Quick Note: I've been in San Diego knocking back some ice cold expense account ones at a conference for work. It's been a real challenging few days and I think my liver might not hold up. Plus, it's the bye week so there's not lots to post about.
There a few things I've wanted to address while I've been gone, consistent themes in the general MSU fan pulse. The first is William Gholston while I bet Saturday will be the day Gholston stopped being little Willie Gholston and became William Gholston, Slayer of Slow, Inattentive or Sometimes Fast Quarterbacks, we still have a way to go. Gholston's bread and butter is to bull rush everyone to death so if you have a tackle who is good at dealing with the bull rush, he will also be successful at slowing down Gholston. So buy stock now, he'll be better later, but he took advantage of some folks who were not ready for his raw speed.
Second, I will agree to a few things. 1.) Kirk Cousins struggles at key times in road games. 2.) Cousins throws some pretty boneheaded interceptions at times. 3.) He crawls inside his own head resulting in a manic crapfest. However, Cousins has still got us in second place in total Big Ten passing statistics. Since we're currently ranked tenth in the Big Ten in total rushing, we NEED Kirk Cousins to take us places this season. For us to close on our dream of playing in December in the Big 10 title game, Cousins has got to shore it up a bit, but make no mistake if we get there, he'll be a large piece of the reason why.
Third, is Baker a better running back than Bell? I guess I'd start with this, I'm not sure it's important. We have and need both. Next, I think it depends on who you ask. A pro scout would say Baker. A college coach might say Baker or Bell. Baker has the complete physical package but in a year where the O-Line is down(btw GOOD JOB O-LINE on Saturday!) I think it's natural that he struggles. What Le'Veon's gift is that he has the best vision of any back in recent MSU memory. He's patient about using his blockers. If the hole for him is supposed to be between the LG and C and it's not there, he'll look other places. He reminds me a lot of what you loved about Caulcrick, great vision and difficult to tackle. On a side note, I thought Caulcrick ran just fine at 235 his freshman year, getting him up to 255 was a mistake IMO. Baker just doesn't seem to have this vision, he runs to where his hole is supposed to be and if it isn't there doesn't tend to look for another hole. So is Baker better than Bell? Baker is more physically gifted, but I think Bell will have more success in a year like this. Bonus: I think Baker will be back next year. Bonus 2: I'd rather have this debate than why do all of our Running Back's suck like going to the dentist.
Finally, The Incredible Disappearing Act of Keshawn Martin. This one seems pretty simple to me. Keshawn Martin is a slot receiver being asked to basically play as our second most reliable receiver. Martin's natural position is the slot and more importantly he needs to be our third most reliable receiver. He is as talented as any member of our offense, but he needs to be the guy they bring in for end arounds, QB passes, you know, Keshawn Martin circus stuff. Nichol caught a couple or three passes on Saturday, but I don't think he's gonna be the guy. We need Bennie Fowler back and then on top of that, we need him to be a reliable second receiver. Part two of that is that if they could work something out with Nichol and Sims where they share the role of Y receiver, somehow. Anyway, the environment that would help Martin thrive is the one where he's the icing on the cake instead of part of the cake. Hopefully we can get someone else to be the cake in the next week or two.
Anyway, that's it for now. Be back next week for the gnashing of teeth over the Skunkbears.
Showing posts with label John Goss Was a Good Guy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Goss Was a Good Guy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Florida Atlantic: The Devil's Five Key Things
We're taking the five key things series started last week and weaving it in with the Devil's Advocate series we did last year. In short, Bullets with Banter. Co-Authoring this segment will be my partner in crime Ty from the Lions in Winter. Check out his blogified Ndamukong madness here.
1.)Left tackle by committee, what could go wrong?
So as I'm sure you've heard by now, or maybe not, Jared McGaha has been bumped as the starter from Left Tackle to second string Right Tackle. Again, if last week I came across down on Jared McGaha it's nothing personal and he's about the only survivor of a whole hell of a lot of Offensive Tackle attrition.
