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College Football Week 6

Football is an emotional game, and I've been on plenty of really good teams both playing and coaching and it's difficult to get motivated if you don't have the right coach/culture in the locker room for a lousy 0-4 team. I'm not excusing Penn State's epic break down or Franklin's sorry ***...well...everything. I'm just saying from experience that there needs to be a motivational coach or player (leadership) to inspire great play against bad teams.

Franklin is an outstanding program builder and recruiter; he's shown that everywhere he's gone. But he just isn't a head football coach that will win you championships consistently.


I know you are talking college, but this near mirrors our Steelers.



Salute the nation
 
Are there any QBs, in this draft class, that you'd take over Will Howard???

I'm at a crossroad in this decision as everyone that could come out has looked pretty mediocre... except...

Carson Beck

Then I really would have to see the remainder of his body of work and align that with Will's. That 6th round pick is looking pretty darn smart at this point.
no. no Loser.

as for who I'd look at...and i hate to admit it ... Ty Simpson from Bummer. In the first? No. but all things being equal, I'd put his play right now on par with what Howard did last season. Very similar guys, with Howard being slightly larger. Maybe that would help differentiate the two. But, Simpson's balling now that Bummer got the snot knocked out of them when the season started. Almost as if the coaches decided to let the guys who play play. Right now, Mendoza is the top Qb in the class.

 
Are there any QBs, in this draft class, that you'd take over Will Howard???

I'm at a crossroad in this decision as everyone that could come out has looked pretty mediocre... except...

Carson Beck

Then I really would have to see the remainder of his body of work and align that with Will's. That 6th round pick is looking pretty darn smart at this point.
Really hard position to evaluate. I am right at times wrong at others. Scheme, productivity, accuracy, transferable traits. I said it before I am glad I don’t have to make the call. As Howard has some traits he is relatively an unknown. When you have unknowns I don’t think you can throw all your eggs in one basket.

The M’s are looking interesting, Mateer, Moore, Mendoza…

For me Beck is just a model of inconsistency. His INTs concern me. He seems to have a quick release and strong arm but yeah I am not sure I would want to pull a first round trigger there…
 
Are there any QBs, in this draft class, that you'd take over Will Howard???

I'm at a crossroad in this decision as everyone that could come out has looked pretty mediocre... except...

Carson Beck

Then I really would have to see the remainder of his body of work and align that with Will's. That 6th round pick is looking pretty darn smart at this point.




I just watched a clip about Will Howard. They talk extensively about how he has been progressing and doing the little things that make him valuable to the team. He is definitely being mentored by Aaa-Ron as he does little “projects” along the way (that’s what they call them, but its learning things).

They are also saying that he has progressed a lot and may be the QB needed instead of drafting one. Remember he QB’d a national championship team,

My hope is they use him and his apparent developement by a future HOF QB isn’t wasted. This could be the methods needed for his developement under Tomlin. Tom Lin is smart and knows a good thing when presented.



Salute the nation
 
Really hard position to evaluate. I am right at times wrong at others. Scheme, productivity, accuracy, transferable traits. I said it before I am glad I don’t have to make the call. As Howard has some traits he is relatively an unknown. When you have unknowns I don’t think you can throw all your eggs in one basket.

The M’s are looking interesting, Mateer, Moore, Mendoza…

For me Beck is just a model of inconsistency. His INTs concern me. He seems to have a quick release and strong arm but yeah I am not sure I would want to pull a first round trigger there…




Just a little add-on here.

With Howard on the roster for what will be a full year (before upcoming draft), his “unknowns” are now “known”. If they deem him still not capable or possibly drafting an insurance policy/starter to battle in training camp, that is a positive all around.

Aaa-Ron can be a hellA mentor and Rodgers seems to be embracing that aspect.



Salute the nation
 
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Just a little add-on here.

