PDA

View Full Version : My maroon colored glasses are off now



mtgrizfan4life
October 4th, 2008, 10:27 PM
I went into the Weber State game thinking this would be a tell tale game for the GRIZ. Now that it is over. We will be lucky to better 5-3 in conference play this year. GRIZ prove me wrong and I will never be so happy being wrong. No this is not going to turn into a coach bashing thread, this team is young and has ALOT to learn and work on!

I had a VERY bad feeling about this game, and honestly thought we would lose. I said so, but being someone took my pick in score I said WTF I will pick the GRIZ! This week my rose colored glasses came off. As much as I hate to admit this team has alot of problems, the least of which is what all us thought was our biggest weakness a few weeks ago. The brightside is we have a solid kicker now!

Seriously, we have way too many things to work on, come together, and fall into place. I do not know if I am being negative or flat honest. I guess as the season plays on we will all know, but here are my thoughts, and yes they are hard to post here, but here it goes.

The only strength on this team right now is our WR depth, and passing game, when CB gets time to throw that is. I honestly feel Reynolds has all the tools to be a very good rb, but not in this system and not with our OL not being able to jell. Individually, our OL is outstanding, but as a unit they very seldom perform in unity. TBF will never get back to the level we seen prior to his injury. Schmidt is good for smashmouth ball, but only if the OL performs to their potential.

In past years could tell 1 or 2 things that we needed work on, but this year we need work and improvement on everything.

Special teams- We need to work on blocking without penalties. Honestly to GOD I believe Mariani has lost over 200 return yards this year thanks to penalites. Kickoff coverage is suprisingly inconsistent. On the brightside the kicking game appears to have overcome early season problems, McKnight has the talent to continue the kicking tradition. Shulte and Mariani are both very good returners, but that does no good when we get so many penalties.

Defense- Where do I start? Colt Anderson is the only positive consistently. Unfortunately for him, he cannot be everywhere, and his teammates are not helping him. Our youth is really showing to the point where we cannot hide or scheme around the weakness. Our pass defense SUCKS and I think we are too young to do what I want us to do. We have no physical corners due to our youth. We are too afraid of getting beat deep. Damnit, what do we have to lose? Trumaine is a good sized corner, can we have him play tighter and can we at least try checking WRs' off the line? We have enough depth at Safety, and Anderson is fast enough to play corner, would it hurt to use him, Stoll, and Schillinger on the field at the same time, and have Anderson knock the living daylights out of WRs off the line? Is there any hope Ciarre Campbell gets more PT?

WE have our moments on run defense, and we contain the outside better than normal. However we are too small at LB and do not have the right DL combination to keep blockers off our LBS. Can Stadnyk play some interior line if needed? He defends the run well from DE. Can we rotate some bigger LBS now and then, where we can be bigger now and then. As for pass rush, can we put the other Campbell in as a rover type LB and use him blitz schemes? He is the one player that is athletic enough and fast enough to be a difference maker on defense. Just get him on the field!

Defensively , for some reason this year we have good pieces but we have not figured out how to use the pieces together. Sounds like our OL.

Offensively, I actually feel the playcalling overall has improved. However, our offense begins and ends with OL play. They just do not work together. I am encouraged we are utilizing the TEs more and we are going deep more. However, hand in hand with that, year in year out we very seldom run quick hits, slants, flares, wheel routes, and screens. Our passing game hls the potential, depth, and talent to be lethal if we ever learn to use some creative route running. Also I like the potential matchup problems teams face with Schulte being used like the Eagles use Westbrook. Why on Gods earth did we not stick with moving Schulte all over? When we use him as a decoy or get him the ball in many positions our offense does well every game. Mariani, Schulte, Ferriter, Palmer and any one TE is difficult to defend for any defense.

I pray by end of the season this team proves me wrong, but as of right now, I feel we have way too many things to work on that needs improvement on all 3 teams. I honestly do not see how it all comes together this year. Based on what I have seen this year, I feel we will be fortunate to be 5-3 in conference play this year, which will get us a playoff spot. I honestly feel 4-4 might be the outcome this year, and our playoff run ends. By the way I am not pissed at the coache or anyone on this team. I just do not see it happening this year. I also will be the 1st to thank this team for proving me wrong if we go better than 5-3 in conference play this year.

On the brightside, OL and defense cannot get worse, can it? They can only improve.

I Bleed Purple
October 4th, 2008, 10:32 PM
Nice cut and paste.

Starts at the line. Both lines were pretty much dominated by WSU.

mtgrizfan4life
October 4th, 2008, 10:36 PM
Nice cut and paste.

