Epilogue

[Poseidon]

All of this doom and gloom and we now have the 3rd best recruiting class in the AAC, an easier schedule, a QB with more experience, promising freshmen like Canady and hopefully no hurricane displacements and temporary moves to Birmingham. I’m positive because I don’t see Fritz having another bad year. Whether you like him or not he’s a well respected, winning head coach that turned this sinking ship around.

An easier schedule is never a positive.
Hopefully, things will look up, as you suggest.

I get what your saying, but tell that to Houston this year..

[Johnny Mac]

All of this doom and gloom and we now have the 3rd best recruiting class in the AAC, an easier schedule, a QB with more experience, promising freshmen like Canady and hopefully no hurricane displacements and temporary moves to Birmingham. I’m positive because I don’t see Fritz having another bad year. Whether you like him or not he’s a well respected, winning head coach that turned this sinking ship around.

this can be fixed with 2 moves... a new DC and a new O line coach.. I think a lot of Long's offensive woes this year started with a line that was atrocious.. Yeah, he made some head scratching play calls.. but so did Hall and so did Ruse... and so does Sean Payton who has a Super Bowl ring... but our O line wasn't this bad last year with essentially the same group and our defense wasn't this bad last year with a coordinator who was fired for his inability to coach a defense to make a stop on third down or defend a hail Mary.

[RI WAVE]

I would keep Long. It’s not his fault the WR’s can’t catch and the OL can’t pass block. Lots of times the play is there but the wr drops the ball, the qb doesn’t see the open receiver, who will likely drop in anyway, or the qb doesn’t have time to throw the ball.

Last year Hall and Pratt were in sync, Hall was developing a system around a new quarterback and listening to Pratt, while mentoring him. Long does none of that. Pratt needs to learn to develop his passes - unnecessary rockets on short passes are difficult to catch. He is not communicating with Long, and in MHO, Long is not “ getting it”, building a viable game plan ( recognizing the OL issues) that has his player’s buy in.

[visualmagic]

All of this doom and gloom and we now have the 3rd best recruiting class in the AAC, an easier schedule, a QB with more experience, promising freshmen like Canady and hopefully no hurricane displacements and temporary moves to Birmingham. I’m positive because I don’t see Fritz having another bad year. Whether you like him or not he’s a well respected, winning head coach that turned this sinking ship around.

Are we doom and gloom or are you just a sunshine pumper?

[OGSB]

[ml wave]

I would keep Long. It’s not his fault the WR’s can’t catch and the OL can’t pass block. Lots of times the play is there but the wr drops the ball, the qb doesn’t see the open receiver, who will likely drop in anyway, or the qb doesn’t have time to throw the ball.

Last year Hall and Pratt were in sync, Hall was developing a system around a new quarterback and listening to Pratt, while mentoring him. Long does none of that. Pratt needs to learn to develop his passes - unnecessary rockets on short passes are difficult to catch. He is not communicating with Long, and in MHO, Long is not “ getting it”, building a viable game plan ( recognizing the OL issues) that has his player’s buy in.

How do we know Long is not mentoring Pratt and Pratt is not communicating with Long?

[Poseidon]

I would keep Long. It’s not his fault the WR’s can’t catch and the OL can’t pass block. Lots of times the play is there but the wr drops the ball, the qb doesn’t see the open receiver, who will likely drop in anyway, or the qb doesn’t have time to throw the ball.

Last year Hall and Pratt were in sync, Hall was developing a system around a new quarterback and listening to Pratt, while mentoring him. Long does none of that. Pratt needs to learn to develop his passes - unnecessary rockets on short passes are difficult to catch. He is not communicating with Long, and in MHO, Long is not “ getting it”, building a viable game plan ( recognizing the OL issues) that has his player’s buy in.

How do we know Long is not mentoring Pratt and Pratt is not communicating with Long?

It's hard to tell right.

Pratt has yet to prove he can make quick decisions in the passing game. Under Hall his decisions were largely made for him. Now that we are opening up the pssing game and getiing blizted or sophisticated rushes he has to make reads and find the open dumps. It doesn't seem he is responding well to that. Is that on Pratt or Long at this point? That is the key question. Some of us are curious to see what the other QBS on the roster can do we have some real markers to campare.

[Yankeewave]

We showed enough at the end that hopefully the recruits wont bail. Pratt had time sat night and still missed. If he is injured that is one thing, if not, do we have a good qb coming in?

[Yankeewave]

Assuming no transfers out, who do we lose?

[GSx]

Pratt threw 21 TD passes with only 8 ints.
We had no functional running game, the OL struggled, the receives continue to drop passes.
We need changes/upgrades in various aspects, but he isn't one of them. He's part of the solution.

[Poseidon]

Pratt threw 21 TD passes with only 8 ints.
We had no functional running game, the OL struggled, the receives continue to drop passes.
We need changes/upgrades in various aspects, but he isn't one of them. He's part of the solution.

I dont think anyone said he is THE problem. However he needs to make improvements in the areas we spoke about or the big problems may not be solved. He is also at the most important position on the field.

[wavedom]

Pratt threw 21 TD passes with only 8 ints.
We had no functional running game, the OL struggled, the receives continue to drop passes.
We need changes/upgrades in various aspects, but he isn't one of them. He's part of the solution.

This.

