Looking to next season

[daniel102081]

As we all know, Coffee Co.'s season came to a halt last Friday as we got hammerd by a very talented Smyrna team. Being a Raider Fan for quite sometime and going to all their games since 1999, I feel that some things need to be brought up in what I think could help better the team for next season. I encourage anyone and everyone to take part in this as I think this would drive home some points.

 

1. Graham gave away to much on his passing game by not checking off his recievers. Instead, he would only look at his intended reciever. Not a good thing, we need to find a QB capable of doing that since Graham is graduating this year.

 

2. If we're going to rely heavily on the run game, then by all means, stop running the ball up the middle the entire game. Bounce the runs outside and you can gain positive yards, unless you play a team like Smyrna that has good closing speed on defense.

 

3. It's ok to rely on the Wing-T formation, just don't use it on every play. It's a good formation for running, but we need to add more to our play book.

 

4. Defense, with the exception of a few, needs to learn to tackle. I saw quiet a few good tackles made by Harris, Irons and Ciselski. (not sure if I spelled his name right) Majority of the time it was looking like we were playing two hand touch instead of a full contact game. Don't over pursue your opponents. It's kinda hard to sack a QB when you blow right past him.

 

5. Pass Defense...it was good seeing that Harris was lined up with #5 from Smyrna the entire time that #5 was on the field. Only complaint...don't give him or any reciever a 5-8yrd cushion. That opens up the short game which in return can yield big yardage or not. Don't let the reciever catch the ball either. Watch alot of college and pro games, you see the Saftey's and Corner's man up on the WR's and break for the ball as it gets there or before hand.

 

6. Finally Special Teams...you can't tackle a guy using just your arms unless your going for his legs, then that may work. Lay your body on the guy and tackle that way, wrap him up. Another thing, if you have six guys around the punt returner, dont just stand there and let him run by you like your not there. Alot of Coffee Co. fans complained about that Friday night.

 

Now of course I am aware that alot of people will disagree with what I've said and I'm expecting that, but I'm also sure that alot of people will agree with me. Chime in and let me as well as others know what would work and not work.

Edited November 6, 2006 by daniel102081

[pedo_29]

As we all know, Coffee Co.'s season came to a halt last Friday as we got hammerd by a very talented Smyrna team. Being a Raider Fan for quite sometime and going to all their games since 1999, I feel that some things need to be brought up in what I think could help better the team for next season. I encourage anyone and everyone to take part in this as I think this would drive home some points.

 

1. Graham gave away to much on his passing game by not checking off his recievers. Instead, he would only look at his intended reciever. Not a good thing, we need to find a QB capable of doing that since Graham is graduating this year.

 

2. If we're going to rely heavily on the run game, then by all means, stop running the ball up the middle the entire game. Bounce the runs outside and you can gain positive yards, unless you play a team like Smyrna that has good closing speed on defense.

 

3. It's ok to rely on the Wing-T formation, just don't use it on every play. It's a good formation for running, but we need to add more to our play book.

 

4. Defense, with the exception of a few, needs to learn to tackle. I saw quiet a few good tackles made by Harris, Irons and Ciselski. (not sure if I spelled his name right) Majority of the time it was looking like we were playing two hand touch instead of a full contact game. Don't over pursue your opponents. It's kinda hard to sack a QB when you blow right past him.

 

5. Pass Defense...it was good seeing that Harris was lined up with #5 from Smyrna the entire time that #5 was on the field. Only complaint...don't give him or any reciever a 5-8yrd cushion. That opens up the short game which in return can yield big yardage or not. Don't let the reciever catch the ball either. Watch alot of college and pro games, you see the Saftey's and Corner's man up on the WR's and break for the ball as it gets there or before hand.

 

6. Finally Special Teams...you can't tackle a guy using just your arms unless your going for his legs, then that may work. Lay your body on the guy and tackle that way, wrap him up. Another thing, if you have six guys around the punt returner, dont just stand there and let him run by you like your not there. Alot of Coffee Co. fans complained about that Friday night.

