From various sources:
Derek Nielson stepped in for Colin Kelly. Nielson is a walk-on. Gavin Andrews has looked good, and I expect he'll start to see time at RT. You can see here I had Andrews as my #2 prospect in the 2012 class. Looks like I'm going to be spot-on with him (and Cowdin, hehe).
Isaac is ready to start. Philipp is back in shape. Beavs now have two 4-star talents on the line. They should be better for that alone, and Josh Andrews is no slouch. Enger and the RT need to step up their game. Enger will be fine, IMO, though he should be a tackle not a guard.
Trent Bray is having an impact already.
Punting situation is still a nightmare. Both guys (Kostol and McMullen) are shankapotomuses…I think McMullen wins the job because he can rugby kick better. Hopefully the kid they just signed, Garrett Owens, gets in the mix next year if not this…either of the current two guys will cost the Beavs games this year. Historically, Riley would rather have a 5th string LB than a scholarship punter…fine, but realize it's going to cost the team wins and possibly his job.
Riley wants Chris Brown to be the RB but wants him to earn it. I think Agnew is in his doghouse. Woods and Brown are the guys right now. I think Brown needs to start, and Woods should be the 3rd down back. Tyler Anderson needs to be the FB, too, but haven't heard much about him. He's a pass catching threat with good wheels.
Zimmerman is running with the first team (Didn't I/we just mention he should supplant Watkins?). Riley, you reading this?
Just watched the day 3 video.
Really excited about Bray as a coach; he’s high-energy, and has an authoritative voice that catches your attention. Plus, being a young guy means the players can relate to him a bit better than some of our older coaches.
I haven’t seen Brown or Storm run yet, but it seems like those two are really in competition for the starting spot and maybe a 70/30 split for carries. Agnew has the physical tools (power, speed, quickness) but those fumbles and injuries are no-noes for a Riley RB.
And as a side-note; can we just wear those practice jerseys on game-day? Deep black with an OS in the corner, nice and clean. Either that or our awesome Pro Combat/Throwbacks from TCU and the Civil War.
Let’s hope we don’t have to punt as much this season.
Seems silly to me to not value a good punter.
I would rather be scoring than punting.
….well, SURE! Lets score 60 a game!
But getting back to reality, even if we are better than last year, and are competitive against teams, I dont see us blowing out anyone but maybe Nichols. Close games can be won or lost in the punting aspect. After Hekker, you would think Riley might want a better punter.
Shouldn’t be any worse than last year. We are used to a Shankker.. I mean Hekker.
that’s what I’m saying, if our punting game is going to be worse than with Hekker, we might have to score 40+ a game. Thus the statement “Let’s hope we don’t have to punt as much this season”.
Ok…..I dont think we are at cross purposes. But I will disparage Riley for not hooking in a quality punter. Puniting less frequently doesnt mean the act isnt important. One ugly shank could still mean a loss in a close game.
Absolutely. And I don’t care who you are,you’re going to have to punt in a football game. Probably multiple times. Seems like a valid use of a scholarship.
Like I said Chris Brown IS our guy!
Any word on:
Noke
Malik Gillmore?
With emergence of Bray as coach, seems kinda too bad Jashwa James is going to become an undersized D-line project. Maybe Bray could have put his near-250 lb frame to good use at MLB and nudged Rueben down the depth chart. Way down.
I was thinking that today. I’d be pissed if I was the position coach or the the guy that recruited him. Quality recruit,good size and potential only to be moved out of his element to make up for recruiting shortcomings. That would be annoying.
Kirkpatrick said OT Colin Kelly went down with a knee injury. It didn’t appear to be bad, but it ended his day. Kelly was treated on the sidelines and watched the rest of practice as he iced the knee. He said during practice that he would be back Thursday. He also said Phillips looked strong.
I mean it’s not that I want Colin Kelly to be injured, but at the same time I’m glad the next person in the lineup gets chance to shine.
