Today's spring game capped Bobby Hauck's hard push to take this team and correct the errors and issues that he sees with this team and get the Griz back to where he and many of us want this program to be. For fans like me and others we've taken in quite a few practices in addition to this scrimmage and last weeks (although I missed the one last week).
A lot of us were at the spring game today, or we followed online, or many more watched it on SWX. I'll spare the general recap of the whole scrimmage save a few points. Today had some interesting looks, mostly we didn't see a lot of 1st team vs 1st team. For the most part it looked like there was very heavy rotation (save on the O-line) throughout the day but it mostly didn't stack what many suspect will be 1s on 1s. This allowed the 1st team offense to really do work, and the 1st team defense to largely shut things down. Sneed was the #1 QB in the first quarter, Jensen the #1 Qb in the 2nd quarter, Wilson the only QB in the whole 2nd half. WR's rotated the whole day, RB's too. Defensively it seemed the 1st and 2nd groups were more locked in but there was some rotation. To me I didn't see much from the defense when it came to blitzing or audibles. I'd suspect that this was maybe just a base set they stayed in, but I could be wrong there too. Overall today's scrimmage was fun and judging by the near 6200 fans there it would seem there's a lot of excitement around this team going forward.
Based on what all I've taken in, here's some general thoughts:
- Sneed's familiarity with what Rosy and Bobby expect of their QBs has greatly helped him. He makes quick reads and if the options aren't there he's off to the races, and he's a damn good runner. Jensen is coming along but it seems he's maybe still trying to shake off what was previously expected of him, and that's bogged him down a bit. Post-snap it seems Gresch is still making the better reads and throws, but Sneed is benefiting from being able to fully execute the whole offense at this point. I still think Gresch eventually wins the job but that's going to require him to keep working on his fit into this offense through the summer, which I fully think he will.
- Running back seems fairly wide open right now, honestly. I like what I see in Eastwood but haven't seen much breakaway running from him. Lee has had a good camp, Green a little more up and down but had a nice day today. Moses is an electric player but as today showed if he doesn't have the blocks it's tough sledding. Obviously we've got Calhoun waiting to come back too. Right now I'm assuming this will be RB by committee unless someone grabs it this fall.
- Wide Receiver generally has gone as expected. I've been pretty impressed by how some of the upperclassmen have responded to this challenge of a system change, especially Jerry Louie Mcgee and Keenan Curran. Both of whom have really waded through a tough camp with big expectations and have come out executing at better levels than I've seen in their Griz tenure honestly. There's also Sammy Akem who had a big day today and has really responded well. Toure is probably the most complete WR we have and I think this year he's going to be the dude that puts up the biggest numbers. Calhoun seems to have been a little lost in the wash to me. Flowers still pretty raw for what they want but promising. This group as a whole still needs to improve it's blocking and while the drops are down they still pop up at tough times.
- TE I think Bingham is going to really do well and even today Hill flashed some great stuff. This group is thin, hopefully Corbin can adapt as well for it. Blocking is where this group still falls short, they're pretty good route runners and catchers, need to keep improving on helping seal edges and blocking out OLB's.
- O-line I have great hope for. This group right now will be still panned as the biggest concern (as it should be I suppose) due to it's really shaky depth. The 1st team of Beaver/Villanueva/Hart/Scott/Keintz did well this spring. Keintz is the pleasant surprise of the group for sure. This fall we'll see Jackson back and Eickmeyer who ran 1st team reps too. I think the starting group will work, I worry about what will happen if some injuries pop up. The 2nd team OL had no traction today and this group seems like it'll need some help going forward.
- D-line has a new #37 and very well deserved in Jesse Sims. This group showed today that running on them doesn't work well, but QB pressure wasn't really there from them either. I like how this group has been molded to being a tougher and crazier/meaner group but they're going to have to start working on being able to dial up the pressure themselves.
- Linebacker this spring is a tough read honestly. We know Josh Buss is the stud of the group and he wasn't in contact this spring. It would seem that guys like Cochran, Lewis, Matthews, Key, and Welnel have made an argument for increased reps. We'll have to see how this all shakes out when Buss returns. These guys are pretty athletic and seem to be adapting to what's expected of them, but really lacked a lot of big plays this spring.
