Mike West

Even this forum recognizes AB's limitations. Yet in the second half of the Alamo Bowl, he threw fade routes to backups for TDs against Oklahoma's starters. What does that tell you? It tells me the coaches spent less time solving the challenges the offense had than trying to run the offense they wanted. It tells me people look at limitations rather than finding solutions. AB has a strong arm, he isn't accurate on a consistent basis, but he constantly led early scoring drives. What almost always happened after that was the coaches expanded the playbook in ways that didn't match his skills. But we saw at the end of the year a skill NONE of us thought he had ( despite it being clear he had a strong enough arm). AB won ten games messing up things. Imagine what he would do with a little help from his coaches. Georgia won a Natty with a QB that resembles the kind of skills AB has. Neither QB is good enough to take over a game. That means it is the coach's responsibility to take over the game. AB performed to the level he was given. Not to the level he was capable of growing into. And yes, if you start WRs that don't possess separation skills, you better design that offense to maximize THEIR skills. That clearly didn't happen last year. Anybody think we don't beat Utah last year with our frosh WRs after watching tOSU scorch their secondary ( and the way we torched OU's DBs)? Players will play to the level you coach them. Which means we don't have many elite coaches in college football.

That's because they threw in the seams and mostly to TEs. The LB coverage was so horrid that you didn't even need WRs to convert third downs.

He'd still dominate today. Kids don't play basketball today, they play playground ball. I would love to be able to see the prime NBA eras (there are two- the late sixties till the early seventies, and the Magic/Bird years till the Thomas/ Jordan years). Those players would chew up any other era like the US Olympic teams obliterated the world. Walton would thunder dunk on ANY current forward or center- and he's half as athletic. He'd simply post up, back em up, and shove the ball down the net. I don't even bother watching the garbage posing as basketball today, I can't watch because the women - who aren't as fast,strong or coordinated- are better basketball players. It's disgusting to watch the men after seeing the women ( and I wish they were as athletic because THEY WOULD BEAT THE MEN EASILY). Walton dominated an ultra dominant UCLA squad. No way the NBA stops a healthy Bill Walton.

My only disagreement to this very good statement is the Ducks had two shots at pulling away and truly stun the college football world. MC blew it. But what else is new. That game opened my eyes to how much talent MC had really acquired. It isn't as deep or talented as UGA, but last year's team should have annihilated the conference and reached the playoffs. Can't wait to see what Lanning does with this group.

I actually think the DL is strong enough to handle those three ( remember it was totally decimated by the time they got to Utah). Remember, they stopped a pretty good OSU run game. UGA will be the biggest challenge, thus a devastating LB crew will help there ( not really concerned with BYU even though they get all 11 back- they just won't be effective against our healthy defense). This is where Lanning and his strategy will assist. He needs to get pressure on the QB to disrupt effective passing teams ( UGA is better than people realize). Again, the Spring Game will explain what we can expect strategically, even if they don't show much ( they will show how they're going to use specific players- which is what I'm looking for). What bothered me most about MC last year was the defense was capable of stopping everybody they played. All 12 of them. He let teams hang around when he should've tightened the noose. This defense should be world class this year, even with an "average" defensive line. Again, time will tell, but from what I saw last year, this unit can be a wrecking crew ( they held tOSU to SEVEN first half points- some of that was frosh QB Stroud, most of it was very good defense).

Here's my take of the QB room. I'll start by saying this is more hunch based on film I've seen of all three QBs. Butterfield is the more accurate of the three (most especially the deep ball). I think he struggles with the short to mid range game. Overall, I believe over the course of a game, he provides the most accuracy- but he isn't efficient enough to start. Thompson throws the most effective deep ball. He really struggles with the middle of the field ( accuracy and reading defenses). He would kill the deep game with last year's freshman group. I also believe he is not efficient enough yet to start. Nix has struggled throwing deep. But he is amazing at " grinding down the field". He has enough arm strength to throw deep, he just isn't effective enough at it. His weaknesses is consistency. But he also faced coordinators that were effective at adjusting mid game. Nix also provided the most versatility when it comes to mixing up plays. He is a very effective runner. He fits with an RPO type offense very well. Nix is a more complete QB( thanks MC and crew). If I'm Dan Lanning, I'm having my training coach ( who is the only coach that can work with the team in the off-season) develop all three players to the max. I'd especially get Nix some serious muscle memory with the speedsters. I'd give Thompson some massive midrange looks until he is seriously effective at it ( late summer and fall he can work on his deep game). Since Butterfield is the least mobile, I'd work on developing his entire game until he is awesome as a pass only threat. We're going to lose Butterfield or Thompson. So I'd promise to fully develop their game all year if they promise to stay the entire year. We've seen what injuries do, so depth and development of this group is critical. By the way, I'd go with scoring as quickly as possible in order to get both Butterfield and Thompson plenty of game reps. That means Nix absolutely needs to develop his deep game ( we saw what AB did with the speedsters, so it's a matter of figuring timing for Nix- he has to throw the ball at the right time to complete those deep balls ). I do believe Lanning wants to score lots of points. His staff has six months to figure out out.

