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Post by rgs318 on Mar 6, 2022 17:50:15 GMT -5
It is hard to read these interesting points because it is making me start counting the weeks, days, and hours until the start of the football season.
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Post by dharry13 on Mar 6, 2022 18:10:46 GMT -5
I 100% agree. I don’t care either. Just get more pressure out of 4 man rush regardless of who it is. Because it also frees up a guy to spy a mobile QB. If you have to blitz to get pressure it opens up lanes to scramble.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Mar 6, 2022 19:05:19 GMT -5
Getting technical but my point is that Anderson is in fact often the 4th guy rushing. It’s not technically a blitz but can look like it because he will walk around pre snap to mess with the QB and O-line protection calls. Then rushes off edge but from a 2 point stance. That’s fine with me if he’s our best edge rusher but like we’re saying would like to see someone emerge as that 4th rusher to allow LA to drop in pass coverage more often to make plays there. Dobbs often spies the QB and/or RB slipping out for a pass.
I have other observations about Anderson but don’t want to front run the LB preview…
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Post by dharry13 on Mar 7, 2022 10:32:20 GMT -5
Hopefully another guy that gets into the mix is Gillis. He's big in the weight room and puts up a ton of weight. Good size at 6'2/275. He should have an opportunity for a massive amount of reps in Spring Practice with Dyer out and Seniors moving on.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Mar 7, 2022 13:31:08 GMT -5
Another DT we haven't mentioned is rising Junior Pat Blowe. He had an upper body (another shoulder injury?) I'm assuming in practice last fall. Not sure of his status for reps in the spring. Also a big body. If he's also out, Danolds, Williams, Springer and Gillis are going to get some great reps and a lot of conditioning with only 4 DT's in the rotation! They'll be praying for more 3-3 fronts during "inside run" so only 1 man up at a time haha...
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Post by hc2020 on Mar 7, 2022 13:55:17 GMT -5
Pat Blowe suffered a significant shoulder injury and had surgery to repair it. It is my understanding that he has had multiple surgeries on the same shoulder. Thus, his availability long-term remains uncertain, although I hope he can come back and contribute.
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 7, 2022 15:26:52 GMT -5
When did the injury occur?
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Post by hc2020 on Mar 7, 2022 17:05:08 GMT -5
^ I believe he suffered the injury last summer and received multiple opinions before opting for more surgery. Tough break for the kid.
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 7, 2022 17:38:39 GMT -5
Very sad to hear.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Mar 16, 2022 9:13:28 GMT -5
Do we have an analysis of another position group coming soon?
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Post by dharry13 on Mar 16, 2022 9:26:02 GMT -5
The last position group is DBs
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Mar 22, 2022 15:57:51 GMT -5
Looking forward to hearing the insights and prognostications about the defensive backs---and maybe the special team as well
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Post by midwestsader05 on Mar 22, 2022 21:07:12 GMT -5
Sorry fellas. Work travel, spring break, now catch-up came and went. We still officially have both LBs and DBs to go but since there seems to be more interest in DB's...let's start there!
Highlights: We return every starter from the final 5-6 games of the year as Super Senior Grant Holloman went down with a season ending injury after starting as one of the two overhang Safeties the first half of the season. At Cornerback, 2-time 1st team All PL Super SR. Jon Smith returns and seems poised to cement his legacy as one of the best CB's to play at HC in the past 30 years. Jon is our best cover corner and likely best in the PL while also a very good tackler with great instincts and ball skills. Opposite him we return SR and 2nd team All PL CB Devin Haskins. Devin has great length and has continued to steadily improve after stepping up as a starter in Spring 2021. He can still get exposed by very good receivers and better opponents (SDSU/Fordham) but new CB Coach Kyle Barnes should provide a fresh set of eyes to help him continue to progress. Our top reserve CB is JR Terrence Spence who missed part of last season with an injury but returned for the playoffs. He also has great length and looks to be a bit more fluid and athletic than Haskins. He should see a lot of time again both in competition with Devin but also in several nickel/dime packages where Smith moves to one of the Overhangs and Spence as the other Corner (we played this package a lot in the Villanova game with much success). At Safety, our 3 returning starters will all be Super Seniors. FS Walter Reynolds has good speed and athleticism. As a bit undersized, he can miss some open field tackles against better Running backs so hopefully he works on his strength this offseason and can put on an additional 5 lbs of muscle. Terrell Prince is our run stopping overhang and has been a multi-year All PL Special Teams selection. I was very impressed with Prince's potential in 2019 and then he came back to campus 20 lbs overweight post Covid in Spring of 2021. He lost some of it but could probably slim down a bit more to maximize his speed and explosiveness. If he does, he could very well be an All PL pick at Safety this year. The other starting overhang to return is Cristos Argys. Argys replaced Grant after the injury and while there was a noticeable difference to me in some respects, Cristos did an admirable job in the totality of his relief. The coaches clearly think he was needed to invite back as a 5th year. My questions have most to do with the 2-deep and if anyone else emerges to get impactful playing time.
