Can anyone tell me why if we have all these stud receivers we can’t have one of them return punts and kickoffs? Brown is not very explosive and Lamb is needed in the passing game. It is very puzzling.
Return game
- Thread starter sooners49
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Stoops acted like the football had a very dangerous and contagious disease!!!
Not sure why Lamb was out there punt returning. Did we not learn our lesson from DeMarco Murray’s bad injury doing same thing. Is 8-10 yards really worth it? Put Pledger out there or Bridges...pretty dumb to waste Lamb’s final year in games that matter.
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Unless there is a clear path for the 30 yard line or better, I don't understand why we don't free catch and start safely on the 25 every time. Drives me crazy to start @ the 15-20 and risk the big hits
Agree totally...it’s almost like they forgot there was a rule change. Just plain dumb.
Yet Brown continues to try to run them out and usually gets poor returns, during the Baylor game he finally got a good one but there was a penalty and he FUMBLED.
Who coaches Special Teams that badly? Bad run backs stuffed and good returns called back for some numbskull penalty. That is troubling.
Catching a punt is one of the very hardest things to do on a college football field. Way different than catching a kickoff. Way different than catch most high school punts.
Punts don't move rationally. They almost always have two trajectories on every kick. And sometimes three. Throw in that you're almost always back there by yourself, with decisions to make on fair catching or not, while eight or nine guys are hoping you won't FC so they can drill you with their shoulder, makes the challenge even more difficult. Most high school guys need some practice time before they can master the task. Often, a lot of practice time.
OU's philosophy under LR, which is pretty much the same as BStoops, is to put somebody back there who will CTDB. And if they don't make great returns often, at least they won't muff it or fumble it. They are so strong on offense, that they just want the ball back, to get started.
I agree with those who'd like to see somebody besides Lamb back there. My guess is that Drake Stoops looks pretty good catching punts in practice. But even if you only plan to fair catch it, it's still very different than practice punts where nobody is coming to hit you.
There were a couple of punts the other night, that was going to be hard to catch for anybody. But I don't think Drake has the knack. In the last 20 years, I only remember three guys who had that knack. Thatcher, Perkins and Saunders. Those guys were reliable catchers of the ball, and made coverage teams fearful. Broyles could do it too. But he was too valuable to risk it most of the time.
In the last decade, we've seemed to just make sure we catch it, and don't worry much about great returns most seasons. I think they view Stoops as somebody who can do that Not too sure about that.
Punts don't move rationally. They almost always have two trajectories on every kick. And sometimes three. Throw in that you're almost always back there by yourself, with decisions to make on fair catching or not, while eight or nine guys are hoping you won't FC so they can drill you with their shoulder, makes the challenge even more difficult. Most high school guys need some practice time before they can master the task. Often, a lot of practice time.
OU's philosophy under LR, which is pretty much the same as BStoops, is to put somebody back there who will CTDB. And if they don't make great returns often, at least they won't muff it or fumble it. They are so strong on offense, that they just want the ball back, to get started.
I agree with those who'd like to see somebody besides Lamb back there. My guess is that Drake Stoops looks pretty good catching punts in practice. But even if you only plan to fair catch it, it's still very different than practice punts where nobody is coming to hit you.
There were a couple of punts the other night, that was going to be hard to catch for anybody. But I don't think Drake has the knack. In the last 20 years, I only remember three guys who had that knack. Thatcher, Perkins and Saunders. Those guys were reliable catchers of the ball, and made coverage teams fearful. Broyles could do it too. But he was too valuable to risk it most of the time.
In the last decade, we've seemed to just make sure we catch it, and don't worry much about great returns most seasons. I think they view Stoops as somebody who can do that Not too sure about that.
So far, OU has not lost a game due to its punt returning, but when Lamb returns, I expect he won't be the return man again. His value to the team may mean that he plays only as a receiver.
All I can realistically hope for with Stoops is that he doesn't fumble a punt or let one go by him again.
All I can realistically hope for with Stoops is that he doesn't fumble a punt or let one go by him again.
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