps backward due to losing 2 first round picks and a number of solid senior guys but the cupboard will not be bare.
This will not be a popular take but none of this means Mullen was a bad coach or that Moorhead is one either. Fitz is not a bad qb. He's a specialist in the offense Dan trained him in and that just was a poor fit for this particular offense. What probably messed things up the most was that the offensive line had to relearn blocking schemes and timing and the differences in what Dan expected and what Joe expects. They probably had the toughest job of all. Go back and watch the UK game. They were as frustrated as anyone.
Cohen made a great hire in spite of our teeth grinding fans that think he didnt. What is most frustrating is vocal fans are the ones who least understand what was required in the transition and it wasnt good enough to make the point 1-2 times. They needed to make it 25 times per game that they werent willing to wait on the team to absorb the new coaches offense. To those people I say stop it with trying to make everyone else as miserable as you are. Your predictions of us not making a bowl and Joe being fired this year or next is only a sign of your misery, not of reality.