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Post by midwestsader05 on Feb 9, 2022 14:07:16 GMT -5
Since it appears the broad consensus is to bask in the great news of the week and start thinking about our current team. Let's get it moving...Here's where we sit today and some questions on my mind to get the ball rolling:
6AM Winter Workouts/Conditioning have begun!! (Ayir posted a great pic at 5:47AM this morning walking into the Luth in the dark under the highlighted purple cross). We have just over a month till spring ball. The 2 biggest outstanding questions to be answered in the upcoming week/s: 1) What does the final staff look like for 2022? New OC? New CB coach? Any other hires/movement? 2) Who are the final 1-2 recruits to polish off this incoming freshman class?
Mid March to Mid April - Spring Ball/Game 1) How many of the 13 Super Seniors are staying on campus and participating? 2) Which players (specifically underclassman) are showing the most progress and had big gains this offseason? Any potential surprises in pushing for playing time?
Summer Training: 1) How many of the 96 are able to stay up over the summer? 2) Are the newer benefits like on campus housing and nutrition enhancements fully up and running for this summer? 3) How much $$ did the program raise by June 30th? How close did we come to hitting our 750k goal or did we exceed it?
I'll wait on fall camp for now. First things first. What will you be watching and has you excited? Which of these questions intrigues you the most? Anything else?
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Post by dharry13 on Feb 9, 2022 14:52:08 GMT -5
Love this. Back to real matters at hand.
First topic. 1) Hopefully we will get news on the CB's coach this week. Sooner the better that gets done with Spring football on the horizon. My opinion - Smith will be the OC. I'm hoping there aren't any other moves - but I could maybe see 1 more. 2) I'd actually love to know that my friend. There has to be something behind Della Jacono's tweet and I will continue to uncover all recruiting rocks. That said I'd have to imagine additional recruiting news will flush out in the next 2 weeks.
1) I hope all of them but I understand that might not be realistic. The more the better 2) This one is by far the that INTRIGUES me the most. We already know what we have in the 13 Super Seniors coming back and many of the others coming back. I'm always VERY interested to see which Frosh and Sophomores take the biggest leaps. Honestly - the guys on my radar are Williams (DT), the strides Jarmolovich, Harris-Lopez and Ruane take a DB as well as Peterson and does Pesansky become the solid #2. Sophomores - can Shipman breakout; Can Gregory join that mix at WR; A few other Sophomores - Scott, Vaganek and Lane - can they see the field a lot more in 2022.
1) Again - I hope all of them, but I fully understand some of them have summer internships. 2) Hopefully this is the case and the money raised is put to great use - it would be great to get updates on all of this from the staff at some point. 3) Time will tell...
In the Spring I always love to hear what Frosh and Sophs are the biggest surprises and if the recruiting hype matches the player.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Feb 9, 2022 16:22:08 GMT -5
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Post by hchoops on Feb 9, 2022 18:44:13 GMT -5
A terrific video for an inspirational coach
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Post by Crucis#1 on Feb 10, 2022 10:51:28 GMT -5
The video was broadcast last night during halftime of the Loyola game.
Looking forward to reports from Spring camp.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Feb 12, 2022 9:47:37 GMT -5
Keeping this thread toward the top since this is what really matters (the 2022 season!)
On a positive note, total Gridiron Club football money raised and reflected on the FTM web portal this morning is over $240k after Friday's manual adjustments. I know of 2 donors that sent in a combined 10k that is not yet reflected on the site (likely didn't get deposited by yesterday) but that would put us over a quarter million total cash in for FY 22'. As a reminder, ~250k is what the program had annualized in total CAF/GC donations over the past 5 years! A little over 2 months left before the football banquet (our soft deadline) and 4 1/2 months till our hard deadline of June 30th.
Very slick direct mailers sent out with first class postage last week. Keep a look out if you haven't received one already. Spread the word and keep up the momentum! In reading Chesney's comments in Jen's T&G article, he explicitly singled out the increased efforts and support of the alumni network. This work definitely was one of many variables in his (and his key staff's) renewed commitment/extension... Keep it up Purp!
