Offensive Identity

[lala 327]

Each coach has a certain style or identity of offense/defense he wants to be and they recruit to that philosophy. I am not talking hurry up but rather are what are we trying to run. For instance UGA wants to be a pro style do the go for the Stafford, Murray, Eason instead of Cam. Many are saying that we do not have the QB to run our offense yet we recruited JJ, Sean, and then Tyler from this past season all who are the opposite of a Nick Marshall.

I think Gus needs to figure this out quickly.

[auburnatl1 4,897]

It's a great question. The second related question might be - have dc's finally figure this offense out to the point that we no longer can achieve the identity we want?

[Weegle777 78]

It's a great question. The second related question might be - have dc's finally figure this offense out to the point that we no longer can achieve the identity we want?

Bama's offense is pretty easy to figure out and no one can stop it. It's not about defensive coordinator's figuring it out, it's about execution.

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

Each coach has a certain style or identity of offense/defense he wants to be and they recruit to that philosophy. I am not talking hurry up but rather are what are we trying to run. For instance UGA wants to be a pro style do the go for the Stafford, Murray, Eason instead of Cam. Many are saying that we do not have the QB to run our offense yet we recruited JJ, Sean, and then Tyler from this past season all who are the opposite of a Nick Marshall.

I think Gus needs to figure this out quickly.

Gus Malzahn's offense was not built for Nick Marshall. Malzahn's offense is a power run game that utilizes misdirection and some spread elements. Nick Marshall was an athlete who throw a mean ball, but he's not the prototypical dual threat qb.

Jeremy Johnson is the prototypical tall, pro-style qb. The kind of qb's he had to work with at Arky, Tulsa, and his first year at Auburn. Sean White is a Drew Brees/Russell Wilson type pocket passer, again the type of player Malzahn is used to working with. And Tyler Queen may be the closest to a dual-threat in that he is built like Tim Tebow, near-linebacker build and can play power run as opposed to misdirection/finesse run.

Our problem isn't necessarily that qb's can't run the offense, our offensive issues up until this past saturday had been on execution from the entire offense. We beat Arky and Ole Miss if the receiver catch half of the balls thrown at them. We beat Miss State if Sean doesn't throw off shoulder in the redzone.

And this week we throw away what trust we built up in JJ, sacrifice a gimpy SW putting him in the shotgun behind a backup center and for some unexplainable reason think that we going to open up the vertical passing game when we had been running the ball just fine in the first half...

That has less to do with offensive identity but rather boneheaded decision making on part of the staff.

Also Cam was recruited by Florida to run Mullen's offense which is/was not built for a dual threat quarterback. I think as far as recruiting quarterbacks for his system, Gus has it figured out; who he wants and why he wants them.

[lala 327]

Each coach has a certain style or identity of offense/defense he wants to be and they recruit to that philosophy. I am not talking hurry up but rather are what are we trying to run. For instance UGA wants to be a pro style do the go for the Stafford, Murray, Eason instead of Cam. Many are saying that we do not have the QB to run our offense yet we recruited JJ, Sean, and then Tyler from this past season all who are the opposite of a Nick Marshall.

I think Gus needs to figure this out quickly.

Gus Malzahn's offense was not built for Nick Marshall. Malzahn's offense is a power run game that utilizes misdirection and some spread elements. Nick Marshall was an athlete who throw a mean ball, but he's not the prototypical dual threat qb.

Jeremy Johnson is the prototypical tall, pro-style qb. The kind of qb's he had to work with at Arky, Tulsa, and his first year at Auburn. Sean White is a Drew Brees/Russell Wilson type pocket passer, again the type of player Malzahn is used to working with. And Tyler Queen may be the closest to a dual-threat in that he is built like Tim Tebow, near-linebacker build and can play power run as opposed to misdirection/finesse run.

Our problem isn't necessarily that qb's can't run the offense, our offensive issues up until this past saturday had been on execution from the entire offense. We beat Arky and Ole Miss if the receiver catch half of the balls thrown at them. We beat Miss State if Sean doesn't throw off shoulder in the redzone.

