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Topic: RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Topic: RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

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Moving the chains
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Member Since: 11/6/2015
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 1:55:36 AM

Coaching staff needs to evaluate their decisions. Throwing the ball when we should be running the ball is a poor choice. Leaving a back on the sideline as talented as Irons is another. Running small backs up the middle over and over is yet another.. Vick not playing and tweets from Vick contradicting what Solich says is a whole other mess.. Where there's smoke there's fire and this loss combined with the coaching decisions just doesn't add up. I'm at a loss and it's too bad!

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 1:56:11 AM

Allen--Isn't that a great argument they make that you and I couldn't do better than Solich (maybe true, maybe not) so that is what makes Solich a fine, fine coach?!

Have you been a fulltime coach for 40 years?

In your work, is it okay to repeatedly miss the obvious, repeatedly make the same mistakes, and repeatedly underperform in a get-bashed-by-dregs-of-the-MAC way?

At your work, could you convince the stockholders/fans that not meeting the main goal (MACC) in 11 years and the repeated beatdowns is evidence that all is well?

Where's the band?!
WHERE"S THE BAND?!

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The Optimist
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 7:08:58 AM

You could change a couple names in this thread and this would be like reading about the Cleveland Browns.

The biggest problem with the "in the know" crowd is that they don't think people read this site... That is because they talk to coaches... Not players.

Think about recruiting. Get with the times.

I've seen crazier things happen.

allen
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 7:17:28 AM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

I like you would have to make adjustments or be held accountable.

Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach. Woody Hayes

Bobcatzblitz
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 10:13:41 AM

I never said that Irons should get more carries than AJ. But the complete lack of ANY carries baffles me. Every football program has these sort of issues and worse so talking about them on the message board wont sway any recruits bc that is what this is for discussion an complete speculation. I personally just feel like Irons is a special back that could lead the MAC with that said Aj,Papi and Dorian are all good players but with so much talent why so little production. Coaches.

BillyTheCat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 11:28:34 AM

There are only so many snaps in a game, and players have to earn those snaps. We have three quality players in front of Irons, it happens, move on. If sports is truly about building intangibles of character, why do some of you believe certain people should just be handed to people. The young man simply needs to continue to work to get better, do all the things asked of him and be ready when his opportunity arises.

cc-cat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 12:43:52 PM

mid70sbobcat wrote:

Again, if you had access to the right people you'd probably understand why he didn't see the field more. It's not all about a "police blotter". I truly hope he grows up as he has some solid talent.

Mid - thanks for sharing. I think we all know there is something behind the scenes that reflects the situation. Also, thanks for not throwing the kid under the bus with specifics. The transgressions/attitude/whatever it might be, is none of our business. All we can do is hope he grows up - not for the sake of the team, but for himself.

While some on this site appear to dismiss the off the field situation (no legal action so let em Run Up The Middle), I'm sure we all appreciate some things are more important.

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 12:44:47 PM

Disagree vehemently.

The analysis is incorrect.

Here's what it should be: A guy is deemed worthy of being in uniform and available to play or not. If the answer is yes, available, then the best guy plays if he's the best. Period.

Irons.

Some of you seem to think that carries should be doled out based on citizenship, GPA, character, etc.

That's ridiculous. If any player is markedly short on those, then, okay, don't dress him. But once it's game time and he's in uniform, talent is the yardstick.

It's a bit cruel, perhaps, but it's the reality of life and college athletics.

No Irons..seriously??

cc-cat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 12:49:35 PM

We/You don't know the situation. Disagree vehemently, Really vehemently. Appreciate you don't know the situation.

Dressing or not is not the issue - I'm sure Irons was fully aware of the role going into the game. To fans, in uniform means something different that it does to players.

As I've stated before, the rest of the team is not angry at his lack of playing time - We'll see what happens.

Last Edited: 12/20/2015 12:52:03 PM by cc-cat

Only one OHIO
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 12:52:24 PM

I actually agree with Monroe here. If there is some issue with a player suspend him for a half or a game. If not, play the best players period.

BillyTheCat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 1:18:07 PM

And what makes you guys experts on who the best players are? This is comical! The coaches see these kids everyday on the field and off, they are paid to win games and they are very competitive people. Just because your favorite is not playing does not mean they are the best at that position.

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 1:40:56 PM

So, watching the game counts for little.

Yours is the argument of a rather closed mind, my friend. Really, no one can comment--from either/any side--unless they are on the team or a coach?

BillyTheCat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 2:23:00 PM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

So, watching the game counts for little.

Yours is the argument of a rather closed mind, my friend. Really, no one can comment--from either/any side--unless they are on the team or a coach?

