(10-24-2012 09:09 AM)bearcatjim Wrote:  Butch mentioned yesterday that it's very important to their kickoff scheme to kick the ball "into a box". Though O'Donnell has a big leg and can get touchbacks, he doesn't always kick it where he wants it. If he doesn't get the touchback and misses "the box" it makes our coverage scheme very vulnerable. He says he's been running the same kickoff coverage scheme for 20 years and never given up a KO Return TD before Saturday, so he's confident the scheme works when executed properly.

I understand the scheme and Butch's history for success with it. But Cincinnati was just begging for Reedy to run back a kickoff for a touchdown by continuously kicking it to him. Miliano may have "aimed" his kicks better than O'Donnell in his chances leading up to the game but he also rarely has gotten the ball even to the goal line.

I mean for f*ck sake Miliano's kickoff that Reedy took to the house was caught at the 10 yard line! That's terrible!

I'll accept the fact that Butch wanted to protect O'Donnell's leg by not having him do kickoffs but don't give me the crap that Miliano "deserved" the job over O'Donnell.

(10-24-2012 09:22 AM)eroc Wrote:  

(10-24-2012 09:09 AM)bearcatjim Wrote:  Butch mentioned yesterday that it's very important to their kickoff scheme to kick the ball "into a box". Though O'Donnell has a big leg and can get touchbacks, he doesn't always kick it where he wants it. If he doesn't get the touchback and misses "the box" it makes our coverage scheme very vulnerable. He says he's been running the same kickoff coverage scheme for 20 years and never given up a KO Return TD before Saturday, so he's confident the scheme works when executed properly.

He made mention of directional kicking in the post game show on wlw, iirc. That being said, the only way to guarantee no KO Returns for a TD is to kick it for a Touch back. i don't see what the problem is with that?

I'm actually with you. I think Butch was trying to make a point with ODonnell that even though you have a big leg, you need to kick it where I want you to. Just in case it doesn't go for a touchback, we need to have it where we have the coverage designed.

But I'd take my chances with a 80% touchback guy. Kick it wherever the hell you want.

What I saw was that Toledo changed there KR game. The first couple of kick were to the Macon kid becasue he was over there in the corner where Butch wants it. Then Toledo figured it out and moved Reedy over to the spot so he could return the kicks. Not good, we should have saw that too and kicked it away from him. Bad call on coaches and kicker.

I believe the wind on that side of the field was pretty strong into the kick and I don't recall the Toledo kicker putting any kicks into the end zone on that side of the field (On the other side he was putting them into the end zone). And I would bet dollars to donuts that Reedy would return anything not kicked out of the end zone and even with a perfect hamstring, it would have been tough to kick it out of the end zone into a pretty good wind.

(10-24-2012 10:18 AM)Mark Wolfram Wrote:  What I saw was that Toledo changed there KR game. The first couple of kick were to the Macon kid becasue he was over there in the corner where Butch wants it. Then Toledo figured it out and moved Reedy over to the spot so he could return the kicks. Not good, we should have saw that too and kicked it away from him. Bad call on coaches and kicker.

You are exactly right.

As far as O'Donnell's touchback, if I remember correctly, it was a line drive kick that bounced at about the 5 or 10 yard line and fortunately bounced into and out of the end zone.