Omar: personal improvement plan

[MikeD]

Jacobs needs to run the ball more then. The spread needs the threat of the QB running to work properly. I've been watching Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic. Louisiana-Monroe is overmatched in that game, but their offense is keeping them in the game. The QB is running and it's opening up huge holes for the RBs and the WRs are open all over the field because of his running.

Maybe Gregg Brandon should be calling the plays. There sure seemed to be much more running from the QB when Brandon was calling the plays. That QB from Louisiana-Monroe is no Josh Harris or Omar Jacobs, but their play calling is effective. I'd sure like to see that shuffle pass off the option again, like they scored on against Wisconsin. I guess the feeling is, "if it works, don't run it again." I think Strudrawa outthinks himself sometimes.

On defense, you can't beat zone blocking by playing gap control. You have to blow up the play with penetration. Sure, you'll give up some big plays, but you won't be giving up 7 yards or more when you let the RB choose the gap that isn't blocked up. Plus, you'll disrupt the QB with that penetration. I'd rather see 3 big plays for 21 points than have a team stuff the ball down your throat all game.

Boise State did a good job mixing zone and man on D. There were at least 2 plays that the BG WR made the wrong read and Jacobs threw it where the WR should have been. Of course, it made it look like Jacobs was off. He was off, but not on those plays. One was the 4th and 10 where Sanders should have stopped in the hole in zone and it looked like Jacobs threw it behind him, but Sanders ran threw the hole in the zone and into the coverage. On another play over the middle, the WR should have taken a post route, instead he read it as a crossing route. Jacobs pulled the ball down, probably in surprise, and almost threw a pick when he tried to adjust to the wrong route. BG needs to mix up their coverages rather than play zone all game. That's what Boise State did to shut down the BG offense.

[BGSUFootballFan]

I don't want to bash Omar either, but he still does not display the "it" factor of Josh Harris either. He really needs to step up and show some leadership during a game like last night's. It's great that he's such a quiet, humble guy, but on the field, I would prefer him to take command. You like your QB to get in some people's faces when things start to go poorly, I didn't see that last night.

You know, I don't recall Josh being an in-your-face guy or being incredibly animated. I only got to see him play twice in person, though. Yet, I always got the sense, if that's possible, that he was grabbing the offense or the team by the scruff of its neck and bringing it to its feet, then pushing it toward the finish line.

here is the difference IMO. I went to the PU-BG game in 03. Before BG took the field J5 was at the front of the pack. He had his chin straps dangling down and his helmet slanted down so that you could barely see his eyes. He was slowing nodding his head and bonecrusher was blaring out of the jumbo-tron. when he ran out of the tunnel with the team behind him, I remember getting the chills and thinking wow this kid is a badass. You could just tell by his mannerisms that he came to fight and was pumped up. That was the 1st BG game i ever attended. The most recent BG game that i attended was at Ball St. We were lead out of the locker room/tunnel by some back up defense players and GB slowly walking behind them. The very last person to take the field was Omar walking slowly with his helmet in his hand and his head hanging down. Its no wonder to me why we got the ball 1st and went 3 and out, ending our streak of 8 or 9 games in a row of scoring a TD on our opening drive. This team has no fire or life in it. Maybe Josh Harris never got in peoples faces and got them fired up, but maybe he never had to. Maybe the team never showed this little heart and effort, and i dont think they ever did. Josh Harris was a leader, Omar is not. Our team needs to get their act together soon and it needs to come from a true badass. Which is the exact opposite of GB and Omar.

[Warthog]

Not sure if this is the thread to do it or not, but I haven't heard many people's thoughts on Anthony Turner under center?

We used him like PJ at Toledo last year, but should he have played more? Will he be more in the mold of Harris- burn you with his feet then catch the open guy when Defenses try to stop the run?

Maybe Omar needs Turner to play a few series like Omar did at Ball State Josh's senior year. . .

Omar definitely needs to scramble more and run the ball.

But in refernce to the plays that Turner was in. Good change of pace the first time, works for 12 yards or so. Hey, lets run that again since it worked, 8 yard pick up. So we line up in the exact same formation again. IS THERE ANYONE IN THE STADIUM WHO DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS COMING??? My God, you have got to show something different to keep the defense honest. Running the same play three times in a row only works against our defense, since we appear to be clueless out there.

[BelieveNBG]

Maybe Josh Harris never got in peoples faces and got them fired up, but maybe he never had to. Maybe the team never showed this little heart and effort, and i dont think they ever did.

Well, you must have missed the NIU game. The BG receivers couldn't catch a cold that day (except for Redd). It was the softest display of a receiving core I have ever seen.

[kdog27]

I know what BGSUFootballFan is talking about though. When Harris would come out for the coin toss he had this presence about him that was badass. That little head nod thing he did was sweet. Josh Harris looked like he loved to play the game and it rubbed off on others. It seems like Omar Jacobs is just reporting for another day at work. Just my opinion.

[BGSUFootballFan]

exactly my point, it was what we were talking about earlier, there is a big difference in demeanor between Josh and Omar. Omar doesnt intimidate a fly and he certainly never seems to have that Brett Favre/little kid adrenaline rush before a big game.

[hammb]

I do NOT want this to be a bashfest of Omar. Omar is an outstanding QB, and is, IMO, the most talented player on our team. Physically he is an outstanding QB; he's got all the tools, most of which Josh can only dream of. On top of that (other than the Boise Game) he shows an outstanding ability to diagnose a secondary and hit the open man.

