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Mavbacker wrote:

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Mavchamp, Anxiously awaiting your take on this one. Looked alot like the same. I think our PLAYERS kept this one in check the best they could. I have to ask your opinion on why we leave potential threats standing on the sideline when it COULD have made a difference. Not taking anything away from the other players, but Kilgore had our #. Why at this point are we not using every talent we have to throw the defense a curve that they have not seen on tape. Short Explanation-We ran a two back offense the 1st game of the season and it worked, never ran it again until last week against MP and it worked again, this week back to the same old thing that every potential opponent that has seen the tapes or do research has figured out they basically have to cover 2 maybe 3(at times) players and they have us SHUT DOWN.

Well....it's 3:30 in the A.M. I'm going to keep my thoughts brief..... and say more later when I'm not so sleepy.

1. Offense wasn't our problem tonight. Frank Reddic rushing for 350 yards on forty some odd carries was our problem. That's a defensive problem. Kilgore had two drives in the game that chewed up 6 mins or more. And they did all that with an offense more vanilla than what Marshall has run at times this season. Kilgore's O-line blew us off the ball. We had no answer.

2. Dropped passes killed us. Perfectly thrown passes that were dropped. But when you wait till November to develop a passing game, that happens. Should have been developing it back in September when we were playing Huntington, J-ville, and others. Passing games don't magically appear because you need them. Those gaudy rushing yards against some of those other teams don't mean much when you can't pass the ball effectively when you need it. Yes....I think Marshall is (and should be) a running team primarily. But the passing game opens up the running game.

3. The kickoff that we got a delay of game on was costly. The first kick was into the endzone. The rekick with the return gave the ball to Kilgore at Midfield. That was a 30 yard penalty..... and how do you get a delay of game on a kickoff?

4. The 1st and 10th games were against J-ville and MP..... who went a combined 6-14 I think this season. We might need to aim a little higher.

5. I'm not sure if we didn't adjust...... or just couldn't stop them with the adjustments. I have no clue.

6. I wouldn't say we were shut down. The only games we were shut down offensively were Texas High and the second half of Longview. We scored 36 against SS..... and had we not fumbled on the SS 2 yardline, it would have been 43. Defense was our downfall to SS. Defense was our downfall to Kilgore. Longview shut us down in the second half.

It will be interesting to see how this staff handles next year's team....because it will have a very different look.

Fitzgerald has the look of a pasing QB, but he needs to develop that all through the offseason, 7 on 7, and most definately during the first 4 games. The WR's need to getting better at catching.

We won't have the same type of scrambling QB offense like we had with Darius, Sneed, and even CJ Byrd. Fitz CAN scramble....but he's better in the pocket.

It will be the job of this staff to help him (or someone) develop into a pocket passer who can read the defense and find the open reciever.

But they will also need to find 1-2 strong running backs. Marshall's bread and butter is the rush....... but we need the pass to make the rush work more effectively.

And defense.......

I honestly think our problems this year have been more centered on our inability to stop the other team than it has been our offensive problems. YES..... our offense was flat at times this season.

But Reddic getting 350 yards..... SS getting 600 yards of offense..... Texas High tossing for nearly 400 yards...... and Longview running wild up and down the field was more our demise than our offensive issues.

OK....that's all player stuff.

Coaches......

They need to get better at making sideline adjustments.....instead of waiting till halftime.
They need to get better at getting the plays out in time
They need to get better at being able to try something new instead of beating their heads against a wall when something isn't working.

Maybe....if the same 1-2 plays hasn't worked in the first quarter and a half...... then maybe we need a new play. Or a new approach. It's almost like we script our first 10-15 plays and we stick to it no matter what happens. Even if it means three and out 3-4 times in a row.

And here is the hard part......

Find out what a kid's STRENGTHS are. And put them into a position that allows them to excel.

Right now.... it seems that we have a coaching staff trying to mold the players into THEIR system. But maybe they need to be molding the system into what the players do best. SS wasn't running the NASCAR offense prior to Rollison. And next season..... I doubt SS will be half the team they are this season. Just my theory.

But I'm no coach..... nor do I want to be one. These are just my ideas and thoughts.

I have a feeling though..... if next season plays out anything remotely to how this one did...... change will be in the air. But until that happens..... then I will support the team and this staff. But they should be prepared to take the good with the bad as warrented.

Thanks for a fun season...... I had a blast last night.

I'm a diehard Mav fan....... but I'm a bigger HS football fan. And the playoffs aren't over for me. I have 5 more weeks to enjoy.

So much for being quick....