I have to think that the gap between France and Fonoti is at this point more than a little bit. France is two inches taller, twenty pounds heavier and has a whole spring and pre-season of football at the Left Tackle position. It's my understanding Fonoti exclusively played Right Tackle until a couple of weeks ago. While France's experience at the position is not sufficient to give him an experience advantage, experience and a little bit better physical stature might be enough.
This position doesn't need to be perfect by Notre Dame, but improved would settle my mind a bit.
Ty: this may be apocryphal, but remember reading someplace on the Internet* that when Dantonio recruited McGaha, he told him of the famous Archimedes quote, "Give me a place to stand . . . and I can move the Earth." McGaha, so I read, was so impressed by the saying he made it his personal motto. Unfortunately, there's an important bit in the middle there about having a lever of sufficient length and rigidity, and, well, McGaha's clearly fell short. Or limp.
I was impressed by France's tools at the spring practice, though to my eyes he struggled with things like stunts and zone blocking, stuff you'd expect a newbie LT to struggle with. Physically, when asked to mash France can mash. But, as you say, benching a starting LT due to a poor performance against your supposed tomato can cannot be a good thing.
* The Googles, they do nothing.
2.)FAU's Superior Pass Defense
Last week FAU picked off John Brantley and the Florida Gator Swamp Folk three times. Without watching the game, it's hard to know if this came from superior defensive scheme or the installation of Jabba the Charlie's new offense. Maybe both? Regardless, three picks is plenty-pickin'-good on a team like Florida.
This game will provide a great tune-up for Cousins going into the Notre Dame game next week. FAU runs a 3-4 designed to stop or slow the pass just like ND. If FAU can generate some pressure expect their pass D to be the one thing FAU can do that will make us have to work for this a bit. The other facets of their team look pretty anemic.
Ty: Any time a college team runs a 3-4 I get suspicious. A true two-gap nose tackle, by physical definition, must be a grown-assed man. Either they've found a truly precocious manchild, or they're planning on stopping the run at the second level. With FAU's talent, it must be the latter, and that's good news for the Spartans.
Ideally, the ball won't have to come out of Captain Kirk's hands, and even if it does I'd hope experienced targets like Cunningham and Martin can get open enough for any crafty zone stuff not to matter. Failing that, just play jumpball to Dion Sims; he'll be a man amongst boys in their back seven.
3.)Can I get an Amen? I mean a sack.
Well, last week we got no sacks on YSU. They are a quick release, spread type offense and that's not the kind of offense that lends itself to lots of sackin'. FAU however runs a more pro-style look. I suspect you'll see some sacks get home this week. With luck not so many that our fans then start thinking that we sack ND's quarterback 83 plays out of 85 and anything else is equal to failure of a sort that is unparalleled since Nero.
That said, if the pass rush doesn't hit home this week it's not time to worry about the defense yet, but it may be time to start the undocking procedure for the USS "Our Front Four Will Generate All The Pressure We Need Without Any Assistance From Their Linebacking Friends".
Like this
Not this
Ty: With the size and speed MSU has up front, there'll be no excuse if they can't bring down FAU's quarterback(s) at least a couple of times. If Narduzzi has to dial up the blitz to generate heat, it could be a very long October—and some very large, very fast defensive linemen will have to take very long, very hard looks in the mirror . . . or maybe at Dantonio's celebratory pile of broken cinder blocks.
4.)How will our linebackers do in TE pass coverage?
FAU throws to their tight ends. A lot. Well, relatively speaking a lot insofaras they actually complete passes. Last week two tight ends finished in the top 3 receiving for FAU. Since Denicos Allen and Chris Norman appear to have outright won their LB positions this should be a good chance for them to tune up on the pass coverage.
This is an area where we will continue to miss Eric Gordon. Gordon was an excellent pass-covering linebacker and I think I'd like to see if these guys can develop into that.
Ty: Let's take the optimistic view here, and re-title it: How hard can our safeties hit their tight ends shortly after they catch the ball? I don't expect FAU to be a legitimate threat across the middle. Still, as you say, these should be very good practice reps for young Allen . . . Jake Stoneburner looms.
5.)Nick Hill: The Next Great Kick Returner?
Nick Hill has been promoted to the number one kick returner as a way to make sure he gets on the field. I think he has the stuffin's to be a permanent replacement at this position.
