My Take

[sutomcat]

It was good to see lots of familiar faces at the event. We have a nice community going. If you have never attended a board event, you should consider going, it is great to watch these with others who share your passion.

Good crowd. Not sure why they only allowed fans to sit in the south stands. Strange.

Dungey didn’t play a snap. I think the staff is using the spring sessions to evaluate young players. Strickland only got a few snaps in.

This was my first time watching Devito play. I was impressed. He looked calm in the pocket. When he had time, he threw it well. Strong arm, good judgement, excellent accuracy. When he felt pressure, he ran and showed excellent quickness and cutting ability.

Amie threw it well, has great size and showed speed and athletic ability when pressured. He needs work making reads and strengthening his arm but I think he is going to be a good one. Clayton Welch played well too, had some nice passes and led some long sustained drives.

Rex only played one series. When he came in, he received a huge ovation, and at an event where the defense dominated and touchdowns were scarce, he led the offense to a TD, capping it with a perfect pass to the seam over the linebacker to Ravian Pierce for a score. The whole team came out to celebrate and congratulate Rex, who is clearly greatly respected and lived by his teammates. That was the highlight of the night for me...

On offense, the starting line was Conway, Roberts, Heckel, D Davis and Servais. Thought they played well together, especially Servais.

Thought Nykeim and Pierce looked really good catching the ball. Butler looked good. Riley and Curtis struggled to some extent behind them. Gilfus played well and might play his way into the rotation. It is a shame Sharod was banged up and didn’t play. Trish Jackson looks like an impact player. Would probably be our leading receiver this season if eligible.

At RB, Moe Neal looked a lot stronger, broke more tackles and to me anyway, looks like he is a true RB now. As mentioned, Strickland barely played but broke tackles and dominated when it. Abdul Adams looks fast and had some good moments as well. Markenzy Pierce also played well and ran with power and speed.

Thought Chris Slayton dominated at times. Looked like a man amongst boys. Alton Robinson is our best pass rusher by a large margin; he looked a little bigger and more dangerous, Ruff and Harper had tackles for losses. Elmore will help us more at DT than FB.

Looked like the 1st team LBs were Armstrong at Mike, with Ryan Guthrie and Kielan Whitner. All played well but I thought Armstrong was most effective. Was sad Tyrell Richards was banged up and did not play. Shy Cullen played well with the 2nd team unit. Fagan and Trotter looked fast but skinny.

If Slayton wasn’t the best defender today, it was Devon Clarke. He made a number of big plays defending passes and the run. Good anticipation and the kid can run. Impressive. Thought Evan Foster looked good at SS but Cordy was really impressive too and he played at least some snaps at SS.

Frederick and Bradshaw appear far ahead of the other CBs now. Didb’t See Iffy out there, which also saddened me. Stritz looked promising. Coley was a 2nd team safety and made some nice plays despite playing with a cast on one of his arms,

Hof looked great punting and place kicking. I think he is destined to do both. Looks like Cordy will return punts. Did not see him play any offense today...

Thought the overall size, speed and athletic ability of the team is up from recent years. Depth looks better too but we still are not where we need to be depthwise.

We could use a big WR. Would not be surprised to see us add a grad transfer here shortly.

Overall, was pleased with what I saw. I think things are getting better. I expect for the first time in years, that we will go bowling in 2018. 2019 is the year things could get really interesting.

Lastly, thanks for the kind words about my Periscope broadcasts. Sorry it wasn’t very good. No practice at it, I was exhausted after a long week at work and it really isn’t a one person operation. Next year I will try and get one person to focus on operating the camera, and get a color or play by play guy so I have more help getting a quality product out. I do appreciate everyone who checked the feeds out,

 

[TexanMark]

Thanks Tom...you had over 500 watching at its' max...impressive.

Now I await Phil Steele's magazine in June.

 

[RandomGuy]

Thanks Tom...you had over 500 watching at its' max...impressive.

Now I await Phil Steele's magazine in June.

Nahh. I saw 750 on one, with another 145 on the other... Great job, Tom! The commentary was very helpful, with the quality of the stream.

Nice write up, too. Mildly concerned with WR, but they'll figure it out. OLine really did look more effective. If that continues, I think the rest of the offense will take care of itself.


**correction. There are currently 953 watching his streams... ;-)

 

[TexanMark]

Nahh. I saw 750 on one, with another 145 on the other... Great job, Tom! The commentary was very helpful, with the quality of the stream.