With Howard on the roster for what will be a full year (before upcoming draft), his “unknowns” are now “known”. If they deem him still not capable or possibly drafting an insurance policy/starter to battle in training camp, that is a positive all around.

Aaa-Ron can be a hellA mentor and Rodgers seems to be embracing that aspect.



Salute the nation
Some of it are knowns before then sure. But that actual in game experience isn’t a known until well they actually get experience there. And even then it isn’t always known out of the gates. As you have your late developers.

Not that what you said isn’t true but the additional element has to be factored in as well.

And because there is an element present you want to give your team the best chance at success.

How do you accomplish that? By fortifying the position.
 
Knowles had no film to prepare for an unknown OC, so he had to adjust on the fly. I do give him a bit of slack for that. He did bring blitzes and later he did spy. He should have done a spy sooner and i'm sure if he played them again, he'd do some things differently. But what scheme covers up for your undersized DTs getting overpowered and your replacement LB not making plays? Both LBs are undersized as well.
My point was the defense just got physically whipped. UCLA's OL dominated. UCLA just played harder all game. They picked up the stunts and blitzes all game. Going forward, my concern on defense is the lack of physicality and size, not playcalling. I wish it was just playcalling.
Here it comes, the ol' there's no film on this guy! excuse. Please. Knowles is the highest-paid coordinator in the sport. If he was unable to adjust to UCLA's simple gameplan and at least slow it down, he is grossly overrated and overpaid. The Bruins punted ONCE in the game. They scored on every other single possession except when they missed a field goal. Again, this was a team who put up a grand total of 10 total points against New Mexico. NEW MEXICO. The Lobos are 74th in the country in scoring defense, with a talent level that cannot possibly compare to Penn State. Zakee Wheatly should have been spying on Nico right from the first snap. Yes, losing Rojas was a huge problem...but you have to adjust accordingly. You can't just force your scheme onto players who can't execute it proficiently. Dom DeLuca is a great kid, but he looked like a fish out of water, and Knowles just kept trotting him out there, series after series. Simply embarrassing.
As for the Allar pass to Reynolds, maybe I'm remembering it wrong. The play I'm thinking of was down the sideline into the endzone and a DB was underneath it so it had to be elevated. It wasn't a perfect throw but he got 2 hands on it. In any case, Allar completed 73% with 2 TDs and ran for 78 yards. He wasn't perfect but i'd call that a really good game.

Despite his faults, and even if you doubt he'll be a good NFL QB, the fact is that he's one of the best QBs in college football and Penn State is getting little production from him. Every week there are QBs with far less talent who throw to WRs who are schemed open and it drives me crazy that Penn State can't figure out a way to do that. Even in this game, against a bad defense, it was a chore. And they're wasting WR Devonte Ross. They should use him like Oregon used Tez Johnson last year.
We're talking about the same play indeed. Watch it again. Allar was under no pressure. Reynolds ran a great route, and left the linebacker (not DB) trailing by a couple of yards. All Drew had to do was put a little arc on the ball, and that is an easy touchdown every day of the week. Yeah, he had a good game statistically against UCLA. So does everybody else -- they're #122 in the country on defense out of 136 eligible teams.

You keep insisting that Allar is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He just isn't, man. HE. JUST. ISN'T.
 
Just a little add-on here.

With Howard on the roster for what will be a full year (before upcoming draft), his “unknowns” are now “known”. If they deem him still not capable or possibly drafting an insurance policy/starter to battle in training camp, that is a positive all around.

Aaa-Ron can be a hellA mentor and Rodgers seems to be embracing that aspect.



Salute the nation
They've seen the "knowns" from practice but not in any game-type situation. That hurt his cause and really leaves the Steelers not knowing what they do have in him. Maybe they can get a feel for him practicing the rest of the season, but there is slim to no chance of him getting in a game to give them what they really need/want to know. They very well may draft a QB in the 1st round if there is someone they like, and then that rookie will go up against the rookie+ (since he only practiced mostly in pads) in Howard. I actually hope it is Howard. He's a leader, football junkie, and is very willing to learn. All are very good traits to have.
 
