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Skill position rotations, workout warriors, et al.

buffs04

Well-Known Member
Hate to beat a dead horse, but is there something else going on with our RB and WR rotations (I won't even touch QB, that's significant enough to be its own topic) that is determining playing time other than talent and skill?

I think it is fairly well conceded that our offense would be more successful if we put the best players on the field. A starting lineup of McKnight, Espinoza, and Sumler is not the best we have to offer, nor is it close.

There is obviously a reason that these guys are getting PT over other players. McKnight is a proven commodity, at least, but I do not think that he needs to be our #1 WR.

I really have a hard time buying that Sumler's blocking is so valuable that DS needs to sit on the bench the entire game and watch. Espinoza, on the other hand, really has no business playing the majority of snaps.

I have a huge problem with DS only getting 2 touches. The only plausible explanation for this is that there is some kind of rift between him and Hawkins.

What it really boils down to is that this scenario stinks of someone playing favorites. Personally, and I'm sure most of you are with me, I don't really care how hard someone works in practice. If they don't get it done on the field, and there is someone more capable than them behind them, play the better player.

Is Hawkins really so stubborn that he is throwing away his job and our season to send some sophomoric message about hard work or whatever other virtue he sees these less talented players as representing? This is really the only reason I can fathom for him allocating PT in the way he does.

I am not interested in our players learning life lessons come game day. I am interested in the best players playing, and the buffs winning.

There really is no excuse for perhaps our most talented player being literally locked out of the game. That playing from behind BS that Hagan spouted reeks to high heaven... 2 touches????

Hawkins played this game last year with DS. He played it last year and the year before with Josh Smith. It is really killing our team.

I don't buy this playbook BS for the WR's either. Simmons is clearly our most talented WR, other than perhaps Simas, who Hawkins, in his endless brilliance, opted to suspend for the start of the season (another life lesson that couldn't wait, I am sure). I really do not believe that he could not have been brought up to speed enough to touch the field more than once. I just refuse to buy it. We've heard it with QB's and WRs and RBs and I'm just sick of it. Tell the guy to run a ****ing go-route if you have to.
 
I do not mind McKnight getting a lot of playing time, he has earned it. Is he a #1 option? No, but he a legit receiving threat. However, Espinoza should not be getting any playing time whatsoever. Running a three-yard curl route really well should not earn you the starting nod. The guy has been hyped up by the coaches for a couple seasons now and he looks like a short, walk-on WR that is overmatched in games.

The RB rotation is just a cluster****. Nevermind the fact that Scott was basically excluded from the offensive gameplan, but where is Lockridge? The guy had a nice TD run in the second half and is never heard from again.
 
I do not mind McKnight getting a lot of playing time, he has earned it. Is he a #1 option? No, but he a legit receiving threat. However, Espinoza should not be getting any playing time whatsoever. Running a three-yard curl route really well should not earn you the starting nod. The guy has been hyped up by the coaches for a couple seasons now and he looks like a short, walk-on WR that is overmatched in games.

The RB rotation is just a cluster****. Nevermind the fact that Scott was basically excluded from the offensive gameplan, but where is Lockridge? The guy had a nice TD run in the second half and is never heard from again.
Get the best players on the field...duh? Speedy, Scott, Lockridge, Simmons...seems easy to me. And, I am not making the amount of dough that Danny is pulling down.
 
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Who is this Espinoza guy? i don't want to rip the guy but I never heard of him before I looked at the depth chart this year and he was one of the top WR listed.. Did we recruit him out of high school or is he a walk-on?
 
I do not mind McKnight getting a lot of playing time, he has earned it. Is he a #1 option? No, but he a legit receiving threat. However, Espinoza should not be getting any playing time whatsoever. Running a three-yard curl route really well should not earn you the starting nod. The guy has been hyped up by the coaches for a couple seasons now and he looks like a short, walk-on WR that is overmatched in games.

The RB rotation is just a cluster****. Nevermind the fact that Scott was basically excluded from the offensive gameplan, but where is Lockridge? The guy had a nice TD run in the second half and is never heard from again.

Hagan was a great player but his substitutions are mind boggling. He and hawk need to stick with 2 guys. Move sumler to a FB type spot and let stewart and scott get the bulk of the carries. Lockridge can be a guy who gets it too but whatever, stop running guys in and out every damn play.

We have talent and these coaches are clueless on how to use it.
 
Who is this Espinoza guy? i don't want to rip the guy but I never heard of him before I looked at the depth chart this year and he was one of the top WR listed.. Did we recruit him out of high school or is he a walk-on?

Walk-on from Alamosa. Do not be surprised if he is put on scholarship before the season ends though.:huh:
 
Who is this Espinoza guy? i don't want to rip the guy but I never heard of him before I looked at the depth chart this year and he was one of the top WR listed.. Did we recruit him out of high school or is he a walk-on?