[wavedom]

We showed enough at the end that hopefully the recruits wont bail. Pratt had time sat night and still missed. If he is injured that is one thing, if not, do we have a good qb coming in?

He's played with an injured right shoulder and knee since the Ole Miss game. Fritz said last week that they hadn't let him throw much during the week since then.

[ml wave]

We showed enough at the end that hopefully the recruits wont bail. Pratt had time sat night and still missed. If he is injured that is one thing, if not, do we have a good qb coming in?

He's played with an injured right shoulder and knee since the Ole Miss game. Fritz said last week that they hadn't let him throw much during the week since then.

He was good enough last year for me to chalk up all the bad throws (and there were a lot of them) to injury...I'm more concerned at this point about the decision making. I hope he spends the offseason working on leaving the pocket with the intention of throwing as opposed to tucking the ball and running.

[Wandering Quaker]

He was good enough last year for me to chalk up all the bad throws (and there were a lot of them) to injury...I'm more concerned at this point about the decision making. I hope he spends the offseason working on leaving the pocket with the intention of throwing as opposed to tucking the ball and running.

On rollouts, too, he needs some work to maintain route recognition. We have seen him prematurely reduce his options when he moves. I think it's probably the same thing that happens when he scrambles. Time and reps, with a few creative drills to work on during the off-season.

[GretnaGrn]

I can live with keeping CWF and the special teams coach one more year. Everyone else should be clearing their desks, starting with Long, Hampton and the OL coach.

That's what should happen. We'll see, but I'm not optimistic.

[washwave]

Things started looking better when we established a running game and simplified the defense. I think they went into the season with the wrong offensive game plan and a flawed defensive system. The team was much more competitive after the SMU game. Wasn't good enough, but there were signs of life. I think that you do have to credit the coaches that the team never quit and played hard until the end, long after the season was effectively over. I think that there needs to be an accounting for what happened and some staff changes to show that this is unacceptable. Just going forward as is certainly looks like we're OK with a 2 win season and it doesn't matter what excuses you have, there's no way that should be acceptable.

[purplehaz3]

1. Pratt is not the problem, the OL and WR have been. As well as Long’s bipolar play calling. The issues are pretty easily fixed- raid the portal and run the ball more. Spears is an NFL player and should be utilized like the Titans utilize Henry.

2. We’ve lost 20 games since 2016 by one score or less. 20 games. Also can be easily fixed and related to #1. We have blown many games we were in a position to win. Some of it is coaching but most of it is dropped balls, dumb mistakes and inexperience.

3. Whether you disagree or not, Fritz’s job is on the line next year. The school collects enough money from ESPN/AAC to pay the buyout. This is not the old C-USA. Stop acting like we are in the C-USA. We are in the top half of FBS for recruiting and are on national television a lot more often than we have ever been. If we another bad year, he’s gone.

Things will turn around.

[PeteRasche]

Things started looking better when we established a running game and simplified the defense. I think they went into the season with the wrong offensive game plan and a flawed defensive system. The team was much more competitive after the SMU game. Wasn't good enough, but there were signs of life.

Or maybe we "established a running game" because our starting QB was out in concussion protocol and our #1 RB's knee finally got back to 100%, and maybe our "simplified" defense looked better because we started playing against teams with less productive passing games.

[wavedom]

Things started looking better when we established a running game and simplified the defense. I think they went into the season with the wrong offensive game plan and a flawed defensive system. The team was much more competitive after the SMU game. Wasn't good enough, but there were signs of life.

Or maybe we "established a running game" because our starting QB was out in concussion protocol and our #1 RB's knee finally got back to 100%, and maybe our "simplified" defense looked better because we started playing against teams with less productive passing games.

Yep.

[Radio Wave]

In a pass happy offense that scores quickly the defense is back on the field all the time. Fritz wants a ground game where the defense isn’t exposed.

[washwave]

Things started looking better when we established a running game and simplified the defense. I think they went into the season with the wrong offensive game plan and a flawed defensive system. The team was much more competitive after the SMU game. Wasn't good enough, but there were signs of life.

Or maybe we "established a running game" because our starting QB was out in concussion protocol and our #1 RB's knee finally got back to 100%, and maybe our "simplified" defense looked better because we started playing against teams with less productive passing games.

Maybe, but we played a top 5 team and 3 other teams that are going to bowl games much closer than the ridiculous blowouts that we saw before that. Maybe they also realized that our number 1 QB can't throw the ball as well as they thought and running was a better strategy. Either way, I'm not making excuses or defending the coaches but maybe we just stunk a little less at the end of the season and there's something to build on for next year?

[ml wave]

In a pass happy offense that scores quickly the defense is back on the field all the time. Fritz wants a ground game where the defense isn’t exposed.

Umm, I'm no Fritz but I'll take "scores quickly" any day of the week.

[Johnny4]

In a pass happy offense that scores quickly the defense is back on the field all the time. Fritz wants a ground game where the defense isn’t exposed.

Watching michigan beat Ohio State on Saturday, I couldn't help but wonder if we might start seeing the pendulum start to swing back toward run heavy, ball control offenses.

[FW]

We showed enough at the end that hopefully the recruits wont bail. Pratt had time sat night and still missed. If he is injured that is one thing, if not, do we have a good qb coming in?

We "lost" one recruit last week. The TE from TN decommitted.