Spring practice right around the corner....who is pumped?!!

[fourthandshort]

Open letter to ISU: Please, please do something noticeable to the paint on the new turf. I don't give much of a rip which way Reggie is facing, but I really, really don't want to see "Illinois State" and "Redbirds" endzones in red paint on plain green turf next fall. Please. I'm begging you.

I'm with stlrb on this one ... the red end zones will make for a nice stark contrast with the field, and look great from a distance and with aerial shots from above.

 

[crazzymark]

Spring practice is here and look who is where 99, very interesting.....screw the NCAA if we select you, you are in tourney and start looking at the the new big man on campus, FOOTBALL!!

 

[ISUBU]

Spring practice is here and look who is where 99, very interesting.....screw the NCAA if we select you, you are in tourney and start looking at the the new big man on campus, FOOTBALL!!

More specifically, #99 Ridgeway moved from OLine to nose tackle. In today's Pantagraph, Spack describes the D as basically a 3-4 alignment, with changes on 3rd down.

We've got two defensive ends with lots of playing time in Matt Swaine and Jason Harris. Beyond those two, we have lots of roles to fill.

 

[ekeyfanclub]

Spring practice is here and look who is where 99, very interesting.....screw the NCAA if we select you, you are in tourney and start looking at the the new big man on campus, FOOTBALL!!

More specifically, #99 Ridgeway moved from OLine to nose tackle. In today's Pantagraph, Spack describes the D as basically a 3-4 alignment, with changes on 3rd down.

We've got two defensive ends with lots of playing time in Matt Swaine and Jason Harris. Beyond those two, we have lots of roles to fill.

Thanks for translating!

 

[fourthandshort]

Spring practice is here and look who is where 99, very interesting.....screw the NCAA if we select you, you are in tourney and start looking at the the new big man on campus, FOOTBALL!!

More specifically, #99 Ridgeway moved from OLine to nose tackle. In today's Pantagraph, Spack describes the D as basically a 3-4 alignment, with changes on 3rd down.

We've got two defensive ends with lots of playing time in Matt Swaine and Jason Harris. Beyond those two, we have lots of roles to fill.

Isubu .. Thanks, I didn't know you spoke crazzy ??

 

[crazzymark]

sorry 4short, I will use small words and make any post as boring and dry as possible.... like the mens basketball games season ticket holders..

 

[StLRedbird]

Spring practice is here and look who is where 99, very interesting.....screw the NCAA if we select you, you are in tourney and start looking at the the new big man on campus, FOOTBALL!!

More specifically, #99 Ridgeway moved from OLine to nose tackle. In today's Pantagraph, Spack describes the D as basically a 3-4 alignment, with changes on 3rd down.
We've got two defensive ends with lots of playing time in Matt Swaine and Jason Harris. Beyond those two, we have lots of roles to fill.

Isubu .. Thanks, I didn't know you spoke crazzy ??

Thanks also, Isubu. I had no idea what the crazzy one was saying either.

 

[Adunk33]

Keep an eye on that QB Battle. I read in the paper over the weekend that Kolbe is the No.1 right now but it is going to be "competitive" according to Spack. Spack likes the multidimensional ways of Malachi, is interested in seeing how Smith developed over his RS year, and he's really impressed with RS freshman Hatfield and true freshman Jefferson. I don't see Spack as a guy who is interested in starting a true freshman QB so, I really put this race between the top 3. I also kind of like the idea of a QB by committee. Make Hatfield, Kolbe, and Malachi really good at one aspect of the offense, but also make sure they are at least adequate at the rest, opposing defenses won't know what hit them.

I realize the likelihood of that happening is slim but I think we have DEPTH at the QB position. However, a wise man once said, "If you think you have 4 QB's... you probably don't have one." With all of the coaching changes, I would be okay with a change at the QB position. Kolbe was serviceable last year but lacked that big play capability that Roberson had. Call me crazzzzy, for the sake of nostalgia, I would love to see a #5 and #25 tearing apart defenses again!

 

[JHBird]

Malachi can really move. I don't know how much he can improve his throwing accuracy, but if he takes a big jump from last year I'll be excited. Hatfield to me is the real wildcard. Hope we get to see him in the spring game. I don't remember him playing in the game last year. I think Smith did.