 

Now of course I am aware that alot of people will disagree with what I've said and I'm expecting that, but I'm also sure that alot of people will agree with me. Chime in and let me as well as others know what would work and not work.

 

You bring up valid points but let's go through them step by step:

 

1. It doesn't really matter what Graham's faults are because he won't be there next year. He didn't have a great night against Smyrna and yes he did show where he was going but I honestly don't think it would have mattered. Brent Hobbs will more than likely be under center for the Raiders next season. He is a great athlete with a pretty good arm but kind of like Graham this season, we won't really know what he has until the first game. It will hurt the receiving corps however because second to Harris, Hobbs was the fastest receiver. Harris graduates and Hobbs will leave to go to QB. I think Thornton and Aaron will be great possession receivers, Justin Owen will have to step up and take more of a deep threat roll....as well as Nick Hood.

 

2. I dont' believe it would have mattered what running plays we ran on Friday.....this isn't a knock at Smryna's defense because they are solid....but the offensive line simply wasn't blocking. I would have liked to seen some counter plays put in to offset their aggressiveness.

 

3. Coffee County has added to their playbook...it is actually very deep. They practiced in the shotgun all week long in preparation to run it all game, but for reasons that I dont' know yet (will find out on the Coach Bill Price show tomorrow) we left the shotgun early. Price tends to have 5-10 plays that he is comfortable with and when it comes to game time.....he goes back to what he is comfortable with....but he didn't do that all year. There were games when CC showed several sets and ran several plays.

 

4. It's kind of hard to sack a quarterback when he runs a 4.7 40-yard dash as well and he is probably quicker than he is fast. I will agree with you, the tackling was down, (see long runs by Antoine Hendricks after missed tackles) but for the most part the defense was very very solid against the Bulldogs. The defense was decimated by injuries early in the season but with the return of Irons late and the ability of players to get comfortable in their rolls, the defense improved dramatically starting in the Overton game.

 

5. Coffee County went into the game with the intention of playing bend but don't break defense....meaning you are willing to give up short yardage plays and hope they make a mistake, then tighten up in the red zone....this worked VERY well. The defense had held Smyrna to 13 points until mid-way through the third quarter, at which point they were fatigued from chasing fast players all over the field (See Sonny Gray) and being on the field the majority of the night. Let's not forget that CC only had 2 first downs in the first half (poor time of possession)....As good as Harris is (and I think he was the best corner in region 3-5A) had he played bump and run against Rod Wilks (number 5) we would have been beaten and Smyrna would have put the game out of reach early.

 

6. I do agree that special teams is an area that Coffee County needs to improve on...it handicaped them for most of the season (See kickoff returns by Brentwood and Cookeville). The play where we had the returner surrounded and he ran by was very frustrating....A lot of CC special teams problems are a lack of athletes compared to a Smyrna. You can't play your big dogs every single play and special teams is an opportunity to give them a play or two off....teams like Smyrna and Riverdale and Cookeville for that matter can just run out 11 more solid players....CC has yet to become that deep....hopefully if they contine their success they will get deeper like those other teams......I think with a little more time and effort put into special teams play....these problems can and will fixed for next season.

[olandpats]

start buildin jock dorms & recruit. clank clank

[Sukrillux]

I agree with most of the points here, but have some of my own that I'd like to mention.

 

1. Coach Price reverted back to his "run the ball on most every play" mentality somewhere around the second half of the first quarter. There were pass plays in there, but they were sporadic. This didn't work very well when CC was only getting a yard or two per play.

