Uncertainty is the name of the game these days, and Oregon State has more of it than global stock markets. Unlike the U.S., Italy, or Spain, however, the Beavs will find answers starting Monday.
Check the comment section throughout the day for updates. If any of you are going to practice, take some notes and share them. Practice time is 2pm for the first three weeks. On weekends it changes to 8:30am/6:30pm double sessions.
Finally, the season is upon us! Things should pick up here in the upcoming month.
Check Uso Olives facebook page. We might have some good news coming our way regarding him. I really like this kid a lot reminds me a little of Paea
Agreed! he’s an absolute beast. Raw, but a beast nonetheless. He still has a visit coming up later this month though… ASU maybe? I can’t remember. I hope we get him though. He’d be an absolute steal.
damn, his profile is not public. You should just quote what he says. Or take a screen shot.
He said he is going to be a Beav to Isaac. Good sign I would say
um yeah, really good sign!
Wrote Uso, and he said he is a Beav if they offer. Here is his exact quote:
“If they offer me tomorrow, I will COMMIT no questions no answers.”
Here is his film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LnbzmMWppk
I’m impressed. The guy is bull.
Yeah, Jesus, go offer him already. I like how he can line up inside or out, speaks for his athletecism. Good motor, knows where the ball is, and IF he’s cut or something he’s back up in a heartbeat. I liked seeing how a back would look to break out of the pack into some open space and then BAM, there’s Uso out of the cluster to bring him down out of nowhere.
Can we sent Riley an EM or a Tweet or something!?
haha, uso posted on your wall angry. i hope he decides to be a beav soon!
Yeah, lol Because I asked him about commitment. See the quote above.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ej9hOlDsxw
He already doesn’t like Oregon, I like his attitude.
Just screaming to be a Beav with that attittude. Luv it!!! We need more of that. What’s Riley waiting for…
Good god! Get this kid an offer now!
I think Riley might not want anyone who can compete with Zimmerman on squats and Akuna on the press… all by himself.
Seriously though, what’s the hold-up on offering Uso? Even if he turns out to be Simi Kuli, he needs to be offered. He’s just that good as a baller.
And besides, what’s Uso spelled backward?
Don’t forget that Olive backwards is “Evil-O”. Evil-O OSU
Updates with Cliff:
http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2011/08/08/football-coverage/
And… seriously Vontaze?
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/erickson-hiding-asu-stars-locker-room-assault-29809
I loved the on-field results of Erickson’s one team, but this isn’t exactly abnormal behavior for his teams.
I just went to the ESPN Pac-12 Blog and the first article up this morning reads this:
“Burfict involved in locker room altercation”
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/23964/burfict-involved-in-locker-room-altercation
Sportsbybrooks.com has a ton of coverage of the Burfict altercation. Also video of Dennis Erickson at media day talking about how much Burfict has matured as a leader this year, just days after the locker room punch. Good to see ASU imploding before the season even starts.
That’s what you get Erickson. That’s what you get.
Remember Vontaze Burfict’s head butt of Katz?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_jDyvvg4MY
I know its a violent game but this guy is a thug. If/when a Beaver behaves like that it is absolutely embarrassing to me.
Yeah, I remember. Also remember Riley’s non-response.
Phillip is a two ball bitch.
That guy just headbutted your QB and you give him that little sissy shove?
Complete lack of fire as a player. No wonder he’s second string.
Seriously? You’re going to go after Philipp for being the ONLY guy who pretends to protect his QB?
That vid just about sums up last year’s o-line. Grant Johnson holds, and Michael Philipp gets blamed for everything.
Never said Phillipp was the ONLY two ball bitch on the line.
But that shit happened right in front of him,and he gave the dirtiest player in college football a little sissy shove when he could have planted him on his back or given him the bear paw to the side of the helmet.
Dude’s a pussy.
Dude! He got a personal for that one. And he was ready for the punk to react the way everyone knows he reacts to being stood up in front of everyone. The smartest guy on the field was the coach who saved Burfict from certain embarrassment and ejection.
I think Vontaze knew what was up also. He would have fought his way out of the coach’s hold if it was Katz who shoved him back. Since it was Philipp, he let the coach drag him away as if he would have had a prayer against him.
By your logic, the rest of the o-line should be permanently riding the pine, and I don’t really disagree.
I think it’s totally unfair to criticize Phillip for that. Anything more than a shove with the ref right there probably results in an unsportsmanlike conduct and ejection and then we would all be bitching about Phillip not being able keep his cool. You don’t get someone back after the play when the ref is standing right next to you, wait for play to begin then hit him with a legal pancake block.
He got 15 yards for that play, and Riley benched him for a while as well. That penalty totally negated the holding on Johnson that would have been imposed.
It’s funny how recruiting has turned for the better. We seem to be in on a lot of high profile kids, but the ones who are low profile seem to be just highly underrated. I don’t have a “meh” for any of our commits, and I like a lot of the no star kids on our radar.
It’s hard to believe that kids still don’t get exposure in this internet age, but if that’s what we consider “turning over every rock,” then I’ll take this bounty over the rock-turning we’ve seen in the recent past. I’d rather fill in the roster with kids like Ward and Olive (way underrated with no offers) than find a bunch of two and three star scholarship-eaters who are offered by a mish-mash of schools and are projected onto the field because they need to work really hard to show any ability… and that hard work is translated by the coaches as talent waiting to blossom.
Sometimes the hard work has already been done, and the talent just makes it look easy. I think our coaches realized this, and have discovered that the team’s work ethic is up to them to instill and nurture. Give the good ones a chance, and the good ones will lead by example. Give the ship-eaters (the Rudy’s of the world) a chance, and we get feel good stories about hard work and a hope for good play.
Whatever clicked in Riley’s mind looks good so far. I’m hoping for more of the same.
Now why is Daniel Halverson being ignored by Pac 12 schools?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaY_oVSXa0U
His tape doesn’t do him justice as a MLB prospect. And he’s been a man amongst boys during the summer. Offers from AF and Yale don’t scream “low character” and “grades” like other kids out there. But I don’t think his future is as a linebacker. I would rather see us dedicate a ship for him as a FB. I think he has a long future in the NFL if someone mentors him as a blocking back who can catch out of the backfield.
And why does Joel Skotte even consider Boise given our situation at MLB? How does anyone look at that position and figure they don’t get at least a look as a frosh?
Also better:
http://www.insidebeaverfootball.com/
I’ve always marveled at the technological superiority our (OSU) web links display when I go to them for anything. But sports have junked it up when it comes to video promotion in the past. This intro is much better in that department. The “Be There. Be Loud. Be Orange.” tag is miles ahead of what we’ve had in the past. It’s still not awesome, but it’s at least simple enough not to just make you puke when you see it. And the vid is really good. We need more of this and less of the past vids.
