2 things: Thoughs on Bajakian and Jason Croom...

#51
#51
UTVolWarrior98 said:
We should be using him like my Lions use Megatron. Did you see those leaping catches he made yesterday...unbelievable!! Croom could be doing these things! Is he simply underachieving?

Thoughts on both??
Click to expand...

Atzar said:
Young, inexperienced kids in a new offense with a limited quarterback, a line meant for a different style of offense and no depth at any position. Can't blame Coach Jake for calling a pretty simple game in my opinion.

As for Croom... setting aside the whole 'redshirt freshman only seven games into his career' point, you can't compare him to the best receiver in the world just because he's a similar size. Megatron is a freak. We could go quite a while without seeing another like him. Croom, as good as he may end up, is just not on Johnson's level as an athlete and will therefore not be able to do many of the things Johnson can. And... yeah, he's young, raw, probably doesn't know all of the plays yet and is still learning to put it all together. Let's wait a couple of years and see what we have in him then.
Click to expand...

I agree atzar. I had to raise my eyebrow at the bolded statement above too. Expecting a RS freshman to produce like an NFL freak, just because of his frame... Sometimes all one can do is shake their head.
 
#52
#52
Bajakian doesn't yet have the personnel (more versatile TEs, QB who can tuck it an run effectively, more experienced WRs) to run exactly the type of offense he'd like, so he's had to adapt a bit and run some vanilla plays. With an OL like ours, I don't blame him for trying. In a few seasons when he has the personnel he needs, I think he'll put a hell of an offense on the field.

Croom is still young and is/will be fine. He's been reliable and clutch for us a lot this year. Worley looks for him on 3rd downs, but can't always get it there. In a year or two when Croom has been seasoned, he will be a big problem for defensive coordinators.
 
#53
#53
BeardedVol said:
Not to threadjack, but could you imagine a football team with Randy Sanders as OC, and Sal Sunseri as DC?

<shudders>
Click to expand...

Go to the mirror and punch yourself in the face right now for even saying something like that...

Gawd, we would look like Arkansas against everyone...
 
#54
#54
1) We're a run-first, physical offense. Butch and Bajakian have said it multiple times. So it would be best to start expecting that during their tenures in Knoxville. I understand why you're not used to it, after watching Jim Chaney throw the ball all over the field for the last 4 years. But this is where we are now.

2) If you haven't watched any Cincy game tape, do so. Educate yourself. It's a pretty good display of what the offense is capable of. In my opinion, we haven't even seen 50% of the playbook yet.

3) The WR progress is there. But it will not be visible until the QB play improves. Again, I'm a member of Team Worley. I really am. I think he's a very high-character individual and a good leader on the team. But his passing game is not where it needs to be, which is to say that it's not good enough to keep defenses from loading the box to stop the run. This is why you saw USC get burned on long shots down the field, when we actually took them. I think it will improve, in time, especially in the offseason as he continues to learn the offense, work on his passing, and gains confidence. Right now, however, the only play he looks confident running is sticking Raijon with the ball and getting the hell out of there. He already does a good job with taking care of the football, but when he learns to throw it with confidence, he'll become an real asset to the offense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#55
#55
armchair said:
for teams all over the country. So the original question is fair. Isn't the Florida State QB a RS freshman? Nobody is knocking Croom--just wondering why he isn't targeted more. He is a starter, yes?
Click to expand...

While plenty of freshmen are making contributions elsewhere, I would argue that most of those freshmen (like FSU's QB) are in a system that has been implemented for a few years whereas we have an all new offensive scheme.

So those freshmen elsewhere are surrounded by upperclassmen who know the plays and system, making everything much more smooth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#56
#56
UTVolWarrior98 said:
First off, just wanted to get an overall opinion of how everyone is feeling about OC Mike Bajakian. I, personally, think he is too dry and predictable. I mean Randy Sanders looks like Mike Leach compared to him! lol Yes, we won the game Saturday against SC, and have had some nice passing plays, but he can be dryer than a desert. Maybe we just don't have the talent he needs to be more creative, Im not sure.

Secondly, WHERE THE HELL IS JASON CROOM?!! lol This guy has been irrelevant other than the 4 yrd TD in Eugene and that 1st down catch on Saturday. He is a beast and should be playing like a beast! The guy is taller than any DB that plays against him. We should be using him like my Lions use Megatron. Did you see those leaping catches he made yesterday...unbelievable!! Croom could be doing these things! Is he simply underachieving?

Thoughts on both??
Click to expand...

Bajakian is good OC and that will be evident when he has the QB,RBs, and WRs of SEC quality. Croom is catching balls thrown to him and is the best blocking WR on the team. He is a solid player who will continue to improve.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#58
#58
UTVolWarrior98 said:
First off, just wanted to get an overall opinion of how everyone is feeling about OC Mike Bajakian. I, personally, think he is too dry and predictable. I mean Randy Sanders looks like Mike Leach compared to him! lol Yes, we won the game Saturday against SC, and have had some nice passing plays, but he can be dryer than a desert. Maybe we just don't have the talent he needs to be more creative, Im not sure.