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Post by dharry13 on Feb 16, 2022 9:52:31 GMT -5
Hopefully getting this back on top. Tired of the schedule talk from the other thread.
My understanding is the players are in Winter Workouts right now. I think Spring Practice starts on 3/15 right after Spring Break and concludes on 4/8 with a scrimmage - I think it's 15 practices in 25 days.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Feb 16, 2022 10:33:45 GMT -5
I've got lots of thoughts/questions on position groups heading into and coming out of spring ball.
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Post by dharry13 on Feb 16, 2022 11:34:24 GMT -5
As do I midwestader05. Maybe you and I can just go back and forth. Maybe you start first with a position group and analyze it; I'll give you my opinion and then I'll choose the next position group.
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Post by hc4life on Feb 16, 2022 11:44:33 GMT -5
I look forward to that conversation. Very experienced team returning with the chance of top 20 ranking and a few Preseason AA's.
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Post by hc2020 on Feb 16, 2022 21:26:59 GMT -5
Hopefully getting this back on top. Tired of the schedule talk from the other thread. My understanding is the players are in Winter Workouts right now. I think Spring Practice starts on 3/15 right after Spring Break and concludes on 4/8 with a scrimmage - I think it's 15 practices in 25 days. I think the NCAA limits teams to 15 padded practices in the spring. I believe the spring game is April 9.
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Post by hc2020 on Feb 16, 2022 21:31:27 GMT -5
Here are the NCAA rules for spring practices:
Practices can be conducted over a 34-day period with 20 hours per week of unrestricted activities. Players must receive one day off per week. 15 on-field practice sessions may be held, with no more than 12 involving contact. Full contact may not occur until the third practice. Eight of the 12 contact practices can involve tackling, and no more than three of those eight may be devoted to 11-on-11 scrimmages. During noncontact practice sessions, headgear may be worn.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Feb 18, 2022 12:34:58 GMT -5
I will give a summary/breakdown of one position group every couple days so we can drag this out till Spring Break and everyone has time to share their thoughts without going off the rails. Each will also read more like a scouting report since we are doing one at a time. Let's start with the most important position on the field.
Quarterbacks: Top Questions Heading into Spring Practice: 1) Can Sluka develop a more consistent and accurate intermediate (8-15 yard) passing prowess? 2) Does the new OC and staff insert a set of plays to keep teams off balance against what will be opposing defenses top priority? (don't let Sluka beat you with his legs) 3) Do the coaches intend to have a "Siderman relief" type role or was 2021 an anomaly and the staff intends to have Sluka take virtually all the QB snaps each game?
My take: 1) Coming out of last season, most will agree Sluka's passing ability is fairly average for a starting FCS QB. His main issue is a slow release as a result of a large hitch (wind-up motion) during his release. There are two problems this causes for Matt. First, a slower release often leads to throws being either deflected at the line of scrimmage (I counted 4-5 in the Nova game) or broken up in pass coverage. His second issue is an inconsistency with the way the ball leaves his hand. This is evident by the low percentage of tight spirals he throws which really becomes an issue for QB's playing in windy inclement weather. His third biggest area of improvement is the need to improve his accuracy while on the move when not able to set his feet. He had way too many errant throws to open receivers when he was scrambling outside of the pocket last season. Personally, I know the latter two issues can most quickly be improved upon. I wouldn't try to force Matt to adopt an entirely new more traditional throwing motion. As I will outline in the next section, I think certain play calls can help limit the amount of balls batted down and LB/DB's ability to close on his throws while in coverage. The two areas that can absolutely be improved with practice/development are his release velocity (spiral) and throws on the move. The former is primarily a result of which finger and part of your hand the ball releases from (I can still hear my HS coach say "keep that index finger on the ball"). Same goes for throws rolling out of the pocket or while scrambling. More practice gives you the exact feel of how to prevent either "short arming" OR the ball sailing too high. Matt has the ability to be a more efficient and dangerous passer. He has at times made all the throws necessary to be successful and one of his best is the deep fade outside the hash which I should point out is the result of a play call that utilizes a hard count to get the D-line to jump offsides and then the free play (often to Jalen) to make this pass.
