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Topic:  Interesting...

Topic:  Interesting...
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catfan28
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  Message Not Read  Interesting...
   Posted: 4/13/2013 9:45:18 PM 
that there's nary a thread of discussion regarding today's Spring "Game". Then again, I don't think there was very much to take away from it. About 30(!!) players were either injured or held out, so I've got to admit there were a good many young guns and walk-ons out there that I hadn't even heard of. Only 38 total plays, so there wasn't much to base an opinion off of.

Any other thoughts? Well, besides, "get well soon"?
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C Money
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/13/2013 10:31:26 PM 
I thought Sprague looked the best of the 3 QBs that played, and I am starting to worry about our kicker situation....especially if the O struggles in the red zone. But yeah, too many guys held out to really make a good analysis.
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Buster
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/13/2013 10:38:51 PM 
C Money wrote:
I thought Sprague looked the best of the 3 QBs that played, and I am starting to worry about our kicker situation....especially if the O struggles in the red zone. But yeah, too many guys held out to really make a good analysis.


Frank may have to elect "Go For It" as our kicker this year...

I'll tell ya where we'll go. Someplace warm. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talkin' bout a little place called... ATHENS.
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Mountain State Cat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/13/2013 10:43:18 PM 
I'm pretty worried any time a kicker misses from 30 yards in a scrimmage, too.

There was no defensive rush. There was no sense of urgency. There was no wind. It doesn't get much more automatic than that. We will miss Weller more than you can imagine.

Overall, I'm very optimistic about this squad, so please don't think I'm Mr. Negative. However, I do think this is one area of particular concern. Hopefully, the amount of guys vying for the job has that "competition breeds success" result.

B-B-B Back, Back, Back in the building

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Chicken George
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/13/2013 11:57:04 PM 
I'll be the first to admit I don't know a single thing about coaching football, neither do I follow Spring Football nationally.  But was there another program in America that sat out 30 players in their final Spring practice?  While I realize many were precautionary and many were holdovers from last season, that just seems insane!  As experienced as this staff is, you got to think they have to be rethinking their entire practice philosophy with these types of results. 

In my sparse coaching career in high school, coaching cross country/track, I quickly learned that there was fine line between getting my team ready and wrecking my entire season with injuries.   While you have to get the work in, you also got to get them to the starting gate to have a chance.  30 first/second team guys out of practice at one time leads me to think that Spring practice was much less productive than what it's supposed to be and can't leave you heading into the Spring/Summer break feeling optimistic about your squad.
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Robert Fox
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 7:45:52 AM 
Mountain State Cat wrote:
I'm pretty worried any time a kicker misses from 30 yards in a scrimmage, too.

There was no defensive rush. There was no sense of urgency. There was no wind. It doesn't get much more automatic than that. We will miss Weller more than you can imagine.

Overall, I'm very optimistic about this squad, so please don't think I'm Mr. Negative. However, I do think this is one area of particular concern. Hopefully, the amount of guys vying for the job has that "competition breeds success" result.


New holder and snapper? Is that true, and did that contribute?
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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 8:01:25 AM 
Chicken George wrote:
...In my sparse coaching career in high school, coaching cross country/track, I quickly learned that there was fine line between getting my team ready and wrecking my entire season with injuries.   While you have to get the work in, you also got to get them to the starting gate to have a chance.  30 first/second team guys out of practice at one time leads me to think that Spring practice was much less productive than what it's supposed to be and can't leave you heading into the Spring/Summer break feeling optimistic about your squad.

The other thing about injuries is that it's a truism that injuries "hurt you now, but help in the future". When the starters go down, and the backups are forced to play, they get more work and experience. When the starters return, you have extra depth, because the backups are also experienced. 

I think this spring is an extension of that. With 30 players, mostly 1st and 2d stringers out, the 2d/3rd stringers got a lot more work than they otherwise would have. I think the net result will be that this fall you'll see far more rotation than usual. Instead of 2-3 corners taking most of the snaps, there will be 5-6 getting equal numbers. Instead of 5 offensive linemen playing the whole game, we might see 10-12 getting substantial snaps. The result will be that there will be fresh legs in the game all the time, and that injuries next fall won't hurt as much because of the depth.

