Question about JaDen McKenzie.

[Billyboy78]

I have a question that I think deserves its own thread. Why the hell hasn't Jaden McKenzie been the clear #1 back the entire season? Believe it or not, today was his first start. In every other game, Gabe Sloat has been the back to open the game. For those that have watched him the past 2 games, JaDen is nearly unstoppable at this level. On a bad play, he gets 3 or 4 yards. Today, the offense started with 2 McKenzie runs....1st down. Next 2 plays, completed pass and another completed pass for a TD. McKenzie's running opens up everything for this offense in the passing game. If he had been getting 20+ carries per game earlier in the season, I truly believe that we would have won at least another couple of games and we'd be a playoff team. He punishes defensive players when he runs and by the 2nd half, these LBs and DBs want no part of him. They try to arm tackle him and he runs right through it. Watch his TD runs. That's what happened. It's criminal that he wasn't used like this in the first 5 or 6 games. Please somebody explain to me the reasoning behind this. Nothing against Gabe Sloat or any of the other RBs, but McKenzie is a dominant player and miles better than any other back on the team. In case any body didn't see his stats for today.....23 carries, 233 yards, 3 TDs. Ok, that's my rant. But somebody please make sense of this.

[Rhody15]

Doesn’t make sense, he’s got FIVE games with single digit attempts.

Pretty inexcusable.

[Billyboy78]

Doesn’t make sense, he’s got FIVE games with single digit attempts.

Pretty inexcusable.

And the last 2 games, not coincidentally both wins,....38 carries, 368 yards, 7 TDs. Did the staff not realize how good he was the first 3/4 of the season?

[Rhody15]

He’s got a TD in all of our wins, 0 TDs in all of our losses.

21 carries for 76 yards in our 4 losses.

[Billyboy78]

He’s got a TD in all of our wins, 0 TDs in all of our losses.

21 carries for 76 yards in our 4 losses.

Like I said, criminal.

[bigappleram]

I said that since Game 1. The whole offense should have been built around him. Massive misuse.

[FmrRamFB1]

I have a question that I think deserves its own thread. Why the hell hasn't Jaden McKenzie been the clear #1 back the entire season? Believe it or not, today was his first start. In every other game, Gabe Sloat has been the back to open the game. For those that have watched him the past 2 games, JaDen is nearly unstoppable at this level. On a bad play, he gets 3 or 4 yards. Today, the offense started with 2 McKenzie runs....1st down. Next 2 plays, completed pass and another completed pass for a TD. McKenzie's running opens up everything for this offense in the passing game. If he had been getting 20+ carries per game earlier in the season, I truly believe that we would have won at least another couple of games and we'd be a playoff team. He punishes defensive players when he runs and by the 2nd half, these LBs and DBs want no part of him. They try to arm tackle him and he runs right through it. Watch his TD runs. That's what happened. It's criminal that he wasn't used like this in the first 5 or 6 games. Please somebody explain to me the reasoning behind this. Nothing against Gabe Sloat or any of the other RBs, but McKenzie is a dominant player and miles better than any other back on the team. In case any body didn't see his stats for today.....23 carries, 233 yards, 3 TDs. Ok, that's my rant. But somebody please make sense of this.

It is criminal, you can’t make sense of this. Fleming will use the transferring of 3 defensive lineman as an excuse for us not making the playoffs. When it was he and his offensive coordinator’s refusal to not start McKenzie all season. Just 3 carries against Richmond after going over 100 against Brown the week before. That’s why we’re out of the playoffs again this year…criminal!!

So do we go in the portal again, find a quality running back just start Sloat again next season? Gabe is a nice player, but he is not a quality CAA caliber running back.

[Bos8]

I don't have the stats in front of me, so I may be wrong...

I think in a few of those games, we got into an early hole, and ended up getting away from the running game. (Villanova and Albany)
In some of our big wins early on like Stony Brook I seem to remember rotating guys as it was still early in the season.

