These notes were taken by AfghanBeav, who attended practice today. I wouldn't post observations from just anyone; I trust this guy's opinions based on a year of following his posts.
I was going to edit the writing to make it pretty, but screw it, there's good insight as-is, which is all that matters.
Special Teams
P Hekker: Nuff Said.
K Romaine: Kicked the ball well, deep and high several out of the back of the endzone. Only made 2/5 FG outside 30 yards.
Coverage: Looked alright, no tackling so it's hard to tell.
Return game: Looked good Poyer and Wheaton are still really good. Both made shifty moves.
Offense
QB Vaz(1st string) Does not look comfortable in the pocket. Gets happy feet quickly. Overthrew a ball right to the Safety.
Mannion(2nd string) GREAT footwork, good release, good arm strength, REALLY needs to work on the Center exchange (4 fumbles, only QB to fumble the exchange) IMO look for Mannion to become second string, with a little more time i bet he pushes Katz next year.
Lomax(3rd String) Looked Decent, tbh i was focusing more on other spots when he was in.
RB
Jovan Stevenson(1st) Running with more power than he did as freshman, drug Cam Collins about 5 yards on a run. Hits holes quickly, good vision, decent shifty moves, but is not Quizz
Ryan McCants(2nd) Big strong runner, hits holes hard but with his eyes closed. Has a decent first move, but can lower his shoulders and move piles (should have turned into a LB 3 years ago)
Malcome Marable(3rd) Looks good, he is quick hits holes well and can get the edge. Needs to get stronger, was getting taken down by contact and not tackles.
Terron Ward(4th) Looks like our next workhorse, shifty (but not as quick as Quizz was) and he is strong enough to break tackles. I like him.
IMO we look good at RB not great. Any of our 4 are not quizz but i think we are in good hands, we will get some production out of them.
WR
Wheaton(1st) looked great fast, good off the line moves. Still our fly sweep guy with James out.
Gwatchem(2nd) Looks promising he has decent speed. TALL looked good on endzone fade routes nice soft hands
Darrell "glass jaw" Catchings (3rd) I wish he could stay healthy, he actually looked good today, burned Poyer and Hardin a few times deep.
O-Line
Looked decent today, did not give up any big sacks. Did not impress me in the run game either though. Darryl Jackson was playing LG today and looked good. Phillip looked good, settling in a RT well. Overall our line looks about average (better than last year).
TE
The tight ends did not get much work receiving today, but looked good in the blocking drills. They were handling our DEs nicely in the 1v1 drills.
DEFENSE
D-Line Looked Decent today, our Oline is not over power so it is really hard to get a feel for who is better. Did not give up alot up the middle.
LB
MUCH faster to the edge this year, Cam Collins and Mike Doctor are MONSTERS did not see any plays by the MLB that stood out. The Unga brother looks like he may win the starting spot he was trying his best to lead the D making calls to shift the D around.
CB
Poyer played well, got burned deep once by Catchings but Vaz overthrew him by about 10 yards.
Hardin looked decent but still has the same problems as last year. If our coaches pull their heads out, Sean Martin should be starting over him. He looks great had a pick6 and is FAST.
Safeties
Lance Mitchell looked good, good run support had a nice pick on a ball overthrown by Vaz. Did not see any other plays that stood out great or bad from the safeties.
This pretty much confirms what I’ve been thinking:
Strengths: CB, LBs, WRs, QB
Weakness: OL, RB
Neutral: TE, DL, ST
Considering games are won in the trenches, I’m nervous.
Jovan Stevenson as a #1 back just sounds wrong…frankly, none of these guys feel like the right fit. I’m hoping Woods shows up ready to play.
Also, I heard elsewhere that Lomax fumbled twice. I’m not sure if that’s the media trying to protect Mannion’s ego, or if you missed that one.
Was Unga playing with the 1s predominantly?
I may have missed that, I was trying to watch a little of everything. I only have three eyes. Sheesh cut me some slack ;-)
It was Unga and #13 I forget his name rotating with the #1s
#13 is Robinson…UGH.
Has he made any progress? He was horrible last year.
I like Wilson more, and Bibbee is having a good spring I hear.
