Simms, Bad Play Calling , and Another Thing or Two

#1

majic73

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#1
A few observations I wanted to share ...and maybe others who were at the game noticed the same things.

The biggest reason that we failed was because we gave Oregon 76 offensive snaps. The biggest reason we gave them the ball that much was because our offense failed.

The offense failed and it is a tough kind of failure...because our offensive line was blowing Oregon off the ball . The running attack early on , showed the O line dominance. Then O started stacking the box. They were in a cover 1 look after we began to have our way with them , 1 safety back and 10 guys within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage. I think the blame goes to the offensive play calls ( I am a Chaney fan but um..) It then went 2 runs , pass. Some times they would call the same 2 runs in a row. It was very predictable. The formations had little varience. The Orgeon defenders were cheating to the run lanes before the snap. The passes were predicatble. The threw out routes and go routes. No come backs , no crossing routes , the allstar tight end we have and the great freshman tight end was all but forgotten. At the end of the first we get all Fulmerish. 3 mins left , Oregon calling time outs , we run into a crown of 10 guys 3 times and punt. With 1 minute to go ...same thing.

The defense was excellent the 1st half ...but were left on the field way too long in the second , considering the offensive monster they were up against. They did a very admirable job until the 4th quarter ( at the end of the 3rd you are behind by only 7 )

The second half was pass after pass in a massive overcorrection. Oregon switch from cover 1 to cover 2 ...pick 6 resulted. Simms staring down the receivers was part of it but from Os coverage , thy knew what he was going to do before he did it .

I hope they can get a good blend of playcalling in that keeps a defense off balance . I hope to never see 3 runs into a crowded box and the level of predictablity that we showed. That who Fulmer- like , sit on the half time lead and give up points anyway thing needs to go.

The defense did a great job down the stretch , you have to expect to give up a couple of big plays to a team like Oregon ...but they can't be left on the field as long as they were ( see Ole Miss , Auburn , and Va Tech from last season ) Any defense will fold against good competition.

If Simms and Chaney can't figure this out ....we will lose games we don't expect to lose and have no chance at an upset. It is not the O line , they are actually a bright spot. It is the play calling and trigger man
 
#2
#2
Austin rogers dropped a comeback on third down with 3 minutes left in the half.

We also called screen passes.

I have watched the game 3 times now and just do not see how you can say the play calling was poor.

They stacked the box, we had some missed blocking assignments on passing downs but simms just looked like a kid who was unable to get a single start at louisville.

We had wide open wrs and wide open te's on lots of plays...simms did not get the ball to them.

Simms is not treated like crompton was at first. He is supposed to make reads over the whole field and choose the best option. Not the coaches fault that he is not doing it well.
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#3
#3
One bright spot is , the offensive line is coming together and doing a good job. Especially in pass blocking otherwise a QB that holds the ball as long as Simms does and stare's down a reciever would be sacked every time...:good!:
 
#4
#4
Austin rogers dropped a comeback on third down with 3 minutes left in the half.

We also called screen passes.

I have watched the game 3 times now and just do not see how you can say the play calling was poor.

They stacked the box, we had some missed blocking assignments on passing downs but simms just looked like a kid who was unable to get a single start at louisville.

We had wide open wrs and wide open te's on lots of plays...simms did not get the ball to them.

Simms is not treated like crompton was at first. He is supposed to make reads over the whole field and choose the best option. Not the coaches fault that he is not doing it well.
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How many play action passes were called while we were having succes running the ball in the 1st half? How many 2 runs , 1 pass, punt drives did you see? Do you deny that our 6 runs and punt at the end of the 1st half did not lead to Oregon getting the tie going in to the half.

Why would a screen be called with 10 guys within 5 yards of the LOS ?

Blocking assignments were not missed in so much as they were sending more guys than we could block in the 2nd half. The 2nd half was one big Oregon blitz.

I agree that Simms does not read the field at all and locks in all they . You can see it from the stands.

I know the play calling was predicatble because myself and the people around us in section ZZ were calling the runs or passes before they happened. I am pretty sure that myself or the people around me are not defensive coordinators .
 
#5
#5
It amazes me that some fans can't understand the difference between bad play calling and bad execution.
 
#11
#11
God himself could come down and coach the Vols and there would still be fans saying he didn't do a good job!
 
#12
#12
The only bad play call is the one that does not work.

Example of a good play call: run Stocker up the seam and Stocker ends up wide open

Example of bad execution: Simms overthrows the wide open Stocker.

See the difference? This game was called well by the coaches otherwise we wouldn't have been tied going into the half. Fatigue leads to laziness and laziness leads to arm tackling, loss of mental focus, missed assignments, etc. This is why you need talented backups who can perform against SEC competition. Unfortunately for us, we don't have that so we have to have our starters on the field for extended periods of time which leads to fatigue.
 