The Prez is on his way to Corvallis!
Yes, we’re that good!
Michelle Obama is already in town. I wish it was for groundbreaking on the practice facility.
You mean the guy whom caved to everything the GOP wanted in the last two weeks.
I could have told you who he was going to be when I heard Larry Summers was going to be on his staff. That was a non-starter for me. That said, “We’re just going to continue the failed GOP approach to economics.” So was there any surprise that the GOP gets to continue to shit on America with Obama as Prez?
So I’ll just default to what the GOP drummed throughout idiot-boy-the-war-criminal’s term. The Prez is the Prez. The position is a big deal even if it’s occupied by someone who can’t break the stupidity of GOP politics.
I’m getting angry just thinking about how stupid the 18%’ers are and how they are just allowed to destroy everything good in this country.
My favorite catch-phrase right now is the ignorants who think we’ve been doing anything remotely Keynsian with our economy since LBJ.
Even the people who are supposed to be smart just prove that they’re idiots when it comes to economics. Gawd! We are just a stupid nation right now.
Agree completely with your last two statements. On the bright side, Jack, maybe Michelle is out here to take Craig back with her. Permanently!! Shit, I’ve started dreaming again.
Simmer down…
This will be the year for Robinson to prove his worth. He has more talent on this team than we’ve had in 20 years. So 20 wins is the minimum for us as believers. If he can’t put this team together as a team, then I’m with you. But there have been too many coaches out there who have done less or about the same in their first three years, and their fans would be considered die-hards by the time they left (if they’ve left yet).
Just because he doesn’t Calipari all the inherited kids off his roster and replace them with the best prospects money can buy doesn’t mean he can’t lead this team to greatness. I’m sometimes happy that our school chooses not to go with the folly of instant gratification in coaching and sports. It took 20 years to end up in the putrid sludge of JJ’s last year. Three or four years to build it back to where it is now is nothing short of a miracle. Now that miracle needs to translate to W’s.
I think agree with most of your sentiment Jack. The pres is the pres. He should be respect for that alone. If it was GWB headed to Corvallis it should still be consider a monumental and positive event for the university. Regardless of how much I think GWB sucked, he was still a US President. NUFF SAID.
I thought this was an Oregon State Athletics blog. Let’s leave the political rants to another place. I’m sure there are plenty of Democtrats, Republicans, and even Tea Partiers that regularly read this site for an escape from the political BS that we have to deal with everywhere else. Let’s focus on the Beavs and how they can improve going forward. Agree or Disagree?
Hmmm… I don’t know. It’s hard to wake up every day and step outside without seeing how the people in power (from all parties) have shit on our world. Open greed and stupidity color sports as well, and keeping it out is becoming more and more difficult.
However, while I’m sure that there are good people within every political grouping, I can never say that anyone who subscribes to Tea Party ideology has anything remotely resembling a clue. So never mention any of the stupid trends in ideological un-thought imposed by them on our everyday lives, and I won’t rant against their utter idiocy.
Agreed, although I don’t mind the occasional derivation. Especially since he’s heading to OSU… that’s relavent at least.
Agree.
Finally!!!!
http://twitter.com/#!/CliffGT/status/100642901809315840
Buker’s Tweets:
Coach Cav: Says O-linemen “better” have chip on their shoulder after last season. .. RT battle between Philipp, C. Kelly tilting in favor.. ..of Kelly as camp opens. .. Cav loves Josh Andrews at LG. Says the 6-2, 295 soph. has the “kick ass” mentality he wants up front
If he’s pushing Philipp to RG, I’m all for it. The RT should be Kelly backed by Enger.
And the comment on Andrews…. Can we say DUH?
If you knew anything about the O Line you would know that Ellis is the most consistent lineman in the group. Remmers right there with him. People just don’t get the idea that linemen need to be SMART and physical! A lot of the guys you mention aren’t the “sharpest knives in the drawer. ” Also, why doesn’t anyone ever question why so many scholarship players don’t play? Look at the numbers. Kids might look good in high school, but can’t handle D1 football. This applies to Oregon as well. Check the numbers. Beaver Nation had better hope that Katz has matured enough to make quicker decisions. You can’t hold your guy for more than 6 seconds without getting called for holding. I know we all want to blame someone, but the O Line wasn’t the huge problem last year and won’t be this year either. Just some educated thoughts.
You forgot the un in front of educated. What games were you watching last year? Certainly not OSU. O-line wasn’t a huge problem? Ask Quizz about that, or Katz, or even
Cav. One of the most absurd comments I’ve read on this site. You can’t find anyone, including staff and players(I’ve talked to many of them), who doesn’t agree the O-line was a huge disappointment last year. Just some real educated thoughts.
I stand by my comments- do some research. As for last year, yeah who wasn’t disappointed? The facts remain that our quarterback was inexperienced and made several poor choices. If you have ever played or coached the line you would realize that the line “held” as long as possible. I have great hopes for Katz’s maturity and poise to increase this year.
Held as long as possible? Must be some other reason Quizz was nailed in the backfield’ so many times. How could he be so mistaken when he chewed out the O-line? Several times he was tackled before he got the handoff. That has nothing to do with Katz’s poor decisions when throwing..
I said the same things of LaDanian Tomlinson the last several years at SD…the guy had to dodge 2 guys before he even got to the line of scrimmage. It was maddening…gets 4.2 per carry last year with the Jets splitting time with Shonn Greene, and Sanchez isn’t exactly Rivers.
Hit in the backfield (moves to avoid tackles for loss?) should be a stat if it isn’t!
Pray tell, good sir, what research have you done that gets to make you such an authority on the matter?
Did Katz take too long to hand it off, too?
You would have a case if the only thing that suffered was our passing attempts but our O-line was terrible universally.
Your idiocy astounds.
Your last line. CLASSIC!!!
You are alone in your opinion. While Katz did hold the ball a little too long sometimes, it was not all his fault, not even 25%. While pass blocking and run blocking are significantly different, we still saw that our offensive lineman were sub par. On most of Quizz’s carries he had to make his first cut three yards behind the LOS. They may have the “mental” part of it down but they definitely are lacking in the physical department. Phillip though, has lacked both in effort, mental and physical faculties.
The most educated thought out there, is that if our o-line doesn’t blow we will actually make a bowl game. I myself doubt us winning more than five, with our trajectory at four wins. All of which will be a direct result of poor play on the offensive line. This year we don’t have Quizz to bail us out. Now, if we do play well we can attribute it to Bill Simmons’ Ewing Theory. ; )
Abnere is, indeed, alone in his opinion.
