Denial on the hill...Chavis: 3rd and Long

#1
Liper

Liper

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Messages
1,500
Likes
2
#1
Chavis has lately been emphasizing that we are good on 3rd and long but bad on 3rd and short. Statistically over the whole season, that may be accurate. Now, the rest of the story...

Out of 6 games, we've played 4 of the worst 119 offenses in the country. Those 4 games outweigh the stats of the 2 good offenses we've played. Given that, here are 3rd and long stats against FL and GA.

Opponents conversions: 3rd and 6+

FL 3 of 5 converted
GA 5 of 9 converted

TOTAL 8 of 14 (57%)

That is pathetic. And on 3rd and 10+ we're giving up 50% to FL and GA. If I'm not mistaken the NFL conversion rate at 3rd and 10+ is something like less than 10%.

The denial of truth over there must be contagious, when they continually try and sell us that what we see is not what we see. We weren't playing soft, la la la.
 
#2
#2
While I'm not one to defend chavis (we call it "3rd and Chavis" for a reason). This year, it would help if the offense could stay on the field for more than three plays a drive.
 
#3
#3
Crew said:
While I'm not one to defend chavis (we call it "3rd and Chavis" for a reason). This year, it would help if the offense could stay on the field for more than three plays a drive.
Click to expand...

I agree that offense, defense, and special have interrelated affects upon one another, that doesn't explain why it happens in quarters 1-4 on a fairly evenly dispursed basis.
 
#4
#4
Brent Hubbs threw out an interesting stat Sunday.

Tim Tebow and Matt Stafford this year have thrown for 15-20, 226 yds, 3 TDs and 1 int... ON 3RD DOWN!!!<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
 
#6
#6
Liper said:
I agree that offense, defense, and special have interrelated affects upon one another, that doesn't explain why it happens in quarters 1-4 on a fairly evenly dispursed basis.
Click to expand...


How quickly people forgot the UCLA game. Before the UGA game, people we saying that the defense was playing well enough fo win games against AU, NIU, and UAB. But when they have had to get a stop, they couldn't do it. The second half of that UCLA game was a complete debacle. The 3rd down play that Auburn picked up the first down on (which essentially ended that game) was terrible.
 
#8
#8
Does this surprise anyone? No one is inspired out there anymore. Can you blame the D? They finally get good again and now the offense sucks.
 
#11
#11
Defense had to spend 43 minutes on the field vs UGA. Lot of time also vs UF. Overall they are not the problem and are doing a decent job.
 
#13
#13
hohenfelsvol said:
Defense had to spend 43 minutes on the field vs UGA. Lot of time also vs UF. Overall they are not the problem and are doing a decent job.
Click to expand...

Understand the problem...however, that wouldn't seem to affect them in the 1st quarter.
 
#14
#14
It's not that the defense is playing that bad. Although I agree 3RD and long and 3RD down in general hasn't been very good in a while. The problem is Chavis tries to cloud the truth by throwing out those numbers. He wants to talk about overall performance, but for years Chavis has been know to give up 3RD and long, especially when UT has the lead. And it has cost us games on more than one occasion. I tell you, these coaches should be politicians with the amount of spin they put on everything.
 
#15
#15
Liper said:
Understand the problem...however, that wouldn't seem to affect them in the 1st quarter.
Click to expand...


Exactly.... I know that the pathetic offense does bare a lot of the blame but the defense could be getting a lot more minutes of rest themselves by actually forcing a few 3-and-Outs, -which routinely they do not do no matter where they are in the game.
 
#16
#16
swami2302 said:
It's not that the defense is playing that bad. Although I agree 3RD and long and 3RD down in general hasn't been very good in a while. The problem is Chavis tries to cloud the truth by throwing out those numbers. He wants to talk about overall performance, but for years Chavis has been know to give up 3RD and long, especially when UT has the lead. And it has cost us games on more than one occasion. I tell you, these coaches should be politicians with the amount of spin they put on everything.
Click to expand...
That's the understatement of the past decade.
 
#17
#17
hohenfelsvol said:
Defense had to spend 43 minutes on the field vs UGA. Lot of time also vs UF. Overall they are not the problem and are doing a decent job.
Click to expand...

While I agree the defense has been the least problematic of our three units, I'm not sure they are as good as some of the statistics would indicate.

Florida punted one time against us; Georgia punted twice. Those are the only two decent offenses we have played, and we stopped them a combined total of 3 times when Matt Stafford wasn't sticking the ball into a D-lineman's belly or throwing it to Eric Berry. Part of the reason the D has had trouble getting off the field is because they aren't stopping the opposing O.

Maybe it is coaching scheme, and maybe it is player inadequacy, but the story seems to be that they bend but don't break too often.
 
Last edited:
#18
#18
Versus UF we gave they got 14 points basically off of a fumble near the endzone and special teams screw up run back. Overall, not a bad job considering these teams are good.
 
#19
#19
hohenfelsvol said:
Versus UF we gave they got 14 points basically off of a fumble near the endzone and special teams screw up run back. Overall, not a bad job considering these teams are good.
Click to expand...

We held them to a FG after the fumble; you left out the long KO return to start the game that set up the first score. They had 44 yards of offense and led 17-0.
 
#20
#20
Anyone who doesn't believe that we are miserable on 3rd and (fill in the blank) needs a head check. On D, we play soft and give up the yardage, on O, we throw short or run.
 
#22
#22
cotton said:
We held them to a FG after the fumble; you left out the long KO return to start the game that set up the first score. They had 44 yards of offense and led 17-0.
Click to expand...

Well there you go. Hard defending anything with this team this year but D is the brighter side of what's going on.
 
#23
#23
hohenfelsvol said:
Well there you go. Hard defending anything with this team this year but D is the brighter side of what's going on.
Click to expand...

It is, but that doesn't mean it is all that bright. It is also the unit that gave up 97 yards against UGa to basically put the game away before the half. They were 2 bad QB decisions from giving up 40 to the Dawgs.
 
#25
#25
cotton said:
We held them to a FG after the fumble; you left out the long KO return to start the game that set up the first score. They had 44 yards of offense and led 17-0.
Click to expand...

You're in denial.

UF didn't get many yards because they didn't need to, given the crazy field position our "special" teams gave up.

UGA is a great example: a 97 yard drive to close the first half and a long, long scoring drive after opting out of a 4th and short/punt situation late in the game.

My wish is on keeping Clawson and bringing in a defensively-oriented HC. We'll see.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement



Back
Top