Okay, I'll bite

[mrydel]

Two of the damaging OL penalties were on our center for apparently positioning the ball while preparing to snap. I have not seen that called very often. Wondering if the Tulane coaches had noticed something on film and alerted the officials. Centers always adjust the ball while preparing to snap but I am sure there are limits and that is what was called twice in very important instances. If that be the case, kudos to the Tulane staff for ding their homework.

[CalallenStang]

Two of the damaging OL penalties were on our center for apparently positioning the ball while preparing to snap. I have not seen that called very often. Wondering if the Tulane coaches had noticed something on film and alerted the officials. Centers always adjust the ball while preparing to snap but I am sure there are limits and that is what was called twice in very important instances. If that be the case, kudos to the Tulane staff for ding their homework.

The one right that nullified the QB sneak for the TD, he inched the ball up---little-by-little, until it rested on the goal line. You can't move the ball half a yard

[mrydel]

Two of the damaging OL penalties were on our center for apparently positioning the ball while preparing to snap. I have not seen that called very often. Wondering if the Tulane coaches had noticed something on film and alerted the officials. Centers always adjust the ball while preparing to snap but I am sure there are limits and that is what was called twice in very important instances. If that be the case, kudos to the Tulane staff for ding their homework.

The one right that nullified the QB sneak for the TD, he inched the ball up---little-by-little, until it rested on the goal line. You can't move the ball half a yard

I am not saying it was a bad call, I leave that for Arkansas fans. I am saying it is very rarely called and I would almost have to believe that the Tulane coaches had made the officials aware of it prior to the game. Just curious as to if that was the case while knowing the answer will not ever be known.

[SMU 86]

Then that should be on our OL coach.

[mrydel]

agree

[CalallenStang]

Two of the damaging OL penalties were on our center for apparently positioning the ball while preparing to snap. I have not seen that called very often. Wondering if the Tulane coaches had noticed something on film and alerted the officials. Centers always adjust the ball while preparing to snap but I am sure there are limits and that is what was called twice in very important instances. If that be the case, kudos to the Tulane staff for ding their homework.

The one right that nullified the QB sneak for the TD, he inched the ball up---little-by-little, until it rested on the goal line. You can't move the ball half a yard

I am not saying it was a bad call, I leave that for Arkansas fans. I am saying it is very rarely called and I would almost have to believe that the Tulane coaches had made the officials aware of it prior to the game. Just curious as to if that was the case while knowing the answer will not ever be known.

Could be, but it's also very noticable when you have the goal line right there (something officials are trained to be hypersensitive to)

[CalallenStang]

OK, I will bite. JasonB made a brave attempt to provide an alternative view of our situation/crisis. Chicken Little can make the easy calls, but at least we have a poster/fan who offers other views. I get nervous when everyone says the same thing and other views are called nuts. I am not saying he is right, but tempering the shouts is not a bad thing. At my age, nothing is ever black and white.

Except that his alternative view is that the players aren't good enough (which goes back to the coaches) and they lack discipline (which goes back to the coaches).

Even if you adopt JasonB's view, in the final analysis, the answer is fire the coaches.

[mrydel]

Here is where I see the difference Water Pony. If you recall several years ago when the Philadelphia Eagles ( or their opponent, sorry I do not remember who was who) had a game won and all they needed to do was run out the clock. Instead of the QB falling on the ball, they ran a hand off, the ball was fumbled and the opposition picked it up and ran in for a TD and won the game. Thus the invention of the victory formation.

Well, we were not quite to the victory formation time limit but awfully close and taking another 40+ seconds off the clock instead of an incomplete pass, and coupling that with 98 yards to go (if we did not score) by running instead of the fg (another 40+ seconds if we did not score), should have sealed the game. Instead, Jones chose to give the ball back to Tulane with time to go and tada, the rest is history.

Sure the game should never had been that close and mistakes were made all over the field. But the goal is to win the game. In the final 1:30 we had the game won and the play calling gave it away.

[CalallenStang]

#firejunejones

[Treadway21]

Here is where I see the difference Water Pony. If you recall several years ago when the Philadelphia Eagles ( or their opponent, sorry I do not remember who was who) had a game won and all they needed to do was run out the clock. Instead of the QB falling on the ball, they ran a hand off, the ball was fumbled and the opposition picked it up and ran in for a TD and won the game. Thus the invention of the victory formation.

Well, we were not quite to the victory formation time limit but awfully close and taking another 40+ seconds off the clock instead of an incomplete pass, and coupling that with 98 yards to go (if we did not score) by running instead of the fg (another 40+ seconds if we did not score), should have sealed the game. Instead, Jones chose to give the ball back to Tulane with time to go and tada, the rest is history.