Angry, stop Jack or you will lose your readers before the season starts. His ranting don’t belong on this site and many are tired of him.
Have I said something untrue?
Look, the way to avoid me going off on anything I find beyond detestable is to not bring it up. I’m not going to let junk food phrases (or ideas) for the mind pass with a simple harumph, especially when they’re propagated by the now openly racist Faux News. In my mind, I’m assenting to the thought crimes perpetrated by them and others if I let even a small quip pass uncontested. All I’m saying is that deregulation should never have started with intelligence, and they can’t take mine.
You should have heard conversations between me and my step-grandfather, who worked as a “consultant” abroad and stateside for the RAND Corporation. He used to get angry with me for supposing all sorts of things he and others did in the name of our country. Now that John Parker has written a couple really good books on the subject, he only allows himself to talk about the weather and good recipes when I’m around. I love the man, but I graduated from ideologue long ago.
I’m with ya, Jack….
I’m with ya too. Dunno who Doug is, but ta hell with him I suppose.
Nah… to hell with the people who have provided him a lifeline with a big old noose on the end. When they stop yanking him around or just dump him when they think they’re done with him, I’ll still be with Doug.
I guess we lost Doug as a reader.
We don’t ban people from posting, even trolls. So, why would be ban someone as loyal as Jack?
I, for one, find Jack to be insightful. He sure has been a much memorable commentor than yourself. And people’s aversion to “talking about politics” stems from the fact that our country doesn’t educate people well enough to have a civil conversation about the subject, which is another indication that leaders of said country aren’t doing anything right- which works for them anyway, as the USA has been breeding some of the dumbest fucking voters in the history of republics.
Seriously, it’s just one rant. Get the fuck over it.
You are completely off base here. Jack is probably one of the most football educated posters here. He knows his stuff and always speaks the truth!!!
Can’t even get away from it when practice starts?
http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/08/willie_lyles_fires_back_at_int.html
Thanks to the master of denial who tried to save his team from embarrassment with this thread. What was his name? Scott Reed? Mud?
Here is the site I use to see what games have been picked up by television networks…looks like FX will be replacing FSN.
Here is the TV Schedule with Openings for the Pac-12 teams and who and where OSU plays on that particular weekend(all in Central time):
Sept 24th Pac 12 team 2:30 pm FSN(HD) vs. UCLA*
Oct 1st Big 12 or Pac 12 team 2:30 pm FSN(HD) @ASU*
Big 12 or Pac 12 team 6:00 pm FSN(HD) @ASU
Big 12 or Pac 12 team 3 or 7 pm FX(HD) (would replace FSN game) @ASU
Oct 8th Pac 12 team 2:30 pm FSN(HD) vs. Arizona
Pac 12 team 6:30 pm Versus(HD) vs. Arizona (PLEASE GOD NOT THIS GAME!!!)*
Pac 12 team 9:30 pm FSN(HD) vs Arizona
Oct 15th Pac 12 team 6:30 pm Versus(HD) vs. BYU
Pac 12 team 9:15 pm ESPN(HD) vs. BYU*
Oct 22nd Pac 12 team 9:15 pm FSN(HD) vs. Wazzu in Seattle*
Pac 12 team TBD FSN or FX at 2:30, 3 or 7 pm vs. Wazzu in Seattle
Oct 29th Pac 12 team 9:15 pm FSN(HD) @ UTAH*
Pac 12 team TBD FSN or FX at 2:30, 6 or 7 pm @ UTAH
Nov. 5th Pac 12 team 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN-GP vs. Stanford
Big 12 team or Pac 12 team 6:00 pm FSN(HD) vs. Stanford
Pac 12 team 6:30 or 9:30 pm Versus(HD) vs Stanford*
Pac 12 team TBA FSN or FX @ 5:30, 7, or 9:30 pm Vs. Stanford
Nov 12th Pac 12 team 2:30 pm (ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2) (HD) @ CAL
Pac 12 team 2:30 pm ((FSN or FX) (HD) @ CAL*
Pac 12 team 9:30 pm Versus (HD) @ CAL
Pac 12 team 6:00 or 7:00 pm (FSN or FX) (HD) @ CAL
Nov. 19th Pac 12 team 2:30 pm ABC / ESPN-GP Vs. UW
Pac 12 team 9:30 pm Versus(HD) Vs. UW
Nov. 26th Pac 12 team 2:30 pm ABC / ESPN-GP @ Autzen*
Pac 12 team 9:30 pm Versus(HD) @ Autzen
* means most likely to pick Beavs for time slot
OOPS Forgot to post the link!
http://lsufootball.net/tvschedule.htm
Whoa, whoa, whoa…. they’d kickoff games past 9 pm OUR time? Or is that copied for Eastern time? Cause a kickoff later than Hawaii’s normal start time sounds ridiculous for us.
if you read my disclosure in the second little paragraph, you will notice this:
This is all CENTRAL TIME. So subtract 2 hours from each start time. :)
Cliff is updating with a frenzy. Nothing in-depth, but a lot of what sounds like good news thus far:
http://twitter.com/#!/cliffgt
I guess I shouldn’t expect anything in-depth from a 140 character format. :)
Sounds good so far.
Nice that our TE is running around and catching passes. Nice to see Reynolds involved, too.
You beat me to the punch. I was going to give individual links to the important ones to make it a bit easier, but you seem to be one step ahead of me, but at least I’m glad we’re on the same page as far as looking for information on the Beavs goes! :)
Important Cliff Kirkpatrick tweets…Just so you know…It’s a slow day at work and I am bored…what else am I supposed to do?:
http://twitter.com/#!/CliffGT/status/100691399682441216
http://twitter.com/#!/CliffGT/status/100690398560788480
http://twitter.com/#!/CliffGT/status/100686033418600448
http://twitter.com/#!/CliffGT/status/100684870833016832
http://twitter.com/#!/CliffGT/status/100680543632502784
Feti Unga interview…
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2011/08/oregon_state_football_kevin_fe.html
Bill Poehler of the Statesman-Journal is Tweeting also:
http://twitter.com/#!/BPoehler
Does anyone know anything about our kickers/punters?
Are Trevor Romaine and Max Johnson competing for the starting kicking job or is Trevor the shoe-in?
Also, any chance Keith Kostol from Tigard challenges Johnny shank-a-game Hekker?
From what I’ve heard, Romaine is a shoe-in, and it would take a sign from God for Riley to remove Hekker for Ray Guy in his prime… a sign like Ray Guy in his prime walking on.