Are there any QBs, in this draft class, that you'd take over Will Howard???

I'm at a crossroad in this decision as everyone that could come out has looked pretty mediocre... except...

Carson Beck

Then I really would have to see the remainder of his body of work and align that with Will's. That 6th round pick is looking pretty darn smart at this point.
Fernando Mendoza - He has a real good arm, improved quite a bit since last season under a new system, manages the pocket pretty well and gets rid of the ball quickly.

Dante Moore - He's playing at such a high level in terms of performance and production. Has the tools you want in a top QB prospect.

John Mateer - I'm not sure what type of prospect he is at this point, so we'll need to see what he can do when he comes back from injury. He seems like a pure gunslinger with the ability to create with his legs.

Ty Simpson - Simpson is opening eyes and is playing himself into a top prospect in this draft.

Carson Beck - I'm not a huge fan, but his arm and production is too hard to ignore. He was touted as a top prospect early in his career and is regaining that status with his play this season.
 
Ya had a great post going AND then ya had to go and say this! 🤣

Are you day drinking?



Fully acknowledged !!!!!

I must have been in between dimensions………




Salute the nation
 
There is some great QB conversation going on here, but I fear whoever we draft next year will be put in the Pickett offense. I’d just rather see Tomlin move on before drafting another QB that won’t develop.
 
They've seen the "knowns" from practice but not in any game-type situation. That hurt his cause and really leaves the Steelers not knowing what they do have in him. Maybe they can get a feel for him practicing the rest of the season, but there is slim to no chance of him getting in a game to give them what they really need/want to know. They very well may draft a QB in the 1st round if there is someone they like, and then that rookie will go up against the rookie+ (since he only practiced mostly in pads) in Howard. I actually hope it is Howard. He's a leader, football junkie, and is very willing to learn. All are very good traits to have.
If we draft a first round QB and Howard wins the job I guess that’s not the worst problem.

At rookie QB scale it’s a cheap 4 year deal for what FA QBs run these days.

They definitely need to keep adding young arm talent to the room until the answer is found.

And the 🌈 we still have Mason for another year too, could have 2 returning QBs 😎
 
Here it comes, the ol' there's no film on this guy! excuse. Please. Knowles is the highest-paid coordinator in the sport. If he was unable to adjust to UCLA's simple gameplan and at least slow it down, he is grossly overrated and overpaid. The Bruins punted ONCE in the game. They scored on every other single possession except when they missed a field goal. Again, this was a team who put up a grand total of 10 total points against New Mexico. NEW MEXICO. The Lobos are 74th in the country in scoring defense, with a talent level that cannot possibly compare to Penn State. Zakee Wheatly should have been spying on Nico right from the first snap. Yes, losing Rojas was a huge problem...but you have to adjust accordingly. You can't just force your scheme onto players who can't execute it proficiently. Dom DeLuca is a great kid, but he looked like a fish out of water, and Knowles just kept trotting him out there, series after series. Simply embarrassing.

We're talking about the same play indeed. Watch it again. Allar was under no pressure. Reynolds ran a great route, and left the linebacker (not DB) trailing by a couple of yards. All Drew had to do was put a little arc on the ball, and that is an easy touchdown every day of the week. Yeah, he had a good game statistically against UCLA. So does everybody else -- they're #122 in the country on defense out of 136 eligible teams.

You keep insisting that Allar is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He just isn't, man. HE. JUST. ISN'T.


Could Wheatley have been a spy? I don't know. That brings it's own risks. Nico does have an NFL arm. UCLA was awful on film, including their OL. I don't think anybody expected or would gameplan around the DTs, including preseason All American Zan Durant, getting destroyed like that.