- Cornerback has seemed to have Nash and Crow currently the 1st team guys and Cowans and Holmes the 2nd team guys while Egbo will have to look to make his push this fall camp. There was some good stuff, I like what I've seen from Crow when making plays on the ball and continually fighting for it. Nash is a good physical dude, hopefully he can keep improving. The 2nd team CBs (which also had some walk on guys rotating in) were largely burnt a lot. This group is probably going to need either some drop-down help or will need a true frosh to help out
- Safety seems to be settling in honestly. Sandry is the main dude, Robertson the enforcer, Epperly a rangy guy that can play most of the field. And then there's Robby Hauck who I really hope gets clearance from the NCAA because while he's not the tallest/biggest safety he's an excellent tactician when it comes to reading plays, making tackles, and forcing fumbles.
- K/P seems to be in good shape. Semenza didn't have to kick any fieldgoals today, and Purdy returns in the fall. Williams bombing punts as usual.
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For me the biggest change in this group over the course of this spring has been the level of intensity and urgency to execute and compete. This spring has been unlike any that I've seen in maybe a decade. I know many of you dwelled on the early Rosenbach comment about "manufactured" intensity and emotion but I'll tell you that as this spring went on, there was no manufacturing of it. These guys responded to the challenge given to them and have really come out as a group that's much tougher, meaner, and focused on perfect execution. Now... do they do things perfectly? No, of course not. There's plenty of issues and concerns as this moves forward, but it seems that maybe we're on a good track here.
This spring it felt to me that every drill had a specific purpose that focused on the small details that can come up throughout a game. The very same details that we can look back at losses over the last 10 years and point out as the "woulda/coulda/shoulda" moments that cost the team the game.
The "Return To Dominance" is on a roll. I like where we're headed, however I fully expect a bumpy road as this team moves down it, especially in the early phases. I have great faith in these coaches and in the skill and talent that's on this team. This summer is going to be so vital to the development of these guys and their understanding/comfort of what's asked of them.
And one final plug, if you want practice access, special info, and either the ability to attend a Thursday breakfast or access it via a live stream, please consider the QB Club. I've loved being a part of it. http://gogriz.com/sports/2016/5/5/football-donate-now-page.aspx?path=football
Go Griz!
A lot of us were at the spring game today, or we followed online, or many more watched it on SWX. I'll spare the general recap of the whole scrimmage save a few points. Today had some interesting looks, mostly we didn't see a lot of 1st team vs 1st team. For the most part it looked like there was very heavy rotation (save on the O-line) throughout the day but it mostly didn't stack what many suspect will be 1s on 1s. This allowed the 1st team offense to really do work, and the 1st team defense to largely shut things down. Sneed was the #1 QB in the first quarter, Jensen the #1 Qb in the 2nd quarter, Wilson the only QB in the whole 2nd half. WR's rotated the whole day, RB's too. Defensively it seemed the 1st and 2nd groups were more locked in but there was some rotation. To me I didn't see much from the defense when it came to blitzing or audibles. I'd suspect that this was maybe just a base set they stayed in, but I could be wrong there too. Overall today's scrimmage was fun and judging by the near 6200 fans there it would seem there's a lot of excitement around this team going forward.
Based on what all I've taken in, here's some general thoughts:
- Sneed's familiarity with what Rosy and Bobby expect of their QBs has greatly helped him. He makes quick reads and if the options aren't there he's off to the races, and he's a damn good runner. Jensen is coming along but it seems he's maybe still trying to shake off what was previously expected of him, and that's bogged him down a bit. Post-snap it seems Gresch is still making the better reads and throws, but Sneed is benefiting from being able to fully execute the whole offense at this point. I still think Gresch eventually wins the job but that's going to require him to keep working on his fit into this offense through the summer, which I fully think he will.
- Running back seems fairly wide open right now, honestly. I like what I see in Eastwood but haven't seen much breakaway running from him. Lee has had a good camp, Green a little more up and down but had a nice day today. Moses is an electric player but as today showed if he doesn't have the blocks it's tough sledding. Obviously we've got Calhoun waiting to come back too. Right now I'm assuming this will be RB by committee unless someone grabs it this fall.
