The Lions' Pride

I actually think next season will be a bit better. We'll have a lot of players with more experience - Donovan Smith, Allen Robinson, Kyle Carter, Glenn Carson, DaQuan Jones, Deion Barnes, CJ Olaniyan, and several of the DB's. Granted, we will be replacing some key positions (McGloin, Stank, Mauti/Hodges), but many of these players will have a year in the system plus the S&C program. Our OOC also schedule won't be as "difficult." ("dangerous" might be a better word there).

Have to see how we finish this year, but I could see 1-2 more wins in 2013 than 2012. JMO.

Pre-snap...all about pre-snap. As wide open as he is and as quickly as the ball is delivered...there was no way anyone was covering him the entire play. He should have seen that, IMO.

JMO, but the majority of those who will leave are already gone. Might see a couple defections, but remember that these guys are seeing a lot of positives for themselves - great S&C program, coaches with strong connections to the NFL, a pro-style offense.

Seems to me that the main reason to leave after this season is being unhappy with position on the depth chart. Obviously our significant contributors won't have any issues with that.

We'll see.

Disclaimer: not trying to defend mcgloin, just trying to put myself in his shoes here

well, that all sounds good sitting here looking at a picture. BUT....mac has an end coming from his left untouched, so setting his feet and hitting robinson is not as clear cut as you make it sound. I mean, look at that picture and tell me exactly how you would be able to get off a throw to the left when you have a DE coming untouched right at you....so he steps right....kersey may have a run on his man, but again, the picture is taken after the ball is released and there is a safety sitting in the middle(who appears to have hit the "oh shit" button when he saw robinson wide open) who could have broken toward kersey if thats where mac goes, so he isnt as "open" as you think either....so not having the ability to go left he checks down and takes the safe bet to kenney who also has a beat on his defender and is in a position on the field where mac can actually make the throw. So basically mac has the option of stopping, setting his feet and threading one to kersey before the safety gets there or taking the conservative safe bet throw to kenney...i look at this as a good read

I understand how it looks with this one picture - but if you head over to Scout and look at it frame by frame A-Rob was open long before this and McGloin probably should have seen it.

I do agree with those who are saying it's hard to fault McGloin on this play considering new playbook, it went for a first down, and he will improve as the season goes on. All of that is true, and I do not blame McGloin for the loss. BUT - if you do go look at the Scout frame by frame it's clear he missed this play. Obvious as day, and its a TD if he recognizes it.

ok.. I got to share my two cents. This offense is design to create a mismatch/mistake. They play a "game" with two or three receivers to create a hole or an open receiver. In this case the game was to sit a TE across the middle run Kersey deep to pull the CB and use Kenney/Welker's speed to drag across the middle underneath the TE picking off who is covering him.

AT PRE SNAP McGloin's attention is to determine who out of the 3 will be open based upon the defense that is in front of him. Man or Zone or a combo. Belton is a decoy and Robinson was a decoy. They are not primary receivers and will not be looked at. The only way they get the ball is if the others are covered and/or fall. Even then I would think McGloin would not turn full body rotation back to a designed decoy and look for them.

If you want another example, take a look at the 4th down play on the first drive. Kersey catches it for the a minimal gain after the TE pulls the corner off him by running free to the left flat. They created a mismatch and the CB had to decide who to cover and he left Kersey open for the first. If you watch that play Belton runs a wheel route to the left and runs right pass the Safety. He is 7 yards open when the ball is thrown. Never intended to be anything more than a decoy.

I don't think McGloin has all 5 options to throw to like everybody thinks. I also think that Mark got this on film and is making a big deal out of it over at FOS..

The funny thing to me is I guess people stuck on PSU football are not used to seeing this many open WR's. I'm in NOLA and I see Brees throw balls into WR's underneath with others open behind them. I also see him go up top when open WR's are right there underneath but you see him looking downfield because he had the one on one matchup he desired. College QB's are not making 3-4 reads on every play and MM is going from multiplication/division to calculus right now in terms of the passing offense.

I'm pretty sure there is usually a hand signal in place for WR's with no hat over them. If there wasn't, there will be after they review the film this week. I agree anyone making a big deal over this really missed what was occuring out there. The staff will point out he needs to scan the entire field, but sometimes little things like the playclock and formation getting set hinder a QB's ability to see all. Would most PRO QB's pick that up....probably, but a few still miss gimme's every now and then. The biggest problem on that drive was Belton laying the ball down and it's not even close. Had the kick returner went 95 yards for a TD, MM doesn't miss this play...about the same logic IMO. Sorry FOS, you're didn't discover gold on this play.

This was third down, correct? If so, I have next to no problem. We'll miss these, every QB does. It sucks. But on third down his goal is to get a 1st. He went through his progressions saw his top threat open at the sticks and hit it. 1st down. I want the TD and it sucks, but if he's finally starting to follow coaching I can't bitch too much, can I?

Ugh, defended McGloin somewhat. Gross.

You posted another excellent point. Does PSU always have a hat over a head at the LOS or are safties and LB's sometimes 10 yards off the WR/TE depending on the coverage? Does that mean they always go uncovered because a hat is not on them at the LOS? Does that initial lineup prevent a LB from sliding over? Did the QB anticpate that based on the motion? Does he think the CB sticks with AR pre snap and thinks AK will be isolated on the crossing pattern? Did anyone else shift to the left side to make him think twice about what he had saw initially?

To me the drive killer was the fumble. WR's running free on the opposite side of the field does occur from time to time and it is not always picked up on. You hope they point it out to him, but I don't see them harping on this one play as much as the fans are. He executed the play as designed and moved the sticks. A coach isn't going to have his hide for that, but there was plenty more for him to fix...so he'll still get some hide chewed.

Well...it appears the offense on that play created a mismatch/mistake....with a wide open guy for an easy TD. We just missed it.

We can sugarcoat it all day and say he wasn't his primary or wasn't an option at all. But the fact remains that very soon after the snap, he was wide open and nobody was near him. Odds are that was the case pre-snap as well. I think an experienced QB should at least see that pre-snap and have that in his mind to take a quick glance at snap. Even if it's not his primary or 4th on his progressions. If it's a glaring potential mistake by the D, take a look.

Could you imagine if he would have turned and chucked it way across field on a slide pro right? With his candy ass arm and a bit of bad luck that's an awful pick and no 1st down for us and people saying he has to stay within himself.