Obviously. That’s why we play so many true freshmen at DB and WR.Even great recruiting means relying on true freshmen.
Obviously. That’s why we play so many true freshmen at DB and WR.Even great recruiting means relying on true freshmen.
You know why those freshmen were playing in the national champ game for Bama? Because their recruiting sucks.Obviously. That’s why we play so many true freshmen at DB and WR.
Yeah. Based on how the hiring process went when they were looking to hire a LB coach.....that comment pissed me off. Not towards Els, because he took a job that was offered to him, but more towards MM. That said, the comments from the players about how much they enjoy playing for Els were enough to offset my frustration on this issue. I expect to see the entire front seven play at a much higher level this year, and it will be telling to me if they don'tUmmm, from our LB coach
Yeah, no wonder we got absolutely gashed at times last year and looked like we had zero answers.
Holy cow.
Yep, agreed. My point was there are no excuses. Talent loss, staff disruption are valid reasons for decline. But, it was much worse than it should have been.Even a moderate step back. No one was expecting a Top 25 defense in 2017. But it was much worse than it should have been.
I get that there are generational players that come around from time to time and playing them as Freshmen makes perfect sense. We aren’t Alabama. We don’t get those kinds of players usually. I can’t understand why it’s so hard to understand the fact that a good player as a Freshman will be a better player as a Junior, and that all things being equal, you’d rather play Juniors than True Freshmen. Apparently, that’s just crazy talk, though, because I get an argument every time I bring it up.You know why those freshmen were playing in the national champ game for Bama? Because their recruiting sucks.
You mean Shenault and KD who played as True Freshman? As for the DBs, fortunately, that’s been a major strength in the two see and they haven’t needed to play true freshman.Obviously. That’s why we play so many true freshmen at DB and WR.
I would never dispute that. If the coaches are doing their jobs, it’s a very rare occasion that a Freshman will be better than somebody who has been in the program for three years. Obviously it happens, but if you’re playing a ton of true Freshmen, you either had a killer recruiting class or your previous classes were sub-par.If the true freshman is better than the upperclassmen. He should play. Period.
Especially because as a true freshman he will not be able to leave until his Junior year anyway. If the kid is that good, better to get 3 years of production instead of 2.
Or both.I would never dispute that. If the coaches are doing their jobs, it’s a very rare occasion that a Freshman will be better than somebody who has been in the orogram for three years. Obviously it happens, but if you’re playing a ton of true Freshmen, you either had a killer recruiting class or your previous classes were sub-par.
It doesn't take a generational talent to play as a true freshman. All it takes is for the guy to be more talented than older players on the roster while also being physically ready. Experience is nice, but you can get a guy experience through practice and game reps. A coach can't make a player more talented than he is. That's why true freshmen play at every program.I get that there are generational players that come around from time to time and playing them as Freshmen makes perfect sense. We aren’t Alabama. We don’t get those kinds of players usually. I can’t understand why it’s so hard to understand the fact that a good player as a Freshman will be a better player as a Junior, and that all things being equal, you’d rather play Juniors than True Freshmen. Apparently, that’s just crazy talk, though, because I get an argument every time I bring it up.
As for the DBs, fortunately, that’s been a major strength in the two see and they haven’t needed to play true freshman.
Because we should all be wanting to recruit players that are talented and physically mature enough to play as true freshman. Would be nice to not even need them to play in year 1, but we should all be aiming for recruiting those kinds of players.Wouldn’t it be nice if we never needed to play true freshmen? That’s been my point all along. Why is that such a difficult concept?
Would be nice to not even need them to play in year 1, but we should all be aiming for recruiting those kinds of players.
Antwine is one of those players. Why do you seem irritated that he is going to be playing then?That’s what I’ve been saying all along.
Who said I was irritated that he’s going to be playing?Antwine is one of those players. Why do you seem irritated that he is going to be playing then?
With Nate, JVD, Akil and Chase all playing good football there is absolutely no reason why there shouldn't be a rotation to keep guys fresh at ILB this season.
If you are not playing true freshman, you need to up your recruiting.Wouldn’t it be nice if we never needed to play true freshmen? That’s been my point all along. Why is that such a difficult concept?
We've gone over this. Nobody is hyping him up. Saying he's expected to play a lot is not hype; it's just the coaches saying he should play a lot. As for the RS, it's been mentioned that if you recruit well, there are going to be players that leave college early, regardless of whether they RS or not. If they're good enough to play as a True Freshman, why would you sit them on the bench and waste one of their years in the program?Who said I was irritated that he’s going to be playing?
I’m thrilled about it. I’m just pointing out that he is, in fact, a true Freshman and we might want to tap the breaks on the hype machine just a bit.
I also would like to be in a position where we have two upperclassmen who are just as good as he is on the roster ahead of him so we could redshirt him.
Nothing worse than watching a RS-Soph leave for the NFL in terms of bad roster management.We've gone over this. Nobody is hyping him up. Saying he's expected to play a lot is not hype; it's just the coaches saying he should play a lot. As for the RS, it's been mentioned that if you recruit well, there are going to be players that leave college early, regardless of whether they RS or not. If they're good enough to play as a True Freshman, why would you sit them on the bench and waste one of their years in the program?
Assuming that player was actually ready to play as a True Freshman. I'm sure there are guys out there who needed a year of development, both physically and mentally, but from what we are being told about Antwine, he is there physically.Nothing worse than watching a RS-Soph leave for the NFL in terms of bad roster management.
Totally wrong. Ask any coach worth his salt, if you have an older guy and a freshman who are equal, you play the freshman.I get that there are generational players that come around from time to time and playing them as Freshmen makes perfect sense. We aren’t Alabama. We don’t get those kinds of players usually. I can’t understand why it’s so hard to understand the fact that a good player as a Freshman will be a better player as a Junior, and that all things being equal, you’d rather play Juniors than True Freshmen. Apparently, that’s just crazy talk, though, because I get an argument every time I bring it up.
Totally wrong. Ask any coach worth his salt, if you have an older guy and a freshman who are equal, you play the freshman.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we never needed to play true freshmen? That’s been my point all along. Why is that such a difficult concept?
Because we should all be wanting to recruit players that are talented and physically mature enough to play as true freshman. Would be nice to not even need them to play in year 1, but we should all be aiming for recruiting those kinds of players.
That’s what I’ve been saying all along.
You joke, but the other night I watched a replay of our 2015 game against AZ and our special teams were probably the worst in the country at that point. FG attempts that were 10 yards wide and 20 yards short, punts that seemed to go nowhere but get there quickly (unless they were blocked, of course)- it was a sh*t show .Finally, been waiting all Summer for this!