Maker’s Mark 46 is delicious for the record.
Banker’s Mark 46 is quite the opposite…
Hunting.
Good Will?
Wheaton?
Have to respectfully disagree on a couple of points. Zimmerman is a hybrid safety/corner and will be needed very much in the multiple receiver sets. Watkins is a run stopping safety who will also be needed at times. You need to remember last year. The other safety, bless his heart, played all year on one leg with a bad groin. The middle linebacker position was constantly changing. Watkins had to be the stopper against the run and everyone on the field , including the opposition knew it. Josh Andrews, macho, vocal guy…the jury is still out. Isaac was put at center in part to cover for JA and the poor guard play. Who cares if a fullback can catch a pass? The fullback is a lead blocker in the modern era. The game has evolved in the last few years. If you need another receiver these days, you pull the fb and add another te or wr for the matchup you need. A pass catching fb is a bonus, not the main”deal”. Collin Kelly playing sometimes alongside a te that could block (block=ability to drive an opponent off a staked position. Chipping or screening does not count as blocking) would be ok and can be productive.
Watkins was handed a shit sandwich by the Dline last year.
matt, your description of Andrews reminds me of Kevin Frahm, another macho vocal guy. Frahm was always a bit of a disappointment to me, I have higher hopes for Andrews.
As to the FB position, I fully agree. Still get a kick out of your “portable snot knocker” designation!
I think you’re selling Andrews short. He was playing on one good wheel (when he was in) after the Wisconsin game. And he was on an island between Johnson and Remmers. There wasn’t much he could have done to make himself look good in those circumstances.
Anybody ready for the season to start?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfl6jX5or6k
What a pass!
Why are we watching a vid of Lyerla? He’s a physical specimen, to be sure. But the questions about him have always been academics. I think we should watch vids on Beavs first and players who are actually eligible second.
Let’s go to a former Duck instead of one who can’t get grades at Duck High.
Oops! that’s not a former Duck. That’s an OSU TE who was smart enough to graduate early playing as a QB.
I apologize for that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U76x4_9QDHk
Where’d you get your punting game info? Is that first hand or second hand? What I was reading was definately more positive than “nightmare”.
You can pretty much watch the daily practices on the OSU Webcams. The views are too far away to tell who’s who, but it’s still interesting to see how things happen.
http://webcam.oregonstate.edu/basketball/
http://webcam.oregonstate.edu/reser/
I went to practice a couple of times last year and just grabbed a Togo’s sandwich on the way over and sat in my folding chair on the sidelines for a nice lunch in the sun. I really enjoyed getting to watch James Rogers and the rest of the team practice from about 20-30 feet away. I’d recommend it to anyone who has a few spare hours in the afternoon someday. Corvallis is pretty nice in the summertime.
This sounds like a great idea – I haven’t ever gone down to watch Fall Camp, so I’m not sure how it works.
Can you literally walk into the stadium, grab a seat with some food and drink, and watch practice? Does anyone know if there is decent Wifi as well? Sounds like I should have a “work” from the stadium day soon.
Also any word on when the Beavs will come up to Portland for their O/D scrimmage? Any idea if it will be played at Geld Wen?
They actually practice on the 2 fields sandwiched between the indoor facility and the site of the new basketball practice facility. You can sit along the sidelines on ground level. There are a few bleachers set up with about 3-4 tiers of seats, but I preferred taking my own folding camp chairs with cup holders. Not sure about the Wifi situation on campus. They practice for around 2 hours, so it could be a long lunch break maybe?
Thanks man! I appreciate the info.
No prob. one more thing, I’m pretty sure they don’t charge for parking during the summer in the Reser lot. Might be worth double checking.
When they do practice in the stadium, you can in fact just walk in and sit down where ever you want. I’ve done it several times.
Lindsay tweets Kelly “not at practice today”.
https://twitter.com/lindsayrae19
Kelly was at practice, but he wasn’t in pads. He had a wrap on his knee, but was walking around fine. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow or Saturday.
