Dustin00whoop
08-21-2006, 09:46 PM
Got this today. I didn't write it & I don't personally know the guy that did, so take it for what its worth. This is one fan's synopsis of the scrimmage on Saturday.
Szymanski has a cannon for a leg--both on kickoffs, field goals and punts. He kicked a 54-yarder in warm-ups that landed about 7 rows up in the stands. Both kickers had field goals blocked and neither of them made one in the clutch at the end of the scrimmage. They missed about 6 in a row but it was pretty far out.
Brantley was booming the ball. He can really kick it, but he did shank one or two. In case you are wondering, we still have the swinging gate formation for punting and the three blockers back there were getting nailed over and over.
The QBs looked really good--McGee, Branyon, McCoy and Johnson. McGee and Branyon didn't miss many receivers. They did a nice job mixing up the plays and spreading the ball around (including to the TEs). McCoy is awesome--had some really nice throws and runs as well.
I was impressed with the RBs too. Courtney looked really smooth out there and so did Jorvorskie. Courtney looked like the RB we've been wanting to see out of him. Jorvorskie brings the entire house when he's carrying it--he's going to punish some defenders. Keondra Smith and Brandon Leone both looked good as well. I'm not the biggest Leone fan but he had some nice moves. Goodson has some great moves but you can tell that he's still getting used to the system. He was back fielding punts and several times he took off before catching the ball and he ended up bobbling it. I think he had a couple of fumbles as well.
The WRs definitely look like an experienced bunch out there--definitely the most polished. They looked really good on the running plays as well blocking downfield. Morrow, Brown and Riley had the most impressive showings to me. They had several great catches in the endzone and scored on some great runs after the catch. Franks, Taylor and Schroeder all looked good although Schroeder did have a fumble which isn't typical of him.
The TEs looked good and Tellus had a nice snag across the middle with a guy on his back.
The defense looked pretty good to me. I will certainly say that they are flying to the ball. There were some pretty impressive collisions. They really got into things and were really fired up. I was impressed with the line getting into the backfield several times and disrupting plays. Bear in mind that neither Dodge nor Warren played. Both were fully suited up with small knee braces on. Not the big hinged braces, just the little slip-on rubber ones. Both were running around and firing up their teammates so I'm sure they'll be back quickly. Bennett was out as well although he was suited up and walking around. Red Bryant was amazing--he's going to be a treat to watch this year. I'm pretty sure too that he blocked one of the field goals.
The most impressive to me was definitely Danny Gorrer. The kid was all over the place, broke up several passes, and made some nice hits. Carpenter looked pretty salty as well. He had some nice plays as well. I didn't get to see much of Peterson--he was on the other side of the field.
As far as the LBs were concerned, Tupe looked really good--again, Dodge and Warren didn't play. Tupe really seems to like contact. He runs around out there like a wrecking ball. Nick LaMantia had some pretty nice plays. He was in the backfield several times hurrying the QB and he even leveled Jorvorskie once. Jorvoskie didn't end up having the ball, though, and I think the play went for a TD. Featherston appeared to be getting a lot more comfortable out there.
Overall, I was pleased with the defensive effort. They were flying around on every play. I mean it when I say that there were some big time collisions. From what I could tell, it looked like the defense just needs more reps so they're getting more comfortable with the system.
Offensively, we're going to be extremely lethal. If lightning does strike us and McGee goes down, I feel way more comfortable with our backup situation. Branyon is more than sufficient, and McCoy could end up being something special. I think we're going to see some offensive explosions this year from these guys. There is so much talent out there on the field in the two-deep. Any one of those guys out there could take it to the house on any given play.
On the negative side, we need to hold onto the ball. There were a ton of fumbles. I didn't see any interceptions today and the first 2 scrimmage plays went for 50+ yard TDs. Granted one was a fumble that Tellus picked up, broke a couple tackles, and ran about 45 yards to the house. We need consistency out of the kickers. It's one thing to be able to kick the ball 50 yards, it's another thing to kick it straight and when guys are rushing you. Again, we had back-to-back blocked FGs. Bottom line, though, I'm excited about the prospect of the season. I'm not sitting here saying we're going to win it all, but as we get more experience with the D, I think we're going to like the results.
Lastly, on a side note--I talked to the guys installing the ribbon boards and the videoscreen. It's NOT high def--it's digital, but not HD. I can get into more detail but I'll probably bore everyone. Regardless, though, it's absolutely HUGE!!