Secondly, WHERE THE HELL IS JASON CROOM?!! lol This guy has been irrelevant other than the 4 yrd TD in Eugene and that 1st down catch on Saturday. He is a beast and should be playing like a beast! The guy is taller than any DB that plays against him. We should be using him like my Lions use Megatron. Did you see those leaping catches he made yesterday...unbelievable!! Croom could be doing these things! Is he simply underachieving?

Thoughts on both??
Click to expand...

You're blind if you can't see what they are doing. They are running the same sets of plays over and over to allow the players to develop. From Oregon to USC, we've improved dramatically. Had they tried to put in more trick plays and more variations than our players would not have progressed and may have regressed. As it is, we have probably half the offense in play at this point and the boys are executing far better than at the beginning of the year.
 
#59
#59
SamRebel35 said:
Jake is doing a decent job considering the greenhorns we have on offense. The only puzzling thing about last week's gameplan was when we rolled Worley to his left and towards Clowney. Qb's rolling to their non dominant side can be a recipe for disaster. Add in the fact that you are doing it and opening up a path for Clowney to get a free shot on the QB, and you have a very bad combo. Luckily, nothing too disastrous came of it.

And Croom will be fine once he gets some more big game reps. Baby steps.
Click to expand...

I am glad I wasn't the only one thinking, "what in the hell are we doing" it's not very smart to roll your unexpierenced toward "maybe" the best DE in the country...against his non throwing side.

I am trying to be patient, not really a fan of this O, but I am a Butch fan and have faith in him, so I bite my tounge often and trust what they are doing...even thou its driving me insane.
 
#60
#60
Had Pig scored, they probably would've held off Georgia as well as beating a much much better defense in SC. Against Florida's top ranked defense they failed to beat Florida because of a QB change. Against Oregon, it was the 3rd game and they were playing catchup.

I wish people would please stop whining about the playcalling and understand a little football.
 
#61
#61
Running the ball wears defenses down and is less risky. It eats clock and shortens the game. These are the keys for a team who is less talented / experienced overall but is better conditioned and disciplined.

We'll get there eventually, but if we had called the earlier games more like this one we likely would have beaten Florida and the Oregon game wouldn't have looked quite as ugly.
 
#62
#62
I think we will see more of Croom. North painted a big bullseye on his back this past weekend and will certainly be getting extra attention by defenses.
 
#63
#63
The offense is reminiscent of the offense Urban Meyer ran at that stupid school that wears jean shorts down the road while sporting mullets. I think it will be successful in time with the right personnel and a couple years implementing the system completely. I think he knows what he is doing using the talent that the son of the most overrated coach in history left us.
 
#64
#64
This IS a new offense, Worley has been less than stellar and inconsistent by missing several open receivers, but they are growing together.

I would like to see CROOM more involved in the passing game down the middle of the field...line him up as a TE if you have to, but get him involved. I don't think Bajakian has attacked the middle of the field enough since many teams have run that 2-deep, man-under coverage. Will he? We will just have to wait and see.

I also would LOVE to know if our playbook has a bootleg in it--both UGA and USCe defenses were selling out in pursuit and extremely vulnerable to the misdirection of bootlegs--and they never came.

Inconsistency is apparent on our offense--is that a product of play-calling or QB performance? I don't know.

Either way---GO VOLS! :salute:
 
#65
#65
Yeah, I'm still not sold on Bajakian's offense. It doesn't seem to have much potential to be really explosive. Maybe it is hamstrung at the moment with personnel, but when you tell me that you need top level players to run your system effectively, I think "You know what system is effective with top level players? ALL OF THEM." Why run a system if it doesn't give the players you have an advantage?

The thing that most worries me are the comparisons with Meyer's system (which only really worked well in the SEC with Tim Tebow running it) and the fact that we don't have, nor are we recruiting a big strong running QB like Tebow or like Lefevour that they had at Central Michigan. I just don't see how this system will ever be particularly explosive and I find it odd that we are using a system that seems designed to feature a big strong running QB when we don't have one and don't look like getting one anytime soon.
 
#67
#67
Do some of you ask your local pee wee coach why he doesn't run pro level plays? Honest question.
 
#68
#68
A little limited in what he can call, but seriously I thought maybe he had fallen asleep at the wheel a couple of times Saturday.
Croom may not know the play book.
Surely bunching 2 receivers and 3 defenders in one corner of the end zone wasn't a called play.

Pretty sure there isn't a play in the playbook that calls for all the receivers to make a beeline to spot X.
 
#69
#69
The play calling in that 4th quarter drive in the Georgia game was so different than everything else we've seen this year, it begs the question, "Who called those plays?"