Nice write up, too. Mildly concerned with WR, but they'll figure it out. OLine really did look more effective. If that continues, I think the rest of the offense will take care of itself.

I bet we bring in a grad student...at WR. Another Amba please...LOL

 

[RandomGuy]

Babers addresses the WR position at 11:18. Don't be surprised if a frosh steps in... And don't forget about Trishton Jackson for next year. (You can FFW if you open it on the main page)

 

[Consigliere]

Great summary,Tom. We arrived very early and settled in about 10 rows in front of the crew and wife didn’t want to move.
Agree completely on Moe. First time he really looked like a feature back. Ran aggressively between the tackles and took the first hit aggressively.
The Rex drive made the trip worthwhile. Kid looked like he had won the SuperBowl after the TD and the reaction from the team was priceless. Was a bit underwhelmed by the rest of the QBs. May have been a function of the disappointing play of the WRs but lack of accuracy wasn’t what you want to see in this offense. Clayton was the one that stood out a little to me. Was very disappointed in the freshmen wideouts. Expected more out of Jordan and didn’t notice RTB at all.
On defense my biggest takeaway was a more aggressive pass rush with lots of blitzing. Sent 6 or 7 on several occasions. Not sure if this is a philosophical change or just a sign of more confidence in the DBs ability to live on an island. Probably a combination of the two. Depth in the backfield looks very strong. Lots of contributors and appears that Clarke was worth waiting for.
Line play on both sides was a plus. You could see flashes last year, particularly against Clemson but it looks like we’re ready to make the leap from occasionally great to consistently good.
Liked the interviews with Dino. Would have liked even more of a running commentary from him throughout the night. Overall a good night and got exactly what I wanted from it.
Four months until showtime!

 

[storange]

Great Job as always Tom. Nothing to add to what's been mentioned other then being struck by the gaping holes opened up by the O line. Spring game ...yes , but we didn't see that in the last two.

 

[Consigliere]

The other key theme is balance. Both Offense - Defense and run -pass. Getting excited!

 

[CA Monk]

Thank you Mr. Tomcat (we've not been formally introduced). Your nationwide color broadcast and play-by-play commentary made my day here in mile-high Reno, NV. Shared it with a buddy in Daytona Beach. Love this Deep State, can-do football coverage. If the program can't bother with streaming the game, you managed to improvise, adapt and overcome and we're all the Oranger for it. Thanks again!

Some thoughts for next year's game: I come on as a spotter, we extend a thin filament across midfield and, using an improvised pulley system, shuttle the iPhone across the field for better camera angles. Oh yeah, I'm going to noodle with this one. I see in-game advertising featuring glowing testimonials to customer satisfaction with Bill Rapp's service department. We monetize the whole production, yellow blazers w/Otto the Orange emblems and we plow the profits back into communal tailgates. And you thought Monday Night Football was big. This is gonna be Huuuge!

 

[sdhall01]

Great summary,Tom. We arrived very early and settled in about 10 rows in front of the crew and wife didn’t want to move.
Agree completely on Moe. First time he really looked like a feature back. Ran aggressively between the tackles and took the first hit aggressively.
The Rex drive made the trip worthwhile. Kid looked like he had won the SuperBowl after the TD and the reaction from the team was priceless. Was a bit underwhelmed by the rest of the QBs. May have been a function of the disappointing play of the WRs but lack of accuracy wasn’t what you want to see in this offense. Clayton was the one that stood out a little to me. Was very disappointed in the freshmen wideouts. Expected more out of Jordan and didn’t notice RTB at all.
On defense my biggest takeaway was a more aggressive pass rush with lots of blitzing. Sent 6 or 7 on several occasions. Not sure if this is a philosophical change or just a sign of more confidence in the DBs ability to live on an island. Probably a combination of the two. Depth in the backfield looks very strong. Lots of contributors and appears that Clarke was worth waiting for.
Line play on both sides was a plus. You could see flashes last year, particularly against Clemson but it looks like we’re ready to make the leap from occasionally great to consistently good.
Liked the interviews with Dino. Would have liked even more of a running commentary from him throughout the night. Overall a good night and got exactly what I wanted from it.
Four months until showtime!

Could Clarke practice last year?

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

Jackson’s arms are ridiculously long and he put on a show during the warmup session and looked like OBJ snagging one-handed balls along the sideline. He was also dancing and laughing with his teammates. Good sign for a transfer and I’m really excited to see him next year.

