Slow Starting Offense

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Judoka

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Jun 16, 2010
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Over 9 games, we have scored 28 first quarter points. 28!

And 7 of those were off of a kickoff return in the Texas Tech game.

Our offense has scored 21 points in the first quarter.
 
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iowa_wildcat

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Jan 25, 2008
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So come out with all cylinders blazing. If ISU kicks off, go for the onside kick. If the offense has the ball first go for the long ball. If ISU scores first, then go with the onside kick. Defense needs to lay their ears back and stunt and blitz and apply pressure.The Clones have nothing to lose. The Clones do not match up physically so throw caution to the wind. Why not have fun and let it all hang out?
 

alarson

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The chart on the touchdowns is a bit interesting.

We suck in the first quarter, seem to put some things together in the second, they make adjustments to shut us down after half, and then we show a statistical spike in production in the 4th thanks to garbage time touchdowns
 

intrepid27

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Oct 9, 2006
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I hope everyone that thinks our lack of production is all Mess's fault reads this. It appears to me our productivity is worse at the beginning of each half. I'm guessing the entire offensive staff and CPR discuss what the plays they want to run in the 3rd quarter and especially the 1st quarter. This lack of productivity seem like a team effort.
 

GoSTATE71

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May 19, 2008
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CPR sucks at offense, but so does Messingham. Therefore, you basically have a whole side of the ball that is running around and has no idea and is completely inept. Its going to be ugly.
 

CYCLNST8

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Jul 19, 2008
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Here's what I'd like to see happen:

Screw the "jet" spread no huddle crap. Everyone else is & we're the worst at it. The hurry up should still be an option, but let's huddle and run a pro style offense. Bring back the fullback. Let's go Stanford style. Slow the game down so that we're only getting beat by 28 as opposed to 70. Bring back Sage and/or Seneca in an at least advisory role if not coaching.

And oh yeah, please at the very least get a play caller with an imagination. Rhoads has never had to fire anybody; but DMac did it and had the team winning a bowl game the following season.
 

dmclone

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Oct 20, 2006
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I hope everyone that thinks our lack of production is all Mess's fault reads this. It appears to me our productivity is worse at the beginning of each half. I'm guessing the entire offensive staff and CPR discuss what the plays they want to run in the 3rd quarter and especially the 1st quarter. This lack of productivity seem like a team effort.

Actually, I take the opposite view. Mess has all week to plan out the first few series of plays yet ISU fails to score. Then he is given time at halftime to make adjustments and we fail to score in the 3rd quarter.
 

boone7247

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I hope everyone that thinks our lack of production is all Mess's fault reads this. It appears to me our productivity is worse at the beginning of each half. I'm guessing the entire offensive staff and CPR discuss what the plays they want to run in the 3rd quarter and especially the 1st quarter. This lack of productivity seem like a team effort.

While your statement might be true, I would say that Mess is the leader of the offense and apparently can't get everyone on board. And when the position coaches are able to coach the guys up on the sideline they get better without Mess around to screw with them.

I said this earlier in the season, all I heard about the offense was about how limited they were, and when you start thinking that way you are limited. I understand they have injuries and young talent, but if you continually think you can't do one thing or another you aren't going to be able to, because you won't take that perceived risk. Whether that comes from CPR or Mess, it is the wrong message to the team.
 

boone7247

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Here's what I'd like to see happen:

Screw the "jet" spread no huddle crap. Everyone else is & we're the worst at it. The hurry up should still be an option, but let's huddle and run a pro style offense. Bring back the fullback. Let's go Stanford style. Slow the game down so that we're only getting beat by 28 as opposed to 70. Bring back Sage and/or Seneca in an at least advisory role if not coaching.

And oh yeah, please at the very least get a play caller with an imagination. Rhoads has never had to fire anybody; but DMac did it and had the team winning a bowl game the following season.

I would like for just one time the ISU offensive line to be mean and nasty. I don't care what offense you run, if you offensive line is mean and pushing people around your offense is going to be good. We always seem to be aborning pressure and trying to be cute, instead of putting a hat on a hat.

I understand that this year, we are limited due to injury and youth, but if you are going to get ISU to be truly competitive then we are going to have to push people around, ala Wisconsin and old school Nebraska. Isn't that the point of football to be able to impose your will on the other team. Those Troy Davis teams were crap, but I bet you those other team knew they played football game the next day, it wasn't cause the offensive line was so talented, it was because they were mean. Well that and Troy was the only option, they had to do it.
 

BigLame

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Feb 6, 2008
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But we want to go up-tempo. Mess said just as much after Tuesday's practice:

CFTV: Courtney Messingham on play-calling, pressure and more | News | Football | Cyclone Fanatic

I have no problem with a spread-out style of offense. It can be based more off of the run or off of the pass, depending upon what one wants to do with it. Our approach (I think) has been that we want to be perfectly balanced. This season, teams have dictated what they want us to do: if ISU runs zone-read, cover the back & let the QB run. Otherwise, teams crowd the box with 8 or more & play bump & run/man to man, making run plays difficult and daring us to throw long.

