Last year I posted my overall thoughts, and thought I'd share the same. However my views this time around aren't going to be as stong, considering I missed the last week and the two real game situations, I don't feel as "in the know" with these statements as I did last year.
I'll do the offense this eveing, defense tomorrow:
QB: Our QB situation is good, real good. I do believe that Selle will be the starter until he proves he does not deserve it, his familiarity with the system, and the WRs shows that he's the best fit as a passer and as a game manager. Selle will not be a rushing QB, he can run, but he isn't shifty. His passing skill set is very good, I've seen him make all of the throws, and recover from bone-headed passes too. Roper has seemed to have vastly narrow the gap since I left town though. When I left he was good some days, and bad the others, not totally in-tune with his WRs at times. Getting back and hearing reports of last week Roper has settled down nicely, and his arm strength could be the best on the team. In addition to a cannon arm, he's mobile, and can make guys miss. Kemp is going to be an amazing QB once he gets onto the field as a starter, he's shown he has the feet for a great QB in our system, and as he gets more dialed in on the passing game he'll be a dual threat. At this point, I'd really like to see him get reps in a spread-option set, I wonder if he'll get a chance, I think he deserves it - getting him live game experiences now will really benefit once this is his team in 2010 or 2011.
RB: Well we've got Chase, everyone knows that. TBF has really improved with his pass catching and ball carrying, he's a powerful runner and will be a good 3rd down/change of pace back. TBF is the now guy, and Dan Moore is the future. Moore will get looks this year, possibly as a goal-line guy, next year he'll be the feature power back in our system. In addition to these three guys we've got good potential that probably won't be major contributors but in the future they could be the next big stars. Tel is much like his brother, and Nguyen has really shown his speed and shiftyness this fall. Nguyen I think could come out for some sets this season he could be one of the big surprise guys Bobby referenced earlier. Donaldson is another guy that's mix between an HB and FB, he could turn into our next Kevin Klaboe, a talented blocker and a good pass catcher/runner.
WR: Mariani will get the best defenders, and probably the most coverage from defenses this season. That will open up the opportunities for Ty Palmer, Jabin Sambrano, and Sam Gratton. I believe these four guys will be our main dudes catching the ball. Palmer is faster than most think and will surprise defenses who match him up with slower and taller DBs. Sambrano is lighting quick, probably our next LV in the making, shifty, good hands, very smart on the field. Jabin is Roper's favorite target and the other day when Selle got reps with the 2s he was also Selle's favorite as well. Jabin is currently listed as the starting slot WR, and I think he's going to make big noise this year. Gratton is coming on, and also rotates in and out with the 1s, he's quick but needs to work on his catching as I've seen him having issues at times with drops, and then other times making great catches. It's a bummer Roberts went down, but he wasn't probably going to be a major contributor, hopefully he can come back next year healthy and be ready to grab one of the starting roles. Buckles, Smith, and Carver are still working their way up but will also need to be ready to fill gaps in need be. Larson I think will not be a huge numbers guy, but he presents so many different opportunities on the field, he's a great athlete, good at catching, and can prove that he takes hits. He'll be a part of the offense this year, I think by October once he's more comfortable in live games he'll become a bigger factor.
TE: Pfahler will lead the charge, he's the best balanced TE we have. Bobby and crew love a TE that blocks first and catches passes second, Pfahler, Beaudin, and Overton all fit in the category. Unless I'm mistaken, I think Beaudin is dinged up again, and that will just open the door for Overton to get more time on the field. The TE spot is talented however as we know it'll never be a spot with guys that have hundreds and hundreds of yards and double digit TDs on the season. Greg Hardy is an execption to the corps we have, he's quicker, and he's the best receiving guy in the group. Being 4th in the depth we won't see him much at TE, but possibly as a slot WR, the thought of Hardy being guarded by a saftey has to make the coaches smile, he can make DBs look pretty bad in pass coverage.
