Can Kam Martin be "The Guy" in 2018?

[oracle79 3,569]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

 

Gatewood in the WC. 

With Shivers crouched and slightly in front of Gatewood.  The stacked cat. Direct snap to either and defense will never know who has the ball.

[BigWhiskey91 632]

4 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

With Shivers crouched and slightly in front of Gatewood.  The stacked cat. Direct snap to either and defense will never know who has the ball.

Last time we ran a “hide the midget” play was 2015 against A&M right? It’s time... 

[gr82be 14,423]

25 minutes ago, BigWhiskey91 said:

 

Gatewood being a Wildcat QB as a freshman isn’t anything new. KJ did it and was successful. Gatewood has the size and if he is assertive and decisive in the run game, he could have an impact.

Good point. Gatewood being a freshman isn't what necessarily concerns me in the Wildcat formation. As @Scotty2Hotty said it's still all about the substitutions for me. Too many times we've seen an our offense having it's way with the opponent all the way down the field. Then when we get inside the ten yard line we substitute thereby giving the defense a chance to substitute and get fresh guys in there. I just wish we could figure out how to finish a drive with the players we have in there. I realize sometimes subbing has to be done for various reasons but we seem to run a clinic on it when at 1st and goal. 

[Scotty2Hotty 520]

13 minutes ago, BigWhiskey91 said:

Simply put, despite the tendencies, the off balance formation we use for the wildcat forces mismatches if the defense chooses to respect the formation. 

Gatewood being a Wildcat QB as a freshman isn’t anything new. KJ did it and was successful. Gatewood has the size and if he is assertive and decisive in the run game, he could have an impact.

Kerryon only did it successfully on 3rd and shorts up the middle in his 3rd season. 

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

I wish Malik Miller would step up. He was a big get out of high school and just hasn't panned out yet

[McLoofus 35,182]

40 minutes ago, Scotty2Hotty said:

Kerryon only did it successfully on 3rd and shorts up the middle in his 3rd season. 

No, he did that a decent amount as a freshman, too. Not a ton, but that was also on a team that had Peyton Barber and half a season of Jovon Robinson. Go back and look at what Gus went to in the bowl game that year against Memphis after Sean White melted down. And KJ was nowhere near Joey's size. 

47 minutes ago, gr82be said:

Good point. Gatewood being a freshman isn't what necessarily concerns me in the Wildcat formation. As @Scotty2Hotty said it's still all about the substitutions for me. Too many times we've seen an our offense having it's way with the opponent all the way down the field. Then when we get inside the ten yard line we substitute thereby giving the defense a chance to substitute and get fresh guys in there. I just wish we could figure out how to finish a drive with the players we have in there. I realize sometimes subbing has to be done for various reasons but we seem to run a clinic on it when at 1st and goal. 

We subbed in a jumbo package at the goal line and scored a ton of touchdowns out of the wildcat last season. So yes, we put on a clinic. 

Also, Gatewood can line up in the big slot spot if y'all are really worried about our WC QB already being on the field. And Gatewood might not spin it like TB12 but he is probably a much more dangerous passer out of the WC than KJ was.

Tim Tebow had 89 rushing attempts for 469 yards and 8 TDs as a true freshman. He added 33 passing attempts for 358 yards and 5 TDs to 1 pick. He had to sub in on most of those plays. Joey's likely no Tebow, but there's a precedent for this and even half of that production would give our offense a big lift. 

 

[gr82be 14,423]

27 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

No, he did that a decent amount as a freshman, too. Not a ton, but that was also on a team that had Peyton Barber and half a season of Jovon Robinson. Go back and look at what Gus went to in the bowl game that year against Memphis after Sean White melted down. And KJ was nowhere near Joey's size. 

We subbed in a jumbo package at the goal line and scored a ton of touchdowns out of the wildcat last season. So yes, we put on a clinic. 

Also, Gatewood can line up in the big slot spot if y'all are really worried about our WC QB already being on the field. And Gatewood might not spin it like TB12 but he is probably a much more dangerous passer out of the WC than KJ was.

Tim Tebow had 89 rushing attempts for 469 yards and 8 TDs as a true freshman. He added 33 passing attempts for 358 yards and 5 TDs to 1 pick. He had to sub in on most of those plays. Joey's likely no Tebow, but there's a precedent for this and even half of that production would give our offense a big lift. 

