I'm hearing a lot about how the Gators are "finally finding themselves an identity" on offense, as a RUNNING team. Now, it's true that out of necessity of circumstance (what we have and what we've lost) that IS where our geatest evident strengths are at the moment, but there are some other factors that have always separated mediocre coaches from "the WINNERS" in college football: guts, and something called "strategy and tactics".
A brave coach isn't trapped into predictability or one-dimentiality by fear, an imaginative and CREATIVE one looks for ways to use the obvious, and assumptions by opponents about the seeming "obvious and safest" ways, AGAINST them.
So, as implied in the title here, I say "Throw 'em a curve, Nuss and Coach Mac". I'm not a coach--but the ones we've got I'm afraid will go obvious, "play the odds" to try and win another close one against another team we OUGHT to beat rather handily.
This is a collapsing LSU team with a floundering coach of a wavering program--one we COULD bury right here, OR give life to. I'm not saying to IGNORE our growing strength in the run game. I AM saying to come up with a more balanced attack than most are expecting, in the process use our playmakers in creative ways at times--for eg more slants, etc, freeing runners AND recievers in the secondary instead of ONLY jet sweeps and plunges into the line. Yes, the run game in general has started to work, our runners finding their unique but complementary identities, all together yielding better results deeper into the the game...but that is exactly what Ogeron and company are expecting, planning for. THROW 'EM A CURVE: From early in the game, do it a little differently. Design a game plan that throws them off their expectations--and just might result in a big, breakout victory at home. God knows we all need it. And our Coach's "play-not-to-lose/keep-my-job" approach amounts to the offensive version of "the prevent-defense"--It will "prevent VICTORY", will sooner or later get us beat in games we SHOULD HAVE WON.
Woulda done so already, if not for the big hearts of the PLAYERS who've stayed true, risen above when it counted. They deserve to get positive HELP from a smart coach with guts, imagination and his OWN faith-in-each-other solidarity with them.
A brave coach isn't trapped into predictability or one-dimentiality by fear, an imaginative and CREATIVE one looks for ways to use the obvious, and assumptions by opponents about the seeming "obvious and safest" ways, AGAINST them.
So, as implied in the title here, I say "Throw 'em a curve, Nuss and Coach Mac". I'm not a coach--but the ones we've got I'm afraid will go obvious, "play the odds" to try and win another close one against another team we OUGHT to beat rather handily.
This is a collapsing LSU team with a floundering coach of a wavering program--one we COULD bury right here, OR give life to. I'm not saying to IGNORE our growing strength in the run game. I AM saying to come up with a more balanced attack than most are expecting, in the process use our playmakers in creative ways at times--for eg more slants, etc, freeing runners AND recievers in the secondary instead of ONLY jet sweeps and plunges into the line. Yes, the run game in general has started to work, our runners finding their unique but complementary identities, all together yielding better results deeper into the the game...but that is exactly what Ogeron and company are expecting, planning for. THROW 'EM A CURVE: From early in the game, do it a little differently. Design a game plan that throws them off their expectations--and just might result in a big, breakout victory at home. God knows we all need it. And our Coach's "play-not-to-lose/keep-my-job" approach amounts to the offensive version of "the prevent-defense"--It will "prevent VICTORY", will sooner or later get us beat in games we SHOULD HAVE WON.
Woulda done so already, if not for the big hearts of the PLAYERS who've stayed true, risen above when it counted. They deserve to get positive HELP from a smart coach with guts, imagination and his OWN faith-in-each-other solidarity with them.