And this week we throw away what trust we built up in JJ, sacrifice a gimpy SW putting him in the shotgun behind a backup center and for some unexplainable reason think that we going to open up the vertical passing game when we had been running the ball just fine in the first half...

That has less to do with offensive identity but rather boneheaded decision making on part of the staff.

Also Cam was recruited by Florida to run Mullen's offense which is/was not built for a dual threat quarterback. I think as far as recruiting quarterbacks for his system, Gus has it figured out; who he wants and why he wants them.

You cannot run three different types of offenses. So in back to back to back years, we recruited 3 different style of qb's. Then this yr we are recruiting a run first guy in Franklin. This is very confusing. Basically this preseason we worked on zone read and we do not have a zone read style QB. I think that is part of the issue in not being comfortable with what to call and then how to execute the call.

[IronMan70 3,277]

The combined 2015 completion % (59.8%) of our "passing" QBs, JJ and SW, is less than NM's 2014 completion % (60.9%), while giving up all of NM's rushing production.

[Tiger 8,822]

Ugh IronMan that one hurts

[TeBoneAU 89]

Good points about what type of QB is needed or best suited for Gus's offensive philosophy. However I really don't think Gus knows anymore and the different style of QB's he has been recruiting proves that.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

[NoALtiger 3,853]

It's a great question. The second related question might be - have dc's finally figure this offense out to the point that we no longer can achieve the identity we want?

Bama's offense is pretty easy to figure out and no one can stop it. It's not about defensive coordinator's figuring it out, it's about execution.

Bingo

[FoundationEagle 637]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers

[Strogers 0]

Agree with most of you. I also add that Gus/Lashley are not calling very good plays. Every game we do something well, like running the ball, then we quit running the ball. Duh! Really??? Very frustrated right now. Seriously thinking about selling two great seats to the iron bowl. ?

[FoundationEagle 637]

Agree with most of you. I also add that Gus/Lashley are not calling very good plays. Every game we do something well, like running the ball, then we quit running the ball. Duh! Really??? Very frustrated right now. Seriously thinking about selling two great seats to the iron bowl. 😡

I'll give you $20 a piece

I'd go just for the entertainment with no expectation to win. Should be a fun tailgate pre game. Unless White is healthy by then or JJ has an epiphany, not worth even hoping for a good game other than our uptick in defense.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers

3? KJ is wildcat. Queen is "hurt" (surgery). JJ and white may be pocket passers but our WRs have been trained the last two years to block for a running QB like NM. Linemen have two years experience blocking for the running QB, not holding blocks for a pocket passer. Our team has 2 years experience in one philosophy, and we somehow end up with 2 QB's that are built for a different style.

beside QB was just an example. I originally typed out a lot of different positions and how they need to be recruited for skills that match each other and the team philosophy. I deleted it for bevity.

The point is we randomly pick high profile athletes and try to adopt to them. When we should be recruiting the best kids we can that fit into A philosophy so they can add to what they know, and gain experience as they age. A 3 start QB that fits the team identity is better than a 5 star that does not.

Dang! now I typed philosophy so many times it sounds funny.

[AU64 10,122]

Was in church this morning...friend stopped me and commented: .."sorry your Tigers lost yesterday...close game....but who in the heck is calling your offense? "

Problems are pretty obvious to about anyone who sees us play it seems.

[FoundationEagle 637]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers :dunno:/>

3? KJ is wildcat. Queen is "hurt" (surgery). JJ and white may be pocket passers but our WRs have been trained the last two years to block for a running QB like NM. Linemen have two years experience blocking for the running QB, not holding blocks for a pocket passer. Our team has 2 years experience in one philosophy, and we somehow end up with 2 QB's that are built for a different style.

beside QB was just an example. I originally typed out a lot of different positions and how they need to be recruited for skills that match each other and the team philosophy. I deleted it for bevity.

The point is we randomly pick high profile athletes and try to adopt to them. When we should be recruiting the best kids we can that fit into A philosophy so they can add to what they know, and gain experience as they age. A 3 start QB that fits the team identity is better than a 5 star that does not.