No, he got lost in the wash a lot, from my angel it was hard to see who was making the stops on the runs up the middle I did see him make a few stops on runs though. So he doesn’t look horrible but he does not separate himself either.
Wow, that post didn’t make sense.
He looked a little better then last year. He made a few run stops in the middle after ~3 yards. He gets lost in the wash on runs to the outside though, still having trouble shedding blocks.
And he was horrible in the 2009 Civil War. Dude almost single handedly cost us the game with poor tackling.
Forgot to add none of our RBs can block. They were being dominated in the 1v1 with our LBs
Oh, by the way, this was a minor move this past week that got lost in the shuffle: Tyler Anderson has replaced Clayton York at FB. This is huge–Anderson can not only block, but he can actually be an offensive weapon inside the 5.
How big is Anderson and what was his former position? You think he’s a weapon on short runs, catching? Both?
He’s only 5-10, but 220lbs. He reminds me of Larry Centers, in that he can run and catch a little. He was a productive CB and RB at De Le Salle who was a (preferred?) walk-on. I think this is another offensive weapon. Not a huge weapon, but in the right spot he can be really effective. Much more than York. Strange thing is I read York was once again with the 1s yesterday…
Imagine him on the flats on play-action bootlegs. The wheels of Katz and Anderson in a deep flat (9 yards). Daring an OLB to cover the FB and get beat by the feet of Katz or cover Katz and get beat over the top with a pass. Short Redzone and medium length 3rd downs would be hard to defend…
I’m not sure of his name, but there was a guy today running what looked like some Wildcat and some fake punt stuff, looked really quick and I thought I even saw him do a little read option. I think his jersey number was 40, but not all players were wearing there correct numbers. J. Hekker was wearing Jorden Jenkins jersey complete with name. Made taking notes on particular players hard.
#40 is Garret Hall, the walk-on WR.
THANKS, Afghan, great job! So much more info than we usually get from Buker & Co.
Sean Martin gets my vote for CB. Hardin can spell others but if he starts all the time I guarantee he gives up 4 or 5 big plays next year. That should be a challenge for him to prove me wrong but I don’t think he has the speed at that position and tired of him not turning around and getting beat by close to 3 steps all the time. They should coach up Martin. Game experience should be duplicated as close as possible by ratcheting up practices, scrimages and drills. It is too late after losing a couple of games in the first half of the season because we allow a few big plays.
I forget who said Hardin should play Safety, but they are correct. That or I bet he could even play some OLB. He is having the same problems Cam Collins did trying to play DB just to big to make the quick moves required of a CB.
The problem with moving Hardin to safety is depth at CB…it would most likely mean Reynolds starts and Martin backs him up. Both of them have no experience, and CB is the one position where it’s mandatory. Hardin is good at run support and can use his experience (and good safety play of Mitchell/LaGrone) to be average in coverage. He’s the weak link in the secondary, but one I think can be masked. The one guy who I think could challenge him is Reynolds–he looks like a good prospect. Someone above mentions Martin, but Reynolds is faster and more fluid.
I think the reason they weren’t wearing their correct #’s is a decision by the coaching staff to make it difficult for “scouts” to get a fix on their actual #’s to key on them during the season. So if they see let’s say #14 by J. Hekker, then when they see #14 on Poyer on defense…they will be confused.
On another note, I am wondering if you see any difference in the coaching changes?
Heyward in charge of all DB’s/Safety’s
Banker D-line/LB’s
RB’s coach
and the WR’s coach
Did you see a difference in aggression, form, and meshing together as a team?
The DB’s looked like they were playing more aggressive to the ball, although there was still some don’t look back and just hope the ball is overthrown coverage.
Our OLB’s were playing fast to the ball dominating D. The MLBs looked more timid and got lost in the wash alot.
Great analysis Afghanbeav. Much more info than anything else I have read this spring.
I hope the guy running the wildcat was Poyer. I think he should get several snaps per game at this position. HS pitcher and QB, he can run and he’s more of a legitimate throwing threat than Quizz was. Plus he plays smart.
