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Post by Coyote Fan on Mar 30, 2016 0:07:34 GMT -6
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Post by Yotes on Mar 30, 2016 7:13:25 GMT -6
Up-tempo, no huddle offense? I would say we will be looking at an entirely new team come the season opener. We brought in a lot of fast athletic guys recently that I hope to see thrive in a system like this.
Just three weeks until the spring game. We do know for sure that this date won't conflict with a twelfth "final basketball game in the dome" or something, right?
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Post by azsod73 on Apr 7, 2016 16:49:23 GMT -6
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Apr 9, 2016 12:30:46 GMT -6
Anybody going to the practice at the Sanford Fieldhouse today?
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Post by nccyote on Apr 11, 2016 7:15:45 GMT -6
Went to practice at the Fieldhouse the other day. Met nearly the entire coaching staff. Seems like a great group. Enthusiastic, accepting of alumni, outgoing, organized...USD football is in good hands. Got to speak with Coach Moose and Coach O'Boyle for a good period of time. These guys bring attitude and toughness and our trench-diggers will be much improved due to these 2 men IMO. Can't wait to watch the spring game and get into the season.
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Post by usdtator on Apr 11, 2016 8:04:15 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. It's makes me smile to hear such positive things about the new coaching staff. Can't wait to meet those guys. Very much looking forward to the Spring Game and for the season to get started!
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Apr 11, 2016 9:01:58 GMT -6
I was also at the Fieldhouse for practice. A couple observations:
QB: They rotated all three QBs through the offense. I would say that Saeger and Simmons got the most reps, but now by much. Saeger is clearly a senior leader. However, everybody that was there was commenting on Simmons' arm. He has a cannon. I am not skilled enough to speak to his level of accuracy, but the ball definitely pops out of his arm with a little more speed/power. He really spins it. Also, he has some very noticeable speed and quicks. I love the element that we will be able to have with the the zone-read option now that we have some QB depth, regardless of the starter. At the end of the day, I still think this is Saeger's job to lose, but I think Simmons will get some PT.
Overheard some guys talking about the offense. In short the comment was that this offense, for the players, is more simplistic than the old one. Don't read too much into that, but the point that was made was that the players "only need to know how to read [the defense]" to understand it. Everything was running at a good clip. I expect us to run out a shotgun quite a bit.
OL: The group rotating with the first squad and the group rotating with the second squad are clearly distinguishable. For clarity, there were probably 7 guys rotating in each squad. It is "the big guys" and the "not yet so big guys." As to their skills, I am not in a position to say. That being said, I have a lot of faith Coach OB. He was coaching up his kids non-stop. Also, what an animated guy. Full of enthusiasm, jumping up and down and hollering. Aggressive, but supportive. Perfect for OL.
The kids do a good job supporting each other as well. You could have been blind and you would have known if the defense was playing well or the offense was playing well. When the O made a good play, the red squad (offense) yelled and celebrated from one side of the field. When the D made a good play, the white squad yelled and celebrate on the other side of the field.
RB: Really only two RBs getting reps. Bouma is being held out of contact while he recovers, so all of the live stuff was between Mike Fredrick and Kilgore. Fredrick looked to be picking up right where he left off. Kilgore seemed to be moving well and was in better shape. Paul Anderson was moved to RB but was not in pads and watched from the sideline. I did not see Calvin Strong at practice.
WR: I think this group is going to be fun. Jackson is a speed demon, despite his size. I heard somebody say that he was the champion of the off-season. He will be a weapon. Carpenter is coming on strong. He is much thicker than I expected. Eric Saintil will be one to watch. He is fast, tall, lanky and has good hands. Van Roekel picked up where he left off - he had a no contact jersey on, but was catching everything that went his way.
TE: We have a couple TEs to watch this year. Ramsey, of course, but Hale stood out. Potter also made some plays. Storebo will be welcome height at this position.
About the only thing that I could report on for defense was the "look" of the LBs. I just didn't watch much of this and was on the side of the offense for individual drills. We have some guys that LOOK like LBs now. More size AND speed. Not just small guys with speed. Nate Gunn moved to LB, by the way. Coker will be interesting to watch. He is fast. Made a great leaping INT. Romantay Hill surely looks the part.
Regarding the coaching staff: They are something to watch. Nielson is clearly in charge and carries a presence about him. He tends to focus on the O, but he stays back and watches everything from a distance. He lets his assistants handle the one on one coaching and he doesn't get into the weeds. It was clear that all of the assistants were on the same page. This is expected with the guys that have already worked together, but I was impressed with how seamless it was with the "new" guys as well. Seems like great chemistry.