What he is not, at this point, is a good leader. The charisma and attitude that Josh Harris had is not yet coming from Omar. I don't know if its not his personality, or what, but he really needs to embrace that role. One of the hot things in today's pro drafts is personality tests. Most important is for NFL QBs. If you do not exhibit a personality that can step up and become a leader you will slip in the draft. If you don't slip in the draft you will be a bust. You cannot play QB at the next level without that leadership ability.

[Germainfitch1]

Disagree Hammb. That leadership ability was a huge knock on Carson Palmer. It is definately a positive but not a neccesity.

[hammb]

Disagree Hammb. That leadership ability was a huge knock on Carson Palmer. It is definately a positive but not a neccesity.

I also know that Carson Palmer fits a BAD personality profile for an NFL QB. It is the same personality profile that Kyle Boller & Ryan Leaf were put into. This is what the most respected personality tester for NFL teams said on Mike & Mike a few years ago, anyway. He was right about Leaf, appears right about Boller, time will tell for Carson.

You'll notice that Boller & Leaf did not really slip much in the draft, but both are colossal busts. Carson, also, did not slip in the draft. Some teams put no stock in the personality profiles, others do.

All that said, I'm not really ready to declare Palmer as an aberration to the rule. He looks pretty good right now, but he has still not led his team to the playoffs, and has never won a meaningful NFL game. He's looking as though he could overcome that negative, but isn't it also possible that his personality changed slightly and he DID develop into a leader? I dunno, just wondering...

What I do know is that I cannot think of a single QB that has won a superbowl without being a leader of his team. Looking back:

2005 Tom Brady
2004 Tom Brady
2003 Brad Johnson
2002 Tom Brady
2001 Trent Dilfer
2000 Kurt Warner
1999 John Elway
1998 John Elway
1997 Brett Favre
1996 Troy Aikman
1995 Steve Young
1994 Troy Aikman
1993 Troy Aikman
1992 Mark Rypien
1991 Phil Simms
1990 Joe Montana
1989 Joe Montana



I don't really want to go back any further than that, but I think the list is pretty much a who's who of quarterbacks who display outstanding leadership. It's going a long way to say that you absolutely MUST have leadership to be a great NFL QB, so I guess I overspoke, but it seems to me that there's a pretty big correlation between leadership at the QB position and winning super bowls...

FWIW, Dan Marino might be a pretty good example of an outstanding, HoF, QB that was not an outstanding leader, IMO (although I was not a Dolphins fan so didn't see him as often as others).

[Jacobs4Heisman]

And Marino also never led his team to a SB win so that strengthens the correlation. Leadership can be learned, and I'll be very interested to see if we see any changes in Omar's demeanor throughout the rest of his BG career.

[Ineedbotox]

2005 Tom Brady
2004 Tom Brady
1997 Brett Favre
1996 Troy Aikman
1995 Steve Young
1994 Troy Aikman
1993 Troy Aikman

That is one heck of a good looking list!

[BGSU Falconz]

I think it's funny how if we were undefeated right now, we'd all be saying how Omar's calm demeanor is "badass."

[Germainfitch1]

Disagree Hammb. That leadership ability was a huge knock on Carson Palmer. It is definately a positive but not a neccesity.

I also know that Carson Palmer fits a BAD personality profile for an NFL QB. It is the same personality profile that Kyle Boller & Ryan Leaf were put into. This is what the most respected personality tester for NFL teams said on Mike & Mike a few years ago, anyway. He was right about Leaf, appears right about Boller, time will tell for Carson.

You'll notice that Boller & Leaf did not really slip much in the draft, but both are colossal busts. Carson, also, did not slip in the draft. Some teams put no stock in the personality profiles, others do.

All that said, I'm not really ready to declare Palmer as an aberration to the rule. He looks pretty good right now, but he has still not led his team to the playoffs, and has never won a meaningful NFL game. He's looking as though he could overcome that negative, but isn't it also possible that his personality changed slightly and he DID develop into a leader? I dunno, just wondering...

What I do know is that I cannot think of a single QB that has won a superbowl without being a leader of his team. Looking back:

2005 Tom Brady
2004 Tom Brady
2003 Brad Johnson
2002 Tom Brady
2001 Trent Dilfer
2000 Kurt Warner
1999 John Elway
1998 John Elway
1997 Brett Favre
1996 Troy Aikman
1995 Steve Young
1994 Troy Aikman
1993 Troy Aikman
1992 Mark Rypien
1991 Phil Simms
1990 Joe Montana
1989 Joe Montana



I don't really want to go back any further than that, but I think the list is pretty much a who's who of quarterbacks who display outstanding leadership. It's going a long way to say that you absolutely MUST have leadership to be a great NFL QB, so I guess I overspoke, but it seems to me that there's a pretty big correlation between leadership at the QB position and winning super bowls...

FWIW, Dan Marino might be a pretty good example of an outstanding, HoF, QB that was not an outstanding leader, IMO (although I was not a Dolphins fan so didn't see him as often as others).

"You cannot play QB at the next level without that leadership ability."

1 QB wins the super bowl every year. Atleast 31 other teams have QBs playing for them. You made it sound like its impossible to play the position without that ability. I disagreed and still do. Did you really point to what a great leader Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer was before they won their super bowls. Chicken and the egg for those two.

[1987alum]

That is one heck of a good looking list!

Pervert.

[Schadenfreude]

I think it's funny how if we were undefeated right now, we'd all be saying how Omar's calm demeanor is "badass."

I share your amusement.