• Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!

Grading the Griz, pre-fall camp

BWahlberg

Well-known member
DONOR
Fall camp starts shortly, for the players and coaches of the Griz summer is just about officially over. The next 4 weeks for all of these guys will consist of hard work, practice, studying, and getting set for their opening game at Wyoming. I’d posted this in another thread but wanted to have a little more detailed discussion on it, grading the team as this fan sees it, also made some adjustments from earlier projections based upon my thoughts and opinion. Add your comments in! Can’t wait for fall camp to get rolling:

Quarterback: A- Jordan Johnson is one of the two best QBs in the Big Sky, he’s a senior, he’s got multiple years of experience as a starter, and he’s got a WR and RB corps that he’s very familiar and comfortable with. Backup Shay Smithwick-Hann has started multiple games back in 2012, it’s nice to have an experienced backup in place. QB is pretty darn secure.

Running Back: B+ Probably would be an A- if Counts were healthy for the season. Jordan Canada is a reliable workhorse running back and TraVon Van is a game-changer when healthy (key factor WHEN healthy). Backup John Nguyen has great raw potential but fumble issues. No power rusher in the group, not sure what we’ll see from FB Jamaal Wilson carrying the ball.

Wide Receiver: A- Just like at QB we’ve got one of the very best WRs in the conference in Henderson and maybe the best or second best WR corps from top to bottom with Hendu, Jones, Naccarato, Haynes, Walcott, Rogers, Berland, Carver, and Burke. There’s also young talent that’ll be ready to step up in years ahead. Lots to like about this WR group overall.

Tight End: D- Not meaning to knock on the TEs on this roster but they’re all total unknowns. This grade can change completely once the season gets going but we’ve got a collection of guys that I don’t think have taken a single snap at TE in a live game for the Griz. They’re young and inexperienced save Mitch Saylor who is a WR convert that’s battled injuries most his career.

Offensive Line: B- Yes I think Schmaing is that much of an upgrade. Previously I had the o line at a D+. John is our most experienced player, a smart and agile offensive tackle and well rounded as a good pass blocker and run blocker. Having Schmaing and Poole as our bookends this dramatically improves JJ's protection and will help give some stability on the O line. Poole at LT is a good protector, Weyer on the interior has experience, the Hines brothers have been labeled as workout warriors but soft. On the positive side, Weyer and Logan Hines have quite a few games of experience under their belts. If they can adapt and be ready to start we'll only be breaking in one truly inexperienced lineman of the starting 5. Spring ball saw a lot of players get banged up. It’s a total question mark and the starting 5 I expect will be jumbled up a lot, a youth movement from Deitrich and Todd might be welcomed… if they’re ready to step up.

Defensive Line: B+ We’ve got the best DE in the conference and maybe one of the better, if not the best, DTs in the conference (Takai) as well. Add in athletic freaks of Kidder and Holmes with solid depth from Crittenden, Peevey, Rehm, and Johnson… there’s a lot to like about this group. They lost their emotional leader in Bienemann… who will fill his role?

Linebacker: C+ the LB corps had a very solid spring and surprised many. They’ll rotate a ton and look to be set at their 2-deep for now. Health of Kose is a question. KVA, Gamboa, and Lebsock will make this one of the better pass-defending LB corps we’ve seen. Run support can be an issue. Schye is an up and coming freak of a player but needs experience and improvement in pass coverage.

Defensive Backs: C+ Hermanson quietly had a great season last year and there’s lots of buzz about Whitted who is filling in Bo Tully’s shoes – he may return balance to the safeties by being that hitter/enforcer of the group. Cornerback has experience but still has me uncomfortable. Nate Harris has the skills and the swagger, can he translate it into a solid season? Dennard is a senior now, and younger players like Nelson can help, after that there’s a slew of RS Frosh and a rumored JuCo that will be thrusted in to help – not a lot of experience there.

Special Teams: C A wide array here, kickers are definitely shaky to unknown – but if spring camp showed us anything there’s hope for good consistency within 40 yards. Punter is solid. Return game is one of the better in the Big Sky. Blocking/protection is going to have a sharp curve as it breaks in a bunch of new guys.

