In defense of Singleton

[marylovesthelions]

He is an elusive back, not the bull them over type like Allen. We have played a lot of 2 and some 3 tight end formations. This draws an extra defender into the box and makes escape lanes narrower. I expect that our offense will spread the field more to remove the extra defender. Lack of opportunities and success have affected Singleton's confidence. I expect him to break one or more long (20 yds or better) this week and top 100 yards.
I like our new receivers. A 2 tight end offense does not maximize our offensive talent. You need an OL that can dominate and clearly they did not dominate 3 relatively untalented defenses.

 

[Frank Lee]

He is an elusive back, not the bull them over type like Allen. We have played a lot of 2 and some 3 tight end formations. This draws an extra defender into the box and makes escape lanes narrower. I expect that our offense will spread the field more to remove the extra defender. Lack of opportunities and success have affected Singleton's confidence. I expect him to break one or more long (20 yds or better) this week and top 100 yards.
I like our new receivers. A 2 tight end offense does not maximize our offensive talent. You need an OL that can dominate and clearly they did not dominate 3 relatively untalented defenses.

If Nick gets North-South quickly and picks up 3-4 yards, then it'll be a good run. Just no TFLs. They're drive killers. And the OL just needs to quickly turn upfield, find someone, and block. As Mike Tyson could have said, "complex blocking assignments are all fine and good until someone punches you in the mouth".

 

[GregInPitt]

He is an elusive back, not the bull them over type like Allen. We have played a lot of 2 and some 3 tight end formations. This draws an extra defender into the box and makes escape lanes narrower. I expect that our offense will spread the field more to remove the extra defender. Lack of opportunities and success have affected Singleton's confidence. I expect him to break one or more long (20 yds or better) this week and top 100 yards.
I like our new receivers. A 2 tight end offense does not maximize our offensive talent. You need an OL that can dominate and clearly they did not dominate 3 relatively untalented defenses.

Mary, you're an optimist. I wish I agreed with you, as I believe Singleton has been anything but elusive so far this season. He has been hesitent and doesn't run to open space for the most part. Instead choosing to follow the play which has led to not optimizing each play as it plays out. Whereas Allen has been decisive and has run to any crease available using his power to get through those cracks in the defense to get to open space much more often than Singleton.

I'm sure our new WR's are great young men or Franklin wouldn't have brought them into the locker room. Pena in the OOC games seems adept at getting open quickly and consisently catches the ball, and Hudson seems pretty sure handed but not having the quickness and speed to consistently beat good man to man coverage. We haven't really seen enough of Ross to figure out if he can consistently get open vs the weak OOC teams PSU has played so far let alone against lineups filled with 4 and 5 star talent like Oregon and OSU. We'll more so find out what the new WR's bring to the offense this coming Saturday, but from what I've seen I'm more optimistic that Denmark and Howard could spark the PSU passing game than I am of any of the 3 being the missing WR talent that will help PSU beat Oregon or Ohio St. The 3 new WR's haven't really even showed that any one of them is better than Wallace was last season. Hope I'm wrong.......

 

[Lazy Dave]

Nick is a speed back with good hands. He needs holes or an opportunity to run to a gap or the edge. He doesn't run strong for all of his off season weight room accolades, but he's usually gone if he gets into the open.

I think we see runs he's more comfortable with vs Oregon. I also think we send him out of the back field on more passing routes, something we didn't see a lot of vs the non-con (albeit an ugly swing pass from Drew).

 

[bdroc]

Mary, you're an optimist. I wish I agreed with you, as I believe Singleton has been anything but elusive so far this season. He has been hesitent and doesn't run to open space for the most part. Instead choosing to follow the play which has led to not optimizing each play as it plays out. Whereas Allen has been decisive and has run to any crease available using his power to get through those cracks in the defense to get to open space much more often than Singleton.

I'm sure our new WR's are great young men or Franklin wouldn't have brought them into the locker room. Pena in the OOC games seems adept at getting open quickly and considently catches the ball, and Hudson seems pretty sure handed but not having the quickness and speed to consistently beat good man to man coverage. We haven't really seen enough of Ross to figure out if he can consistently get open vs the weak OOC teams PSU has played so far let alone against lineups filled with 4 and 5 star talent like Oregon and OSU. We'll more so find out what the new WR's bring to the offense this coming Saturday, but from what I've seen I'm more optimistic that Denmark and Howard could spark the PSU passing game than I am of any of the 3 being the missing WR talent that will help PSU beat Oregon or Ohio St. The 3 new WR's haven't really even showed that any one of them is better than Wallace was last season. Hope I'm wrong.......

Howard is a true freshman. I'm highly doubtful that he'll play in this game much less make a big impact.

 

[GregInPitt]

Howard is a true freshman. I'm highly doubtful that he'll play in this game much less make a big impact.

Yep, we know that. But that doesn't change the fact that so far none of the 3 transfer WR's have looked like they are the missing talent to improve the PSU passing from what it did early last season, heading into B10 play. Denmark and Howard from all reports are the future of the PSU WR room and could be a spark to the offense if Franklin and Hagans eventually get more comfortable with them as the season progresses and give them a real chance to make plays as the season goes along. So far the most consistent target for Allar seems to still be a TE, Reynolds this season.