No no no. They just dropped those passes. More than fifty drops is not a QB problem. That is lack of focus. Review the tape. Those were not five thousand mile an hour passes. They were catchable passes. they lost six games, and a solid three were due to to those drops. Furthermore, Herbert was hitting wide open guys. Not in traffic, truck sized wide open guys. There were thousands of complaints about poor play calling. Well fifty dropped passes tells me not only were the plays very good, so was the coaching. I'd like a very solid, evidence backed explanation on how fifty guys that were not only wide open , but the so called miscoached QB delivered the ball in the bread basket to said WIDE OPEN WRs was evidence Herbert wasn't getting developed. And FYI, JH throws the same type of passes using the same footwork in the NFL as he did in college- just look at his highlights reels). It is hard to prove without showing some bias, because it takes hours of research. But JH's NFL highlights look like his college highlights. The TD throw on the run in the UW game to Jaylen Redd ( which by the way WAS sixty miles an hour) look no different that his deep throws to Keenan Allen. Even the way he eludes sacks and runs for yardage look the same. Look at the Nebraska game. Those were sixty mile an hour throws. So I completely disagree. Execution was more of a problem than his coaching ( my evidence- fifty dropped passes compared to the same type of passes the year before that weren't dropped). People are going to disagree with this, but Arroyo and the Snake unleashed JH better than Chip and Helfrich unleashed their QBs, and Fifty points a game backs that up. And how is it JH is the best modern QB Oregon has had in the NFL? He didn't do it on natural talent alone ( read 50 points a game with a highlight reel that year that looks exactly like his NFL highlights).

And the refs called that obvious fumble an incomplete pass. That, the interception that was " incomplete" and the uncalled tackle saved Auburn's hide that day. Everybody knows we got robbed. And ESecPN had the nerve to say they were the more physical team. To my grave... Until God shows me Darren Thomas limping off the field the way Scam Newton did( and Thomas got hit hard also)... I will never concede Auburn was better or even close to as physical the way we beat up Newton ( anybody remember that alligator arm incomplete pass he threw because he was about to get hit again?). We knocked the snot off Newton's face and they had the audacity to say the Tigers were more physical. We need to deliver some Clubber Lang love this year. Like the fiercest defense Chip has ever had in his career.

Yeah, I was pretty ticked at him too at the time. As well as the Corvallis kid (Talanoa Hufanga). I still welcome him because he will have a very positive impact on the program. Besides, it's been awesome seeing kids learn the impact of snubbing Oregon ( I remember a recent highly touted DL frosh from California that signed with tOSU last year and his Buckeyes lost in Columbus to our "lowly" Ducks- what a facial that was!)

This kid really knows how to get open. He'll teach the young guys how to use their speed properly, and I suspect he will be the go to guy in clutch situations. A very sound move by the coaching staff.

