Breakout Season In 2014 for Pohl?

[K-Roo]

Rant Sports

[skip-zip]

This article touches on the two times this year that I felt like Pohl showed some big-time potential. The 2nd half against Michigan, and the Toledo game. However, it calls Michigan his "breakout game". That ended up not being the case. The season didn't end up being a progression of improvement for him, even though we started winning. In fact, one could argue that his two worst performances were games #10 and #11, right before the Toledo game.

[Dave in Green]

@skip-zip, I get what you're saying. When I think of an athlete having a breakout game, I think of a player finally demonstrating something close to his full potential after many lesser performances. If it only happens one time and is never repeated, then I think of it more as a perfect storm where everything came together just right for one time only. I don't think a true breakout game must necessarily result in every following game being equally as impressive. Sports are all about up and down performances. A straight line upward trend almost never exists in the real world, so you can't expect any athlete to have consistently superior performances following a breakout game. What you want to see is an upward trend in the average performance. You'd like to see more consistent excellent performances from KP16 next season, which would help validate the Michigan performance followed later by the Toledo performance.

[GP1]

I don't know what breakout means. However, I do know that after injuries heal and more off season development takes place, players improve...or at least should improve. Pohl will improve between now and next season. Staying injury free is always the wild card for any athlete.

[Captain Kangaroo]

@skip-zip, I get what you're saying. When I think of an athlete having a breakout game, I think of a player finally demonstrating something close to his full potential after many lesser performances. If it only happens one time and is never repeated, then I think of it more as a perfect storm where everything came together just right for one time only. I don't think a true breakout game must necessarily result in every following game being equally as impressive. Sports are all about up and down performances. A straight line upward trend almost never exists in the real world, so you can't expect any athlete to have consistently superior performances following a breakout game. What you want to see is an upward trend in the average performance. You'd like to see more consistent excellent performances from KP16 next season, which would help validate the Michigan performance followed later by the Toledo performance.

You use the word "performance" like Joe Dunn uses "No doubt about it."

[Buckzip]

First year as a starter and continued to improve as the year went on.

He should be better next year. I think he is going to be a pretty darn good QB.

[Dave in Green]

@Captain Kangaroo, no excuses. Using performance six times in one paragraph is unacceptable. My New Year's resolution is to KISS (keep it simple, stupid) and cut down on the excessive use of words in all of my posts (to the delight of all).

[Captain Kangaroo]

@Captain Kangaroo, no excuses. Using performance six times in one paragraph is unacceptable.

If six is unacceptable, then what's seven?

[Dave in Green]

If six is unacceptable, then what's seven?

It means that the word was used so many times that the original poster can't even count that high.

[GoZips]

We should expect major improvements in Kyle Pohl's game. He has the off season between his sophomore and junior years

to hone his skills and get many, many reps in the weight room. From my meager observations in game situations it seemed

to me that Kyle's biggest concern should be his ability to read and react to defensive coverage. Up to now Pohl stares down

his intended primary target. He badly needs to be able to pick up secondary targets. Would not hurt for him to read defenses

better which should allow better evasion of the would be tacklers AND improve his connections with secondary receivers.

2014 should be a "breakout" year for the Zips as they should enjoy a winning season and a trip to a bowl.

[Dr Z]

Veteran QBs abound in East Division ranks: MAC Football 2014 (pohl...I mean poll) by EA of the PD

"Less than a week until the Mid-American Conference holds its annual football media day in Detroit. Here is an early primer of what to look for from the MAC's East Division, which this season should carry the flag for the conference, considering the majority of proven returning quarterbacks reside here."

Kyle is currently in second to BG's Matt Johnson.

[Dr Z]

Ranked by passer efficiency, here are the MAC east QBs out of 126 in the country:

#30 Licata (Buffalo)

#46 Vick (Ohio)

.

.

.

#91 Frohnapfel (Umass)

#95 Knapke (BG)

#97 Hendrix (Miami)

#110 Pohl (Akron)

#119 Reardon (Ken+)

[K92]

Good Doctor, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. I will let you slide if we hoist up a toast of some delicious Belgian ale this weekend.

[InTheZone]

If Pohl goes into Heinz and lays another egg, it may be time to work Woodson into the mix with meaningful snaps and see if he can bring a spark. This team has too much talent at wideout to suck this bad on offense.

[Dr Z]

Good Doctor, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. I will let you slide if we hoist up a toast of some delicious Belgian ale this weekend.

Don't kill the messenger. KP16 needs a good performance Saturday. Count how many times he gets to his second read. I'm counting the minutes until I hoist that Belgian.

PS For those wondering, TW13 would rank 29th on the list but does not have enough attempts to qualify. Keep in mind all his attempts have been in blowouts one way or another.

[ZachTheZip]

Where would he rank if the ball didn't bounce off receivers' hands three or four times a game?

