The maddening part is I believe our OL gave up the fewest sacks in the league last year. I know they've been ravaged by injuries, but still.
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Is it time to sit Sefo?
- Thread starter lvbuff
- Start date
The maddening part is I believe our OL gave up the fewest sacks in the league last year. I know they've been ravaged by injuries, but still.
That is so maddening! Apparently injuries and losing 2 guards completely decimated this line.
That was due, in large part, to the overwhelming use of bubble screens and quick passes. Not to say last year's line wasn't better, but those sack numbers last year are misleading when comparing to this year.
If true, I wonder why BL doesn't go back to calling those plays and take pressure off Sefo? Ugh...I shake my puny fists of impotent rage...
Not that misleading when you consider we had competent LT play for most of the season.
Does that really explain why the sack rate from 2014 to 2015 is going to be more than doubled? It's not as if we lost a 1st round NFL LT that anchored the line.
There has been a noticeable decline in the "catch-and-throw" play calling this year. Lindgren and MM clearly felt they could move away from those plays this year and allow Sefo to make his reads and go through his progressions (I can't blame them after watching opposing defenses essentially run those bubble screens for us by the end of the year). That change in play calling, along with injuries along the OL are the main culprits to the increase in sacks, IMO.
Sefo will have to be carted off of the field for us to ever see a change. That will also include blowouts.
bigbuff44
Well-Known Member
And that's Sefo's fault? I have said for the longest Lindgren calls terrible plays and he gets ultra conservative in the 2nd half of games. Where was the screen pass to the RB all game? We had very little attack in the middle of the field with 2 high safeties.
Aside from a few plays, I thought it was Sefo's best game of the year. He was far from the main culprit but will be the main scapegoat die to the position he plays. He is far from special, but he is not horrible. Lindgren just went too conservative in the 3rd quarter and we had no answer for a QB that could run like Randall. It's as simple as that to me.
The problem is that type of QB does not win games that play out like last night. The offense follows his lead when the 4th quarter comes and it ain't pretty.
AZ's defense isn't really that good but your point remains. We just can't seem to have all aspects in sync for the whole game. Our offense was rolling last night while our defense was playing very well against the best O in the P12. Couldn't sustain, per usual.
FlatironsBuff
Well-Known Member
The D was gassed by the time Randall came in. Why? Because of all the 3 and outs. Why the three and outs? A big reason is the lack of running game. Why no running game? Because of the horrid OL. I think at least 75%of CUs problems this year comes back to the OL. Good (not even saying great) OL gives Sefo time to read through a second or third WR. A good OL opens holes for the RBs to run through. A good OL doing those two things gives CU first downs, which gives us better chances to score, and better field position if we don't. Which in turn gives the D more rest so they play better when on the field.
Yes, seeing us lose by 7 or 14 and be in it until the mid 4th quarter is better than seeing us behind by 28 midway through the 2nd quarter with no chance after the first series of the game. The question still remains; can MM take us to the next level? Is this just injuries and lack of depth? Lack of recruiters?
The chance you take with keeping him is leaving an open spot of HC without knowing who you can get to fill it. Will a big time known name (like a Chip Kelly) really consider CU? Can we get the HC from Houston to come here? Are we willing to try for those and hire JL into the HC spot if we can't land a bigger name? We need someone who can get great coaches under him and recruit like a mother****er.
I hope we get the chance to see this year. I like MM. A lot. I wanted him to be the guy. I think at this point, he could get us in the next year or two to be a perennial 6 to 8 win team. I don't think he will take us to fighting for Championships. I don't think he has the staff to recruit to have the Jimmies and Joes to win championships (on the O side of the ball at least. JL is heading us toward those kids being on the D side.) My only worry of hiring JL is losing him as the DC. Could the new coach keep him as the DC? Can JL get a top OC and DC to come in under him?
Will be an interesting offseason I think. If we lose to OSU I think RG will be having hard conversations with the big donors to raise the money to buy out MM and go big with the next coach.
Yes, seeing us lose by 7 or 14 and be in it until the mid 4th quarter is better than seeing us behind by 28 midway through the 2nd quarter with no chance after the first series of the game. The question still remains; can MM take us to the next level? Is this just injuries and lack of depth? Lack of recruiters?
The chance you take with keeping him is leaving an open spot of HC without knowing who you can get to fill it. Will a big time known name (like a Chip Kelly) really consider CU? Can we get the HC from Houston to come here? Are we willing to try for those and hire JL into the HC spot if we can't land a bigger name? We need someone who can get great coaches under him and recruit like a mother****er.
