That O line has been a timebomb all season and today it blew up a nice home winning streak. Got to hand it to the Cats, when we got it close they tore up our D and put the game away. Both the O line and Pyne need game experience and they've got 2 mos. of it in front of them. I just hope Drew doesn't get shell-shocked by the experience.
The worst O-Line since the days of Jimmy Clausen running for his life. We can never establish a running game so we live in a third and long world. Their inability to get any push makes every play an improvisation. Coan's confidence appears to be gone. Buchner's simply not ready. Pyne is the best option and team seems to play slightly better when he is on the field.
Well if it’s obvious to me then it’s obvious to anyone who knows football. The Coan experiment is over. I’m not sure how well it would have worked even with a good offense line. He has no mobility at all and until this Oline Matures or develops in one way in some way we need a QB with some mobility to win. The obvious choice now is to sit Coan, start Pyne and use Buckner in limited situation until he matures. We have enough weapons on offense to win with Pyne starting. Yes, I know I’m eating crow on Pyne but it’s just obvious to even me now.
Tim, I have a different opinion. I believe it would show desperation to sit Coan. I believe he should remain the starter. At this stage of the season, despite his INT yesterday, he remains a more seasoned QB than the other two. None of the three has stood out as the "savior". That was obvious yesterday. Pyne had the better efficiency rating over Coan (110 to 98) due primarily to a TD pass, more total yards, and no INTs. I believe to sit Coan at the start, assuming he's healthy, would diminish our options and send a message of desperation, which could have a negative impact on team chemistry. If he plays well and gives us a lead, we can work in the other two and give them valuable game experience for the future. IMO our problem, as has been well documented here, is not the QB. It's the failure of the O-line to provide protection. Even Pyne, with his Brees-like quick release and footspeed, was sacked toward the end and ended up with only 9 completions in 22 attempts. The top ten and the playoffs now are out of the picture. IMO the rest of the season from this point forward should be devoted to continued improvement on offense and - hopefully, from a position of strength - continued development of the two QBs of the future. I don't see how you can expect a true freshman or a redshirt freshman to be the "savior" with an unproven - and, yes, weak - OL. Just my opinion. I'd love to be proven wrong.
I think our O line requires some mobility in a QB to make plays and avoid being pounded as Coan has be so far this season. I'm concerned at some of the passes Pyne threw yesterday, especially the short crossing route that he flat out missed. There also was that 4th down pass that he and the receiver were on different pages. I do know that Coan will not be in uniform for the Irish next year and I'd feel better if the starting QB in Sept. had a number of games under his belt. I don't know what commitment Kelly made to Coan to get him to come for 1 yr. so I don't know who will start in the next few games. My guess is that Pyne will be our starter in Sept. with Buchner backing up. The fact I'm thinking of next year the first week in Oct. is not good.
I feel bad for Coan, but it should always be about what is best for the team. Right now it just seems like Pyne is what is best for the team. While it's sheer speculation, but I believe that if Pyne had started we would have won the game. Also as much as I want Pyne to be the answer and finish the season something like what Kizer did when he was thrust into the starters job his first year. But I doubt if he is that guy. He does seem to have some moxie and confidence, but he's not Bryce Young. I could see us losing a couple of more games, even though right now some are saying that we will be favored in all of our remaining games. I also won't be shocked if this OL ends up getting Pyne injured. Tyler Buchner. Unless they have a package that is more than what amounts to a wildcat Qb, I don't want to see him as the change of pace Qb as they have been using him. If we ever get to the 4th qtr with a big lead put him in and have him run the offense.