2) Most modern offenses with a QB like Sluka are centered around the RPO (run-pass option.) While it may look like we are running this at times (which gives the QB the discretion to hand the ball off to the RB, pull it for a quick pass, or run it themselves), the vast majority of our run and pass plays are pre-determined before the snap. There are likely two reasons for this: Sluka is still developing the ability to make these quick reads (and throws) and his overwhelming preference (as everyone knows) is to use his legs anytime the slightest opportunity presents itself. I hope we develop more misdirection and play action pass plays designed to freeze LBs and run support safeties. One example which would leverage one of our most successful 2021 plays (the designed Sluka inside tackle run with the RB as a lead blocker) is to have Sluka take a step forward like he's about to run and then hit Jalen/Ayir etc. on a 8-10 yard slant or curl/comeback. More designed play action, bootlegs etc would also enable Morris and Petersen to get involved in the passing game. We want to prevent our offense from being in obvious long yardage passing downs (even more than most offenses) as Sluka is never going to be a stand in the pocket let it rip QB.
3) There was much debate about our hybrid 2 QB system last year and after enough observations, I believed it was a net positive. Opposing defenses having to prepare for 2 QB's with complimentary skill sets is a challenge. Additionally, given the types of hits Sluka will take, having your #2 game ready is a huge benefit. Can Joe P play this role next season? I have no clue right now as the only way to have a valid opinion is to likely have watched a dozen or more practices. However, I hope he can and we utilize him as such. If not, it's a lot to ask a freshman to come out of camp and be ready for this role. I really like what I see from Mark Forucci on film but I'm assuming it would take him well into the season to be this threat if Joe P is unable.
In summary, Sluka has the ability to turn even more heads at a national level this season if he develops as described above. Many of us watched the hype around Montana State's QB "Touchdown Tommy" during the FCS playoffs. While Tommy might be a naturally better passer and a bit quicker, he's only 6'0 200 and doesn't possess near the combination of power and tackle breaking abilities that Matt has (and what creates viral highlight reels). With nearly all of his weapons at RB, TE and WR returning and most every Offensive Lineman, there is not reason Matt cannot have a record setting season.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Feb 18, 2022 13:05:49 GMT -5
This is fantastic--what a pleasure it is to read this analysis by position. Thanks for sharing your expertise, midwestsader05!
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Post by alum on Feb 18, 2022 13:05:58 GMT -5
Midwest--Let me pick your mind, if I can. Can a college QB get substantially better on the technical aspects of throwing (form and velocity) or is it more reasonable to just hope that he gets better with seeing the field and with timing with his receivers?
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Post by dharry13 on Feb 18, 2022 13:46:52 GMT -5
Great analysis midwestsader05. I know you didn't ask my opinion on this alum - but I think I can shed a little light on mechanics. You can absolutely get better at form and velocity. More form IMO than velocity but there are things you can do for both. Regarding form - ball position as you drop back plays a role - IMO Sluka drops the ball a lot which takes longer to release and also leads to more mechanical issues. QB - like pitching - is often repeatable mechanics. The less movement the better - which is why a lot of pitchers now pitch from the stretch and many don't bring their arms over their head - repeatable mechanics lead to better results. Sluka can absolutely improve here.
Midwestsader05 - on your analysis.
My take: 1) I spoke of his mechanics above. Keeping the ball higher - throwing it more like a dart with less moving parts. This will increase the speed of his release and minimize too many unrepeatable components. For my money the biggest issue is how quickly he pulls the ball down to run. As an example - 4th and 10 against Villanova. His eyes need to remain downfield there - they had to get 10 yards. I think too quickly he's looking to run. I understand why because he's great at it, but bigger plays could be made by keeping eyes down field and keeps him hopefully less prone to more hits.
2) He has to trust his WR's to make more plays for him. He has 4 bigtime targets in Ayir, Shorter, Gilliam and Coker. Add in Shipman, possibly Youngblood, maybe Gregory or Barron break out and you have a lot of weapons to put up a lot of points. Trust them to make big plays because come tournament time you might get behind and you have to make up points fast.