#13
#13
This is just a young team. There is nothing more to say about them. They played with a lot of heart in the first half and ran out of gas in the second. I did feel they gave up in the 4th which I never like to see, but other than that, we are just young and inexperienced.

Simms is not a very good QB right now. I hope he gets better -- like crompton, but I don't really see it happening. The game needs to slow down for him so he can see the whole field and find the open receiver -- we will not beat the good programs if he just locks on one receiver.

OL did a great job. considering their lack of experience I would give them an A+. Have room for improvement, but against a more talented team, they played really well.
 
#14
#14
A few observations I wanted to share ...and maybe others who were at the game noticed the same things.

The biggest reason that we failed was because we gave Oregon 76 offensive snaps. The biggest reason we gave them the ball that much was because our offense failed.

The offense failed and it is a tough kind of failure...because our offensive line was blowing Oregon off the ball . The running attack early on , showed the O line dominance. Then O started stacking the box. They were in a cover 1 look after we began to have our way with them , 1 safety back and 10 guys within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage. I think the blame goes to the offensive play calls ( I am a Chaney fan but um..) It then went 2 runs , pass. Some times they would call the same 2 runs in a row. It was very predictable. The formations had little varience. The Orgeon defenders were cheating to the run lanes before the snap. The passes were predicatble. The threw out routes and go routes. No come backs , no crossing routes , the allstar tight end we have and the great freshman tight end was all but forgotten. At the end of the first we get all Fulmerish. 3 mins left , Oregon calling time outs , we run into a crown of 10 guys 3 times and punt. With 1 minute to go ...same thing.

The defense was excellent the 1st half ...but were left on the field way too long in the second , considering the offensive monster they were up against. They did a very admirable job until the 4th quarter ( at the end of the 3rd you are behind by only 7 )

The second half was pass after pass in a massive overcorrection. Oregon switch from cover 1 to cover 2 ...pick 6 resulted. Simms staring down the receivers was part of it but from Os coverage , thy knew what he was going to do before he did it .

I hope they can get a good blend of playcalling in that keeps a defense off balance . I hope to never see 3 runs into a crowded box and the level of predictablity that we showed. That who Fulmer- like , sit on the half time lead and give up points anyway thing needs to go.

The defense did a great job down the stretch , you have to expect to give up a couple of big plays to a team like Oregon ...but they can't be left on the field as long as they were ( see Ole Miss , Auburn , and Va Tech from last season ) Any defense will fold against good competition.

If Simms and Chaney can't figure this out ....we will lose games we don't expect to lose and have no chance at an upset. It is not the O line , they are actually a bright spot. It is the play calling and trigger man

Well, I guess CDD doesn't need to look any firther than the OP for his next offensive coordinator. Majic appears to have all the answers.

Anyhow, I will agree with the other posters on here who point out that bad execution makes even the best play call look bad. I will further note that it is hard to make any good play calls when your QB is playing like we played in the second half last night.
 
#15
#15
This is just a young team. There is nothing more to say about them. They played with a lot of heart in the first half and ran out of gas in the second. I did feel they gave up in the 4th which I never like to see, but other than that, we are just young and inexperienced.

Simms is not a very good QB right now. I hope he gets better -- like crompton, but I don't really see it happening. The game needs to slow down for him so he can see the whole field and find the open receiver -- we will not beat the good programs if he just locks on one receiver.

OL did a great job. considering their lack of experience I would give them an A+. Have room for improvement, but against a more talented team, they played really well.

Everyone keeps saying that they don't think he can improve but never why.It can't be because he's a junior because Crompton was a 5th year senior. So why does everyone think that Simms can't improve?
 
#17
#17
I know its just two games in the season, so this is probably overstating my feelings on him, but he just doesn't seem to have 'IT'. Usually, you can watch a player and he may make some mistakes or do something really dumb, but at some point you see flashes of brilliance. I haven't seen this with him at all. I watched the spring game, UT-M and last nights, and I have never seen anything to make him look like a good QB. His strength and accuracy are ok. His vision is bad. His pocket presents is bad. He just doesn't seem like a starting D1 QB.

Look, I hope I am wrong about the guy, but I have seen nothing to make me think he will be good.
 
#18
#18
This is just a young team. There is nothing more to say about them. They played with a lot of heart in the first half and ran out of gas in the second. I did feel they gave up in the 4th which I never like to see, but other than that, we are just young and inexperienced.

Young and doubting, the game was all but over when we went in tied at half. You could see it in their faces "Holy ****, we played really well and we're tied?" :eek:

Simms is not a very good QB right now. I hope he gets better -- like crompton, but I don't really see it happening. The game needs to slow down for him so he can see the whole field and find the open receiver -- we will not beat the good programs if he just locks on one receiver.

