Spring Game Notes

[74ZIP]

anybody have any strong reactions to the spring game...hard to tell if the offense was that bad or the defense was that good...o-line loked a little disorganized...the two real new guys Sekinger and Estrada still need work...the runners looked OK...no Alex Allen though...the OB's?...if thats the game and the attitude we are going to get from Jackson lets move on to someone else...if they played tomorrow CJ is the starter...anyone else?

[Bleacher Bum]

Well, the place kicking didn't impress me right away, but Domonkos did hit a deep one in the second half. I think the soccer players at halftime looked better than our kickers did.

[timmyboy]

First..... the DL really shocked me. I seen numerous plays where the DL had such good penetration, that the RB could barely get out of the backfield if at all. I seen Robinson plugging holes, getting off the blocks an making plays. Cechetti was also doing the same. Call me crazy but i dont think our DL will be as bad as alot of people think. Our DB looked pretty solid today , not allowing many big plays.Secondly...... The OL has alot of work to do before they are ready to start the season. I seen some of the OL standing around as the RB is fighting for the extra yards. I think Schepp had a pretty good game, and Jim Holley also had a good game at center. I think that our Tackles have the most work to do.Third....Our kicking game isnt looking to be very much better then it was last year. We missed alot. Domonkos did have a long one later in the game as bleacher bum said, but we must work on the kicking game before the season alot. This will Make or Break a teams season.Fourth.... The QB who stood out to me is Hakes. He had some very nice throws to the receivers, and also had some very nice runs. I was able to talk to jackson after the game, and he is a very nice guy. He has had alot of things go wrong for him in the offseason, from breaking his foot and having to wait to get off crutches, then a week later he gets a concussion an has to miss more. He might be a little bit rusty, but i honestly believe that he will come around and be our starter for the season. And like he said..... it is hard for him to make things happen when all the defensive player has to do is touch his jersey, come game time, it will be ALOT harder for the defender to bring him down because he is such a great scrambler.and lastly..... our WR. Watching this game today made me realise how much we do need harvey in the line up. I seen him walking around at the spring game, and i heard him talking to another player after it was over, and he was saying he will be back, he just has alot of personal issues right now that he has to take care of, when i heard that it was a big breath of relief. We need more of our WR to step up though. I seen at least 3 passes today that hit the WR in the chest or hands, it they dropped it.... You cant have that if you are going to try to make a run at a MAC championship. everyone else let me know if i am correct or how you feel about my thoughts.

[InTheZone]

timmyboy, not to be nit-picky, but you use this phrase in almost all your posts. "I seen" is not correct English. "I saw" is what you want to go with.

[timmyboy]

timmyboy, not to be nit-picky, but you use this phrase in almost all your posts. "I seen" is not correct English. "I saw" is what you want to go with.

i will try to make sure i remember not to use that anymore, just for you haha. but thanks for pointing that out. Did you go to the game, what did you see that you liked and didnt like?

[gozips19]

what i learned today:our starting and second team secondary is way better than our 4th string wr's. really hard to get a grasp on the passing game as anyone who will see the field this year was on the side lines. the d played with swagger. i loved to see the defense carry themselves with an attitude today big nate has slimed down and it is showing up in his play. the secondary got bigger too (especially dixon). i thought we'd run the ball a lot but i don't recall more than 12-15 pass plays. only things i got from the qb's is that Jac looks like a back up to me. he made some bad read's on the spread option. hakes looks like cj did last year. you can see the potential but he's a little lost still and forces balls. the interception he threw was horrible. i don't know what attitude you saw 74 with cj. i thought he looked the part of a starting qb. he has a ways to go but his athleticism is second to none. the o line still has some question marks but will finish the year better than last years team. interesting to see the rotations. ward got a ton of reps and looked good. it also appears that bates will take over schepp's roll as the supper sub as he worked at both guard and center.the kicking still sucks. j.d. should have made the team do some extra gasser's for the poor special teams. missed field goals, blocked field goals, a false start on a punt, and poor punting. not good!great turn out and i too saw harvey in the seats. a very good sign. saw andy working out in the weight room at the end of the game and his beard makes him look even more nasty!the team has a ways to go but they are the most athletic team j.d. has had to date. lots of potential on this team.

[GoZips]

One change that I personally would like to see in the Spring game is a rule that it takestwo hands on the QB to stop the play. With a special for the Spring game only, fifteenyard penalty if the defender knocks the QB down.All three QBs suffered from almost nonexistent incidental contact causing the ball to be downed. All three had nice runs negated by being barely touched by an out stretchedhand. Not to mention passing scrambles prematurely whistled dead.Sean Hakes is the QB of the future. I predict that he will be the starting QB by midseason.One last thing, the snaps were awful. As Rasor stated in his column, the split secondlost is often the difference between a well executed play and disaster.

[Zipmeister]

I think the o-line needs improved technique more than Timmyboy needs a spelling and grammar checker.