Ok that’s funny! And sadly, accurate.
I am sure he will be given somewhat of a chance but if it is like other position battles at OSU the underclassman has to seriously outplay the senior by a wide margin to take the spot. Also don’t forget that the coaching staff likes Hekker in the fake punt game. Hekker can now kick an Rugby style, Aussie-rules style and traditional punt. He showed a bit more consistency last year but he no doubt leaves some to be desired. Although to be fair his average was also hurt by the teams large number of drives that stalled out a midfield making for short punts.
All I want from a punter is someone who can kick 40-45 yard punts with enough hang time for coverage to be there when it’s caught… consistently.
That’s actually a lot to ask for from a college punter, but I agree, that’s what I want, too.
Johnny Hekker might be the worst punter I’ve ever seen. His kicks look like how I’d punch a football with my left arm (I’m right handed).
“That’s actually a lot to ask for from a college punter….”
I realized that as soon as I posted it. I think Paulescu spoiled my vision of reality for Beavs punters.
35 yards with good enough hang time?
I was a very average punter/kicker in high school and one thing always astonishes me about many college punters. Many of them, Hekker included take an extra step once they receive the snap. This puts tremendous pressure on the line and increases blocked punts. The only thing I can think of in Hekker’s case is that it is by design because they know he has no consistent hang time and if the line can hold then this gives the gunners time to get down field.
I realize the pros are pros for a reason but I wonder why the college coaches aren’t teaching the kids that same technique.
interesting. I noticed quite a few rugby punts last year that seemed effective too. It is extra frustrating because Hekker will hit some real boomers but consistency is the name of the game in punting. I keep thinking with a guy like Hekker that can throw and kick on the run rugby style that a fake punt option would be a good play. Have him roll out and look for the open guy downfield, if he is covered boot a rugby punt on the run.
How many fake punts were tried last year?
The political comments were semi-topical since Obama is in town, but let’s avoid those tangents. They turn ugly fast. I’m responsible for setting that tone by being (politically) topical in the original post…so, my bad. Let’s just move on and focus on day 1.
Thanx angry – I was also on my way out.
Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing?
Bill Poehler:
I’ll take it for good. To me, it means the guys are itching to get into the action, and the coaches are just keeping them on a leash for safety’s sake.
Ditto.
Just back from the Beavs’ first practice. Haven’t read other reports or tweets yet, but here’s what I saw, for what it’s worth.
1) James Rodgers running routes with the first team during initial passing drills, and looking okay. Then JR being shut down for the last part of practice, and walking around with a giant cold pack on his knee (which I presume and hope is just a standard precaution after the first day of practice for JR…)
2) Jordan Poyer covering receivers like a glove all day. I love Jordan Poyer.
3) Obum Gwachum making a number of nice moves and nifty catches. I predict he is going to make some big plays for the Beavs this year.
4) BHardin looking perhaps a step quicker than last year, and doing a better job of staying with his receiver in press coverages
5) Michael Doctor looking very quick, but also very small out there. Is he really 225? Is his lack of size going to be a problem?
6) LOTS of depth and talent at the outside receiver positions — a bunch of athletes with good speed, quickness and hands.
Overall impression — a good first practice, at a significantly faster tempo than last year, and featuring a bunch of quicker, hungrier, and more athletic players. So far, very good!
Good stuff, SS.
Did you catch a look at Trosin or Cooks?
Angry — yes, I did see both Trosin and Cooks, and both showed me something.
At one point in today’s practice (about 2/3 through), there was a drill where one receiver lined up against one defensive back, the ball was hiked to the QB by a coach, and the receiver tried to beat the defender and catch the ball.
On one rep of this drill, Tyler Trosin drove straight at his defender, gave him a quick stutter step juke, and then flew right by him. The defender was toast, but managed to step on Trosin’s heel, tripping him up (Trosin got up immediately and said he was fine). It was clear that Trosin had his defender completely beaten on the play, and one of the coaches congratulated Trosin on the move as Trosin jogged back to wait for his next turn. Trosin looks to me like he’s gonna be a very tough cover one of these days (maybe soon….)
On another rep of this same drill, Brandin Cooks got a step behind his defender, and came down with a slighly underthrown pass in the end zone. The coach yelled out, very loudly: “Good job Brandin Cooks”.
I recall that Tyrequek Zimmerman had a nice rep in this drill, too, but I don’t recall the details of his catch.
The true freshman receivers — as a group and individually — were quite impressive today, I’m happy to say.
Thanks for the report. Any observations on Unga?
I wasn’t watching Unga much, other than noticing that he was out there. When I was watching the linebackers, I was focusing more on Doctor, to verify his speed and quickness (both of which looked good to me).
But most of my focus on the defense was spent on my favorite guy, Brandon Hardin. As I’ve posted many times on this blog over the past 12 months, Hardin scares me. Last season, he was always a threat to do something dumb.. He was also the guy that seemed to be targeted by opposing QBs and coaches at crunch time — if an opponent absolutely needed 10-15 yards, a slant route against BH was a darn good bet to succeed. So I really focused on Hardin at today’s practice. And I liked most of what I saw. Hardin was getting into the face of receivers at the line of scrimmage, getting his hips low, backpedaling fast, and then staying with the receivers out of their cuts. Hardin looked to be in good physical condition, and looked strong and quick in all the drills. If he would just get a bit more focused during practice (on the sideline as well as on the field), and tone down some of the swaggering, I would feel even better about him. But it was a good first day for BH, as it was for most of the Beavers today….
The million $$$ question isn’t if BHardin can stay with his man, the question is, DOES HE TURN HIS HEAD AND LOOK FOR THE BALL?
http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2011/08/08/camp-day-1/
Cliff’s day 1 practice report is up
So he’s reporting it’s McCant’s job to lose. I figured as much.
My two concerns:
1. He fumbles…a lot.
2. Can he catch? Saw him do it a few times, but he didn’t look like a natural.
For these reasons, I think someone else needs to be groomed for 3rd downs. Maybe Stevenson…
When did McCants fumble a lot? He hasn’t had enough playing time to judge his ability. Besides, it’s been forever since he had any significant carries and I would guess he has been practicing and improving his playing skills, including not fumbling, in that time wouldn’t you agree?
when your old RB was Quizz your new RB is going to fumble a lot. Also McCants does carry the ball kind of funny. I hope he gets that worked out. I can remember a few fumbles which is not good for a guy that doesn’t touch the rock a lot.
He has 95 career carries and 5 career fumbles. So, his fumble rate is 5%.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1273065
Extrapolated, that’s about 17 fumbles per year, which is ridiculously high. From what I remember, he fumbled his very first carry in college…
An increase in fumbles this year have me very nervous. Quizz’s ball security comes around once in a lifetime.