 

[fourthandshort]

We should keep in mind the whole Malachi game plan against SDSU worked ok, not great ... . it's not like he played particularly well .. one big run, couple other solid runs. Our passing was very limited .. that was probably the biggest surprise for SDSU .. they had to respect the unknown .. that is, the possibility he could throw pretty well. in fact, it is the reason we inexplicably didn't even use our 2 timeouts with 2 mins to go in regulation and only needing a FG to win, ... we were too afraid to throw it at all. In fact, SDSU started calling timeouts as soon as they realized we accepted OT .. with 2 mins and 2 TOs, only needing a FG to win and guaranteeing our playoff bid.

Then we inexplicably throw 3 straight plays from 25 in OT and lost as a result. Blame former OC Dicken .. or even Spack. But fact remains, even woth 100% element of surprise playing Malachi... we still couldn't throw it a lick. There is no way he is ready to be an ever day/play QB... we will be very predictable and our offensive field will shrink. Roberson deep ball is why he was so effective in read option . Secondary had to stay home, and Roberson was weak in the high % short game .. but the secondary had to respect our deep ball.

My point being, if Malachi could throw, he would have done a llttle more in the SDSU game .. and Kolbe would not have played 100% of the NDSU game a week later. Malachi didn't play a down .. because we lost element of surprise. So I assume he needs another year or so development.

 

[Virginia Redbird]

My point being, if Malachi could throw, he would have done a llttle more in the SDSU game .. and Kolbe would not have played 100% of the NDSU game a week later. Malachi didn't play a down .. because we lost element of surprise. So I assume he needs another year or so development.

I have seen it before when a coach makes an unexpected roster move and the surprise catches the opponent off guard and for one game or one half it works. To me that was the SDSU game last year. Malachi could not throw and the coaches would not let him until OT for whatever reason. SDSU most likely game planned all week for Kolbe and then got Malachi all game. Maybe the old offensive coordinator but Coach Spack had to sign off on it. His running is dynamic but he has not shown he can throw the ball effectively at all. Half a QB will not win you many games, even in college. I would look for Malachi to improve his passing with a real offensive coaching staff this season but how much he can improve, who knows. I am still more looking forward to seeing what Hatfield can do. Competition should bring out the best in all players.

 

[ISUBU]

I have seen it before when a coach makes an unexpected roster move and the surprise catches the opponent off guard and for one game or one half it works.

How about Kolbe being the surprise? UNI game in 2015. Roberson couldn't throw the ball so Kolbe was the passer. Took UNI awhile to adjust.

And then on the other side of the ball, the Birds played a tight end at defensive end. The UNI OLine wasn't ready for Brannon Barry's pressure.

 

[fourthandshort]

My point being, if Malachi could throw, he would have done a llttle more in the SDSU game .. and Kolbe would not have played 100% of the NDSU game a week later. Malachi didn't play a down .. because we lost element of surprise. So I assume he needs another year or so development.

I have seen it before when a coach makes an unexpected roster move and the surprise catches the opponent off guard and for one game or one half it works. To me that was the SDSU game last year. Malachi could not throw and the coaches would not let him until OT for whatever reason. SDSU most likely game planned all week for Kolbe and then got Malachi all game. Maybe the old offensive coordinator but Coach Spack had to sign off on it. His running is dynamic but he has not shown he can throw the ball effectively at all. Half a QB will not win you many games, even in college. I would look for Malachi to improve his passing with a real offensive coaching staff this season but how much he can improve, who knows. I am still more looking forward to seeing what Hatfield can do. Competition should bring out the best in all players.

Thanks for finishing my point . Agree and well stated. Need to give Malachi more time before we annoint him as next Tre Roberson.

 

[Virginia Redbird]

I have seen it before when a coach makes an unexpected roster move and the surprise catches the opponent off guard and for one game or one half it works.

How about Kolbe being the surprise? UNI game in 2015. Roberson couldn't throw the ball so Kolbe was the passer. Took UNI awhile to adjust.

And then on the other side of the ball, the Birds played a tight end at defensive end. The UNI OLine wasn't ready for Brannon Barry's pressure.