Very interesting indeed. When I look at the Spring Games around the country , I'm looking at the intangibles more than ever. Can a QB throw the fade route effectively? Will the OC show some of the his offense on third and Long situations? Can a LB find a receiver downfield? Can a safety shut down a post route. Does the defense seal the edge consistently? Coaches go vanilla, but they can't hide their talent level. They can't mask a QB that can only throw twenty yards. Or a running back's inability to outrun the defense at the second level. I agree the tournaments the high school kids go to don't reflect their actual abilities. They won't see the same collection of talent they get at the tournaments, and frankly most OCs don't have much game themselves. The best way to help a QB succeed is to give defenses conflict plays. A LB and CB must pick their poison. Much like the zone read run game. But it doesn't happen. Too often, a frosh is seeing NFL caliber playbooks with so many formations to learn it takes months to get that simple aspect down Passing well involves moving defenders where you want them. The back seven should be vacating areas trying to cover receivers. I see far too many routes running straight into coverages. I see Corners ten yards from the LOS, but the OC sends the WR right to him instead of calling a dog whistle audible to get that WR the ball in one step. So part of it is mental/cerebral. Most of it to me is taking what they give you, and setting up for the adjustments. Ummm, that would be sequential pass routes. Like a corner- post ( protected by a slot receiver running a seam route), or a post corner ( again, occupy the safety inside so the post corner is man to man.). There are so many facets to teach, but some of it is finding your QB's range of effectiveness first. Braxton Burmeister will kill you inside. So you set him up by feigning deep outside routes to keep a defense honest. I could tell Georgia spent ample time getting Stetson Bennet massive reps in practice throwing deep and outside. His timing was much better, and he was throwing not thinking. That was purely a month of muscle memory reps. Michigan and Bama we're not expecting that ( neither was I quite honestly). So yes, most five star freshman aren't prepared. How can a high school coach get him NFL ready? Only the high profile high schools do that. Combine that with college coaches throwing them forty formations, and sixty defensive fronts and coverages to study, what do you think will happen? A safety is supposed to cover half the deep side of the field. So force him to pick a receiver to cover. It's that simple. Corners tell QBs within five yards how they're going to cover their "area"- whether it's zone or man coverage. Everyone thought AB couldn't throw deep. He didn't practice it obviously. Until the bowl game that is. Once you know you can beat a corner, you take the safety out of the situation. I think most coordinators over think it. Thus they force kids to as well. Watch the last drive of this year's Super Bowl. It was the QB and his best receiver all the way down the field. They schemed everything for their best guy. That is like us saying to each other, FishDuck, get in the way of the linebackers so 30Duck can get open. Fifty eight minutes of Rhodes Scholar ball succumbed to street ball. Think about that the next time you see a QB struggle in an offense.

I like your ideas better... Merge with the Big12. Expand the footprint. That garners better time slots for games, gets more eyeballs per game, and gives the less successful programs a shot at avoiding a super conference of blue bloods. I also liked that ideas of going the way European Soccer leagues run things. That gives the G5 schools a shot of playing in the P5(P4?) conferences when they win their conferences ( actually their Division). The bottom teams from the major conferences ( in each respective division) fall to the lower division until they with that division. In addition, it would be great if the power conferences found ways to augment the revenue stream of the lower divisions ( an actual playoff would be better in my mind). When ESPN started televising the MAC and the other G5 conferences I thought that was so cool. It gave exposure to most athletes without diminishing the quality of the major conferences. I don't want to see that go away.

I hate the Fuskies as much as anybody ( those nauseating Rose Bowl chants in Autzen when they were dominant still makes my blood boil). That said, I would much rather watch us beat a powerhouse Fusky team than the lame version we've seen since Peterson left. Nothing satisfies me more than ruining Fusky title hopes. Not to mention, when the Fuskies are relevant, so is the conference. If we want a better TV revenue stream, USC and UW must be powerhouse programs. They get as many if not more eyeballs nationwide than we do.

Haven't had the chance to review either Lanning's defense or Dillingham's offense yet. That's going to take some time. I have looked at Bo Nix a bit. But not when he was with Dillingham. Interesting player. Need more tape to solidify my initial thoughts however. I'm excited. I see a couple of strategies in play already, but the Spring Game will tell me much more.

My thing has always been score 42 and yield 17 ON AVERAGE. That gets you to the teams that do the same, which usually results in a 28-24 type game when those kinds of teams face each other. Then game management, planning and execution make all the difference. Bama scored forty plus on UGA the first time because UGA changed their scheme. Lanning and company went right back to their regular scheme and forced Bryce Young into unforced errors. People say losing both top WRs hurt Bama. I disagree. Before WR Anderson left, UGA forced Bama into FGs. Before he was injured. You need explosive plays ( plays that gain 15 yards or more) to score often against regular teams ( put the average teams out of their scoring capabilities early). You must have effective plays to deal with an elite defense. Hence a combo of sequential plays (also known as constraint plays in the coaching world) that feed off the explosive plays; and clutch plays that move the chains on third down. The sequential plays force elite defenses to read and react instead of pressure and force mistakes. I think I said it better in this article: In any event, whoever ends up starting at QB must be accurate enough to handle the most elite of defenses. If you watched the entire set of NFL playoff games, you recognize even the best schemes on offense are dead on arrival if your quarterback isn't accurate enough times to score points.

