PArt 2 of the series. Thanks again to AZCATFAN for his report:
Defense:
I won’t go into as much detail on the defensive side as I have read where most knowledgeable cougar fans are aware of AZ’s defense. We lost depending on how you look at it 1 or 2 starters from last year’s team. Gone are Michael Johnson at Strong Safety and Marcus Smith who started at times at DE and DT. Our defense goes into this season with a ton of confidence. Our D held teams to a 19.6 scoring average. In a league like the Pac 10 where offenses seem to rule the day it speaks volumes when you hold your opponent to under 21 points a game. The average scoring this past year was 24.4 in the Pac 10 with all but 2 teams averaging more than 20 points a game. (AZ avg. 16.6 and Stanford avg. 10.6.) Cal and USC led the conference in scoring with averages of 32.8 and 30.5 respectively. USC scored 13 offensive points against AZ and Cal scored 13 as well. (SC had an int for a td and Cal had a punt return for a TD.) Defense was the key last year and it will be this year but, I don’t think it will have to carry the day like it did last year if AZ expected to win.
Defensive line:
The D line is anchored by SR Louis Holmes at 6’6 and 280 anchoring one end spot and JR Jonathan Turner 6’3 250 at the other end spot. The tackles are Seniors 6’1 285 Yaniv Barnett and Lionel Dotson 6’4 278. AZ loves the depth that it has along the line and RS freshman Ricky Elmore 6’5 255 DE (he had 2 sacks and a blocked FG in the 2 spring scrimmages) leads the reserves along with RS Freshman Lolomana Mikaele at DT. Louis Holmes who as most do – took some time adjusting to the speed at the d1 level and should be ready to have the dominating year that most have predicted. This unit as is true with the rest of the defense has quality depth at every position. No BS. Arizona has never had the quality depth that is has now and nowhere is that more true than on defense. AZ will rotate fresh bodies along the DL throughout the whole game so we won’t have the altitude or being tired as an excuse if we happen to lose.
Linebackers:
They all come back and are lead by SR Spencer Larsen and JR Ronnie Palmer. SR Dane Krogstad rounds out the starting 3 but, I would assume as we did last year that Krogstad will be replaced by a 5th DB to cover a wide out. They cover sideline to sideline and are both very sure tacklers. Xavier Kelly and Adrian McCovy will be backups and it would not surprise me if they see plenty of action. I say that because if the altitude is a problem then these are 2 of the guys who will see action. X led the team in tackles this Spring and is biting at the bit to see action. X is a Sophmore and McCovy is a Junior. This group has speed, is experienced, and has quality depth. Arizona is also expecting Apaiata Tuihalamaka an incoming frosh and his cousin Vuna Tuihalamaka a JC transfer to also see action this season.
Secondary:
As many Cougar fans know – the secondary is anchored by Senior Antoine Cason who is up for numerous post season awards and is recognized as one of the best cover corners in the country. On the other side is Senior Wilrey Fontenot. They are backed up by Soph. Devin Ross and JC transfer Marquis Hundley. The safeties are in a battle and heading into Fall – the Strong Safety is a battle between Soph’s Cam Nelson, Brandon Tatum, and Jr Michael Klyce. At Free Safety you have big hitter and a senior Dominic Patrick and his backup JR Nate Ness. One of these safeties will replace Krogstad and be responsible for run support and covering a wr or tight end. As good as it gets and byu with a young qb will have its hands full with this defense.
5 Reasons why I think Arizona beats BYU on September 2nd.
1. Defense, Defense, Defense. We held your running game to a mere 28 yards on 24 carries. I would expect that our defense will be locked in once again to stop your running game and make an inexperienced qb beat us.
2. An inexperienced QB against a very experienced defense. BYU as you know lost its QB, RB, TE, a WR and 1 or 2 (?) OL to graduation [My 3 Cents: Technically only 1 since Keele was injured so early in the season, but 2 great OL did graduate.] You don’t replace that overnight and you certainly don’t replace all of that in the first game. Please do not tell me that the replacements are better than what you had. By the 5th or 6th game maybe – by the first game – highly unlikely. Playing well on the scout team and never getting tackled does not count as experienced. Experience on Arizona’s D will beat inexperience on BYU’s O.
3. Our offense will average closer to the Pac 10 average of 24 points a game and we will hit that average in this game. Last year – Bronco out-coached our OC as he did not blitz and dropped his LB’s into coverage and with the exception of a couple of big plays ruled the day. This year – if he plays 4 LB’s he will be crushed because one or 2 of your LB’s will have to cover a wr and we will exploit the mismatch. Does BYU have 4 guys who can cover our 4 wr’s? I don’t think so – so you will blitz and as you know – that is a high risk high reward against this offense. You also know first hand how difficult it is to get to the qb in this offense. It puts a ton of pressure on your D to step up in the first game and the first time in a long time when your heart and soul – Jensen is not out there to calm everybody down. Can someone else step up – yes? Will he do it in the first game? We will see.
4. New offense. Yes, you know this offense but, you don’t have any film on it and you have no idea what wrinkles Dykes will add. Would not be surprised if Arizona catches BYU in a bad alignment and hits it for a TD. In a game like this – all it takes is one big play to be the difference in the game.
5. I have pretty much covered all the reasons why I think we will win – the last is weak at best but, it is a trend. BYU has lost its last 2 season opening games. BC in 2005 and AZ in 2006 with BC being a home opener. I think the trend continues. To early to make a prediction but, I do like AZ’s offense scoring at least 24 points.
My 3 Cents:
While I don't agree with a lot of what AZCATFAN says, I do like his logic and that he backs up his arguments with outside sources and facts. His final point, that he considers the weakest, I actually think may be one of the stronger points. BYU has not done very well in the first game under Bronco. It seems that Anae is holding back the reins a little too tight and not letting the offense be as explosive as it should be. However, the Oregon game was perhaps a glimpse as to how far the coaching staff has come now in getting ready for games with a longer lay-off in between.
I will be posting my "rebuttal" in a couple days, leave a comment if you want a specific point or question of AZCATFAN to be addressed. Next weeks: UCLA.
My 3 Cent's will likely not be updated until May 5th as a future Cougar will be born tomorrow. I'm guessing a linebacker or QB based on genetics. I will be sending out tapes to BYU by this weekend, never too early to give them a lead.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Fan breakdown of Arizona: Part I
September 1st still lies in the distant future, but what better way to get through the summer months than to find out more about BYU's foes for the 2007 season? I have asked fans of each of the opponents to give an insight into what to expect for each team. I will do my best to get one team each week, and if my calculations are correct, by the time I have posted Utah's breakdown, Fall practice will be only 2 short weeks away.
A thank you to AZCATFAN for this week's 2 part installment. We start off with:
Offense:
I think by now, almost everybody knows that Arizona is changing its offense from last year. Gone is the entire Offensive Coaching staff with the exception of Dana Dimel who continues to coach the tight ends. The offense returns 9 starters with Syndric Steptoe and Chris Henry departing from last year's team.
Sonny Dykes was brought in to change an offense that was at or near the bottom in just about every offensive category for the 2006 season.
Most fans have assumed that it will be a spin-off of TT but, media reports and comments from coaches say that it will be a cross between what TT and BYU’s offense runs. If Dykes had free reign then you can bet that we would throw the ball 70 times a game. Stoops being a defensive minded coach – does not want his defense out on the field all day so you can expect Arizona to run the ball and chew clock when necessary.
In the 2 Spring scrimmages
Arizona threw the ball 125 times completing 84 for a total of 737 yards passing. So that you have something to compare this to – in 12 games last year, UA threw for 2,024 total yards. That averages out to 168.7 passing yards per game. Granted, it was 2 scrimmages but, UA averaged 368 yards throwing in the 2 scrimmages.
Rushing the ball, as you can imagine was not much better. In 12 games last year UA rushed the ball for 1458 yards (excluding sack yardage) on 379 attempts for a 2.7 average rush and 84.2 rushing yards per game.. In the 2 scrimmages – UA rushed the ball 45 times for 314 yards. That comes out to almost 7 yards a carry and an average of 157 total rushing yards. Granted – these are scrimmages but, as of right now it is the only thing we have to compare it to.
QB’s
The strength, the heart and soul of the team lies in JR Quarterback Willie Tuitama. I’m certainly not an expert on QB’s so I will refer to people who are. Lamont Lovett, a former AZ running back and current analyst for UA radio broadcasts had this to say in an article that he wrote for Scout.com:
“First of all Willie Tuitama is absolutely the QB for this team and he is tailor made for this system. Unlike most of the general public, I have had the opportunity to watch Tuitama practice extensively. The first reason that Tuitama is perfect for this new system is that he is a well-schooled QB. Tuitama is fundamentally sound, from years of working with a great QB coach, Mike Canales. Tuitama has a very efficient and quick release with very little wasted motion. Tuitama understands footwork and is rarely in a bad position when he throws the ball. Also, Tuitama has great arm strength and effortlessly make all of the throws. Finally, he is game tested and is tough. That’s right, I said tough. This guy will not back down from a challenge and has already proven that he will play when he is hurt.” The entire article can be found here.
Please note that when he refers to Mike Canales he praises him as a QB Coach not as an OC.
Weaknesses: One comes to mind right away and that is that we are breaking in a new offense. Obviously, that couldn’t be helped and I don’t know of anybody who is complaining. I will once again refer to what Lamont Lovett wrote: “The area Tuitama continues to work on is passing the ball with more touch in certain situations. Those situations are when there is a defender between the QB and the WR. Tuitama must be able to use touch to drop the ball over the top of defenders, to the receiver. He has done a really nice job of this in practice situations and continues to get plenty of work in this area.”
Some say that Tui is injury prone where I say that he had 1 severe concussion that led to him miss time in several games last year. As BYU fans know all to well – this offense is designed to protect the QB with quick reads and quick throws. It is not like the guy has numerous nagging injuries that keep him out – he got hit on an illegal helmet to helmet it vs. LSU. The DE was flagged but, it pretty much ruined Tui’s and UA year. In the NFL the LSU player would’ve been fined and suspended. In college it’s a 15 yard penalty. Tui has been cleared to play by the experts at the Univ. of Pittsburgh who specialize in concussions and the affect that they have on athletes both in the short term and long term.
Key player(s) besides Tui is, Tyler Lyon a redshirt freshman who was ranked as a top 25 QB out of Hart High School in CA. Last year UA had a walk on as its back up so the upgrade is huge in comparison to last year. Backing up Lyon is Senior Kris Heavner who was a former starter under John Wackovic.
Running Backs:
Strengths have to be in the variety of running backs that we have. Chris Jennings is an elusive runner with the best hands of the guys returning from LY. In the 2 scrimmages, Jennings rushed the ball 14 times for 103 yards and over 7 yards per carry. Xavier Smith is a local kid who is the most explosive of the group and maybe the toughest. X had a tough Spring as his mother was murdered a few days before the final scrimmage of Spring. After X you have Terry Longbons and 2 incoming freshman.
Of the incoming frosh it has been said that Nicholas Grigsby has the best shot at seeing playing time. Grigsby is a self described Reggie Bush type of player. We will see whether that is fact or fiction.
Weaknesses are going to be the same for every group as the entire offense has to learn a new system. The RB’s have been quoted as loving the offense but, it is too early to tell how this group will do. Of the entire offense – I would put the RB group as the biggest possible weakness. Chris Henry who was a freak of an athlete was just coming into his own before he decided to turn pro. Jennings had a career day vs, Stephen F. Austin and not much after that. X played sparingly and Longbons not at all. The running back in this system does not have to be great but, they do have to be productive. We will see.
Tight End:
It seems like every preseason for as long as I can remember, the Arizona coaching staff has talked about how the tight end will be an important part of the offense and every year he catches 8 to 12 balls total. I think this year may be the exception to the rule. It’s too early to tell if this will be a strength or a weakness. In years past it has been a weakness. This year, the UA has one of the top rated TE’S (top 5 in everybody’s rankings) out of HS coming in. Rob Gronkowski is 6’6” and 250 pounds. He will battle with AJ Simmons (6’3” 255) a redshirt freshman from last year. Travis Bell and Brandyn McCall are the upper classmen but, by all accounts the job is between Simmons and Gronkowski. This is an unknown that could be a difference maker in the game. It will be very interesting to see how Dykes uses the tight end in this game. This is definitely a wild card and we will see how it plays.
Offensive line:
I may be alone on this but; most fans view this as the weak spot for the offense where I see it as a strength. When Stoops came on board, his first task was to shore up the O-line and bring in depth. He brought in Daniel Borg, Eben Britton, Blake Kerley, and Adam Grant, in 2005 and Jovon Hayes, James Tretheway, Colin Baxter, Cody Anderson, Cory Elmore and Conan Amituanai for 2006. Borg, Britten, and Kerley played extensively last year as RS freshman. In my opinion they will only get better. Peter Graniello a Senior and Joe Longacre a junior will most likely round out the starting 5. Borg was the 17th best at his position of HS and Britton was 38th. Blake Kerley is the center and is the key to the o-line and one of the reasons why I think it will be a strength and not a weakness. The center position is key for any line especially a young line and, a line that is learning a new offense. The new offense is the same offense that Kerley ran in HS and he has been a huge plus to the offense as he is very familiar with the wide splits and calling out blocking assignments. I have also heard that many people think that the line is undersized when in fact it averages over 300 pounds. The other strength to this unit is the quality depth. They are young but, I think they will be very good and a key to this game and the 2007 season.
Wide Receivers:
I think this will be a big key to the game. Can BYU cover AZ’s receivers when they go 4 wide? When AZ scrimmaged this spring they lined up Mike Thomas 5’8 speedster, Anthony Johnson 6’2 possession receiver, BJ Dennard 5’11 and maybe the best athlete on the team, and Terrell Reese 6’4 a do everything type receiver. Backing them up is a group of talented` yet young receivers. I will also add this quote about AZ’s new receivers coach and what he brings to the table. This is again from the article written by Lamont Lovett: “ Coach Darryl Wyatt, the new WR coach is doing an amazing job of developing the Arizona Wide Receiver corp. He is that great coach that seems to have that “Midas Touch” when it comes to developing Wide Receivers. “
“When Wyatt coached at Oklahoma, almost all of the players under his tutelage ended up in an NFL camp. Leading the way were players like Mark Clayton (1st Round Baltimore), Mark Bradley (2nd Round Chicago), Travis Wilson (3rd Round Cleveland), and Brandon Jones (3rd Round Tennessee). This was more than just good recruiting. Coach Wyatt demands results from his players. He pays close attention to the minutest details when coaching his players. I observed him taking his players through an exhausting practice that involved lots of advanced footwork drills, cutting, and route running. He is an expert at teaching technique, and he emphasizes it on every single play. He is always hounding his receivers about attacking every ball. He is always showing each receiver what he could have done better on each play. He works his receivers like crazy on blocking down field. The results are obvious. Fewer balls are being dropped, and players like B.J. Dennard, and Bobby McCoy are starting to emerge all of a sudden.“ Again, this article can be found here. Our WR’s versus your secondary could very well decide the game.
My 3 Cents: BYU and AU fans, feel free to post comments/questions. I will moderate them to make sure they are constructive. Tomorrow I will be posting the second part: Defense and 5 reasons AU will beat BYU.
A thank you to AZCATFAN for this week's 2 part installment. We start off with:
Offense:
I think by now, almost everybody knows that Arizona is changing its offense from last year. Gone is the entire Offensive Coaching staff with the exception of Dana Dimel who continues to coach the tight ends. The offense returns 9 starters with Syndric Steptoe and Chris Henry departing from last year's team.
Sonny Dykes was brought in to change an offense that was at or near the bottom in just about every offensive category for the 2006 season.
Most fans have assumed that it will be a spin-off of TT but, media reports and comments from coaches say that it will be a cross between what TT and BYU’s offense runs. If Dykes had free reign then you can bet that we would throw the ball 70 times a game. Stoops being a defensive minded coach – does not want his defense out on the field all day so you can expect Arizona to run the ball and chew clock when necessary.