1) Does Avery Powell arrive college ready and break into the two deep in camp?
JR Malik Scott was the other CB on the 2-deep last season. It should be an interesting battle in camp. If Avery arrives ready to contribute, I suspect we might see Jon Smith play as much Safety next year as Corner.
2) Which reserve safeties can push for PT?
The 3 reserve safeties on the final 2-deep were rising SO Jake Jarmolowich at FS, SR Hunter Burns at SS and SR Kam Molton at WS. Of those three, Molton saw the most burn toward the end of the season (capping it off with that great Pick 6 in the Bucknell game.) The underclassman I'll be watching closely is rising SO Ryan Ruane. Ruane saw a lot of PT on Special Teams until he was hurt midway through the season. I know he was very impressive as a freshman and if healthy I expect him to push the upper classman. Given his size (6'2 215-220), the coaches could very well see him as the heir apparent to Liam Anderson (a converted Safety) and decide to move him to LB this season to provide much needed depth.
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Post by hchoops on Mar 22, 2022 21:15:44 GMT -5
Thanks MW. Have you heard anything about Spring Practice so far ?
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Post by dharry13 on Mar 23, 2022 5:09:04 GMT -5
Thanks MW. A couple of other names I’ll throw out there to keep an eye on. Harris - Lopez and Kane. Harris - Lopez I hear looks the part and I know coaches were high on him when he committed. Also Kane was getting solid special teams times before he broke his leg. Will he be full strength?
Personally I’d love to see them grab another DB via the portal - and LB for that matter.
Regarding Spring practice. I’ve heard the O is looking pretty good. DE very solid as well as LBs. DL still very much up for grabs.
75 juniors on campus this past weekend. More expected on campus this weekend.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Mar 23, 2022 8:55:37 GMT -5
Thanks MW. Have you heard anything about Spring Practice so far ? I have not checked in since back from vacation. Likely will end of this week or weekend.
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Post by hc2020 on Mar 23, 2022 15:23:36 GMT -5
Sorry fellas. Work travel, spring break, now catch-up came and went. We still officially have both LBs and DBs to go but since there seems to be more interest in DB's...let's start there! Highlights: We return every starter from the final 5-6 games of the year as Super Senior Grant Holloman went down with a season ending injury after starting as one of the two overhang Safeties the first half of the season. At Cornerback, 2-time 1st team All PL Super SR. Jon Smith returns and seems poised to cement his legacy as one of the best CB's to play at HC in the past 30 years. Jon is our best cover corner and likely best in the PL while also a very good tackler with great instincts and ball skills. Opposite him we return SR and 2nd team All PL CB Devin Haskins. Devin has great length and has continued to steadily improve after stepping up as a starter in Spring 2021. He can still get exposed by very good receivers and better opponents (SDSU/Fordham) but new CB Coach Kyle Barnes should provide a fresh set of eyes to help him continue to progress. Our top reserve CB is JR Terrence Spence who missed part of last season with an injury but returned for the playoffs. He also has great length and looks to be a bit more fluid and athletic than Haskins. He should see a lot of time again both in competition with Devin but also in several nickel/dime packages where Smith moves to one of the Overhangs and Spence as the other Corner (we played this package a lot in the Villanova game with much success). At Safety, our 3 returning starters will all be Super Seniors. FS Walter Reynolds has good speed and athleticism. As a bit undersized, he can miss some open field tackles against better Running backs so hopefully he works on his strength this offseason and can put on an additional 5 lbs of muscle. Terrell Prince is our run stopping overhang and has been a multi-year All PL Special Teams selection. I was very impressed with Prince's potential in 2019 and then he came back to campus 20 lbs overweight post Covid in Spring of 2021. He lost some of it but could probably slim down a bit more to maximize his speed and explosiveness. If he does, he could very well be an All PL pick at Safety this year. The other starting overhang to return is Cristos Argys. Argys replaced Grant after the injury and while there was a noticeable difference to me in some respects, Cristos did an admirable job in the totality of his relief. The coaches clearly think he was needed to invite back as a 5th year. My questions have most to do with the 2-deep and if anyone else emerges to get impactful playing time. 1) Does Avery Powell arrive college ready and break into the two deep in camp? JR Malik Scott was the other CB on the 2-deep last season. It should be an interesting battle in camp. If Avery arrives ready to contribute, I suspect we might see Jon Smith play as much Safety next year as Corner. 2) Which reserve safeties can push for PT? The 3 reserve safeties on the final 2-deep were rising SO Jake Jarmolowich at FS, SR Hunter Burns at SS and SR Kam Molton at WS. Of those three, Molton saw the most burn toward the end of the season (capping it off with that great Pick 6 in the Bucknell game.) The underclassman I'll be watching closely is rising SO Ryan Ruane. Ruane saw a lot of PT on Special Teams until he was hurt midway through the season. I know he was very impressive as a freshman and if healthy I expect him to push the upper classman. Given his size (6'2 215-220), the coaches could very well see him as the heir apparent to Liam Anderson (a converted Safety) and decide to move him to LB this season to provide much needed depth. I have had a chance to see Ruane in person and he is not 215-220lbs. He could possibly get there in time but he does not have that size right now. He is also recovering from a serious knee injury for which he had surgery. Hopefully he bounces back. Also, Matt Kane is no longer working with the DBs and has been moved to LB. As far as the overhang safeties go, I have been told that Terrell Prince has been working with the 1s and junior Hugh Kelly and sophomore Joe Rivers have been alternating time with the second and third units during early spring practices.