You can blame knowles if you like. I'd say blame was about 90% players in this one. Missed tackles, out of position, getting overpowered, not securing the edges. They even gave UCLA 2 first downs by jumping offsides when Nico double clapped. One of those was on 4th down.

They have several young LBs that Franklin said are not ready. That's Franklin's call to burn a redshirt or not. They have to do something because Deluca is just a role player. He's a walkon and will keep getting beaten if he has to play so many snaps.


I rewatched that Allar to Reynolds play. There was a safety coming over the top as well. He may have had a play if Allar just lofted it to hit him in stride I do think that high throw was the right throw there. Reynolds starts showing Drew his numbers at about the 5 so it was probably designed to be a jump ball throw. He just threw it about 6 inches too high. Reynolds did get 2 hands on it though. As I said originally, it would have been a tough catch but it was certainly catchable.

I also don't think calling Allar one of the best QBs in college is a hge statement. There's like 136 teams. If Drew is just in the top 20 then he's one of the best. He's absolutely better than what most teams are working with and they are able to scheme WRs open.

You seem to be all the way out on Allar. That's fine. I disagree. Right now the offense only has 2 things going for it, Allar and Kaytron and maybe Ross if they start using him.
 
There is some great QB conversation going on here, but I fear whoever we draft next year will be put in the Pickett offense. I’d just rather see Tomlin move on before drafting another QB that won’t develop.
Dobbs made some pretty bad comments relating to his development in Pittsburgh, but it's not surprising.
 
Dobbs made some pretty bad comments relating to his development in Pittsburgh, but it's not surprising.

Not Mike’s job to develop players, or so he says.

The Steelers should definitely hire someone who is tasked with job of developing players though, if they are going to keep drafting players.

Or just operate with the sorry a$$ Steeler concept of many moons ago where all draft picks are just traded for veteran players.
 
Could Wheatley have been a spy? I don't know. That brings it's own risks. Nico does have an NFL arm. UCLA was awful on film, including their OL. I don't think anybody expected or would gameplan around the DTs, including preseason All American Zan Durant, getting destroyed like that.

You can blame knowles if you like. I'd say blame was about 90% players in this one. Missed tackles, out of position, getting overpowered, not securing the edges. They even gave UCLA 2 first downs by jumping offsides when Nico double clapped. One of those was on 4th down.

They have several young LBs that Franklin said are not ready. That's Franklin's call to burn a redshirt or not. They have to do something because Deluca is just a role player. He's a walkon and will keep getting beaten if he has to play so many snaps.
Penn State has utilized Wheatley as a QB spy before. He has the perfect skillset for it.

Yes, there is a myriad of reasons why they lost that game. Having a hangover from the Oregon loss, coming out flat as a pancake, giving away possessions on opposing onside kicks, all the defensive player errors, poor in-game clock management, questionable use of players, etc., etc., etc. And Knowles getting outclassed by a rookie playcaller is among them, too.

I rewatched that Allar to Reynolds play. There was a safety coming over the top as well. He may have had a play if Allar just lofted it to hit him in stride I do think that high throw was the right throw there. Reynolds starts showing Drew his numbers at about the 5 so it was probably designed to be a jump ball throw. He just threw it about 6 inches too high. Reynolds did get 2 hands on it though. As I said originally, it would have been a tough catch but it was certainly catchable.
OK, well you need to watch it a third time then, because it's plain to see that the safety over the top was also trailing the play and nowhere near Reynolds, either.
I also don't think calling Allar one of the best QBs in college is a hge statement. There's like 136 teams. If Drew is just in the top 20 then he's one of the best. He's absolutely better than what most teams are working with and they are able to scheme WRs open.

You seem to be all the way out on Allar. That's fine. I disagree. Right now the offense only has 2 things going for it, Allar and Kaytron and maybe Ross if they start using him.
C;mon, man. "One of the best" means we're talking like the top 5 quarterbacks in the country. Don't try and get cute on me here.

