Spring Competition

[CuseJacket]

Green, Cottrell, Searcy? I thought this was settled.

Obvious AB starters are Willis and McClellan since our offense is not plug and play.

Also if we get D-Rob, obvious redshirt. Maybe he sees the field in 3 years.

 

[FightWinDrink]

Green, Cottrell, Searcy? I thought this was settled.

Obvious AB starters are Willis and McClellan since our offense is not plug and play.

Also if we get D-Rob, obvious redshirt. Maybe he sees the field in 3 years.

I'm hoping DRob will grow a few inches and bulk up so we can save him as a ace in the hole DT in a few years

 

[iceeater1969]

Green, Cottrell, Searcy? I thought this was settled.

Obvious AB starters are Willis and McClellan since our offense is not plug and play.

Also if we get D-Rob, obvious redshirt. Maybe he sees the field in 3 years.

A class of seniors at ab, bb, and WR will make the offense work if we have 5 star qb and good ol. Bring on 2018!
THAT WAS A JOKE.
Bring on 2016!
After a good spring, more offseason work outs and the big decision time fall camp; gt will be ready on offense!

 

[Unk T]

He became our best A-back last season. I don't think he would've been our best if we actually were at full strength. I think Qua was on track and hope he gets right back there.

Qua looked good against Alcorn and Tulane...just like everyone else. That's not much to go from...

 

[LargeFO]

I think some are sleeping on Lynch. He will still be heavily in the rotation even if we are back at full strength.

 

[takethepoints]

I think some are sleeping on Lynch. He will still be heavily in the rotation even if we are back at full strength.

You may be right. Lynch was our hardest runner last year; no doubt about that. Would that we had had others who could break tackles like he did. He also proved - no surprise - that he had good hands.

Problem = compared to many others coming up, he doesn't have great speed. If you had a choice between guys who reliably cut 4.45 and lower 40s and Lynch, you'd be hard pressed to put him out there first, particularly on a team with JT at QB. Everything slowed down last year in part because the ABs we had left after the ND game, including Lynch, couldn't keep up with JT to the corner. (That nobody much was doing any edge blocking didn't help, of course.)

But, hey, making these decisions is what spring practice is for.

 

[Unk T]

You may be right. Lynch was our hardest runner last year; no doubt about that. Would that we had had others who could break tackles like he did. He also proved - no surprise - that he had good hands.

Problem = compared to many others coming up, he doesn't have great speed. If you had a choice between guys who reliably cut 4.45 and lower 40s and Lynch, you'd be hard pressed to put him out there first, particularly on a team with JT at QB. Everything slowed down last year in part because the ABs we had left after the ND game, including Lynch, couldn't keep up with JT to the corner. (That nobody much was doing any edge blocking didn't help, of course.)

But, hey, making these decisions is what spring practice is for.

Do we know Lynch's 40 time?

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

You may be right. Lynch was our hardest runner last year; no doubt about that. Would that we had had others who could break tackles like he did. He also proved - no surprise - that he had good hands.

Problem = compared to many others coming up, he doesn't have great speed. If you had a choice between guys who reliably cut 4.45 and lower 40s and Lynch, you'd be hard pressed to put him out there first, particularly on a team with JT at QB. Everything slowed down last year in part because the ABs we had left after the ND game, including Lynch, couldn't keep up with JT to the corner. (That nobody much was doing any edge blocking didn't help, of course.)

But, hey, making these decisions is what spring practice is for.

Speed is great when you break free, but being the fastest doesn't help if you miss your block.

 

[alagold]

Actually you can usually find the skilled O players with pretty good accuracy based on practice, but finding the D players, especially the front 7, requires game experience. The ability to find the ball and flow to it while shedding/avoiding blockers is a skill which only shows up only in real game experience. I could usually set my O depth by the first game but D usually required at least 3 games to find the right players and positions. Obviously there are always exceptions and late bloomers (S. Days for example).

I agree.The Def sometimes looks different(better or worse) because (1) they see the same guys and plays time and again (2) they may not always the same intensity as in a real game/situation.
This especially true running vs the our OFF in regards to (1) .

 

[ramblinvak]

Not sure if this has been brought up but does MLD stay at A-back? i think the best course of action for him would be to red-shirt at b-back. Also are we penciling in Marcus Marshall as BB1 and Marcus Allen as BB2? Sounds like all of this may be figured out during spring and fall.

 

[Sean311]

I'll bet someone $5 we win the coastal next year.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Problem = compared to many others coming up, he doesn't have great speed. If you had a choice between guys who reliably cut 4.45 and lower 40s and Lynch, you'd be hard pressed to put him out there first, particularly on a team with JT at QB. Everything slowed down last year in part because the ABs we had left after the ND game, including Lynch, couldn't keep up with JT to the corner. (That nobody much was doing any edge blocking didn't help, of course.)

But, hey, making these decisions is what spring practice is for.

Keeping up with JT on the pitch because of lack of foot speed wasn't the main Aback problem, imo. It was more about reliability with timing and spacing. Not knowing where and when to go 100% of the time and with 100% precision was the problem. Hitting their mark on lead blocks with low percentage was also a huge problem. Neither of these things have much to do with foot speed.

I think when Boomer and others talk about lack of foot speed, they are referring to after they've received the pitch. Either they weren't fast enough to beat the first defender to the corner or they weren't fast enough to outrun pursuit once they did. Now that's a problem, but it's different from what you stated.

Again, being at the right place at the right time is ultra critical in our offense and that comes with experience and that was sorely lacking last season.