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Post by hc2020 on Mar 23, 2022 15:27:41 GMT -5
^ I have also been told that the flu bug has been working it’s way through the team and several players have missed some time while they recover.
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Post by dharry13 on Mar 23, 2022 16:43:06 GMT -5
Interesting on Kane. 205 LB? Seems light to me but maybe he’s put on weight. Ruane with his height should be able to get to 210. I heard he had knee drained but it wasn’t serious - per a player.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Mar 23, 2022 17:31:01 GMT -5
Sorry fellas. Work travel, spring break, now catch-up came and went. We still officially have both LBs and DBs to go but since there seems to be more interest in DB's...let's start there! Highlights: We return every starter from the final 5-6 games of the year as Super Senior Grant Holloman went down with a season ending injury after starting as one of the two overhang Safeties the first half of the season. At Cornerback, 2-time 1st team All PL Super SR. Jon Smith returns and seems poised to cement his legacy as one of the best CB's to play at HC in the past 30 years. Jon is our best cover corner and likely best in the PL while also a very good tackler with great instincts and ball skills. Opposite him we return SR and 2nd team All PL CB Devin Haskins. Devin has great length and has continued to steadily improve after stepping up as a starter in Spring 2021. He can still get exposed by very good receivers and better opponents (SDSU/Fordham) but new CB Coach Kyle Barnes should provide a fresh set of eyes to help him continue to progress. Our top reserve CB is JR Terrence Spence who missed part of last season with an injury but returned for the playoffs. He also has great length and looks to be a bit more fluid and athletic than Haskins. He should see a lot of time again both in competition with Devin but also in several nickel/dime packages where Smith moves to one of the Overhangs and Spence as the other Corner (we played this package a lot in the Villanova game with much success). At Safety, our 3 returning starters will all be Super Seniors. FS Walter Reynolds has good speed and athleticism. As a bit undersized, he can miss some open field tackles against better Running backs so hopefully he works on his strength this offseason and can put on an additional 5 lbs of muscle. Terrell Prince is our run stopping overhang and has been a multi-year All PL Special Teams selection. I was very impressed with Prince's potential in 2019 and then he came back to campus 20 lbs overweight post Covid in Spring of 2021. He lost some of it but could probably slim down a bit more to maximize his speed and explosiveness. If he does, he could very well be an All PL pick at Safety this year. The other starting overhang to return is Cristos Argys. Argys replaced Grant after the injury and while there was a noticeable difference to me in some respects, Cristos did an admirable job in the totality of his relief. The coaches clearly think he was needed to invite back as a 5th year. My questions have most to do with the 2-deep and if anyone else emerges to get impactful playing time. 1) Does Avery Powell arrive college ready and break into the two deep in camp? JR Malik Scott was the other CB on the 2-deep last season. It should be an interesting battle in camp. If Avery arrives ready to contribute, I suspect we might see Jon Smith play as much Safety next year as Corner. 2) Which reserve safeties can push for PT? The 3 reserve safeties on the final 2-deep were rising SO Jake Jarmolowich at FS, SR Hunter Burns at SS and SR Kam Molton at WS. Of those three, Molton saw the most burn toward the end of the season (capping it off with that great Pick 6 in the Bucknell game.) The underclassman I'll be watching closely is rising SO Ryan Ruane. Ruane saw a lot of PT on Special Teams until he was hurt midway through the season. I know he was very impressive as a freshman and if healthy I expect him to push the upper classman. Given his size (6'2 215-220), the coaches could very well see him as the heir apparent to Liam Anderson (a converted Safety) and decide to move him to LB this season to provide much needed depth. I have had a chance to see Ruane in person and he is not 215-220lbs. He could possibly get there in time but he does not have that size right now. He is also recovering from a serious knee injury for which he had surgery. Hopefully he bounces back. Also, Matt Kane is no longer working with the DBs and has been moved to LB. As far as the overhang safeties go, I have been told that Terrell Prince has been working with the 1s and junior Hugh Kelly and sophomore Joe Rivers have been alternating time with the second and third units during early spring practices. 