I really shouldn't be surprised to see continued Ertz (and offense) hate after not logging on until this morning, but alas, here we are. Keeping in mind that I do think Ertz (as with anyone on the team) can and should be better, I wanted to offer up a few thoughts that I hope add some perspective. (Sorry, this will be long.)
Too many people I see on this message board merely look at stats when judging the game. They see 10 for 30 and 10 for 20 and state their opinion. They don't look into the scheming, coaching, flow of the game and other scenarios that may (or sometimes, may not) play a factor. Texas Tech put up almost 600 yards of total offense, which very much looks poor, yet that couldn't translate to a win (or 40 points for that matter, which they expect to eclipse every game). However, those who actually analyze the game saw some great defensive adjustments at half by K-State (along with some bizarre calls on the part of TTU). The bend but don't break mantra, which I admit does get stale at times, actually forced TTU to string out its offensive drives - believe me when I say that they don't want to win the TOP battle.
Anyhow, I thought Ertz took a step forward on Saturday. Not leaps and bounds, but definitely a step or two. The coaching staff made things simple early, and I thought that translated into a few nice plays, namely the long run out of the scramble to pick up the first down and a nice pass to nearly pick up the first down in the first half after being chased down by two or three defenders. Ertz still has a tendency to get happy feet when it's a five-step drop, but not nearly as bad vs. WVU.
Ertz was 10 for 20 for 104 yards, but in reality he should've had four more for sure catches and at least two (or even three) likely catches that ended up as drops. That puts him closer to 200 yards and probably gives the offense 10 or more points. Even if the ball isn't perfectly placed, which Ertz does need to work on, there were several drops that the WR needs to make. (Side note: Burton had some rather "uh oh" moments, but I think the kid has improved greatly and was making plays that wouldn't have been made a year ago.)
Elsewhere, Ertz rushed for almost 100 yards and didn't turn the ball over. The latter is huge in a game where K-State had success on the ground. To boot, the offense was "stripped," albeit positively because of great plays by Reed & Pringle, that would've granted two more possessions. Not saying those result in a ton more yards or even points, but nonetheless it's important to point out.
Lastly, I thought the play calling and overall coaching was much improved. Still not perfect, though, especially late in the second half where the overly conservative side started to show (it's totally fine to run the ball with a 10+ point lead late, but get creative in doing so). A lot left to be desired there, and at times deep within the red zone. But apart from two or three occasions, it seems like the coaching staff and Ertz got together and eliminated at least one check from the routine, which I thought helped the offense's tempo.
All that said, the offense can and does need to be better to beat better defenses. I simply wanted to point out that stats can be deceiving. Many of you on here know that, but too many want to ignore that.
Too many people I see on this message board merely look at stats when judging the game. They see 10 for 30 and 10 for 20 and state their opinion. They don't look into the scheming, coaching, flow of the game and other scenarios that may (or sometimes, may not) play a factor. Texas Tech put up almost 600 yards of total offense, which very much looks poor, yet that couldn't translate to a win (or 40 points for that matter, which they expect to eclipse every game). However, those who actually analyze the game saw some great defensive adjustments at half by K-State (along with some bizarre calls on the part of TTU). The bend but don't break mantra, which I admit does get stale at times, actually forced TTU to string out its offensive drives - believe me when I say that they don't want to win the TOP battle.
Anyhow, I thought Ertz took a step forward on Saturday. Not leaps and bounds, but definitely a step or two. The coaching staff made things simple early, and I thought that translated into a few nice plays, namely the long run out of the scramble to pick up the first down and a nice pass to nearly pick up the first down in the first half after being chased down by two or three defenders. Ertz still has a tendency to get happy feet when it's a five-step drop, but not nearly as bad vs. WVU.
Ertz was 10 for 20 for 104 yards, but in reality he should've had four more for sure catches and at least two (or even three) likely catches that ended up as drops. That puts him closer to 200 yards and probably gives the offense 10 or more points. Even if the ball isn't perfectly placed, which Ertz does need to work on, there were several drops that the WR needs to make. (Side note: Burton had some rather "uh oh" moments, but I think the kid has improved greatly and was making plays that wouldn't have been made a year ago.)
Elsewhere, Ertz rushed for almost 100 yards and didn't turn the ball over. The latter is huge in a game where K-State had success on the ground. To boot, the offense was "stripped," albeit positively because of great plays by Reed & Pringle, that would've granted two more possessions. Not saying those result in a ton more yards or even points, but nonetheless it's important to point out.
Lastly, I thought the play calling and overall coaching was much improved. Still not perfect, though, especially late in the second half where the overly conservative side started to show (it's totally fine to run the ball with a 10+ point lead late, but get creative in doing so). A lot left to be desired there, and at times deep within the red zone. But apart from two or three occasions, it seems like the coaching staff and Ertz got together and eliminated at least one check from the routine, which I thought helped the offense's tempo.
All that said, the offense can and does need to be better to beat better defenses. I simply wanted to point out that stats can be deceiving. Many of you on here know that, but too many want to ignore that.