Sure the game should never had been that close and mistakes were made all over the field. But the goal is to win the game. In the final 1:30 we had the game won and the play calling gave it away.

Mrydel, you are in fire with your post game analysis. Wish it was under different circumstances.

[Water Pony]

At my age, nothing is ever black and white.

Except the need for a natatorium right? And that it is more urgent than an IPF?

Yes, the new Natatorium is the one, absolute, must-have, self-evident need, Couch 'em. Got me.

[Water Pony]

Here is where I see the difference Water Pony. If you recall several years ago when the Philadelphia Eagles ( or their opponent, sorry I do not remember who was who) had a game won and all they needed to do was run out the clock. Instead of the QB falling on the ball, they ran a hand off, the ball was fumbled and the opposition picked it up and ran in for a TD and won the game. Thus the invention of the victory formation.

Well, we were not quite to the victory formation time limit but awfully close and taking another 40+ seconds off the clock instead of an incomplete pass, and coupling that with 98 yards to go (if we did not score) by running instead of the fg (another 40+ seconds if we did not score), should have sealed the game. Instead, Jones chose to give the ball back to Tulane with time to go and tada, the rest is history.

Sure the game should never had been that close and mistakes were made all over the field. But the goal is to win the game. In the final 1:30 we had the game won and the play calling gave it away.

Actually, I agree. JJ's post game comment was that he wanted to avoid a possibility that Tulane could go for a Field Goal. That is a reason, but not a good one.

[ojaipony]

Well, we were not quite to the victory formation time limit but awfully close and taking another 40+ seconds off the clock instead of an incomplete pass, and coupling that with 98 yards to go (if we did not score) by running instead of the fg (another 40+ seconds if we did not score), should have sealed the game. Instead, Jones chose to give the ball back to Tulane with time to go and tada, the rest is history.

Sure the game should never had been that close and mistakes were made all over the field. But the goal is to win the game. In the final 1:30 we had the game won and the play calling gave it away.

Bingo. Especially your last sentence. Right on the money. The straw that broke the camel's back for me with JJ.

[JasonB]

I think the pass call on first down is a much worse call than kicking the field goal. If the clock is under a minute for that last play, then it becomes a no brainer to run the ball on 4th instead of kick a field goal.

The other question about the OL next year... Lasecki will be set at center, and Gott is one tackle. The other spots on the line, I think Briggs, Reich, and Rice all look the part and show both agility and size. Lowe, Myers, Chamagua, and Weeks have the right size, but I don't know if they have blown anyone away just yet. Check out the sizes of those guys on the roster. We are going to have a physically imposing line if nothing else. Best case scenario is that three spots go to the group of Reich, Lowe, Myers, Weeks so that we get some older folks out there, but there is a lot of talent in the overall group. This group is much bigger and more athletic than the group that was recruited 2-4 years ago.

Again, I'll point out that either JJ is responsible for oline recruiting, in which case you say he messed up 2-4 years ago and then figured things out and got better. Or you say that McKnight was not a good evaluator before and Klemm was much better. I know I made a point earlier this year for throwing Klemm under the bus for the oline talent, but when I went back and looked at who recruited what, the problem was in the McKnight era, not the Klemm era. And of course, that opens the pandora's box of losing Klemm, who was not a great coach but is a good recruiter.

Of course, door number 3 is that the new players aren't any good. In which case, JJ won't be around after next season anyway, so it is kind of a moot point. But I do think they are a lot better.

[Rebel10]

Since we are in CUSA our talent level is about the same as everyone else. Now it is coaching that makes a difference. OL is going fine to me but as pointed out earlier the mistakes they make are all on Coach Palcic. Coach Palcic's offensive lines at UCLA were not good. Whatever the OL does form this point is on Coach Palcic. We are 6 games into the season and making errors that good o line coaches should stop. Apparently Palcic is not a good recruiter or coach. The bigger problem is skilled position recruiting which you won't address. JJ brings in all these QB's that he thinks are good and they do not get he job done. Some of our receivers can catch consistently and others can't get separation. We have as Stallion said several coaches on the staff that do not like to recruit as a result Hill and Mason have recruited most of the commits for this year and now we are going after players with D1AA offers or no offers that come form high profile high schools that other D1A coaches visit frequently but have offered. I won't be surprised if SMU has the most coaches over 60 years old in country. Talent is not the issue from this point out but coaching is.