Dang! now I typed philosophy so many times it sounds funny.

Yes, but my point is that our last 3 qb recruits are all pocket passers, which is what you were requesting we do...pick one and stick with it. We already have....ally of people just don't agree we chose correctly. Granted we have a JUCO DT committed, most don't really expect him to play qb. He is being recruited for his speed.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers :dunno:/>

3? KJ is wildcat. Queen is "hurt" (surgery). JJ and white may be pocket passers but our WRs have been trained the last two years to block for a running QB like NM. Linemen have two years experience blocking for the running QB, not holding blocks for a pocket passer. Our team has 2 years experience in one philosophy, and we somehow end up with 2 QB's that are built for a different style.

beside QB was just an example. I originally typed out a lot of different positions and how they need to be recruited for skills that match each other and the team philosophy. I deleted it for bevity.

The point is we randomly pick high profile athletes and try to adopt to them. When we should be recruiting the best kids we can that fit into A philosophy so they can add to what they know, and gain experience as they age. A 3 start QB that fits the team identity is better than a 5 star that does not.

Dang! now I typed philosophy so many times it sounds funny.

Yes, but my point is that our last 3 qb recruits are all pocket passers, which is what you were requesting we do...pick one and stick with it. We already have....ally of people just don't agree we chose correctly. Granted we have a JUCO DT committed, most don't really expect him to play qb. He is being recruited for his speed.

The rest of the offensive players and play calling need to match the QB's style. We need pocket protecting linemen across the board, not run blocking specialists. We need good WR that are from pass happy offenses. Then we need a year or two worth of experience in that style for our team to be strong in the SEC. It takes us a couple games to figure out what our identity is going to be from year to year. Then we try to get everyone on that page. It is why our great recruiting classes are not living up to expectations. They all have talent, but some are playing under a philosophy they are not built for or have little experience in.

.

[AuburnSpider 2]

Looking more and more like we just need a fresh start. The past few years were a lot of fun. Like a dalliance with the new girl in the building. but it's time to get back to what Auburn does best.

[around4ever 4,139]

Our offense explained...

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=keystone+cops+youtube&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

[FoundationEagle 637]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers :dunno:/>

3? KJ is wildcat. Queen is "hurt" (surgery). JJ and white may be pocket passers but our WRs have been trained the last two years to block for a running QB like NM. Linemen have two years experience blocking for the running QB, not holding blocks for a pocket passer. Our team has 2 years experience in one philosophy, and we somehow end up with 2 QB's that are built for a different style.

beside QB was just an example. I originally typed out a lot of different positions and how they need to be recruited for skills that match each other and the team philosophy. I deleted it for bevity.

The point is we randomly pick high profile athletes and try to adopt to them. When we should be recruiting the best kids we can that fit into A philosophy so they can add to what they know, and gain experience as they age. A 3 start QB that fits the team identity is better than a 5 star that does not.

Dang! now I typed philosophy so many times it sounds funny.

Yes, but my point is that our last 3 qb recruits are all pocket passers, which is what you were requesting we do...pick one and stick with it. We already have....ally of people just don't agree we chose correctly. Granted we have a JUCO DT committed, most don't really expect him to play qb. He is being recruited for his speed.

The rest of the offensive players and play calling need to match the QB's style. We need pocket protecting linemen across the board, not run blocking specialists. We need good WR that are from pass happy offenses. Then we need a year or two worth of experience in that style for our team to be strong in the SEC. It takes us a couple games to figure out what our identity is going to be from year to year. Then we try to get everyone on that page. It is why our great recruiting classes are not living up to expectations. They all have talent, but some are playing under a philosophy they are not built for or have little experience in.

.

