Anemic Offense

[scooter1]

Thank goodness the defense has not given up the ship. For whatever reason (and I'm sure we will all pitch in to give our two cents worth), the Viking offense has lost it's Mojo. Is it play calling? Is it our QB play? Is it defenses finding the key to interrupt things? Is it not playing the appropriate personnel? By the way, why did Adams play so sparingly? Can the coaches, at this point in the season, STILL be looking for combinations that work? If we don't get that spark back soon, and very soon, we could be looking at some dramatic changes in the staff.

 

[VikThunder]

Thank goodness the defense has not given up the ship. For whatever reason (and I'm sure we will all pitch in to give our two cents worth), the Viking offense has lost it's Mojo. Is it play calling? Is it our QB play? Is it defenses finding the key to interrupt things? Is it not playing the appropriate personnel? By the way, why did Adams play so sparingly? Can the coaches, at this point in the season, STILL be looking for combinations that work? If we don't get that spark back soon, and very soon, we could be looking at some dramatic changes in the staff.

Anyone who has watched the game tapes know our QB cannot throw the ball. So Everyone plays the run and dares us to throw.

 

[martymoose]

Thank goodness the defense has not given up the ship. For whatever reason (and I'm sure we will all pitch in to give our two cents worth), the Viking offense has lost it's Mojo. Is it play calling? Is it our QB play? Is it defenses finding the key to interrupt things? Is it not playing the appropriate personnel? By the way, why did Adams play so sparingly? Can the coaches, at this point in the season, STILL be looking for combinations that work? If we don't get that spark back soon, and very soon, we could be looking at some dramatic changes in the staff.

I think that there's enough video out there that people are picking up that our offense isn't really that good.

Throwing out the play up/down games, look at the trend of our scoring versus FCS teams:

41,34, 27, 7, 14

I think that the main issue is quarterback play. It's to the point where we're seeing three guys under center in a game and that does nothing to build confidence. I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for making an in game switch to change things up, but you also don't want guys constantly looking over their shoulder to see if they're going to get yanked. Additionally, play calling seems a bit suspect at time. Predictable and it doesn't seem to have much of a strategy at times.

At least we have just what the doctor ordered this weekend in Weber State. They're last in scoring defense and total defense. If the offense can't right the ship this weekend, it may be time to think about changes.

 

[pdxfan]

Well, we changed DCs midstream last year, and it seems to have worked. Don 't know if fumbling's the reason DJ came in late, but when he did come in this time, he didn't fumble. For what it's worth. Our rushing's fine - solid OL - but passing's anaemic. That's a quarterback problem. I agree with Marty, dropping two more QBs in could do more harm than good. Penn's known as a runner, but KM seems to run just fine. And he passes better than Penn. I can see putting the steady Ramirez in to give KM a breather.

And yes, with blitzes and rushes we should blow Weber away. IF the offense comes through.

 

[HornyVike]

Answering scooter's question, I really do feel like a lot of the issues with the anemic offense is on the coaches and the play calling. I have been critical on Barnum before, but even last year and the beginning of this season when this offense was racking up yards, the team squandered a lot of leads late because opponents made adjustments and we simply do not. The offense has been figured out, and it's easy to single out the QB (KM), but Ramirez and Penn aren't absolutely lighting it on fire when they are in there. I think it's more with the offensive scheme. Barnum calls no plays to help out the passing game. It's all vertical. And I have said it before, but the pass offense is best when the offense's tempo is quick, and KM has time to change plays and make pre snap reads. Has any one else noticed this? The offense seems to only move when they are racing against the clock (end of the half or when they are in a shootout like against Poly). Too many times, I have seen the offense get plays in way too late. This offense has become predictable, we need to run more routes than just deep fades to Dean or Closs in the seam.

What is encouraging is that Bruce finally called some rollouts for KM, and it was pretty successful. Maybe we can build on that moving forward with KM...

Oh wait, whose our QB? Is it KM, Penn, or Ramirez. This coaching staff needs to select a guy and stick with it. These short leashes are either making the QBs press to make plays (ints), or play conservative (3 and outs). It kills the offensive cohesion, and strips away the credibility of the QB. How are either of these QBs supposed to have a team believe in them and lead if the coaches cannot believe in them?

PS How were our biggest offensive weapons not in at the same time against UND? Did Dean, Adams, and McDonagh ever get one snap together?

In other news, I am very happy with our defense!