I think there is a difference when you bring in a backup during the game than when you change your entire offense to bring in a surprise player. The game plan for Malachi for the SDSU game was not at all what the Jack Rabbits were expecting and/or planned for all week I would make an educated guess. It seemed to me the coaching staff had planned for Kolbe to sit no matter what happened. The game plan did not really suit Kolbe's strengths. Bringing in a player off the bench is totally different in my mind. The game plan will be developed for the starter and somewhat adapted to the new QB being brought into the game.
I am still a Kolbe fan. I think he is very accurate in the short to medium passing game but lacks some arm strength when throwing deep. With the running game we expect this season Kolbe's abilities may be just the complement to that running game. Kolbe can scramble effectively but he is not a runner in the mold of Tre. Kolbe brings two years experience as a starter and that is not something to be dismissed. The Defense is young and probably will need some time to develop. I can see the offense running the ball and the short/medium passing game helping to pick-up first downs and keep the chains moving and the other team's offense off the field. The offensive line should be solid and as long as the running backs stay healthy they should be impressive. Maybe the perfect situation for an experienced QB to manage the offense. I am looking forward to what Beathard does with this group.

 

[Adunk33]

My point being, if Malachi could throw, he would have done a llttle more in the SDSU game .. and Kolbe would not have played 100% of the NDSU game a week later. Malachi didn't play a down .. because we lost element of surprise. So I assume he needs another year or so development.

I have seen it before when a coach makes an unexpected roster move and the surprise catches the opponent off guard and for one game or one half it works. To me that was the SDSU game last year. Malachi could not throw and the coaches would not let him until OT for whatever reason. SDSU most likely game planned all week for Kolbe and then got Malachi all game. Maybe the old offensive coordinator but Coach Spack had to sign off on it. His running is dynamic but he has not shown he can throw the ball effectively at all. Half a QB will not win you many games, even in college. I would look for Malachi to improve his passing with a real offensive coaching staff this season but how much he can improve, who knows. I am still more looking forward to seeing what Hatfield can do. Competition should bring out the best in all players.

Thanks for finishing my point . Agree and well stated. Need to give Malachi more time before we annoint him as next Tre Roberson.

It was not my intent to call Malachi the next Roberson but they are very similar. Great foot speed, decent decision making on when to run, and both have a pretty stout long ball. Malachi currently has no short-mid range game, and Roberson didn't really either. He hated that 7-10 yard pass. There are just a lot of similarities between the two (even down to the jersey they wear), and Malachi has 3 more years to become something big.

I'm also interested in seeing Jefferson and Hatfield. You'd have to think these two decided to commit here because they were told there would be an opportunity for them at QB. I remember when Hatfield committed Spack mentioned wanting to turn him into a DB. Spack being excited about Jefferson makes me excited about him. Spack doesn't often wear these emotions on his sleeve. It's like Muller being excited about Copeland. Smith didn't impress during that game against INST when Kolbe was out, small and unfair sample size, I know, but there is always something potentially great about the unknown.

 

[ISUBU]

I have seen it before when a coach makes an unexpected roster move and the surprise catches the opponent off guard and for one game or one half it works.

How about Kolbe being the surprise? UNI game in 2015. Roberson couldn't throw the ball so Kolbe was the passer. Took UNI awhile to adjust.

And then on the other side of the ball, the Birds played a tight end at defensive end. The UNI OLine wasn't ready for Brannon Barry's pressure.

I think there is a difference when you bring in a backup during the game than when you change your entire offense to bring in a surprise player. The game plan for Malachi for the SDSU game was not at all what the Jack Rabbits were expecting and/or planned for all week I would make an educated guess. It seemed to me the coaching staff had planned for Kolbe to sit no matter what happened. The game plan did not really suit Kolbe's strengths. Bringing in a player off the bench is totally different in my mind. The game plan will be developed for the starter and somewhat adapted to the new QB being brought into the game.
I am still a Kolbe fan. I think he is very accurate in the short to medium passing game but lacks some arm strength when throwing deep. With the running game we expect this season Kolbe's abilities may be just the complement to that running game. Kolbe can scramble effectively but he is not a runner in the mold of Tre. Kolbe brings two years experience as a starter and that is not something to be dismissed. The Defense is young and probably will need some time to develop. I can see the offense running the ball and the short/medium passing game helping to pick-up first downs and keep the chains moving and the other team's offense off the field. The offensive line should be solid and as long as the running backs stay healthy they should be impressive. Maybe the perfect situation for an experienced QB to manage the offense. I am looking forward to what Beathard does with this group.