He also had a pass he didn’t catch out of the back of the endzone against Stanford in ’08. Went for a safety, arguably cost us the game (that game cost us the Rose Bowl).
Are you talking about the play at the end of the game? That was Catchings…
I don’t remember McCants causing a safety that game.
No, he’s talking about the play in the third quarter, where the Beavers were backed up deep in their own territory in a 20-20 game and Moevao was trying a swing pass but it was ended up as a lateral, the throw was bad by Lyle and McCants did a bad job trying to adjust and it resulted in a safety. It was the biggest play of the game. It gave Stanford a two point lead and the ball. The Beavers had scored on three straight possessions and were tearing up Stanford’s defense but that play turned the game around.
Ok so maybe I’m overreacting, you did say McCants’ fumbling was just a “concern”. We’ll wait to hang him until that first, fateful fumble.
KPAM is streaming a show from the Valley Football Center with guests Jordan Poyer, Markus Wheaton, Jay Locey and other unnamed guests. Air time is 6:00-9:00 PST
http://player.streamtheworld.com/liveplayer.php?CALLSIGN=KPAMAM
Angry, Mets win 9-8!!!!! Three runs off of Heath Bell in the bottom of the 9th. MLB TV is the best father’s day gift I ever received!
Noiyce, dood.
Hey….thanks for the news, silver etal — If the players are motivated …and keep it going, I think they win their share.
To the players — NO INJURIES! Yall practice safe, ya hear?
@rsteve503: No pads today (of course) but the players were still going surprisingly fast and hard in the Day One drills. For example, in the one-on-one receiver-db drills, there was frequent contact, some of it quite physical, both during the routes, and also at the end of the route, fighting to catch (or bat away) the ball. There was also a fair bit of friendly trash talking between the offense and the defense, and cheering by teammates when good plays were made.
When the pads get put on, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some spirited hitting from this group of players. And, in my opinion, that’s a good thing. Yes, there is a risk of injury, but hey, it’s football. In past camps, I suspect that there wasn’t enough hitting, and that is part of the reason why the Beavers have routinely started so slowly each season. Personally, I’d rather take the risk of a few injuries (leaving out rehabbing players such as James Rodgers and Joe Halahuni, of course), and let players really compete for playing time during camp.
There are a LOT of good athletes out there in this camp — let ’em play football and compete. The team will be better for it (even if one or two guys get dinged and end up missing some time….)
Spot on, SS. Riley’s past comments that “Quizz doesn’t need to practice being tackled” missed the point that “tacklers” needed practice wrapping up and finishing the job. It can be done w/o serious injury and last years poor tackling could have been improved by work in camp.
@oneoldbeav: We are on the same page. Allowing more hitting and tackling in practices during Fall camp — under the watchful eyes of the coaches — should lead to more effective hitting and tackling during games.
But just as important — in my opinion — is the creation of a more competitive culture and a meritocracy at OSU, where players rise and fall on the depth chart based on performance, not seniority. Let the players compete, and give more playing time to the players who shine.
Sure, experience counts. Sure, there is a difference between doing it on the practice field and doing it on Saturdays when it counts. But the coaches should be able to figure all that out. Let the boys play hard in practice a bit more often, and watch what happens.
Maybe a true freshman like Tyler Trosin or Brandin Cooks or Tyrequek Zimmerman or Richard Mullaney steps up and shows himself to be ready for immediate playing time. Maybe the competition lights a fire under a guy like Michael Philipp, and gets him to work harder and to play up to his potential.
In my view, this is all part of taking OSU football to the next level. If we want to get great athletes to come to OSU to play football, we need to give them a chance to show their stuff early and often, and to make clear that the best players will be the ones who get the playing time, regardless of seniority.
Great athletes thrive on competition. The best ones will rise to the top. And those are the guys I’d like to see on the field on Saturdays.
I’ve quoted coach Casey here before, he says, “…the players make it easy for me to put together a line-up (I just watch their performance)…” Also, before last season he said that there are several veteran players who think they should start but, because of their performance will not.
That attitude of playing the best performers who have won the competition seems to be lacking in the FB staff. Using seniority to establish a line-up is, to me, a sign of a coach taking the easy way out. Hopefully we are seeing that change with the changes to the staff.
Oh yeah, what is the latest on Casey?
However, Casey didn’t exactly do that at the end of the season.
Point taken. However, I still feel the FB staff lags Casey in this area.
You realize you a then benching Ken Simonton in his senior year…. with Steven Jackson getting the reps. I actually thought that should have happened, as Simonton looked slower, his senior year.
And their is much to be said for the notion that seniors will give their best, and be the most consistent. And dont forget what college was like … with sometimes huge gaps in your maturity from the freshman to the senior year. For me it seemed like each year was many years of experience.
I think when you, as coach, are creating D1 players out of walkons, as has had to happen at times at OSU, you get into the mode of not playing freshmen unless you have to. But now, since recruiting seems to be picking up, maybe its time to change to the mode of letting performance dictate reps.
Competition is good.
Yikes, the comment editor is really effed. My old humanities prof would have my ass for the their/there mistake….
Yep…. Riley was so intent on having Quizz well, that he missed the point — if Quizz cant take it in practice, how is he going to in games. But the lack of depth is one thing leading to that. Quizz was so much better than the no 2 guy, that the coaches got paranoid.
There has been a lack of depth in a lot of positions and that leads to paranoia. Maybe that has always contributed to OSU’s slow starts — the player have to play into condition.
I like what UO does, with the no huddle, fast rep practices. Gets everyone in better shape. But they seem to have more depth?
I have heard it said that poor conditioning is what leads to injuries.
Beavs are probably going to lose Uso Olive…he has an ASU offer, and the Beavs didn’t offer after his visit yesterday. Gotta think ASU just became the favorite since OSU is treating him like plan B.
Not sure that’s wise; he looks like a player.
Who could possibly be plan A?
yeah, who the hell is plan A? And aren’t they supposed to be addressing the OL/DL specifically, this cycle??
are we looking at him as an OG or DT?
Perhaps riley is looking under the rock upon which Uso is standing and shouting “I want tobplay for OSU!”
http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2011/08/09/riley-on-the-wrs/
Riley talking about his wide receiving group. Not sure what to make of his comments about this being a .500 team. Why would a coach admit to the media that he has low expectations of his team? We all know this isn’t going to be an easy year, but to say they’re a .500 team means you don’t expect to even make a bowl this year. Hopefully I’m reading too much into this.
