Football is a very cyclical game. Two weeks after extensive analysis, I really felt our coaching staff let the kids down and the young men simply willed themselves to victory with some wild backyard ball. This week, I feel the opposite. I felt the staff called a fantastic game all around, the kids just didn't quite have it in them to make the plays.
Obviously, the end of the first half was a debacle and it ended in a 3 point swing. That's devastating in a game this tight. Outside of that, I didn't have many complaints. The flea flicker would not have been my ideal call for that down and distance and I hate these rubs screens Rod keeps calling (We've yet to execute one successfully. At some point, we need call it a day) but these are minor issues that we can nitpick in every contest. I thought our gameplan was fantastic, thought the playcalling was solid, we just didn't make the plays. 6-7 dropped passes by my count, a couple at very crucial times. Josh had what, 3 himself (2 for guaranteed 1st downs)? Rod calls a nice easy design for Brandon to pick up a 1st down (Which he did) and the ball pops out. Dele has Terry Bradshaw dead to rights and he can't wrap him up. That was a 50 yard swing that ended in 3 points for them. James missed a 50 yarder. Dele finishes that play and James makes that kick, it's a 3 point game. The kids just didn't quite makes the plays Saturday against a team that is built to play that type of game. Hard to swallow but it does happen. Hopefully this Saturday we make them.
One thing that did not go well was pressuring the QB. We have got to find a pass rush.