3) Pesansky has a HUGE head start on #2. He has all Spring to get a ton of reps with only 3 QBs on campus. You get a ton of reps that way against the #1 D in the country. Questoin is - can he run well enough for the PWO. Quite frankly I have the same question on Forcucci. But they both look athletic enough. What I love about both of them is their accuracy. In today's game I'm a firm believer you should be north of 60% on completion percentage. It's a must and all of their QB's need to make that leap.
4.) I think they need to incorporate the screen game A LOT more to help each QB with completing more - trust me when I say it matters to get easy completions. It boosts confidence the same way a scorer is in basketball when they are struggling - get a layup, get a free throw. Slade seems like a perfect candidate to get that screen game going and I'm hoping the OC gets that thing going. He's has break away speed on tape and it can take pressure off always running because they are by all accounts - glorified runs.
The thing about Sluka is he's an Ass Kicker. He's just a winner and has quite honestly done it all of his life. Pesansky and Forcucci are also winners. I love that about both of them. They lead their team to the finals (Pesansky) and won the state title (Forcucci) their senior year. Get that same swagger as Sluka and you have a loaded QB room.
I think 5 QBs on your roster is always a good number. Hopefully Mosey (smaller lefty Sluka clone on tape) and Wiegel make leaps this coming year and make the overall room that much more competitive.
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Post by alum on Feb 18, 2022 14:06:00 GMT -5
Thanks dharry. I really appreciate the football education I get here.
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Post by football44 on Feb 18, 2022 14:27:55 GMT -5
Great analysis midwestsader05. I know you didn't ask my opinion on this alum - but I think I can shed a little light on mechanics. You can absolutely get better at form and velocity. More form IMO than velocity but there are things you can do for both. Regarding form - ball position as you drop back plays a role - IMO Sluka drops the ball a lot which takes longer to release and also leads to more mechanical issues. QB - like pitching - is often repeatable mechanics. The less movement the better - which is why a lot of pitchers now pitch from the stretch and many don't bring their arms over their head - repeatable mechanics lead to better results. Sluka can absolutely improve here. Midwestsader05 - on your analysis. My take: 1) I spoke of his mechanics above. Keeping the ball higher - throwing it more like a dart with less moving parts. This will increase the speed of his release and minimize too many unrepeatable components. For my money the biggest issue is how quickly he pulls the ball down to run. As an example - 4th and 10 against Villanova. His eyes need to remain downfield there - they had to get 10 yards. I think too quickly he's looking to run. I understand why because he's great at it, but bigger plays could be made by keeping eyes down field and keeps him hopefully less prone to more hits. 2) He has to trust his WR's to make more plays for him. He has 4 bigtime targets in Ayir, Shorter, Gilliam and Coker. Add in Shipman, possibly Youngblood, maybe Gregory or Barron break out and you have a lot of weapons to put up a lot of points. Trust them to make big plays because come tournament time you might get behind and you have to make up points fast. 3) Pesansky has a HUGE head start on #2. He has all Spring to get a ton of reps with only 3 QBs on campus. You get a ton of reps that way against the #1 D in the country. Questoin is - can he run well enough for the PWO. Quite frankly I have the same question on Forcucci. But they both look athletic enough. What I love about both of them is their accuracy. In today's game I'm a firm believer you should be north of 60% on completion percentage. It's a must and all of their QB's need to make that leap. 4.) I think they need to incorporate the screen game A LOT more to help each QB with completing more - trust me when I say it matters to get easy completions. It boosts confidence the same way a scorer is in basketball when they are struggling - get a layup, get a free throw. Slade seems like a perfect candidate to get that screen game going and I'm hoping the OC gets that thing going. He's has break away speed on tape and it can take pressure off always running because they are by all accounts - glorified runs. The thing about Sluka is he's an Ass Kicker. He's just a winner and has quite honestly done it all of his life. Pesansky and Forcucci are also winners. I love that about both of them. They lead their team to the finals (Pesansky) and won the state title (Forcucci) their senior year. Get that same swagger as Sluka and you have a loaded QB room. I think 5 QBs on your roster is always a good number. Hopefully Mosey (smaller lefty Sluka clone on tape) and Wiegel make leaps this coming year and make the overall room that much more competitive. Talk about "Jonesing" for football.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Feb 18, 2022 15:05:18 GMT -5
Talk about "Jonesing" for football. :
Stan, Deacon, Homer, and Julio come immediately to mind....
