Dropped ball issues.

[Dale Ellis]

Why are we having such a hard time catching the dang ball?? I see in practices we are doing the tennis ball drill. I never really understood that. Would it not be better to have machine throw you 250 footballs instead of tennis balls?

I understand the idea of developing hand eye coordination, but catching a tennis ball is NOTHING like catching a football.

[rainiersooner]

I think Schmitty needs to have them do more hand strengthening exercises.

[Dan Thompson]

Quite a few of the passes have been behind or over the receivers, but some of them should have been caught. When LJ does his dance step, we a pretty sure the results will not be good, when step forward I think he has much better results.

[IBleedCrimson]

I think we need to fire Brent Venables.

[goingoneight]

I think part of it is you're seeing the effect of an offense needing to fill the void left by two superstars who are out with injuries. Kenny Stills isn't quite the guy he appeared when Broyles and Whaley (and DeMarco) were a part of OUr offense. There's still time for him to emerge as that guy alone, but he and the rest of the guys are being challenged to be more than they probably really are without that superstar presence a defense has to account for. This current personnel could be a really good offense; but they just aren't getting it done in this current system that begs for guys like Murray, Whaley or Broyles. It's more man coverage now. No one's looking past them like they did when our guys were all healthy. The OL and QB have been off, too. Not nonexistent, but certainly off timing-wise. OUr no huddle offense was snapping the ball way later than usual against Baylor, ISU and OSU.

[NormanPride]

First we dropped balls because we weren't doing the tennis ball drill. Now we drop them because we are doing the tennis ball drill. I think we drop them because they're college kids and everybody drops the ball sometimes.

[SoonerLaw09]

I think we should adopt the philosophy that if you can catch a wrench, you can catch a football.

[Jack T.]

I know everybody drops balls once in awhile, but when the same guy drops the first three (3) passes thrown to him in a ballgame. . .

I'm not terribly down on Josh for the playcalling. We just couldn't catch a cold out there Saturday night.

[NOVSooner]

it's been noted repeatedly that what made Broyles stand out was all the EXTRA work he put in, doing the tennis ball drill on his own time, etc. i know they do stuff in the summer and such but if they want to be GREAT then maybe follow the example and put in the extra time. i'm not blaming them or anything but if Stills wants to be #1 like he's said before, it takes EXTRA work. and that extra work seemed to workout for Broyles.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

This team quit a few games ago. Their performance against Iowa St. and Landry not having a TD pass since losing Broyles is evidence of that. This team doesn't give a *bleep*. All their talk about honoring Austin Box this season was just that, talk. They certainly didn't give an Austin Box effort this season.

[delhalew]

This team quit a few games ago. Their performance against Iowa St. and Landry not having a TD pass since losing Broyles is evidence of that. This team doesn't give a *bleep*. All their talk about honoring Austin Box this season was just that, talk. They certainly didn't give an Austin Box effort this season.

It's not nice, but it's true.

[TUSooner]

Maybe they don't catch them because they're looking for the TV camera.

[Widescreen]

This team quit a few games ago. Their performance against Iowa St. and Landry not having a TD pass since losing Broyles is evidence of that. This team doesn't give a *bleep*. All their talk about honoring Austin Box this season was just that, talk. They certainly didn't give an Austin Box effort this season.
I basically said that after the TTU game. Box would not have been pleased with the effort IMO.

[Breadburner]

All that Shark **** made me sick....Plus having Espin on campus....

[Widescreen]

Maybe they don't catch them because they're looking for the TV camera.
You mean like this?

http://sandiegoballers.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/KennyStills2011.jpg

At least he caught it that time.

[I Am Right]

You want to get on the sidelines and pump your arms for the crowd to cheer, CATCH
THE FREAKING BALL.

[SoonerorLater]

I thought we would miss Ryan Broyles but even I am shocked at the offensive drop off without him. Not only do we miss the catches he would normally make but he seemed to make the other receivers better too.

[Dale Ellis]

First we dropped balls because we weren't doing the tennis ball drill. Now we drop them because we are doing the tennis ball drill. I think we drop them because they're college kids and everybody drops the ball sometimes.

I never said we were dropping the ball do to either one, I simply asked if having footballs thrown to you would be better than having tennis balls thrown at you. We drop too many balls too many times, and it has nothing to do with being in college.