[timmyboy]

I think the o-line needs improved technique more than Timmyboy needs a spelling and grammar checker.

WOW what is this, bash timmyboy day. just because i said what i felt about the team?

[ZachTheZip]

I missed the spring game, so I have some questions other than the ones already answered.1) How was the crowd? Was the fieldhouse packed?2) Was there really a fair outside before the game?3) How did the D-line look? I can give the O-line some time to adjust, but the D-line concerns me.4) What about Vince Hill? How well did he run his routes?5) After seeing this game, how many wins do you guys expect this season?

[timmyboy]

I missed the spring game, so I have some questions other than the ones already answered.1) How was the crowd? Was the fieldhouse packed?2) Was there really a fair outside before the game?3) How did the D-line look? I can give the O-line some time to adjust, but the D-line concerns me.4) What about Vince Hill? How well did he run his routes?5) After seeing this game, how many wins do you guys expect this season?

1.) There was a pretty good crowd there.2.) NO the fair was cancelled according to gozips.com3.) The DL didnt look to bad. Robinson slimmed down some and it showed, he looked better then he has in the past.4.) Vince Hill didnt play, he wont be with the team until summer ball.5.) I think we have a chance at winning 8 games this year. Army,Indiana,Can't,Conn,Temple,Buffalo,BG, and Miami(OH)

[Bleacher Bum]

5.)  I think we have a chance at winning 8 games this year.  Army,Indiana,Can't,Conn,Temple,Buffalo,BG, and Miami(OH)

I noticed that Central Michigan at home is not listed in your predicted wins. Do you have "LeFevour"? Becaue I believe the Zips defense has "LeCure"!

[timmyboy]

5.)  I think we have a chance at winning 8 games this year.  Army,Indiana,Can't,Conn,Temple,Buffalo,BG, and Miami(OH)

I noticed the Central Michigan at home is not listed in your predicted wins. Do you have "LeFevour"? Becaue I believe the Zips defense has "LeCure"!

I wasent sure about that game because they have had Akrons Number the last few years. I hope we can win that one also, but i dont know.

[AZipsCrazy]

i thought we'd run the ball a lot but i don't recall more than 12-15 pass plays. only things i got from the qb's is that Jac looks like a back up to me. he made some bad read's on the spread option. hakes looks like cj did last year. you can see the potential but he's a little lost still and forces balls. the interception he threw was horrible. i don't know what attitude you saw 74 with cj. i thought he looked the part of a starting qb. he has a ways to go but his athleticism is second to none.

Hey I don't know what game you were watching but CJ completed 2 of his 12 or so passes and only gained 1 first down the entire scrimmage. Hakes was by far the most impressive followed by Jacquemain. CJ had negative rushing yards while Hakes had around 40 yards rushing and Jacquemain had around 20 yards (w/o sacks into the equation).

[ZippyAlum]

I think it was real difficult to evaluate this team by the game today. Many of our top receivers were out hurt. Two of the QBs were just back after injury. One hand taps stopped the QBs. They didn't run many of their plays. They've got to keep some things secret. (Did you notice the Can't players in the stands?) A lot can happen between now and August. We just have to hope it's all good.

[InTheZone]

timmyboy, not to be nit-picky, but you use this phrase in almost all your posts.  "I seen" is not correct English.  "I saw" is what you want to go with.

i will try to make sure i remember not to use that anymore, just for you haha. but thanks for pointing that out. Did you go to the game, what did you see that you liked and didnt like?

Unfortunately, for the first time in about 15 years, I was not at the Spring game in any capacity. It really sucked, but I'm glad to have all of your accounts on what went down.

[InTheZone]

Everyone should remember that Spring practice isn't over for the Zips, so there's still a few practices for guys to pick some things up. I'm not sure why JD chose to do it this way this year, but the Zips still have another week of practice left.

[timmyboy]

Everyone should remember that Spring practice isn't over for the Zips, so there's still a few practices for guys to pick some things up. I'm not sure why JD chose to do it this way this year, but the Zips still have another week of practice left.

I just now saw that on gozips. that is weird, i dont know why he would do it like that either.

[skip-zip]

I'll add some thoughts....1) A defensive unit tends to gel much faster than an offensive unit. So I was not surprised, especially since the Defense was the more experienced unit to begin with.2) I like Hakes' leadership and foot speed. He seemed excited to be out there. But he threw several passes that wobbled. That bothered me. 3) The offensive line seemed confused at times, and was not picking up the correct blocking assignments. 4) NO receivers were getting open, but please remember that Arthur, Lindsay, and Harvey were not there. Still, I HOPE this means that our DB crew is going to play as advertised this coming year. 5) I now believe that teams really do "hold back" on their play calls during spring for fear that opponents may catch on to their scheme for the upcoming season. If you noticed, you saw very few roll-outs from the QB's, and that is something we are supposed to see quite a bit of this year.6) I'm hoping that Cecchetti and Lively really do emerge as adequate defensive ends. And they both played well today.