Ty: I like the cut of Nick Hill's jib. I don't know if he'll ever be a feature tailback but I know that kind of quick-twitch running can be absolutely lethal at this level. Get him on the field, I say, however you have to do it.
Final Score: MSU 38 FAU 7.
1.)Left tackle by committee, what could go wrong?
So as I'm sure you've heard by now, or maybe not, Jared McGaha has been bumped as the starter from Left Tackle to second string Right Tackle. Again, if last week I came across down on Jared McGaha it's nothing personal and he's about the only survivor of a whole hell of a lot of Offensive Tackle attrition.
I have to think that the gap between France and Fonoti is at this point more than a little bit. France is two inches taller, twenty pounds heavier and has a whole spring and pre-season of football at the Left Tackle position. It's my understanding Fonoti exclusively played Right Tackle until a couple of weeks ago. While France's experience at the position is not sufficient to give him an experience advantage, experience and a little bit better physical stature might be enough.
This position doesn't need to be perfect by Notre Dame, but improved would settle my mind a bit.
Ty: this may be apocryphal, but remember reading someplace on the Internet* that when Dantonio recruited McGaha, he told him of the famous Archimedes quote, "Give me a place to stand . . . and I can move the Earth." McGaha, so I read, was so impressed by the saying he made it his personal motto. Unfortunately, there's an important bit in the middle there about having a lever of sufficient length and rigidity, and, well, McGaha's clearly fell short. Or limp.
I was impressed by France's tools at the spring practice, though to my eyes he struggled with things like stunts and zone blocking, stuff you'd expect a newbie LT to struggle with. Physically, when asked to mash France can mash. But, as you say, benching a starting LT due to a poor performance against your supposed tomato can cannot be a good thing.
* The Googles, they do nothing.
2.)FAU's Superior Pass Defense
Last week FAU picked off John Brantley and the Florida Gator Swamp Folk three times. Without watching the game, it's hard to know if this came from superior defensive scheme or the installation of Jabba the Charlie's new offense. Maybe both? Regardless, three picks is plenty-pickin'-good on a team like Florida.
This game will provide a great tune-up for Cousins going into the Notre Dame game next week. FAU runs a 3-4 designed to stop or slow the pass just like ND. If FAU can generate some pressure expect their pass D to be the one thing FAU can do that will make us have to work for this a bit. The other facets of their team look pretty anemic.
Ty: Any time a college team runs a 3-4 I get suspicious. A true two-gap nose tackle, by physical definition, must be a grown-assed man. Either they've found a truly precocious manchild, or they're planning on stopping the run at the second level. With FAU's talent, it must be the latter, and that's good news for the Spartans.
Ideally, the ball won't have to come out of Captain Kirk's hands, and even if it does I'd hope experienced targets like Cunningham and Martin can get open enough for any crafty zone stuff not to matter. Failing that, just play jumpball to Dion Sims; he'll be a man amongst boys in their back seven.
3.)Can I get an Amen? I mean a sack.
Well, last week we got no sacks on YSU. They are a quick release, spread type offense and that's not the kind of offense that lends itself to lots of sackin'. FAU however runs a more pro-style look. I suspect you'll see some sacks get home this week. With luck not so many that our fans then start thinking that we sack ND's quarterback 83 plays out of 85 and anything else is equal to failure of a sort that is unparalleled since Nero.
That said, if the pass rush doesn't hit home this week it's not time to worry about the defense yet, but it may be time to start the undocking procedure for the USS "Our Front Four Will Generate All The Pressure We Need Without Any Assistance From Their Linebacking Friends".
Like this
Not this
Ty: With the size and speed MSU has up front, there'll be no excuse if they can't bring down FAU's quarterback(s) at least a couple of times. If Narduzzi has to dial up the blitz to generate heat, it could be a very long October—and some very large, very fast defensive linemen will have to take very long, very hard looks in the mirror . . . or maybe at Dantonio's celebratory pile of broken cinder blocks.
4.)How will our linebackers do in TE pass coverage?
