Pretty tough watching the game on a 14" laptop and getting little spotting from our EMU Access crew. Chad and Greg don't do football and football is a damn hard game to announce.

Really need spotters so that the announcing crew know who is in the lineup, etc.

They really needed to 'set' the offenses and defenses.

That said, at the half:

Hoskins looks like the go to guy. KT and Scott will also be very important targets. Wheeler and Olds are getting thrown at.

Greene and Scherrer the backs. Benz looks to have an arm.

Doesn't look like a team which will fire the cannon too often (p.s., I realize it is spring).

Maybe the defense will be much improved?

Defense has improved, especially the DL. I though Slater played well. The LB depth is impressive as well.

Like Benz

Gillett is elusive but the Offense had very few if any sustained drives.

I like Olds, he wil crack the starting receiver core before the 1st game. A real good posession receiver who was out last year due to injury..........

Offense needs some work but I think Green and Sherrer will do the job atr RB.

OL is huge!

Kick offs appear to be improved and Kurtz will do the job punting.

Hoskins at TE could have an awesome year. Big receiver with speed and powerful.

Pollard returning punts - good hands and speed.










sLATER PLAYED REAL WELL. dl had 3-4 sacks

The thing that stood out to me that hasn't been mentioned yet is Matt Brown. This is a kid who didn't even come to EMU to play football. He wasn't on the team his freshman year, he was a RS DB last year and now they're throwing to him as a WR in the Spring game. I'm not saying he looked like a young Jerry Rice, but his story is pretty intriguing...

If Howard U is scouting or reading this board, I'll give you a tip:

Gillette loves throwing those short passes to Hoskins the way the Lions like to throw to Pettigrew. Just look for them 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Seems like Gillette rolls to Hoskins' side and looks if he is open. If so, bingo.

Instead of 8 receptions, like last year, Hoskins could get something like 40 - 50 this year.

I took over 100 pictures today. I was not all that impressed. It is ether our defense has gotten better or our offense has gotten worse. The kicking game was okay and workable.

(04-10-2011 05:47 PM)KPJ Wrote:  The thing that stood out to me that hasn't been mentioned yet is Matt Brown. This is a kid who didn't even come to EMU to play football. He wasn't on the team his freshman year, he was a RS DB last year and now they're throwing to him as a WR in the Spring game. I'm not saying he looked like a young Jerry Rice, but his story is pretty intriguing...

Here is a pic of Brown: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/phot...27&theater

(04-10-2011 03:46 PM)Dennis D. Rachwal Wrote:  Defense has improved, especially the DL. I though Slater played well. The LB depth is impressive as well.

Like Benz

Gillett is elusive but the Offense had very few if any sustained drives.

I like Olds, he wil crack the starting receiver core before the 1st game. A real good posession receiver who was out last year due to injury..........

Offense needs some work but I think Green and Sherrer will do the job atr RB.

OL is huge!

Kick offs appear to be improved and Kurtz will do the job punting.

Hoskins at TE could have an awesome year. Big receiver with speed and powerful.

Pollard returning punts - good hands and speed.










sLATER PLAYED REAL WELL. dl had 3-4 sacks

Heard Yocum was booming the ball on kickoffs.

To me it looked like they were playing cautiously, and having a lot of fun. Seems like everyone got a chance to play, and they should as they worked very hard through winter and spring.
It's really hard to judge how well they're doing when they aren't hitting full strength, using just their starters, and both sides know all the plays.

Reading the posts perhaps the following can be derived:

While the offensive line is big its isn't as good as last years unit with Davis being gonethe major difference.

The running game without Priest isn't the threat is was last year therefore the offense may throw the ball more and open it up.

Overall defense is quicker and will be improved allowing the offense to open it up and not play possession football.

(04-11-2011 02:26 AM)Eagles2008 Wrote:  To me it looked like they were playing cautiously, and having a lot of fun. Seems like everyone got a chance to play, and they should as they worked very hard through winter and spring.
It's really hard to judge how well they're doing when they aren't hitting full strength, using just their starters, and both sides know all the plays.

You make a great point that is often overlooked.

Spring games favor the defense as there are no surprises.

They’ve seen every base play for the last 14 practices.

The one trick play run but the 2nd team offense was a big gainer that led to their only score.

On the trick play, who passed the ball and who caught it? Looked like a WR (#87?) threw it and a TE caught it "#88? Am I correct?

Need more of that during the season as well as reverses etc. Scott is awfully fast and I'm assuming Wheeler has great speed but I think Olds will beat him out come the fall. Wheeler looks kind of fragile and doesn't hang on to the ball very well from what I seen.

Thoams need to get more involved. Hoskins could be the stud of the receiving core and Green the breakaway threat on offense. We'll see and also some of the newly recruited frosh coud step up in the offense. Re: Brumfield, Reed, Scott etc.

The offense I think wil be alright. I like the fact that both QB appear they can scramble, run and throw on the run.

(04-10-2011 10:39 PM)michman83 Wrote:  

(04-10-2011 03:46 PM)Dennis D. Rachwal Wrote:  Defense has improved, especially the DL. I though Slater played well. The LB depth is impressive as well.

Like Benz

Gillett is elusive but the Offense had very few if any sustained drives.

I like Olds, he wil crack the starting receiver core before the 1st game. A real good posession receiver who was out last year due to injury..........

Offense needs some work but I think Green and Sherrer will do the job atr RB.

OL is huge!

Kick offs appear to be improved and Kurtz will do the job punting.

Hoskins at TE could have an awesome year. Big receiver with speed and powerful.

Pollard returning punts - good hands and speed.










sLATER PLAYED REAL WELL. dl had 3-4 sacks

Heard Yocum was booming the ball on kickoffs.

It was hard to tell really it was very windy. Most landed close to the endzone with the wind behind him. Also the ball kept being blown off the tee.

(04-11-2011 02:26 AM)Eagles2008 Wrote:  To me it looked like they were playing cautiously, and having a lot of fun. Seems like everyone got a chance to play, and they should as they worked very hard through winter and spring.
It's really hard to judge how well they're doing when they aren't hitting full strength, using just their starters, and both sides know all the plays.

Expectations for the spring game may not have been realistic.

Basically, what could be told isn't so much units, but individuals who excelled.

I saw a lot that I liked with the receivers, such as Hoskins and the WRs. (this makes sense, I think, as QB/receiver pitch and catch is easy to observe).

I'd be careful about assessing someone who might have 'underachieved' because there are minor injuries, etc.

Very difficult to observe the line play without good spotters calling out linemen like we'd get during the season.

[quote='emu steve' pid='6433714' dateline='130253
Very difficult to observe the line play without good spotters calling out linemen like we'd get during the season.
[/quote]

It was difficult for the announcers and the viewers. Players are changing numbers with position and the roster hasn't been updated. But there were times when they were calling Benz Gillett and the final score was Green 7 to nothing, the camera was staring at the ground, etc. but it was all in fun and I'm just happy with the progress of the team and the program.