No surprise that Lindsay would be incorrect, thanks for the correction.
How did Carlos and Andrew look, notice anything about their attitude?
Ooops……looks like Lindsay was retweeting the news from Cliff, not as bad as if she reported it on her own, but still sloppy.
Carlos and Andrew?
My bad, meant DT’s CASTRO Masaniai and Andrew Seumalo.
Cliff said Jashwa James was back to LB today.
Cal has their new Memorial Stadium’s turf all ready to go and all their logos placed. The $321 beauty will fulfill their needs for many decades to come. However, even though BDC has stated Reser Phase 3 could be started with as little as $40 million raised, the fundrasing effort has not even formally begun and it appears OSU is atleast 5 years out from beginning any construction.
Cal $321 Million Stadium Nears Completion:
http://beaverbyte.com
Because fan support isn’t exactly on a high… how would they expect to receive enough donations when they can’t even field a winning team?
I just think they need to start fundraising. Let it get started by requesting $5 entry for Truax Pregame Festivities which can go strictly towards Phase 3. With a goal in mind there is something for fans to rally behind even if it is a 3-4 year process. In that time and if wins start picking up I think 40 million could be raised. Pat Reser has pledged some support according to BDC so you would think that would be good for maybe $10 million. Better to start chipping away and be ready then start suddenly in a few years or so and be told we have less options IMO.
Mizzou just sold out for the season tickets 46,500, we dont even hold that many. Falling behind.
What else are they going to do on a Saturday?
Seriously though, live in the Midwest for a while and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Focus on the D-line:
http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/080912aab.html
After reading that I feel a lot better about the DT position.
Looking forward to hearing what BDC has planned for game days. OSU did hire a guy for this purpose about six months ago, so hopefully he has come up with some great ideas.
The Pac-12 added seven medals in four different sports today, including three golds + two history-making firsts: http://on.pac-12.org/NhDi1k
They don’t call us the conference of champions for nothing!
Looks like quizz will be carrying the rock a little more for the falcons this season. He should at least be the number 2 behind turner. Also he scored in the preseason game today.
See?
Hanging out at McDonald’s is bad.
Having people break you of those bad habits and teach you how to live well is good.
I rest my case.
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2012/08/oregon_state_football_castro_m.html
He got charged with assaulting the Dollar Menu.
I like Poyer’s attitude:
“I’d like to intercept Manning, Brady….if I went up against Calvin Johnson I’d lock him down 7 out of 10 times…”
How common for a Beaver to have that kind of confidence?
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/opinion/blogs/cliff-kirkpatrick/training-camp-day/article_980b8128-e26a-11e1-bb17-001a4bcf887a.html
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/opinion/blogs/cliff-kirkpatrick/training-camp-day/article_980b8128-e26a-11e1-bb17-001a4bcf887a.html
Don’t forget sack Mike Vick. That was kind of a odd interview, not very often do reporters keep pushing questions about the NFL to college kids.
Poyer is a STUD!
I’d like to lock down Brady’s wife!
AFTER sacking her?
And getting a 15 yard penalty for illegal touching.
Quick hoops note: 4-star PG Jaron Hopkins is visiting this weekend.
For all the guys who are fixated on the number of stars a recruit garners, how many stars did Ashton Eaton have as a high schooler and who’d have thunk he would end up where he is today?
Questions the local media will never ask:
-closed practices are the rule at Stanford, Cal, UofO, and others.
-a story in the O today indicates that new Duck players aren’t permitted to talk to the media until the week before the first game.
So………..does Riley ever give thought to following suit, to at least some degree? Does he have good reason not to?
Opinions ?? Anyone ever hear Riley’s thoughts?
