Friday, November 03, 2006

A Much Needed Adjustment


1-7. It doesn't quite fit right at Fresno State does it? I mean how often does a Fresno State team start off the season slow? How often do the Dogs go through the first five games without talk of a BCS game? In 2006 there is no talk of a BCS game, there is no talk of a WAC championship, and there is no talk of a bowl game for the first time in eight seasons. Instead there is turmoil at a school that has been an upstart program over the last decade. Instead there is bickering amongst fans with respect to how this team is being run. Instead there are more problems building up inside of a football program that looked to be on the right track for so many years in the past. Instead this football program is heading down the road to an unthinkable finish: 1-11. When is the last time a Fresno State team finished the season with one win? In 1944 Fresno State went 0-6 meaning the last time you could find a season where the Bulldogs looked so helpless happened over sixty years ago. But that is a moot point now. Fresno State is 1-7 today and the reason for this is adjustments that our coaching staff refuse to make.

Let's examine the beginning of this seven game losing streak. The Oregon game was called well as the Bulldogs attacked the weaknesses of the Ducks and should have come out of that game with a win. Brandstater made some great throws and showed toughness that made us believe we had our QB of the future. It would be the following week that provided a glimpse of what the rest of this season truly had in store for this Bulldog team. Fresno State walked into Huskies stadium to face a team that was absolutely horrible against the pass. Fresno State's response to this? Run the ball down the throats of the other team until we break through. It never happened and throughout the course of the game the offense never opened up the passing game. The following week at home Fresno State faced a Colorado State team that was stout against the run but questionable against the pass. Even with Colorado State stacking eight men in the box Fresno's response was to once again force the ball into the middle of the field with the running game leading to another loss. I am going to skip the Utah State loss because we did nothing right in that game and our game plan was horrific all around. Next up was Hawaii and we all know what they can't do on defense. But the adjustments in this game needed to made on defense as Hawaii had more than five seconds to throw on every play. We never blitzed, we never put in any other schemes, and we did very little to change our defense although Hawaii was shredding it play after play. LSU has no weaknesses so we will skip that game as there is very little that could have been done differently in that game. Finally we arrive to Boise State. Boise's pass defense is average at best. They are a great run defense team. So Pat Hill's response to this? Run the ball and let Norton throw the ball ten times in the first half. Here is where all of our problems begin for the Bulldogs.

Pat Hill in his stubborn state refuses to change his game plan even if the other team has sniffed it out after the first drive of the game. Great coaches adapt around the weaknesses of other teams. New England played Minnesota this past week and threw the ball the entire game even though they are primarily a run oriented team. Why did they do this? Because they knew Minnesota could stop the run but had a suspect pass defense. When the same situation was placed in front of Pat Hill with ten days to prepare for the game he had his team come out and throw a whopping ten passes in the first half. I am not sure if Hill has become senile in his tenth year but he has lost whatever edge he seemed to have in the past. One friend told me that he believes the reason we cannot go the distance with anyone else is because they have become just as physical as we are and are beating us at our own game. I cannot say I disagree with this assessment of the Bulldogs. The problem is where does this leave Fresno State with respect to the future? I am willing to bet that against New Mexico State the Bulldogs will not pressure Holbrook and he will tear us up passing the ball all over the field. There will be no adjustments made and the Dogs will give up forty points without a problem. If Pat Hill stays will next year's team do the same thing? Will the Dogs do absolutely nothing to combat the moves made by other teams? Adjustments need to made on this team and in more ways than one. Whether it be by changing coaches or the offensive and defensive mindset I do not care. Something must be done and if it isn't this program will end up being another San Jose State for the next five years.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What makes football so great is it's dynamic nature. That means it is always changing, or evolving. Hence, what worked yesterday will not neccesarily work tomorrow.

That is why coaches pour over game film--to determine a plan of action to exploit their opponents' weaknesses. If you have decided before the season even starts what your "game plan" is, then you are proving incapable of adapting to avoid exploitation of your own team, or to capitalize on other teams' vulnerabilities.