Not disagreeing with your surprise theme. Kolbe replacing Roberson WAS a surprise and required a week of game planning and some subterfuge from the staff. You had QBs lining up like receivers, and the normal starting QB (Roberson) could only run the ball. UNI didn't know what to do. This was at the beginning of the game, not a mid game substitution. It lasted a while, but UNI was a top 10 team that season and they eventually adjusted.

 

[RBFANTOO]

Spring practice is here and look who is where 99, very interesting.....screw the NCAA if we select you, you are in tourney and start looking at the the new big man on campus, FOOTBALL!!

More specifically, #99 Ridgeway moved from OLine to nose tackle. In today's Pantagraph, Spack describes the D as basically a 3-4 alignment, with changes on 3rd down.

We've got two defensive ends with lots of playing time in Matt Swaine and Jason Harris. Beyond those two, we have lots of roles to fill.

Isubu .. Thanks, I didn't know you spoke crazzy ??

:text-+1: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[RBFANTOO]

We should keep in mind the whole Malachi game plan against SDSU worked ok, not great ... . it's not like he played particularly well .. one big run, couple other solid runs. Our passing was very limited .. that was probably the biggest surprise for SDSU .. they had to respect the unknown .. that is, the possibility he could throw pretty well. in fact, it is the reason we inexplicably didn't even use our 2 timeouts with 2 mins to go in regulation and only needing a FG to win, ... we were too afraid to throw it at all. In fact, SDSU started calling timeouts as soon as they realized we accepted OT .. with 2 mins and 2 TOs, only needing a FG to win and guaranteeing our playoff bid.

Then we inexplicably throw 3 straight plays from 25 in OT and lost as a result. Blame former OC Dicken .. or even Spack. But fact remains, even woth 100% element of surprise playing Malachi... we still couldn't throw it a lick. There is no way he is ready to be an ever day/play QB... we will be very predictable and our offensive field will shrink. Roberson deep ball is why he was so effective in read option . Secondary had to stay home, and Roberson was weak in the high % short game .. but the secondary had to respect our deep ball.

My point being, if Malachi could throw, he would have done a llttle more in the SDSU game .. and Kolbe would not have played 100% of the NDSU game a week later. Malachi didn't play a down .. because we lost element of surprise. So I assume he needs another year or so development.

Your post just brought back a whole bunch of bad memories that I would like to forget. I'll bet our "new" (previous) OC will never (and would never) make such bad decisions.

 

[fourthandshort]

We should keep in mind the whole Malachi game plan against SDSU worked ok, not great ... . it's not like he played particularly well .. one big run, couple other solid runs. Our passing was very limited .. that was probably the biggest surprise for SDSU .. they had to respect the unknown .. that is, the possibility he could throw pretty well. in fact, it is the reason we inexplicably didn't even use our 2 timeouts with 2 mins to go in regulation and only needing a FG to win, ... we were too afraid to throw it at all. In fact, SDSU started calling timeouts as soon as they realized we accepted OT .. with 2 mins and 2 TOs, only needing a FG to win and guaranteeing our playoff bid.

Then we inexplicably throw 3 straight plays from 25 in OT and lost as a result. Blame former OC Dicken .. or even Spack. But fact remains, even woth 100% element of surprise playing Malachi... we still couldn't throw it a lick. There is no way he is ready to be an ever day/play QB... we will be very predictable and our offensive field will shrink. Roberson deep ball is why he was so effective in read option . Secondary had to stay home, and Roberson was weak in the high % short game .. but the secondary had to respect our deep ball.

My point being, if Malachi could throw, he would have done a llttle more in the SDSU game .. and Kolbe would not have played 100% of the NDSU game a week later. Malachi didn't play a down .. because we lost element of surprise. So I assume he needs another year or so development.

Your post just brought back a whole bunch of bad memories that I would like to forget. I'll bet our "new" (previous) OC will never (and would never) make such bad decisions.

If Vegas were betting on this game, OC Dicken would have been investigated for throwing the game .... just horrible decisions and play calling for those 2 series ... horrible. And cost us a playoff bid.

 

[JHBird]

Just looked at the roster. Kobe Buffalomeat is at 6'7" and 305 lbs. On national signing day he wasn't somewhere around 285? So it looks like he's been working out a lot. He's already on his way to becoming a monster...it will be interesting to see how he looks this spring. Probably won't play this fall, but who knows. Seems like we are deep on the O-line.