The Richmond game was the one that really stuck out to me. I felt like nearly every RPO Hill was keeping the ball. I give Kasim a ton of credit, but sometimes he tries "too hard to win". What I mean by that is sometimes he tries to do too much himself and shoulder the load. He wants to win and is a super competitor (Case in point a 4th down play today when he could have given Jaden the ball, but kept it and came up short).
But I do feel like the bigger issue is once we got down early, and in some cases down big, we got away from the run game. I think if our defense came out of the gate a little bit better more consistently this year, we would have had better balance.

[rjv]

Great question...easy answer.
Time for a change!!!!!

[RhowdyRam02]

I have a question that I think deserves its own thread. Why the hell hasn't Jaden McKenzie been the clear #1 back the entire season? Believe it or not, today was his first start. In every other game, Gabe Sloat has been the back to open the game. For those that have watched him the past 2 games, JaDen is nearly unstoppable at this level. On a bad play, he gets 3 or 4 yards. Today, the offense started with 2 McKenzie runs....1st down. Next 2 plays, completed pass and another completed pass for a TD. McKenzie's running opens up everything for this offense in the passing game. If he had been getting 20+ carries per game earlier in the season, I truly believe that we would have won at least another couple of games and we'd be a playoff team. He punishes defensive players when he runs and by the 2nd half, these LBs and DBs want no part of him. They try to arm tackle him and he runs right through it. Watch his TD runs. That's what happened. It's criminal that he wasn't used like this in the first 5 or 6 games. Please somebody explain to me the reasoning behind this. Nothing against Gabe Sloat or any of the other RBs, but McKenzie is a dominant player and miles better than any other back on the team. In case any body didn't see his stats for today.....23 carries, 233 yards, 3 TDs. Ok, that's my rant. But somebody please make sense of this.

It is criminal, you can’t make sense of this. Fleming will use the transferring of 3 defensive lineman as an excuse for us not making the playoffs. When it was he and his offensive coordinator’s refusal to not start McKenzie all season. Just 3 carries against Richmond after going over 100 against Brown the week before. That’s why we’re out of the playoffs again this year…criminal!!

So do we go in the portal again, find a quality running back just start Sloat again next season? Gabe is a nice player, but he is not a quality CAA caliber running back.

Sloat is fine at this level as a third down back

[FmrRamFB1]

I have a question that I think deserves its own thread. Why the hell hasn't Jaden McKenzie been the clear #1 back the entire season? Believe it or not, today was his first start. In every other game, Gabe Sloat has been the back to open the game. For those that have watched him the past 2 games, JaDen is nearly unstoppable at this level. On a bad play, he gets 3 or 4 yards. Today, the offense started with 2 McKenzie runs....1st down. Next 2 plays, completed pass and another completed pass for a TD. McKenzie's running opens up everything for this offense in the passing game. If he had been getting 20+ carries per game earlier in the season, I truly believe that we would have won at least another couple of games and we'd be a playoff team. He punishes defensive players when he runs and by the 2nd half, these LBs and DBs want no part of him. They try to arm tackle him and he runs right through it. Watch his TD runs. That's what happened. It's criminal that he wasn't used like this in the first 5 or 6 games. Please somebody explain to me the reasoning behind this. Nothing against Gabe Sloat or any of the other RBs, but McKenzie is a dominant player and miles better than any other back on the team. In case any body didn't see his stats for today.....23 carries, 233 yards, 3 TDs. Ok, that's my rant. But somebody please make sense of this.

It is criminal, you can’t make sense of this. Fleming will use the transferring of 3 defensive lineman as an excuse for us not making the playoffs. When it was he and his offensive coordinator’s refusal to not start McKenzie all season. Just 3 carries against Richmond after going over 100 against Brown the week before. That’s why we’re out of the playoffs again this year…criminal!!

So do we go in the portal again, find a quality running back just start Sloat again next season? Gabe is a nice player, but he is not a quality CAA caliber running back.

Sloat is fine at this level as a third down back

I’d rather have my best players play all 3 downs.

