Todays spring game

[ZachTheZip]

Rasor's running account of the Spring Game.

George Thomas' notes

Main recap from the ABJ

Cleveland PD coverage

[K92]

Still waiting to see a synopsis and commentary from JZ84!

I haven't heard any mention of Nico Caponi or Nick Rossi. I thought these were two guys who could possibly step up and make an impact. Disappointing.

[ZachTheZip]

I saw Rossi playing at both LB and FB yesterday.

[johnnyzip84]

Still waiting to see a synopsis and commentary from JZ84!

I haven't heard any mention of Nico Caponi or Nick Rossi. I thought these were two guys who could possibly step up and make an impact. Disappointing.

Well, I spent much of the game hopping around from seating area to seating area so I'm only good for a few random observations this year. Let's just say I enjoyed our unnofficial tour of the stadium

1) If Rossi played any FB, I don't think it was very often because they went almost exclusively with 4 and 5 wideout sets (with only tailbacks involved).

2) Rossi was a "2" on defense, as was Nico Caponi and Bre' Ford (so much for my all-MAC prediction ) The defensive 2's really struggled to stop the offensive 2's, so read what you want into that.

3) I thought Williams was the most effective QB, but his two big mistakes prevented him from creating any separation in the competition.

4) I know Coach Bowden made it clear that the special team situations were only run for the sake of the fans, but I'm concerned about the prospect of successfully installing ALL of the special teams schemes in August. I DO understand the decision to focus on offense and defense this spring however, given the rather significant departures from the previous staff.

5) I said this last spring: Stein gets the ball up in a hurry, and he has a stronger leg than Fox. AJ's going to have to step it up to keep his job.

6) Switching LT Smith to WR looks like it will pay big dividends. If QB play can stabilize and become more consistent, the other skill positions are in decent shape. I realize that's a big IF.

7) Lee Adams mentioned the quick passing approach actually being easier on the O-line and there is no question about that. In fact, this is by design and is one of the major advantages of the spread. Even though it's thin right now (enough so that I expect one of the big 3 true FR to get some time in the fall), I think the O-line will pass protect adequately but struggle to get any push in short yardage situations. They're just too small right now. Both Chisholm and Alexander are likely to gain a majority of their yards on runs of 10 or more yards. Their average yards per rush might be decent but the TYPICAL run will probably be in the 0 to 3 yards gained range.

8) If you're looking for a player who hasn't been mentioned a whole lot this spring who I thought played pretty well, I'll nominate James Price. He and the rest of the 1's on the D-line looked pretty good yesterday. As has been mentioned before, we don't really know what that means right now.

The one thing I'd like for someone to ask the staff right now is which of the following best describes their current assessment of the program BEFORE they arrived:

a - much better than they thought

b - somewhat better than they thought

c - right about what they thought

d - somewhat worse than they thought

e - much worse than they thought

I have a feeling the answer is d.

[Zipsrifle]

Lots of people up in the "club level" which was open to the public. I would estimate at least 500 people were up there in total. Nice place, the bar was open. I'm really excited because we've moved down to the second row in the upper deck this year for our season Tix!

[Dave in Green]

@Zipsrifle, we've had seats in the second row of the upper deck right on the 50-yard line from the first season. The good news is that the view is spectacular, especially when compared with the Rubber Bowl. The bad news was that the view was too good for what was happening on the field for the past two seasons. Back to good news, a Terry Bowden-coached team is going to be a lot more fun to watch from those second row, upper deck seats.

[K92]

Thank you, JZ.

[gozips19]

Good stuff JZ I'll just add a few more observations

1. Holmes is at FS and with the 1's. I think this will be a nice fit for him as he was a little stiff in the hips at cb

2. Even without Griggs playing I thought the d line looked solid. All four showed some burst with Williams, Presley, Price, and Grice playing the most with the ones. Their lack of size though will cause them to tire. A scary thought is anyone on the second team d line getting in. Not good at all.

3. JZ is right the o line looks really small. I did like the footwork of Pughsley and I think Brumbaugh is an interesting prospect. Also of note on the o line is that Clay has been moved from Center to Guard. Bohan is now at Center. Both worked with the 2's.

4. Moore looked like the same Moore from last year with a little more touch. Williams looks good in spurts but made two awful throws. If things stay like this from the upperclassmen expect to see the kid get some playing time this year.