This is certainly not what you want to see, but I think the coaches made the best of the situation, and used it wisely to build depth.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus

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Valley Cat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 8:49:10 AM 
I drove home yesterday after the game really concerned after that game because of the O-line injuries. Saw Arkley tweet McGrath and Prior have a 50-50 chance to make week 1. Both starting tackles plus an injury to Dietz will be nearly impossible to overcome.
If Green gets clearance from the NCAA his leg looked the strongest. If not then agreed trouble in the kicking game.
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The Optimist
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 9:06:24 AM 

Wait, did Weller graduate? I thought he had 1 year left.
 

As a soccer guy, I really do not believe there should ever be an issue finding a kicker. Kicking a soccer ball and a football are not the same thing because of shape, but it's close enough..  With a little practice (like 10 minutes) a good soccer player should be able to kick decently.  Easily from 30.. Once you start talking 40+ it is going to take some of the stronger soccer legs to get it done, but there are more out there than you think.
 

There is more that goes into it than just power and accuracy.. Getting the immediate height on the ball so it's not blocked.. The mental aspect. Timing. Still, if you have the base power and aim you can get it done..
 

The situation at Penn State was ridiculous last year. At a school as large as PSU, I guarantee you there are kids enrolled who were better kickers.  Not finding them is on the coaches.  We have good coaches.. We will get it settled.

Edit: I need to mention the snap and hold is VERY important. The ball getting lined up properly is everything.. Good kickers will miss if the ball is not positioned correctly. That is actually the biggest difference from kicking a soccer ball, IMO.

Last Edited: 4/14/2013 9:12:01 AM by The Optimist

I've seen crazier things happen.

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Robert Fox
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 10:02:47 AM 
The Optimist wrote:

Wait, did Weller graduate? I thought he had 1 year left.
 

As a soccer guy, I really do not believe there should ever be an issue finding a kicker. Kicking a soccer ball and a football are not the same thing because of shape, but it's close enough..  With a little practice (like 10 minutes) a good soccer player should be able to kick decently.  Easily from 30.. Once you start talking 40+ it is going to take some of the stronger soccer legs to get it done, but there are more out there than you think.
 

There is more that goes into it than just power and accuracy.. Getting the immediate height on the ball so it's not blocked.. The mental aspect. Timing. Still, if you have the base power and aim you can get it done..
 

The situation at Penn State was ridiculous last year. At a school as large as PSU, I guarantee you there are kids enrolled who were better kickers.  Not finding them is on the coaches.  We have good coaches.. We will get it settled.

Edit: I need to mention the snap and hold is VERY important. The ball getting lined up properly is everything.. Good kickers will miss if the ball is not positioned correctly. That is actually the biggest difference from kicking a soccer ball, IMO.



Agree with all that, but want to emphasize the MENTAL part, which you mentioned. That element is huge. Making FGs in practice does not necessarily translate to making FGs in games. The other aspect of kicking that might actually be more of a difference maker is distance on kickoffs. Arkley's article said Green hit it 5 yards deep in the end zone, which is good. I would predict that all four kickers can normally get the ball that deep. Otherwise, I don't know why we would bother considering them, unless their accuracy is excellent and overcomes sheer power.
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Pataskala
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 10:41:33 AM 
We missed Hershey more than we realized last year.  At least two of Weller's eight missed FGs were due to mishandled snaps.  I think the kicking game will eventually work itself out but I expect there will be problems early on.

