Carl Pelini & Shawn Watson

[zoogs]

Yeah, the way we 'found a way to win' last year was to take the ball outta watsons hand and let our defense win games for us by playing field position and great special teams

Well, the way we found a way to win last year was to play conservative, grab a score, and hang the hell on to it with no more risks.

It was an ugly situation last year, and we had to make the best with what we had. We saw the offense opened up finally against Arizona, and that turned out pretty well. I think I read that Watson had been working in the Wildcat for a while, but Bo didn't like it until he finally relented and gave it a chance, and it kicked a$$.

We have had a pretty surprisingly open offense this year (Oklahoma State, was a real marvel) although once the injury to Taylor hit, we did see again, the 'grab a lead and hang the hell onto it' philosophy. For instance, Missouri, after Helu's last touchdown. With Taylor still pretty hobbled for the forseeable future, we will probably see more of this.

 

[HUSKER FREAK]

innovative playcaller? not.

he just runs the flavor of the month. innovative is doing something different within your scheme that makes the other team, no matter how well prepared, left scratching their heads a little.

watson is neither inventive or innovative

Er - see Texas game for a prime example of head scratching? New routes, new formations, all within our scheme, but new looks that Texas was unprepared for. They were a good team then and had not mailed in their season at all, yet.

Now we have to decide whether we want our OC to be doing this sort of thing - exploiting various weaknesses, such as the power game on Missouri, the passing attack on OSU, the zone read on KSU - or if we should just do the same thing, over and over, and have an "identity" that happens to be so good nobody can stop it anyway.

I couldn't disagree more. The passes seemed more like desperation reactions to the fact that our zone-read wasn't working than the product of a pre-mediated game plan. I guess we'll never know for sure, but let me put this thought into your head: We tend to blame Burkhead, Kinnie, and Paul for all those dropped balls and claim that it was a lack of execution---not play calling---that doomed us. But which is more likely? That our players all miraculously failed to execute pass plays they'd been drilling all week? Or that the players failed to execute pass plays with which they were largely unfamiliar, having not run them regularly in practice leading up to the game?

I think it's clear that Watson figured we'd run all over Texas, and then hastily inserted some pass plays when he found that his run game was getting stuffed. If Watson comes in prepared to run and pass out of jumbo sets and the I-formation, we win that game.

Are you flipping kidding me? Desperation reactions? Our receivers were wide friggin open. I'm sure Texas practiced it all week that way where they wouldn't have a defender within ten yards of our receiver because they just knew we didn't have anyone on the team that had hands made of anything but stone. Let's get one thing straight. Our receivers executed the routes perfectly. This is why they were so wide open. There wasn't one pass that they dropped that I don't feel very confident in that I could catch it, and I haven't "practiced" in over a decade. If we hadn't been practicing those plays, the ball would never have been placed as perfectly as it was. The timing would have been off and everything. Your argument is very leaky as far as I'm concerned.

If you want to go back and watch some questionable play calling, I can name several games from the past. Even the great TO had a few games where I was scratching my head. Watson's definitely had some games where his play calling was questionable, but the Texas game wasn't it. IMO, blaming Watson for the Texas loss makes about as much sense as blaming our defense for the Iowa State loss last year.

This. I would also add that if the ball hits your hands you probably should catch it.

 

[bshirt]

I wonder how much money we would have to pay to get someone to take SW & Gilmore?

 

[REDSTEEL]

Have a hard time thinking that these guys are on anyones radar. chuckleshuffle