 

2. I do, however, understand why they went back to the run, run, and run again plays. Graham wasn't making any kind of reads. This is not a knock on any players, but I watched Smyrna's QB (Gray) and Tullahoma's QB (Cass). I took careful note of how they stepped back in the pocket and went through their progressions, checking off receivers to find an opening. Neither Nick Hibdon (CC QB last year) nor Josh Graham did this much at all. There was a go-to guy on a given play and that's where the ball was thrown. A lot of times it was thrown right into a Smyrna defensive lineman's chest the other night. The lack of technique that the QB has had the past few years at CC really reflects on the game scores. Yes, CC can win by throwing to go-to guys on every pass play and running over poor rushing defenses, but they will never win a playoff game until someone pays more attention to teaching the QB proper technique.

 

3. Yes, injuries played a part in the losses that CC had this season. For example, I believe CC could have won the Cookeville game if Harris would have been playing. You cannot control injuries. They happen. Linebacker Phillip Adcock was out all season due to an arm injury which occurred in practice before the start of the season. In his stead, Cory Cesielski (former running back) stepped up to play and played the LB position very well.

 

4. The tackling technique that most of the team showed this year was sub-par to say the least. There were some players that made a point to tackle very well, but most all of them will be graduating this year. Something like 7 or 8 of the defensive starters will be graduating this year. There will be players that step up next year to fill the voids. I just feel that tackling is one thing that the coaches should work on next year. Good defenses win games and good special team coverage can help your defenses to do so.

 

After saying all of that, I would like to congratulate all of the Coffee County Red Raider players for another good season. You won the games that needed to be won and got a playoff spot. You played well and didn't give up. Good luck to those who will be graduating! For those who will be returning, train and get ready for next year's season. Never give up on the field or in the classroom. That mentality will take you as far as you want to go. See you guys next season!

 

Oh, and I have to give some props to the Red Raider Marching Band! What former band member would I be if I didn't? You guys had a great show this year (you always do). Thanks for the stands tunes, mud, and the jungle beat to go along with the game! That about does it... I think I got everybody lol. Later

[irecnso]

4. Defense, with the exception of a few, needs to learn to tackle. I saw quiet a few good tackles made by Harris, Irons and Ciselski. (not sure if I spelled his name right) Majority of the time it was looking like we were playing two hand touch instead of a full contact game. Don't over pursue your opponents. It's kinda hard to sack a QB when you blow right past him.

 

The defense gave up alot of points by looking at the schedule. The teams in 4-5A and 5-4A, 6-4A , Williamson Co, metro, etc all have athletes that can make a defense look weak on tackling and make them look slow.

This was a season with high expectations, experienced players, good athletes

( By CC standards ). Is CC more competitive than they were 5-8 years ago? YES

Was this a successful season? NO...This was the year for CC to step up and at the end of the day they still could not win against the better than average top 2 teams in their region, win against better than average non region teams, be competitive against their 4-A county rival or against a good Baylor team. This team should have won more than 4 games out of 11 with all the hype I read about in pre-season. ( You can always reval about playing Riverdale close in the spring and winning a couple of scrimmages in the fall. )

CC may or may not win more games next year, don't think they will be as athletic, but they may play well as a team. Development in the off season is key.

I would not put any expectations on next years team.

[pedo_29]

Anybody else have any opinions to offer.......better get them out now!

[daniel102081]

Anybody else have any opinions to offer.......better get them out now!

 

 

Exactly...I made this thread to see what other people thought of the points I made and a chance for them to counter my points with their own or go along with my points. So come one ladies and gentlemen, start making this thread livelier, I'm actually expecting 5A Fan to chime in...we'll just have to wait and see..

Edited November 8, 2006 by daniel102081

[Live4FridayNite615]

I got one thing to say.. CC needs to get a better punter.. I mean I hate to knock the guy but he couldn't kick for nothing.. that hurt CC alot against Smyrna.. Smyrna never once started in the opponets territory.. Makes it easier for a high powered offense like Smyrna to score.. just a thought..