Don't think so Monroe, but yes those with that type of view are definitely more qualified than you and several others here. Everyone loves the back up, it's an easy second guess. And you are good at it.

L.C.
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 2:38:35 PM

BillyTheCat wrote:

My opinion and 2 bits (well, 20 bits after inflation) will buy a cup of coffee, but in my opinion the coaches did a very good job this year of using the running backs appropriately. The best power back was AJ, the best explosive back was Papi, and the best all-around back was Daz, while the backs of the future were Dorian and Maleek. Maleek looks very good in the open field, but has some work to do on his inside running game. The potential is there, but he has a lot of work to do to become a full-time back.

So, why didn't Ohio get more yards on the ground this year? It wasn't the backs, that's for sure. Early in the year the o-line was inconsistent, but from the BG game onwards they played much better, and the running game showed marked improvement, making all the backs look better.

What went wrong against App State? Well, the Oline may have been a little rusty from the long layoff, and they got off to a bad start, but the main factor was the App State defense. They have an outstanding run defense, and they proved it. Ohio did get some yards, but it wasn't easy. Would Irons have gotten more yards per carry than AJ did? Don't be ridiculous. The problem was not AJ, nor Daz, nor Papi. The problem was that there was no running room. Barry Sanders wouldn't have gained much, either.

Put another way, the offensive line is responsible for the first three yards of a run, and the running back is responsible for making yards after that. How many times did a run get stopped for under 3 yards? Unfortunately, most of the time.

How will the offensive line be the next few year? In my opinion, very good. Yes, three players will be lost, but the linemen from 2014 will be in their third year, and should be ready to play. For example, Pruehs should step in for Powell, and Ohio shouldn't miss a beat. The same should be true for the other positions. Johnson seems to be a very good coach, and you can see the improvement that the line has made from two years ago to today. I expect further improvement next year, and I think it will be a big year for running backs.

I hope that Irons stays, and if he stays, I hope he works hard, and rounds out his game. He has the potential to be very good.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 3:22:18 PM

The thought that the first three yards are generally dependent on the O-line is generally correct.

That said, given whatever the performance of the O-line is, some guys will make more (or less) of that O-line support than others. Whether it be by dint of speed, power, shiftiness, patience, whatever...or lack thereof...the RB's will not achieve the same.

There are a number of folks here who have taken the available evidence--game viewing of the RB's--and concluded that Irons is the guy. And a fair number think that's the case by a wide margin.

I think that it's fair to say that the numerical evidence does not diminish this. From ohiobobcats.com at this moment, of the non-qb's, Iron has the highest yards per carry at 6.0.

Interestingly, it was difficult for Irons to budge that meter either way yesterday in a game in which we averaged (including qbs) 3.0 yards per carry.

Hmm--what could we have done yesterday to see if Irons could have improved the running game?

How many times is the viewing and numerical evidence going to point the other way before the supporters of the current staff allow that it may not be on track?

Last Edited: 12/20/2015 3:24:30 PM by Monroe Slavin

BillyTheCat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 3:45:31 PM

Monroe, focus on selling accessories to the wealthy elite lovers of purse dogs.

LuckySparrow
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 4:29:45 PM

If Maleek sticks with the process, there should be a big reward for him at the end of the tunnel at Ohio. Moving forward, I see him jumping Dorian on the depth chart. Papi is more of a scatback, so I don't anticipate him taking many carries from Irons. So next year, depending on Irons progress in the off season, I bet it's AJ and Irons with Brown and of course Papi sprinkled in.

Robbie Walker also probably gets some carries on end arounds at WR.

Last Edited: 12/20/2015 4:31:54 PM by LuckySparrow

What a day at the Convo.....Wow!

L.C.
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 5:21:47 PM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

...I think that it's fair to say that the numerical evidence does not diminish this. From ohiobobcats.com at this moment, of the non-qb's, Iron has the highest yards per carry at 6.0.
...

But, as I showed earlier, in games where the other teams had very good run defenses, and there was little in the way of running room, Irons had a very low average per carry, and AJ had a significantly higher average per carry than any of the other backs. In games where the back gets a good start, and can make more with his balance/elusiveness, Irons had a lot of upside and some big carries.

Which kind of foe was App State? A team where it was very difficult for the running back to get started, and where power was at a premium? Or a game where the running back got a good start, and could put his elusiveness to work? If you answer the question honestly, the only conclusion that you can reach is that the best choice, by far, was to use AJ a lot.

