- Sep 8, 2014
- 25,456
- 59,497
IMO, to fix the red zone woes we need to fix the OL.
https://florida.247sports.com/Bolt/Fixing-red-zone-woes-a-priority-for-Franks-Gators-52239041
Red zone woes....
Fixing red zone woes a priority for Franks, Gators
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks had a solid spring game, but coach Jim McElwain wants to see him get a bit sharper in the red zone.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Leading the Florida offense, quarterback Feleipe Franks put together a productive spring game, though there were still some things that could have been cleaned up.
The redshirt freshman finished 8-14 passing for 119 yards and a touchdown, but the numbers coach Jim McElwain were more focused on were much simpler. Two out of three.
That is, two touchdowns on three red zone trips.
"Down in the red zone, we missed, what, three of them that were touchdowns if you hit the guy between the numbers on the chest," McElwain said. "It was pretty obvious. We’ve got to produce down there. Would’ve liked to see him hit those. But other than that, he did alright."
Florida ranked just 115th nationally a year ago in red zone touchdown percentage, scoring a touchdown on just 50 percent of its red zone trips.
Part of the blame there falls on the offensive line, which couldn't consistently generate a push in the run game to make things easier. But part of it also fell on quarterbacks who struggled to make throws into tight windows as the space tightens down in the red zone.
Franks hopes to correct that next fall.
"I think one of the biggest things for me will be getting through my progressions," he said. "I think continuing to work on that, footwork, everything, everything about that position needs to be sharp in order to play it. I think I’m going to keep working on that."
McElwain keeps it fairly simple for his quarterbacks, with a mantra they'll hear repeated over and over again.
"Just take what the defense gives you, and eventually they’ll give you the game," Franks said. "I think taking completions where they’re at in the red zone is going to help us tremendously as quarterbacks as we progress through the summer and fall."
It's not just finding the right guy, though. The quarterbacks need to make sure they can hit them. Franks has tended to err with high throws when he misses, which are particularly risky because that miss can lead to tipped passes or easy interceptions.
That has to be fixed.
"We’d like us to be a little more accurate with the ball," McElwain said. "We missed some throws that we’re going to have to hit, but we’ve just got to keep working on that."
In any case, Franks doesn't seem deterred by the few throws he missed. The clear leader to win Florida's starting job, he said he sees it more as another chance to grow.
"I think we can use the spring game as a stepping to go back and see what we did good and see what we did bad and and work on the flaws that we had throughout the spring and the summer so we’ll be able to be prepared for the fall going into the Michigan game," he said.
https://florida.247sports.com/Bolt/Fixing-red-zone-woes-a-priority-for-Franks-Gators-52239041
Red zone woes....
Fixing red zone woes a priority for Franks, Gators
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks had a solid spring game, but coach Jim McElwain wants to see him get a bit sharper in the red zone.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Leading the Florida offense, quarterback Feleipe Franks put together a productive spring game, though there were still some things that could have been cleaned up.
The redshirt freshman finished 8-14 passing for 119 yards and a touchdown, but the numbers coach Jim McElwain were more focused on were much simpler. Two out of three.
That is, two touchdowns on three red zone trips.
"Down in the red zone, we missed, what, three of them that were touchdowns if you hit the guy between the numbers on the chest," McElwain said. "It was pretty obvious. We’ve got to produce down there. Would’ve liked to see him hit those. But other than that, he did alright."
Florida ranked just 115th nationally a year ago in red zone touchdown percentage, scoring a touchdown on just 50 percent of its red zone trips.
Part of the blame there falls on the offensive line, which couldn't consistently generate a push in the run game to make things easier. But part of it also fell on quarterbacks who struggled to make throws into tight windows as the space tightens down in the red zone.
Franks hopes to correct that next fall.
"I think one of the biggest things for me will be getting through my progressions," he said. "I think continuing to work on that, footwork, everything, everything about that position needs to be sharp in order to play it. I think I’m going to keep working on that."
McElwain keeps it fairly simple for his quarterbacks, with a mantra they'll hear repeated over and over again.
"Just take what the defense gives you, and eventually they’ll give you the game," Franks said. "I think taking completions where they’re at in the red zone is going to help us tremendously as quarterbacks as we progress through the summer and fall."
It's not just finding the right guy, though. The quarterbacks need to make sure they can hit them. Franks has tended to err with high throws when he misses, which are particularly risky because that miss can lead to tipped passes or easy interceptions.
That has to be fixed.
"We’d like us to be a little more accurate with the ball," McElwain said. "We missed some throws that we’re going to have to hit, but we’ve just got to keep working on that."
In any case, Franks doesn't seem deterred by the few throws he missed. The clear leader to win Florida's starting job, he said he sees it more as another chance to grow.
"I think we can use the spring game as a stepping to go back and see what we did good and see what we did bad and and work on the flaws that we had throughout the spring and the summer so we’ll be able to be prepared for the fall going into the Michigan game," he said.