[g-mann17]

If Pohl goes into Heinz and lays another egg, it may be time to work Woodson into the mix with meaningful snaps and see if he can bring a spark. This team has too much talent at wideout to suck this bad on offense.

Do we? Because I recall 4 drops that killed drives against Penn State and at least 3 that killed drives against Marshall.

Pohl has thrown two int's in three games. One bounced off the receiver, and the other was a desperation throw into the endzone to try and get a touchdown trailing by 28 points.

Receivers other than D'orazio (sp) need to step it up.

[GP1]

If Pohl goes into Heinz and lays another egg, it may be time to work Woodson into the mix with meaningful snaps and see if he can bring a spark. This team has too much talent at wideout to suck this bad on offense.

They don't need to go down the classic Browns road this early in the season. Especially after a loss that was basically fumbled away.

The team has talent at WR, but only in a couple of positions which is easy to stop. None of them are particularly physical so it makes it hard for them to catch balls in traffic. With that said, they aren't the primary problem.

I'm not buying for a second we have a QB problem. Our problem is the lack of a meaningful running game. Get the running game straightened out, string series of complimenting plays together and the passing game will get better. A better running game will also make us better in the red zone, goal line and third down. And for the love of God, the RBs need to do a better job of holding on to the ball the rest of the season.

I'm going to break some news to everyone. This Saturday, the Zips are going to go to Pitt and lay an egg. Pitt is a BCS level program going into their fourth game and has five weeks of the season under their belts. They are going to be pissed off to no end they lost to Iowa last week and are going to be looking to take it out of our asses. We don't have the horses to keep up with them and it's too late in the season to surprise anyone. The Zips now have three games under their belts and two of them are losses. The tape will reveal how to beat the Zips. I'm sure the old fan panic of replacing the QB will be the answer to all of the Zips problems. It isn't. It's a trap MAC schools can fall in to during the OOC schedule. A much less talented KP started out the season the same way last year and was injured most of the season. That same KP was able to play well enough for the Zips to win a lot of games the second half of last year. He has better players around him this year and is a better QB. My prediction is the offense will magically improve once we are no longer playing against teams more talented than us. I still predict a 6-7 win season this year.

[InTheZone]

I would agree with you if I'd ever seen anything from Pohl in the first place. He's had some good games against God awful defenses here and there, but has never been consistent and has never been able to drop back, go through his reads at a speed that a good QB should, and deal the ball with confidence. Honestly, before he was hurt I thought Hirschman looked better running TB's offense. And even as physically limited as Dalton Williams was, you put him on this team and we would've beaten Penn State. Pohl has a decent arm and some athletic ability, but doesn't have it upstairs. Being a great quarterback, especially at the collegiate level, is 80 percent acumen and 20 percent arm strength. Woodson, at least in what I've seen of him (which granted has been limited and in very low pressure situations), makes his reads and gets the ball out much quicker than Pohl. I don't see any harm in working the kid in and seeing what he can do if Pohl continues to flounder.

[GP1]

I would agree with you if I'd ever seen anything from Pohl in the first place. He's had some good games against God awful defenses here and there, but has never been consistent and has never been able to drop back, go through his reads at a speed that a good QB should, and deal the ball with confidence. He isn't that bad.

Honestly, before he was hurt I thought Hirschman looked better running TB's offense. And even as physically limited as Dalton Williams was, you put him on this team and we would've beaten Penn State. And if the Polish Army had tanks instead of horses in WWII, the Germans wouldn't have taken over Europe. You don't know this. Wouldn't have changed dropped passes and poor running game.

Pohl has a decent arm and some athletic ability, but doesn't have it upstairs. I agree, he does have a decent arm, but nothing special. In terms of his mental state, you don't know this and statements like this come out of pure ignorance. This is the kind of comment that ranks right up there with, "The coach has lost the team." It sounds good on radio talk shows, but there is frequently little substance behind it. None of us know the mental state of players.

Being a great quarterback, especially at the collegiate level, is 80 percent acumen and 20 percent arm strength. Woodson, at least in what I've seen of him (which granted has been limited and in very low pressure situations), makes his reads and gets the ball out much quicker than Pohl. So, given the exact circumstances of little relevance and limited pressure, don't you think KP would perform better? This is like saying, "That 200 pound girl sure looked good, but then again, the other 20 girls in the room weighed 300 pounds."

I don't see any harm in working the kid in and seeing what he can do if Pohl continues to flounder. This is high school thinking and can attack the confidence of a team at a time of the season when they need to start to gain some confidence and momentum, not starting from scratch....again. The Zips have only competed 25% of the season and they are going into the easiest part of their season....the MAC schedule.... and we need to start planning for failure? Good grief, they lose one game against a superior team and some want to make the biggest change a team can make. I'm sorry , but that's just stupid and the kind of thinking I had to listen to during the time I lived in NE Ohio after the Browns came back in 1999. The assumption is he is floundering. There is a lot more around him floundering than him. The Zips need to get their running game fixed and fully integrated into the offensive play calling. When that happens, he will magically have it "upstairs", the ball will be coming out quicker and he will have more confidence......and the coach will not have lost the team.