I doubt it was Bajakian.
 
#70
#70
In no way should you judge the offense on this season or the season so far. Like the coaches say every week they only run the plays in the game that they execute in practice. Ive heard the exact quote prolly 10 times
 
#72
#72
DownTheField said:
The play calling in that 4th quarter drive in the Georgia game was so different than everything else we've seen this year, it begs the question, "Who called those plays?"

I doubt it was Bajakian.
Click to expand...


If you are specifically talking about the fourth-down conversion calls, I believe that you are correct. On the post-Georgia edition of the "Butch Jones Show" (fast-forward to approximately the 30:10 mark of The Butch Jones Show: Georgia - YouTube), Coach Bajakian stated that Don Mahoney was responsible for coming up with a package of offensive plays that they could choose from in short yardage situations. Butch reiterated, however, that they had successfully executed those plays in practice, so they had confidence calling them in those critical situations.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#73
#73
oregonvol said:
Yeah, I'm still not sold on Bajakian's offense. It doesn't seem to have much potential to be really explosive. Maybe it is hamstrung at the moment with personnel, but when you tell me that you need top level players to run your system effectively, I think "You know what system is effective with top level players? ALL OF THEM." Why run a system if it doesn't give the players you have an advantage?

The thing that most worries me are the comparisons with Meyer's system (which only really worked well in the SEC with Tim Tebow running it) and the fact that we don't have, nor are we recruiting a big strong running QB like Tebow or like Lefevour that they had at Central Michigan. I just don't see how this system will ever be particularly explosive and I find it odd that we are using a system that seems designed to feature a big strong running QB when we don't have one and don't look like getting one anytime soon.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's so much that Bajakian needs to be loaded with top level football players to run his system as it is he just needs greater depth and experience and guys who fit his system.

As it stands, almost non of our offensive starters were recruited to run this system. This is most glaring at QB (a QB who can tuck it and take 4-5 yards on a read option six or seven times a game would be HUGE in helping move the chains) and at TE (Downs seems to fit what we want to de decently, but isn't all that explosive and Branisel isn't far enough along blocking to get consistent reps. This also limits the number of 2TE sets we can use, which limits play calling.)

I think we have the guys we need at WR, but they need to continue to gain experience.

And as far as Meyer's offense goes, you're forgetting that he won a championship with Chris Leak. We haven't recruited someone like Lefavour/Tebow, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit if one of our true freshmen turned out to be as good or better than Leak.
 
#74
#74
Most here forget that our coaches are also a TEAM.

bUTch has said several times that every O coach has input of ideas and suggestions of plays for specific situations based on what the D has been doing.

Our O line coach may suggest a certain play based on specific O linemen that are ready to go and the RB coach will do the same as will the TE and WR coaches during a game.

You may see a different O lineman or 2 come in and Lane at RB with Croom in for tougher WR blocking for a specific play or 2 that the coaches believe will work well and we must run certain plays just to see how they work to know if we want to use those plays later in the game in specific situations.

We have a smart HC who hired smart coordinators that always listen to their position coaches and work well as a team to keep things working as well as possible.

There's lots of coaches eyes watching everything that happens on the field and it's not always the O or D coordinators that make suggestions of something to try based on some things they saw.

We're young at our main playmaker positions on the O and we seriously lack game experience too so that always limits what plays can be called and we're learning a whole new O system so that's more limitations.

Next year and the year after that we'll see lots more things being done and our O getting better and better as our kids learn alot more plays that can be used then.

The CROOMSTER is also young and inexperienced but I still believe he's going to become a beast for us and that we'll see him as both a WR and a TE in time.

Quality depth is also a serious problem for us right now but in a few years we'll see solid playtmakers at every position and a solid 2 deep rotation.

We're already seeing our Vols getting better in year 1 so just wait until bUTch has 3 or 4 years of recruiting and teaching these kids and I believe everyone will be really happy then.

#BrickbyBrick...VFL...GBO!!!
 
#75
#75
UTVolWarrior98 said:
First off, just wanted to get an overall opinion of how everyone is feeling about OC Mike Bajakian. I, personally, think he is too dry and predictable. I mean Randy Sanders looks like Mike Leach compared to him! lol Yes, we won the game Saturday against SC, and have had some nice passing plays, but he can be dryer than a desert. Maybe we just don't have the talent he needs to be more creative, Im not sure.

Secondly, WHERE THE HELL IS JASON CROOM?!! lol This guy has been irrelevant other than the 4 yrd TD in Eugene and that 1st down catch on Saturday. He is a beast and should be playing like a beast! The guy is taller than any DB that plays against him. We should be using him like my Lions use Megatron. Did you see those leaping catches he made yesterday...unbelievable!! Croom could be doing these things! Is he simply underachieving?

Thoughts on both??
Click to expand...

Why so critical--enjoy life man and quit bi****ing about everything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top