EmeraldIngot

You plan for Morgan went up in smoke? Way to be blunt about it. Sounds like this is turning into a chronic issue.

Part of the problem is that, to make a field goal from that far out, you can't arc it up too high. A number of kicks have been blocked over the middle by linemen and LBs jumping up and swatting it down. At 80 yards, it might not have a whole lot of height on it to get it up over the line AND go that distance. That said, if he can pull it off, that's another weapon for the pats.

Not necessarily. Gerry doesn't have elite speed as an NFL safety. However, his downhill attacking style, coverage skills, physical build and speed make him a good choice as a versatile LB in thr NFL.

Well, the way the D lined up in the 4-2-5, I was able to pick out a couple of different fronts and LB alignments that would transition quite well to a true 3-4. For example, most of the game, K. Davis lined up in a 1 technique (just like a nose tackle but shaded to the field side most of the time) and the guys on either side of him (who would be the DEs in the 3-4 front) were lined up over the tackles but shaded in the same direction as the NT. The 4th D-lineman was lined up basically in a 4 point stance a little inside where he would be if he was an OLB in the 3-4. The "extra" DB was lined up opposite in essentially the other OLB position. In other words, they were running the principles of a 3-4 but 'disguised' as a 4-2-5. Considering the 4-2-5 can essentially be a nickel package for a base 3-4, I'm not suprised. My real gripe is how little pass rush we saw until late in the game, and only against the 3s and 4s on the o-line. Though whether this is an indication of a lack of pass rushing capability of our D-line or a statement of how much improved our O-line is I can't tell. We'll know come fall.

With the way Gebbia, Mazour, and Rose played today, I don't doubt it. Provided we put the 1st string D out there.

Also, Ameer Abdullah makes a pretty good color commentator. Once his NFL career is over (hopefully not for a few years yet) he's got some potential there.

Well, all told I think this is the best spring game under Riley. As a team we showed a lot of improvement on offense, and a good deal of potential on defense. Once that new D is fully installed I fully expect us to be a tough out for the majority of our opponents. From where I'm standing, a lot of questions I had coming into spring were answered, and although some questions haven't been answered yet, the future looks bright. GBR!

The ability to hit recievers in stride is going to be a great addition to this offense. A fast reciever who can catch the ball without having to slow down will be able to get another 5 or 10 yards out of even short passes. Or get out of bounds in a 2 minute offense.

The three most encouraging things I've seen so far are the D-line getting their hands up and knocking down some passes, the addition of some power and counter run plays with pulling guards (and I think I even saw a trap once!) Also, the running backs, all 5 deep, have looked good. Bryant, Wilbon, Ozigbo, Rose, and Mazour (sp?) Have all looked good. And not necessarily in that order either. One thing I'm both very suprised and encouraged by is how close the QB competition is, especially with how well all three have played. Come fall our offense is gonna be good, especially since the o-line doesn't look nearly as bad as some have feared.

I understand that. I suppose I was hoping for a greater show of individual skill, some penetration and block shedding, even without big hits on the QB. There have been a few flashes, but I was hoping for a bit more. Im sure come fall, when we can play the actual scheme Diaco has been installing, and we start showing some more stunts and zone blitzes, we can get some good pressure. Besides, we've got all fall to really install the new D.

They are definitely playing a very vanilla D, not showing blitzes or a lot of pass rush in general, and I think part of that is some gamesmanship from Riley and Diaco. They don't want to show the real 3-4 D in the spring so our early opponents won't have a lot of film and won't know what to prepare for. A bit dissapointing from my perspective, I'm looking forward to seeing our D in action, and if Gifford plays in the fall line he did today, we are gonna be in good shape. Well, if we can actually pass rush.

Definitely. And with a QB who can fit a ball into those soft spots in the zone and hit the TE in stride, it adds yet another thing opposing Ds need to cover. And when they shift to cover the middle more, it leaves either the deep sideline fades as one on one situations or leaves the flats undefended. Which is why Wilbon had such a wide open run on the check down for a TD.

POB fitting the ball into some tight windows. He can really out some mustard on the ball, and with accuracy too.

The #1 D really has been the Like Gifford show, hasn't it?

And then Gebbia comes back hitting his RB on the run for a nice gain. Really making this QB competition a 3 way run.

Beautiful pass by Lee to Spielman. Double coverage, but the ball was placed in a spot only his guy could get it. Really encouraging to see plays like that. Hopefully this means that, even without a QB run game, with passing like that we can still move the ball.