I'm not overly concerned about the number of players held out yesterday.  Unless you're putting in a new system, which we're not this year, spring ball is primarily to get the rust off the returning players and to get a look at the younger players.  I'll be more concerned if the injuries persist in August.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.
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whoday4life
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 12:58:50 PM 
Amicone was the understudy last year and from an inside source was the go-to guy heading in Spring ball and before Green showed up. He put a lot of pressure on Weller early on and as Archley's 2012 story goes "hit a couple dingers from 52 yrds at the last scrim last yrs summer's camp". All four kickers were great H.S. kickers as well as standout athletes from what their bio's state. They could all be playing somewhere else but......they are all going to be compared to one of the school's and NCAA's great ones: WELLER. Having watched about a half dozen practices, it's obvious that each has their own strong points. Green is a tall dring of water and has great power and can go deep, Amicone is the most accurate apparently but has been struggling on length by a hamstring pull(#31 in your program and the 31st player injured this spring, wow!)Yasdani , coming back from an ACL tear has a good skillset but seems inconsistent and Ringle is also just coming back fro an injury and hasn't had a chance to show his stuff. YOUTUBE these guys video if you want to see them in action as kickers and as athletes and although most of their "stuff" is High School they all show quality kicks and athletics. Read Solich's comment again from yesterday, they echo his interview of April 3rd. at the end of practice: looking for consistency, composure under pressure, strong leg and athletic(being able to be in the battle). He's got an incredibly tough call to make by fall campaign. If it was my call I'd say Green on KO's and FG's outside 40-45 plus and Amicone for PAT's and FG's inside 40-45.
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The Optimist
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 2:09:43 PM 
Robert Fox wrote:
The Optimist wrote:

Wait, did Weller graduate? I thought he had 1 year left.
 

As a soccer guy, I really do not believe there should ever be an issue finding a kicker. Kicking a soccer ball and a football are not the same thing because of shape, but it's close enough..  With a little practice (like 10 minutes) a good soccer player should be able to kick decently.  Easily from 30.. Once you start talking 40+ it is going to take some of the stronger soccer legs to get it done, but there are more out there than you think.
 

There is more that goes into it than just power and accuracy.. Getting the immediate height on the ball so it's not blocked.. The mental aspect. Timing. Still, if you have the base power and aim you can get it done..
 

The situation at Penn State was ridiculous last year. At a school as large as PSU, I guarantee you there are kids enrolled who were better kickers.  Not finding them is on the coaches.  We have good coaches.. We will get it settled.

Edit: I need to mention the snap and hold is VERY important. The ball getting lined up properly is everything.. Good kickers will miss if the ball is not positioned correctly. That is actually the biggest difference from kicking a soccer ball, IMO.



Agree with all that, but want to emphasize the MENTAL part, which you mentioned. That element is huge. Making FGs in practice does not necessarily translate to making FGs in games. The other aspect of kicking that might actually be more of a difference maker is distance on kickoffs. Arkley's article said Green hit it 5 yards deep in the end zone, which is good. I would predict that all four kickers can normally get the ball that deep. Otherwise, I don't know why we would bother considering them, unless their accuracy is excellent and overcomes sheer power.

 

Very good point. I agree completely. Experience helps, but I think it's more something some guys have and some guys don't..

I've seen crazier things happen.

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colobobcat66
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/14/2013 5:52:46 PM 
Frankly I don't know why they even want to hold a spring game when there are so many guys sitting out. Yeah, it may help the young guys get snaps, just dont call it a game. If this program keeps having the large numbers of injuries, you have to wonder if we can ever get to where we can win consistenly against good teams.
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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/15/2013 7:09:37 AM 
colobobcat66 wrote:
Frankly I don't know why they even want to hold a spring game when there are so many guys sitting out. Yeah, it may help the young guys get snaps, just dont call it a game. If this program keeps having the large numbers of injuries, you have to wonder if we can ever get to where we can win consistenly against good teams.

I think they were pretty clear all through the spring that there were be no real "Spring Game", just a final spring practice.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus

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rpbobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/15/2013 8:55:42 AM 

I don't know about total number of injured players on other teams,but serious injuries seem to be quite common in spring practices.

Our local paper (The Record) has a dailey  "Sports Ticker" and it seems that everyday for the past couple of weeks they've had blurbs about serious injuries to football players during Spring Practrice.
Last week I believe Colorado lost their QB to a torn ACL.
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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/15/2013 9:21:47 AM 
For Ohio it wasn't players hurt in Spring, it was players that were hurt last fall, but who haven't recovered yet. A lot of players had surgery after the season, and are still recovering.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus

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71 BOBCAT
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  Message Not Read  RE: Interesting...
   Posted: 4/15/2013 6:49:54 PM 
As usual L.C. makes a great deal of sense as he assess this spring and the impact it will have come fall.





GO BOBCATS
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