Believe me, I was as hopeful as anyone that the light would come fully on for Drew in 2025, and he would have a breakout senior season. But you could see, even against the first three cupcakes on the schedule, that things just weren't clicking for him. I agree that some part of it is the scheme -- there has to be a happy marriage between the coordinator and the QB, and these two people are clearly not a good fit for each other. But if he doesn't get his footwork right and establish some sort of consistency in his mechanics, an NFL team is going to be really disappointed.

You know who I'm all the way in on? Beau Pribula. You can watch him light up Alabama on Saturday. Now there's a guy who would have been perfect for Andy Kotelnicki's system.
 
Maybe Allar can be like Matt Ryan. I don't remember watching Matt play much, but his Int rate was pretty high. I remember him not having any WRs as well. He went 3rd overall and had a decent career. I'm not sure how Ryan compares to Allar as far as footwork/ reading defenses and what not though. If Allar was that talented I would have thought at some point especially against cupcake teams he would have just went off. It will be interesting to see how he does at the combine
 
I agree Pribula is perfect for Kotalniki. The problem is the portal window. They have since changed it, partly because of Pribula. Because the portal window was during the college playoff, Pribula had to transfer while the playoffs were happening, He couldn’t wait for the next window because that would mean missing spring ball at his new school and that would mean Zero chance of winning a starting job showing up in August.

That means Penn State and Pribula had no choice. Was PSU supposed to guarantee him the starting job for 25 while Allar was preparing to play Notre Dame? It was a bad situation.

They never should have hired Kotalniki in the first place if he needed a runner. Allar was already the starter. If Franklin wants to do RPO then he better stop recruiting pocket passers. Something has to give.

Klatt dropped another video defending Allar against UCLA. He even points out the throw to Reynolds was good. You can still disagree. Allar is being hung out to dry by the scheme, the OL that stinks for no apparent reason, and WRs that never get open.

I think a lot of NFL teams will view his film differently. They’ll see a guy who misses on some throws but also takes care of the ball in bad situations

 
You know who I'm all the way in on? Beau Pribula. You can watch him light up Alabama on Saturday. Now there's a guy who would have been perfect for Andy Kotelnicki's system.
Thanks for the tip,should be a good test against Alabama. I shall be watching.

Will Berm be screaming “Fire DeBoer” after the first series?🙂
 
I agree Pribula is perfect for Kotalniki. The problem is the portal window. They have since changed it, partly because of Pribula. Because the portal window was during the college playoff, Pribula had to transfer while the playoffs were happening, He couldn’t wait for the next window because that would mean missing spring ball at his new school and that would mean Zero chance of winning a starting job showing up in August.

That means Penn State and Pribula had no choice. Was PSU supposed to guarantee him the starting job for 25 while Allar was preparing to play Notre Dame? It was a bad situation.

They never should have hired Kotalniki in the first place if he needed a runner. Allar was already the starter. If Franklin wants to do RPO then he better stop recruiting pocket passers. Something has to give.
What they should have done was encouraged Allar to go pro and become a first round pick like he was projected to be last April. If anything, at this point his draft stock has most likely dropped. So both parties have lost.
Klatt dropped another video defending Allar against UCLA. He even points out the throw to Reynolds was good. You can still disagree. Allar is being hung out to dry by the scheme, the OL that stinks for no apparent reason, and WRs that never get open.

I think a lot of NFL teams will view his film differently. They’ll see a guy who misses on some throws but also takes care of the ball in bad situations


Not sure what Joel Klatt was looking at (and now I have to question all of his analysis going forward), because
a) that was absolutely NOT a wheel route, and
b) the ball was actually thrown short and high to the wrong pylon.

Reynolds had to slow down because he had to contort his body back to the inside instead of receiving the ball easily in stride. If he keeps running full speed, the pass would have looked even more egregiously poor, because that play is designed for the ball to be caught in the back half of the end zone.

But at least you found one "expert" to agree with you.
 
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