Starts at the line. Both lines were pretty much dominated by WSU.

Yep, I posted the same exact thing, except the 1st paragraph on EGRIZ. xthumbsupx

BTW, I will say this for Weber State. I feel they are for real but do need to stay healthy. They have very good 1st teamers, but their Depth may bite them in the butt if there are injuries.

If they stay healthy they are a top 10 program.

mvemjsunpx
October 4th, 2008, 10:39 PM
I think you're being a tad melodramatic. Weber is a much better team than you're giving them credit for.

If Weber stays healthy, they'll win the conference. Depth looks to be a concern, though, so if they have a rash of injuries we might see them collapse down the stretch like they did in 1998 (the last time they beat the Griz).

I Bleed Purple
October 4th, 2008, 10:41 PM
We've got depth on the defensive end. That is also where we're weakest. Our starting MLB went out in the first quarter. He's our first or second leading tackler. Doubt any Montana fans noticed. We were fine there the rest of the day.

uofmman1122
October 4th, 2008, 10:46 PM
Without the 5 turnovers last week, we would have killed CWU.

Without the 4 turnovers this week, I still think we would have lost to WSU.

They are legit.

However, if they slip up, this could be a very, very muddy season in the BSC. Right now it looks like 5 teams are competing for the Auto-bid, and all 5 of them have a very legitimate shot.

mtgrizfan4life
October 4th, 2008, 10:57 PM
I think you're being a tad melodramatic. Weber is a much better team than you're giving them credit for.

If Weber stays healthy, they'll win the conference. Depth looks to be a concern, though, so if they have a rash of injuries we might see them collapse down the stretch like they did in 1998 (the last time they beat the Griz).

Dude, did I not say they are a Top 10 team? I did! That is and was giving them credit. xeyebrowx

mvemjsunpx
October 5th, 2008, 02:30 AM
Dude, did I not say they are a Top 10 team? I did! That is and was giving them credit. xeyebrowx


Your post wasn't there when I started typing (notice the small time difference).

Grizzaholic
October 5th, 2008, 09:18 AM
Personally I think that this is not a bad thing, to lose yesterday. A loss can do a lot of things to a team that doesn't lost that much. I am sure it will bring their heads down from the clouds. I think after the 9 TO's in the last two games the coaching staff will be doing some extra stuff this week and watching lots of video with players. THE SKY IS NOT FALLING!!! The Griz will have to prepare for next week, EWU, and get a game plan started early.



If it does not go well next week then there is something to worry about.

Just think, if the Griz and EWU play like they did this weekend it could shape up to being the most TO filled game ever!

Casey_Orourke
October 5th, 2008, 12:05 PM
Personally I think that this is not a bad thing, to lose yesterday. A loss can do a lot of things to a team that doesn't lost that much. I am sure it will bring their heads down from the clouds. I think after the 9 TO's in the last two games the coaching staff will be doing some extra stuff this week and watching lots of video with players. THE SKY IS NOT FALLING!!! The Griz will have to prepare for next week, EWU, and get a game plan started early.



If it does not go well next week then there is something to worry about.

Just think, if the Griz and EWU play like they did this weekend it could shape up to being the most TO filled game ever!


This will definately be a grudge match as both teams set out to prove last week was a fluke and they are better than what they showed. I don't know the history between these two schools, but it might be fair to say that neither likes the other very much and would like nothing better than to kick butt and take names.

In fact every game in the Big Sky is shaping up to be the same type of grudge match from the top of he schedule right down to the final game of the season. I know PSU will have its work cut out this season since the kids are still learning the 3-4 and the Run & Shoot. At least they looked good last night, but the season isn't over yet.

SeattleGriz
October 5th, 2008, 12:56 PM
Without the 5 turnovers last week, we would have killed CWU.

Without the 4 turnovers this week, I still think we would have lost to WSU.

They are legit.

However, if they slip up, this could be a very, very muddy season in the BSC. Right now it looks like 5 teams are competing for the Auto-bid, and all 5 of them have a very legitimate shot.

I agree as well, and believe the winner would have won by only 3 points. Man we coughed the ball up a ton of time deep in our own territory.

DuckDuckGriz
October 5th, 2008, 01:44 PM
I agree as well, and believe the winner would have won by only 3 points. Man we coughed the ball up a ton of time deep in our own territory.

That and sloppy kicks / kick coverage - right after going up 21-10 we kicked off to the WSU 35 and it was easy for Weber to get starting position inside our 30....