2020 and DHarry, you guys beat me to it on Kane as I was going to say (after Harry mentioned him) that he is the other Safety I could see the coaches moving to LB with that 6'2 frame. And yes 2020, I should have been more descriptive but was referring to a goal weight of 215-220 by 23' (when they would first really have a chance to get burn). Both are closer to ~205lbs now. I can also verify Ruane had his knee scoped but no major ligament or tendon damage which is a good. He was in a few of the pics with other players that hit certain benchmarks for combined weights of the 3 lifts (bench, squat, clean) coming out of winter so hopefully that's a sign his knee is recovering nicely. Pretty sure it's 1000 lbs for skills (D-backs and receivers), 1100 for hammer (TE/RB/LBs) and 1200 for lineman. As for the spring reps so far, interesting notes 2020. Per your comments about the rotation behind Prince, does that mean Burns and Molton are competing with Argys for the other overhang spot?
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Post by hc2020 on Mar 23, 2022 17:54:18 GMT -5
^ I believe Molton and Argys play more will safety than overhang and Burns tends to move between the two positions.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Apr 22, 2022 23:34:05 GMT -5
Any more position reports coming? I think everyone has really enjoyed these analyses
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Post by dharry13 on May 19, 2022 8:59:57 GMT -5
I'll take a stab at the last position group - Linebacker
1. 3 Studs returning in Dobbs, Anderson and Doran. All three make plays in quite a different style. Anderson can come off the edge and play in coverage - entered HC as a DB. Doran seems to be a downhill thumper type of LB and Dobbs goes sideline to sideline while also blitzing well. Hopefully they stay healthy as this trio will be a massively productive group. 2. I think you have very capable backups in Monte and Bolden. Again - very different styles. Bolden appears to be a Doran type and Monte more of a Dobbs type - undersized in the height department but makes plays. Hopefully Dickson will assert himself and become the 6th linebacker. 3. You have Leo and now Kane (per previous posts) in this group to provide depth and special teams play. 4. Incoming Boyer looks to be a steal per some reports. He was on his way to Navy before he hurt his knee and HC was able to pick him up in the first signing period. He had a bunch of accolades after his junior year in VA for hopefully he is 100% healthy and ready to contribute.
I don't have a ton of concerns with this group as the top 3 are exceptional and they have 2/3 very capable backups.
LB has to be a huge focus in the 2023 recruiting class IMO. 2/3 full ride type of players hopefully sign in December to replenish the cupboard as there Anderson and Doran are leaving. Time will tell on Dobbs.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on May 19, 2022 9:04:33 GMT -5
Looking forward to it- thanks in advance.
Do we need to look at special teams?
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Post by Ignutz on May 19, 2022 11:15:28 GMT -5
I'll take a stab at the last position group - Linebacker 1. 3 Studs returning in Dobbs, Anderson and Doran. All three make plays in quite a different style. Anderson can come off the edge and play in coverage - entered HC as a DB. Doran seems to be a downhill thumper type of LB and Dobbs goes sideline to sideline while also blitzing well. Hopefully they stay healthy as this trio will be a massively productive group. 2. I think you have very capable backups in Monte and Bolden. Again - very different styles. Bolden appears to be a Doran type and Monte more of a Dobbs type - undersized in the height department but makes plays. Hopefully Dickson will assert himself and become the 6th linebacker. 3. You have Leo and now Kane (per previous posts) in this group to provide depth and special teams play. 4. Incoming Boyer looks to be a steal per some reports. He was on his way to Navy before he hurt his knee and HC was able to pick him up in the first signing period. He had a bunch of accolades after his junior year in VA for hopefully he is 100% healthy and ready to contribute.
I don't have a ton of concerns with this group as the top 3 are exceptional and they have 2/3 very capable backups.
LB has to be a huge focus in the 2023 recruiting class IMO. 2/3 full ride type of players hopefully sign in December to replenish the cupboard as there Anderson and Doran are leaving. Time will tell on Dobbs.Leo? Kane? As in Leo Kane??? Let's sic the two of them on Joey Hassett. Revenge would be sweet.
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