He was toast after we got down 14; the interception-TD nailed his coffin. :mega_shok:
 
#19
#19
I know its just two games in the season, so this is probably overstating my feelings on him, but he just doesn't seem to have 'IT'. Usually, you can watch a player and he may make some mistakes or do something really dumb, but at some point you see flashes of brilliance. I haven't seen this with him at all. I watched the spring game, UT-M and last nights, and I have never seen anything to make him look like a good QB. His strength and accuracy are ok. His vision is bad. His pocket presents is bad. He just doesn't seem like a starting D1 QB.

Look, I hope I am wrong about the guy, but I have seen nothing to make me think he will be good.

OK, thanks for actually expressing your opinion on why instead of just saying "he's garbage". :hi:


P.S. maybe he'd get better if he'd just excercise his demons. :p (the bold)
 
#20
#20
It amazes me that some fans can't understand the difference between bad play calling and bad execution.

It is clear that Simms has issues...and it is clear that some fans do not understand bad execution vs bad play calling ...I suspect you are one of them. Out of 14 possessions on 1st down we ran the ball 12 times and passed 2 times ( wish vegas was that predictable ) So they knew exactly what we were going to do on 1st down and 4th down ...that is half of our offensive snaps . We only had an opportunity for them not to know what we were going to do on second or 3rd. Couple that with the fact that our run formations and pass formations look different ...it was pretty easy to tell what we were up too before the ball was snapped. Oregon knew too for the most part ...switching from cover 1 to cover 2. Also notice the lack of blending ...you would have strings of P P P P and R R R ...not hard for a D to figure out what comes next in those strings ...the play action really cranked up in the 2nd half when they knew we were going to pass and were blitzing ...not the right time for play action .

R R P R R R = FG
R P R P = FG
R P R P P P = punt
R R P R R = TD
R P R R R P R = Punt
R R P = Punt
R R R = Half time

P P P P = Punt
R P R P P R P = INT
R R P P = Punt
R R Sack P P = Punt
P P P = Punt
R P S = Punt
R R P = P
 
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#21
#21
Simms is not treated like crompton was at first. He is supposed to make reads over the whole field and choose the best option. Not the coaches fault that he is not doing it well.
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I agree.

Our QB cannot make the defense respect the pass (yet). Until the time comes that he can, we will be one dimensional, and our defense will have zero margin for error. We also have to get something out of special teams. Their punt return TD was hard to watch.

I can't fault playcalling or coaching. This thing is going to take time guys.
 
#22
#22
Well, I guess CDD doesn't need to look any firther than the OP for his next offensive coordinator. Majic appears to have all the answers.

Anyhow, I will agree with the other posters on here who point out that bad execution makes even the best play call look bad. I will further note that it is hard to make any good play calls when your QB is playing like we played in the second half last night.


I agree that Simms has issues , he clearly does not read the field and locks in. Simms however did not call 21 of 26 first downs as a run ...if you do not understand the problem with that then maybe you should give up football fandom in favor of table tennis fandom. That whole concept was the biggest reason that Majors was canned.

Also Simms has not control over play action passes or naked boots called when their are clearly blitzes at the line . Often times we were in plays when blitzes were obvious ...with not enough guys to block. The play action did not begin until after the half ...when they expected us to pass.


They knew exactly what we were going to do on 1st down and of coarse 4 th down. Are run formations looked exactly like run formations and after 1 quarter , any body watching knew exactly when we were going to run. Makes defensive play calling quite a bit easier for them.
Oregon simply played the odds...stacked the box on 1st down and played cover 1 . Blitz on 2nd . and played cover 2 on 3rd.

Again , the last 2 series of the 1st half where we tried to burn the clock to maintain a 10 point lead and were not successful and ended up going into the half with a tie ...it stunk of Fulmer . This was freakin Oregon ...keep the heat on .
 
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#23
#23
Blah blah blah blah I think I know what I'm talking about

What is so hard to understand about the fact that the strong part of the offense is the run game and we are very handcuffed in the passing game? Would you like more opportunities for Simms to crumble under pressure? He overthrows a wide open Stocker and made even more mistakes. The run game is our best asset.
 
#24
#24
What is so hard to understand about the fact that the strong part of the offense is the run game and we are very handcuffed in the passing game? Would you like more opportunities for Simms to crumble under pressure? He overthrows a wide open Stocker and made even more mistakes. The run game is our best asset.

If this isn't blatantly obvious to everyone then it's a lost cause.
 
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#25
#25
He is supposed to make reads over the whole field and choose the best option. Not the coaches fault that he is not doing it well.
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Are you sure about that? I don't know what his read expectations are but if the staff feels the offensive line is not one that can hold blocks long they can certainly coaches to make one or two reads and toss it..

you have to coach to what you feel your team's capabilities are trying to mix it up enough to be successful.

Not saying I know what they asking Matt to do at all but I'm not so sure it is what you said either..

Its like the freshman wide receivers. there are only so many routes that they are comfortable that those young kids can execute as expected. And it is not near the same number they expect from seniors and the redshirt freshman. Milton likely has more routes down if he had hands to catch the ball.


JMO
 

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