In the 2 Spring scrimmages
Arizona threw the ball 125 times completing 84 for a total of 737 yards passing. So that you have something to compare this to – in 12 games last year, UA threw for 2,024 total yards. That averages out to 168.7 passing yards per game. Granted, it was 2 scrimmages but, UA averaged 368 yards throwing in the 2 scrimmages.
Rushing the ball, as you can imagine was not much better. In 12 games last year UA rushed the ball for 1458 yards (excluding sack yardage) on 379 attempts for a 2.7 average rush and 84.2 rushing yards per game.. In the 2 scrimmages – UA rushed the ball 45 times for 314 yards. That comes out to almost 7 yards a carry and an average of 157 total rushing yards. Granted – these are scrimmages but, as of right now it is the only thing we have to compare it to.
QB’s
The strength, the heart and soul of the team lies in JR Quarterback Willie Tuitama. I’m certainly not an expert on QB’s so I will refer to people who are. Lamont Lovett, a former AZ running back and current analyst for UA radio broadcasts had this to say in an article that he wrote for Scout.com:
“First of all Willie Tuitama is absolutely the QB for this team and he is tailor made for this system. Unlike most of the general public, I have had the opportunity to watch Tuitama practice extensively. The first reason that Tuitama is perfect for this new system is that he is a well-schooled QB. Tuitama is fundamentally sound, from years of working with a great QB coach, Mike Canales. Tuitama has a very efficient and quick release with very little wasted motion. Tuitama understands footwork and is rarely in a bad position when he throws the ball. Also, Tuitama has great arm strength and effortlessly make all of the throws. Finally, he is game tested and is tough. That’s right, I said tough. This guy will not back down from a challenge and has already proven that he will play when he is hurt.” The entire article can be found here.
Please note that when he refers to Mike Canales he praises him as a QB Coach not as an OC.
Weaknesses: One comes to mind right away and that is that we are breaking in a new offense. Obviously, that couldn’t be helped and I don’t know of anybody who is complaining. I will once again refer to what Lamont Lovett wrote: “The area Tuitama continues to work on is passing the ball with more touch in certain situations. Those situations are when there is a defender between the QB and the WR. Tuitama must be able to use touch to drop the ball over the top of defenders, to the receiver. He has done a really nice job of this in practice situations and continues to get plenty of work in this area.”
Some say that Tui is injury prone where I say that he had 1 severe concussion that led to him miss time in several games last year. As BYU fans know all to well – this offense is designed to protect the QB with quick reads and quick throws. It is not like the guy has numerous nagging injuries that keep him out – he got hit on an illegal helmet to helmet it vs. LSU. The DE was flagged but, it pretty much ruined Tui’s and UA year. In the NFL the LSU player would’ve been fined and suspended. In college it’s a 15 yard penalty. Tui has been cleared to play by the experts at the Univ. of Pittsburgh who specialize in concussions and the affect that they have on athletes both in the short term and long term.
Key player(s) besides Tui is, Tyler Lyon a redshirt freshman who was ranked as a top 25 QB out of Hart High School in CA. Last year UA had a walk on as its back up so the upgrade is huge in comparison to last year. Backing up Lyon is Senior Kris Heavner who was a former starter under John Wackovic.
Running Backs:
Strengths have to be in the variety of running backs that we have. Chris Jennings is an elusive runner with the best hands of the guys returning from LY. In the 2 scrimmages, Jennings rushed the ball 14 times for 103 yards and over 7 yards per carry. Xavier Smith is a local kid who is the most explosive of the group and maybe the toughest. X had a tough Spring as his mother was murdered a few days before the final scrimmage of Spring. After X you have Terry Longbons and 2 incoming freshman.
Of the incoming frosh it has been said that Nicholas Grigsby has the best shot at seeing playing time. Grigsby is a self described Reggie Bush type of player. We will see whether that is fact or fiction.
Weaknesses are going to be the same for every group as the entire offense has to learn a new system. The RB’s have been quoted as loving the offense but, it is too early to tell how this group will do. Of the entire offense – I would put the RB group as the biggest possible weakness. Chris Henry who was a freak of an athlete was just coming into his own before he decided to turn pro. Jennings had a career day vs, Stephen F. Austin and not much after that. X played sparingly and Longbons not at all. The running back in this system does not have to be great but, they do have to be productive. We will see.
Tight End:
It seems like every preseason for as long as I can remember, the Arizona coaching staff has talked about how the tight end will be an important part of the offense and every year he catches 8 to 12 balls total. I think this year may be the exception to the rule. It’s too early to tell if this will be a strength or a weakness. In years past it has been a weakness. This year, the UA has one of the top rated TE’S (top 5 in everybody’s rankings) out of HS coming in. Rob Gronkowski is 6’6” and 250 pounds. He will battle with AJ Simmons (6’3” 255) a redshirt freshman from last year. Travis Bell and Brandyn McCall are the upper classmen but, by all accounts the job is between Simmons and Gronkowski. This is an unknown that could be a difference maker in the game. It will be very interesting to see how Dykes uses the tight end in this game. This is definitely a wild card and we will see how it plays.
Offensive line:
I may be alone on this but; most fans view this as the weak spot for the offense where I see it as a strength. When Stoops came on board, his first task was to shore up the O-line and bring in depth. He brought in Daniel Borg, Eben Britton, Blake Kerley, and Adam Grant, in 2005 and Jovon Hayes, James Tretheway, Colin Baxter, Cody Anderson, Cory Elmore and Conan Amituanai for 2006. Borg, Britten, and Kerley played extensively last year as RS freshman. In my opinion they will only get better. Peter Graniello a Senior and Joe Longacre a junior will most likely round out the starting 5. Borg was the 17th best at his position of HS and Britton was 38th. Blake Kerley is the center and is the key to the o-line and one of the reasons why I think it will be a strength and not a weakness. The center position is key for any line especially a young line and, a line that is learning a new offense. The new offense is the same offense that Kerley ran in HS and he has been a huge plus to the offense as he is very familiar with the wide splits and calling out blocking assignments. I have also heard that many people think that the line is undersized when in fact it averages over 300 pounds. The other strength to this unit is the quality depth. They are young but, I think they will be very good and a key to this game and the 2007 season.
Wide Receivers:
I think this will be a big key to the game. Can BYU cover AZ’s receivers when they go 4 wide? When AZ scrimmaged this spring they lined up Mike Thomas 5’8 speedster, Anthony Johnson 6’2 possession receiver, BJ Dennard 5’11 and maybe the best athlete on the team, and Terrell Reese 6’4 a do everything type receiver. Backing them up is a group of talented` yet young receivers. I will also add this quote about AZ’s new receivers coach and what he brings to the table. This is again from the article written by Lamont Lovett: “ Coach Darryl Wyatt, the new WR coach is doing an amazing job of developing the Arizona Wide Receiver corp. He is that great coach that seems to have that “Midas Touch” when it comes to developing Wide Receivers. “
“When Wyatt coached at Oklahoma, almost all of the players under his tutelage ended up in an NFL camp. Leading the way were players like Mark Clayton (1st Round Baltimore), Mark Bradley (2nd Round Chicago), Travis Wilson (3rd Round Cleveland), and Brandon Jones (3rd Round Tennessee). This was more than just good recruiting. Coach Wyatt demands results from his players. He pays close attention to the minutest details when coaching his players. I observed him taking his players through an exhausting practice that involved lots of advanced footwork drills, cutting, and route running. He is an expert at teaching technique, and he emphasizes it on every single play. He is always hounding his receivers about attacking every ball. He is always showing each receiver what he could have done better on each play. He works his receivers like crazy on blocking down field. The results are obvious. Fewer balls are being dropped, and players like B.J. Dennard, and Bobby McCoy are starting to emerge all of a sudden.“ Again, this article can be found here. Our WR’s versus your secondary could very well decide the game.
My 3 Cents: BYU and AU fans, feel free to post comments/questions. I will moderate them to make sure they are constructive. Tomorrow I will be posting the second part: Defense and 5 reasons AU will beat BYU.
NFL or bust
Day two of the NFL draft came and went and no more BYU players came off the board. I will admit I was very surprised that neither Jonny Harline or Daniel Coats were picked, or big Jake Kuresa or even Eddie Keele. That knee injury hurt more than I expected.
The MWC conference overall had 9 picks:
Utah-Eric Weddle(S)-2nd round, 37 overall to San Diego
BYU-John Beck(QB)-2nd round, 40 overall to Miami
UNLV-Eric Wright(CB)-2nd round, 53 overall to Cleveland
New Mexico-Quincy Black(OLB)-3rd round, 68 overall to Tampa Bay
Utah-Paul Soliai(DT)-4th round, 108 overall to Miami
TCU-Marvin White(S)-4th round, 114 overall to Cincinnati
CSU-Clint Oldenburg(OT)-5th round, 171 overall to New England
Wyoming-John Wendling(S)-6th round, 184 overall to Buffalo
TCU-Herbert Taylor(OT)-6th round, 196 overall to Kansas City
BYU had 7 more players sign Free Agent contracts:
Curtis Brown (RB) - Cleveland- Will have Joe Thomas opening holes and Brady Quinn tossing him the rock.
Dan Coats (TE) - Cincinnati- Could someday catch the ball from Jeff Rowe.
Zac Collie (WR) - Philadelphia - Kevin Kolb, a suprising pick in the 2nd round, will someday sling the ball Collie's direction.
Jonny Harline (TE) - Indianapolis - Good situation. Who wouldn't want to go to Super Bowl victors and catch passes from Peyton Manning?
Cameron Jensen (LB) - Seattle- Seattle's first 5 picks were defensive players. Jensen will be a good addition to this young group.
Eddie Keele (OL) - Oakland- Blocking for JaMarcuss Russell. No OL was selected during the draft so he has a chance to shine.
Jake Kuresa (OL) - New Orleans- Blocking for Drew Bee's, Reggie Bush, and newly acquired Antonio Pittman. Not a bad place to be.
My 3 Cents: Everyone I thought would get a chance to play professional football was drafted (including Wagner.) Justin Robinson, predictably, will probably never play another snap of professional football. Only surprise is that Zac Collie signed a contract, I had no idea he was even being considered. Perhaps during the individual work-outs that teams were holding with John Beck they noticed Collie. Good for him.
The MWC conference overall had 9 picks:
Utah-Eric Weddle(S)-2nd round, 37 overall to San Diego
BYU-John Beck(QB)-2nd round, 40 overall to Miami
UNLV-Eric Wright(CB)-2nd round, 53 overall to Cleveland
New Mexico-Quincy Black(OLB)-3rd round, 68 overall to Tampa Bay
Utah-Paul Soliai(DT)-4th round, 108 overall to Miami
TCU-Marvin White(S)-4th round, 114 overall to Cincinnati
CSU-Clint Oldenburg(OT)-5th round, 171 overall to New England
Wyoming-John Wendling(S)-6th round, 184 overall to Buffalo
TCU-Herbert Taylor(OT)-6th round, 196 overall to Kansas City
BYU had 7 more players sign Free Agent contracts:
Curtis Brown (RB) - Cleveland- Will have Joe Thomas opening holes and Brady Quinn tossing him the rock.
Dan Coats (TE) - Cincinnati- Could someday catch the ball from Jeff Rowe.
Zac Collie (WR) - Philadelphia - Kevin Kolb, a suprising pick in the 2nd round, will someday sling the ball Collie's direction.
Jonny Harline (TE) - Indianapolis - Good situation. Who wouldn't want to go to Super Bowl victors and catch passes from Peyton Manning?
Cameron Jensen (LB) - Seattle- Seattle's first 5 picks were defensive players. Jensen will be a good addition to this young group.
Eddie Keele (OL) - Oakland- Blocking for JaMarcuss Russell. No OL was selected during the draft so he has a chance to shine.
Jake Kuresa (OL) - New Orleans- Blocking for Drew Bee's, Reggie Bush, and newly acquired Antonio Pittman. Not a bad place to be.
My 3 Cents: Everyone I thought would get a chance to play professional football was drafted (including Wagner.) Justin Robinson, predictably, will probably never play another snap of professional football. Only surprise is that Zac Collie signed a contract, I had no idea he was even being considered. Perhaps during the individual work-outs that teams were holding with John Beck they noticed Collie. Good for him.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
John Beck to Miami
John Beck was just drafted to Miami Dolphins as the 8th pick of the 2nd round (#40 overall.) The draftniks of ESPN were saying he has a great chance of coming into Miami and contending for a starting position. Miami also selected Ted Ginn Jr. out of Ohio State in the first round, adding to future weapons for Beck. He is considered a potential franchise QB and has a great chance to shine under Coach Cameron.
Beck came off the board as the #4 QB behind Russell (Oakland), Quinn (Cleveland), and Kevin Kolb (Philadelphia.) Kolb suprised many and probalby won't see the field for several years as there are QB's infront of him.
Note: Eric Weddle was selected by the Chargers as the 5th pick in the second round (#37 overall.)
I will update later with other picks from the MWC, other BYU players and players going to Miami.
Beck came off the board as the #4 QB behind Russell (Oakland), Quinn (Cleveland), and Kevin Kolb (Philadelphia.) Kolb suprised many and probalby won't see the field for several years as there are QB's infront of him.
Note: Eric Weddle was selected by the Chargers as the 5th pick in the second round (#37 overall.)
I will update later with other picks from the MWC, other BYU players and players going to Miami.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Turnovers
"Will this defense cause more turnovers than last year? And can that make up for such a young offense now that Beck & Brown are gone?-Anonymous"
To establish a benchmark, we need to understand 2006. By the end of the season BYU was ranked #4 in the country in the turnover margin. BYU lost a total of 4 fumbles all season and tied for #18 with 9 passes intercepted. That is a grand total of 13 turnovers in the season, 1 a game. BYU was tied for #74 with 9 fumbles recovered and tied at #12 with 18 interceptions for a grand total of 27. That equals a +1.08 turnover margin on the season, really quite impressive.
Who caused these turnovers and are they coming back?
Returning player interceptions: 7 (Not including Matangi Tonga)
Graduated player interceptions: 8
Returning player forced fumble/recoveries: 8/6
Graduated player forced fumble/recoveries: 0/3
These numbers are surprising. They show that most turnovers were caused and recovered by players that will be on this year's team. It doesn't take into account the fact that most of the players that graduated were starters and therefore had a greater opportunity to cause/recover a turnover.
Will as many turnovers be caused?
The three main elements of most turnovers, beyond dumb luck, are:
1. Being where the other team doesn't expect you to be: Blitzing is one of the most effective ways to create turnovers. Missed blocks on a incoming LB or a safety being where the QB didn't expect him is a key ingredient in taking the ball away. Just ask Jeff Ballard (1:41 into the video.) BYU's returning defensive players tallied 10 of 11 quarterback hurries last year. With a year of experience more and faster ILBers, I think this number will only increase. Reports from spring practice say the blitzing scheme's added to the defense were tough for the offense, this only bodes well for increasing the number of turnovers next year.
2. Sticking to your assignment: If a OLB is blitzing, the rest of the team has to make sure they are sticking to their assignments. Overpursuit not only can create big plays, but also means they aren't there to make the play when the quarterback makes a bad decision. BYU's defense improved vastly in this area last year and the result was some easy turnovers.
3. Good tackling: There is nothing that separates a player from the ball faster than a well-placed hit. BYU's focus over the summer last season paid off, it will only get getter as the players get faster and stronger.
Now to the offensive side of the ball. BYU did not turn the ball over last year very much for two main reasons: John Beck and Curtis Brown. Beck only threw 8 interceptions all season to his 32 passing touchdowns. He was accurate, with the second highest passing efficiency rating (169.1) in the country and completing nearly 70% of his throws. I have looked everywhere but cannot find an official statistic for how many fumbles Curtis Brown had. I cannot remember any from the 2006 season. Brown had an iron grip on the ball and simply did not fumble, a very important part of the positive turnover margin.