Oline: In watching yesterday I was really happy to see that depth appears to be coming about. Our starting 5 are very solid players, Horn and Dyk on the edges are very athletic and strong. Opperud and Hillesland at guard are big and strong guys that pave the road really well. Verlanic as our center is consistent with shotgun snaps and is good at pushing DTs/NTs back all on his own. Behind these guys I was impressed yesterday by our two backup tackles, Soph David Arndt especially, he seems to be much more comfy in his position than he did in the spring, and is awfully quick to contain speedy DEs. The true frosh Hoffman on the other side has made big strides since he started out a month ago, a capable backup and I think starting next year he'll be a starting tackle for the rest of his Griz career. Piette and Burton as the two guard backups are BIG guys, and great in the running game, they need to become more agile in pass protection, but it's good to see them progress. And LeBeau at backup center has seemed to have smoothed out the shotgun snap issues and is settling into his role
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Concerns I see, naturally I continually worry about depth, and while it's progressing if we lose 2-3 guys at WR or Oline things could change rapidly for how efficient this offense is. However I'm sure that would be an issue almost all teams in the Big Sky would have. Hopefully our newer guys on the Oline can step up, Opperud has a lot riding on his shoulders, as does Dyk as the sole starter and Verlanic too. Also, if called upon guys like Burton, Arndt, and Piette will need to come in and play lights out to keep this offense a well-oiled machine. WR drops are a slight concern, I haven't seen much from the "front 3" but behind them there's been ups and downs. RBs need to improve picking up blitzes as a unit, they're ok but need to be great, especially once conference play comes around. I fear our TE talent will once again be under-utilitized in the passing game. Also with Selle as the starting QB, defenses will not have to spy the QB as much as they did with Bergquist, that will change defensive schemes and have 1 more guy on defense more committed to defending the pass, hopefully that's recognized and prepared for.
Overall this offense has the right tools to be a good balanced attack with a star running back, star WR, and a smart starting QB. I like the roster and the group, we've got speedy guys, strong guys, and a lot of veterans mixed with young guys. This fall I've seen more passes to the HB, more screens, and newer sets that show a contiually evolving offense, which is good. This offense has the potential to come into this season as a more balanced unit, and should be able to do much more on the field than last years, the question remains is can they do it once the season starts... time will tell.
I'll do the offense this eveing, defense tomorrow:
QB: Our QB situation is good, real good. I do believe that Selle will be the starter until he proves he does not deserve it, his familiarity with the system, and the WRs shows that he's the best fit as a passer and as a game manager. Selle will not be a rushing QB, he can run, but he isn't shifty. His passing skill set is very good, I've seen him make all of the throws, and recover from bone-headed passes too. Roper has seemed to have vastly narrow the gap since I left town though. When I left he was good some days, and bad the others, not totally in-tune with his WRs at times. Getting back and hearing reports of last week Roper has settled down nicely, and his arm strength could be the best on the team. In addition to a cannon arm, he's mobile, and can make guys miss. Kemp is going to be an amazing QB once he gets onto the field as a starter, he's shown he has the feet for a great QB in our system, and as he gets more dialed in on the passing game he'll be a dual threat. At this point, I'd really like to see him get reps in a spread-option set, I wonder if he'll get a chance, I think he deserves it - getting him live game experiences now will really benefit once this is his team in 2010 or 2011.
RB: Well we've got Chase, everyone knows that. TBF has really improved with his pass catching and ball carrying, he's a powerful runner and will be a good 3rd down/change of pace back. TBF is the now guy, and Dan Moore is the future. Moore will get looks this year, possibly as a goal-line guy, next year he'll be the feature power back in our system. In addition to these three guys we've got good potential that probably won't be major contributors but in the future they could be the next big stars. Tel is much like his brother, and Nguyen has really shown his speed and shiftyness this fall. Nguyen I think could come out for some sets this season he could be one of the big surprise guys Bobby referenced earlier. Donaldson is another guy that's mix between an HB and FB, he could turn into our next Kevin Klaboe, a talented blocker and a good pass catcher/runner.