The rest of the players? I wasn't aware linemen can only block for run plays or wide receivers can only catch balls from a dual threat qb

The plays are mostly the same as last year with less zone read. Everyone on the team sans true freshmen have plenty of experience in this offense. Playcalling is a concern for sure and needs addressed. Decision making is also a concern. I'm not buying however that linemen can only block for du threat guys and receivers can only work in a zone read offense. Pretty sure NM passed a bunch of times from the pocket last year. Why would doing it this year be any different on surrounding players? I think the answer is multiple...but it starts with injuries and playcalling.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers :dunno:/>

3? KJ is wildcat. Queen is "hurt" (surgery). JJ and white may be pocket passers but our WRs have been trained the last two years to block for a running QB like NM. Linemen have two years experience blocking for the running QB, not holding blocks for a pocket passer. Our team has 2 years experience in one philosophy, and we somehow end up with 2 QB's that are built for a different style.

beside QB was just an example. I originally typed out a lot of different positions and how they need to be recruited for skills that match each other and the team philosophy. I deleted it for bevity.

The point is we randomly pick high profile athletes and try to adopt to them. When we should be recruiting the best kids we can that fit into A philosophy so they can add to what they know, and gain experience as they age. A 3 start QB that fits the team identity is better than a 5 star that does not.

Dang! now I typed philosophy so many times it sounds funny.

Yes, but my point is that our last 3 qb recruits are all pocket passers, which is what you were requesting we do...pick one and stick with it. We already have....ally of people just don't agree we chose correctly. Granted we have a JUCO DT committed, most don't really expect him to play qb. He is being recruited for his speed.

The rest of the offensive players and play calling need to match the QB's style. We need pocket protecting linemen across the board, not run blocking specialists. We need good WR that are from pass happy offenses. Then we need a year or two worth of experience in that style for our team to be strong in the SEC. It takes us a couple games to figure out what our identity is going to be from year to year. Then we try to get everyone on that page. It is why our great recruiting classes are not living up to expectations. They all have talent, but some are playing under a philosophy they are not built for or have little experience in.

.

The rest of the players? I wasn't aware linemen can only block for run plays or wide receivers can only catch balls from a dual threat qb

No need to take it to such an extreme. Linemen are specialized. Some are better run blocklers than pass protectors. Blocking assignments are different when protecting a running QB vs a pocket passer. Which do you think we accell at? which do we have the most exprience with? Do we have quick OLmen to stop the rush, or powerful linemen to open holes for the run?

Yes, OL should be able to do both, but in it's simplest form.....if you are a pass team need to be best at pass protection which you will do most of the time, if you are a run team you need to be able to open holes more often than pass protect. Having a bunch of heavy hole openers blocking for a pass oriented team doesn't work, and vice versa. There are not enough hours allowed to practice everything.

Wr's: do they need to work on catching he ball or blocking for a RB or QB? Depends on the offense you run. You work a lot on blocking asignemnts and blocking technique for a O like we had last year. OR you can work less on blocking and more on catching for an O with a pocket passer who is less apt to run. You emphisize what you need for your specific philosophy you recruit towards that goal, and learn from it over years of playing.

TE's: do you want a big tight end than can protect the QB, or a TE that is quick, and has sure hands. again it comes down to what you team philosophy is, and what you will be doing most of the time.

RB's: Do you want a RB that is an exceptional blocker to protect the QB on pass plays, or a RB with exceptional running skills? again, it depends on what your team will be doing the most of.

Modern football is getting more specialized.

We do not have a consistant identity from year to year, we do not even have the same identity from one game to the next, and often change philosophies mid game for no apparent reason.

[FoundationEagle 637]

I disagree in part. I think we are a run first play action team. Gus has actually said this on multiple occasions. Therefore, if we have to specialize in something rather than just being balanced, we are a running team. So to answer the question whether our guys fit our system, I'd say yes they do. We focus on running the ball in every game. Gus has said he aims for 60/40 run/pass. This has shown even with SW in the game. I believe his highest attempts in a game were around 30 which means we run it about 40-45 times. Our "run specialists" should be fitting right in.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

I disagree in part. I think we are a run first play action team. Gus has actually said this on multiple occasions. Therefore, if we have to specialize in something rather than just being balanced, we are a running team. So to answer the question whether our guys fit our system, I'd say yes they do. We focus on running the ball in every game. Gus has said he aims for 60/40 run/pass. This has shown even with SW in the game. I believe his highest attempts in a game were around 30 which means we run it about 40-45 times. Our "run specialists" should be fitting right in.