Can the defense, which will probably do better in total number of turnovers, make up for the young offense?
No.
Fui Vakapuna and Manase Tonga both fumbled several times during this last season. Fui tends to carry the ball away from his body so he can hit people and sometimes loses the ball. Hopefully this is being addressed but in the end it is very likely the number of fumbles will increase. The number of interceptions is also very likely to increase. The spread offense is based a lot of chemistry and timing. If the receiver does not break when the quarterback thought he would the ball is up for grabs. Max Hall has a long ways to get the timing and trust that John Beck had with his receivers. If he works as hard as Beck during this whole summer, the number of interceptions is likely to be in the low teens. Hall is also more aggressive and likes to thread the needle which may also lead to more turnovers. If Hall goes down, Gaskins has no spring practice to fall back on and likely will throw some unfortunate passes.
My 3 Cents: BYU will probably have a decent ranking in the turnover margin (mid 20s is my guess) next season because while the offense will turn the ball over more often, the defense will probably get the ball themselves more often due to increased speed, better understanding of the defense, more experience, and the new wrinkles in the zone blitzes.
To establish a benchmark, we need to understand 2006. By the end of the season BYU was ranked #4 in the country in the turnover margin. BYU lost a total of 4 fumbles all season and tied for #18 with 9 passes intercepted. That is a grand total of 13 turnovers in the season, 1 a game. BYU was tied for #74 with 9 fumbles recovered and tied at #12 with 18 interceptions for a grand total of 27. That equals a +1.08 turnover margin on the season, really quite impressive.
Who caused these turnovers and are they coming back?
Returning player interceptions: 7 (Not including Matangi Tonga)
Graduated player interceptions: 8
Returning player forced fumble/recoveries: 8/6
Graduated player forced fumble/recoveries: 0/3
These numbers are surprising. They show that most turnovers were caused and recovered by players that will be on this year's team. It doesn't take into account the fact that most of the players that graduated were starters and therefore had a greater opportunity to cause/recover a turnover.
Will as many turnovers be caused?
The three main elements of most turnovers, beyond dumb luck, are:
1. Being where the other team doesn't expect you to be: Blitzing is one of the most effective ways to create turnovers. Missed blocks on a incoming LB or a safety being where the QB didn't expect him is a key ingredient in taking the ball away. Just ask Jeff Ballard (1:41 into the video.) BYU's returning defensive players tallied 10 of 11 quarterback hurries last year. With a year of experience more and faster ILBers, I think this number will only increase. Reports from spring practice say the blitzing scheme's added to the defense were tough for the offense, this only bodes well for increasing the number of turnovers next year.
2. Sticking to your assignment: If a OLB is blitzing, the rest of the team has to make sure they are sticking to their assignments. Overpursuit not only can create big plays, but also means they aren't there to make the play when the quarterback makes a bad decision. BYU's defense improved vastly in this area last year and the result was some easy turnovers.
3. Good tackling: There is nothing that separates a player from the ball faster than a well-placed hit. BYU's focus over the summer last season paid off, it will only get getter as the players get faster and stronger.
Now to the offensive side of the ball. BYU did not turn the ball over last year very much for two main reasons: John Beck and Curtis Brown. Beck only threw 8 interceptions all season to his 32 passing touchdowns. He was accurate, with the second highest passing efficiency rating (169.1) in the country and completing nearly 70% of his throws. I have looked everywhere but cannot find an official statistic for how many fumbles Curtis Brown had. I cannot remember any from the 2006 season. Brown had an iron grip on the ball and simply did not fumble, a very important part of the positive turnover margin.
Can the defense, which will probably do better in total number of turnovers, make up for the young offense?
No.
Fui Vakapuna and Manase Tonga both fumbled several times during this last season. Fui tends to carry the ball away from his body so he can hit people and sometimes loses the ball. Hopefully this is being addressed but in the end it is very likely the number of fumbles will increase. The number of interceptions is also very likely to increase. The spread offense is based a lot of chemistry and timing. If the receiver does not break when the quarterback thought he would the ball is up for grabs. Max Hall has a long ways to get the timing and trust that John Beck had with his receivers. If he works as hard as Beck during this whole summer, the number of interceptions is likely to be in the low teens. Hall is also more aggressive and likes to thread the needle which may also lead to more turnovers. If Hall goes down, Gaskins has no spring practice to fall back on and likely will throw some unfortunate passes.
My 3 Cents: BYU will probably have a decent ranking in the turnover margin (mid 20s is my guess) next season because while the offense will turn the ball over more often, the defense will probably get the ball themselves more often due to increased speed, better understanding of the defense, more experience, and the new wrinkles in the zone blitzes.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Undefeated?
Question I received on another post:
"Keep going. Good stuff. What are odds we go undefeated this fall?-Anonymous
Great question actually, something all BYU fan's have deep inside their head. It was hard after the 2005 season to even contemplate a good 2006. With a 10-game winning streak, this year it is a little easier to dream of, and hope for, a perfect season. This question is deeper than it seems: Will BYU go to a BCS bowl this year? Could
they possibly be National Champions?
As mentioned in the heading of the blog, I'm really not a math whiz. In fact, I haven't taken a real math class since my sophomore year of high school. That being said, my "odds" won't be mathematically correct, but I think my logic will be.
Anyways, Ill break it down by game:
Arizona(H): I think BYU wins this one in a close game. Arizona is implementing a new offense that BYU defense is very familiar with. The offensive line of UA is young and will still be getting use to the new splits. The QB and WR's will need to have near perfect execution if they want to sustain long drives against BYU defense at home. UA has a very good defense and Hall will definitely have his work cut out for him. I'd give BYU a 60% chance of winning.
UCLA(A): Toughest game of the season. On the road at the Rose Bowl against a ranked team. However, Im not as convinced that the 20 returning starters are going to dominate the game. UCLA only finished with a 7-6 record, including a loss in their bowl game. Their win over USC, while a huge win, wasn't really that spectacular. It was a pretty ugly game for both teams. I hope Ben Olson is the starting QB so BYU can show him what he missed out on. JJ DiLuigi mentioned in an interview he already has the UCLA game circled on his calendar, I hope he gets to see the field to make a mark. BYU 40% chance of winning, I think the road game this early will be too much.
Tulsa(A): New coach, same outcome. I think BYU rolls over Tulsa again. This game will be closer, but BYU will still come out by a couple touchdowns. BYU has a 80% chance of winning.
Air Force(H): Air Force has a new coach and a new mentality. Sadly, I don't think they are going to do very well this year. The guys on the team were all brought in for an option offense and they aren't quite the right personnel for this new passing attack. They also lose their edge of being the only option attack that most teams will see all year so most defenses, not just BYU, will be more effective against them. BYU has a 80% chance of winning.
New Mexico(A): This game could be a surprise for BYU, but I believe Bronco will have BYU ready to play. BYU has the bottom half of the conference on the road and the top half at home, good scheduling. BYU has a 65% chance of winning.
UNLV(A): BYU rolls. 3rd string RBs and Gaskins will score. BYU has a 90% chance of winning.
Eastern Washington(H): If BYU doesn't win, I am shaving my head and changing my name to Eastern Washington's QB's name (Note: Took me a while to find it, Matt Nichols... Could be worse. I could have said their CB DeNique Ford or RB Toke Kefu.) BYU will win. Period.
San Diego State(A): For their sake, I hope SDSU isn't bitten by the injury bug again this year. I feel bad that they had to play us last year with their 3rd string QB, 4th string (does that exist?) TE and a dilapidated defense. BYU has a 90% chance of winning.
Colorado State(H): This could be a late season shocker for BYU if they don't keep their guard up. Kyle Bell is back and will be trying to make amends for his last performance in LES (36 yards.) BYU has a 60% chance of winning.
TCU(H): This is for all the marbles folks. IF BYU and TCU are both undefeated at this point (unlikely but possible) this may be the biggest clash in MWC history: Two top 15 teams at the end of the season. Even if both teams are not undefeated, this will probably determine the MWC champion. BYU has a 60% chance of winning.
Wyoming(A): Again people are using the "lots of starters" returning for Wyoming. Yipee. BYU beat them 55-7 last year, so if they think that bringing those same guys back means they will win, they are in for a rude awakening in Laramie. I think the score will be closer, within 20 points this time. BYU has a 65% chance of winning.
Utah(H): Closer than any of us are comfortable with, but BYU will win convincingly. BYU has a 75% chance of winning this game.
So what does it all mean? Probably not. I see BYU ending the season around 7-5 at worst (Possible losses to UA, UCLA, CSU, TCU, Utah and 1 surprise) and as good as 10-2 if Hall is as good as advertised. This team will probably stumble as some point because of the loss of senior leaders. Hopefully Bronco can keep them focused enough that the stumble lasts 1 game, not a stretch.
My 3 Cents: 2009 is the year the stars align. I would say 2008, but we lose a lot of defensive starters (Kehl, Nixon, Gabriel, Gooch, Criddle to be exact.) In 2008 BYU will be very good, but probably not BCS busting good. 2009 we play Notre Dame among others, Hall is a Senior, Austin is all the way back, Jacobson could be back, JJ DiLuigi and Ryan Kessman will have a couple years under his belt, the Defensive line will be seniors with 3 years starting under their belts. You heard it here first.
Check back tomorrow when I tackle another reader question: "Will this defense cause more turnovers than last year? And can that make up for such a young offense now that Beck & Brown are gone?"
"Keep going. Good stuff. What are odds we go undefeated this fall?-Anonymous
Great question actually, something all BYU fan's have deep inside their head. It was hard after the 2005 season to even contemplate a good 2006. With a 10-game winning streak, this year it is a little easier to dream of, and hope for, a perfect season. This question is deeper than it seems: Will BYU go to a BCS bowl this year? Could
they possibly be National Champions?
As mentioned in the heading of the blog, I'm really not a math whiz. In fact, I haven't taken a real math class since my sophomore year of high school. That being said, my "odds" won't be mathematically correct, but I think my logic will be.
Anyways, Ill break it down by game:
Arizona(H): I think BYU wins this one in a close game. Arizona is implementing a new offense that BYU defense is very familiar with. The offensive line of UA is young and will still be getting use to the new splits. The QB and WR's will need to have near perfect execution if they want to sustain long drives against BYU defense at home. UA has a very good defense and Hall will definitely have his work cut out for him. I'd give BYU a 60% chance of winning.
UCLA(A): Toughest game of the season. On the road at the Rose Bowl against a ranked team. However, Im not as convinced that the 20 returning starters are going to dominate the game. UCLA only finished with a 7-6 record, including a loss in their bowl game. Their win over USC, while a huge win, wasn't really that spectacular. It was a pretty ugly game for both teams. I hope Ben Olson is the starting QB so BYU can show him what he missed out on. JJ DiLuigi mentioned in an interview he already has the UCLA game circled on his calendar, I hope he gets to see the field to make a mark. BYU 40% chance of winning, I think the road game this early will be too much.
Tulsa(A): New coach, same outcome. I think BYU rolls over Tulsa again. This game will be closer, but BYU will still come out by a couple touchdowns. BYU has a 80% chance of winning.
Air Force(H): Air Force has a new coach and a new mentality. Sadly, I don't think they are going to do very well this year. The guys on the team were all brought in for an option offense and they aren't quite the right personnel for this new passing attack. They also lose their edge of being the only option attack that most teams will see all year so most defenses, not just BYU, will be more effective against them. BYU has a 80% chance of winning.
New Mexico(A): This game could be a surprise for BYU, but I believe Bronco will have BYU ready to play. BYU has the bottom half of the conference on the road and the top half at home, good scheduling. BYU has a 65% chance of winning.
UNLV(A): BYU rolls. 3rd string RBs and Gaskins will score. BYU has a 90% chance of winning.
Eastern Washington(H): If BYU doesn't win, I am shaving my head and changing my name to Eastern Washington's QB's name (Note: Took me a while to find it, Matt Nichols... Could be worse. I could have said their CB DeNique Ford or RB Toke Kefu.) BYU will win. Period.
San Diego State(A): For their sake, I hope SDSU isn't bitten by the injury bug again this year. I feel bad that they had to play us last year with their 3rd string QB, 4th string (does that exist?) TE and a dilapidated defense. BYU has a 90% chance of winning.
Colorado State(H): This could be a late season shocker for BYU if they don't keep their guard up. Kyle Bell is back and will be trying to make amends for his last performance in LES (36 yards.) BYU has a 60% chance of winning.
TCU(H): This is for all the marbles folks. IF BYU and TCU are both undefeated at this point (unlikely but possible) this may be the biggest clash in MWC history: Two top 15 teams at the end of the season. Even if both teams are not undefeated, this will probably determine the MWC champion. BYU has a 60% chance of winning.
Wyoming(A): Again people are using the "lots of starters" returning for Wyoming. Yipee. BYU beat them 55-7 last year, so if they think that bringing those same guys back means they will win, they are in for a rude awakening in Laramie. I think the score will be closer, within 20 points this time. BYU has a 65% chance of winning.
Utah(H): Closer than any of us are comfortable with, but BYU will win convincingly. BYU has a 75% chance of winning this game.
So what does it all mean? Probably not. I see BYU ending the season around 7-5 at worst (Possible losses to UA, UCLA, CSU, TCU, Utah and 1 surprise) and as good as 10-2 if Hall is as good as advertised. This team will probably stumble as some point because of the loss of senior leaders. Hopefully Bronco can keep them focused enough that the stumble lasts 1 game, not a stretch.
My 3 Cents: 2009 is the year the stars align. I would say 2008, but we lose a lot of defensive starters (Kehl, Nixon, Gabriel, Gooch, Criddle to be exact.) In 2008 BYU will be very good, but probably not BCS busting good. 2009 we play Notre Dame among others, Hall is a Senior, Austin is all the way back, Jacobson could be back, JJ DiLuigi and Ryan Kessman will have a couple years under his belt, the Defensive line will be seniors with 3 years starting under their belts. You heard it here first.
Check back tomorrow when I tackle another reader question: "Will this defense cause more turnovers than last year? And can that make up for such a young offense now that Beck & Brown are gone?"
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Defense: For better or for worse
The practice fields have fallen silent since Spring Football ended, leaving the world of BYU football fandom without daily news reports. No more balloon-gates. No more stories of Gooch cracking someone in "non-contact" drills. No more gravity defying leaps by George or Pitta. BYU football players are even trying their best to get through finals week and mentally prepared for summer voluntary work-outs. It is a time for the newly annointed King of BYU Football, Mr. Max Hall, to step up and take control of the team.
Today I am going to be reviewing the defense by position and whether I think it will be better or worse than 2006's #10 scoring defense (14.7 pts a game)and #16 pass efficiency defense(106.23), one of the best in BYU history.
Defensive Line:
I wrote a whole article about this recently, but I think the defensive line will be the oil that keeps this defensive machine working smoothly. Ian Dulan, Jan Jorgensen and Russell Tialavea are all sophmores and ready to get into the backfield this coming season. Tialavea gets a great push and had two blocked kicks last year. There are more than adequate back-ups in Brett Denney, Judd Anderton, and Mark Fitu.
Best player: Jan Jorgensen. A leader of this very young group, Jorgensen does a great job getting into the backfield. He should lead the group in tackles for a second year in a row.
Suspect: NT. Russell Tialavea is good, but this position is one injury away from being manned by a walk-on. Hopefully, BYU can get Brian Soi, a NFL quality NT that is currently at UVSC getting his associates. Once he gets his degree, BYU can then work on getting him to fall practice.
Injuries: Judd Anderton is out with a torn labrum, should be back for fall.