[pedo_29]

I got one thing to say.. CC needs to get a better punter.. I mean I hate to knock the guy but he couldn't kick for nothing.. that hurt CC alot against Smyrna.. Smyrna never once started in the opponets territory.. Makes it easier for a high powered offense like Smyrna to score.. just a thought..

 

Did you notice that the punter was the quarterback?.....he is not a punter and if you ask him he will say he's not. Coffe County actually had a punter but he never played a snap this season.....they always do the formation with Graham at punter in almost a shot gun and four receivers so other teams will respect the fake.......it really didn't worked at all this season. I would have liked to seen them use true punt formations with their punter....especially in true punting situations...es 4th and 10 or more.....but hey...I'm not the coach haha!

[82cat]

cc lacks the basic ingredient to beat teams outside their region and that is overall team speed. They have a few fast players but over all the difference in team speed was a huge advantage for smyrna

 

the region they play in is over all a run oriented type region very few teams spread the field with 4 and 5 wides and run out of the shotgun consistently

 

 

as for passing?? 0 for 11 with 3 ints will get anybody beat.

 

as for field position that all started when cc's coach decide to go for it on 4th and 2 on his own 48 in the first quarter.

 

my suggestion - continue to play teams like brentwood and other powerful teams from other regions and even if you lose all 3 it will help in your regular season and certainly will get you prepared for the playoffs

[cephus23]

I would say that you've got it figured out. Now just go apply for the coaching job and implement all of those plans and bring home the Championship in '07.

As we all know, Coffee Co.'s season came to a halt last Friday as we got hammerd by a very talented Smyrna team. Being a Raider Fan for quite sometime and going to all their games since 1999, I feel that some things need to be brought up in what I think could help better the team for next season. I encourage anyone and everyone to take part in this as I think this would drive home some points.

 

1. Graham gave away to much on his passing game by not checking off his recievers. Instead, he would only look at his intended reciever. Not a good thing, we need to find a QB capable of doing that since Graham is graduating this year.

 

2. If we're going to rely heavily on the run game, then by all means, stop running the ball up the middle the entire game. Bounce the runs outside and you can gain positive yards, unless you play a team like Smyrna that has good closing speed on defense.

 

3. It's ok to rely on the Wing-T formation, just don't use it on every play. It's a good formation for running, but we need to add more to our play book.

 

4. Defense, with the exception of a few, needs to learn to tackle. I saw quiet a few good tackles made by Harris, Irons and Ciselski. (not sure if I spelled his name right) Majority of the time it was looking like we were playing two hand touch instead of a full contact game. Don't over pursue your opponents. It's kinda hard to sack a QB when you blow right past him.

 

5. Pass Defense...it was good seeing that Harris was lined up with #5 from Smyrna the entire time that #5 was on the field. Only complaint...don't give him or any reciever a 5-8yrd cushion. That opens up the short game which in return can yield big yardage or not. Don't let the reciever catch the ball either. Watch alot of college and pro games, you see the Saftey's and Corner's man up on the WR's and break for the ball as it gets there or before hand.

 

6. Finally Special Teams...you can't tackle a guy using just your arms unless your going for his legs, then that may work. Lay your body on the guy and tackle that way, wrap him up. Another thing, if you have six guys around the punt returner, dont just stand there and let him run by you like your not there. Alot of Coffee Co. fans complained about that Friday night.

 

Now of course I am aware that alot of people will disagree with what I've said and I'm expecting that, but I'm also sure that alot of people will agree with me. Chime in and let me as well as others know what would work and not work.

[bigmoney128]

Schedule more teams like Shelbyville instead of Baylor.

 

No one remembers the opponents only the final wins and losses.

 

Then take your chances in the playoffs, because Region 4-5A will be the top teams in the state year in , year out. If you dont finish first or second you dont have a prayer.

 

CC is in a region with 6 teams ( only 2 dont make the playoffs ). That could drop if Cumberland County goes 4A.

 

Classification should make this a 8 team region.

 

So your results the next two years could easily hinge on it.