There’s probably interviews out there where he speaks to it. I’m a fan of another school that has closed practices and it stinks. I think open practices allows fans to connect with the team better and I enjoy knowing what’s going on, what’s being worked on, and the style of coaches and players. From a fan standpoint, I think the positives outweigh any potential negatives. It takes more time for me to get excited for my other team at this time of year, and it’s harder to get a sense of personalities and player interaction.
Look on the bright side. You can’t see all the injuries they rack up at Purdue.
No doubt. “Oh looky, another blown ACL!”
I’d be interested to know what disadvantages you think there are to closing the practices and access to the young recruits? If OS were installing a new offense or new defense, then I could see the merit. But I think we all know that is not an issue. And the questions that they ask the incoming freshman are always about their transition to college life and to practicing. The only semi-valid reason that I could see for closing practice would be the distraction of having people around.
So, my obvious opinion is that keeping practices open makes sense for OS. The positives outweigh the negatives and further creates the culture that Mike Riley fosters.
Anyone that wants a closed practice, in my opinion, wants a different coaching style and most likely a different coach.
Why close the practices? We run the same 5 plays every year. This is not top secrets shit we are dealing with.
Hehe
sparkyd, I assume you meant to ask what advantages I see in closing practices and access to recruits. For me it does come down to eliminating distractions and a little more…
IMO the tone of the program and the message it sends to players is set, in part, by policies in these areas. If this team is to have the kind of success we’d all like to see there needs to be a bit of an “us versus the world” and “no one fears/respects us” attitude. A very serious focus on only preparing to win games.
Keeping new players (really most players) away from the media at the start of the season lets them know they aren’t “big stuff” yet. Lets them know this is a serious project which requires intent focus. Same for closing at least some practices, it is the message it sends players that I think can be effective, the elimination of distractions which I feel can improve results.
You are partially correct in your opinion given in your last sentence. I certainly want a different coaching style, and different results. I don’t really think a different head coach is needed, Riley is a smart, respected man of integrity. He is making some changes which, I think, indicate he is more serious this time around. I doubt the fun, family atmosphere which seems to be the focus lately would be destroyed by a better winning record achieved by more focused attention toward achieving victory.
Wouldn’t be a very smart time to alienate the media or your fanbase.
I can’t really think of any good reason for Oregon State to have closed practices. I guess maybe the last practice before game day could be closed to eliminate possible distractions while nailing down the game plan.
Yeah… closed practices are dumb except for one practice during the week when you’re installing packages and maybe the first half of your walk-through on Friday.
Cliff over at the Gazette-Times seldom writes much in the way of analysis that is insightful – most of it is predictable and not meant to rock the boat. But in his blog post today he has hit the nail on the head. I think we’ve all been feeling this way for a long time, so the analysis isn’t exactly “insightful”, I’m posting because I’m proud of Cliff for finally saying something meaningful is his commentary.
Preach Cliffy!
“Today’s practice will be in full gear for the first time. Typically that means someone will hit someone too hard and someone will take offense and a minor brawl starts.
Well, that was the good old days, anyway. That hasn’t happened lately for the Beavers. I was talking with various people this week and said the Beavers need a good fight in practice to liven things up.
At the very least it would show some spirit. The Beavers are talented, well-coached and all that. However, they need the fire that teams of old had.
That was when the defense was a terror and the running game could shove the ball down an opponents throat. People don’t want to admit it, but they loved the bully Beavers. And the Beavers need the bully Beavers.”
Bottom line – these players need more piss and vinegar in their veins, less mayo and mug root beer.
My memory says that a couple guys were going at it in spring camp, is that accurate?
I believe it was Storm Woods who got into it with another player.
@OState Bro: I’ll give a hip hip hooray to that. If you know what I mean. :-)
Some D-Line video from OSU:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBPKr8CEZFs&feature=player_embedded
How about Joe Burton next year, for one season, as a te, ot, dt or de?
No kidding!
I thought Seth Tarver would have made a great DE as well. He was a pretty good player at Jesuit.