Linebackers:
Hands down the best and deepest position on the team currently. Returning 2 starters and 2 guys with significant playing time, they are ready to knock some heads. Bryan Kehl and David Nixon are a very quick tandem. Nixon was held out of spring camp from a lingering groin injury but will be participating in the summer and fall. These two are fast enough to play coverage and strong enough for the pass rush. Kelly Poppinga and Mark Staffieri will be replacing the General and Wagner, the two leading tackler's on last years team. Poppinga and Staffieri aren't as big as the other two, but are much quicker.
The 4 projected starters combined for 186 tackles and 8 sacks last year. With the new blitzing schemes, this number should be much higher this season. This group will be the dominating playmakers on defense and should help keep the momentum in BYU's favor. The back-ups are very talented as well, including Chris Bolden, Austen Jorgensen, Matt Bauman, Jaden Wagner, Shawn Doman, Terrance Hooks, Dan Van Sweden, Grant Nelson and several others.
Best Player: Bryan Kehl. He is emerging as a leader of the defense and has the skills to back it up. I was sitting next to Lark the day after his freak injury and Kehl came over to check up on him and see how he was doing. Kehl will be a 1st team MWC and possibly garner some national praise if he can have big games against UA and UCLA to start the season.
Suspect: Hard to say at this position. Staffieri worries me because of lingering injuries, but should be more than healthy for fall.
Injuries: David Nixon (groin), Austen Jorgensen (labrum), and Markell Staffieri (ready to particiapte for summer.)
Defensive Backs:
Coach Jaime Hill turned 2005's suspect defense into the best suprise of 2006. The secondary had to play on its toes the whole game as the offense often scored so quickly teams abandoned their game plans and began slinging the ball across the field. Only one starter graduated (Justin Robinson CB) and there is still a battle going for his position. Robinson actually had a great year and led the team in interceptions. However, his size made him a bit of a liability (5'7.5) so I think we will all feel a little better with Kayle Buchannon, Brandon Bradley or someone taller playing field corner. Gooch quietly had the most tackles of all the DB's last year (66) while Criddle had an impressive 47 solo tackles. Criddle was great at run-support and often got in the way of passes. He let a couple INT's slip through his hands and hopefully has taken his down time to practice with a JUGS machine. The safeties Quinn Gooch and Dustin Gabriel, both are returning starters and are both very reliable and talented. Gooch is rumored to be establishing himself as a leader on the defense, which is a good thing. Safeties have a good vantage point from their position on the field, hopefully he uses his knowledge and experience to help the defense even more.
Best Player: Ben Criddle. Criddle was a solid tackler and excellent defender last year as a walk-on. Bronco gave him a scholarship over the off-season and he is ready to come back. He led the team last season with 9 pass break-ups. Hopefully this season some of those are INTs instead.
Suspect: Dustin Gabriel. Poor guy is always injured. He may not make it to fall ball if he decides to not risk himself anymore. David Tafuna is the likely back up, though Kellen Fowler is said to be one of the smarter players on the team and could be a good option as well. Honorable mention in this category is Kayle Buchannon who is always injured. His hit that knocked Weddle into the runner against Utah shows he is capable of being a very physical corner. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
Injuries: Chris Warner (ACL), Ben Criddle (Toe), Dustin Gabriel (perpetually)
My 3 Cents: The defense will be very good this year. If nothing else, they will be faster and from the reports from Spring, more physical. The new blitzing schemes and wrinkles they threw into the system should give offensive lines fits. I fully expect them to stay within the top 10 scoring defenses (the clock changes mean that they will probably allow more points, as will everyone else.) The defensive line is more experienced and show keep the offensive line in check better to let Nixon and Kehl blow up the back-field.
The comments left thus far have been great, please let me know if you are agreeing with what I'm posting!
Today I am going to be reviewing the defense by position and whether I think it will be better or worse than 2006's #10 scoring defense (14.7 pts a game)and #16 pass efficiency defense(106.23), one of the best in BYU history.
Defensive Line:
I wrote a whole article about this recently, but I think the defensive line will be the oil that keeps this defensive machine working smoothly. Ian Dulan, Jan Jorgensen and Russell Tialavea are all sophmores and ready to get into the backfield this coming season. Tialavea gets a great push and had two blocked kicks last year. There are more than adequate back-ups in Brett Denney, Judd Anderton, and Mark Fitu.
Best player: Jan Jorgensen. A leader of this very young group, Jorgensen does a great job getting into the backfield. He should lead the group in tackles for a second year in a row.
Suspect: NT. Russell Tialavea is good, but this position is one injury away from being manned by a walk-on. Hopefully, BYU can get Brian Soi, a NFL quality NT that is currently at UVSC getting his associates. Once he gets his degree, BYU can then work on getting him to fall practice.
Injuries: Judd Anderton is out with a torn labrum, should be back for fall.
Linebackers:
Hands down the best and deepest position on the team currently. Returning 2 starters and 2 guys with significant playing time, they are ready to knock some heads. Bryan Kehl and David Nixon are a very quick tandem. Nixon was held out of spring camp from a lingering groin injury but will be participating in the summer and fall. These two are fast enough to play coverage and strong enough for the pass rush. Kelly Poppinga and Mark Staffieri will be replacing the General and Wagner, the two leading tackler's on last years team. Poppinga and Staffieri aren't as big as the other two, but are much quicker.
The 4 projected starters combined for 186 tackles and 8 sacks last year. With the new blitzing schemes, this number should be much higher this season. This group will be the dominating playmakers on defense and should help keep the momentum in BYU's favor. The back-ups are very talented as well, including Chris Bolden, Austen Jorgensen, Matt Bauman, Jaden Wagner, Shawn Doman, Terrance Hooks, Dan Van Sweden, Grant Nelson and several others.
Best Player: Bryan Kehl. He is emerging as a leader of the defense and has the skills to back it up. I was sitting next to Lark the day after his freak injury and Kehl came over to check up on him and see how he was doing. Kehl will be a 1st team MWC and possibly garner some national praise if he can have big games against UA and UCLA to start the season.
Suspect: Hard to say at this position. Staffieri worries me because of lingering injuries, but should be more than healthy for fall.
Injuries: David Nixon (groin), Austen Jorgensen (labrum), and Markell Staffieri (ready to particiapte for summer.)
Defensive Backs:
Coach Jaime Hill turned 2005's suspect defense into the best suprise of 2006. The secondary had to play on its toes the whole game as the offense often scored so quickly teams abandoned their game plans and began slinging the ball across the field. Only one starter graduated (Justin Robinson CB) and there is still a battle going for his position. Robinson actually had a great year and led the team in interceptions. However, his size made him a bit of a liability (5'7.5) so I think we will all feel a little better with Kayle Buchannon, Brandon Bradley or someone taller playing field corner. Gooch quietly had the most tackles of all the DB's last year (66) while Criddle had an impressive 47 solo tackles. Criddle was great at run-support and often got in the way of passes. He let a couple INT's slip through his hands and hopefully has taken his down time to practice with a JUGS machine. The safeties Quinn Gooch and Dustin Gabriel, both are returning starters and are both very reliable and talented. Gooch is rumored to be establishing himself as a leader on the defense, which is a good thing. Safeties have a good vantage point from their position on the field, hopefully he uses his knowledge and experience to help the defense even more.
Best Player: Ben Criddle. Criddle was a solid tackler and excellent defender last year as a walk-on. Bronco gave him a scholarship over the off-season and he is ready to come back. He led the team last season with 9 pass break-ups. Hopefully this season some of those are INTs instead.
Suspect: Dustin Gabriel. Poor guy is always injured. He may not make it to fall ball if he decides to not risk himself anymore. David Tafuna is the likely back up, though Kellen Fowler is said to be one of the smarter players on the team and could be a good option as well. Honorable mention in this category is Kayle Buchannon who is always injured. His hit that knocked Weddle into the runner against Utah shows he is capable of being a very physical corner. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
Injuries: Chris Warner (ACL), Ben Criddle (Toe), Dustin Gabriel (perpetually)
My 3 Cents: The defense will be very good this year. If nothing else, they will be faster and from the reports from Spring, more physical. The new blitzing schemes and wrinkles they threw into the system should give offensive lines fits. I fully expect them to stay within the top 10 scoring defenses (the clock changes mean that they will probably allow more points, as will everyone else.) The defensive line is more experienced and show keep the offensive line in check better to let Nixon and Kehl blow up the back-field.
The comments left thus far have been great, please let me know if you are agreeing with what I'm posting!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Draft 2007
After a weekend hiatus to take finals, My 3 Cents is now back in full swing. I believe I found a way to get through these doldrums that enter every college football fan's life between May and July, so keep checking back. On a side note, you can sign up for the daily updates sent out from this site on the right hand side of the page. Back to football...
This weekend, April 28-29, a bunch of 20-somethings are finally going to get paid for their on-field exploits. What BYU football players are most likely to make a paycheck playing football?
Draft locks
1. Aaron Wagner (6'3, 245 LB): It is too bad Aaron won't be on the field to play with his brother Jaden who just returned from a mission. Wagner is currently the only Cougar that is guaranteed to play professional football: He was drafted before the 2006 season by the Toronto Argonauts as the 14th overall selection. He was a hot commodity in the CFL because each team is required to have half their roster be "non-import" (their wording, not mine.)
2. John Beck (6'2, 215 QB): Beck has slowly solidified himself as a top 5 QB, with many saying he is likely to go as the 3rd QB. The talking heads started off with Beck as a top 10 QB and have started to see the writing on the wall (aka opinions of people who will be signing Beck's paycheck) that he may be a real deal. The main question about John Beck by above mentioned talking heads is his arm strength. Any Cougar fan that watched Beck playing under Crowton will gladly attest that arm strength is the least of the worries. Beck had the second highest ball velocity at the combine which put that to rest (to a degree.) Beck's ability to execute several different offensive schemes while at BYU will really help come draft day.
Late Rounds/FA
1. Daniel Coats (6'3, 257, TE): Coats is more likely to be drafted of the two TE's because he fits the mold better of a blocking TE. Coats actually had a much better combine than Harline. He did an amazing 34 lifts on the bench press, more than most offensive linemen. Coats is a great short range target and looks to see time pretty soon as a 3rd TE in short distance situations in the NFL.
2. Johnny Harline (6'4, 248, TE): Harline did not show as well as many expected him to at the Combine. He did 15 bench press reps, the lowest of all TE's at the combine. After seeing him elude defensive backs all season many BYU fans expected a 40 faster than the 4.9 (4.76 on campus) he posted. Harline will probably be a late day 2 pick, similar to Watkins last year. Teams will have a hard time ignoring his on field accomplishments and may take him as a H-back/TE hybrid as he excels in getting open and making the catch as a short to mid-range receiving threat.
3. Jake Kuresa (6'4, 322, OT): Kuresa surprised many by showing up to BYU's pro-day trimmer than he played during his 4 years at BYU. The fact he played 4 years at BYU means he will likely be drafted on the second day, it is hard to pass up on a big man that is durable.
4. Eddie Keele (6'5, 312, OT): Keele was a 2 year starter before getting injured during the Boston College game. He worked hard during his rehabilitation time and posted the best bench reps of all draft prospects at 43, a full 3 more than the top 2 at the combine. His injury probably made him drop several rounds, but will still likely be drafted towards the end of day 2 due to his size and strength.
Likely to not be drafted
1. Cameron Jensen (6'2, 230, LB): I have yet to see any mock drafts that list Jensen as being drafted. However, he will probably get a shot at a camp to prove himself. Jensen has the knack to make plays and be around the ball, so hopefully he will make a roster and get to prove himself on special teams.
2. Curtis Brown (6'0, 205, RB): Curtis Brown may be one of the best running backs BYU will ever have, so it's sad he might never set foot on an NFL field. His ability to make the first tackler miss and iron-grip on the ball make him a good 3rd down option. However, he lacks the elite speed (4.6) to turn heads and struggled against several BCS teams (but had an amazing final romp against Oregon.) He might get a shot to play special teams at the next level or as a change-up back for short yardage situations, but his days as #1 RB are probably over.
3. Justin Robinson (5'7, 160 CB): Did anyone think after the 2005 season he'd even be mentioned as a starter for BYU? Robinson improved greatly for 2006 and led the team in interceptions. His size will make it nearly impossible for him to sniff an NFL field anywhere but the stands, but he posted remarkable 40 times (one was sub 4.3) and a long jump of 10'4. Highly doubt he is even invited to a camp, but you never know.
This weekend, April 28-29, a bunch of 20-somethings are finally going to get paid for their on-field exploits. What BYU football players are most likely to make a paycheck playing football?
Draft locks
1. Aaron Wagner (6'3, 245 LB): It is too bad Aaron won't be on the field to play with his brother Jaden who just returned from a mission. Wagner is currently the only Cougar that is guaranteed to play professional football: He was drafted before the 2006 season by the Toronto Argonauts as the 14th overall selection. He was a hot commodity in the CFL because each team is required to have half their roster be "non-import" (their wording, not mine.)
2. John Beck (6'2, 215 QB): Beck has slowly solidified himself as a top 5 QB, with many saying he is likely to go as the 3rd QB. The talking heads started off with Beck as a top 10 QB and have started to see the writing on the wall (aka opinions of people who will be signing Beck's paycheck) that he may be a real deal. The main question about John Beck by above mentioned talking heads is his arm strength. Any Cougar fan that watched Beck playing under Crowton will gladly attest that arm strength is the least of the worries. Beck had the second highest ball velocity at the combine which put that to rest (to a degree.) Beck's ability to execute several different offensive schemes while at BYU will really help come draft day.
Late Rounds/FA
1. Daniel Coats (6'3, 257, TE): Coats is more likely to be drafted of the two TE's because he fits the mold better of a blocking TE. Coats actually had a much better combine than Harline. He did an amazing 34 lifts on the bench press, more than most offensive linemen. Coats is a great short range target and looks to see time pretty soon as a 3rd TE in short distance situations in the NFL.
2. Johnny Harline (6'4, 248, TE): Harline did not show as well as many expected him to at the Combine. He did 15 bench press reps, the lowest of all TE's at the combine. After seeing him elude defensive backs all season many BYU fans expected a 40 faster than the 4.9 (4.76 on campus) he posted. Harline will probably be a late day 2 pick, similar to Watkins last year. Teams will have a hard time ignoring his on field accomplishments and may take him as a H-back/TE hybrid as he excels in getting open and making the catch as a short to mid-range receiving threat.
3. Jake Kuresa (6'4, 322, OT): Kuresa surprised many by showing up to BYU's pro-day trimmer than he played during his 4 years at BYU. The fact he played 4 years at BYU means he will likely be drafted on the second day, it is hard to pass up on a big man that is durable.
4. Eddie Keele (6'5, 312, OT): Keele was a 2 year starter before getting injured during the Boston College game. He worked hard during his rehabilitation time and posted the best bench reps of all draft prospects at 43, a full 3 more than the top 2 at the combine. His injury probably made him drop several rounds, but will still likely be drafted towards the end of day 2 due to his size and strength.
Likely to not be drafted
1. Cameron Jensen (6'2, 230, LB): I have yet to see any mock drafts that list Jensen as being drafted. However, he will probably get a shot at a camp to prove himself. Jensen has the knack to make plays and be around the ball, so hopefully he will make a roster and get to prove himself on special teams.
2. Curtis Brown (6'0, 205, RB): Curtis Brown may be one of the best running backs BYU will ever have, so it's sad he might never set foot on an NFL field. His ability to make the first tackler miss and iron-grip on the ball make him a good 3rd down option. However, he lacks the elite speed (4.6) to turn heads and struggled against several BCS teams (but had an amazing final romp against Oregon.) He might get a shot to play special teams at the next level or as a change-up back for short yardage situations, but his days as #1 RB are probably over.
3. Justin Robinson (5'7, 160 CB): Did anyone think after the 2005 season he'd even be mentioned as a starter for BYU? Robinson improved greatly for 2006 and led the team in interceptions. His size will make it nearly impossible for him to sniff an NFL field anywhere but the stands, but he posted remarkable 40 times (one was sub 4.3) and a long jump of 10'4. Highly doubt he is even invited to a camp, but you never know.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Numbers Game
Fans who bought Watkins #1 jersey in 2005 were wondering whose number they'd be sporting last season. They were lucky enough to be the proud wearers of Fui Vakapunas number. Whose jersey do you conveniently already own?
