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SpartanRocky said...
It'll be interesting to see how the loss of Jordan Hall affects tOSU this year. Still a ton of talent, but I sense Meyer doesn't have the "playmakers" he really needs to crank his O up to full gear. Then again, a top 20 D + an efficient QB can win you a lot of games . . . provided that Miller can take that step.
Time and change will surely (truly) show How firm thy friendship ... OHIO!
callen05 ●
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SpartanRocky said...
It really depends on how well your DL develops. I wouldn't want to go up against WI's current OL with your current DL in the 1st game of the year, but as we've seen, units can improve quite a bit as the year goes on. I really think UM's DL played its best football over its last 5-6 games of the year.
The coaches are the biggest loss for UW, IMHO. One of the reasons I was confident in MSU replacing Jones/Gordon at LB last year was because State's D coaching staff has remained in tact since MD took over. Cryst's playcalling could be missed, similar to how MSU missed Treadwell's playcalling in early games last year (most notably the ND faceplant). Then again, UW won't be challenged in the non-conf, unless Oregon State turns out to be decent, so there'll be time to work out some of the kinks.
Big 10 should be a great race to follow this year though. I could see 6 different teams winning the whole thing.
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pezfez said...
Also didn't mean it as saying that the DL won't be good. The DEs you have, the DTs only need to take up blocks letting the DEs and LBs do the work. I just think that the disruptor is essential to a great pass rush (Worthy, and we saw that with Watt missing last year with Allen still coming into his own). And that pass rush is what separated MSUs defense from the rest. Our corners weren't horrible, they just constantly had to cover for 6-7+ seconds which is hard to do for anyone. I'm more worried about finding someone next to Allen at DT. Hemer is 6-6 and can't do much because of no leverage. DEs we have are pretty good, with Gilbert coming back and Kelly improving since his injury. The young DEs in Adeyanju and Hayes are also pretty good, though it will be tough for both of them to see the field with Muldoon, Dippel and Zagzebski also in front of them. The CBs are also going to be better with Smith coming back and a new/younger crop of athletic DBs. Our issues might be the LBs finding it hard to cover on passing downs and trying to play smart with the DBs.
I've watched Hoover in the past, losing the speed (which he didn't have enough to beat an OT with a speed rush) but gaining the weight will be better for him. With his arm length he could win battles against the shorter-armed OGs and be a good rusher on passing downs.
You should convert your Dlinemen to OL Just kidding. I've always wondered why other teams can't get the size that we have, it's not like other states such as MI don't have the bodies. Now keeping the athleticism and footwork is a whole another thing, which UW has done a good job of.
Yea, right now they're moving White from NT (1-tech) to DT (3-tech). Worthy wasn't the guy who made a mess of the OL; his job was to shoot the B-gap and destroy whatever he came across. He learned how to time the snap count pretty well, and with his first step made him a great asset. He also was called for off-sides multiple times/year, but it was worth it
.
They're going to start Hoover off at NT, where his job is to just use his bulk and muck up the OL as best he can. They may move him to the 3-tech at times, because a swim move is a great technique for a one-gap DT and even a better move for a 6'7 guy. Really allows him to use his length.
Still, I share the concern that his height will allow the stronger (and shorter) OGs in the league to move him off the ball. There's some precedence for a taller DT having success; Crick was 6'6, as was Cameron Heywood and JJ Watt. The last 2 played a combo inside/outside DE/DT position, basically just got moved around to cause match-up problems. I'd be thrilled if Hoover has half the success as those 3
, but right now he hasn't shown anything at the position.
I'm pretty confident in the DEs. They combined for 28 TFL last year and were only 2nd year players (Gholston was a true Soph, Rush a RS FR). We'll see how the back-ups develop at both spots. I'm happy MSU is opening up with Boise, because State will have a decent gauge about where they're at along both lines early.
Michigan State does not and will not run the 3-4 defense.
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pezfez said...
Also didn't mean it as saying that the DL won't be good. The DEs you have, the DTs only need to take up blocks letting the DEs and LBs do the work. I just think that the disruptor is essential to a great pass rush (Worthy, and we saw that with Watt missing last year with Allen still coming into his own). And that pass rush is what separated MSUs defense from the rest. Our corners weren't horrible, they just constantly had to cover for 6-7+ seconds which is hard to do for anyone. I'm more worried about finding someone next to Allen at DT. Hemer is 6-6 and can't do much because of no leverage. DEs we have are pretty good, with Gilbert coming back and Kelly improving since his injury. The young DEs in Adeyanju and Hayes are also pretty good, though it will be tough for both of them to see the field with Muldoon, Dippel and Zagzebski also in front of them. The CBs are also going to be better with Smith coming back and a new/younger crop of athletic DBs. Our issues might be the LBs finding it hard to cover on passing downs and trying to play smart with the DBs.