Szymanski has a cannon for a leg--both on kickoffs, field goals and punts. He kicked a 54-yarder in warm-ups that landed about 7 rows up in the stands. Both kickers had field goals blocked and neither of them made one in the clutch at the end of the scrimmage. They missed about 6 in a row but it was pretty far out.
Brantley was booming the ball. He can really kick it, but he did shank one or two. In case you are wondering, we still have the swinging gate formation for punting and the three blockers back there were getting nailed over and over.
The QBs looked really good--McGee, Branyon, McCoy and Johnson. McGee and Branyon didn't miss many receivers. They did a nice job mixing up the plays and spreading the ball around (including to the TEs). McCoy is awesome--had some really nice throws and runs as well.
I was impressed with the RBs too. Courtney looked really smooth out there and so did Jorvorskie. Courtney looked like the RB we've been wanting to see out of him. Jorvorskie brings the entire house when he's carrying it--he's going to punish some defenders. Keondra Smith and Brandon Leone both looked good as well. I'm not the biggest Leone fan but he had some nice moves. Goodson has some great moves but you can tell that he's still getting used to the system. He was back fielding punts and several times he took off before catching the ball and he ended up bobbling it. I think he had a couple of fumbles as well.
The WRs definitely look like an experienced bunch out there--definitely the most polished. They looked really good on the running plays as well blocking downfield. Morrow, Brown and Riley had the most impressive showings to me. They had several great catches in the endzone and scored on some great runs after the catch. Franks, Taylor and Schroeder all looked good although Schroeder did have a fumble which isn't typical of him.
The TEs looked good and Tellus had a nice snag across the middle with a guy on his back.
The defense looked pretty good to me. I will certainly say that they are flying to the ball. There were some pretty impressive collisions. They really got into things and were really fired up. I was impressed with the line getting into the backfield several times and disrupting plays. Bear in mind that neither Dodge nor Warren played. Both were fully suited up with small knee braces on. Not the big hinged braces, just the little slip-on rubber ones. Both were running around and firing up their teammates so I'm sure they'll be back quickly. Bennett was out as well although he was suited up and walking around. Red Bryant was amazing--he's going to be a treat to watch this year. I'm pretty sure too that he blocked one of the field goals.
The most impressive to me was definitely Danny Gorrer. The kid was all over the place, broke up several passes, and made some nice hits. Carpenter looked pretty salty as well. He had some nice plays as well. I didn't get to see much of Peterson--he was on the other side of the field.
As far as the LBs were concerned, Tupe looked really good--again, Dodge and Warren didn't play. Tupe really seems to like contact. He runs around out there like a wrecking ball. Nick LaMantia had some pretty nice plays. He was in the backfield several times hurrying the QB and he even leveled Jorvorskie once. Jorvoskie didn't end up having the ball, though, and I think the play went for a TD. Featherston appeared to be getting a lot more comfortable out there.
Overall, I was pleased with the defensive effort. They were flying around on every play. I mean it when I say that there were some big time collisions. From what I could tell, it looked like the defense just needs more reps so they're getting more comfortable with the system.
Offensively, we're going to be extremely lethal. If lightning does strike us and McGee goes down, I feel way more comfortable with our backup situation. Branyon is more than sufficient, and McCoy could end up being something special. I think we're going to see some offensive explosions this year from these guys. There is so much talent out there on the field in the two-deep. Any one of those guys out there could take it to the house on any given play.
On the negative side, we need to hold onto the ball. There were a ton of fumbles. I didn't see any interceptions today and the first 2 scrimmage plays went for 50+ yard TDs. Granted one was a fumble that Tellus picked up, broke a couple tackles, and ran about 45 yards to the house. We need consistency out of the kickers. It's one thing to be able to kick the ball 50 yards, it's another thing to kick it straight and when guys are rushing you. Again, we had back-to-back blocked FGs. Bottom line, though, I'm excited about the prospect of the season. I'm not sitting here saying we're going to win it all, but as we get more experience with the D, I think we're going to like the results.
Lastly, on a side note--I talked to the guys installing the ribbon boards and the videoscreen. It's NOT high def--it's digital, but not HD. I can get into more detail but I'll probably bore everyone. Regardless, though, it's absolutely HUGE!!