#6 Cade Cooper (last year Curtis Brown, perhaps to show your support?)
#9 Austin Collie (Nate Meikle)
#12 Brenden Gaskins (John Beck)
#13 Nate Hutchinson (Johnny Harline)
#15 Max Hall (Justin Robinson)
#35 Matt Bauman (Cameron Jensen)
There may be more but I have found conflicted roster reports for others. Apparently, OL Jason Speredon and DE Ian Dulan will arm-wrestle for a number since they are both listed on different reports as #77.
#6 Cade Cooper (last year Curtis Brown, perhaps to show your support?)
#9 Austin Collie (Nate Meikle)
#12 Brenden Gaskins (John Beck)
#13 Nate Hutchinson (Johnny Harline)
#15 Max Hall (Justin Robinson)
#35 Matt Bauman (Cameron Jensen)
There may be more but I have found conflicted roster reports for others. Apparently, OL Jason Speredon and DE Ian Dulan will arm-wrestle for a number since they are both listed on different reports as #77.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Brenden Who?
The other day someone mentioned they were going to wear their #12 John Beck jersey and I joked that they should just tell everyone they were huge Brenden Gaskins fan (the current #12 on the BYU roster.) After the spring game, many were looking around trying to figure out who on earth #12 was after the performance and why we didn't hear more about him in Spring. There is a comment on an earlier post I made asking who Gaskins is.
Brenden Gaskins is now BYU's #2 QB after a freak accident that is leaving Cade Cooper out for the season. The injury is actually so severe he will probably not even be leading the scout team and will barely be back for next spring. Brenden stepped in during the spring game and scored the only touchdown of the game to Max Hall's cousin, Reed White.
So just who is Brenden Gaskins? Gaskins is a 6'5, 220 QB (runs a 4.7 40) originally from Farmington, NM. He signed with Nevada out of high school but first served a mission to Uruguay. While serving in South America, the coaching staff at Nevada experienced a high turnover and Gaskins decided not to return, instead opting to play at Glendale CC. He redshirted his first year back.
He had a stand out year as a RS Freshman, being named a Second Team Western States Football League (WSFL) QB. First team? Cade Cooper.
He was second in the WSFL in offensive stats, completing 153 passes for 2071 yards and 20 TDs (with 12 interceptions.) The Offensive Player of the year? Cade Cooper.
Gaskins wanted to transfer to BYU from Nevada but they would not grant a release so he had to go a JC route. He walked on for Spring but only got a few limited reps with the 1st or 2nd string offense.
Gaskins is reported to have the strongest arm of the group, slightly stronger than Max Hall. Many say that Gaskins could have a great future at BYU, he has the tangibles to make him a great (great size, speed.) Let's hope he takes advantage of the increased reps he will be getting as #2. As he demonstrated during the Spring Game, he has the ability to get things done, driving the length of the field twice to score (1 TD, 1 FG)
My 3 Cents: In another post I mentioned the log-jam that Cooper's redshirt is creating. Doing research for this post I found out Gaskins has already used his redshirt, meaning Hall, Cooper and Gaskins will ALL be Juniors next year.
Brenden Gaskins is now BYU's #2 QB after a freak accident that is leaving Cade Cooper out for the season. The injury is actually so severe he will probably not even be leading the scout team and will barely be back for next spring. Brenden stepped in during the spring game and scored the only touchdown of the game to Max Hall's cousin, Reed White.
So just who is Brenden Gaskins? Gaskins is a 6'5, 220 QB (runs a 4.7 40) originally from Farmington, NM. He signed with Nevada out of high school but first served a mission to Uruguay. While serving in South America, the coaching staff at Nevada experienced a high turnover and Gaskins decided not to return, instead opting to play at Glendale CC. He redshirted his first year back.
He had a stand out year as a RS Freshman, being named a Second Team Western States Football League (WSFL) QB. First team? Cade Cooper.
He was second in the WSFL in offensive stats, completing 153 passes for 2071 yards and 20 TDs (with 12 interceptions.) The Offensive Player of the year? Cade Cooper.
Gaskins wanted to transfer to BYU from Nevada but they would not grant a release so he had to go a JC route. He walked on for Spring but only got a few limited reps with the 1st or 2nd string offense.
Gaskins is reported to have the strongest arm of the group, slightly stronger than Max Hall. Many say that Gaskins could have a great future at BYU, he has the tangibles to make him a great (great size, speed.) Let's hope he takes advantage of the increased reps he will be getting as #2. As he demonstrated during the Spring Game, he has the ability to get things done, driving the length of the field twice to score (1 TD, 1 FG)
My 3 Cents: In another post I mentioned the log-jam that Cooper's redshirt is creating. Doing research for this post I found out Gaskins has already used his redshirt, meaning Hall, Cooper and Gaskins will ALL be Juniors next year.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
BYU football news
Two items this time:
NCAA supports bans recruiting via text messages
OMG, U r0x. Come play ftbl at Y. Needless to say, we all saw this ban coming. It's not official yet, so USC's minions of 15 year-old girl texting crew will be in full swing until April 26th. BYU was using this loophole (as was every other school in the country) but will not be as affected as other teams.
Ray Hudson is transferring to Stephen F. Austin State University
It is admittedly sad any time one of the "Band of Brothers" decides to leave the team, but in all honesty, it's not a huge loss for BYU. Hudson was brought in to play for Crowton's offensive schemes and just never fit well in the new style. Chances are that Hudson this year would only have seen the field as clean-up duty like last season. Vakapuna, Tonga, Unga were all slated above him and he understandably wants to see the field. We wish him the best of luck at SFASU (I just made that up, but it works) and hope he enjoyed his time at BYU.
NCAA supports bans recruiting via text messages
OMG, U r0x. Come play ftbl at Y. Needless to say, we all saw this ban coming. It's not official yet, so USC's minions of 15 year-old girl texting crew will be in full swing until April 26th. BYU was using this loophole (as was every other school in the country) but will not be as affected as other teams.
Ray Hudson is transferring to Stephen F. Austin State University
It is admittedly sad any time one of the "Band of Brothers" decides to leave the team, but in all honesty, it's not a huge loss for BYU. Hudson was brought in to play for Crowton's offensive schemes and just never fit well in the new style. Chances are that Hudson this year would only have seen the field as clean-up duty like last season. Vakapuna, Tonga, Unga were all slated above him and he understandably wants to see the field. We wish him the best of luck at SFASU (I just made that up, but it works) and hope he enjoyed his time at BYU.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
BYU Recruiting Recap
Bronco Mendenhall has introduced a new mentality to football recruiting at Brigham Young University:
Early bird gets the worm.
Last season BYU had essentially wrapped up its recruiting class before Fall camp even began. This season, while going a bit slower, has also gathered some top talent in the area and in the country. This early process of identifying athletes, students and young men that fit the mold is allowing BYU to get some great talent they might not have otherwise been able to recruit. Examples of such are JJ DiLuigi and Ryan Kessman. Both are non-LDS talent that committed early and maintained that commitment, despite being recruited by BCS schools.
Last season, Scout.com rated BYU as the best recruiting class among non-BCS schools at 42. This season, BYU is the only non-BCS school to have a verbal from a Top 100 recruit at this point. So far, BYU has received 5 verbals:
1. Austin Holt(6'5, 225)TE: Holt is the above mentioned top 50 recruit. He is currently rated a 4 star but will probably be a 5 star in the coming weeks if he can improve his 40 time (4.8) He was named to the Desert News 5A All-State team after his junior season after scoring 4 touchdowns on 21 catches for 372 yards (17.7 ypc) Holt committed shortly after signing day in 2007, nearly a year before he will sign an official Letter of Intent. Bronco has developed a great formula in finding great athletes that want to play at BYU. Holt should continue the trend of NFL caliber TE's at BYU.
2. Daniel Sorensen (6'2, 205)S: There was a mini-debacle several months ago where some news media reported he committed when he actually hadn't. Long story short, they reported that he said he would, not that he had. He did committ several weeks later while visiting BYU. Sorensen is a great hitter and will be a great addition to the Cougar backfield. I am actually more excited about him than I am about Gary Nagy who is coming to BYU this year. Sorensen should be a great addition when both starting safeties graduate after this season.
3. Justin Sorensen (6'2, 215)K: Hard to get too excited about a kicker that last name isn't Payne, but he will be a welcome addition in the years to come. He was also on the Deseret News 5A All-State team. He has a powerful leg and regularly boots the ball out of the endzone.
4. Cameron Comer (6'0.5, 170) CB: Comer is a rare over 6'0 CB to come to BYU. Last year's recruiting class the CBs were 5'10 (Brannon Brooks) and 5'9 (G Pittman.) Comer is fast and is a great cover corner.
5. Jerry Bruner (6'3, 225) RB: Bruner is the latest addition to the team, having just recently given a verbal commitment. Bruner has flown under the radar of most scouts having been injured for most of his Junior season. The 5 games that Bruner did play he scored 11 touchdowns and ran for 800 yards. That is over 2 touchdowns a game and 160 yards. It gets better.
Did I mention that Bruner also runs a 4.4? At his size, that is freakish. Im sure you have heard of Chris Henry, the Arizona running back who is slated to be drafted as the 4th RB with a CAREER total of 892 yards. He ran a 4.4. Henry is 5'11, Bruner is 6'3 and they both weight 225. Calvin Johnson, arguably the best player in this years draft, is a little taller and runs between a 4.3 and 4.4.
Some people are clamoring for him to play LB with his size, but I believe he will stick to offense and contribute by pounding the other defense or simply running around them.
Early bird gets the worm.
Last season BYU had essentially wrapped up its recruiting class before Fall camp even began. This season, while going a bit slower, has also gathered some top talent in the area and in the country. This early process of identifying athletes, students and young men that fit the mold is allowing BYU to get some great talent they might not have otherwise been able to recruit. Examples of such are JJ DiLuigi and Ryan Kessman. Both are non-LDS talent that committed early and maintained that commitment, despite being recruited by BCS schools.
Last season, Scout.com rated BYU as the best recruiting class among non-BCS schools at 42. This season, BYU is the only non-BCS school to have a verbal from a Top 100 recruit at this point. So far, BYU has received 5 verbals:
1. Austin Holt(6'5, 225)TE: Holt is the above mentioned top 50 recruit. He is currently rated a 4 star but will probably be a 5 star in the coming weeks if he can improve his 40 time (4.8) He was named to the Desert News 5A All-State team after his junior season after scoring 4 touchdowns on 21 catches for 372 yards (17.7 ypc) Holt committed shortly after signing day in 2007, nearly a year before he will sign an official Letter of Intent. Bronco has developed a great formula in finding great athletes that want to play at BYU. Holt should continue the trend of NFL caliber TE's at BYU.
2. Daniel Sorensen (6'2, 205)S: There was a mini-debacle several months ago where some news media reported he committed when he actually hadn't. Long story short, they reported that he said he would, not that he had. He did committ several weeks later while visiting BYU. Sorensen is a great hitter and will be a great addition to the Cougar backfield. I am actually more excited about him than I am about Gary Nagy who is coming to BYU this year. Sorensen should be a great addition when both starting safeties graduate after this season.
3. Justin Sorensen (6'2, 215)K: Hard to get too excited about a kicker that last name isn't Payne, but he will be a welcome addition in the years to come. He was also on the Deseret News 5A All-State team. He has a powerful leg and regularly boots the ball out of the endzone.
4. Cameron Comer (6'0.5, 170) CB: Comer is a rare over 6'0 CB to come to BYU. Last year's recruiting class the CBs were 5'10 (Brannon Brooks) and 5'9 (G Pittman.) Comer is fast and is a great cover corner.
5. Jerry Bruner (6'3, 225) RB: Bruner is the latest addition to the team, having just recently given a verbal commitment. Bruner has flown under the radar of most scouts having been injured for most of his Junior season. The 5 games that Bruner did play he scored 11 touchdowns and ran for 800 yards. That is over 2 touchdowns a game and 160 yards. It gets better.
Did I mention that Bruner also runs a 4.4? At his size, that is freakish. Im sure you have heard of Chris Henry, the Arizona running back who is slated to be drafted as the 4th RB with a CAREER total of 892 yards. He ran a 4.4. Henry is 5'11, Bruner is 6'3 and they both weight 225. Calvin Johnson, arguably the best player in this years draft, is a little taller and runs between a 4.3 and 4.4.
Some people are clamoring for him to play LB with his size, but I believe he will stick to offense and contribute by pounding the other defense or simply running around them.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Max Hall: Starting QB
Last week I made the prediction that Max Hall would be named starting Quarterback at the Blue and White Spring game or shortly thereafter AND that Gaskins would be redshirting.
I was half right.
As I posted yesterday, Bronco Mendenhall has officially announced that Max Hall will be the starting quarterback. I beleive that no matter what had happened at the Spring game, this was going to be the case. Cooper, sadly, will miss the season after his injury sustained during the scrimmage. This is bad for two reasons:
1. Wasted Reps during spring: Gaskins, now the #2 quarterback at BYU, received little to no reps with the 1st or second strings during spring practice. He is severly behind the curb, and despite a great showing at the Blue and White game, has a long way to come to be a good #2. This injury to Cooper is swift reminder that just one freak play can change the course of a season. Let's hope Gaskins takes advantage of the summer work outs and can build chemistry with the receivers and offense.
2. Log-jam of QBs: This wasn't going to be a problem. Hall would play, Cooper as a back-up and Gaskins would red-shirt. This way one QB would graduate each year. Now, however, there is a serious problem, similar to that encountered just last year (Both QBs graduating at the same time.) Here is the rundown:
Max Hall: Redshirt sophmore, 3 years to play.
Cade Cooper: Junior, taking his redshirt this season.
Brenden Gaskins: Sophmore (redshirt available) 3 years to play.
Long story short: as of next spring, we will have 3 junior QBs.
My 3 Cents: Gaskins may want to redshirt next year, distancing himself in graduation by a year and thereby positioning himself to be the QB his senior year. Problem is, Lark will be back by then and could potentially be vying for the spot as well.
I was half right.
As I posted yesterday, Bronco Mendenhall has officially announced that Max Hall will be the starting quarterback. I beleive that no matter what had happened at the Spring game, this was going to be the case. Cooper, sadly, will miss the season after his injury sustained during the scrimmage. This is bad for two reasons:
1. Wasted Reps during spring: Gaskins, now the #2 quarterback at BYU, received little to no reps with the 1st or second strings during spring practice. He is severly behind the curb, and despite a great showing at the Blue and White game, has a long way to come to be a good #2. This injury to Cooper is swift reminder that just one freak play can change the course of a season. Let's hope Gaskins takes advantage of the summer work outs and can build chemistry with the receivers and offense.
2. Log-jam of QBs: This wasn't going to be a problem. Hall would play, Cooper as a back-up and Gaskins would red-shirt. This way one QB would graduate each year. Now, however, there is a serious problem, similar to that encountered just last year (Both QBs graduating at the same time.) Here is the rundown:
Max Hall: Redshirt sophmore, 3 years to play.
Cade Cooper: Junior, taking his redshirt this season.
Brenden Gaskins: Sophmore (redshirt available) 3 years to play.
Long story short: as of next spring, we will have 3 junior QBs.
My 3 Cents: Gaskins may want to redshirt next year, distancing himself in graduation by a year and thereby positioning himself to be the QB his senior year. Problem is, Lark will be back by then and could potentially be vying for the spot as well.
Monday, April 16, 2007
BYU football news
For those who don't have the time to look for every scrap of BYU football news, here are the two latest:
Max Hall is named starting QB
In an unexpected twist (pardon the pun) Cooper is out for the season and will be using his redshirt. Gaskins, the Spring game stand-out, has been named the #2. More on what this all means in tomorrow's post.