Coaching: B- I’m probably going to get fried for that grade since many anonymous e-bitchers on here would give them an F or a D-. Here’s how I see it, I’ll break it down in two ways:

On the positive side: I see Coach Delaney as the wise old coach who rallies the players, preaches fairness and toughness, motivates the team well, and communicates a common goal as good as any. Gregorak and Hynson are young but up and comers. I know Gregorak has to be just as pissed as all of us about how the defense ended the season last year and this spring I saw lots of things in the scrimmages that show continual improvement and adaptation. Hynson and Gragg put together an offense that was one of the very best in the conference last year – don’t forget that. Gragg’s O-lines have always been good at pass protection. Green, Myers, and Cookus all saw improvements form their positions (RB, WR, DB). Suianuoa is one of the better D-line coaches at this level, IMO. Williams has long tenure with this group and has coached up some of the best corners we’ve had in years past. Others like Rannings and Brunnelle helped produce good results last year. Keep in mind this staff took a 5-6 team to a 10-3 team in 1 year.

On the negative side: You can’t deny the criticisms and many are warranted. Delaney has made in-game errors that have proven to be costly, some posters argue the game has passed him by (I don’t agree there). Special teams has had some bad lapses and the continual murky kicker situation doesn’t help. The defense has been labeled as too passive, not aggressive enough, and unable to adapt as well. The offense wanted to be a power-run team this last season but that didn’t work so well as the season went on, run blocking became an issue on the interior. Many of the assistant coaches are young and highly inexperienced at their position compared to many other position coaches at the FCS level.

I see the positive slightly outweighing the negative and I give a lot of that credit to the big turnarounds we saw last season. This staff knows the pressure put on them this year as Delaney’s contract is up and rumors of his possible retirement at the end of the season are out there.

On to fall camp – see you guys at some scrimmages, GO GRIZ!
 
This is one of the things that kills me about e-griz.

You guys call Walberg a sugar-coater….

Too funny
 
Not sure how accurate this might be, but according to:

http://www.footballscoop.com/the-scoop

Friday July 25, 2014
Detroit Lions: The Lions have announced Central Michigan defensive backs coach Archie Collins, Florida A&M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Quinn Gray, Montana co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kefense Hynson, and Anacosita High School (Washington, D.C.) head coach Cato June - who won a Super Bowl with the Colts under Jim Caldwell - have joined the staff as Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship Interns.

Kefense has joined the Colts staff.....not sure how accurate, or if it's just a summer position - but FootballScoop is usually pretty accurate on coaching movements.

Wonder how it'll effect the offense?
 
MissoulaMarinerFan said:
Not sure how accurate this might be, but according to:

http://www.footballscoop.com/the-scoop

Friday July 25, 2014
Detroit Lions: The Lions have announced Central Michigan defensive backs coach Archie Collins, Florida A&M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Quinn Gray, Montana co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kefense Hynson, and Anacosita High School (Washington, D.C.) head coach Cato June - who won a Super Bowl with the Colts under Jim Caldwell - have joined the staff as Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship Interns.

Kefense has joined the Colts staff.....not sure how accurate, or if it's just a summer position - but FootballScoop is usually pretty accurate on coaching movements.

Wonder how it'll effect the offense?

They do those a lot, Green did it last year - they shadow for 1 or 2 weeks and return to Montana.
 
Raider said:
This is one of the things that kills me about e-griz.

You guys call Walberg a sugar-coater….

Too funny

More like a sugar-dumper? I feel this errs on the side of being more positive than negative for sure.
 
BWahlberg said:
Raider said:
This is one of the things that kills me about e-griz.

You guys call Walberg a sugar-coater….

Too funny

More like a sugar-dumper? I feel this errs on the side of being more positive than negative for sure.

Really???

I think being called a sugar-coater has gotten under your skin a little and you error on the side of caution most the time. I know it's the cool thing to do now, but e-griz has reached the point where the only way you are called "objective" is to be cynical and pessimistic. Anything else is called sugar-coating, or maroon colored glasses, or some other dumb cliche.

Just my opinion.
 
Raider said:
BWahlberg said:
Raider said:
This is one of the things that kills me about e-griz.

You guys call Walberg a sugar-coater….

Too funny

More like a sugar-dumper? I feel this errs on the side of being more positive than negative for sure.

Really???

I think being called a sugar-coater has gotten under your skin a little and you error on the side of caution most the time. I know it's the cool thing to do now, but e-griz has reached the point where the only way you are called "objective" is to be cynical and pessimistic. Anything else is called sugar-coating, or maroon colored glasses, or some other dumb cliche.

Just my opinion.

I second this. This is Montana. Act like we've been there before people.
 
Raider said:
BWahlberg said:
Raider said:
This is one of the things that kills me about e-griz.

You guys call Walberg a sugar-coater….

Too funny

More like a sugar-dumper? I feel this errs on the side of being more positive than negative for sure.

Really???

I think being called a sugar-coater has gotten under your skin a little and you error on the side of caution most the time. I know it's the cool thing to do now, but e-griz has reached the point where the only way you are called "objective" is to be cynical and pessimistic. Anything else is called sugar-coating, or maroon colored glasses, or some other dumb cliche.