This is a sure prescription for failure, irrespective of past successes. It also is a description of Pat Hill's football team. Notice the correlation?

Steve Burnes

nsc said...

So Steve do you think that Pat Hill came into the season saying "We are going to run the ball regardless of who we play"? I wouldn't disagree with you here, just wondering what you think. I feel like Pat won't adjust the game plan regardless of the damn situation. I mean I can tell you right now the middle of Boise's defense was terribly weak. If you lined up receivers or ran the TE over the middle you had an advantage right off the bat but we have no variety to the passing game so no QB is going to look good. Like i said before, we have the parts to run a spread offense but heaven forbid the Dogs score 40 points a game, we give up 40 so we have to do something like that.

Anonymous said...

Yes. I am saying PH decided our strength is running the ball before the season began, and that regardless of circumstances or whom our competition is, that is what will be called.

I enjoy reading your blog--it helps keep me sane (sort of) in an insane season.

Steve Burnes

nsc said...

They are talking about recruiting right now on the George Takada show and I have to say that they are dead wrong on defense. They say we have a lot of depth at safety, I must be missing something. We need to recruit speed first and foremost. At the same time stay away from offense, we have plenty of offense for the future. Just change the offensive gameplan and we will be fine. The defensive side is what we need and we need it badly.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you there. I really don't see what the talk show hosts are talking about with these DBs... There hasn't been a single thing they've done right this season. And in the boise game they played like they'd never been coached.


I really enjoy the blog, keep it up!

-Not Steve-

:D

Anonymous said...

Maybe PH knows our offensive line can't give the quaterback more than 1-2 seconds to get rid of the ball so he chooses to run the ball and at least pick up 1-2 yards.

My dad recorded the game for me b/c I don't have cable so I will watch it tonite. But from what I have read it really sucked.

I don't care what happens this season. I'm just glad I graduated from a different school. If FSU was my alumni I would be extremely discouraged.

Keep up the good work on the blog.

--SB

nsc said...

Steve, check one play out in particular and it will show you exactly why Brandstater is so bad under pressure. He throws an interception early in the second half to the LB. Here is the problem, slow the play down and look left. If Brandstater takes one step left that LB that picks off the pass is now in pursuit of him leaving the receiver to cross the field with a two step advantage on the corner. Brandstater has no field vision which is horrible.

Also watch the two runs closely by Zabranski. On both runs there is massive holding that allows Z to get to the outside. You will also notice a roughing the kicker penalty with about eight minutes that wasn't called. Oh yea and the 55 minutes in between what I just described you will notice Fresno State getting their asses handed to them.

Anonymous said...

One pick doesn't make a bad qb... I don't think we've seen enough of either qb to make a judgement.

nsc said...

I didn't say the one pick made him bad, it's his unawareness of the field that makes him bad. I also feel like its the offensive gameplan he has to deal with that hinders his opportunities. No one can play well in this offense, it just cannot be done. I would say that in order for this offense to prosper the scheme needs to be changed more so than anything else. Anyone agree?

Anonymous said...

I certainly agree that Brandstater seems to lack field vision at game speed. And I believe it is self-evident that no QB can prosper under the current system/play calling.

I will check out that play you mentioned, NSC; thanks.

Steve Burnes

p.s. Unlike SB I did graduate from Fresno
State, and yes, I am demoralized...

nsc said...

Steve you will see exactly what I am talking about when you watch the play. The whole that opens to the left is absolutely gigantic and he does nothing about it. Anyhow I am a senior at state so you can imagine how this season is killing me. Probably in the same way that it is killing everyone else who goes here or used to go here.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I've got it worse... I graduated from FS and WORK there!

I love this school and the dogs and always will...

Anonymous said...

So I see that misery still loves company. I teach in Monterey County, tout the 'Dogs to anyone who will listen, and catch hell when we self-destruct.

I catch hell a lot.

Steve Burnes