So'oto and Hooks' punishment is handed down
Hooks will miss the first game of next season (Arizona) similar to Tialavea's suspension last year. So'oto will not miss any games (the charges were dropped.) Both players will be required to do community service in order to rejoin the team in two weeks to begin summer work-out and make financial restitution to the apartment complex. The punishment is much less than many (myself included) thought it would be. I am impressed with Mendenhall's quick handling of the situation and made it a non-issue before it could blow up. I can only assume the punishment stemmed from the players' cooperation with the Coaching staff throughout the ordeal.
Max Hall is named starting QB
In an unexpected twist (pardon the pun) Cooper is out for the season and will be using his redshirt. Gaskins, the Spring game stand-out, has been named the #2. More on what this all means in tomorrow's post.
So'oto and Hooks' punishment is handed down
Hooks will miss the first game of next season (Arizona) similar to Tialavea's suspension last year. So'oto will not miss any games (the charges were dropped.) Both players will be required to do community service in order to rejoin the team in two weeks to begin summer work-out and make financial restitution to the apartment complex. The punishment is much less than many (myself included) thought it would be. I am impressed with Mendenhall's quick handling of the situation and made it a non-issue before it could blow up. I can only assume the punishment stemmed from the players' cooperation with the Coaching staff throughout the ordeal.
Defensive Line
Last season entering fall the biggest concern about BYU football was the young defensive line. All starters had graduated leaving behind only Hala Paongo (who started 1 game, the Las Vegas bowl, the previous year) Kyle Leukenga (7) and Judd Anderton (4) with a combined 23 games played. This year, the defensive line is the least of anyone's worries.
The starting three, the plugs of a 3-4 defense, have a combined 31 games experience. Add in a two-deep, and the total is 60 games. That statistic alone speaks volumes about the experience BYU is returning, having lost only Paongo as a starter (Tialavea actually started more games at NT.)
It can be difficult to quantify the contribution of the line as their main objective in the 3-4 defensive scheme is to create opportunities for the LB. The success of last years, and 2007s, Linebackers depends entirely on the defensive line's ability to tie up the big hogs on offense.
Even more impressively, the starting three, Dulan, Tialavea and Jorgensen are all sophmores. Next year the line will only lose Anderton, Sullivan (only played 3 games in 2006) to graduation and Dulan to a mission.
The Linemen:
Ian Dulan (DE): Last years freshman sensation on the defensive side of the ball. He made a big impact in his 6 games before breaking his leg doing drills. He is only 18 and should have a great season.
Russell Tialavea (NT): Russell has reportedly trimmed up a little and should have a better burst of speed to collapse the pocket this year. He had 22 tackles on the season and 2 blocked kicks. Russell is a big man in the middle, weighing near 300 lbs and should give the offensive linemen fits.
Jan Jorgensen (DE): Jorgensen has a way of getting into the backfield. Last season he was tied for the most sacks (5) and a total of 34 tackles, the most of any defensive lineman. He will be the leader of this young, but experienced group.
Others:
Judd Anderton: Currently healing up from a shoulder surgery, Anderton did not take part in the Spring Game. After last summer the team leadership told Bronco he deserved a shot at the starting position. Anderton may see some playing time at NT if he can add some weight and get used to the position during fall. Expect to see Anderton fighting for serious play time and potentially a starting position. Anderton had 16 tackles last year, but 4 were for loss. That is a great ratio for anyone along the line.
Mosese Foketi: Foketi redshirted last year and is slated to contribute behind Tialavea. With the way the defensive line rotates, he should be expected to contribue this year.
Brett Denney: Coming out of spring ball he has received the most attention, often getting into the backfield for the sack. Denney has NFL pedigree (two brothers in the NFL) and there are high expectations for him. Denney has taken reps at long-snapper and could be called upon during the season in addition to his rotation on the line.
David Angilau: Not as highly touted as Star Lotulelei (who probably will not qualify), Angilau has the potential to be a big playmaker. He has the size (and looking to add some more weight) and quickness to make some noise in the backfield.
Others who might contribute: Mark Fitu (300 lbs wrestler could add depth to NT), Matt Putnam (at 6'7 he is the tallest lineman, could easily get in the way of passing lanes), Sean Sullivan and Kyle Leukenga.
My 3 cents: What does the line need to better? Get to the quarterback. BYU ranked 75th in the country last year, averaging 1.85 sacks a game. This needs to improve if they want to continue last year's top 10 scoring defense, allowing only 14.7 point per game.
The starting three, the plugs of a 3-4 defense, have a combined 31 games experience. Add in a two-deep, and the total is 60 games. That statistic alone speaks volumes about the experience BYU is returning, having lost only Paongo as a starter (Tialavea actually started more games at NT.)
It can be difficult to quantify the contribution of the line as their main objective in the 3-4 defensive scheme is to create opportunities for the LB. The success of last years, and 2007s, Linebackers depends entirely on the defensive line's ability to tie up the big hogs on offense.
Even more impressively, the starting three, Dulan, Tialavea and Jorgensen are all sophmores. Next year the line will only lose Anderton, Sullivan (only played 3 games in 2006) to graduation and Dulan to a mission.
The Linemen:
Ian Dulan (DE): Last years freshman sensation on the defensive side of the ball. He made a big impact in his 6 games before breaking his leg doing drills. He is only 18 and should have a great season.
Russell Tialavea (NT): Russell has reportedly trimmed up a little and should have a better burst of speed to collapse the pocket this year. He had 22 tackles on the season and 2 blocked kicks. Russell is a big man in the middle, weighing near 300 lbs and should give the offensive linemen fits.
Jan Jorgensen (DE): Jorgensen has a way of getting into the backfield. Last season he was tied for the most sacks (5) and a total of 34 tackles, the most of any defensive lineman. He will be the leader of this young, but experienced group.
Others:
Judd Anderton: Currently healing up from a shoulder surgery, Anderton did not take part in the Spring Game. After last summer the team leadership told Bronco he deserved a shot at the starting position. Anderton may see some playing time at NT if he can add some weight and get used to the position during fall. Expect to see Anderton fighting for serious play time and potentially a starting position. Anderton had 16 tackles last year, but 4 were for loss. That is a great ratio for anyone along the line.
Mosese Foketi: Foketi redshirted last year and is slated to contribute behind Tialavea. With the way the defensive line rotates, he should be expected to contribue this year.
Brett Denney: Coming out of spring ball he has received the most attention, often getting into the backfield for the sack. Denney has NFL pedigree (two brothers in the NFL) and there are high expectations for him. Denney has taken reps at long-snapper and could be called upon during the season in addition to his rotation on the line.
David Angilau: Not as highly touted as Star Lotulelei (who probably will not qualify), Angilau has the potential to be a big playmaker. He has the size (and looking to add some more weight) and quickness to make some noise in the backfield.
Others who might contribute: Mark Fitu (300 lbs wrestler could add depth to NT), Matt Putnam (at 6'7 he is the tallest lineman, could easily get in the way of passing lanes), Sean Sullivan and Kyle Leukenga.
My 3 cents: What does the line need to better? Get to the quarterback. BYU ranked 75th in the country last year, averaging 1.85 sacks a game. This needs to improve if they want to continue last year's top 10 scoring defense, allowing only 14.7 point per game.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
If history decided the future...
Based purely on history, how will BYU do next season?
Arizona - All time record: 8-11-1 LOSS
UCLA - All time record: 1-6 LOSS
Tulsa - All time record: 6-0 WIN
Air Force - All time record: 21-6 WIN
New Mexico - All time record: 41-14-1 WIN
UNLV - All time record: 10-3 WIN
Eastern Washington - No history WIN
San Diego State - All time record: 23-7-1 WIN
Colorado State - All time record: 34-27-3 WIN
TCU - All time record: 4-2 WIN
Wyoming - All time record: 38-30-3 WIN
Utah - All time record: 29-49-4 LOSS
9-3 Regular season.
Arizona - All time record: 8-11-1 LOSS
UCLA - All time record: 1-6 LOSS
Tulsa - All time record: 6-0 WIN
Air Force - All time record: 21-6 WIN
New Mexico - All time record: 41-14-1 WIN
UNLV - All time record: 10-3 WIN
Eastern Washington - No history WIN
San Diego State - All time record: 23-7-1 WIN
Colorado State - All time record: 34-27-3 WIN
TCU - All time record: 4-2 WIN
Wyoming - All time record: 38-30-3 WIN
Utah - All time record: 29-49-4 LOSS
9-3 Regular season.
Lesson of the Day
I learned an important lesson today: First child baby-shower trumps BYU football. I had ever intention of being there early, checking out the new QBs, but I was corrected. Reports have Hall being "ok," Gaskins being good but too predictable, and Cooper unable to handle a snap. I maintain my belief that Hall will be named the starting QB soon, regardless of today's unimpressive showing.
Is today's lack of scoring a scary prediction of next year? Hardly. If nothing else, it reminds us of Mendenhall's bend-but-not-break defense. It is hard, VERY HARD, to maintain execution to sustain a drive.
My 3 cents: Gaskins will redshirt this year. No insider information, but no reason to clump the QBs like last year. Doman/Magnum will be serviceable as 3rd string and Cooper will be fine as the back-up.
Is today's lack of scoring a scary prediction of next year? Hardly. If nothing else, it reminds us of Mendenhall's bend-but-not-break defense. It is hard, VERY HARD, to maintain execution to sustain a drive.
My 3 cents: Gaskins will redshirt this year. No insider information, but no reason to clump the QBs like last year. Doman/Magnum will be serviceable as 3rd string and Cooper will be fine as the back-up.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Return of the Mahuika?
In addition to losing NFL-bound QBs and TE's to graduation, BYU lost one of the nicest surprises last year in punt returner Nate Meikle. Meikle averaged 11.2 yards per PR last year, about 4 yards more than he did in 2005 as the main PR and 4 more than Mahuika did in 2004. Also, BYU lost Curtis Brown, the main kick returner who averaged a little over 22 yards per return. Who can step up to the plate?
In all likelihood, Bryce Mahuika will be the punt return man in 2007. He averaged 7.4 yards in 2004 (long of 18) and 6.4 in 2005 (long of 10.) My concerns with Mahuika are two-fold: (1) Not a big play maker and (2)When he gets tackled he looks like a dying fish. Really. He seems to go down awkward, I'm always worried he is about to experience some gruesome injury. Jacobson did this at the beginning of last season, but got over the "flopping fish" syndrome early on.
Other people who might see some time at punt returner:
Ryan Kessman, JJ DiLuigi, Gary Nagy: These three fit the mold best of the incoming freshman. Kessman is my personal favorite at this position, he is the H-back version of Curtis Brown, you heard it here first. JJ DiLuigi is a shifty running back, but I would worry that for his size he wouldn't be able to take the lumps that come with the position (see Meikle getting plastered against AZ.) Nagy is interesting, he played the position in High School and could lay a hit himself, but I worry about his break-away speed. I wouldn't be suprised to see any of these freshman share the duties with Bryce.
As far as kick-returner, Bryce did a good job back in 2004, averaging 22.5 yards (long of 42.) This time my concern is only the big-play ability. Austin Collie also returned some kicks in 2004, averaging 19.7 yards (25 yard long), but I would be very surprised to see him this year. Until he can get back to 100% speed he won't have the ability to hit the holes for the big play. I would not be suprised to see another WR on returns, but at this point I don't know who else would be the right fit.
Possible KR: JJ DiLuigi or Ryan Kessman again. Both are great at seeing the field and making plays, hopefully this translates to college level.
Note: I think Mahuika will do fine, and there is a lot to be said about a guy who can take a hit, hold onto the ball and get positive yardage on a return.
In all likelihood, Bryce Mahuika will be the punt return man in 2007. He averaged 7.4 yards in 2004 (long of 18) and 6.4 in 2005 (long of 10.) My concerns with Mahuika are two-fold: (1) Not a big play maker and (2)When he gets tackled he looks like a dying fish. Really. He seems to go down awkward, I'm always worried he is about to experience some gruesome injury. Jacobson did this at the beginning of last season, but got over the "flopping fish" syndrome early on.
Other people who might see some time at punt returner:
Ryan Kessman, JJ DiLuigi, Gary Nagy: These three fit the mold best of the incoming freshman. Kessman is my personal favorite at this position, he is the H-back version of Curtis Brown, you heard it here first. JJ DiLuigi is a shifty running back, but I would worry that for his size he wouldn't be able to take the lumps that come with the position (see Meikle getting plastered against AZ.) Nagy is interesting, he played the position in High School and could lay a hit himself, but I worry about his break-away speed. I wouldn't be suprised to see any of these freshman share the duties with Bryce.
As far as kick-returner, Bryce did a good job back in 2004, averaging 22.5 yards (long of 42.) This time my concern is only the big-play ability. Austin Collie also returned some kicks in 2004, averaging 19.7 yards (25 yard long), but I would be very surprised to see him this year. Until he can get back to 100% speed he won't have the ability to hit the holes for the big play. I would not be suprised to see another WR on returns, but at this point I don't know who else would be the right fit.
Possible KR: JJ DiLuigi or Ryan Kessman again. Both are great at seeing the field and making plays, hopefully this translates to college level.
Note: I think Mahuika will do fine, and there is a lot to be said about a guy who can take a hit, hold onto the ball and get positive yardage on a return.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The end of Spring
Spring is coming to a close and we are entering the doldrums of May-August, the land of little or no information on the actual team. The Blue and White game will have to serve as a tantalizing teaser as to what will be coming this year.
With no starting QB declared as of yet, I believe it will soon. I would not be suprised to get an official word as of Saturday. The best news to come out of Spring Ball? There was no terrible news.
I am not ignoring "Balloongate," a term I despise (must anything controversial be labeled ...gate?) but no one is off the team, no one is out for the season with injuries. The main players played well, the QBs actually scored, the defense made big plays. All in all, it was just a regular spring.
I will start dissecting BYU last year, the opponents this year, the BCS, and anything else related to BYU.. Bring it on doldrums.
With no starting QB declared as of yet, I believe it will soon. I would not be suprised to get an official word as of Saturday. The best news to come out of Spring Ball? There was no terrible news.
I am not ignoring "Balloongate," a term I despise (must anything controversial be labeled ...gate?) but no one is off the team, no one is out for the season with injuries. The main players played well, the QBs actually scored, the defense made big plays. All in all, it was just a regular spring.
I will start dissecting BYU last year, the opponents this year, the BCS, and anything else related to BYU.. Bring it on doldrums.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Spring Game Intrigue
When: Saturday April 14th at 1pm
Where: RSL stadium (just making sure you are awake) LES
Cost: Feel free to send me a check, but its free
Is the Spring Game going to quench the thirst of a BYU fan in anticipation of the long stretch from May-August? Probably not. Will we see the future of BYU football? Not the foreseeable future at least. Will we all show up anyways? Probably.
The Blue and White Spring game is the general public's first opportunity to check out Max Hall vs. Cade Cooper. That alone should bring out any true blue fan. At QB-U, nothing gets the heart pumping faster than a good QB battle for the opportunity to essentially be the face of the program for the coming years. Only problem is, who are they throwing to? We might see a little bit of Austin Collie or Michael Reed, but for the most part we will be watching walk-ons and unknowns catching balls.
Other interesting battles:
O-line vs. Dline: The Offensive line should have their hands full with this group of young D-linemen. Noone on the starting line is more than a sophmore but all started at some point last year. The offensive line will more than likely be filled in with a mix of 1st and second strings (holding out those who are injured or don't have anything to prove.) It will be interesting to see this group after they worked with the new concepts brought by Coach Weber. Throw in one of the best LB corps in the country and it will be interesting to see how the O-line deals with it.
Corner: Who will replace Justin Robinson and Ben Criddle? I understand that Criddle will be back by fall, but what happens if he gets injured? What is the drop off? Brandon Bradley is likely to challenge for Justin Robinson's position but is still not practicing. He should be 100% for fall. With Criddle out, it will be interesting to see who can step up.