 

I would like to see the bolded part no matter who is the WC QB. Your memory is obviously better than mine but it sure seemed like we settled for a bunch of FGs after killing our own momentum in the red zone with substitutions. Maybe I'm thinking of the '16 but it doesn't seem like that long ago. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 minutes ago, gr82be said:

I would like to see the bolded part no matter who is the WC QB. Your memory is obviously better than mine but it sure seemed like we settled for a bunch of FGs after killing our own momentum in the red zone with substitutions. Maybe I'm thinking of the '16 but it doesn't seem like that long ago. 

2016 was a nightmare in the red zone. 2015, too. Actually, it was a problem in 2014, too. You are right about that. 

And our red zone percentage wasn't amazing last season. 36th in the country or something like that. We did have a ton of rushing TDs compared to most of the schools above us, but we definitely need to throw the ball more in the RZ. That's been a problem. But once we got to the 5 yard line last season, KJ was money out of the wildcat. He was money in all short yardage situations. 

Now, does our whole offense suffer due to an over-reliance on the wildcat? There are some smart dudes on here who think so. And you're totally right that we need to throw out of it more regardless of who's taking the snap. But it was a good short yardage play for us and we have a guy, even if he's young, who is physically a hybrid of Cam Newton and Kerryon Johnson who can run, catch and (sorta?) throw. 

All just my opinion. Don't mean to talk like I know anything. I don't. 

Good conversation. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

We'll see. If it's not Kam, someone else will have to step up. In either event, hope we do a better job of utilizing Martin.

[BigWhiskey91 632]

17 hours ago, McLoofus said:

2016 was a nightmare in the red zone. 2015, too. Actually, it was a problem in 2014, too. You are right about that. 

And our red zone percentage wasn't amazing last season. 36th in the country or something like that. We did have a ton of rushing TDs compared to most of the schools above us, but we definitely need to throw the ball more in the RZ. That's been a problem. But once we got to the 5 yard line last season, KJ was money out of the wildcat. He was money in all short yardage situations. 

Yeah redzone issues are pretty common for use because of our extremely slanted run/pass % in the redzone. It’s also one of the reasons why Stidham didn’t have more TD throws. 

Im not sure what the exact reasoning is, but I imagine it has a lot to do with a perpetual fear of turning the ball over. It’s like each season we have one play where Gus and staff look and say “yup, and that’s why we’re gonna run the ball in the redzone.”. Off the top of my head, the 2015 Miss State game where Sean White threw a pick in the redzone after trying to force a ball across his body into the middle of the field. That happeneded after we worked the ball down the field on a great drive. Might’ve changed how that game turned out.

[McLoofus 35,182]

12 minutes ago, BigWhiskey91 said:

Yeah redzone issues are pretty common for use because of our extremely slanted run/pass % in the redzone. It’s also one of the reasons why Stidham didn’t have more TD throws. 

Im not sure what the exact reasoning is, but I imagine it has a lot to do with a perpetual fear of turning the ball over. It’s like each season we have one play where Gus and staff look and say “yup, and that’s why we’re gonna run the ball in the redzone.”. Off the top of my head, the 2015 Miss State game where Sean White threw a pick in the redzone after trying to force a ball across his body into the middle of the field. That happeneded after we worked the ball down the field on a great drive. Might’ve changed how that game turned out.

If only there were a way to help young players learn from mistakes and build confidence.

(That's a shot at Gus, Whiskey, not you.)

[BigWhiskey91 632]

16 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

If only there were a way to help young players learn from mistakes and build confidence.

(That's a shot at Gus, Whiskey, not you.)

Hahaha I understand. It would be nice wouldn’t be it. Has anyone heard that we are wearing our white uni’s for the season opener despite being the home team?

[AUsince72 11,084]

6 minutes ago, BigWhiskey91 said:

Hahaha I understand. It would be nice wouldn’t be it. Has anyone heard that we are wearing our white uni’s for the season opener despite being the home team?

AU is the home team?

I haven't heard and was wondering...

[boomstick 1,315]

I do worry about Kam's durability.  Can his body hold up to the physicality of the game as the primary back, not just the carries but the other plays that he takes contact, and how that will wear on him?

My bigger concern is the RB situation in general. We don't seem to have anyone that fits all the criteria to be a primary RB in the SEC. All of the RBs seem to lack something (size, experience, knowledge), and my fear is that turns Gus into a package freak again that becomes predictable when we insert RBs in at certain times. Maybe Kam is a 18-20 carry, 45-50 play per game type RB. That would be ideal. 