[Billyboy78]

I don't have the stats in front of me, so I may be wrong...

I think in a few of those games, we got into an early hole, and ended up getting away from the running game. (Villanova and Albany)
In some of our big wins early on like Stony Brook I seem to remember rotating guys as it was still early in the season.

The Richmond game was the one that really stuck out to me. I felt like nearly every RPO Hill was keeping the ball. I give Kasim a ton of credit, but sometimes he tries "too hard to win". What I mean by that is sometimes he tries to do too much himself and shoulder the load. He wants to win and is a super competitor (Case in point a 4th down play today when he could have given Jaden the ball, but kept it and came up short).
But I do feel like the bigger issue is once we got down early, and in some cases down big, we got away from the run game. I think if our defense came out of the gate a little bit better more consistently this year, we would have had better balance.

Maybe we got into an early hole because the wrong personnel (McKenzie) wasn't in the game early and we ended up going 3 and out right off the bat and it snowballed from there. If they could have established the run with him early in games, it could have changed the entire game.

[PeterRamTime]

Yet again not maximizing the talent on the roster

[FmrRamFB1]

Yet again not maximizing the talent on the roster

McKenzie is the CAA Co-Player of The Week. He’s 1 TD shy of the program record…as a back-up. He could’ve easily run for 1200+ yards this season. No other coach would’ve started Sloat over this kid. What an absolute travesty.

[PeterRamTime]

Yet again not maximizing the talent on the roster

McKenzie is the CAA Co-Player of The Week. He’s 1 TD shy of the program record…as a back-up. He could’ve easily run for 1200+ yards this season. No other coach would’ve started Sloat over this kid. What an absolute travesty.

You have him, Kasim having the best season as a Rhody QB since Tom E, Correia is an NFL o-linemen, Summers is unstoppable at this level and the other WR's are really good. Crazy to lose four games with all that. Especially have a game where you score 10 and 17 points with playoffs on the line.

[jcru]

Well, I don't know who keeps telling Kasim to call his own number at crucial moments of the game and get caught behind the line of scrimmage instead of handing it off to either McKenzie or Griffin, but that guy ought to be fired.

[Billyboy78]

Well, I don't know who keeps telling Kasim to call his own number at crucial moments of the game and get caught behind the line of scrimmage instead of handing it off to either McKenzie or Griffin, but that guy ought to be fired.

The RPO is a decision made by the QB depending on what he sees as the play is developing. So, as bad as the coaching seems to be, those are on Kasim.

[jcru]

Well, you know.

The bad news is, the next game is Kasim's last game.

The good news is, the next game is Kasim's last game.

Why call your own number if you have the mobility of a 67 year old man with arthritic knees? And then you slide in such a way that you get the absolute minimum yardage allowed every time.

[jcru]

I mean, the first clue is the last writeup, where they said he almost quit after his second knee surgery.

Hand the ball off. Let's play to win. Next year, some 20 or 21 year old can try running a few out of the backfield from the QB position.

[eli#10]

Let's not forget that the defense was very weak this year.

[jcru]

There is a lot of truth to that.

It was more "bend, don't break" D than dominating D.

[FmrRamFB1]

Wasted opportunity

One of the best running backs in program history wasted with over 850 yards & 13TDs…part time. Imagine the numbers if he started from day 1.

A complete coaching failure.

[PeterRamTime]

DF345322-F1FB-45CA-9D04-FB73C1A5FB68.jpeg

One of the best running backs in program history wasted with over 850 yards & 13TDs…part time. Imagine the numbers if he started from day 1.

A complete coaching failure.

With the second best QB in program history and they only win 6 games.

[eli#10]

Reminder: as previously posted the defense was very weak. That is exactly why the team won six games.

[FmrRamFB1]

Reminder: as previously posted the defense was very weak. That is exactly why the team won six games.

The defense had issues (the portal didn’t help us). However, the ineptitude in the red zone killed us. There was too much talent to be 14th in red zone offense.

[Brian]

8 red zone turnovers