Questions To The Coach Cavanaugh

I'm going to try to write this article in the most polite and respectful way I can possibly do. Also before I'm going to accept the fact that under no circumstance Pat Bostick will be allowed to play. Well here is a couple of obvious questions to the man behind our offense Matt Cavanaugh.

1. Why once we used the Wildcat offense was Kevan Smith on the field? He was always the far receiver on the right side every time the play was ran. What was the point of this? First off, he was so far from under center that he couldn't possibly be a decoy. There was no way that he could have gotten back to the ball to perhaps do a trick play and throw. Also if Kevan Smith is so important to this offense why risk him having to be out wide blocking every single play. What was to stop the corner in front of him for smashing into him every play? This package makes absolutely no sense with him out wide. Why not have Mo Williams who can throw the ball out there during the play to keep the defense honest? This package worked so well but I have no idea in hell why Kevan Smith was out there, it made no sense.

2. If we had the Wildcat spread in the offense for a situation like the one we encountered on Saturday, why was there only one version of the play with the same snap count, motion, and everything? The setup to the play was completely the same to the point that I was yelling out when the snap was coming to DPJ and the guys around me. Just notice the one play where Porter came in motion too early and Shady had to send him back out in order to keep the same rhythm to the play. The shocking thing was that this play worked and helped us move the ball in the third quarter. Why would you have a play like this in the play book that was only practiced in this one specific way? You used to coordinator in the NFL how are you this under prepared for a game with a quarterback you have seen play badly before. How did you not put in at least a wrinkle or two into this play? Hopefully, you can be bothered to look at the personnel you are using for the Wildcat and correctly install the play to both sides and with a different player at the far right wide receiver.

3. If we can't trust Kevan Smith to throw the ball 5 yards why not just go all out and do the spread offense. I assume that we have been practicing for teams with a spread offense after playing Grambling St. and later in the year WVU. So why not take that preparation and use this weeks practice to install a mini-version of the spread offense with Mo Williams playing quarterback. Our quarterback position is basically in shambles until Bill Stull gets back, so use the spread option to get us through the game with UCONN. Does anybody on your staff think that Kevan Smith is going to play any better this week than he did at Michigan St.? He can't handle the pressure so why make him do it. Our whole offense is our running game so bring in Mo and run the option.

4. Without Jason Pinkston, hopefully he is back, we can't run the west-coast style offense that you have installed. Did you see how easily Michigan St. got pressure on Smith in the 4th quarter. McGlynn is an awful tackle and can't pass block against the edge rush, so why make him. Just have the line run block for Shady and Mo in an option offense. Spreading out the defense will allow the line to get favorable position to lay down their blocks. You can't expect this line in its current form to give the quarterback time.

5. If Stephens-Howling is back this week than you can get what you want and play him and Shady equally. The option would make it necessary for two backs to get carries in the game, so we can use our two options at running back like you want.

I don't think that anything on the offense is beyond repair. This group has talent and the coaching staff needs to get creative. I hope that our coaches aren't as stubborn and arrogant about the style of play as they seem. Why try to force this team to play a style thats obviously beyond the quarterback. Give up on Smith right now and use Mo Williams to get us to the return of Bill Stull. Hopefully the offense will at that time be capable to run the offense you want, since Stull can complete a pass.