Just read the article and note that the .500 thing was not a direct quote; hopefully Cliff is the one who is reading too much into this.
I’d say that Riley feels this team is about half-way ready right now in being prepared for the season to what he wants them to be at.
Read it again … if Riley had mentioned the phrase “500 team”, it would have been the headline, and been picked up by the Oregonian and all else. Kirkpatrick would have it in quotes.
To say, instead, that the team has to execute or lose, is just coach-speak, and just the truth. Last year they didnt execute at crucial times, and lost at least two game they should, and could, have won. Thats the difference between 5-7, and 7-5. The first gets you fired, and the second gets you accolades for good coaching.
So, my take is that that is Kirkpatrick talking, looking at the coming season with a team that may or may not have improved from last year’s 5-7. A not unreasonable view.
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2011/08/oregon_state_football_one_of_t.html
Coach Cav interview with Buker. Old man is fired up.
I thought there was a whole week of practice going on? Why only cover the first day and not the second, third, fourth, and so on!? I’m bored at work again and I need UPDATES!!! Please and Thank you! :)
Get on the Twitter dude.
Just back from practice Day 2. I only have a few minutes at the moment, but will add more in a few hours (after dinner etc.).
As I saw it, one freshman clearly stood out today in practice — Brandin Cooks. He was taking some reps with the first team in many of the drills. He was consistently getting open and making catches downfield. The coaches praised him loudly a couple of times.
I watched with particular interest when Cooks was up against Hardin in the passing drills. Cooks beat Hardin more than once, throwing a quick juke at the line, and then getting by Hardin downfield. In fact, I’d call this a mismatch in Cook’s favor — Cooks looks too quick and too fast for Hardin to handle. That’s partly a comment about Hardin (who seemed to have a bad day overall today) but mostly it’s that Cooks is already looking like a potential star.
Gotta run. More comments later….
Good stuff again, SS.
From what I saw on film, Cooks looks like a future star. It’s the reason I’ve been focusing attention on him.
How did the DL “beef” look? Look a bit lean to me. Need Castro back in there to fill space at the very least. Maybe check that out next time you’re at practice.
Hey, a reciever who beats one of your starters can be viewed as asset. If all the recievers are beating your starter, you got a problem. In any case, Hardin gets humbled — maybe thats a good thing.
Your old humanities prof might not like the way you spell receivers, either. (smile icon)
Yikes…. ..well, I was never good at spelling.
OK, here are more comments from Day 2 of practice, in alphabetical order by last name. I didn’t take notes, so it’s just the things that I still remember after three hours and a big meal…)
I should note up front that today (as yesterday) I only attended about one hour of practice — the part of practice where the team mostly works on passing offense and defense (from about 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm).
Jordan Bishop: Dropped a pass or two, and still looks a bit rusty.
Kellen Clute: Made a couple of nice catches near the sidelines on 15-20 yard patterns, and got some praise from the coaches.
Kevin Cummings: Made a couple of VERY nice catches in traffic. Looks to be significantly improved from last season.
Michael Doctor: I watched him a bit more today during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 passing drills. He covers a lot of territory on pass defense; he is quick side-to-side but also forward-and-back. He also can jump — broke up a pass to a tight end during one drill by closing quickly and then jumping high to knock the ball away. My big question about MD remains size — looking forward to seeing how effectively he can shed blockers and bring down big backs (like McCants) when the hitting starts.
Obum Gwachum: taking a lot of first team reps. Made some nice catches downfield again today. Because of his size and jumping ability, could be particularly dangerous as a red-zone receiver. Coaches seem to be giving him lots of attention, trying to coach him up. I think he is going to be given a chance to get on the field a lot in early games, so the coaches can see what he can do.
Connor Hamlett: Dropped several passes today. Caught some, too. Good size, decent speed. He was getting open. Just needs to do better at holding on to the ball. Work in progress.
Brandon Hardin: Not a great day for BH. As noted earlier, he got burned by Brandon Cooks. He totally lost his man on a slant pattern in 1-on-1 passing drill (sigh….) I hope the coaches talk to BH and tell him he does not have a guaranteed starting job and that he needs to show more than he did today.
Ryan Katz: Looks to me that Katz is throwing the ball well, with no lingering effects of his wrist injury at the end of last season. Katz is throwing tight spirals, with a quick release, and his arm strength and accuracy is looking pretty good on both long and short passes (although he did overthrow a few open receivers downfield….sigh again). Katz did throw one interception (to Unga in the middle) and also failed to find a few open receivers during 11-on-11 drills (eating the ball for a couple of sacks). Still needs work on making quicker, better decisions in the pocket.
Sean Mannion: Looks much improved since last season. Throwing the ball more accurately, with a tighter spiral, and with a somewhat quicker release (although his release still needs to get shorter and faster, in my view). Also seems to have more confidence — and more poise in the pocket. Still not ready for prime time, I suspect. Probably won’t be until next year….
Ryan McCants: looks to have improved in catching the ball on short routes out of the backfield. Also looks darned strong and well-built — he’s an imposing physical specimen (always was, but even more so this year).
Richard Mullaney: made a couple of nice catches on short out routes in 1-on-1 drills, under pressure. Also dropped a couple. Doesn’t seem to have hit his stride yet (unlike Brandon Cooks). But one can see he has potential as a “possession receiver” — just needs time and seasoning.
Geno Munoz: Had a good practice, made a number of nice downfield catches.
Rueben Robinson: Completely blew at least one coverage in a passing drill, failing to cover a back in the flat, who was left open with no defender within 10 yards. Coaches got on him big time.
James Rodgers: Same as yesterday — ran routes with the first team, but did not participate in contact drills. Shut it down early, but looked to be running well while he was out there. He caught a number of passes during the drills, and didn’t drop any that I saw, but his catches weren’t completely clean and solid — JR looked to be a bit rusty catching the ball (which is not that surprising).
Tyler Trosin: Less impressive today than yesterday. Didn’t seem to be getting free of his defenders so easily. Don’t remember any particularly impressive plays or catches from TT on Day 2.
Feti Unga: Nice interception (on a hard, low ball from Ryan Katz). I didn’t watch him a ton, but from what I saw he was pretty quick to the ball.
Cody Vaz: Definitely improved from last year. Throwing the ball harder and more accurately. Better poise and presence. Whereas last season Vaz looked scared out there, this season I think he could become a capable back up for Ryan Katz, and might even be able to move the offense down the field if that became necessary.
Terron Ward: TW took quite a few snaps with the first team (along with McCants). Not a whole lot to see today regarding the running backs, but TW didn’t do anything to embarrass himself. Looks like the coaching staff is going to give him a chance to prove himself when the hitting starts.