Just my opinion.

Fair enough, I get that.
 
Question: What would it take to get something GREATER than an A-? Because if our QB and our WR's aren't above an A- after last year's performances and what we have returning, then nobody will EVER get above an A-.
 
Hey-diddly-ho Neighborino,
Its your friendly griz beat writer, Mr. Ned Flanders, here to report on another wonderful griz football squad. Get ready to enter a no-sin-zone. First and most importantly, it is with great pride from above to report there have been no arrests. We can thank the heavens for our savior of a head coach who ran those venomous sinners from our majestic valley of peace. Now as for the Os and Os (I of course cannot say the letter "X"), they are going to be okily dokily. No need to be a nervous Pervis because they are going to hustle their bustles. That's all the time we have today. Tune in next week for more in-depth analysis on how to prevent those dirty sinners from ever returning. And remember, when you meet Jesus, call him Mr. Christ.
 
AZGrizFan said:
Question: What would it take to get something GREATER than an A-? Because if our QB and our WR's aren't above an A- after last year's performances and what we have returning, then nobody will EVER get above an A-.

Wide Receiver is the only spot I thought maybe graded a little high, to be honest. B/B+
Big drop off after Ellis. Jones has played well at times, but is still a little inconsistent. Disappears at times. Huge drop off after that, at least right now. Some young talent for sure.

EWU is an “A” at wide receiver right now. Kupp, Hill, Mitchell, Bourne, etc. That is the best receiving corp in the conference, and it isn’t even close….at least right now.

QB/JJ, no brainer. MASSIVE drop, if something were to happen to him.
 
Brint, as always I value your opinion because you are there to watch and have a front row view of this team. Most of E-Grizzers are a long distance away and have no idea what is happening...just have to comment to be commenting. Be looking forward to your posts on fall camp as it progresses. Would be nice if it wasn't a closed camp.
Thanks Brint!
 
Here's where I have a differing view:

QB - A
TE - C with potential to go to B. There are a bunch of guys competing for time.
O-line - C and hopefully better. Hoping some of the younger guys can step up
D-line - A - great starters, lots of depth
Linebackers - B, hopefully
D-backs - B with potential to go a bit higher. Good and experienced starters. The safeties are hitters. We'll see how the new transfer safety is and whether there is a transfer corner
Punter - A
Placekicker - hoping for a B. Greenberg has hit some from almost 60 this summer, and many from 50 (all completely uncontested). We'll see.
Other special teams play - B or higher
Coaching - B+, maybe higher
All assuming no key injuries. The big concern is obviously o-line.
 
Raider said:
AZGrizFan said:
Question: What would it take to get something GREATER than an A-? Because if our QB and our WR's aren't above an A- after last year's performances and what we have returning, then nobody will EVER get above an A-.

Wide Receiver is the only spot I thought maybe graded a little high, to be honest. B/B+
Big drop off after Ellis. Jones has played well at times, but is still a little inconsistent. Disappears at times. Huge drop off after that, at least right now. Some young talent for sure.

EWU is an “A” at wide receiver right now. Kupp, Hill, Mitchell, Bourne, etc. That is the best receiving corp in the conference, and it isn’t even close….at least right now.

QB/JJ, no brainer. MASSIVE drop, if something were to happen to him.

I beg to differ on receivers. Very talented. Great speed. Henderson has potential to be one of the best ever at UM. Jones is very talented. Walcott will be back. Naccarato and Haynes. Rogers will be a redshirt frosh. Other depth.
 
PlayerRep said:
Here's where I have a differing view:

QB - A
TE - C with potential to go to B. There are a bunch of guys competing for time.
O-line - C and hopefully better. Hoping some of the younger guys can step up
D-line - A - great starters, lots of depth
Linebackers - B, hopefully
D-backs - B with potential to go a bit higher. Good and experienced starters. The safeties are hitters. We'll see how the new transfer safety is and whether there is a transfer corner
Punter - A
Placekicker - hoping for a B. Greenberg has hit some from almost 60 this summer, and many from 50 (all completely uncontested). We'll see.
Other special teams play - B or higher
Coaching - B+, maybe higher
All assuming no key injuries. The big concern is obviously o-line.
The difference between your grades and BW's is potential. He's not grading their potential. He's grading what we know right now about what they've done.

I agree with both of you though. This team deffenetly has some untested kids expected to step into starting roles but I beleive they have the potential to fill them.
 
BWahlberg said:
Raider said:
BWahlberg said:
Raider said:
This is one of the things that kills me about e-griz.

You guys call Walberg a sugar-coater….