I hope we get the chance to see this year. I like MM. A lot. I wanted him to be the guy. I think at this point, he could get us in the next year or two to be a perennial 6 to 8 win team. I don't think he will take us to fighting for Championships. I don't think he has the staff to recruit to have the Jimmies and Joes to win championships (on the O side of the ball at least. JL is heading us toward those kids being on the D side.) My only worry of hiring JL is losing him as the DC. Could the new coach keep him as the DC? Can JL get a top OC and DC to come in under him?
Will be an interesting offseason I think. If we lose to OSU I think RG will be having hard conversations with the big donors to raise the money to buy out MM and go big with the next coach.
Good point, Mtn.
Sefo was responsible for all 4 TD's against UofA, and didn't turn the ball over. What more do you want from him?
Lindgren is the one calling the plays. He is the one getting cute after a couple plays and kills momentum. He is the one that called an offense that was hoping not to lose instead of trying to win.
But your right. Its all sefo's fault.
By the way Sefo is supposed to block as well.
I know that it is normal to focus on the QB because he is the guy who has the most influence on the game but this teams problems go much deeper than the guy taking the snap from center. The OL was at best questionable at the start of the season, with injuries it has gotten worse.
Lindgrens play selection and utilization of the personnel he does have (how many more times do we need to see Powell try to run wide) makes it almost impossible to maintain any momentum and continuity.
Sefo certainly has his issues as well but dropping the blame on him at this point is ridiculous when you look at the whole picture.
I totally understand crapping on Sefo when he throws a pick-six, or fumbles it because he stood in the pocket too long, or hits near 50% of his throws, but the UofA game was his best game of the year. By far. That loss is on the OL's inability to consistantly open up running lanes, Lindgren calling head scratching plays killing momentum, and the defense just plain running out of gas.
I agree, but all the good Sefo does in a game is quickly erased when he has a bonehead play in a crucial moment (INT in the RZ against Hawaii, Fumble against Oregon, huge sack against AZ).
Yea, Sefo didn't win the game, but he sure as hell didn't lose that game.
All teams commit mistakes and turnovers. The great teams have the breadth and depth to counter those mistakes at all positions. We do not.
Correct. We are obviously not a great team, or even a decently good team either. We had essentially all the breaks go our way against AZ, and it still wasn't good enough.
fatbuff
Member
The OL did a pretty good job of pass protection in this game. Sefo got happy feet and missed open recievers all night. Aside from penalties I thought the OL did a better job than expected.
Where the **** did I say it was all Sefo's fault?
Calling for a backup to get quality reps does not equal saying the starter sucks. Those are some bigbang2 level reading skills you've got there.
In a game where we still had a chance to win/tie up until the final drive, why would you pull the starter for any series?
See Arizona game.
OL play was at times pretty good, at others less than adequete.
I think with Sefo now the issue is that the lack of protection has gotten into his head. Similar situation to David Carr when he was drafted by Houston. Sefo has been hit so often, and so many of those were early in the play, that the clock in his head that QBs have to have is broken.
He is at a point of anticipating the hit instead of making the play. He either hurries his throw even when he doesn't need to or is surprised when the pressure isn't on him and starts to look for it instead of making the play.
I respect Sefo a great deal and am glad he is a Buff. I would have liked to have seen what he could be had he been given the opportunity for a normal development curve. No way to prove it but I believe that throwing him in when Wood fell apart in many ways ruined him as a QB. At this point I don't know if the damage can be undone.
This is the reason that I don't under an circumstances want to see Montez playing this year. I'd like to see Apsay get some snaps but on a limited basis. Enough to get his feet wet and to see the speed of the game but not enough that he gets shellshocked. I think those limited snaps could help prevent him from getting shellshocked if he eventually does have to play extended time.
Time to pull all stops. Get Gehrke and Apsay both time under center, what the f u c k do we have to lose? we are not winning with the combo we are running. There are wide open receivers running down the field Sefo is not seeing. You hit on ONE of those and it changes the whole dynamics of the game. Sefo has had time to hit passes. The OL is not that bad, not saying they are great, but have seen much worse. Sefo needs to get rid of the ball faster and trust his receivers by throwing to where they are about to be. Our running game is a joke now that we are in conference, because we can not pass. The DC on the opposing teams are loving us, we make their job easy. Still no running backs stepping up. Powell is done it looks like, Lindsey just does not have the speed or size, Carr - call me unimpressed so far. Adkins has made his usual mid season vanishing act.
BorrachoBuff
Well-Known Member
I agree that Sefo is out of his league. But I also think he gives us the best shot at winning. I think we should play Sefo until we are mathematically eliminated from Bowling. At that point, we need to play Apsay for the final 2-3 games to aid in his development.