I think Stevenson will be serviceable at RB, and get spelled mainly by Ward. I think McCant’s simply won’t produce, and Marable is too light at this point. Hopefully Woods gets some opportunity in the fall. Equally critical to this will be how Riley uses multiple backs. With Langsdorf calling the plays, I’m afraid personnel sets will be very predictable.
Nice to hear the D was more aggressive. That’s a been a problem the last few years because they practiced soft. I remember a DB last year saying they don’t finish plays in practice, and they needed to finish/tackle more to improve their in-game tackling. Their on the field play showed it; guys were great at running around, taking bad angles, and not finishing well (OLB’s).
Ruben Robinson is a continuing example of Riley’s stubbornness and unwillingness to admit he’s wrong. In another few years, Robinson might be average, and Riley will be talking about how far he’s come, and how NFL teams need to take a look at him. Meanwhile, opposing running backs will be sending Robinson post-game flowers for the next two years.
Question on CB’s – did Ryan Handford, that JC transfer from last year, stand out at all? In his “highlight’ film, which is obviously selective, it looked like he could play the ball in the air and provide run support. I was hopeful that with he and Poyer, OSU CB’s might start getting interceptions again.
Thanks for the report!
It sounds like Michael Lamb and Colin Kelly are in the mix as starters…no one is talking about Beaton, Enger, or Garner though.
What are everyone’s thoughts on Lamb and Kelly? Lamb is a pretty awful name for an O-lineman…seems like a good mascot for the 2010 O-line.
Great write up! Better than anything I’ve seen by Cliff or Olive, why can’t they post something like this? I think it’s because they are afraid of upsetting the coaching staff.
Last year this time our Defense was patch work at best and made the O line look serviceable, but that quickly got exposed during game time. Looking at the reports it looks like our defense is much more athletic and talented than last year forcing Cav to make changes on the line. I wonder how many of the fumbled snaps are due to a new man under center, or if it’s just the quarterback?
I didnt see any of the other QBs stuggle with the snaps, I was told Vaz had one, but I did not see it. I personally saw Mannion drop 4. I hope it was a fluke because he does everything else very well.
Looks like 5 jerseys and 3 helmets for ASU to pick from this fall.
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2011/04/pitchfork-in-spark-out-for-new-asu.html
I think Oregon State could use a 2nd helmet very soon..maybe white. It wouldn’t bother me if we added a 3rd with orange either. Steven Jackson appears to be in the design lab right now with Nike helping to come up with the future Oregon State Beaver uniforms. If a few schools stat using a good number of combos as well then Oregon’s recruiting edge with this element will be minimized. Their colors are harder to work with if you ask me so I think we can come up with just as popular combos that should actually look better than the Duckies.
This story doesn’t have anything to do with this post but i met some ducks today at work and it was interesting. These guys were 60+ years old and I asked one of them where they were from and he said they were from Oregon. I live in CA so it’s uncommon for me to meet native Oregonians at work. I was like, oh “go beavs.” the guy doesn’t smile, his face completely drops and he gives me this look. “oh you’re a beav fan huh.” And I was like, “yea! you guys duck fans?” and he was like “yep….” (he says all serious and like, kinda bitchy). and I said jokingly, “Ooooo rivals, civil war hahah” and he says “…yep” and then totally walks away. It was honestly kinda rude, and i kept thinking to myself today how shitty it is that people who are into Oregon sports can’t even have camaraderie over their state’s teams. Those people are going to die in 10 years and they can’t even be nice to other people who like oregon sports. give me a break, geez
BG, I think you’d need to be born and raised in Oregon to “get it”…I wasn’t, so I can’t answer, but from my experience the hatred spews from a deep rift in socio-economics and ideology. JackBeav would probably be the person to explain it best since he pays close attention to politics, income, academics, and also grew up in state (I think?).
Where in CA do you live?
You need only have a few experiences such as she has had to get it. Ducks are elitists and treat Beaver fans like crap simply for supporting an academic institution/athletic program. That is why, I hate the ducks.