[Jrship35]

I would agree with you if I'd ever seen anything from Pohl in the first place. He's had some good games against God awful defenses here and there, but has never been consistent and has never been able to drop back, go through his reads at a speed that a good QB should, and deal the ball with confidence. Honestly, before he was hurt I thought Hirschman looked better running TB's offense. And even as physically limited as Dalton Williams was, you put him on this team and we would've beaten Penn State. Pohl has a decent arm and some athletic ability, but doesn't have it upstairs. Being a great quarterback, especially at the collegiate level, is 80 percent acumen and 20 percent arm strength. Woodson, at least in what I've seen of him (which granted has been limited and in very low pressure situations), makes his reads and gets the ball out much quicker than Pohl. I don't see any harm in working the kid in and seeing what he can do if Pohl continues to flounder.

Being new to the Zips and watching some games from last year and the 3 games this year. Just the three games this year

Howard - 28 - 64 (64%) for 400 yds 0 INT 113 yds rushing

Penn State - 24 - 46 (52%) for 208 yds 2 INT 69 yds rushing

Marshall- 25 - 52 (48%) for 251 yds 1 INT 92 yds rushing

Not a huge difference in running yards per game ............ My opinion in viewing Pohl is that he does seem uncomfortable and not confident in the spread and I think has made some pretty glaring misreads. Not to say that his confidence won't improve throughout the year.

To his defense and it has been pointed out, there have been alot of balls dropped by the receiving core. Without a running game, we are in for a struggle this season,

My question is do we really have any deep threat speed to stretch the field. Pretty evident that we had better match ups at WR against Howard (only 4 more completions and twice the yardage than PSU).

That, to me, shows that the opposing defenses are able to squeeze the line of scrimmage more and stone the running game because the outside WR coverage is handled by the corners with no need for a nickle package .......... Call me stupid and old school, but if you cannot stretch the field to open up space in the flats and create running lanes, the read option is worthless.

Back to the ole power I with multiple formations and play action !!!

[LZIp]

Beaten Penn St with Dalton? Pohl floundering? I've heard it all.

[Balsy]

Even bringing up Woodson > Pohl is asinine to me. It draws parallels to Hoyer and Manziel on the Browns. Hoyer is playing well. Hoyer is playing very well, far better than anyone's expectations, yet there is a small contingent of people who are saying "Hoyer isn't the long term...we should work Manziel into the rotation so he's read to go."

I disagree with this mentality. Let the starter start. Unless he utterly implodes by in the middle of the season, or gets hurt. He won the starting position for a reason.

If the starting QB doesn't live up to the expectations that you have of them, make a competition in the off season.

Pohl went threw a great deal of struggle later in the season (as did the entire offense last year) and we began winning games. Everyone needs to calm down on the QB situation.

I will agree that Hirschman looked better than Pohl in limited time last year, but Hirschman had to go get himself hurt celebrating...while Pohl went and won us 5 games.

[Balsy]

Being new to the Zips and watching some games from last year and the 3 games this year. Just the three games this year

Howard - 28 - 64 (64%) for 400 yds 0 INT 113 yds rushing

Penn State - 24 - 46 (52%) for 208 yds 2 INT 69 yds rushing

Marshall- 25 - 52 (48%) for 251 yds 1 INT 92 yds rushing

Not a huge difference in running yards per game ............ My opinion in viewing Pohl is that he does seem uncomfortable and not confident in the spread and I think has made some pretty glaring misreads. Not to say that his confidence won't improve throughout the year.

To his defense and it has been pointed out, there have been alot of balls dropped by the receiving core. Without a running game, we are in for a struggle this season,

My question is do we really have any deep threat speed to stretch the field. Pretty evident that we had better match ups at WR against Howard (only 4 more completions and twice the yardage than PSU).

That, to me, shows that the opposing defenses are able to squeeze the line of scrimmage more and stone the running game because the outside WR coverage is handled by the corners with no need for a nickle package .......... Call me stupid and old school, but if you cannot stretch the field to open up space in the flats and create running lanes, the read option is worthless.

Back to the ole power I with multiple formations and play action !!!

I'd say we do have a deep threat in LT Smith. They utilized that deep threat capability numerous times last year, twice against Michigan.

I think the word is out on this though, because I've seen LT Smith run a couple of post routes and was heavily covered. Pohl tried to squeeze it to him on one of those.

The running game is killing that, we've become on-dimentional.

[Jrship35]

Cody Grice told me that he has been repping at FB in the red zone during practice ................ But in at least three short yardage situations, we stayed with the spread ?

I was also kidding about scrapping the spread and going old school power ............. But I do think that when your 3rd an 1-3 yards, you have to be able to line it up and go smash mouth

Just my opinion