 

[Orijinal]

My call is that Anthony Queeley steps in as a freshman and surprises at WR.

If I'm right, you'd have S Johnson, and the a combo of Butler/Queeley, at least at first until someone really emerges

 

[FasterCuse]

Great to see Rex get out there and even better to see him throw that TD. Knowing some people who have been through chemo and how exhausted they were, it shows how much of a competitor and fighter Rex is.

One thing I noticed on that touchdown pass is that Peirce made a great catch. I think he's going to have a huge year this year.

 

[rackman18]

Jackson’s arms are ridiculously long and he put on a show during the warmup session and looked like OBJ snagging one-handed balls along the sideline. He was also dancing and laughing with his teammates. Good sign for a transfer and I’m really excited to see him next year.

Picture 4* Jackson with 4* Hendrix together next year with Queely and all the others. It's going to be fun for DeVito.

 

[reedny]

Many thanks to our new ESPN color commentator and CPO (Chief Periscope Operator). Not sure how you managed to do it all - recording the event and getting it up on the internet, announcing the plays, breaking down the performances AND supervising LincolnCuse and Jeremy at the same time! We haven't established a FINE MESS HOF, but if we do, you'll be my nomination for pre-season performance on the first ballot (if they let me vote).

 

[FrancoPizza]

Theme I’m getting here is that WR and LB are the biggest question marks. Everything else is solid.

 

[RandomGuy]

Good to see that those who had the clearest view noticed line improvement. That's kind of a big deal.

For a coach that is normally very guarded, I like Babers WR comments. Publicly trying to ratchet up the competition. He mentioned springs(plural) in regards to consistently good, and where the passing game hasn't been yet. I'll take that as looking for an improvement over every other year, not that there is a drop off this year. Queeley is my incoming favorite, but we shall see.

For those that had a clear look at TD. How was the accuracy/reads? Was hard to tell, but seemed like he was still working on the read part, in the system.

 

[Dmcnabbrules]

Theme I’m getting here is that WR and LB are the biggest question marks. Everything else is solid.

That was my feeling. There are guys who look the part at linebacker, I think they need more experience.
At wide receiver part of the problem, I hope, was Sharod Johnson didnt play so Nykiem played outside most of the scrimmage. He is very small to be playing outside. I didn't see RTB play at all did anyone else? The freshman better step up or it might be time to try and find someone late again.

 

[KaiserUEO]

With Dungey on the sidelines mursing an injury and DeVito on the field leading the team, seems they really went virtual this year in the spring game!!

100% similulation of a fall game!!

 

[RF2044]

Theme I’m getting here is that WR and LB are the biggest question marks. Everything else is solid.

OL -- depth, quality and improvement
WR -- any difference makers in a crowded field? Nobody seemed to separate themselves this spring
TE -- depth behind a high quality starter
LB -- components are there, but not much experience / proven production

 

[Chip]

Theme I’m getting here is that WR and LB are the biggest question marks. Everything else is solid.

Not surprising, that's where we had the biggest losses in experience.

Replacements will be fine, but it's going to take time. Wasn't going to happen in one spring.

 

[OrangeDW]

With Dungey on the sidelines mursing an injury and DeVito on the field leading the team, seems they really went virtual this year in the spring game!!

100% similulation of a fall game!!

 

[Acuse]

It was good to see lots of familiar faces at the event. We have a nice community going. If you have never attended a board event, you should consider going, it is great to watch these with others who share your passion.

Is there a particular section at the Dome that the board sits at?

 

[djorange1989]

Not surprising, that's where we had the biggest losses in experience.

Replacements will be fine, but it's going to take time. Wasn't going to happen in one spring.

Agree but I would like us to bring in a grad transfer WR if someone worthy becomes available. I don’t trust veterans like Custis and I don’t expect the young kids to step up so quickly. Grad WR and Johnson for secondary depth and we will be solid.

 

[Ish88888]

OL -- depth, quality and improvement
WR -- any difference makers in a crowded field? Nobody seemed to separate themselves this spring
TE -- depth behind a high quality starter
LB -- components are there, but not much experience / proven production

Mt biggest worries are WR and LB. We have some young, raw talent but yes, we need a big reliable target for this year while they develop. Custis has been maddening for 4 years now. Regarding the backers, we have some depth but i find it a bit worrisome that whitner, at his size and only playing the position for less than a year, is playing with the 1's.