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Post by kaftan12 on Feb 18, 2022 16:10:00 GMT -5
First of all I think the new QB coach will be very helpful this year. Secondly I would expect the dual QB program to continue as it was successful last year and Chesney seemed to like the ability to mix it up. Just my thoughts.
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Post by newadvisor on Feb 18, 2022 16:22:02 GMT -5
First of all I think the new QB coach will be very helpful this year. Secondly I would expect the dual QB program to continue as it was successful last year and Chesney seemed to like the ability to mix it up. Just my thoughts. Kaftan do you see a need for the 2 QB system? Is that because of the skill sets that Sluka and Pesansky?
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Post by kaftan12 on Feb 18, 2022 16:43:23 GMT -5
I think keeping things simple on the offensive side is important. So no reason to create the wheel when the current one works fine. Again It seems Chesney likes to keep guys on their toes and ready so better to keep a dual system going then pulling a guy if he struggles.
Again just my thoughts. Love the football talk in February!
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Post by newadvisor on Feb 18, 2022 17:19:27 GMT -5
Can't wait for the spring game to see the progress!!
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Post by midwestsader05 on Feb 18, 2022 17:30:01 GMT -5
Midwest--Let me pick your mind, if I can. Can a college QB get substantially better on the technical aspects of throwing (form and velocity) or is it more reasonable to just hope that he gets better with seeing the field and with timing with his receivers? Glad folks appreciated this. It helps me get my inner coach out every now and then (although I did once thank Tom Gilmore for being one of the most impactful voices to talk me out of a career in coaching) As for your question alum, I think DHarry also has some good observations. Matt does tend to hold the ball closer to his abdomen rather than his chest during his drop back and this does create unnecessary movement as he starts his throwing motion. That is a somewhat easy fix. Where there might be some daylight between DHarry and I (and it could be more semantics) is I don't think the new QB coach should drastically change his throwing motion. Matt's had the baseball windup his whole life and while I think he could improve on that at the margin, it would be a heavy lift for him change to a more traditional motion as Harry described (Marco had a pretty textbook motion and release) It would be the same as asking a basketball shooter or golfer to greatly modify their shot or swing (yes I know in golf this is possible) When I speak of "velocity", I'm referring to the rotational velocity of the ball leaving a QB's hand, not the MPH he throws. Matt throws the ball plenty hard, if anything he throws it with too much MPH velocity at times. I'm speaking to his inconsistency throwing a tight spiral (which helps both with accuracy and easier for receivers to catch) Throwing a spiral is entirely about how the ball leaves your hand (specifically your thumb and index finger releasing from the ball at the exact right time and your index finger being the last finger to come off the ball) One nano-second either way, or if another finger stays on too long, causes the " wounded duck" to show up. As many have learned in the last 15-20 years, the laces have really nothing to do with it and why you've seen more and more QB's learn to throw without gripping the laces at all. This can absolutely be improved upon by Matt as is a quicker fix than trying to remodel his wind up motion.
Finally, I'm not sold we need 5 QB's on a roster of 96 players with 60 scholarships. This to me is especially true if your 4th QB (likely Mosey) is getting a least some merit money (which I believe he is). A full time starter, primary back-up, #3 taking reps between the scout team and pushing the #2 for PT while the #4 is your full time scout QB is enough for me given the limitations I mentioned. If the unthinkable happened and you have 3-4 QB's get hurt, you give one your top HS QB's (Walter Reynolds/Liam Anderson) an emergency package/set of plays to be ready.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Feb 18, 2022 17:40:59 GMT -5
Regarding QB velocity on a throw...I remember the HC vs Lehigh game in 1987 at Taylor Stadium. As I was walking along the sidelines prior to the game during warmup, Jeff Wiley threw a ball over my head. You could hear the ball hum in flight.
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