Here's an interesting article, grading the Sac. State game. The stat that jumps out is that thru 6 games this year, the Bengals have given the ball away 23 times. Wow. That's just shy of 4 turnovers per game. How many were turned into points by the opposition? It's hard to win when you give the ball away that many times.
Here's the link...
http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2009/10/12/sports/local/1.txt
I'm curious if there are consequences for turning the ball over, other than riding the pine. I've heard where some programs require ball carriers that leave the ball on the carpet to carry around a football for a week. You know, carry it to class, take it practice (put it down while they are involved in the practice), shower with it, eat while holding it, even taking it to bed with them. If someone sees the player without the ball, stiffer less subtle actions are used such as running stairs or wind sprints while carrying a ball in each hand. It may seem silly, but it gets the message across. Not only is it a remedy for the fumbling player, but other players take notice, too. It re-enforces the need to take care of the ball. The same kinda deal with O-linemen who give up a sack or D-linemen who miss a sure tackle, for example. Rather than carrying a ball around, they take a 10 lb. weight with them. Again, giving the linemen a physical tie into staying focused on their assignments. Does ISU do this? If not, maybe they ought to try. If the Bengals don't give the ball up, their chances of winning improve dramatically. Just look at the Sac. State game.
Here's the link...
http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2009/10/12/sports/local/1.txt
I'm curious if there are consequences for turning the ball over, other than riding the pine. I've heard where some programs require ball carriers that leave the ball on the carpet to carry around a football for a week. You know, carry it to class, take it practice (put it down while they are involved in the practice), shower with it, eat while holding it, even taking it to bed with them. If someone sees the player without the ball, stiffer less subtle actions are used such as running stairs or wind sprints while carrying a ball in each hand. It may seem silly, but it gets the message across. Not only is it a remedy for the fumbling player, but other players take notice, too. It re-enforces the need to take care of the ball. The same kinda deal with O-linemen who give up a sack or D-linemen who miss a sure tackle, for example. Rather than carrying a ball around, they take a 10 lb. weight with them. Again, giving the linemen a physical tie into staying focused on their assignments. Does ISU do this? If not, maybe they ought to try. If the Bengals don't give the ball up, their chances of winning improve dramatically. Just look at the Sac. State game.