FAU throws to their tight ends. A lot. Well, relatively speaking a lot insofaras they actually complete passes. Last week two tight ends finished in the top 3 receiving for FAU. Since Denicos Allen and Chris Norman appear to have outright won their LB positions this should be a good chance for them to tune up on the pass coverage.
This is an area where we will continue to miss Eric Gordon. Gordon was an excellent pass-covering linebacker and I think I'd like to see if these guys can develop into that.
Ty: Let's take the optimistic view here, and re-title it: How hard can our safeties hit their tight ends shortly after they catch the ball? I don't expect FAU to be a legitimate threat across the middle. Still, as you say, these should be very good practice reps for young Allen . . . Jake Stoneburner looms.
5.)Nick Hill: The Next Great Kick Returner?
Nick Hill has been promoted to the number one kick returner as a way to make sure he gets on the field. I think he has the stuffin's to be a permanent replacement at this position.
Ty: I like the cut of Nick Hill's jib. I don't know if he'll ever be a feature tailback but I know that kind of quick-twitch running can be absolutely lethal at this level. Get him on the field, I say, however you have to do it.
Final Score: MSU 38 FAU 7.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
5 Key Things: Youngstown State Revisited
"Youngstown State. This damned well better be a case of MSU SMASH." It wasn't. Point of fact, analogies of old people fighting for a glass of ovaltine with their canes and walkers came to mind. Analogies of going to the dentist so you have healthy teeth for the next six months come to mind. It was pretty much as unsatisfying as a win of the 28-6 variety comes to be. Our offense was somewhere between ineffective and brilliant. Our defense. I'll get to that.
1.) Offensive Line Smash: McGaha looked completely overwhelmed at LT. The rule of thumb applies, if you can't beat YSU at LT, you will not beat OSU. He was yanked in favor of Dan France during the game and I suspect that arrangement will be permanent. France looked raw and had his own issues, but I think given that he is a RS-Soph I'd rather have him in at LT even if McGaha is like 6 percent better. McGaha is a five year program guy and the only offensive tackle recruit from the class of either 2007 or 2008 who's contributed at OT.
2.) Defensive Line Smash: Zero sacks. This is a dink and dunk team, the kind that generates a lot of yardage on us. Counting in the stands I usually didn't get past two seconds when the QB dropped back to pass before he let go. Still zero sacks. This is a difficult thing to decide whether to be disappointed about, we weren't really blitzing and when we were, there was no zone blitz, we weren't flooding a single gap. Still I was really hoping the DL wouldn't need help to generate significant pressure on Youngstown State.
3.) Does Nick Hill Fit the Bill? 2 carries for 7 yards. Both in the last couple of minutes of the game. He might well be as good as advertised, but I don't think good enough to see carries in front of Baker, Bell and Caper.
4.) How badly are we going to miss Greg Jones and Eric Gordon? Max Bullough tied Greg Jones career high for tackles in a game. Allow me to repeat, in his first collegiate start at Mike, Max Bullough matched Greg Jones career high for tackles in a game. This is simply put, better than anyone could have hoped for. It seemed like there was a lot of late and obvious communication about what play the defense should be running. I don't know if this falls to Bullough or not, but it would be good to see those calls made moments sooner so the D has time to read the plays. Jitters would be a fair assessment.
We're going to miss Eric Gordon this year. I didn't see anyone who obviously stepped up in his place. The season and the linebackers are young, let's see what happens.
5.) Can we run for 300 yards? Ouch. 159 yards is still not bad, but we threw a lot more than I was expecting.
Bonus Observations
Laces Out Dan
If that was anything other than a botched snap, I'll eat my hat. Conroy was drilling them pre-game from 50 yards out.
I like everyone else with a pair of eyes, felt like the defense played some sloppy football last night. Lots of guys were out of position. The tackling was sloppy. The tackling was frankly appalling at times. Still. They gave up six points and I am the biggest believer that is the only defensive stat that matters. More importantly, I thought they didn't open their playbook at all. Each blitz was straightforward, it was the linebacker coming through their obvious gap. It seemed like there was little or no stunting, the goal of the game was keep the plays in front of you and don't let up yardage and don't open the playbook. Mission accomplished. Still, tons of room for improvement here.