[Jacie]

First, it doesn't feel any better for being right but I posted after watching the sideline scene with Ryan during the a&m game that I hoped we didn't make it to the championship game. Seeing his face when they told him the bad news was like watching the heart and soul being ripped out of OUr team. The 1-2 record since that moment speaks for itself.

Losing Broyles did more than remove 40% of the yardage he accounted for (at the time) but meant the rest of the receiving corp would not benefit from his presence on the field when the coverage they didn't have to elude because the opposing defense was focusing on him. The running game was able to absorb the loss of Whaley but RB was this team's DeMarco Murray, the guy that made the down and distance manageable, opened up the middle and the deep routes and converted third downs.

It has affected LJ as well. His "dancing" is because he doesn't have that dependable go-to option when there is coverage. We saw dropped balls against aggie, probably more than any other game this season and it wasn't because anyone "quit" but because they were desparately trying to do more with less.

The Sooners were a #1 team with Ryan Broyles but the coaches had no answer once he went down.

[NormanPride]

You mean like this?

http://sandiegoballers.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/KennyStills2011.jpg

At least he caught it that time.

Unless you're being sarcastic, that is a terrible example. Dude had just caught the go-ahead TD pass while suffering from a concussion and was walking painfully back to the bench when someone shoved a camera in his face. His response was immediately to give tribute to his fallen teammate.

Stills is a showboat, but he's been one of our hardest working WRs this year. Playing with injuries sucks, but he's fighting for every pass.

[budbarrybob]

... but he's fighting for every pass.

I have to respectully disagree with this part. IMHO Stills routinely (With the exception of the FSU grab) underachieved this year and mosly due to lack of effort. I consistently saw him just reach a hand out when diving for a ball seemed like it may have helped. Additionally, this year I never felt like Wow he just finds a way to get open...

We were all told how deep we were at the receiver position. Deep but not any game changers without broyles.

[NormanPride]

Stills was dealing with a hamstring issue all year. Just watch him go up for one of those high Landry passes over the middle in traffic. Dude wanted it bad enough to get killed at least once a game like that.

[soonercastor]

The Sooners were a #1 team with Ryan Broyles but the coaches had no answer once he went down.

Not really.

[A Sooner in Texas]

Stills was dealing with a hamstring issue all year. Just watch him go up for one of those high Landry passes over the middle in traffic. Dude wanted it bad enough to get killed at least once a game like that.

Completely agree with you. Ryan evolved over his four years from showing flashes of brilliance to being just completely brilliant. KStills has those flashes of brilliance, and I think he will be the second coming of Ryan over the next couple of years.

[SoonerorLater]

Stills is great athletic receiver that can go get the ball out of the air. Broyles was a true playmaker. Good yards after catch guy who seemed to have a knack for creating space. One of the best hands guys ever. The odd thing is that for a guy with hands like that he wasn't really recruited as a receiver as such out of high school.

[ashley]

We dropped of because of some our best players were injured. Stop making it out to be all kinds of crap.

[NormanPride]

We dropped of because of some our best players were injured. Stop making it out to be all kinds of crap.

But there are so many kinds of crap it could be...

[King Barry's Back]

This team quit a few games ago. Their performance against Iowa St. and Landry not having a TD pass since losing Broyles is evidence of that. This team doesn't give a *bleep*. All their talk about honoring Austin Box this season was just that, talk. They certainly didn't give an Austin Box effort this season.

Hate to say it, but you are right.

I think Ryan Broyles meant more to this team than "just" being an All-World receiver. I think he was the key leader and the heart and soul of the offense.

Notice how even as an injured player, last Saturday night he was wayyyy into the game and doing what he could to get the spirits up and get the receivers' heads on straight?

Definitely a lack on offensive dynamism since he left.

EDIT: Wanted to add, Saturday night, they just looked small and scared. They looked like they were playing a team that was foot taller and 30 lbs heavier at every position.

I've only ever seen a Stoops team look like that once before, but I don't speak of that.

[btb916]

All their talk about honoring Austin Box this season was just that, talk. They certainly didn't give an Austin Box effort this season.

This **** seriously needs to stop. That is an incredibly low blow that you should be ashamed of.

[PLaw]

I think Schmitty needs to have them do more hand strengthening exercises.

I think they need to stay away from the butter.

Bummer

[oudavid1]

Was this thread started in 2009?