Negative Takes from Week 2

[GrantDuck]

-CJ needs to improve patience and vision. Our running backs and WR's are just average in the Pac-12.

-Our D-line needs a little more depth.

-I'm still not sure about our kicker on field goals.

-Teams are going to go after McKinley.

-Herbert needs to improve consistency, especially against the blitz.

Those are basically my "negatives" with the team at this point.

[duckfan96]

I seem to remember Herbert against Utah...where he made plays willing the team to win. Of course he had better position players than he does now. People can say what they want when your passes hit people in the hands and are continually dropped it has to affect you. I remember people complaining about dt and his passes weren’t good. But his receivers caught his passes.(man that dude would hang in till the last second before throwing the ball)

[GrandpaDuck]

One play on Saturday CJ took the handoff and the ol
had opened a hole a mack truck could drive thru and CJ got there perfect
If he cuts to the right he scores from 60 but instead he stayed straight right
into tacklers. He just didnt have the vision.

I honestly wonder how much of this is Mastro versus the GOAT, Gary Campbell.

My negative from the game. Last year CJ started the year with horrible vision and just slammed into the called hole come hell or high water. I noticed and commented on his improvement in the second half of last year. He seems to have regressed a bit at the start of this year.

In the first 2 games we have run more shotgun than pistol. Do any of you remember how patient our running backs used to be almost running in place at the mesh point while both the running back and QB scanned the play development giving the O line a chance to set the double team then break off for the linebackers. The RB would then blast, bend or bounce the play depending on how the holes were developing. The bend was the counter that often resulted in explosive results. The mesh seems to be super fast now. The bounce rare and the bend back practically non-existent.

Talent or coaching preference? It's kind of telling that out of 5 backs the one the coaches always start is the most blast ahead straight line back.

We saw that one RB from Auburn just kill us last week with his patent cut backs and bounces. Felix has some bounce but that may be why the coaches have him so low in the depth chart, they just seem to favor blasting away.

Our running game motto should be: One cut and go - minus the cut.

[StevensTechU]

Well said.

[Phenom]

C.J. is actually really physically gifted. Dude is built, tough and has breakaway speed. His issue is that his vision is bad. If he could correct that...watch out. The other issue is that the guys behind him are really average. Felix should be the. #2 guy. He’s very talented as well, but he’s just been injured.

[dd10snoop28]

C.J. is actually really physically gifted. Dude is built, tough and has breakaway speed. His issue is that his vision is bad. If he could correct that...watch out. The other issue is that the guys behind him are really average. Felix should be the. #2 guy. He’s very talented as well, but he’s just been injured.

This. CJ is our most talented back by a moderate margin. Is his vision really that bad? I've noticed a couple of instances where he has missed the hole (I remember an obvious one during Auburn) but I've also seen him make a lot of good decisions. From my personal observation I would say he has average vision, but I'm no expert and that's not the main thing I'm looking @ during a game either..

[StevensTechU]

I feel like I frequently see all the backs try to bang into the pile instead of cut outside very, very frequently, which I why I think this may be an issue with Mastro and not the backs. Hell, watching CJ's high school tape makes it look like he had better vision in high school.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3395915/58 ... 14a8657b9a

[brich75]

I would argue that in the past we have has singular difference makers such as DAT. I would also argue that our defense as a whole is a bigger difference maker than any single player we have ever had. They are playing lights out including getting stuck 2 weeks in a row around the 5 and not allowing a touchdown

[OregonFan4Life]

I feel like I frequently see all the backs try to bang into the pile instead of cut outside very, very frequently, which I why I think this may be an issue with Mastro and not the backs. Hell, watching CJ's high school tape makes it look like he had better vision in high school.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3395915/58 ... 14a8657b9a

Does that running style coincide well with the power blocking scheme Cristobal has the OLine running?

[buckmarkduck]

Anyone watch Benson's highlights, will see our next great back. Yes the competition looks about as bad as Oregon HS, but his talent is undeniable.

[StevensTechU]

I feel like I frequently see all the backs try to bang into the pile instead of cut outside very, very frequently, which I why I think this may be an issue with Mastro and not the backs. Hell, watching CJ's high school tape makes it look like he had better vision in high school.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3395915/58 ... 14a8657b9a

Does that running style coincide well with the power blocking scheme Cristobal has the OLine running?

I don't think there's an offense where finding green space is a bad strategy, nor is there an offense where slamming into a human wall is a good one.

Anyone watch Benson's highlights, will see our next great back. Yes the competition looks about as bad as Oregon HS, but his talent is undeniable.

Great players come from all over, but his competition is like 3A Oregon high school ball, for what it's worth.

I think Benson has the tools, but I'd be shocked if he was an instant success like some of our past backs.

[shoparound]

I kind of agree on Herbert.
He hasn't exactly played with ice in his veins when it's a big game and the pressure is on.
Not that he's the reason why we have been losing these games, but it's not exactly the level that we know he is capable of.

[GrandpaDuck]

I feel like I frequently see all the backs try to bang into the pile instead of cut outside very, very frequently, which I why I think this may be an issue with Mastro and not the backs. Hell, watching CJ's high school tape makes it look like he had better vision in high school.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3395915/58 ... 14a8657b9a

I was going to post this too. While CJ was a downhill runner in high school, vision and cutting to green was a strength not a weakness. He is still better at cutting out of shotgun where he is moving horizontally and has to pick a hole.

Again, like I posted before, his patience and vision improved dramatically in the later part of the year. I wonder if he is just pressing and too eager to claim the physical tough guy role. He has now been demoted which to me is encouraging as it means that the coaches aren't pleased with what they are seeing either. Maybe this is a reset for him to be a running back again and not a snow plow.

[nogerO]

I feel like I frequently see all the backs try to bang into the pile instead of cut outside very, very frequently, which I why I think this may be an issue with Mastro and not the backs. Hell, watching CJ's high school tape makes it look like he had better vision in high school.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3395915/58 ... 14a8657b9a

I was going to post this too. While CJ was a downhill runner in high school, vision and cutting to green was a strength not a weakness. He is still better at cutting out of shotgun where he is moving horizontally and has to pick a hole.

Again, like I posted before, his patience and vision improved dramatically in the later part of the year. I wonder if he is just pressing and too eager to claim the physical tough guy role. He has now been demoted which to me is encouraging as it means that the coaches aren't pleased with what they are seeing either. Maybe this is a reset for him to be a running back again and not a snow plow.

"Don't make my offensive line look bad, just hit the hole hard and move the pile, and no dancing!"