Secondly, I was really hoping that we'd be finished with the Kirk Cousins flailing against good coverage. He played a bulletproof 18 of 22 for 240 and a TD, but it concerns me that with good coverage he still cannot throw the damn ball away. Maybe this is a coaching thing, I have no idea.
I'm looking forward to a more even-keeled effort on both sides of the ball next week against FAU. If not, then we can all start to worry a bit.
Update #1: The Sunshine Piece
In re-reading the article this morning I realized I forgot to include some of the things I was really happy about.
If you haven't heard about it yet, Arthur Ray got the start at Left Guard on Friday night. This was purely ceremonial as I think the cancer has ravaged his leg beyond the durability needed for a Big Ten Season at LG. There's a lot of heartwarming going around here, to Joel Foreman for letting him start, to Coach D for not flipping his scholarship to Medical DQ a long time ago, but most importantly to Arthur Ray. I don't think this could have happened to someone more determined to make good on his scholarship. If he can get a medical redshirt and a sixth year of eligibility, I wouldn't count him out of playing next year. Not because the depth chart favors him, but because I won't bet against a kid who's been through that. The young man has a bright future in front of him.
B.J. Cunningham. I was talking with a friend on Friday morning who has Cunningham in a College Fantasy Football league. He said he started Cunningham on Friday night. I laughed condescendingly because I was thinking you silly bastard, they're going to run for 1400 yards on Friday night and throw twice. Not only did they throw plenty on Friday night, BJ Cunningham had half the catches. He looked like a man among boys.
Skyler Burkland. I think we may have a four year starter at RT folks. He looks like the real deal. We just have to keep him healthy now. We've been absolutely ravaged at OT during the Dantonio tenure.
Blake Treadwell. If Treadwell is the back-up, I cringe to see what Travis Jackson will be. Treadwell plays hard and runs angry. I like the cut of his jib.
3 Stars: Arthur Ray, B.J. Cunningham, Max Bullough
1.) Offensive Line Smash: McGaha looked completely overwhelmed at LT. The rule of thumb applies, if you can't beat YSU at LT, you will not beat OSU. He was yanked in favor of Dan France during the game and I suspect that arrangement will be permanent. France looked raw and had his own issues, but I think given that he is a RS-Soph I'd rather have him in at LT even if McGaha is like 6 percent better. McGaha is a five year program guy and the only offensive tackle recruit from the class of either 2007 or 2008 who's contributed at OT.
2.) Defensive Line Smash: Zero sacks. This is a dink and dunk team, the kind that generates a lot of yardage on us. Counting in the stands I usually didn't get past two seconds when the QB dropped back to pass before he let go. Still zero sacks. This is a difficult thing to decide whether to be disappointed about, we weren't really blitzing and when we were, there was no zone blitz, we weren't flooding a single gap. Still I was really hoping the DL wouldn't need help to generate significant pressure on Youngstown State.
3.) Does Nick Hill Fit the Bill? 2 carries for 7 yards. Both in the last couple of minutes of the game. He might well be as good as advertised, but I don't think good enough to see carries in front of Baker, Bell and Caper.
4.) How badly are we going to miss Greg Jones and Eric Gordon? Max Bullough tied Greg Jones career high for tackles in a game. Allow me to repeat, in his first collegiate start at Mike, Max Bullough matched Greg Jones career high for tackles in a game. This is simply put, better than anyone could have hoped for. It seemed like there was a lot of late and obvious communication about what play the defense should be running. I don't know if this falls to Bullough or not, but it would be good to see those calls made moments sooner so the D has time to read the plays. Jitters would be a fair assessment.
We're going to miss Eric Gordon this year. I didn't see anyone who obviously stepped up in his place. The season and the linebackers are young, let's see what happens.
5.) Can we run for 300 yards? Ouch. 159 yards is still not bad, but we threw a lot more than I was expecting.
Bonus Observations
Laces Out Dan
If that was anything other than a botched snap, I'll eat my hat. Conroy was drilling them pre-game from 50 yards out.