Running backs: Like the corner position, no starters will be playing in the game. This opens the opportunity for some "new" faces to make an impact on the Cougar faithful. Latu and Hudson have the most to gain from a good performance as Unga has essentially solidified his spot at 3rd RB. With any injuries, any of the others might see some playing time.
Where: RSL stadium (just making sure you are awake) LES
Cost: Feel free to send me a check, but its free
Is the Spring Game going to quench the thirst of a BYU fan in anticipation of the long stretch from May-August? Probably not. Will we see the future of BYU football? Not the foreseeable future at least. Will we all show up anyways? Probably.
The Blue and White Spring game is the general public's first opportunity to check out Max Hall vs. Cade Cooper. That alone should bring out any true blue fan. At QB-U, nothing gets the heart pumping faster than a good QB battle for the opportunity to essentially be the face of the program for the coming years. Only problem is, who are they throwing to? We might see a little bit of Austin Collie or Michael Reed, but for the most part we will be watching walk-ons and unknowns catching balls.
Other interesting battles:
O-line vs. Dline: The Offensive line should have their hands full with this group of young D-linemen. Noone on the starting line is more than a sophmore but all started at some point last year. The offensive line will more than likely be filled in with a mix of 1st and second strings (holding out those who are injured or don't have anything to prove.) It will be interesting to see this group after they worked with the new concepts brought by Coach Weber. Throw in one of the best LB corps in the country and it will be interesting to see how the O-line deals with it.
Corner: Who will replace Justin Robinson and Ben Criddle? I understand that Criddle will be back by fall, but what happens if he gets injured? What is the drop off? Brandon Bradley is likely to challenge for Justin Robinson's position but is still not practicing. He should be 100% for fall. With Criddle out, it will be interesting to see who can step up.
Running backs: Like the corner position, no starters will be playing in the game. This opens the opportunity for some "new" faces to make an impact on the Cougar faithful. Latu and Hudson have the most to gain from a good performance as Unga has essentially solidified his spot at 3rd RB. With any injuries, any of the others might see some playing time.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
What does it really mean?
As every local newspaper and national sports news has reported, TE Vic So'oto and LB Terrance Hooks were arrested this weekend for busting down some doors after some dweebs decided to throw water balloons at Hooks' girlfriend. The balloon throwers then decided to taunt these two giant human beings. Smart, huh?
Anyways, you can read all the details elsewhere. The real question is, what does this really mean for BYU football and for these individuals as players? Since there are legal issues that need to be taken care of, I won't venture as to what happens to them as individuals, though we all hope it is resolved quickly and that they are able to put it behind them.
So'oto has more to lose from the situation. He was the #1 TE at the up-and-coming TE University and would have had an immediate impact from Arizona through Utah. Missing the last week's of Spring really isn't a huge deal, but I am assuming that, like Tialavea/Miyahara/Aulai, he will also sit out a game (if it is resolved without jail time), in this case Arizona. Not a huge deal, seeing as Pitta has really stepped it up and George is no slouch.
Hooks has more to lose by missing the last week of spring and a game as he was looking to establish himself in the 2-deep at BYU's deep LB corps. He probably would have only played in some games as a backup this season, but missing out on those opportunities means he has more ground to make up over the season to get playing time next year.
Anyways, you can read all the details elsewhere. The real question is, what does this really mean for BYU football and for these individuals as players? Since there are legal issues that need to be taken care of, I won't venture as to what happens to them as individuals, though we all hope it is resolved quickly and that they are able to put it behind them.
So'oto has more to lose from the situation. He was the #1 TE at the up-and-coming TE University and would have had an immediate impact from Arizona through Utah. Missing the last week's of Spring really isn't a huge deal, but I am assuming that, like Tialavea/Miyahara/Aulai, he will also sit out a game (if it is resolved without jail time), in this case Arizona. Not a huge deal, seeing as Pitta has really stepped it up and George is no slouch.
Hooks has more to lose by missing the last week of spring and a game as he was looking to establish himself in the 2-deep at BYU's deep LB corps. He probably would have only played in some games as a backup this season, but missing out on those opportunities means he has more ground to make up over the season to get playing time next year.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Senior Impact Players: Defense
Many outside of Provo are calling this a rebuilding year, having lost many of the main contributors to last years success. The offense was particularly hard hit, losing the top three receivers, key linemen, BYU's all-time leading rusher and one of the great's at QB. Those around the program however, prefer to term this season a reloading, which applies particularly well to the defense.
Having lost only 4 starters (Jensen, Robinson, Wagner and Paongo), they also return 8 starters. Before you question my math, Tialavea started about half the games at NT.
Who will emerge as leaders in the senior class?
3. Ben Criddle (DB): Criddle was the best suprise from last year's much improved DBs and provided a force to be reckoned with on the boundary side of the field. He provided great coverage and was a very sure tackler. Criddle was second on the team in solo tackles (47), only behind the General. The only knock against him was dropping some INTs. He is working on his catching abilities this offseason and we should see a couple more big stops for his effort.
2. Quinn Gooch (DB): The hit against BC is one of my favorite from last year. Gooch is stepping up to be a leader on the defensive side of the ball, an important element that needs to be addressed on the defense. Gooch was actually the 4th highest tackler from last year, providing good run support and some pretty intimidating footsteps in the secondary. If he can establish himself as a leader the secondary will only get better.
1. Bryan Kehl (OLB): Kehl made the 3rd most stops on the defensive side of the ball last year and the highest of all returning players. Kehl is lightning quick and a vocal leader. His ability to get into the backfield has really made the difference last season and the new blitzing implemented this spring should see him in the face of many QBs next season. Kehl needs to step up and take the place of Jensen as the leader.
Honorable mention(s): Markell Staffieri/Kelly Poppinga (ILB): If the defense is going to be as good as last year's (or better), these players will be the reason. They are quicker, but not as big, as last years ILB duo. Look for Poppinga to establish himself as a leader on the defense. Staffieri has the opportunity to shine if he can fully recover from his injury.
Having lost only 4 starters (Jensen, Robinson, Wagner and Paongo), they also return 8 starters. Before you question my math, Tialavea started about half the games at NT.
Who will emerge as leaders in the senior class?
3. Ben Criddle (DB): Criddle was the best suprise from last year's much improved DBs and provided a force to be reckoned with on the boundary side of the field. He provided great coverage and was a very sure tackler. Criddle was second on the team in solo tackles (47), only behind the General. The only knock against him was dropping some INTs. He is working on his catching abilities this offseason and we should see a couple more big stops for his effort.
2. Quinn Gooch (DB): The hit against BC is one of my favorite from last year. Gooch is stepping up to be a leader on the defensive side of the ball, an important element that needs to be addressed on the defense. Gooch was actually the 4th highest tackler from last year, providing good run support and some pretty intimidating footsteps in the secondary. If he can establish himself as a leader the secondary will only get better.
1. Bryan Kehl (OLB): Kehl made the 3rd most stops on the defensive side of the ball last year and the highest of all returning players. Kehl is lightning quick and a vocal leader. His ability to get into the backfield has really made the difference last season and the new blitzing implemented this spring should see him in the face of many QBs next season. Kehl needs to step up and take the place of Jensen as the leader.
Honorable mention(s): Markell Staffieri/Kelly Poppinga (ILB): If the defense is going to be as good as last year's (or better), these players will be the reason. They are quicker, but not as big, as last years ILB duo. Look for Poppinga to establish himself as a leader on the defense. Staffieri has the opportunity to shine if he can fully recover from his injury.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Senior Impact Players
BYU last year relied on the Seniors to carry the burden of the team. This year, however, only a handful of starters will be seniors. Which players will make the biggest difference on each side of the ball?
Offense
3. Joe Semanoff (FB): Why Semanoff? Believe it or not, only 3 starters (or 2 deep) are seniors. Semanoff is a reliable FB, though never sparkled like Tonga. He blocks well and is able to pick up the small chunks of yards often asked of fullbacks. He catches the ball relatively well out of the backfield and will see a lot of playing time with Manasa being asked to play a role of a rushing back in addition to fullback and in short yard situations.
2. Sete Aulai (C): Sete was questionable to start this last year, many thought Sorensen would take his position. Due to injury however, Aulai was thrown in the fire and quickly emerged as a leader on the offensive line. The center at BYU is asked to direct the blocking schemes, calling them out at the line. Early in the season he was snapping the ball low to John Beck, who later said it was his own fault for not letting the center know of the issue. Look for Aulai to lead the offensive line in protecting the new QBs. This should be one of the very best lines BYU football has ever seen.
1. Matt Allen (WR): Pop quiz: Who had more receptions last year, Michael Reed or Matt Allen? Allen. Who had more TD's? Tied. I honestly though Michael Reed would be the top returning WR from last year, but Allen actually had more receptions for more yards. Allen might not burn down the field or pancake guys at the line, but he is a reliable possesion receiver and should see a slight increase this year in receptions and TDs. Hopefully he and Hall can establish some good chemistry over the summer and get down the timing that he and John Beck had.
Defense on the way...
Offense
3. Joe Semanoff (FB): Why Semanoff? Believe it or not, only 3 starters (or 2 deep) are seniors. Semanoff is a reliable FB, though never sparkled like Tonga. He blocks well and is able to pick up the small chunks of yards often asked of fullbacks. He catches the ball relatively well out of the backfield and will see a lot of playing time with Manasa being asked to play a role of a rushing back in addition to fullback and in short yard situations.
2. Sete Aulai (C): Sete was questionable to start this last year, many thought Sorensen would take his position. Due to injury however, Aulai was thrown in the fire and quickly emerged as a leader on the offensive line. The center at BYU is asked to direct the blocking schemes, calling them out at the line. Early in the season he was snapping the ball low to John Beck, who later said it was his own fault for not letting the center know of the issue. Look for Aulai to lead the offensive line in protecting the new QBs. This should be one of the very best lines BYU football has ever seen.
1. Matt Allen (WR): Pop quiz: Who had more receptions last year, Michael Reed or Matt Allen? Allen. Who had more TD's? Tied. I honestly though Michael Reed would be the top returning WR from last year, but Allen actually had more receptions for more yards. Allen might not burn down the field or pancake guys at the line, but he is a reliable possesion receiver and should see a slight increase this year in receptions and TDs. Hopefully he and Hall can establish some good chemistry over the summer and get down the timing that he and John Beck had.
Defense on the way...
Friday, April 6, 2007
Thought of the Day - April 7th
Max Hall or Cade Cooper? The burning question inside each Cougar fan. One of the few real competitions in Spring practice. Who is ahead, and more importantly, why?
Many attribute Hall being ahead because he has been in the program longer. Hall earned the praise of many 1st team defensive players last fall in leading the scout team. Being in the program helps, learning the ropes from John Beck and playing with the BYU playbook on Thursday nights. But he lacks something Cade Cooper has.
Experience. While its true that Cade Cooper has never played a down of D-1 football, neither has Hall. While Hall was running single plays against a defense in a indoor practice field, Cooper was on the field, in a stadium, under pressure, albeit on a different level. Cooper has proved he is more than able to play with the big boys.
So who will win?
Coach Mendenhall and Coach Anae are really giving Cooper every chance to win the spot from Max Hall. The fact a walk-on is sharing snaps with a player that has been in the system for a year shows they are really interested in putting the best 11 players on the field at all times. Most people agree that noone is emerging as the stand out at this point.
I disagree. I think the Spring game we will see the next great BYU QB starting:
Max Hall.
For one reason and one only. Not his friendship with Doman or scout team exploits. Not being with the team for a year. What is the purpose of offense? Scoring. Hall has shown he is more capable scoring that Cooper. Done. Simple. He who puts the ball in the endzone gets the glory. Hall's 4 touchdowns on Friday vs. Cooper's 0 isn't the whole story, but the seeming culmination of Spring practice. Hall has consistently outscored, not always outperformed, Cooper.
Many attribute Hall being ahead because he has been in the program longer. Hall earned the praise of many 1st team defensive players last fall in leading the scout team. Being in the program helps, learning the ropes from John Beck and playing with the BYU playbook on Thursday nights. But he lacks something Cade Cooper has.
Experience. While its true that Cade Cooper has never played a down of D-1 football, neither has Hall. While Hall was running single plays against a defense in a indoor practice field, Cooper was on the field, in a stadium, under pressure, albeit on a different level. Cooper has proved he is more than able to play with the big boys.
So who will win?
Coach Mendenhall and Coach Anae are really giving Cooper every chance to win the spot from Max Hall. The fact a walk-on is sharing snaps with a player that has been in the system for a year shows they are really interested in putting the best 11 players on the field at all times. Most people agree that noone is emerging as the stand out at this point.
I disagree. I think the Spring game we will see the next great BYU QB starting:
Max Hall.
For one reason and one only. Not his friendship with Doman or scout team exploits. Not being with the team for a year. What is the purpose of offense? Scoring. Hall has shown he is more capable scoring that Cooper. Done. Simple. He who puts the ball in the endzone gets the glory. Hall's 4 touchdowns on Friday vs. Cooper's 0 isn't the whole story, but the seeming culmination of Spring practice. Hall has consistently outscored, not always outperformed, Cooper.
One second, let me ask my manager...
Does it drive anyone else crazy when you are car shopping and the salesman keeps leaving for 20 minute intervals to talk to their manager about the pricing or ask a question? Why do we accept this as consumers? Personally, Id feel like an idiot if I really had to leave the customer every 2 minutes to get information.
Every regular car sales place I have been has this little elevated glass room where the managers sit. Is that necessary? Its a car dealership, not an airport.
I only bring this up because I have gone car shopping recently and had a very good experience one place and an awful one at another.
The bad:
Low Book Sales: Not only do they have the world's worst ads, but terrible customer service. Have you heard they will buy your car? I sat in the dealership for almost 2 hours waiting for a quote I never got. They refused to give me an offer until I told them if I was going to buy their car or not.
The first car I got in to test drive didn't even start. I told them I was interested in a certain car they didn't have at their store and, without my knowledge, asked someone to drive one down from another store. I was on my way out the door and the guy was trying to guilt trip me into staying. "They are not going to be happy when they get here and you are gone." Too bad buddy, try asking the customer next time. I told them I'd come back another day and they called me the next day to say the car still hadn't arrived. Nice customer service bud.
As I was trying to say "No thanks" to leave both the manager I was working with and the salesmen got on the cellphone at the same time in the glass watchtower.
The good:
Carmax: I am not an employee at this store (I was actually denied employment there several years ago because the computer could not process my application after waiting for several hours, that is a different story.) I had two cars evaluated and a purchase bid in hand in about 1 hour. I test drove about 10 cars without any problems (besides one car that the driver's side seatbelt was missing, they had accidently placed the center console over it during cleaning.) Never did they say "I have an idea on how we can make this work, let me ask my manager," or anything along those lines.
Every regular car sales place I have been has this little elevated glass room where the managers sit. Is that necessary? Its a car dealership, not an airport.
I only bring this up because I have gone car shopping recently and had a very good experience one place and an awful one at another.
The bad:
Low Book Sales: Not only do they have the world's worst ads, but terrible customer service. Have you heard they will buy your car? I sat in the dealership for almost 2 hours waiting for a quote I never got. They refused to give me an offer until I told them if I was going to buy their car or not.
The first car I got in to test drive didn't even start. I told them I was interested in a certain car they didn't have at their store and, without my knowledge, asked someone to drive one down from another store. I was on my way out the door and the guy was trying to guilt trip me into staying. "They are not going to be happy when they get here and you are gone." Too bad buddy, try asking the customer next time. I told them I'd come back another day and they called me the next day to say the car still hadn't arrived. Nice customer service bud.
As I was trying to say "No thanks" to leave both the manager I was working with and the salesmen got on the cellphone at the same time in the glass watchtower.