5. Really hoping one or maybe two lb's from this years recruiting class can play right away. Both units looked bad.

6. Hoping TB can work some magic and find 5-6 juco's/grad transfers to plug the gaps.

7. Love the style of play on both sides of the ball and there was a lot of hope in the air at the big dialer yesterday

[gozips19]

Forgot to mention lots of man coverage on d with blitz packages. Lots of WR screens and back shoulder throws on O.

[skip-zip]

Hard to tell. The caveat on everything in this game is that you had questionable talent playing against questionable talent.

That's about where I stand. Hard to tell, based on this.

Of course, like everyone else, I saw some guys who caught my attention. But, who knows? Hard to grade them when it's hard to tell the level of players that they were playing against at the time I noticed them.

As far as the QBs are concerned, I agree with the thoughts about the downside of playing a Senior this year. We're not going anywhere. Ultimately, I think it might be best if the freshman becomes the starter, which would give Terry some long term stability at that position. But, I'd still only want that to happen if the coaches though his chances of producing on the field are close to what we'd have with the older guys. Regardless of how he wants to build the program, I hope he realizes that the fans still need to see some wins right now.

[Dr Z]

Forgot to mention lots of man coverage on d with blitz packages.

Second best thing I have read in this thread.

I mentioned last year in my criticism of the QB play, that if I were QB, I would throw the ball to Suel 14 times a game. Somebody might think the same this year.

[Hilltopper]

Second best thing I have read in this thread.

I mentioned last year in my criticism of the QB play, that if I were QB, I would throw the ball to Suel 14 times a game. Somebody might think the same this year.

I think LR8 tried last year, but about 10 of them were batted down at the line of scrimmage.

[GP1]

7. Love the style of play on both sides of the ball and there was a lot of hope in the air at the big dialer yesterday

I just watched the video on GoZips and liked what I saw. Lots of points and lots of big plays. Wide open football the way it is played in the 21st Century. 13 had a couple of passes intercepted, but hard to tell if it was him or the WR (those are things fans neve really know). Moore had a nice run, which I like to see because a QB with an ability to run at least some in the spread opens everything up. Moore also didn't have any batted passes...It's amazing how those go away when the passing game consists of more than the five yard slant.

Who is the #1 QB coming out of spring practice?

[Dr Z]

Who is the #1 QB coming out of spring practice?

Coach Bowden addresses as much as can be expected at this time of year in this interview about halfway through.

[GP1]

Coach Bowden addresses as much as can be expected at this time of year in this interview about halfway through.

I saw that too. Maybe we need to do some dot connecting. I guess what I'm looking for is who was taking most of the snaps with the first team offense. Maybe GT could shed some light.

TB brought up that 13 gets rid of the ball quickly and doesn't take sacks. Was one QB more prone to sacks this spring than another? Sacks absolutely kill. Not as much as a fumble or INT, but they put teams in very bad situations that can lead to turnovers. Is 13 throwing some ints in order to prevent a sack? Is 8 getting sacked because he isn't getting rid of the ball quick enough? I don't know the answer to any of this, but sacks can be an important measurement of QB performance as it realates to his understanding of the offense.

I'd also like to know TBs thoughts on the performance of the offense in the red zone.

Lastly, I like that TB said, "I know what we have to do." Not..."We'll take a close look and try to figure out what to do." I just have a lot of confidence in the guy.

[skip-zip]

I saw that too. Maybe we need to do some dot connecting. I guess what I'm looking for is who was taking most of the snaps with the first team offense. Maybe GT could shed some light.

TB brought up that 13 gets rid of the ball quickly and doesn't take sacks. Was one QB more prone to sacks this spring than another? Sacks absolutely kill. Not as much as a fumble or INT, but they put teams in very bad situations that can lead to turnovers. Is 13 throwing some ints in order to prevent a sack? Is 8 getting sacked because he isn't getting rid of the ball quick enough? I don't know the answer to any of this, but sacks can be an important measurement of QB performance as it realates to his understanding of the offense.

I'd also like to know TBs thoughts on the performance of the offense in the red zone.

Lastly, I like that TB said, "I know what we have to do." Not..."We'll take a close look and try to figure out what to do." I just have a lot of confidence in the guy.

Clayton got the start with the 1st Team Offense. But, Dalton ended up throwing more total passes than anyone else in the game, and seemed to get more total playing time. Not sure what we can make out of that.

