Post
by Michael K. » Mon Sep 09, 2024 5:00 pm
All three of you make incredibly valid points. I think this is a very interesting topic, so will expand a bit.
I think the Husky fan in me is why I am so upset trharder, and maybe I can explain that. I saw many of these same things a few times at Washington. Granted, only a few times, and never did I witness an entire half like that. But, it's also the first time Grubb didn't have a rather large advantage at QB and OL. I also think DeBoer and offense are kind of like Pete and Defense. Grubb was the OC at Washington, but you know DeBoer had his hands in it a lot.
I suffered from UCLA game PTSD with the two Safeties. DeBoer and Grubb were sometimes aggressive at some really dumb times. We lost to UCLA when a very foolish and risky shotgun run play resulted in a safety. The entire game flipped at that very moment. Otherwise? The Huskies would have been playing in the Pac 12 Championship game that year. The two Safeties yesterday were completely avoidable if the play calling isn't really foolish. Yes, the O Line was bad, but like I said...did Grubb not know that? Two deep drop passes result in a sack and pick for three points for Denver and two very stupid plays inside their own one yard line resulted in four more points. All avoidable if he realizes, as everyone not named Grubb did realize, our line is suspect at best, and at that time was absolutely abysmal. So help them out! Nope, we call shotgun dive and long developing pass plays! This team doesn't have Penix and the best OL in the game, they have a line that is pretty suspect in pass pro, a QB that is limited at decision making and throwing under pressure, and a pretty damn good run game. Grubb seemed to not know that.
Of course way too early, but that was real bad first half offense. And I grew tired of hearing about how it was bad luck. Sometimes you make your own luck. Line up under center and run down hill with Walker once or twice on those drives that started inside the one and maybe you not only don't gift wrap them four points, but maybe you flip the field and get a first down or two? Neither of those plays had a chance, and when we lined up in gun on the second one I looked at my son and said "if he is going shotgun run this is another safety." Jesus, yes, the other team schemes to beat you, but we looked like we were scheming to beat ourselves.
Again, great second half, great to get a win, but not very many teams in the NFL besides Denver don't turn those gifts into a two score or more lead. Captain points out very well SOME of the reason Walker wasn't involved. But they CHOSE to open the game with a deep drop. Don't you think the Broncos watched tape of Grubb and knew how aggressive he is? We pretty much just invited them to put us behind the sticks. I know this is different, but it reminded me some of Sark's first year at UW. I remember one game we blew it late, because he ran two dive plays, and threw it on third down, allowing the SunDevils to save a timeout. They then scored on first down after a punt we never should have had to make. Well? Sark said "at USC, we would have gained a first down after those two runs, and I could have had them reset. I then paniced a bit". Well Sark, you no longer have NFL guys playing against College guys. You have Willingham's recruits, and don't have that kind of talent. Well Grubb, you no longer have the best O Line in the game, you can't afford deep drop after deep drop, you can't afford to just take shot after shot until we have handed them a pick and a safety. He looked like a college guy that was lost, and sorry, maybe I am being harsh, but I couldn't have been less impressed with any OC with a first half like that. I am shocked at the amount of excuses made for a guy that spent the entire summer with K9 and DK and then made them invisible in the first half of game one. Will he get better, Jesus I hope so. Because that was god awful. I honestly do think that he was told to run the fucking football or else. It was that head scratching.
You can't make excuses about being behind the sticks when it avoidable. Shotgun run and that slow developing pass play he called on the two times inside their own one were stupid as shit. Sorry, I just can't get over that. It's as if he had no idea what the strengths of his own team were, how the other team was defending him, or what the consequences would be. He is used to those mistakes being corrected the very next snap by Penix. He is used to calling slow developing plays and having the O Line hold up. He didn't have that, and he really didn't seem to even understand that he didn't! Like a kid touching a hot stove and doing it over and over again. What the fuck, did you not learn? He spend the entire first half calling plays that really seemed to have no chance. The scoring drive? Ball out on back foot after two step drop like twice in a row and then on the second step Geno tucks, runs and scores. Quick developing, help the O Line out. Kind of like they did the entire second half with the run game. Why did it take an entire half of football to make that correction?
I don't think our opinions differ as greatly as it may seem here. I am upset, and some of that is because he was a Husky, and my fear is he would only know one way to call a game. For two quarters that seemed to be true. As AA said, it is only one game and yes, the other team schemes as well. But with far less talent, that other team handed us our asses for two quarters. Again, it was alarming that Grubb spent two quarters not seeming to understand his own roster, and that he boned up not once, but twice to hand the other team a Safety. That is normally not going to be something you can recover from. We only play Denver twice...and sorry, I think they are a shit show. Again, I know he will probably learn from this, I sure as fuck hope so...but I don't believe there is zero cause for concern after watching him piss all over himself out of the gates.
Again, Captain is right about being behind the sticks, and bad situations. And I might buy that more if it wasn't for the fact that our own questionable play calling blew the first drive and later gave them not one but two safeties. Complain all you want about how ultra conservative Pete was, but I believe entirely that if we run power with Walker once or twice on those possessions We are at least in third and manageable with a chance to convert. For the love of all that is holy, can my teams ditch the short yardage shotgun run? FUCK, it's just so stupid.
Know when to be aggressive and know when to be smart. Grubb looked dumb because he was overly aggressive and had no business being so. Nothing we had done all first half would leave any logical human to continue to call the game the way he did. Which, again, is why I believe Macdonald grabbed him by the shirt collar at half time and told him to get his shit together. I am being figurative of course, but I bet Grubb knew he better run the fucking ball, and quick.