Markus Wheaton: I thought MW looked really good today. My favorite part of practice today was watching MW and Jordan Poyer matched up against each other in 1-on-1 passing drills. They were really going at it — I think both of them were trying to rise to the challenge, in a friendly but highly competitive way. MW won some; JP won some. When MW won, he displayed superior speed and footwork on come-back routes, as well as good hands, catching balls with Poyer all over him. These two guys are both going to be stars this year for OSU, in my opinion.
Thanks!
Also, thanks! Its fun to read personal observations.
I just took a look at Buker’s report on Day 2, and couldn’t help noticing this statement: “…it was also very noticeable that starting right cornerback Brandon Hardin was having a good day. He broke up numerous passes.” I’ll stick with what I wrote about BH having a bad Day 2. Yes, BH broke up a few passes, but one of them was underthrown (and would otherwise have been a TD against him). Buker doesn’t mention BH’s other misdeeds at today — but I’m pretty confident that Buker wasn’t watching BH as much as I was…..
Funny, I was just coming here to post that same quote from Buker, and ask how he could have such different opinion of BH. Buker’s drunk on Foster’s half the time so that could explain it.
I’m guessing that Buker was not watching BH from start to finish on many (or any) plays. Instead, Buker was just watching the ball, and noticing when BH was there to break up a pass play. In contrast, I was watching BH on most plays from before the snap until after the ball was ruled dead. That’s why I was able to see Brandin Cooks outquick BH at the line of scrimmage multiple times (something I’m guessing Buker never saw). It’s also why I know that, one of those pass breakups downfield, BH simply lucked out on an underthrown ball, and would otherwise have been beaten for a TD.
We invited this guy as a preferred walk-on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPHK1F388bg
I’m impressed. Nice footwork and delivery. Can’t figure out why he wasn’t offered…I guess arm strength?
I take these fall practice reports from Buker, Kirkpatrick, etc. with a grain of salt. There is always going to be a spin from their angle to keep a good relationship and access with Riley. It all shows up on the field in the end anyway.
I should read more Duck reports from the Register Guard just out of curiousity because Kelly hates the local media and they hate him.
I agree, the media is almost always wrong. I think they fear they’ll lose readers/viewers if they’re honest. That’s the only theory I can come up with, unless everyone in the media is genuinely a glass-half-full type.
The most disturbing thing I’ve seen so far is that Riley told Cliff this is a .500 team. You just can’t say that if you’re the head coach. If I am a player and hear that, I know I can lose 6 games and it’s no big deal.
Cliff wrote: “Between the lines, Riley admits its a .500 team.”
I think this is more Cliff than Riley.
Also, I always wonder how much head coaches talk to their players about what they say in the media. In other words, does Riley tell his kids… “look, I may say anything to the media to tell the fans what they want to hear but that doesn’t mean its how I really feel.” or anything like that.
I asked Cliff for clarification.
Someone in the comment area asked, too, and he wrote: “He’s only saying wins are going to be hard to come by. He doesn’t count wins publicly like the media and fans, but he knows being bowl eligible will be difficult.”
Whatever that means. He doesn’t clarify if that was a Riley comment or his own interpretation.
What Cliff should have written:
“[What I’m hearing] Between the lines [is that] Riley admits its a .500 team.”
But he’s hearing incorrectly. Give him credit for listening for once, but it takes practice to hear actual intent. He’ll get there.
What Riley said to the media was what he said to the team. He took his “attention to detail” speech and modified it with real life examples–like the 2010 season. He told them the same thing. Do all the little things right, and the big things take care of themselves. But even when they don’t, and we find ourselves in a close game for whatever reason, those little things will make the difference on one or just a couple plays. And that difference will determine the outcome of that game. That’s what happened to us a couple times last year, and we didn’t do what was required to overcome ourselves in those instances. That’s what makes the difference between a 9-3 team and an undefeated team. That’s what makes the difference between being over or under .500, like last year.
Maybe Kirkpatrick is trying to be a little controversial…remember he already called last year’s defense “inept” in another report which is kind out of character for him.
Also, could “between the lines” mean on the field right now they are a .500 team, but the staff’s job is to coach them up?
Hey! Right now… on the field… we’re undefeated!
Cliff just added a new comment on his blog. Cliff was asked, again, whether Riley really said, implicitly or explicitly, that he expect this year’s Beavers to be a .500 team. Here is Cliff’s latest response:
***
“When Riley talks about the margin for error, he means making a bowl game. To make a bowl game the team needs six wins in a 12-game season. It needs to be a .500 team.
Riley said and knows that six wins will be difficult because of injury, standout players gone and tough schedule.
Thus, he knows the team has to execute perfectly with a small margin of error. Meaning, get six wins and be .500 and go to a bowl game.”
***
As I read Cliff’s response, Riley never said he expects the Beavs to be a .500 team. This is Cliff trying to “read between the lines”, and stretching quite a bit to do so…
I think Cliff is new to trying to provide pointed critical thoughts and overreached on this one. Or possibly he was correct in his own thoughts and failed to write them down correctly. Either way, it’s something we’ve been doing here for a couple years, and all of us have done the same at one time or another. It just takes practice to do it correctly on a consistent basis, and Cliff’s a little behind the curve after years of doing the opposite for football.
He has natural biases for and against certain people or situations (as we all do), and they’ve shown over the years. He has been decidedly against athletes who end up in court for whatever reason, and I’ve argued with him about my feeling that he’s failed to provide all information in such circumstances rather than just provide the prosecutor’s take. He may have been right for all I know, but in my mind he failed to tell us why he might have been right by telling only one side of a story.
He has gone soft on Riley and the football staff over the years, and I think this is just his pendulum swinging a little too far after years of all of us talking to him about being wholly objective. I welcome his new vision, but with that vision comes a more detailed explanation. In this case he seized upon words from a coach talking about playing .500 ball, and he understood those words to mean being a .500 team. We required further explanation, and he gave it.
That being said, I think there is valid criticism for the .500 talk. I believe Riley’s context is based on looking at last year’s performance and enhancing this year’s team. But we all want a little more than a cautionary tale for motivation in 2011 and beyond. Perhaps the team is receiving more. Perhaps Riley is telling them to never forget what happened last year, to never let it happen again. And that would be the kind of talk I want from a coach who went through it. But it can’t be conveyed in a one-time motivational speech or a recap to the media afterward. It has to be pounded into every play on every day.
So criticisms also can’t be immediately reactionary. We need to wait and see whether this motivational tool is played out or left at the altar.
