I tried not to go overboard on this because, well, it's not a real game. But it's all we'll get for a while so we might as well take a look, mostly at Klubnik and the offensive scheme, from a 10,000ft view.
After a nice completion to Turner to move the chains on the opening drive, we get "
a tempo play". Mukuba knifes in and makes a nice TFL, but check out what's going on at the top of the screen. Tennessee stack with a solo DB, no safety help, and Carter as the overhang. For those of you who have done homework on Garrett Riley via coaching clinic videos or otherwise, you've probably heard him use the term "tags". Heck, Coach Swinney threw it out there a couple times on the broadcast. Each play is designed to go to a particular route, but if that look is a little muddy presnap, you have a "tag" on that WR to hot route him elsewhere. Last year Kyle Richardson made comments about option routes and giving guys a chance to be right post-snap and these are the things he's talking about. We're still at a very rudimentary stage of building this offense but that screen up top could easily become a switch release and take the top off. Over the course of the summer this kind of stuff will be addressed.
Next snap is supposed to be an outside zone. As Mafah moves to the right hand side, we know this play is supposed to go left. Klubnik does a little quick math to the bunch side and realizes he's got numbers to the screen. Williams lost his footing but there's a handful of yards there before our best guy gets a 1v1. That's a great example of actually "taking what the defense gives us". In the past that phrase roughly translated to, "giving DJ the most basic read imaginable and praying he doesn't cost us the game on this play." So if Garrett Riley throws out that phrase, please don't let it trigger any painful, suppressed flashbacks.
This is where I'll point out how rudimentary the play calling was. On passes alone there were no less than 34 instances where I said to myself, "Yep, saw that already." It's supposed to be overly simplistic right now. I think the fact that the defense broke so quickly on so many routes is a byproduct of the fact that they probably had a real good idea what was coming.
Little love for
Domonique Thomas. Two plays before this he made Covil look silly coming downhill trying to fill a gap. Strong, great vision, quick enough feet. He's got a little bit of Adam Choice to his game.
This joker and Keith Adams are going to make somebody's defense quit in garbage time.
Don't always have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.
This is a basic seams play, very reminiscent of the play I dubbed
Third-and-Zero last fall.
Flood the seams with a little out route underneath. Difference being now the out route turns into a wheel. We ran this play no less than a dozen times between the four QBs.
This is the decision making and ability to hang in the pocket we need to see.
Check it down and move along. Balls got to come out quick, but the defense reacts really well and it's covered up. Don't
panic, just progress. The problem is we still see plays that look like
this. Both instances he's got guys open in front of him but that habit of rolling arm side is
deeply engrained.
Two plays later I'm ready to come unglued. Joe Milton can be casual about this throw and flick it into metro Atlanta. Cade absolutely cannot be casual about it. He has enough arm but he can't afford to be lazy with his lower half. To that same point,
he has to be on time and throw with a lot more
anticipation. Let's look at a couple examples. We'll start with a good one
here. First progression and the ball is out right as Williams makes his break.
Here Pope isn't really in the progression as he's just setting a pick because the play, as Swinney describes, is drawn up to the crosser. Cade's eyes are already there at the mesh point to see Pope uncover but by the time he makes a decision,
Mickens has closed nicely. Then
here's the second interception. Looks similar to
this and
this from the end of last season. Eat it, run away, but don't force it at the best cover guy we have.
Thank you sir, may I have another?
Thank you sir, may I have another?
Spring game MVP is sort of an oxymoron, but Khalil Barnes is going to help us.
This was his introduction. Think he's seen
that route before? And obviously,
this is the one we'll remember. Same exact route he broke on in the previous clip. As
@Paul Strelow referenced during his recruitment, it's about getting a player instead of a projection.
We all recognize the void left by Potter, so it was good to see a
long FG by Boyd and
Gunn launching kickoffs.
My takeaways are simple...
1. The main story here is understandably Cade Klubnik. He didn't look much different than he did when we saw him last...and that's okay. 15 practices in a new offense is an appetizer at best. The next four and a half months are where the improvement happens.
2. We didn't have enough healthy options or enough plays in the bag to test the secondary on Saturday but I liked what I saw. We know what we have at DT and LB. The front seven will be fine, but the back end is what will set the ceiling.
3. OL depth is actually a feasible proposition again. Leigh, Mayes, Sadler, Sewell, and *Howard are all capable. The starting five aren't world beaters, but being able to spell them in competitive action is a big deal. It should pay dividends for Shipley, Mafah, and Klubnik.
4. The freshmen on defense can absolutely get it done. Sheesh.
See y'all in September. Go Tigers!
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