 

[GregInPitt]

Nick is a speed back with good hands. He needs holes or an opportunity to run to a gap or the edge. He doesn't run strong for all of his off season weight room accolades, but he's usually gone if he gets into the open.

I think we see runs he's more comfortable with vs Oregon. I also think we send him out of the back field on more passing routes, something we didn't see a lot of vs the non-con (albeit an ugly swing pass from Drew).

I'm rewatching the Nova B10 Football in 60 I recorded and Nick just got caught going around the end by a Nova DE. For being "fast" he sure gets caught from behind frequently.....

 

[marylovesthelions]

Yep, we know that. But that doesn't change the fact that so far none of the 3 transfer WR's have looked like they are the missing talent to improve the PSU passing from what it did early last season, heading into B10 play. Denmark and Howard from all reports are the future of the PSU WR room and could be a spark to the offense if Franklin and Hagans eventually get more comfortable with them as the season progresses and give them a real chance to make plays as the season goes along. So far the most consistent target for Allar seems to still be a TE, Reynolds this season.

What does Hagans done to indicate that he is not the worst wr Franklin has had. No one gets better.

 

[27Pellis]

He is an elusive back, not the bull them over type like Allen. We have played a lot of 2 and some 3 tight end formations. This draws an extra defender into the box and makes escape lanes narrower. I expect that our offense will spread the field more to remove the extra defender. Lack of opportunities and success have affected Singleton's confidence. I expect him to break one or more long (20 yds or better) this week and top 100 yards.
I like our new receivers. A 2 tight end offense does not maximize our offensive talent. You need an OL that can dominate and clearly they did not dominate 3 relatively untalented defenses.

I think He’s less elusive than he is fast ( linear). He’s more of a “one cut and to the house” type with very good vision….which inexplicably hasn’t been in use lately. —I’m not concerned with Singleton, he’s a very good back and will eventually default back to his old style ( overthinking?). As Franklin asserts….he needs to let loose. — “Don’t think, just do”, to borrow a phrase from Top Gun Maverick . He’ll be fine….just hope it’s this week.

 

[bdroc]

Yep, we know that. But that doesn't change the fact that so far none of the 3 transfer WR's have looked like they are the missing talent to improve the PSU passing from what it did early last season, heading into B10 play. Denmark and Howard from all reports are the future of the PSU WR room and could be a spark to the offense if Franklin and Hagans eventually get more comfortable with them as the season progresses and give them a real chance to make plays as the season goes along. So far the most consistent target for Allar seems to still be a TE, Reynolds this season.

I wish we had 5* WRs like Oregon has but for now we've got what we've got. Pena was a 4* senior transfer and 2nd team all ACC last year. That doesn't put him in the same class as someone like Jeremiah Smith but he seems like a much better choice than inexperienced freshman 3* Howard at this point.

 

[GregInPitt]

I wish we had 5* WRs like Oregon has but for now we've got what we've got. Pena was a 4* senior transfer and 2nd team all ACC last year. That doesn't put him in the same class as someone like Jeremiah Smith but he seems like a much better choice than inexperienced freshman 3* Howard at this point.

So far Pena does look like he can help the PSU passing game improve, but his resume at PSU is built on his play against 3 of the weakest OOC teams that PSU has lined up in years. At least he also has a resume of success from Syracuse.

As for Howard he was injured in high school which impacted his recruitment, but from the reports from practice he is a high level talent. Howard's highlights that have leaked out of practice are impressive and the only way to find out what he can do in actual games is to put him in games and give him some targets, something that Franklin has not done with freshmen WR's since I believe Washington got some playing time as a true freshman. There were plenty of opportunities for both Howard and Denmark to get reps and targets to get them some experience during the 3 OOC games but for some reason Franklin basically directed all the playing time to the transfers and Clifford. But he has said that some other true freshmen will likely be ready to contribute as the season goes along so maybe WR help from the young guys will come eventually this season.

 

[bdroc]

So far Pena does look like he can help the PSU passing game improve, but his resume at PSU is built on his play against 3 of the weakest OOC teams that PSU has lined up in years. At least he also has a resume of success from Syracuse.

As for Howard he was injured in high school which impacted his recruitment, but from the reports from practice he is a high level talent. Howard's highlights that have leaked out of practice are impressive and the only way to find out what he can do in actual games is to put him in games and give him some targets, something that Franklin has not done with freshmen WR's since I believe Washington got some playing time as a true freshman. There were plenty of opportunities for both Howard and Denmark to get reps and targets to get them some experience during the 3 OOC games but for some reason Franklin basically directed all the playing time to the transfers and Clifford. But he has said that some other true freshmen will likely be ready to contribute as the season goes along so maybe WR help from the young guys will come eventually this season.

I think PT depends on depth provided by upperclassmen. Back in the day Joe played DWill, Butler, and Norwood as freshmen because that's all he had. This year Franklin has Pena, Hudson, Ross, and Clifford, and even Denmark (who has 2 catches). That's 5 WRs ahead of Howard.