- Wide Receiver generally has gone as expected. I've been pretty impressed by how some of the upperclassmen have responded to this challenge of a system change, especially Jerry Louie Mcgee and Keenan Curran. Both of whom have really waded through a tough camp with big expectations and have come out executing at better levels than I've seen in their Griz tenure honestly. There's also Sammy Akem who had a big day today and has really responded well. Toure is probably the most complete WR we have and I think this year he's going to be the dude that puts up the biggest numbers. Calhoun seems to have been a little lost in the wash to me. Flowers still pretty raw for what they want but promising. This group as a whole still needs to improve it's blocking and while the drops are down they still pop up at tough times.
- TE I think Bingham is going to really do well and even today Hill flashed some great stuff. This group is thin, hopefully Corbin can adapt as well for it. Blocking is where this group still falls short, they're pretty good route runners and catchers, need to keep improving on helping seal edges and blocking out OLB's.
- O-line I have great hope for. This group right now will be still panned as the biggest concern (as it should be I suppose) due to it's really shaky depth. The 1st team of Beaver/Villanueva/Hart/Scott/Keintz did well this spring. Keintz is the pleasant surprise of the group for sure. This fall we'll see Jackson back and Eickmeyer who ran 1st team reps too. I think the starting group will work, I worry about what will happen if some injuries pop up. The 2nd team OL had no traction today and this group seems like it'll need some help going forward.
- D-line has a new #37 and very well deserved in Jesse Sims. This group showed today that running on them doesn't work well, but QB pressure wasn't really there from them either. I like how this group has been molded to being a tougher and crazier/meaner group but they're going to have to start working on being able to dial up the pressure themselves.
- Linebacker this spring is a tough read honestly. We know Josh Buss is the stud of the group and he wasn't in contact this spring. It would seem that guys like Cochran, Lewis, Matthews, Key, and Welnel have made an argument for increased reps. We'll have to see how this all shakes out when Buss returns. These guys are pretty athletic and seem to be adapting to what's expected of them, but really lacked a lot of big plays this spring.
- Cornerback has seemed to have Nash and Crow currently the 1st team guys and Cowans and Holmes the 2nd team guys while Egbo will have to look to make his push this fall camp. There was some good stuff, I like what I've seen from Crow when making plays on the ball and continually fighting for it. Nash is a good physical dude, hopefully he can keep improving. The 2nd team CBs (which also had some walk on guys rotating in) were largely burnt a lot. This group is probably going to need either some drop-down help or will need a true frosh to help out
- Safety seems to be settling in honestly. Sandry is the main dude, Robertson the enforcer, Epperly a rangy guy that can play most of the field. And then there's Robby Hauck who I really hope gets clearance from the NCAA because while he's not the tallest/biggest safety he's an excellent tactician when it comes to reading plays, making tackles, and forcing fumbles.
- K/P seems to be in good shape. Semenza didn't have to kick any fieldgoals today, and Purdy returns in the fall. Williams bombing punts as usual.
-------------
For me the biggest change in this group over the course of this spring has been the level of intensity and urgency to execute and compete. This spring has been unlike any that I've seen in maybe a decade. I know many of you dwelled on the early Rosenbach comment about "manufactured" intensity and emotion but I'll tell you that as this spring went on, there was no manufacturing of it. These guys responded to the challenge given to them and have really come out as a group that's much tougher, meaner, and focused on perfect execution. Now... do they do things perfectly? No, of course not. There's plenty of issues and concerns as this moves forward, but it seems that maybe we're on a good track here.
This spring it felt to me that every drill had a specific purpose that focused on the small details that can come up throughout a game. The very same details that we can look back at losses over the last 10 years and point out as the "woulda/coulda/shoulda" moments that cost the team the game.
The "Return To Dominance" is on a roll. I like where we're headed, however I fully expect a bumpy road as this team moves down it, especially in the early phases. I have great faith in these coaches and in the skill and talent that's on this team. This summer is going to be so vital to the development of these guys and their understanding/comfort of what's asked of them.
And one final plug, if you want practice access, special info, and either the ability to attend a Thursday breakfast or access it via a live stream, please consider the QB Club. I've loved being a part of it. http://gogriz.com/sports/2016/5/5/football-donate-now-page.aspx?path=football
Go Griz!