Can Irons improve his power and inside running? He certainly has the size to do that, so I think that there is no doubt that he can, but that is a far cry from saying that he is the best choice today for power running inside. If you think he is, then you weren't watching very closely, and you weren't looking at the data very closely.

No doubt you'll want some hard data, but I have some for you. There were two games where all the backs got carries, where the carries weren't in garbage time, and where Ohio was up against a run defense that mostly shut Ohio down, WMU and Buffalo. Here are the stats for the various running backs in those two games (note that this particular data set isn't very fair to AJ since he was devoting his practice time to linebacker against Buffalo, and he didn't run well when he did get carries against Buffalo):
Brown 8 carries for 28 yards, 3.5 yards/carry
Papi 2 carries for 7 yards, 3.5 yards/carry
AJ 6 carries for 20 yards, 3.3 yards/carry
Daz 18 carries for 50 yards, 2.8 yards/carry
Irons 7 carries for 16 yards, 2.3 yards/carry

Again, Irons has a lot of potential, but that does not mean that he is the answer to every problem, nor that he is the best back today.

Last Edited: 12/20/2015 5:23:18 PM by L.C.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Bcat2
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 5:45:55 PM

L.C. wrote:

Monroe Slavin wrote:

...I think that it's fair to say that the numerical evidence does not diminish this. From ohiobobcats.com at this moment, of the non-qb's, Iron has the highest yards per carry at 6.0.
...

2013 Beau avg 4.5, Boykin avg 3.9, Daz avg 5.6. 2012 Daz avg 5.7 to Beau's 5.1. The cleanup back often has the highest avg. Does no mean they should be the feature back. A football expert should not have to be told this.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 7:59:41 PM

I fully support all efforts not to play Irons, if that's what Solich and staff choose.

They get it right.

And, if next year Irons should break out, clearly the talent was not there or ready now..clearly holding him off the field will have been what developed that talent.

allen
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 8:28:03 PM

Irons averaged close to 6 yards a carry. He is big and fast. He is the best back and gets no carries and the thought that he could never beat out AJ is disturbing. If he is the best back, give him the darn ball. This is why we are mediocre, you have to play the best players. Brown is a darn good back to, some runs where AJ gets stopped, Maleek would not. The stupid fans who suggest players are trouble maker because they want to see their favorite player are disgusting. These coaches need to learn how to recruit QB's and play the best players or they will never win the MAC. Lets go Cats

Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach. Woody Hayes

OhioCatFan
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 8:56:33 PM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

. . . And, if next year Irons should break out, clearly the talent was not there or ready now..clearly holding him off the field will have been what developed that talent.

Actually, it'll mean that Frank finally listened to you, Monroe, and we'll all give you credit for being a prophet whose football brilliance is finally getting the recognition that it deserves. In fact, Frank will probably name you Honorary Assistant Coach for Running Back and Trick Play Development.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

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L.C.
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 9:27:34 PM

OhioCatFan wrote:

Monroe Slavin wrote:

. . . And, if next year Irons should break out, clearly the talent was not there or ready now..clearly holding him off the field will have been what developed that talent.

I have to say that this is one of the most absurd discussions I have ever seen. If there is one thing that Solich knows, it is running backs. He has recruited and coached up many of them, including a Heisman Trophy winner (Rozier), and countless running backs including among others, Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, Lawrence Phillips, Ahman Green, Derick Brown, Mark Schellen, Calvin Jones, Keith Jones, Jeff Smith, Jeff Makovicka, Joel Makovicka, Corey Schlesinger, Damon Benning, Correll Buckhalter, and Dahrran Diedrick. He was so highly regarded as a running backs coach that he even had videos out back in the day teaching others how to coach running backs, and the videos are still sold today:
https://www.overdrive.com/media/1574843/frank-solich-runn...
http://www.hamiltonbook.com/Sports/frank-solich-running-b...

Does anyone honestly believe that if Ohio wasn't playing the best running back he wouldn't know? Bug, some message board posters, who most likely have never even played the game, know more about running backs than Solich, and they know it never even having seen a practice. Will wonders never cease?

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

allen
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 9:35:23 PM

Maybe his vision is failing. Solich needs to get this right, i don't care about Nebraska. He won a conference championship, he needs to win one here and he does not have 20 years to do it.

Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach. Woody Hayes

BillyTheCat
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RE: Maleek Irons Transfer Watch

Posted: 12/20/2015 10:39:51 PM

L.C. wrote:

OhioCatFan wrote:

Monroe Slavin wrote:

. . . And, if next year Irons should break out, clearly the talent was not there or ready now..clearly holding him off the field will have been what developed that talent.

I could have done with you leaving Lawerence Phillips off that list.

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