I agree with SS, and say again, that Riley never said “.500 team”…. Kirkpatrick’s clarification doesnt clarify. He should have come right out and said that he never said that.
A coach trying to get the players to focus hammers on the execution needed to win games. This isnt a prediction of what the team will do. I would expect that coaches think all the games are winnable, given proper execution.
Kirkpatrick has dug himself a hole and seems determined to stay in it.
Kirkpatrick has dug himself a hole and seems determined to stay in it.
Agreed, he is backpedaling now.
Doesn’t back-pedaling mean he’s trying to back out of the hole he’s dug?
In any case, he tried to take a critical look and saw something other than what was there. Mistakes happen, and we get to call them out. But I’m content with forgiveness if this means Cliff isn’t just going to drink the kool-aid anymore. It’s what we want him to do. Isn’t it?
I think piling on (when he tries for the first time to remove the orange colored glasses and overreaches) either gives him justification for a bunker mentality or pushes the glasses back on. If we don’t give him the space to back-pedal, then he won’t. And if we don’t gracefully allow him to be wrong every now and then, then why should he try being right instead of retreating to the safe harbor of juice-drinkerville?
He’s the only writer who’s reached (and missed) on any idea which might be real thus far. That’s one more than we had last year.
Doh, good catch… *backpedaling*
Cav just waking up to Enger being a good player. Enger moved from #3 to #2 on the depth chart after 2 days. Good sign.
“He’s going to be moved around quite a bit,” Cavanaugh said of Enger. “He’s a good athlete and a smart guy, but he still has a lot to learn.”
Here’s the comment I left on Cliff’s site about the subject:
Enger needs to start. This situation reminds me of Linnenkohl a few years ago–clearly better than every starter, yet he wasn’t cracking the starting lineup because of politics. When he finally did we saw what happened. Same situation here. Enger at tackle, Phillipp at guard, and Kelly as the #1 backup.
I think it’s spot on and will come to fruition as camp plays out.
Of course, it’s not like any of us were REALLY REALLY excited when Enger signed.
*sarcasm*
Micah Hatfield hurt his thumb yesterday, and the Commish hurt his knee. Both may require surgery. Ouch for Hatfield!
Watching coach Cav and the O-line currently. Lots of “you guys are really pissing me off” and “plant your f’ing foot!” Coming from Cav. Isaac Suemalo and Daryl Jackson III are observing thre drills. Not far away is ;anker and the D. Can’t hear much but pretty much repetitve drills at this point.
Commish?
Larry Scott
Huh?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/beavers/2011/08/welcome_back_mission_statement.html
Off topic:
http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/081011aaa.html
At least someone at OSU is getting some pre-season respect.
Off topic… Coach Rob on 750 AM right now, and Markus Wheaton on at 4:30.
http://www.750thegame.com/pages/8435695.php
Team has been through the wars together… they now know what it takes to win in this league… youth had to carry the team earlier than he expected last year (Oy vey!)… team has necessary experience now… four players with international experience on their national teams (Brandt, Barton, Collier and Gomis… Gomis would be playing for Senegal right now if he weren’t hurt)… he’s really hyping Moreland as “the key”… still fundraising for practice facility… goal for this year is to make the NCAA’s.
All in all a soft interview, but still positive. I’m not accustomed to hearing Coach Rob speak in such positive terms. Usually he’s brutally honest and a little depressing. Interesting.
He’s probably happy to be rid of Calvin Haynes.
How could anyone NOT be happy to be rid of Calvin Haynes?
I don’t consider Riley much of a spin guy, but he might be spinning the .500 comment if he really said it….the reality is if they do finish 6-6 and make a minor bowl it will be a statistical improvement over 2010 and he can point to progress with an “injury-riddled” team and promise better things in 2012.
I am not saying that is acceptable, but some decent tenured coaches who farted around with .500 for awhile eventually got canned. Think McBride, Wannsedt, Minter, the guy at So.Miss all those years (Jeff Bowers?). .
OK, just back from Day 3 of practice. Shoulder pads today, but still no tackling or serious hitting, so not much to say (yet) about the O-line or D-line. Spent most of the time again watching passing drills. I won’t repeat what I said in the Day 1 and Day 2 reports, so this report will be short.
Brandin Cooks: Cooks is cementing his position as the standout freshman in camp. Made nice catches in traffic today. Got several compliments from the coaches. Perhaps more important, the QBs seem to be looking for him — Cooks already seems to be one of the “go to” receivers. Seems impossible to contain at the line of scrimmage, so CBs are backing off a few yards rather than pressing him. If he stays healthy, I think he’ll play a lot this year.
James Rodgers: Wearing the new knee brace today. It may take some getting used to, but JR still looked good running routes, and looked more comfortable today catching the ball.
Connor Hamlett: Much better day today holding on to the ball. He is listed at 6’7″ and 257 lbs, and looks all of that. He was impressive on Day 3.
Michael Doctor: Used his quickness effectively today on some outside blitzes — got to the QB real fast a couple of times during 11-on-11 drills. I hope we see a lot more of this….Doctor may bring a new and much needed dimension to the Beaver pass rush.
Jordan Poyer: Looked great all day in man-to-man coverage — no one seems to be able to get separation from him; contests just about every pass to the guy he’s covering.
Obum Gwacham: Another solid day, and continues to get quite a bit of attention from the coaches (coaching him up, presumably because the coaching staff believes he is going to be a player…)
Thanks for providing these reports…trust your opinion more than any of the sites, and it helps me paint the true picture.
I’d love to see them make Gwacham into an Antonio Gates/hybrid TE.
It sounds like Cooks might replace Rodgers running the fly sweep (probably don’t want James running at an acute angle with a bad knee…a perpendicular hit could wipe it out again).
Beavs need to move to a 4wr base set so they can get their best athletes and most dangerous weapons on the field.
would that be considered the air raid offense?
Not necessarily. They could just have an ace spread formation or 4WR/trips formation with 3WR on one side and 1 on the other. I believe we’ve used this in the past, just rarely. Don’t necessarily need to have the QB in a shotgun (hallmark of the Air Raid), either. But, that would probably help given our offensive line play.
Seems we have both the strengths and weaknesses for that style offense, but Riley will never do it. He is too focused on the idea of what a football team should be rather than focusing on what he has to work with.
great, thanks for the clarification. i am short on technical football knowledge and so I appreciate what i learn on this forum. i agree with you completely, btw. if not the air raid, then trips left or right seems very very attractive. I still want a robust run game, though, so I don’t know how the air raid would affect that.
Why did they recruit all these receivers when what they needed was linemen? Whats the point of having them if there is no time for the QB to go deep?