There has been mention that Dalton is good at "pushing the other guys". Does this mean that he's there to help them get accustomed to the offense, but is not in our plans because of his final-season status? Maybe.

[ZachTheZip]

The problem with counting sacks in the spring game is that the QBs were considered "sacked" the moment they were touched by a defender. I am certain that they would have escaped a few of them had it been a real game, and Moore would have ran for a TD.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Everyone knows Moore can run. Everyone knows he's a tough kid.

But if he relies predominately on his feet to win games, we're screwed. He isn't a "game-changer" running QB (like a Cribbs or Edelmann were).

If neither Williams or Moore take command, you gotta start Pohl and see what he can do. There's no upside to starting a senior like Williams, versus the underclassmen, if he doesn't give the Zips a marked increased chance to win games.

And if Moore can't convincingly beat out a Frosh, he should probably practice returning punts.

[scottditzen]

I just wanted to add because I haven't seen it mentioned was senior TE Ryhne Ladrach made some really nice catches. Looks to have great hands. He could be an x factor and get some good mismatches vs. a defense.

[GP1]

And if Moore can't convincingly beat out a Frosh, he should probably practice returning punts.

I would agree with one big IF that I don't think will happen, but who knows... Anyhow, if the coaching staff thinks we could still be pretty bad and uncompetitive next year (only 1 or 2 wins), don't start a frosh. A guy who loses a lot only learns to lose. If they are still a year away, don't destroy a young QB. Other than that, if the competition is close, play the frosh.

I think we can score enough points next year that there will be at least 3 MAC schools that poop their pants trying to keep up. Four wins shouldn't be out of the question.

[zip403]

NOW you all see why Dalton Williams COULDNT start at his old 1AA, to bad Bowden is playing the good ole boy still and gave him a scholarship because hes friends with one of Bowdens old Grad Assistants. One good thing, the smartest QB was NICELY,,he bailed from our sinking ship after you all threw him under the bus SO MANY TIMES. He WON more games then any other qb on the roster and BOWDEN had the nerve to put him at 4th string. Cant wait to see how this season plays out,,,you have lost my respect Coach Bowden

[zippy5]

I would agree with one big IF that I don't think will happen, but who knows... Anyhow, if the coaching staff thinks we could still be pretty bad and uncompetitive next year (only 1 or 2 wins), don't start a frosh. A guy who loses a lot only learns to lose. If they are still a year away, don't destroy a young QB. Other than that, if the competition is close, play the frosh.

I think we can score enough points next year that there will be at least 3 MAC schools that poop their pants trying to keep up. Four wins shouldn't be out of the question.

Agreed. I don't have much interest in starting a freshman on a lousy team.

[zippy5]

He WON more games then any other qb on the roster

lolol you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's...oh nevermind

[akzipper]

NOW you all see why Dalton Williams COULDNT start at his old 1AA, to bad Bowden is playing the good ole boy still and gave him a scholarship because hes friends with one of Bowdens old Grad Assistants. One good thing, the smartest QB was NICELY,,he bailed from our sinking ship after you all threw him under the bus SO MANY TIMES. He WON more games then any other qb on the roster and BOWDEN had the nerve to put him at 4th string. Cant wait to see how this season plays out,,,you have lost my respect Coach Bowden

How many times was it mentioned that every player was getting a fair shot this spring. Nicely has just as much of a chance to start as Williams, Moore, and Pohl. Him being 3rd-4th on the depth chart showed he just wasn't playing well enough to start in the fall, so he transferred. I wish him the best, and out of all the players I'd say he had the toughest tenure at UA. I have a lot of respect for a guy who had to play for JD, and two years of RI. Just don't take it out on Terry Bowden and say crap like you lost respect. Give it a rest! If you're turning on this team already, then maybe you should try becoming a fan of a different school.

[scottditzen]

Dalton threw two bad passes, but despite that I think we could win games with him at QB.

NOW you all see why Dalton Williams COULDNT start at his old 1AA, to bad Bowden is playing the good ole boy still and gave him a scholarship because hes friends with one of Bowdens old Grad Assistants. One good thing, the smartest QB was NICELY,,he bailed from our sinking ship after you all threw him under the bus SO MANY TIMES. He WON more games then any other qb on the roster and BOWDEN had the nerve to put him at 4th string. Cant wait to see how this season plays out,,,you have lost my respect Coach Bowden