You would think our run specialists would fit right in. but the style of playcalling is not the same as the last two years. There were many more called QB draws for marshal for example.

Now we can get into more detailed philosophy in what kind of run/ play action are we. Read zone , power etc. There are so many different philosophies that this discussion will get over my head quickly, but we need to figure out as detailed as posible what our identity is going to be and recruit strickly toward that. Even if we have to pass on a 5star that doesn't fit perfectly in the system and go for a 3 or 4 star that does.

Saban knows what he wants to do. He passes on, or cuts some very highly ranked recruits that do not fit his style.

Belima sticks to his big power running philosophy recruiting the biggest OL he can, and powerful runing backs strong blocking TEs etc.

Miles knows what he needs to fit his style recruiting players that fit togehter

Most other coaches are recruiting toward a goal. It is one of the reason so many low ranked recruits excell, and so many high ranked recruits do not live up to expectations.

We try to fit our identity to the players we recruited. We have the buggy in front of the horse.

It just seems to me any decent offensive strategy will work if you build towards it by sticking to a philosophy and recruiting based on that. Having a bunch of 5 star players is not enough anymore.

[Timeslider 6 269]

I agree with most on this thread, we need to figure out our identity and recruit to that. For the longest i have resisted thinking that Gus's Offense needs a DT QB in order to succeed, but i am beginning to change my mind. I felt he could adapt his offense to what he has on the roster, but now i am starting to think he needs to figure out what direction he wants to go and recruit for that and not keep switching or trying to adapt, this only causes an inconsistency with execution and plays havoc with the team doing something very well. Just my humble opinion.

[80Tiger 899]

To me, part of the problem is that Gus' offense does not have an identity or single philosophy.. He has been praised for his ability to fit his offense to the players he has. The reason this is causing us so many problems is how we recruit.

Most coaches have a single basic goal to get the best players they can that fit their philosophy. Some are spread oriented others Pro style, etc. Some run heavy, others pass heavy, etc.

Gus' teams recruit a hodgepdge of the highest ranking players. But they are not recruited toward an end goal of a single philosophy. We gather them all up, see what we got, and try to come up with a philosophy that fits whatever players we signed. The end result is that we have 3 QB's that have completely different skills based on major football philosophy differences.

IMO; Gus needs to pick a philosophy and recruit towards it. IF he wants to go pocket passer on O then we need 3 pocket pasing QBs. If he wants a scrambling/running QB, we need 3 running QBs. If he needs a DT QB than we need 3 DT QBs on the roster. The same with every position across the team. Pick a strategy and recruit towards it, not get who you can and struggle to develop them.

We have 3 pocket passers

3? KJ is wildcat. Queen is "hurt" (surgery). JJ and white may be pocket passers but our WRs have been trained the last two years to block for a running QB like NM. Linemen have two years experience blocking for the running QB, not holding blocks for a pocket passer. Our team has 2 years experience in one philosophy, and we somehow end up with 2 QB's that are built for a different style.

beside QB was just an example. I originally typed out a lot of different positions and how they need to be recruited for skills that match each other and the team philosophy. I deleted it for bevity.

The point is we randomly pick high profile athletes and try to adopt to them. When we should be recruiting the best kids we can that fit into A philosophy so they can add to what they know, and gain experience as they age. A 3 start QB that fits the team identity is better than a 5 star that does not.

Dang! now I typed philosophy so many times it sounds funny.

While it has been discussed before, our main recruiting targets 2 years ago were Watson (Clemson) and Harris (LSU). Both were definitely DT QB. Why did we not get either? Probably because they both thought JJ was the QB through 2016 and they would not see the field until 2017. Both would have fit in this O very nicely IMO. You can see what Watson can do especially. So I don't think we pick randomly high profile athletes and try to adept. We recruited very specific DT QBS and struck out.