I like everyone else with a pair of eyes, felt like the defense played some sloppy football last night. Lots of guys were out of position. The tackling was sloppy. The tackling was frankly appalling at times. Still. They gave up six points and I am the biggest believer that is the only defensive stat that matters. More importantly, I thought they didn't open their playbook at all. Each blitz was straightforward, it was the linebacker coming through their obvious gap. It seemed like there was little or no stunting, the goal of the game was keep the plays in front of you and don't let up yardage and don't open the playbook. Mission accomplished. Still, tons of room for improvement here.
Secondly, I was really hoping that we'd be finished with the Kirk Cousins flailing against good coverage. He played a bulletproof 18 of 22 for 240 and a TD, but it concerns me that with good coverage he still cannot throw the damn ball away. Maybe this is a coaching thing, I have no idea.
I'm looking forward to a more even-keeled effort on both sides of the ball next week against FAU. If not, then we can all start to worry a bit.
Update #1: The Sunshine Piece
In re-reading the article this morning I realized I forgot to include some of the things I was really happy about.
If you haven't heard about it yet, Arthur Ray got the start at Left Guard on Friday night. This was purely ceremonial as I think the cancer has ravaged his leg beyond the durability needed for a Big Ten Season at LG. There's a lot of heartwarming going around here, to Joel Foreman for letting him start, to Coach D for not flipping his scholarship to Medical DQ a long time ago, but most importantly to Arthur Ray. I don't think this could have happened to someone more determined to make good on his scholarship. If he can get a medical redshirt and a sixth year of eligibility, I wouldn't count him out of playing next year. Not because the depth chart favors him, but because I won't bet against a kid who's been through that. The young man has a bright future in front of him.
B.J. Cunningham. I was talking with a friend on Friday morning who has Cunningham in a College Fantasy Football league. He said he started Cunningham on Friday night. I laughed condescendingly because I was thinking you silly bastard, they're going to run for 1400 yards on Friday night and throw twice. Not only did they throw plenty on Friday night, BJ Cunningham had half the catches. He looked like a man among boys.
Skyler Burkland. I think we may have a four year starter at RT folks. He looks like the real deal. We just have to keep him healthy now. We've been absolutely ravaged at OT during the Dantonio tenure.
Blake Treadwell. If Treadwell is the back-up, I cringe to see what Travis Jackson will be. Treadwell plays hard and runs angry. I like the cut of his jib.
3 Stars: Arthur Ray, B.J. Cunningham, Max Bullough
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Assume the Position: Special Teams
This is part one of an ambitiously stated seven part series. This series will focus on introducing MSU fans to their position group players. It is not intended to replace the quality analysis that media types can provide, but we give it our best shot. We'll work backwards from the most stable position groups to the more dynamic ones so we can write about the most volatile groups last.
Welcome, for lack of a better place to begin our introductory piece on the 2011 Spartans we shall begin at thebeginning Special Teams group. No other group has the potential to flip the momentum of a game on a dime like Special Teams. Yet if they are not among the most consistent units on the field it'll cost you games and in a hurry. This year's Special Teams unit features stability in the kick returns arena and a newcomer at Punter. Without further adieu....
Punter
In 2010, the best quarterback on our team was none other than the pride of New Concord, Ohio, Aaron Bates. He wasn't too shabby a punter either. With a punting average of 45.0 yards Bates finished 14th nationally at the position. Mr. Bates will be replaced by Redshirt Freshman Mike Sadler from Grand Rapids or as my 2 year old calls it, Grand Rabbits. Mr. Sadler had offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, USC, Northwestern, Purdue and Air Force. Despite Air Force's strong recruiting push, Mike selected MSU over LSU. He was a top 10 punter in 2010 by all three recruiting services(Scout, Rivals and MaxPrep). Mr. Sadler averaged 39.9 yards on 32 kicks in his senior year and converted a 58 yard field goal against Belding(pretty town, I thought anyway). He graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA.
2011 Prediction: I have no reason to think that Sadler will not be a great punter by the time he leaves MSU. MSU has put more than their fair share of kickers into the league. That said, we will miss Aaron Bates this year from a leadership perspective. Sadler looks to develop into a heady punter like bates over the years, but he's green and will need time. Back-up punter Kyle Selden is not expected to be a factor at this time.