PSU is thin at DE this year because Carter went to the NFL and Granville is injured. That's why we've seen so much of Coleman this year. It's a different situation.

I agree that it would have been nice to see players like Howard get s more PT against weak opponents. I would have also liked to see more of Grunk. I think a lot of that is due to Franklin wanting to have Allar work on his chemistry with the 3 new WRs.

 

[sr108]

He is an elusive back, not the bull them over type like Allen. We have played a lot of 2 and some 3 tight end formations. This draws an extra defender into the box and makes escape lanes narrower. I expect that our offense will spread the field more to remove the extra defender. Lack of opportunities and success have affected Singleton's confidence. I expect him to break one or more long (20 yds or better) this week and top 100 yards.
I like our new receivers. A 2 tight end offense does not maximize our offensive talent. You need an OL that can dominate and clearly they did not dominate 3 relatively untalented defenses.

I think he is thinking too much. All summer and all camp they were working on how to make the one unblocked defender miss, and now he is thinking about that instead of just letting it rip and playing hard and fast. The myth of him not liking contact is not true. Plenty examples of him playing hard last couple of years.

 

[Frank Lee]

I think he is thinking too much. All summer and all camp they were working on how to make the one unblocked defender miss, and now he is thinking about that instead of just letting it rip and playing hard and fast. The myth of him not liking contact is not true. Plenty examples of him playing hard last couple of years.

Agreed. And getting those knees up to avoid those touchdown-saving ankle tackles. There are too many moving parts and random occurances on any given play to overthink things. Instincts, skills, and physicality are what win out in the end. Re Singleton, just hit the hole and run.

 

[GregInPitt]

I think PT depends on depth provided by upperclassmen. Back in the day Joe played DWill, Butler, and Norwood as freshmen because that's all he had. This year Franklin has Pena, Hudson, Ross, and Clifford, and even Denmark (who has 2 catches). That's 5 WRs ahead of Howard.

PSU is thin at DE this year because Carter went to the NFL and Granville is injured. That's why we've seen so much of Coleman this year. It's a different situation.

I agree that it would have been nice to see players like Howard get s more PT against weak opponents. I would have also liked to see more of Grunk. I think a lot of that is due to Franklin wanting to have Allar work on his chemistry with the 3 new WRs.

What you pointed out is true and really out of the ordinary during recent past seasons.

I don't ever remember PSU playing such weak opponents early in the season with such limited substitutions at some positions, particularly WR, QB, and RB. It does seem that Franklin wanted Allar and the transfer WR's to have every opportunity to get on the same page, but much of that comes in practice reps. Same with Howard and Denmark who seem to have been cheated out of the in game development due to this.

But why continue to pound Singleton at these weak teams when supposedly there was a battle for the RB3 spot. Particularly, Martin rated by some as the #1 player in PA in his class has been MIA. In past seasons Franklin would not have wanted to risk injury to Singleton and Allen vs weaker OOC opponents. Same regarding Allar, although it's pretty obvious that he was told not to run or take hits.

About all the other positions have substituted pretty liberally. CB, Safety, DL and even LB have seen younger players get a good many reps. TE as well. And on the OL to a good degree.

 

[bdroc]

But why continue to pound Singleton at these weak teams when supposedly there was a battle for the RB3 spot. Particularly, Martin rated by some as the #1 player in PA in his class has been MIA. In past seasons Franklin would not have wanted to risk injury to Singleton and Allen vs weaker OOC opponents. Same regarding Allar, although it's pretty obvious that he was told not to run or take hits.

I assume Franklin kept running Singleton in an attempt to "get him going". Why else would he do that?

Martin is a mystery. My guess is that he's hurt or he simply hasn't performed well in practice because Wallace and Smith have both seen action ahead of him.

 

[Wesauking Lion]

Singleton is a fast running back. He aslo has no vision, does not break tackles, and goes down on first contact. You need all 4 to be a good running back. He has 1 of 4. Moving the chains is more important than the possibility of him breaking a long one. His carries should be limited as such.

Allen is 2 x the running back. Allen should not be splitting carries with Singleton.

The film speaks for itself.

 

[marylovesthelions]

Singleton is a fast running back. He aslo has no vision, does not break tackles, and goes down on first contact. You need all 4 to be a good running back. He has 1 of 4. Moving the chains is more important than the possibility of him breaking a long one. His carries should be limited as such.

Allen is 2 x the running back. Allen should not be splitting carries with Singleton.

The film speaks for itself.

Come back at season end. You don't get yo 3000+ rushing yards with the lack of skills you claim. Don't bet on football games.

 

[Frank Lee]

This is where Nick succeeds. Hit the hole fast and it may be that the OL blocking and the defense's reactions will happen to align for a long gain. That's football. Skill and luck. Thinking and delaying make things worse.

 

[Wesauking Lion]

This is where Nick succeeds. Hit the hole fast and it may be that the OL blocking and the defense's reactions will happen to align for a long gain. That's football. Skill and luck. Thinking and delaying make things worse.

If he was touched... he would go down..