Talk about classy too. After practice, the RBs all walked over, shook hands and thanked the fans watching in our group. Likewise, Coach Middleton did the same.
I think we are going to be pleased with these guys. Sorry that I am not a technician to provide better detail and analysis.
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Post by usdtator on Apr 11, 2016 9:20:25 GMT -6
CE, thanks for all the detailed info!!! Just makes me more excited for the season to get here!
RB Calvin Strong... Any idea why he wasn't out there? Watched him destroy Creighton Prep two years ago in the Nebraska State Championship game. That kid is fast and strong. Was very excited when I saw we signed him out of high school.
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Apr 11, 2016 9:33:20 GMT -6
CE, thanks for all the detailed info!!! Just makes me more excited for the season to get here! RB Calvin Strong... Any idea why he wasn't out there? Watched him destroy Creighton Prep two years ago in the Nebraska State Championship game. That kid is fast and strong. Was very excited when I saw we signed him out of high school. I think it is just really hard for a kid to come from an 18 year life of bad habits and to change dramatically over the course of under a year. That is pure speculation, however. Nothing concrete. |
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Post by nccyote on Apr 11, 2016 10:04:59 GMT -6
Calvin can't participate in any team activities this year since he "gray-shirted". If he makes it through the spring, he can start participating after schools out this summer. From what I have heard, it doesn't sound like he is doing himself any favors in the classroom or with the new staff. Disappointing but like CE said, its tough to erase a lifetime of bad habits and stay on track. Its especially tough when you can't be around the team or at team workouts, tough for anyone, especially a kid that has grown up "the man" to handle that situation.
I hope he figures it out because he could be a huge factor in the future of Coyote FB, but it doesn't look good right now. Calvin is a great kid, but he has no support from what you would consider a "traditional" support system. Coaches past and present have bent over backwards for the kid and he is grateful, but the saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water but can't force him to drink". Calvin is the definition of that. If he fails, it is not because those around him haven't tried to help him out. I feel for the kid, but at some point it falls on him to be successful or not.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Apr 11, 2016 10:47:41 GMT -6
My hope is that Simmons wins the job because I didn't see anything from Saeger that convinced me his ceiling is anything above an average quarterback. My hope is that Simmons can be great. I would rather Simmons get in there now and start his progression rather than wait another year. With all other things being equal it makes more sense to go with the younger quarterback especially with a new system being installed.
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Post by nccyote on Apr 11, 2016 12:17:19 GMT -6
My hope is that Simmons wins the job because I didn't see anything from Saeger that convinced me his ceiling is anything above an average quarterback. My hope is that Simmons can be great. I would rather Simmons get in there now and start his progression rather than wait another year. With all other things being equal it makes more sense to go with the younger quarterback especially with a new system being installed. Our situation reminds me of state's last year a little bit, though Simmons redshirted. We know what we have in Saeger, with Simmons, we think we have a kid who could be a top tier MVFC QB. I can see both getting playing time this season unless one completely distances themselves from the other. Like CE said earlier, Simmons brings some athleticism that we haven't seen in a while, especially since we've been at the D1 level, since maybe Noah Shepard. He has speed, quickness, strong arm, all the tools of the trade to be a big time player. Does that trump what Saeger brings to the table as far as leadership and experience...time will tell. It will be interesting to see which direction this new staff goes, new blood that will bring some excitement along with some headaches from inexperience, or the old horse thats been through some battles and might not have the same upside but you know what your going to get. Baptism by fire can be good for some, but detrimental to others. I trust that these coaches will make the decision that is best for the situation. From what I saw in practice on Saturday, expect Saeger to be the #1 going into summer. |
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Post by usdtator on Apr 11, 2016 13:06:13 GMT -6
Calvin can't participate in any team activities this year since he "gray-shirted". If he makes it through the spring, he can start participating after schools out this summer. From what I have heard, it doesn't sound like he is doing himself any favors in the classroom or with the new staff. Disappointing but like CE said, its tough to erase a lifetime of bad habits and stay on track. Its especially tough when you can't be around the team or at team workouts, tough for anyone, especially a kid that has grown up "the man" to handle that situation. I hope he figures it out because he could be a huge factor in the future of Coyote FB, but it doesn't look good right now. Calvin is a great kid, but he has no support from what you would consider a "traditional" support system. Coaches past and present have bent over backwards for the kid and he is grateful, but the saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water but can't force him to drink". Calvin is the definition of that. If he fails, it is not because those around him haven't tried to help him out. I feel for the kid, but at some point it falls on him to be successful or not. Thanks for the update on Calvin. I hope he figures it out and gets things going in the right direction. I agree with your comment about him being a contributer to future Yote teams. |
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Apr 11, 2016 14:30:42 GMT -6
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