Placekicking
Coming into 2010 this was a two-way race between Dan Conroy and Kevin Muma. Conroy as a preferred walk-on won the job from Kevin Muma and went 14 of 15 on the year including this miraculous game-tying kick against Notre Dame in our night game last year.
Oh, uh Conroy didn't make the kick? Well, maybe next time.
Conroy's kicking percentage was good for 5th overall. He was 4 of 4 from more than 40 yards with his single miss coming at Northwestern.
2011 Prediction: My big concern with Mr. Conroy would be avoiding the sophomore slump, literally. To finish 5th overall in the NCAA kicking percentage as a freshman sets the bar at damn high for the remainder of his MSU career. To extrapolate that year forward means he would finish 56 of 60 for his career at MSU, that doesn't sound difficult to me, that sounds nearly impossible. Kevin Muma will continue to handle kick-off duties for the forseeable future.
Expect placekicking to remain a strong point for the Spartans, but don't expect 14 of 15 again.
Punt and Kick Return Duties:
Luckily for us, those duties fall to one very talented Keshawn Martin. Martin has scored five different ways in a Spartan uniform(caught, throw and ran a touchdown pass. Returned both a punt and a kick for a touchdown), he's a dropkick and a field goal short of scoring every way a person can on offense. In 2010 he continued to perform at a high-level in this position.
2011 Prediction: Martin will continue to perform at a high-level this year although I suspect if the coaching staff can find an 90 percent as good option at either position they'll take it over Martin. Martin is too important to the offense as the x-factor to take an unnecessary risk in injury. There are a host of young talents who have lots of speed but have had trouble finding the field in other areas to back up Mr. Martin.
Nick Hill has lots of speed but is stuck behind the Baker/Caper/Bell logjam. Jeremy Langford is another speedster without a country, he can't crack the positions at RB or WR right now, IIRC he's not quite quick enough for CB. Tony Lippett has shown outstanding athleticism but looks to be slated for the Chris Gamble role of yore. There are lots of quick, shifty, bursty guys who could play either kick return position in lieu of Martin. But Martin is simply put the most exciting Spartan on the field with apologies to LeVeon Bell. You just do not know what's coming next with him.
As an aside, Martin still had moments last year where he'd do something that made you facepalm, it'd be rad if he could knock that off this year.
Overall Assessment: In 2010, Special Teams was an area of strength for the Spartans. In an old version of NCAAF, if you were an A++ your team's bar broke the end on the team strengths page. I think the Special Teams were that good for MSU last year. This year, an improvement would basically be more of the same, holding steady would be a slight decrease in quality and a huge step backwards would be Special Teams costing us a game or two. I think this particular group is in a position to "hold steady" meaning we lose some specialties in the punting game for this year and hold steady at placekicking and kick returns. The development of Sadler is the expected storyline for this group this year.
Worst Case Scenario: Sadler struggles to replace Bates in terms of kick quality and distance. Conroy struggles mightily with the sophomore slump and Muma can kick a country mile but can't hit the broadside of a barn. Keshawn cedes the kick return duties to a Nick Hill or Jeremy Langford due to injury or we're not receiving many kicks because our D isn't stopping anyone. I don't know, I just don't see a healthy Keshawn ever being "bad" at this.
Best Case Scenario: Sadler is an immediate replacement for Bates in terms of kick quality and being the best QB on the MSU Spartan team. Conroy finds a way to go 15 for 15 or maybe even the elusive 16 for 15. Keshawn cedes the kick return duties to a Nick Hill or Jeremy Langford type and they are as good or better.
Welcome, for lack of a better place to begin our introductory piece on the 2011 Spartans we shall begin at the
Punter
In 2010, the best quarterback on our team was none other than the pride of New Concord, Ohio, Aaron Bates. He wasn't too shabby a punter either. With a punting average of 45.0 yards Bates finished 14th nationally at the position. Mr. Bates will be replaced by Redshirt Freshman Mike Sadler from Grand Rapids or as my 2 year old calls it, Grand Rabbits. Mr. Sadler had offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, USC, Northwestern, Purdue and Air Force. Despite Air Force's strong recruiting push, Mike selected MSU over LSU. He was a top 10 punter in 2010 by all three recruiting services(Scout, Rivals and MaxPrep). Mr. Sadler averaged 39.9 yards on 32 kicks in his senior year and converted a 58 yard field goal against Belding(pretty town, I thought anyway). He graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA.
