[SamuelMcF]

Whatever the content of the playbook, ya gotta have the horses to make it work. Seems that there's a serious disconnect between what Shaw wants to do -- and the players he puts on the field.

I remember keeping track of the number of times we ran 4 TE sets in the RZ or short yardage situations, using walk-on Kyle McCombs (or late in the season, frosh OL Drake Nugent) as the fourth TE/ogre. I believe it was 6, and we netted zero yards total. We did it 3 straight times in one game (I want to say ND, but don't quote me on that) for no gain and kicked a FG at the 2. Just mind-boggling. I remember seeing a super cool pick play where Michael Wilson beat the corner to the pylon for our very first TD of the year against Northwestern; why didn't we ever try that again?!

That said, we can say the same about Anderson's constantly-in-nickel defense and the litany of freshmen and walk-ons we had to throw out there in the secondary. (I am excited for Kelly and McGill's futures though.) Akina pulled had-offers-from-Clemson-and-Alabama-in-HS Stuart Head for walk-on JJ Parson in Big Game and I almost doubled over in laughter. Oh, and all 4 starters at ILB and S were converted from other positions: Antoine and Williamson both originally CBs, Robinson originally an OLB (and he really should've been at ILB the entire way), Pryts originally a S. So yeah. Very clearly didn't have the horses. Obvious why we're signing 4 safeties in the '21 class, which gets back to the title of the post. Also, Coach Sanders has his hands full trying to rebuild the ILB room, and I'd argue it's in just as bad of shape as the disaster that was the OL room when Carberry arrived.

[SamuelMcF]

Whatever the content of the playbook, ya gotta have the horses to make it work. Seems that there's a serious disconnect between what Shaw wants to do -- and the players he puts on the field.

I remember keeping track of the number of times we ran 4 TE sets in the RZ or short yardage situations, using walk-on Kyle McCombs (or late in the season, frosh OL Drake Nugent) as the fourth TE/ogre. I believe it was 6, and we netted zero yards total. We did it 3 straight times in one game (I want to say ND, but don't quote me on that) for no gain and kicked a FG at the 2. Just mind-boggling. I remember seeing a super cool pick play where Michael Wilson beat the corner to the pylon for our very first TD of the year against Northwestern; why didn't we ever try that again?!

That said, we can say the same about Anderson's constantly-in-nickel defense and the litany of freshmen and walk-ons we had to throw out there in the secondary. (I am excited for Kelly and McGill's futures though.) Akina pulled had-offers-from-Clemson-and-Alabama-in-HS Stuart Head for walk-on JJ Parson in Big Game and I almost doubled over in laughter. Oh, and all 4 starters at ILB and S were converted from other positions: Antoine and Williamson both originally CBs, Robinson originally an OLB (and he really should've been at ILB the entire way), Pryts originally a S. So yeah. Very clearly didn't have the horses. Obvious why we're signing 4 safeties in the '21 class, which gets back to the title of the post. Also, Coach Sanders has his hands full trying to rebuild the ILB room, and I'd argue it's in just as bad of shape as the disaster that was the OL room when Carberry arrived.