I've watched Hoover in the past, losing the speed (which he didn't have enough to beat an OT with a speed rush) but gaining the weight will be better for him. With his arm length he could win battles against the shorter-armed OGs and be a good rusher on passing downs.
You should convert your Dlinemen to OL Just kidding. I've always wondered why other teams can't get the size that we have, it's not like other states such as MI don't have the bodies. Now keeping the athleticism and footwork is a whole another thing, which UW has done a good job of.
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dustelli said...
What's wrong with Kohout? Personally I think our front 7 given Gilbert is 100% is one of the best in the Big10. I could argue it is the best, but some of that would be based on rotational depth. and all this is for nothing if the young guns on the outside haven't progressed. Like you said earlier, pass rush is the one thing that killed us last year. If JJ Watt stuck around we very well could have been playing an SEC team in the last game.
The coach loss thing. I am one of the few Badger fans that wasn't as sad to see Chryst go. As good as he was I felt that had many failures as well. Many times became predictable, and then there were other times when he could be predictable and chose not to. Like not playing smash mouth vs. TCU when they couldn't stop it. He recruited for sh!t too. Our current staff right now may be the best all around staff we have had. We are already starting to see it on the recruiting front and hopefully will see it on the field. Unfortunately next year may be a tough gauge. On one hand if the teams does really well then they must be good, and if they fall short it is a transition year for them. They are kind of in a no lose situation.
We have alot more going on than people would think, but if DOB comes in and falls on his face it won't matter. We don't need Wilson, we need Tolzien or better. That is not asking a lot.
Michigan State does not and will not run the 3-4 defense.
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dustelli said...
What's wrong with Kohout? Personally I think our front 7 given Gilbert is 100% is one of the best in the Big10. I could argue it is the best, but some of that would be based on rotational depth. and all this is for nothing if the young guns on the outside haven't progressed. Like you said earlier, pass rush is the one thing that killed us last year. If JJ Watt stuck around we very well could have been playing an SEC team in the last game.
The coach loss thing. I am one of the few Badger fans that wasn't as sad to see Chryst go. As good as he was I felt that had many failures as well. Many times became predictable, and then there were other times when he could be predictable and chose not to. Like not playing smash mouth vs. TCU when they couldn't stop it. He recruited for sh!t too. Our current staff right now may be the best all around staff we have had. We are already starting to see it on the recruiting front and hopefully will see it on the field. Unfortunately next year may be a tough gauge. On one hand if the teams does really well then they must be good, and if they fall short it is a transition year for them. They are kind of in a no lose situation.
We have alot more going on than people would think, but if DOB comes in and falls on his face it won't matter. We don't need Wilson, we need Tolzien or better. That is not asking a lot.
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callen05 said...
He's only expected to miss two games, personally I think it hurts him more than it does OSU. I think he's going to need to put on a show next year if he wants to get a shot at the NFL. Hyde is probably the better pure RB, but Hall has the much better all around game.
Michigan State does not and will not run the 3-4 defense.
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pezfez said...
Completely blanked on Kohout, but Hemer is going to start over him for some reason. And it's not like the Badgers rotate a lot at DT. Either way most of them are stout against the run, but we need disruptor types up the middle. JJ Watt was that good, he didn't need a DT disruptor when he was DE. I think our DL is up there, with our DTs being second to OSU's. All in all, Allen imo is going to be a beast. DEs with Gilbert and Kelly i'm very happy about. Speed.
Chryst was very very good. But i've said it before, it's the system, developmental program that preaches efficiency and playing smart that matters more which Bret has continued. I had issues with Chryst regarding his play calling (never ran enough on 3rd and shorts, got cute sometimes, TCU game which i'll never get over, etc) but one can't deny the success he brought to UW (NFL pro-style offense, efficient and smart players, NFL draft picks etc.). But just like O'Brien doesn't need to be Wilson in order for UW to win, Canada doesn't need to be Chryst.
Rocky, i don't ever see us scoring over 40 pts per game. That was a historical occurrence which will be hard to replicate - even if Chryst was back. Canada is good in his own right. We're pretty happy about the guys we brought in to replace those guys. On the whole, better recruiters. Having an OL and RBs every year makes it that much easier to transition to another year.
Michigan State does not and will not run the 3-4 defense.
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SpartanRocky said...
I read yesterday that he may take a RS this year and that the cut severed a tendon.
I don't think your O is going to flounder without him, rather that your O won't be able to reach it's full potential without a player like him in the line-up. Difference between a B+ offense and an A offense maybe. For all I know Philly Brown could fill the role flawlessly and tOSU will average 40 PPG this year.
Time and change will surely (truly) show How firm thy friendship ... OHIO!
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Big Ten 2012 Predictions