2011 Prediction: I have no reason to think that Sadler will not be a great punter by the time he leaves MSU. MSU has put more than their fair share of kickers into the league. That said, we will miss Aaron Bates this year from a leadership perspective. Sadler looks to develop into a heady punter like bates over the years, but he's green and will need time. Back-up punter Kyle Selden is not expected to be a factor at this time.
Placekicking
Coming into 2010 this was a two-way race between Dan Conroy and Kevin Muma. Conroy as a preferred walk-on won the job from Kevin Muma and went 14 of 15 on the year including this miraculous game-tying kick against Notre Dame in our night game last year.
Oh, uh Conroy didn't make the kick? Well, maybe next time.
Conroy's kicking percentage was good for 5th overall. He was 4 of 4 from more than 40 yards with his single miss coming at Northwestern.
2011 Prediction: My big concern with Mr. Conroy would be avoiding the sophomore slump, literally. To finish 5th overall in the NCAA kicking percentage as a freshman sets the bar at damn high for the remainder of his MSU career. To extrapolate that year forward means he would finish 56 of 60 for his career at MSU, that doesn't sound difficult to me, that sounds nearly impossible. Kevin Muma will continue to handle kick-off duties for the forseeable future.
Expect placekicking to remain a strong point for the Spartans, but don't expect 14 of 15 again.
Punt and Kick Return Duties:
Luckily for us, those duties fall to one very talented Keshawn Martin. Martin has scored five different ways in a Spartan uniform(caught, throw and ran a touchdown pass. Returned both a punt and a kick for a touchdown), he's a dropkick and a field goal short of scoring every way a person can on offense. In 2010 he continued to perform at a high-level in this position.
2011 Prediction: Martin will continue to perform at a high-level this year although I suspect if the coaching staff can find an 90 percent as good option at either position they'll take it over Martin. Martin is too important to the offense as the x-factor to take an unnecessary risk in injury. There are a host of young talents who have lots of speed but have had trouble finding the field in other areas to back up Mr. Martin.
Nick Hill has lots of speed but is stuck behind the Baker/Caper/Bell logjam. Jeremy Langford is another speedster without a country, he can't crack the positions at RB or WR right now, IIRC he's not quite quick enough for CB. Tony Lippett has shown outstanding athleticism but looks to be slated for the Chris Gamble role of yore. There are lots of quick, shifty, bursty guys who could play either kick return position in lieu of Martin. But Martin is simply put the most exciting Spartan on the field with apologies to LeVeon Bell. You just do not know what's coming next with him.
As an aside, Martin still had moments last year where he'd do something that made you facepalm, it'd be rad if he could knock that off this year.
Overall Assessment: In 2010, Special Teams was an area of strength for the Spartans. In an old version of NCAAF, if you were an A++ your team's bar broke the end on the team strengths page. I think the Special Teams were that good for MSU last year. This year, an improvement would basically be more of the same, holding steady would be a slight decrease in quality and a huge step backwards would be Special Teams costing us a game or two. I think this particular group is in a position to "hold steady" meaning we lose some specialties in the punting game for this year and hold steady at placekicking and kick returns. The development of Sadler is the expected storyline for this group this year.
Worst Case Scenario: Sadler struggles to replace Bates in terms of kick quality and distance. Conroy struggles mightily with the sophomore slump and Muma can kick a country mile but can't hit the broadside of a barn. Keshawn cedes the kick return duties to a Nick Hill or Jeremy Langford due to injury or we're not receiving many kicks because our D isn't stopping anyone. I don't know, I just don't see a healthy Keshawn ever being "bad" at this.
Best Case Scenario: Sadler is an immediate replacement for Bates in terms of kick quality and being the best QB on the MSU Spartan team. Conroy finds a way to go 15 for 15 or maybe even the elusive 16 for 15. Keshawn cedes the kick return duties to a Nick Hill or Jeremy Langford type and they are as good or better.
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