The good:
Carmax: I am not an employee at this store (I was actually denied employment there several years ago because the computer could not process my application after waiting for several hours, that is a different story.) I had two cars evaluated and a purchase bid in hand in about 1 hour. I test drove about 10 cars without any problems (besides one car that the driver's side seatbelt was missing, they had accidently placed the center console over it during cleaning.) Never did they say "I have an idea on how we can make this work, let me ask my manager," or anything along those lines.
Thought of the Day - April 6th
BYU football - What freshman could make an impact this year?
BYU recruiting is in a new gear, with verbals coming in nearly a year before they can put a pen to paper to sign their letter of intent in February. This last year's group has some standout players I think might make the biggest difference.
If you haven't noticed yet, I like lists.
4. David Angilau (6'2/255) DT: David is a great addition for BYU, but probably would not have made it very high on the list but for two things. (1) Two other defensive linemen from the class won't be making it to BYU fall camp. Magnum Mauga did not qualify and will join the team next January as a midyear transfer (probably for the best since he was injured) and Star Lotulelei is doubtful to qualify as well. (2) BYU is thin at DT. Tialavea is a good DT, but with Paongo graduated, Fuga going on a mission, someone needs to step up and he could contribute immediately.
3. Jordan Smith (6'4/200) WR: Since when does BYU get big WRs? This class alone they got Matthews (6'4.5), Smith, Pendelton (6'2, might be playing S) and DB Nate Hutchinson switched to WR (6'3). Scotty Ebert is 5'11 and Kessman (6'0), but overall taller than the Collie/Meikle size of 2006. I think Smith could be the darkhorse in this year's freshman class. He is decently quick (4.5 forty) and a big target. He might get some time in the rotation similar to Jacobson (probably less) and be a nice addition to a strong WR group.
2. JJ DiLuigi (5'9, 188) HB: Number 2? While I think JJ has the most talent/skill/ability of the group, I do not think he will make the biggest impact this year for the opposite reasons that favored David Angilau. BYU has quite the stable of able HB's. Manase Tonga and Fui Vakapuna will certainly get the nod before him, particulary in the Jack-of-all trades requirements to be a starting BYU RB. If you haven't seen it before, check JJ's dismantling of one of the best HS programs in the country in the State Championship. I am very excited about JJ. He is the elusive scat-back to compliment the Fui/Tonga combo. He has speed, amazing hands out of the backfield, and breaks tackles like he is 225. He is working on building up his weight to play at 200. The only reason JJ isn't #1 is that he will be behind 2 other starters. Don't be suprised to see JJ used through-out the year, but he won't be the biggest impact freshman.
1. Ryan Kessman (6'0, 190) WR: Kessman is great. He will be very hard to keep off the field this year. It is too bad the NCAA did not clear him to enroll early or he would have definetly had a chance at winning the starting role, he is that good. He really looks to me like the next Curtis Brown, but at the H-back spot: He is never brought down by the first tackler (if they even touch him), and runs like a powerback after the catch. He was used as a HB last year but his true position is that of a WR. He benefits of a thin position to work against (Mahuika is slated to start) and should definetly see some playing time this year. If I had to guess, Kessman has the best chance to win the Freshman POY of all the BYU players.
BYU recruiting is in a new gear, with verbals coming in nearly a year before they can put a pen to paper to sign their letter of intent in February. This last year's group has some standout players I think might make the biggest difference.
If you haven't noticed yet, I like lists.
4. David Angilau (6'2/255) DT: David is a great addition for BYU, but probably would not have made it very high on the list but for two things. (1) Two other defensive linemen from the class won't be making it to BYU fall camp. Magnum Mauga did not qualify and will join the team next January as a midyear transfer (probably for the best since he was injured) and Star Lotulelei is doubtful to qualify as well. (2) BYU is thin at DT. Tialavea is a good DT, but with Paongo graduated, Fuga going on a mission, someone needs to step up and he could contribute immediately.
3. Jordan Smith (6'4/200) WR: Since when does BYU get big WRs? This class alone they got Matthews (6'4.5), Smith, Pendelton (6'2, might be playing S) and DB Nate Hutchinson switched to WR (6'3). Scotty Ebert is 5'11 and Kessman (6'0), but overall taller than the Collie/Meikle size of 2006. I think Smith could be the darkhorse in this year's freshman class. He is decently quick (4.5 forty) and a big target. He might get some time in the rotation similar to Jacobson (probably less) and be a nice addition to a strong WR group.
2. JJ DiLuigi (5'9, 188) HB: Number 2? While I think JJ has the most talent/skill/ability of the group, I do not think he will make the biggest impact this year for the opposite reasons that favored David Angilau. BYU has quite the stable of able HB's. Manase Tonga and Fui Vakapuna will certainly get the nod before him, particulary in the Jack-of-all trades requirements to be a starting BYU RB. If you haven't seen it before, check JJ's dismantling of one of the best HS programs in the country in the State Championship. I am very excited about JJ. He is the elusive scat-back to compliment the Fui/Tonga combo. He has speed, amazing hands out of the backfield, and breaks tackles like he is 225. He is working on building up his weight to play at 200. The only reason JJ isn't #1 is that he will be behind 2 other starters. Don't be suprised to see JJ used through-out the year, but he won't be the biggest impact freshman.
1. Ryan Kessman (6'0, 190) WR: Kessman is great. He will be very hard to keep off the field this year. It is too bad the NCAA did not clear him to enroll early or he would have definetly had a chance at winning the starting role, he is that good. He really looks to me like the next Curtis Brown, but at the H-back spot: He is never brought down by the first tackler (if they even touch him), and runs like a powerback after the catch. He was used as a HB last year but his true position is that of a WR. He benefits of a thin position to work against (Mahuika is slated to start) and should definetly see some playing time this year. If I had to guess, Kessman has the best chance to win the Freshman POY of all the BYU players.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Thought of the Day - April 5th
I am currently in college and nearing my graduation. It is a time for reflection, a time for affirmation, a time for celebration, a time for skipping classes and blaming it on "senioritis," and a time to retake a freshman level class because you failed it.
Does anyone else feel like college is missing the point? Really, how marketable is it that I can write a 7 page paper about Oedipus Rex? Or that I have learned the difference between Neoclassical and Neosomething-else (didn't do so well in that class.)
Where are the skills? Where is the ability to work in groups? When will I learn what I will be doing every day for the rest of my life?
I sure hope it has nothing to do with writing papers every night about random Greek guys who killed their dad to marry their mothers.
Does anyone else feel like college is missing the point? Really, how marketable is it that I can write a 7 page paper about Oedipus Rex? Or that I have learned the difference between Neoclassical and Neosomething-else (didn't do so well in that class.)
Where are the skills? Where is the ability to work in groups? When will I learn what I will be doing every day for the rest of my life?
I sure hope it has nothing to do with writing papers every night about random Greek guys who killed their dad to marry their mothers.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Thought of the Day - April 4th
I am an unabashed fan of BYU football. There is a lot of worry currently among the Cougar faithful about the amount of injuries taking place in Spring Camp. However, there are two things to keep in mind:
(1) Most of the injuries to the key players are from last season: Criddle, Fui, Semanoff, Nixon, etc. are all recovering from last season. There isn't a single player that won't be back for Fall so far.
(2) Every team has injuries in spring. For an example, here are recent events as shown at ESPN: Nebraska DB out for 6 months for knee injury, VA tops WR out with knee injury and will miss the season, Nebraska HB out for season with broken leg, Arksansas DT out with torn ACL, etc.
The one position that particularly has a lot of people worried is running back. Keep in mind, however, that Fui is out, Hudson is out, and the guys getting most of the reps are walk-ons who will be leaving on missions. Fui Vakapuna will be back and ready to go for fall. Manase Tonga is a great all around back who complements Fui's bruising style.
I also think new recruit JJ DiLuigi is this year's biggest steal at recruit. He will make a big splash in the MWC and could really be a change up from BYU's bruising backs. He is too good to keep off the field.
(1) Most of the injuries to the key players are from last season: Criddle, Fui, Semanoff, Nixon, etc. are all recovering from last season. There isn't a single player that won't be back for Fall so far.
(2) Every team has injuries in spring. For an example, here are recent events as shown at ESPN: Nebraska DB out for 6 months for knee injury, VA tops WR out with knee injury and will miss the season, Nebraska HB out for season with broken leg, Arksansas DT out with torn ACL, etc.
The one position that particularly has a lot of people worried is running back. Keep in mind, however, that Fui is out, Hudson is out, and the guys getting most of the reps are walk-ons who will be leaving on missions. Fui Vakapuna will be back and ready to go for fall. Manase Tonga is a great all around back who complements Fui's bruising style.
I also think new recruit JJ DiLuigi is this year's biggest steal at recruit. He will make a big splash in the MWC and could really be a change up from BYU's bruising backs. He is too good to keep off the field.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Comcast and the Mtn.
During my mission, I was sitting in the mission president's office along with the AP's and the President had just returned from a round of interviews where he discovered some more "issues" a recently sent home missionary had.
He took off his glasses and said, "I wish I had Elder X back..." The APs looked at each other and nodded, thinking the President wished he had more time to help him, but then the President continued, "...so I could send him home again."
I moved back in October and was had to cancel my Comcast because my new place had a different cable included in the HOA fees. I wish I had it back so I could cancel it again.
He took off his glasses and said, "I wish I had Elder X back..." The APs looked at each other and nodded, thinking the President wished he had more time to help him, but then the President continued, "...so I could send him home again."
I moved back in October and was had to cancel my Comcast because my new place had a different cable included in the HOA fees. I wish I had it back so I could cancel it again.
Thought of the day - April 3
UCAN wins todays "Are you Kidding me?" award.
The Utah Cancer Action Network (www.ucan.cc) has been placing posters in elementary schools in the area. I saw one the other day while walking through the halls and had to stop and stare at it for a minute.
http://health.utah.gov/ucan/cancer/skinads/suntree.jpg
This is the picture without the text, which generally says "seek shade" or "stay out of the sun."
While I understand that cancer and skin cancer are dangerous (I have lost family members to it), whoever made this ad campaign should be fired as well as anyone who approved it.
Are you kidding me? The last thing kids need these days is to sit indoors all day to protect themselves from the sun. Aimed at high schoolers who think its cool to sit in the sun for hours on end to have leather-like skin is one thing. But aimed at little chubby 2nd graders who watch an average of 4 hours of TV a day is just wrong on so many levels.
The Utah Cancer Action Network (www.ucan.cc) has been placing posters in elementary schools in the area. I saw one the other day while walking through the halls and had to stop and stare at it for a minute.
http://health.utah.gov/ucan/cancer/skinads/suntree.jpg
This is the picture without the text, which generally says "seek shade" or "stay out of the sun."
While I understand that cancer and skin cancer are dangerous (I have lost family members to it), whoever made this ad campaign should be fired as well as anyone who approved it.
Are you kidding me? The last thing kids need these days is to sit indoors all day to protect themselves from the sun. Aimed at high schoolers who think its cool to sit in the sun for hours on end to have leather-like skin is one thing. But aimed at little chubby 2nd graders who watch an average of 4 hours of TV a day is just wrong on so many levels.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Best Sushi in the world...
Did I really just review sushi and fajitas on the same page? Ahh... the complexity that is this blog.
Again, limited to the Greater Salt Lake City area:
3. Demae (82 West Center St., Provo, UT): Pretty good. Nothing to write home about but if you go on a Tuesday night it is half off.
2. Ginsa (209 W 200 S, SLC, UT): The epitome of a hole in the wall. If someone hadn't taken me, I never would have gone. Sadly, this individual did not also pay seeing as the prices here about double that of most other places. The environment is that of too-cool to have customer service (or real restrooms) but the sushi is pretty amazing.
1. Samurai (6195 Highland Drive, SLC, UT): The smallest sushi place of the 3, but by far the best value/taste. I have been several times and never failed to be amazed. The tuna rolls are awesome. The customer service is suprisingly good.
Honorable mention: Asian Buffet (Draper, American Fork, etc) Not too bad really. Works great for those nights that my wife refuses to eat sushi since it has some more Americanized foods and its pretty cheap. If you absolutely need sushi and can't spend some hard earned money, this will work to quell your appetite until the next visit to the Samurai.
Dishonorable mention: Osaka (Provo, I won't give you the directions so you don't accidently go there.) Worst sushi I've ever had, and I even tried Costco sushi once. The atmosphere is great, and they are very nice, but do not order the sushi. I highly recommend the place, but I highly recommend getting anything but sushi there.
Again, limited to the Greater Salt Lake City area:
3. Demae (82 West Center St., Provo, UT): Pretty good. Nothing to write home about but if you go on a Tuesday night it is half off.
2. Ginsa (209 W 200 S, SLC, UT): The epitome of a hole in the wall. If someone hadn't taken me, I never would have gone. Sadly, this individual did not also pay seeing as the prices here about double that of most other places. The environment is that of too-cool to have customer service (or real restrooms) but the sushi is pretty amazing.
1. Samurai (6195 Highland Drive, SLC, UT): The smallest sushi place of the 3, but by far the best value/taste. I have been several times and never failed to be amazed. The tuna rolls are awesome. The customer service is suprisingly good.
Honorable mention: Asian Buffet (Draper, American Fork, etc) Not too bad really. Works great for those nights that my wife refuses to eat sushi since it has some more Americanized foods and its pretty cheap. If you absolutely need sushi and can't spend some hard earned money, this will work to quell your appetite until the next visit to the Samurai.
Dishonorable mention: Osaka (Provo, I won't give you the directions so you don't accidently go there.) Worst sushi I've ever had, and I even tried Costco sushi once. The atmosphere is great, and they are very nice, but do not order the sushi. I highly recommend the place, but I highly recommend getting anything but sushi there.
Thought of the Day - April 2
"British on Parade"
For those who don't follow world politics, Iran captured 15 British sailors in what the British beleived was not Iran's boundaries. The Britsih promptly sent the GPS coordinates stating that the ship was several miles from Iran's borders and that the hostages/detainees needed to be released pronto. Iran responded with their own set of coordinates, proving the British had crossed the border.
One problemo: The coordinates were not within Irani borders. The "real" coordinates were released shortly thereafter, this time within the border.
Since then the prisoners have "released letters" saying they think the US should pull out of Iraq, that they are being "sacrificed" and "admitting" guilt to trespassing on TV.
Right. Watching the videos you can tell the hostages, which is what they are at this point, think it is a joke. The latest, the first one drops in an extra word to point out that the location is the alleged one that Iran is forcing him to say on air. The second guy looks like he just got chosen to be on American Idol, couldn't be happier.
If Iran doesn't want to incur the wrath of a wrath-less UN, they better stop acting like a fourth grader. "Nu-uh" isn't appropriate come back for a middle schooler, much less a country. The fact they think anyone on earth might actually beleive the confessions or letters is a scary proposition.
These are the same guys "not" working on nuclear weapons.
For those who don't follow world politics, Iran captured 15 British sailors in what the British beleived was not Iran's boundaries. The Britsih promptly sent the GPS coordinates stating that the ship was several miles from Iran's borders and that the hostages/detainees needed to be released pronto. Iran responded with their own set of coordinates, proving the British had crossed the border.
One problemo: The coordinates were not within Irani borders. The "real" coordinates were released shortly thereafter, this time within the border.
Since then the prisoners have "released letters" saying they think the US should pull out of Iraq, that they are being "sacrificed" and "admitting" guilt to trespassing on TV.
Right. Watching the videos you can tell the hostages, which is what they are at this point, think it is a joke. The latest, the first one drops in an extra word to point out that the location is the alleged one that Iran is forcing him to say on air. The second guy looks like he just got chosen to be on American Idol, couldn't be happier.
If Iran doesn't want to incur the wrath of a wrath-less UN, they better stop acting like a fourth grader. "Nu-uh" isn't appropriate come back for a middle schooler, much less a country. The fact they think anyone on earth might actually beleive the confessions or letters is a scary proposition.
These are the same guys "not" working on nuclear weapons.
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