 

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

52 minutes ago, boomstick said:

I do worry about Kam's durability.  Can his body hold up to the physicality of the game as the primary back, not just the carries but the other plays that he takes contact, and how that will wear on him?

My bigger concern is the RB situation in general. We don't seem to have anyone that fits all the criteria to be a primary RB in the SEC. All of the RBs seem to lack something (size, experience, knowledge), and my fear is that turns Gus into a package freak again that becomes predictable when we insert RBs in at certain times. Maybe Kam is a 18-20 carry, 45-50 play per game type RB. That would be ideal. 

 

Asa has the size but lacks the experience.  But the bolded part is a legit concern. 

[boomstick 1,315]

Just now, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Asa has the size but lacks the experience.  But the bolded part is a legit concern. 

Yeah, Asa is the guy I think we turn to around midseason so long as his ball control isn't a problem. He just isn't going to be RB1 in game one. Kam is the only person who fits that bill right now. Not a knock on Kam, but that's a little sad IMO that we aren't better suited at the RB position than we are.

The bolded is my biggest fear/concern with Gus in general. When he doesn't have an all-purpose guy at a position, he resorts to that turnstile substitution game that has been such a problem in the past. I fear that could happen in game one. I'm hopeful that the freedom given to Stidham to make some adjustments at the LOS is legit and could potentially help us in this type of situation to avoid some of the predictability. But I'll believe Stidham has that kind of freedom when I clearly and obviously see it in a game.

[McLoofus 35,182]

59 minutes ago, boomstick said:

Yeah, Asa is the guy I think we turn to around midseason so long as his ball control isn't a problem. He just isn't going to be RB1 in game one. Kam is the only person who fits that bill right now. Not a knock on Kam, but that's a little sad IMO that we aren't better suited at the RB position than we are.

The bolded is my biggest fear/concern with Gus in general. When he doesn't have an all-purpose guy at a position, he resorts to that turnstile substitution game that has been such a problem in the past. I fear that could happen in game one. I'm hopeful that the freedom given to Stidham to make some adjustments at the LOS is legit and could potentially help us in this type of situation to avoid some of the predictability. But I'll believe Stidham has that kind of freedom when I clearly and obviously see it in a game.

When did that happen at RB? 

[boomstick 1,315]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

When did that happen at RB? 

That sentence is probably worded wrong. I mean Gus seems to package things for guys he doesn't view as every down backs. We did it some in 2015 with Barber, Roc, and Jovon. All the time with Devan Barrett last year and some with Kam Martin. Gus seems to predefine roles for guys and never give them a chance to be an every down back. Just one man's opinion.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, boomstick said:

That sentence is probably worded wrong. I mean Gus seems to package things for guys he doesn't view as every down backs. We did it some in 2015 with Barber, Roc, and Jovon. All the time with Devan Barrett last year and some with Kam Martin. Gus seems to predefine roles for guys and never give them a chance to be an every down back. Just one man's opinion.

10-4, thanks for clarifying, and definitely not just your opinion. 

[boomstick 1,315]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

10-4, thanks for clarifying, and definitely not just your opinion. 

Yeah, when I re-read it, it didn't make nearly as much sense in print as it did in my head.

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, boomstick said:

Yeah, when I re-read it, it didn't make nearly as much sense in print as it did in my head.

Hahaha, I'm sure other people who aren't as dense as me understood. 

 

[homersapien 11,367]

We'll need to spread the carries this year, HUNH be damned.

[WFE12 9,191]

5 hours ago, boomstick said:

I do worry about Kam's durability.  Can his body hold up to the physicality of the game as the primary back, not just the carries but the other plays that he takes contact, and how that will wear on him?

My bigger concern is the RB situation in general. We don't seem to have anyone that fits all the criteria to be a primary RB in the SEC. All of the RBs seem to lack something (size, experience, knowledge), and my fear is that turns Gus into a package freak again that becomes predictable when we insert RBs in at certain times. Maybe Kam is a 18-20 carry, 45-50 play per game type RB. That would be ideal. 

 

Like I said before Asa will get the Barrett treatment.

[BigWhiskey91 632]

2 hours ago, homersapien said:

We'll need to spread the carries this year, HUNH be damned.

Hell we can still be HUNH and rotate backs. Just give the backup every third series or similar.

[WFE12 9,191]

Man's been working with Jamaal Charles and Earl Thomas. That Texas brotherhood.