Well the first move is to get the linebackers to cover TEs in the seams and WRs crossing over the middle by MAKING THEM FIND THOSE RECEIVERS INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE QB THE QB ENTIRE PLAY. Next, simply keep Stephens and Hill off the field. They are too slow to cover slot receivers, and they aren't smart enough to shut down routes in the area of coverage they're responsible for. If I had time to show this in an article, I'd have dozens of examples. I was not fond if the secondary coaches during MC's stint. It was bad enough the linebackers were horrible. But the secondary allowed so much space BY Design it made the linebackers look like Ronnie Lott and Troy Palomalu by comparison. I suspect pass coverage will vastly improve. If amateur Mike West can figure it out, one of CFB's best former DCs can.

Clemson would be just another Oklahoma had they rectified to Funimate their conference instead of acquire enough talent to compete with Alabama. In other words, they looked beyond their conference and completed nationally for recruits. Look at them now. They're simply another Notre Dame. Michigan is now poised to replace Clemson now that they have shed the Ohio State monkey. Which means a very weak PAC12 will not bolster our shot ( do you really believe we lose to Stanford and hold our position with the Cincinnati narrative and Bama defeating Georgia? Utah lost to BYU, and had two losses, do they weren't going to bolster our status). Beyond next year, without a Georgia type team to bolster our eye test credibility, our "championship worthy" conference drags is down if USC starts down and Utah doesn't go undefeated. Dominating a weak conference is just Norte Dame going undefeated in the eyes of the playoff committee. The SEC West and the Big Ten East are going to capture eyeballs ( and if we get another Baylor- Oklahoma State narrative in the Big 12, forget about the conference of Olympic Champions.). We need four Pete Carroll and Chris Peterson type teams. USC elevates the entire conference. They still have to catch us.

Which was on display yesterday in the Super Bowl. The Rams schemed to pressure "Mr. Home Alone" very well yesterday in the second half. Lanning disrupted Bruce Young's rhythm much the same in the Natty. Our boys on defense even commented on Twitter. We don't have Thibs anymore, so we'll need multiple schemes. Seal the edge, stop the run. Spring the edge, pressure up the middle. I see that coming. Can't wait until spring.

Clemson went toe to toe with the big boys by Recruiting first. They dominated the conference because they were preparing for the big boys. Contrast that with Oklahoma, who has Not crushed it nationally. They dominate Texas. USC under Carroll didn't dominate just California, they dominated Nationally. New Jersey, Texas, and yes the Southern hotbed. Meanwhile, the second best team in the conference- OBD- got their share of elite players from guess where- CALIFORNIA. WE DIDN'T ESTABLISH A NATIONAL FOOTPRINT. Rip Van Wrinkle is awake. The sleeping giant sleeps no more. Not only must they win, they have to recruit effectively across the nation. Though the majority of MC's roster consists of California players, we have young men from TWENTY TWO other states. We are a national recruiting power. California cannot win a Natty alone. Even Pete Carroll recognized that. Ohio State, Bama, Georgia, and yes Clemson pull from outside their region because you can't get them all in the place you reside. We get enough from California. But let's face it, they don't grow Big Boys in California like they do everywhere else. Let's see how many Bubbas get drafted from California (high school players) this April. Let's compare that with the rest of the country. I believe you'll find We're going to have to get some corn fed young uns from all over the country. We're fine. Nothing can stop what is coming. Both interior coaches on our staff come from the Pros. The elite kids are paying attention. The Blue Bloods know they're competing with us. The only thing stopping us now is game time performance. Quarterback, the Battle in the Trenches, and Defense. You saw it in the Super Bowl yesterday. You saw it all throughout both the NFL playoffs and the CFP playoffs. Did you see how Lanning disrupted a pretty lethal Bama offense? Did you see unreal throws from Stetson Bennet? Bo Nix is better. Hell make Thomson and Butterfield better. And the future elite kids are already taking about OBD. USC's national reputation is going to draw eyeballs nationwide. We are already on the doorstep. Ding Dong. The best is yet to come.