Too funny

More like a sugar-dumper? I feel this errs on the side of being more positive than negative for sure.

Really???

I think being called a sugar-coater has gotten under your skin a little and you error on the side of caution most the time. I know it's the cool thing to do now, but e-griz has reached the point where the only way you are called "objective" is to be cynical and pessimistic. Anything else is called sugar-coating, or maroon colored glasses, or some other dumb cliche.

Just my opinion.

Fair enough, I get that.

Brint has always been fairly objective IMO. I think he kinda enjoys the "sugar-coater" moniker at times though. He plays it up to a degree. Brint's grades are pretty realistic. I'd wait for the progress report at the end of September. Very big unknowns at LB and OL. The kind of unknowns that could hurt the Griz year if those units don't play well or develop slowly. Delaney is, and will always be, an uneasy factor.
 
AZGrizFan said:
Question: What would it take to get something GREATER than an A-? Because if our QB and our WR's aren't above an A- after last year's performances and what we have returning, then nobody will EVER get above an A-.

Raider kind of already touched on it but looking at the position as a whole, JJ is one of the best and while SSH is a capable backup he's no Jordy. Looking across the whole position I thought to give some weight to the fact that there's an expected dropoff behind JJ.
 
alabamagrizzly said:
PlayerRep said:
Here's where I have a differing view:

QB - A
TE - C with potential to go to B. There are a bunch of guys competing for time.
O-line - C and hopefully better. Hoping some of the younger guys can step up
D-line - A - great starters, lots of depth
Linebackers - B, hopefully
D-backs - B with potential to go a bit higher. Good and experienced starters. The safeties are hitters. We'll see how the new transfer safety is and whether there is a transfer corner
Punter - A
Placekicker - hoping for a B. Greenberg has hit some from almost 60 this summer, and many from 50 (all completely uncontested). We'll see.
Other special teams play - B or higher
Coaching - B+, maybe higher
All assuming no key injuries. The big concern is obviously o-line.
The difference between your grades and BW's is potential. He's not grading their potential. He's grading what we know right now about what they've done.

I agree with both of you though. This team deffenetly has some untested kids expected to step into starting roles but I beleive they have the potential to fill them.

Oh yeah, going with potential there could be a great ceiling for LB and OL, TE and CB might surprise and step up. Kicker I really do think will be better than the last two years.
 
alabamagrizzly said:
PlayerRep said:
Here's where I have a differing view:

QB - A
TE - C with potential to go to B. There are a bunch of guys competing for time.
O-line - C and hopefully better. Hoping some of the younger guys can step up
D-line - A - great starters, lots of depth
Linebackers - B, hopefully
D-backs - B with potential to go a bit higher. Good and experienced starters. The safeties are hitters. We'll see how the new transfer safety is and whether there is a transfer corner
Punter - A
Placekicker - hoping for a B. Greenberg has hit some from almost 60 this summer, and many from 50 (all completely uncontested). We'll see.
Other special teams play - B or higher
Coaching - B+, maybe higher
All assuming no key injuries. The big concern is obviously o-line.
The difference between your grades and BW's is potential. He's not grading their potential. He's grading what we know right now about what they've done.

I agree with both of you though. This team deffenetly has some untested kids expected to step into starting roles but I beleive they have the potential to fill them.

Actually, that's not true. I didn't include potential in my initial grades set forth above. I based the grades on what I know or believe now, which includes some inside information. In 2 situations, I did say hopefully, though.
 
BWahlberg said:
AZGrizFan said:
Question: What would it take to get something GREATER than an A-? Because if our QB and our WR's aren't above an A- after last year's performances and what we have returning, then nobody will EVER get above an A-.

Raider kind of already touched on it but looking at the position as a whole, JJ is one of the best and while SSH is a capable backup he's no Jordy. Looking across the whole position I thought to give some weight to the fact that there's an expected dropoff behind JJ.

Well, it's the rare football team that doesn''t have an expected drop off from their starters to their backups. And it's the rare football team that can lose a starting QB and still perform to pre-season expectations. Let's be real: If JJ doesn't take 90-95% of the meaningful snaps this season it's probably a lost cause anyway...and similarly, if Hendu and Jones don't catch 100 balls between them this year (due to injury) then we're probably not going very far...and if Canada and Van & FILL IN THE BLANK don't rush for a combined 1800-2000 yards, we probably won't get too deep into the playoffs....it's all about the starters, and I think our starting skill positions are among the best in the BSC, as well as FCS--as a group. I'm not sure I trade with anybody in the BSC, and can't off the top of my head think of a group I'd trade for in all of FCS.
 
Back
Top