Run game looks much improved. Looks like we are moving away from a pure zone run scheme and mixing in some gap and counter. It meshes well with the under center looks they've been giving, and is a bit reminiscent of the Huskers of old. By the end of the 1st, Gebbia looks like the best QB, but neither Lee or POB have gotten a lot of chances to throw. He's got some wheels on him too, good in the pocket and at lease decent running. I can see the principles of the 3-4, even though they're lining up in 4-3. Not a lot of pass rush as of yet, and not a lot of penetration. Not sure if that's a knock on our D-line or a credit to our o-line. Could be worse, but could be better. Lots of improvement to do come fall, but the foundations look better than I'd feared, but worse than I'd hoped.

He must not be a good businessman then, 5x zero is still zero............Last time I checked they sold ice at convenience stores..... Just sayin..Yes down in the lower 48, but for an Eskimo where ice is all around, I am betting the starting value is zero.Well, that's not accounting for impurities that may or may not be in the natural ice all around. If we are talking Eskimos, they tend to live near the sea (for seal hunting purposes) so much of the ice that would be nearby would be either salty ice from the ocean, polluted ice and snow from the atmosphere, or the $2 bag of ice from the convenience store, frozen from filtered and treated water. Which sounds more palatable? That's right, the filtered and treated ice they have to pay for. Better to pay $2 for some ice than $200 for a trip to the doctor.

D linemen for the 3-4 don't necessarily have to be big depending on your scheme. If you're running a two-gap scheme, they do have to be big to keep from being pushed out of position. A one-gap scheme that relies on quick penetration by the D line with the LBs filling the gaps that open up, you don't necessarily need 300lb+ guys, even at nose tackle. In that case, you need quick, strong guys who can get off blocks fast and make plays in the backfield. It's all complementary. The fundamental philosophy of the D line is complemented by the linebackers to cover weaknesses. And that's not even including safety help if they read run. I've always liked the 3-4, except for the fact that your OLBs need to be extremely good. On top of having to be superb athletes, they also have to be both skilled in coverage, pass rushing, and run fitting, but also have to have lightning quick decision making. If the OLB in a 3-4 gets out of position, it'll throw the whole scheme off. That said, 3-4 meshes well with pretty much any kind of secondary coverage (I absolutely love it with press quarters) and it's the best scheme to zone blitz out of. Even with the personnel we have on hand, I could see the Davis twins being good at either nose or DE in a 3-4, especially with the fact that Carlos has shown flashes of ability to get off blocks and get into the backfield. If Kalil has the same kind of ability, we will be in good shape with them and Stoltenberg. M. Newby is almost prototypical for the OLB position in the 3-4, and Alex Davis looks like he fits the mold as well. A press zone 3 high coverage with a corner blitz off the edge and an OLB blitz from the other side could be brutal with who we have on hand. Kalu blitzes well from the corner position. If we can pull one or two tall, fast OLBs from JUCO before signing day and maybe one more nose tackle with good skills to get off blocks, we will be in good shape if we do more to a 3-4. Of course, since I'm biased towards mY favorite scheme, take what I say with a grain of salt.

My dad's side of the family are from Alabama. And I mean, the sticks of Alabama. Up north in the foothills just before you get to the border with Tennessee. They are the 'three whole teeth in his head' kind of hillbillies. The 'meet your future wife at the family reunion' kind of hillbillies. They're the 'SEC SEC SEC SEC SEC' kind of hillbillies. They're the 'Look, Stump-jumping Jethro is using all three of his brain cells to talk!' kind of hillbillies. Like, some serious 'Deliverance' kind of hillbillies. I'm not proud of this. It's an embarrassing family secret. The thing is, the worst examples of the worst kind of deep south hillbillies are a regular bunch of Stephen Hawkings compared to the average Hawkeye fan. Truly, Iowa is the dirty, unwashed anus of America. And Hawkeye fans are the cause. I pity the poor Cyclone fans that have to live next to them.

Pray to whatever gods you hold dear that we don't go that long before we win one.

We would have won the game if it was 11 vs. 10! Wrong We would have won the game if it was 11 vs 9! Stop giving us a handicap! We lost when it was 11 vs 11, us having fewer men on the field won't make it any easier on us!

If we ran outside more i think we would have about 150. Up the gut is killing us. Wiscy D is coming up the middle a lot. Some outside runs would hopefully slow that down. Agreed. Wisky's D penetrates hard in the middle, but I think reaching around with the run game will make them limp. Had to read that twice. Still laughed. Not because it's inaccurate. Because of the innuendo. Lol.

"in big time games"

Wow! I didn't know that Navy was 5-0 and ranked 10th! They certainly are very well coached, aren't they? I don't think that we could beat them if we played this week. Heck, a couple of bounces go their way and they could win the conference and make the playoff! Also, can't forget their talent and recruiting the last few years. Heck, Navy even has the No. 1 overall recruit interested in them! Wow, I kinda wished I was a Navy fan right about now. A good coach and a well coached team can really accomplish a lot, don't you think? /sarcasm.