[Zip_ME87]

Everyone should remember that Spring practice isn't over for the Zips, so there's still a few practices for guys to pick some things up.  I'm not sure why JD chose to do it this way this year, but the Zips still have another week of practice left.

I thought I overheard Steve french say that there is some big wrestling tournament at the Field House next weekend. That's why the Spring Game was yesterday. I think it worked out better this way anyhow since Ohio State has their Spring Game next weekend. (I won't say anymore on that subject.)

[AZipsCrazy]

Here are my notes on the Spring Game:Defense:Nate Robinson and Cecchetti really shocked me because I expected the DL to be a weakness and IMO it proved to be one of the strengths in the scrimmage. They really seem to have a swagger that we didn’t have last year. Doug Williams was obviously impressive while recording his 2 sacks. I think we’ve looked over the fact that we couldn’t get a sack for the life of us last season and the defense had pressure on the QB’s the entire game. Another player that stood out to me that nobody has mentioned yet was SS Wayne Cobham. He really showed a good nose for the ball and has good size and athleticism. Also Andre Jones showed he’ll definitely be a ball hawk again this season and he’ll give QB’s fits this season.Offense:IMO Hakes was the most impressive passing and running. Jacquemain was next in line but didn’t show the ‘moxie’ that Hakes did. Jackson was disappointing as he couldn’t get anything started and only lead the team to one first down and threw into coverage numerous times.Dennis Kennedy and Andre Walker looked good. Both had their moments and ran hard, although I felt Kennedy looked a little bit better. He is definitely not avoiding contact like he did so many times after getting dinged up last season, so it’s good to see he’s healthy. (not going to mention Andrew Johnson because he won’t be playing in 07)I will say the injuries at WR did make it hard to judge how good the offense is going to be next fall. I really hope the receivers can get healthy ASAP because they are missing out on precious time that they could be getting their timing down.

[UADavid]

the kicking still sucks. j.d. should have made the team do some extra gasser's for the poor special teams. missed field goals, blocked field goals, a false start on a punt, and poor punting. not good!

Special teams is JD's baby this year and the spring game left me underwhelmed. If they really plan to use the roll out punt, we will be losing field position with every kick. You have a kicker moving right or left, depending on the kicking leg, which interferes with proper set up and contact. It looks more like a qb kick. Instead of 1 deep back, they have three with the kicker rolling and kicking. That is poor fundamentals for a punter. The snap is enough worry for the punters. I could envision a whiff trying to punt this way. The biggest problem I see with the kicking is the inability to block at the line of scrimmage. There was too much penetration during the scrimmage. Coverage last year was also a big problem.

[blueandgold]

the kicking still sucks. j.d. should have made the team do some extra gasser's for the poor special teams. missed field goals, blocked field goals, a false start on a punt, and poor punting. not good!

Special teams is JD's baby this year and the spring game left me underwhelmed. If they really plan to use the roll out punt, we will be losing field position with every kick. You have a kicker moving right or left, depending on the kicking leg, which interferes with proper set up and contact. It looks more like a qb kick. Instead of 1 deep back, they have three with the kicker rolling and kicking. That is poor fundamentals for a punter. The snap is enough worry for the punters. I could envision a whiff trying to punt this way. The biggest problem I see with the kicking is the inability to block at the line of scrimmage. There was too much penetration during the scrimmage. Coverage last year was also a big problem.

I believe and I'm hoping that the "roll out" punting was just used because of the low ceiling in the field house and not an actual plan to use during the season.

[timmyboy]

the kicking still sucks. j.d. should have made the team do some extra gasser's for the poor special teams. missed field goals, blocked field goals, a false start on a punt, and poor punting. not good!

Special teams is JD's baby this year and the spring game left me underwhelmed. If they really plan to use the roll out punt, we will be losing field position with every kick. You have a kicker moving right or left, depending on the kicking leg, which interferes with proper set up and contact. It looks more like a qb kick. Instead of 1 deep back, they have three with the kicker rolling and kicking. That is poor fundamentals for a punter. The snap is enough worry for the punters. I could envision a whiff trying to punt this way. The biggest problem I see with the kicking is the inability to block at the line of scrimmage. There was too much penetration during the scrimmage. Coverage last year was also a big problem.

I believe and I'm hoping that the "roll out" punting was just used because of the low ceiling in the field house and not an actual plan to use during the season.

Thats why they went to the roll out punt, because the first 2 punts hit the ceiling. They will be kicking normal when the season comes around.

[J-BIDDY]

Everyone should remember that Spring practice isn't over for the Zips, so there's still a few practices for guys to pick some things up. I'm not sure why JD chose to do it this way this year, but the Zips still have another week of practice left.

From my understanding there is another Spring Game next week. Might want to check with football though. I think the Athletics Department set this Spring Game up so that they could have the festival and tie it in with baseball.