Mess in the video says how ISU prepared for TCU to play one way, and when they came out showing something entirely different, we took time to adjust. This, to me, was an admission of being unprepared, which has been evident since the UNI game.
 

SuperTrooper

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Mar 26, 2012
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But at least we make up for the slow start with a slow maintaining, slow adjusting, slow finishing offense.
 

Aclone

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Dec 14, 2007
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I would like for just one time the ISU offensive line to be mean and nasty. I don't care what offense you run, if you offensive line is mean and pushing people around your offense is going to be good. We always seem to be aborning pressure and trying to be cute, instead of putting a hat on a hat.

CPR said on the call in show the other night that it helps to have linemen who can knock people off the ball. His example was that Shaban Dika could knock people off the ball, but he had to quit because of knee injuries. Ethan Tuftee can knock people off the ball, but he's limited in number of plays (18-? I didn't catch the latter number) because of his knee injuries. Since he's instead playing freshmen and sophomores, they are forced to "get cute" (not the words he used) to fool the defense.

I'm taking a wild guess that this lack of guys who can "knock people off the ball" has something to do with why they get creative on those 3rd and 1's, as well. I know that Tom Farniok hasn't been healthy, but I don't think he can do it by himself, either.

Fortunately, the likes of Lalk and Dagel will be coming into their junior seasons next year. I expect another offseason with Yancey McKnight will reap huge dividends for all these guys.
 

Tre4ISU

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Dec 30, 2008
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I hope everyone that thinks our lack of production is all Mess's fault reads this. It appears to me our productivity is worse at the beginning of each half. I'm guessing the entire offensive staff and CPR discuss what the plays they want to run in the 3rd quarter and especially the 1st quarter. This lack of productivity seem like a team effort.

Uh, the guy who does the gameplanning should be the one responsible for slow starts. That's Mess.

Here's what I'd like to see happen:

Screw the "jet" spread no huddle crap. Everyone else is & we're the worst at it. The hurry up should still be an option, but let's huddle and run a pro style offense. Bring back the fullback. Let's go Stanford style. Slow the game down so that we're only getting beat by 28 as opposed to 70. Bring back Sage and/or Seneca in an at least advisory role if not coaching.

And oh yeah, please at the very least get a play caller with an imagination. Rhoads has never had to fire anybody; but DMac did it and had the team winning a bowl game the following season.

First-You don't just hire a guy because he played.

Second- Please point out these "pro-style" offenses. That's such a wrong thing to call the system you are talking about because there are a lot of NFL teams that don't huddle. Huddles, are in short, useless. All they do is waste time off the play clock allowing your offense less time to see the defense and giving you little to no time to kill the play. We are actually better when we get into jet tempo because it allows some rhythm not to mention it makes the defense actually think quickly, resulting in mistakes.
 

boone7247

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But we want to go up-tempo. Mess said just as much after Tuesday's practice:

I can't listen to Mess, he makes my blood boil every time I listen to him. The thing I don't understand, is you want to be uptempo then be ******* uptempo, not get to the line wait 20 seconds then hike the ball. **** that, be uptempo, call your best play and go. The defense comes out with a look to stop the run, so we take 20 seconds to change to a pass. Do we really think we fooled anyone?

We are at our best when we run a fast paced game, so why not do that all the time. Also, every week we are at our slowest on our first possession, how is this possible, we should be the fastest because that should be scripted, and the players know what is coming for 10 or 15 plays.
 

klamath632

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Nov 19, 2011
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If it never gets started in the first place, can it really be called "slow starting?"
 

Wesley

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Apr 12, 2006
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The chart on the touchdowns is a bit interesting.

We suck in the first quarter, seem to put some things together in the second, they make adjustments to shut us down after half, and then we show a statistical spike in production in the 4th thanks to garbage time touchdowns
That is what we do see on the field.
 

Wesley

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Apr 12, 2006
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But we want to go up-tempo. Mess said just as much after Tuesday's practice:

CFTV: Courtney Messingham on play-calling, pressure and more | News | Football | Cyclone Fanatic

I have no problem with a spread-out style of offense. It can be based more off of the run or off of the pass, depending upon what one wants to do with it. Our approach (I think) has been that we want to be perfectly balanced. This season, teams have dictated what they want us to do: if ISU runs zone-read, cover the back & let the QB run. Otherwise, teams crowd the box with 8 or more & play bump & run/man to man, making run plays difficult and daring us to throw long.

Mess in the video says how ISU prepared for TCU to play one way, and when they came out showing something entirely different, we took time to adjust. This, to me, was an admission of being unprepared, which has been evident since the UNI game.
We have been unprepared since the last bowl game.
 

istater7

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Mar 31, 2010
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On Saturday when ISU went uptempo they actually looked like a real offense for a small, small portion of the game. Same thing against Texas. I don't understand why the coaches don't do it more often.