WR: Mariani will get the best defenders, and probably the most coverage from defenses this season. That will open up the opportunities for Ty Palmer, Jabin Sambrano, and Sam Gratton. I believe these four guys will be our main dudes catching the ball. Palmer is faster than most think and will surprise defenses who match him up with slower and taller DBs. Sambrano is lighting quick, probably our next LV in the making, shifty, good hands, very smart on the field. Jabin is Roper's favorite target and the other day when Selle got reps with the 2s he was also Selle's favorite as well. Jabin is currently listed as the starting slot WR, and I think he's going to make big noise this year. Gratton is coming on, and also rotates in and out with the 1s, he's quick but needs to work on his catching as I've seen him having issues at times with drops, and then other times making great catches. It's a bummer Roberts went down, but he wasn't probably going to be a major contributor, hopefully he can come back next year healthy and be ready to grab one of the starting roles. Buckles, Smith, and Carver are still working their way up but will also need to be ready to fill gaps in need be. Larson I think will not be a huge numbers guy, but he presents so many different opportunities on the field, he's a great athlete, good at catching, and can prove that he takes hits. He'll be a part of the offense this year, I think by October once he's more comfortable in live games he'll become a bigger factor.
TE: Pfahler will lead the charge, he's the best balanced TE we have. Bobby and crew love a TE that blocks first and catches passes second, Pfahler, Beaudin, and Overton all fit in the category. Unless I'm mistaken, I think Beaudin is dinged up again, and that will just open the door for Overton to get more time on the field. The TE spot is talented however as we know it'll never be a spot with guys that have hundreds and hundreds of yards and double digit TDs on the season. Greg Hardy is an execption to the corps we have, he's quicker, and he's the best receiving guy in the group. Being 4th in the depth we won't see him much at TE, but possibly as a slot WR, the thought of Hardy being guarded by a saftey has to make the coaches smile, he can make DBs look pretty bad in pass coverage.
Oline: In watching yesterday I was really happy to see that depth appears to be coming about. Our starting 5 are very solid players, Horn and Dyk on the edges are very athletic and strong. Opperud and Hillesland at guard are big and strong guys that pave the road really well. Verlanic as our center is consistent with shotgun snaps and is good at pushing DTs/NTs back all on his own. Behind these guys I was impressed yesterday by our two backup tackles, Soph David Arndt especially, he seems to be much more comfy in his position than he did in the spring, and is awfully quick to contain speedy DEs. The true frosh Hoffman on the other side has made big strides since he started out a month ago, a capable backup and I think starting next year he'll be a starting tackle for the rest of his Griz career. Piette and Burton as the two guard backups are BIG guys, and great in the running game, they need to become more agile in pass protection, but it's good to see them progress. And LeBeau at backup center has seemed to have smoothed out the shotgun snap issues and is settling into his role
----------------------------
Concerns I see, naturally I continually worry about depth, and while it's progressing if we lose 2-3 guys at WR or Oline things could change rapidly for how efficient this offense is. However I'm sure that would be an issue almost all teams in the Big Sky would have. Hopefully our newer guys on the Oline can step up, Opperud has a lot riding on his shoulders, as does Dyk as the sole starter and Verlanic too. Also, if called upon guys like Burton, Arndt, and Piette will need to come in and play lights out to keep this offense a well-oiled machine. WR drops are a slight concern, I haven't seen much from the "front 3" but behind them there's been ups and downs. RBs need to improve picking up blitzes as a unit, they're ok but need to be great, especially once conference play comes around. I fear our TE talent will once again be under-utilitized in the passing game. Also with Selle as the starting QB, defenses will not have to spy the QB as much as they did with Bergquist, that will change defensive schemes and have 1 more guy on defense more committed to defending the pass, hopefully that's recognized and prepared for.
Overall this offense has the right tools to be a good balanced attack with a star running back, star WR, and a smart starting QB. I like the roster and the group, we've got speedy guys, strong guys, and a lot of veterans mixed with young guys. This fall I've seen more passes to the HB, more screens, and newer sets that show a contiually evolving offense, which is good. This offense has the potential to come into this season as a more balanced unit, and should be able to do much more on the field than last years, the question remains is can they do it once the season starts... time will tell.