Glad to hear Castro M. would be “happy” with a 4-8 season. He’s got lofty goals for his senior season…
I don’t really think that is a fair conclusion to draw from his statements. He is a player, not a paid coach or spokesman for the team. I don’t think we should criticize players for their word choices.
It’s possible that that just came out wrong. But would you ever expect to hear Poyer or Wynn talk like that?
Word choice – particularly from someone who is NOT a spokeperson or adept in PR – reflects the way they think. And to me this shows pretty clearly that Castro would be happy as long as the team improves from last year.
I’m not criticizing him for what he said- I’m criticizing the mentality that spawned it. And the coaches own a piece of that, if a key senior starter does not have the drive to aspire to more than mediocrity.
You are presuming that better than last year only means marginally better. In his mind it could mean something entirely different. He may have 9 wins as his minimal goal or a Pac-12 Title. I’m just saying that we often get caught up in reading motivations and the stuff in between the lines, and I’m not sure that is appropriate with the players.
From O-live:
Doing work on the field certainly played into goal-setting though.
Masaniai has heard the doubters who question if the Beavers’ defensive toughness is a characteristic of the past. After a brutal 2011 in which Oregon State gave up a whopping 197 rushing yards per game, Masaniai is out to prove that things can, and will, get better in Corvallis.
“As long as we don’t go 3-9 again I’m happy,” he said.
Logical correlary: 4 wins would make him happy. In other words, his goal is to improve from 3 wins.
And if you think that’s a stretch, read the first line. This statement is specifically in regard to goal-setting. His goal is that things “get better”. He clarifies better as “not 3-9 again.”
Pretty cut-and-dried… Castro’s goals are mediocre. When Poyer was asked about team defensive goals, he said “Rose Bowl.”
Agreed. Your talking about the difference between being a leader and being a follower. Castro should be happy with a full, healthy season. So just being better than last year is a worthy goal of someone in the same frame of mind.
Don’t confuse those who lead and those who follow. Both are worthy, but one is worth following.
I’d have to hear him say it in context. Sardonic humor doesn’t usually come when our beat writers write. Maybe he’s making fun of himself and his own team for only winning three last year, and four *sly smirk* would be dandy?
That’s a good point…and especially painful if you ever read some of the Duck beat writers by comparison. They have great content, good insights, AND they ask good questions despite being constantly smacked down and ridiculed by the Chipster.
I’ll concede that’s a possibility…
Looks like Fry is done for 2013 after having tommy john surgery. Bummer.
Really tough break for him. Wish him a speedy recovery. As for the Beavers, they have some guys who can step in and do a decent job, Andrew Moore is one of those guys. Gonna have to count on a young guy to get it done.
Mention on O-live that Starr might not be 100%?
Anyone know what that’s about?
Heh heh…
Check out the new view of Prothro.
http://webcam.oregonstate.edu/basketball/
That’s hilarious. It’s like they didn’t even know you could watch practice from the webcams until we talked about it here in the angrybeavs comments.
The other view got the same treatment
http://webcam.oregonstate.edu/reser/
I’m sure every other blog out there knows about the webcams. I’m hoping it’s just that they went full contact today. It’s fine if you want to come to practice and watch. But why give lazybones coach from 1000 miles away a free look?
Btw… it wasn’t like that before practice. I wonder if it comes down when practice is done.
I can’t imagine how much trouble I would have been in if these cams were up when I went to school. I didn’t destroy or damage anything. But I was drunk in places at times when and where people shouldn’t be… on some nights.
Wow, that’s pathetic. They really didn’t realize that?
And practices that are open to the public now need to be screened out so nobody can watch on-line video at 5 FPS?
Kinda stupid isn’t it!
Imo this organization is lost when it comes to getting the fans excited about an up coming season and having a black out isn’t a way of doing it.
Hey idiots! Not all fans can motor over to a practice and watch in person!!!
Out of sight, out of mind baby!