Walk-on. Earned a scholarship this year for all of his hard work in practice. Did some returns last year (I think) but with J-Fly gone he is supposedly now "the guy" for punt returns. Meaning he's probably got better speed and moves than Scott, Stewart, Lockridge, Polk, Wright, or anyone else who could possibly have auditioned for that job. :confused:
 
Walk-on from Alamosa. Do not be surprised if he is put on scholarship before the season ends though.:huh:

Whoaaaaaaaaaa. Thought he got one this spring. My mistake. The way the articles were quoting Hawk and Kiesau I guess I just assumed.
 
It's all well and good that walk-on players that try really hard in practice get some playing time, but come on now coaches. Everyone watching the games can see that Sumler is the least effective RB of the four we have. Espinoza looks like a solid sure handed punt returner who we won't confuse for Bloom anytime soon, but at least he won't fumble or do anything stupid. Playing him opposite McKnight just isn't going to cut it. Just please for the love of god have PLAYMAKERS in there.
 
Yeah - we have to have some consistency in that backfield. Speedy and Scott - that should be it. Let Lockridge take the kickoffs and punts. Espinoza had a great wall forming on his first punt return, but he just wasn't fast enough to get around the first guy and meet the wall. Scott did great on kickoffs, but I'd rather have him run the ball down the opponents' gut.

WR - I really didn't understand why Simmons wasn't in the game more. Sure, he didn't have a lot of practice, but for the amount of time we took huddling, I'm sure someone could have told him what to do.
 
four running backs equals zero running backs. Get Lockrige in the slot and play speedy and Scott. Sorry Sulmer but if really block that well we couold use another TE
 
Mcknight gave us zero against CSU. STEP UP AGAIN DAMMIT. He killed drives. Last year, or previous years mean nothing. McKnight needs to reprove himselve. His performance sucked, hands down. You touch it, you catch it, anything less is liberal arts.
 
I find it interesting that in BG Brooks' article, Hagan says DScott was not hurt and the reason he didnt play was because they had to change the gameplan. Yet Hawkins says this today:

When asked on the teleconference why Darrell Scott had only one carry against CSU, Dan Hawkins said the sophomore tailback was "nicked up" from August drills.

I think that is his way of backpeddling to make it look like he isnt wasting talent
 
Somebody said earlier somewhere, "the coaching staff isn't even on the same page".
 
that's the most frustrating thing about this team. we DO have talent on the roster, but we keep them on the sidelines all game so that we can play walkons. the guys that SHOULD be our starters can match up with almost any team in the big 12. the guys that ARE our starters are the reason why we made csu's defense look like florida's. they DID out talent us this game because half our starters were walk ons.
 
Mcknight gave us zero against CSU. STEP UP AGAIN DAMMIT. He killed drives. Last year, or previous years mean nothing. McKnight needs to reprove himselve. His performance sucked, hands down. You touch it, you catch it, anything less is liberal arts.

Hey, easy on the liberal arts folks...:lol:





Yeah - we have to have some consistency in that backfield. Speedy and Scott - that should be it. Let Lockridge take the kickoffs and punts. Espinoza had a great wall forming on his first punt return, but he just wasn't fast enough to get around the first guy and meet the wall. Scott did great on kickoffs, but I'd rather have him run the ball down the opponents' gut.

WR - I really didn't understand why Simmons wasn't in the game more. Sure, he didn't have a lot of practice, but for the amount of time we took huddling, I'm sure someone could have told him what to do.
:lol: You could have read Heart of Darkness during the huddles...it's only about 90 pages or so...
 
Maybe Sumler's playing time indicates that:

(1) our offensive line cannot provide adequate pass protection.

(2) we have a QB that cannot be effective without good pass protection.

Therefore, we need to add an extra blocker in the backfield.
 
WR will look a lot different when Simas is back next week vs. Wyoming and Wright, Simmons and WillJeff know where they hell to lineup, never mind where to end up!!!!

Espy knows the plays and catches the ball. Frankly, he wasn't the problem. The porous front made everything fall apart. You can't move the ball without blocking.

Simple game key to CSU game:

They put pressure on our QB relentlessly, we did not.
Their QB looked like a Heisman candidate and their WR's are as well?

Fix the front 5.

Your RB problem comes down to blocking I'm guessing as well. When our front is being ripped apart, you have to really really on your RB to pick up a pass rush. Guess who does that well.... Yup - Sumler.
 
Valdez brought up his name as the next coach and I want to support great ideas. :thumbsup:
I still have Hawks back at the moment, but if we do fire Dan, Chuck would be a good choice. If he's up to it. He has a good gig going in Florida. :lol:
 
Maybe Sumler's playing time indicates that:

(1) our offensive line cannot provide adequate pass protection.

(2) we have a QB that cannot be effective without good pass protection.

Therefore, we need to add an extra blocker in the backfield.

Then we are forced to hand off to Sumler occasionally so not to tip off the defense any worse than we already do. When Scott is in we feel the need to only dump pass to him. Either way Scott is never used properly and we are too predictable. That was like watching Hansen try to run the same 4 plays in the Iowa St. game last year.
 
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