Champions always have to go through a tough conference. You think Ohio State had it easy? They are in the second toughest division in CFB. Georgia boosters our status this year, after that we go back to our conference as our reference. Now think about Norte Dame. Undefeated and lame. That's us without USC. We don't have Clemson type credibility. We didn't get Flowe and Thibs because USC was down. We got them over the super blue bloods. So USC isn't the threat they used to be. MC was a position coach at Bama. Lanning ran the defense. Huge difference. And it clearly showed ( despite MC's stint at FIU). Winning titles will never be as easy as ducking the emergence of a blue blood. If you can't out recruit USC, you can't out recruit Bama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, or the SEC. Thus, you're done anyway. The path of a champion will always be difficult. Embrace it. It needs character.

Anybody that followed Joe Burrow knew he was elite. How many Joe Burrows are within that 3,000? We're talking 30 football teams worth of transfer requests. It's almost like all the people that ran out and bought toilet paper instead of food two years ago. What are these guys thinking? Why don't we just form thirty more D1 teams so these guys face reality?

The one thing that defines this generation of players is their absolute sense of entitlement. 3,000 players in the portal? Are you kidding me? Last year, the defense saw so much attrition just about everyone on defense got to show their abilities. Film doesn't lie. The smart ones will recognize they will have plenty of shots to play. Depth matters. Not to mention one of the brightest minds will know how to utilize his talent. I hope these players aren't stupid enough to blow their shot at a title. But what can you do? Some of these guys are as arrogant as the so called leaders of our conference ( I guess its not generational lol).

I'm going to wait until the Spring Game before I start analyzing OBD. I'm biased right now. UGA is the only team I see with the ability to control the game when we play. I'll say it till the mountains crumble:. We have enough raw talent to beat everyone we play. We almost have enough talent to take it all. And think about this: Bo Nix is a far better game manager than Stetson Bennet. So if Lanning decides to use the defense as our lethal weapon, we are in the hunt for a title right now. Can't wait till the Spring Game.

Here it is in a nutshell: we are stacked with talent NOW. We are CFP material right now. If USC goes undefeated until they face Utah, we are right there too. Because we can actually beat Georgia. Many have doubted me before, just read the comments about Auburn and Ohio State (people were mad we lost to the Tigers after saying we couldn't win, and nobody wanted Ohio State a year ago- I actually thought we'd win both). I don't say that to brag, I just believe in my own analysis based on the talent we have. Did I mention we are stacked with talent? Fishduck called it: great talent EMERGES immediately. What did MC do with his bowl game after assuming the helm? He face planted. So mediocrity also EMERGES early doesn't it? MC's excellence was recruiting. Lanning's excellence is game time performance. Riley didn't win a Natty as OC. And he duplicated his predecessor as HC. Lanning has a Natty, and started building his team in his spare time. What does that tell you? It tells me we're about to start dominating the conference with or without USC. California isn't the only state USC needs. They have to recruit and win battles against Oregon and the blue bloods. Nationally. Carroll recruited nationally. We recruit nationally. In my eyes that's even Steven. We aren't going anywhere. We need USC. We need two more after that. And we will still be fine. Lanning hasn't proven anything yet, but I see game management like we've never seen. In our entire history. Watch the Spring Game. Watch USC's. You'll know then. Kids are going to line up to play for Oregon. And I want USC as our nemesis. I sure wish I had time to write again. Darren always brings reality. I love him for it. It "sharpens my iron" because I have to find the evidence. Fortunately, I've done ok. And I'm glad USC is back, because I believe we have a HC well qualified to handle USC's resurgence.

As long as we're MC strong, USC is a huge threat. If DL is as good a HC as he is a DC, then USC keeps us in the top five, six or seven. No need to dread an elite team. After all, MC gave us boatloads of talent. Now we're a serious threat to USC, unlike the Pete Carroll years when we were just a nuisancep(albeit the second best team in the conference). The conference needs four serious threats, as in Pete Carroll and Chris Peterson type teams. Otherwise, the conference of champions will remain the same legend in their own heads forever. I welcome the battle. All winners do. Winners play the best to show they are the best. We've already dropped Ohio State in a "down year". Without two of our best defensive players. With a "marginal" QB. What's there to fret about? The best is yet to come. If you can't believe that, might as well stay home. You're done before you start. Bring back those elite Trojans. We're ready. Georgia will tell us how far we've come. Much like Auburn did in 2019. I see good things coming soon.