 

[Skeptic]

Keeping up with JT on the pitch because of lack of foot speed wasn't the main Aback problem, imo. It was more about reliability with timing and spacing. Not knowing where and when to go 100% of the time and with 100% precision was the problem. Hitting their mark on lead blocks with low percentage was also a huge problem. Neither of these things have much to do with foot speed.

I think when Boomer and others talk about lack of foot speed, they are referring to after they've received the pitch. Either they weren't fast enough to beat the first defender to the corner or they weren't fast enough to outrun pursuit once they did. Now that's a problem, but it's different from what you stated.

Again, being at the right place at the right time is ultra critical in our offense and that comes with experience and that was sorely lacking last season.

This is, I think, a correct synopsis of the speed issue. Thomas nor any QB actually runs full tilt to the outside until after he has made the decision to keep the ball. The rest, as stated, is pitch relationship and spacing -- somewhere I read the pitch man was to be four yards behind and four yards outside the QB, but maybe I misremember -- and the QB's main chore at that point is to have the optioned defender commit to him, or to the pitch back. I think the lack of speed did tell, more obvious on the rocket toss than anywhere, though for the life of me I don't recall Orwin Smith being that fast but he was next thing to automatic with the thing. Even when they were looking for it.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

This is, I think, a correct synopsis of the speed issue. Thomas nor any QB actually runs full tilt to the outside until after he has made the decision to keep the ball. The rest, as stated, is pitch relationship and spacing -- somewhere I read the pitch man was to be four yards behind and four yards outside the QB, but maybe I misremember -- and the QB's main chore at that point is to have the optioned defender commit to him, or to the pitch back. I think the lack of speed did tell, more obvious on the rocket toss than anywhere, though for the life of me I don't recall Orwin Smith being that fast but he was next thing to automatic with the thing. Even when they were looking for it.

DCS is right on. Our problem wasn't speed, but rather inexperience. Where speed may have hurt us was when the AB was ran down after a 10-15 yard gain. Some of our faster guys might have broken a few of those, but we have to get the blocks down to get them open before we get overly concerned with speed.

 

[iceeater1969]

On rocket toss if ab only gets 5 -15 and never 40-60, the defense will cheat up.
Hoping to see a ab RUN the curve and make a cut off what ever block and go the distance.

 

[tech_wreck47]

DCS is right on. Our problem wasn't speed, but rather inexperience. Where speed may have hurt us was when the AB was ran down after a 10-15 yard gain. Some of our faster guys might have broken a few of those, but we have to get the blocks down to get them open before we get overly concerned with speed.

Agree, speed wasn't the main problem, something else that hurt imo, was when our a backs got the ball they stretched the play out to much to the sideline trying to make something happen instead of turning up field and getting what they could.

 

[danny daniel]

Not sure if this has been brought up but does MLD stay at A-back? i think the best course of action for him would be to red-shirt at b-back. Also are we penciling in Marcus Marshall as BB1 and Marcus Allen as BB2? Sounds like all of this may be figured out during spring and fall.

Both Benson and MLD are in a very competitive spot at either AB or BB. With the talent of MMarshall, Leggett, Allen, Quade, and Mills at BB their skills at perimeter blocking and receiving may be the best options for Benson and MLD to see the field at AB in special roles. Upcoming practices and injuries will likely sort this out. IMO Several of these players could play either AB or BB if needed (MLD, Benson, Leggett, and MMarshall for example)

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Both Benson and MLD are in a very competitive spot at either AB or BB. With the talent of MMarshall, Leggett, Allen, Quade, and Mills at BB their skills at perimeter blocking and receiving may be the best options for Benson and MLD to see the field at AB in special roles. Upcoming practices and injuries will likely sort this out. IMO Several of these players could play either AB or BB if needed (MLD, Benson, Leggett, and MMarshall for example)

For our offense and with our current depth, I prefer a high degree of specialization over flexibility. I want whomever plays Bback to be extra special at the position and the same goes for A.

 

[ramblinvak]

For our offense and with our current depth, I prefer a high degree of specialization over flexibility. I want whomever plays Bback to be extra special at the position and the same goes for A.

I agree. We all already know how great of a runner MM is. Now, we need for him to specialize in his blocking in the same way the a-backs need to specialize on their perimeter blocking. Two different blocking styles in the offense that need to be mastered if this offense is really going to hum.

 

[takethepoints]

I agree. We all already know how great of a runner MM is. Now, we need for him to specialize in his blocking in the same way the a-backs need to specialize on their perimeter blocking. Two different blocking styles in the offense that need to be mastered if this offense is really going to hum.

I agree about the blocking, but I don't know about the rest.

This is old news here, but I want a BB who'll - to repeat myself for the umpteenth time - get us 4 yards on 3 and 3 reliably. From what I saw last year Marshall isn't that back. Some of that was probably inexperience; as Boomer pointed out awhile ago, he was a high school TB a year ago. No doubt that was what led to his lack of speed to the mesh. I suspect that some of it is running style, however. He's a speed merchant, not a bruiser. What you want at BB is both (Dwyer), but you seldom find that so most of Coach's BBs have been bruisers. There's a reason for that. When you run up the gut, you need to be fast to the mesh and have enough size and strength to pull out of an initial hit. What I saw from Marshall last year was a home run hitter who went down too easily in short yardage situations. I'd rather have somebody like Laskey.

But, he does have great speed and, no doubt, the coaches have been on his case about strength and determined running at the mesh. If he can improve there, he could fulfill the promise many here see for him and he'll convert me. Otherwise, I'll take the best bruiser(s) we can find this spring, thank you very much.