re: Spring scrimmage: still struggle with short and intermediate passes

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He's had 3 start in the NFL. Qb recruiting has been an issue, but let's not act like other sec coaches are putting more in. They aren't.

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So what? I'd like a good COLLEGE QB for a change.

Bama, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Stanford, all throw a lot of short/ intermediate passes!!

Them>LSU

Agreed less stupid BIG CAT and more passing intermediate routes FRICK!!

Les excels at Big Cat..

I agree with Tiger ryno!

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Never too early to bitch bout Harris, Miles, Cam, or the LSU O for some.

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Given the history it's never too early imo.

I'm not expecting anything than the same old same old this coming season.

It was fun to watch the first time they used it, after a year when we were soft. Now it's like a photo OP.

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Yall still don't get it. They don't know how to coach it. Teams that do this well practice the shot out of it. They get guys you never heard of that can rack up 4000 yds passing.

Our coaches (cam and les) have no clue how to organize a passing program and design drills and practices to develop players that will execute. It's that simple.

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Amen

Cam was fired by the Ravens for running Miles' same "Stone Age" offense - conservative, archaic, predictable, sitting on 7-10 point leads, relying on the defense to win, and refusing to open up the offense with tempo/HUNH and spread passing tactics mixed with Run-Pass-Option plays which puts any defense on it’s heels, prevents subs, opens up the whole field, especially the middle, and defines the the most successful FBS and NFL teams. "The Ravens passing game wasn’t sophisticated. There weren’t a lot of rubs, crossing patterns, motion or a variety of sets. The Ravens seldom attacked the middle of the field and Cameron didn’t have a feel for games. He ran when he should have passed and passed when he should have run." Cam, always on the hot seat, was fired after 2 losses with only 3 games to go in 2012. Harbaugh and QB coach Caldwell (Manning's former HC) opened the offense: "We're cutting loose on offense. We're going to spread them out, run no-huddle, attack on every play, put the ball in Joe's hands. He's going to win the games for us." Shotgun, spread, tempo/HUNH, 3 WR sets and Flacco calling the plays instantly transformed the Ravens into an explosive 'offensive identity team' something conservative Cam could not do in 5 yrs and has never done. Flacco set the all time record in the 3 postseason games throwing 11 TDs, O INTs, averaging nearly 300 yds passing and 460 yds of offense/gm. Result: Super Bowl, MVP, and a 110 million contract.

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Sounds like Cam did a good job of developing Flacco but was too slow to give Flacco the reins of the offense.

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That is the wrong conclusion.

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It’s what he didn’t do that got Cameron fired. He didn’t develop an offense with an identity or a good enough quarterback. Except for Flacco’s rookie year when the Ravens became a run-oriented offense, the Ravens failed every year afterwards in trying to become a passing team. Cameron didn’t get along well with Flacco. As the Ravens took the field in overtime Sunday, Flacco looked confused. And when he did his famed 360 move while trying to escape pressure, he looked as lost as he did duing his rookie season.

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Jackson, Zorn, and Caldwell were Flacco's QB coaches, not Cam. Caldwell mentored Peyton Manning. They had good personal relationships with Flacco while Flacco and Cam never got along. Flacco was always complaining about Cam being too conservative. Flacco wanted to run more HUNH, spread, and 3+ WRs to keep the defense off balanced and prevent substitutions and Cameron did not take his input, or the QB coaches input on game planning and play calling.

"Cam was a control freak." During the second consecutive loss, 4th of the year, to the Redskins and Rookie QB RGIII, Cam got into a heated discussion with Harbaugh and was fired the next day. Bisciotti, the owner, and Harbaugh decided if they were ever going to be an 'offensive team' Cam had to go.

We are talking 5 yrs! Cam and Flacco both started in 2008. The tension between Cameron with Zorn, and Flacco got so high in 2010 that Cam demanded Zorn be fired, forcing Harbaugh to make a tough decision to keep Cameron rather than Zorn. The owner wanted to fire Cameron and keep Zorn.

Booger McFarland on Les Miles, his one-dimensional Run Game and his lack of development in the QB/Passing Game

"LSU has 11, 12, 13 win talent" but lacks a bona fide QB/OC guru, which Cam has never been, an offensive change agent like Swinney/Chad Morris at Clemson, Saban/Kiffin, Meyer/Tom Herman, Briles, Patterson, Freeze, Malzahn, etc.

In the 7-0 run up to ALA, ARK, and OM, Harris faced long 3rd downs averaging 8+ yds, converting 44%. That is a tall order for Joe Montana to quote McFarland.

It got worse in the ALA and ARK games as he faced 17 of 25 3rd downs of 8+ yds, converting 3 of the 17 for 18% while he converted 75% or 6 of 8 of the 3rd downs of 5 yds or less. Behind a run-oriented run-blocking OL that failed all year at the much more difficult task of pass protection, Harris was sacked/hit 8 times vs ALA, injuring his shoulder, knee, and groin, and 5 times vs ARK, and constantly threw under pressure to well-covered receivers.

Short touch passes over the middle have never been Cameron's playbook forte. Plus in 3rd and long without tempo/HUNH, motion, crossing patterns, rubs and a variety of sets in spread 3+WR sets, there are not going to be a lot of one-on-one mismatches, blown coverages, and the middle is not going to be open. When Harris threw on early downs he stayed ahead of the chains. Third and long are longer developing plays and ALA, ARK, and OM brought the house. On his 2nd qtr 40 yd TD to Dural, Cyrus Jones was unblocked and really nailed Harris and he was not the same after. There were 8 blown OL blocks in that game and Harris was nailed 8 times, often being crushed, or taking a hit while throwing, arms wrapped up and being driven into the ground on his throwing shoulder. He was under constant pressure, scrambling on long developing vertical routes that are Cam's stock and trade. Not ideal situations for touch passes to well-covered receivers.

McFarland "Why recruit 4 and 5 star receivers if you are not going to open up the offense and let the thoroughbreds run? I have all the confidence in the world in Brandon Harris, if you protect him." That is a big if for an OL specialized in run-blocking and so often over matched in pass protection. A non mobile pocket passer operating from under center would have been more likely to have been knocked out like Mett was.