I’m fine with duck fans. being a duck fan is just as okay as being a beav fan. The only thing that I have a problem with is the behavior. if I were a duck fan and i said ‘go ducks’ to a beav fan they probably would have a similar reaction since the rivalry is so bad. you hating the ducks leads me to believe that if i said ‘go ducks’ you might treat me just like that guy did
I live just outside SF. Rivalries are fine but when they affect real interactions with people I think everyone needs to take a step back and realize all this shit is basically imaginary lol. what was definitely “real” was this guy’s obvious behavior change after I said “go beavs.” It was like I said I was a nazi supporter or something. I’m actually glad I don’t live in Oregon because I would have to deal with retarded behavior on a daily basis. I can only handle the jerks if they’re on the internet :D
I have to say that the hand wringing over Hardin may be for naught. I remember last year there was a lot of people complaining about Doc. He turned out to be quite fine, even to the point he received some praise here. I honestly think that our CB’s are much like our QB’s, takes a rough year before they develop. The guys in ’05 had the same struggles, they were studs in ’08. Hardin had flashes in ’09, I can’t ignore those as skeptical as I want to be. I think we all might be surprised by him yet. I also think that we will see some struggles from Poyer that make you say, “what the hell!”.
I don’t remember people complaining about Dockery…I thought most of us agreed he’d be the one reliable CB…
I remember some rumbling during his first season, particularly after he gave up the long TD to Maehl in the CW in ’09.
Oh yeah…the TD to Maehl was so bad. But a few plays earlier he had a nice pick of Masoli. Giveth/taketh, right? That summed up his 2009 season. He was okay that year, but completely solid in ’10.
You could always use the search function to go back and see what we were saying…maybe we were harder on him than I thought.
Dockery had bad moments in ’09, but all in all he was pretty good. Better than Clark that year in my opinion. I liked him from the start.
Hardin on the other hand….
– More missed tackles than (Pankey excluded) the rest of the team put together
– Blown coverage EVERY TIME the opposing team had the crazy idea to call a slant route
– That one play where he pushed the receiver out of bounds, then stood around and watched him come back in and sprint downfield for a 50+ yd completion…anyone remember that??
– P-I, P-I, P-I
My dad thinks Hardin, not Pankey, was the biggest loser of 2010. I don’t agree, but I will concede it’s debatable. We stood up in the stands every homegame and cursed him about every other play.
I’m more forgiving of blown coverages than missed tackles or lack of effort.
And I’d have to look at tape to be sure, but it seems like the guy never breaks down. I’ve coached kids that displayed better form. Break the F down, and less people will blow passed you, I promise. He may not be THE most athletic guy on the field but he seems like he’s got something there and ALL football players are taught proper positioning and tackling starting in Pop Warner. This may be a case of ‘over thinking’ but muscle memory should be helping. When did he start playing football?
All of that said, the play where he pushed the receiver out of bounds then became a spectator was his most egregious ‘error.’ Play to the whistle, dude. There is/was no excuse.
The Hardin situation can be summed up this way:
Is he our ideal option? No.
Is he our best option? Unfortunately.
It’s strange to say but at this point I trust him more than the next best thing, which would be Reynolds…
P.S. Still waiting to hear thoughts on Michael Lamb and Colin Kelly. Anyone know anything??
I really like what I’m hearing and seeing from OSU spring football! I love the enthusiasm and the intensity. However, my biggest concerns still remain within the trenches, the offensive and defensive lines. Based upon last years lines, if the Defensive line dominates the offensive line, what does that truly mean? Also, if the Offensive line domniates the defensive line, what does that really say about the Defensive line? Not good. Still a lot of football to be played and improvements to be made before the season starts. But, I still remain cautious and skeptical about both lines. The lines will detemine just how good this 2011 Beaver football team will be. Right now it appears they both have a long way to go. What does everybody else think?
Be careful not to fall into the trap of seeing one line as terrible as they lose battles to the other. Unfortunately, you learn virtually nothing about your team by watching them play themselves (other than their technique and individual skills). We thought our D Line was going to be dominant last year because it dominated our O line, turns out our O line was terrible. This year we could be assuming our O line is terrible when they may not in fact be. Just a thought; I am playing devils advocate to point out that Spring Football is simply a hype machine. You learn little until your teams actually plays an opponent.
Angry and others,
What do you think of the quality of this site? Would something along similar lines be good for Oregon State Football?
http://www.coachturnergill.com/
http://www.oregongridiron.com/
lol