 |
Author |
TOPIC: Early Season Struggles |
|
| Ram Forever32
August 24, 2013
8:26:48 AM
Entry #: 4085254
| Watching the scrimmage last week vs Forest Park, the thought was basically, "We always look like this in the scrimmage." However watching the Salem game the thought began to creep in that maybe didn't just look like that in the scrimmage because it was a scrimmage. Ten fumbles (losing six) is a lot for any team to overcome, and while it was very disheartening to see the ball put on the ground, what was even more disheartening was our lack of effort on several occasions to recover it. The lateral was picked up and the Salem player was sprinting down the sidelines before the closest Rams even decided maybe they should try to tackle him. One thing that should be pointed out also is that while we are a junior and senior laden team, many who were asked to play many minutes were getting their first real taste of Friday night. Along those same lines is the fact that Coach Hartsfield knows our players and their tendencies better than anyone we will play the rest of the season, because he coached all of them except this seasons freshman class.
Something that will also be missed in the worry of last night's game is the fact that the defense stepped up and held Salem to -19 yards of offense, -19 yards! And on a night when our offense was less than average (I would suspect ball security will be addressed this coming week) we still came off the field last night with a win. To many of the Paoli faithful it doesn't feel like a normal Saturday morning after a Friday night victory, but that is a good thing, it is the culture that has been created in the last several years, to where not only is winning expected but it is expected to be done in a fashion that leaves no doubt about who the best team was the night before. The first game jitters are out of the way, the Rams have seen the areas that need to be improved (some drastically), and as we move into week two of this 2013 season it will be interesting to see how this group responds to that. See y'all next week on the hill!
|
|
| Ram fan
August 26, 2013
8:28:36 AM
Entry #: 4085697
| Yeah...you initially come away from that game feeling really worried about where we are, because of the turnovers and penalties, but one should feel real good about the defense, and the line on both sides. When we held on to the ball, we advanced. When Salem's offense was actually on the field, we did not budge. Fortunately the fumbles can be fixed and I have no doubt Coach B will be working on that all week.
|
| RealisticFan
August 29, 2013
10:12:31 AM
Entry #: 4086500
| After game 1, I'm concerned about our ability to get the ball in playmakers hands in a position that they can do something with it. The passing game I heard so much about all summer looked like something you would see in a Jr. High game. It's not rocket science. Single coverage, throw it up to our tall receivers. 10 yard cushions, take the snap and throw to them immediately. That will open up everything else. Running game is fine, but we can't rely on that against good teams.
|
|
