(08-24-2015 10:10 AM)PurpleStreamers Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 09:42 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Just curious, did Taylor Woods see any action carrying the ball? I know we haven't been talking about him, but he was an EW recruit who got the ball on one specific carry against UD that lost yards and the game. I am wanting to see what EW does with him and to see if he's gotten any tougher mentally.

Matt Jones tweeted that Johnson, Abdullah, and Woods were 1A, 1B, and 1C according to EW this year. I'm guessing we'll see a LOT of each. Wondering if we'll actually run a bit more than last year given the catching up our D may have to for a while.

Thanks for the info. I'd like to see the kid do good. He was 18 last season and playing like it. His short comings seemed to be in his head rather than ability and almost afraid of the hit. I've said it on here before, but he should have been red-shirted.

(08-24-2015 10:33 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 10:10 AM)PurpleStreamers Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 09:42 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Just curious, did Taylor Woods see any action carrying the ball? I know we haven't been talking about him, but he was an EW recruit who got the ball on one specific carry against UD that lost yards and the game. I am wanting to see what EW does with him and to see if he's gotten any tougher mentally.

Matt Jones tweeted that Johnson, Abdullah, and Woods were 1A, 1B, and 1C according to EW this year. I'm guessing we'll see a LOT of each. Wondering if we'll actually run a bit more than last year given the catching up our D may have to for a while.

Thanks for the info. I'd like to see the kid do good. He was 18 last season and playing like it. His short comings seemed to be in his head rather than ability and almost afraid of the hit. I've said it on here before, but he should have been red-shirted.

I wouldn't say that he was afraid to take a hit , but small backs coming out of HS tend to think they can run east and west and gain yardage. College coaches have to break them out of that with tough practices and good inside sessions. Takes time.

(08-24-2015 11:13 AM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 10:33 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 10:10 AM)PurpleStreamers Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 09:42 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Just curious, did Taylor Woods see any action carrying the ball? I know we haven't been talking about him, but he was an EW recruit who got the ball on one specific carry against UD that lost yards and the game. I am wanting to see what EW does with him and to see if he's gotten any tougher mentally.

Matt Jones tweeted that Johnson, Abdullah, and Woods were 1A, 1B, and 1C according to EW this year. I'm guessing we'll see a LOT of each. Wondering if we'll actually run a bit more than last year given the catching up our D may have to for a while.

Thanks for the info. I'd like to see the kid do good. He was 18 last season and playing like it. His short comings seemed to be in his head rather than ability and almost afraid of the hit. I've said it on here before, but he should have been red-shirted.

I wouldn't say that he was afraid to take a hit , but small backs coming out of HS tend to think they can run east and west and gain yardage. College coaches have to break them out of that with tough practices and good inside sessions. Takes time.

He came in for a little mop up duty in the first game against UMD. Twice I witnessed him turn his back just before the hit. It looked like a pop warner running back. When he came in for that final play against UD (granted he'd been in for pretty much that final drive), but he clearly didn't attack the goal line. He sort of stood up just as they hit him and his legs stopped pumping.

That one is still a head scratcher to me. Why in the world would you have a kid stand on the bench the entire game and bring him in on the final drive and give him the ball on a goal line game determining play. Withers can try to explain that one away all he wants but that was stupid. There's no two ways about it.

(08-24-2015 06:40 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  That one is still a head scratcher to me. Why in the world would you have a kid stand on the bench the entire game and bring him in on the final drive and give him the ball on a goal line game determining play. Withers can try to explain that one away all he wants but that was stupid. There's no two ways about it.

Shades of Ape State.

(08-24-2015 11:09 PM)bulldogg Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 06:40 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  That one is still a head scratcher to me. Why in the world would you have a kid stand on the bench the entire game and bring him in on the final drive and give him the ball on a goal line game determining play. Withers can try to explain that one away all he wants but that was stupid. There's no two ways about it.

Shades of Ape State.

Oh man, you had to go there, haha. That was awful. One good thing I haven't heard out of camp is any significant injuries knock on wood. Guys are always going to get banged up but usually you can count on a couple cases where a guy tears up a knee or something and is out for the year and you just say "*** **** it". Unless I've missed it, we seem to be healthy at least so far. From the pictures I've seen, it doesn't look like there have been a lot of practices in pads so maybe that helps. We start with a couple games we honestly should win easily so our guys should get some live work there.

(08-25-2015 12:12 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 11:09 PM)bulldogg Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 06:40 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  That one is still a head scratcher to me. Why in the world would you have a kid stand on the bench the entire game and bring him in on the final drive and give him the ball on a goal line game determining play. Withers can try to explain that one away all he wants but that was stupid. There's no two ways about it.

Shades of Ape State.

Oh man, you had to go there, haha. That was awful. One good thing I haven't heard out of camp is any significant injuries knock on wood. Guys are always going to get banged up but usually you can count on a couple cases where a guy tears up a knee or something and is out for the year and you just say "*** **** it". Unless I've missed it, we seem to be healthy at least so far. From the pictures I've seen, it doesn't look like there have been a lot of practices in pads so maybe that helps. We start with a couple games we honestly should win easily so our guys should get some live work there.

Less hitting leads to sloppy tackling which leads to crappy defense...

(08-25-2015 06:47 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(08-25-2015 12:12 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 11:09 PM)bulldogg Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 06:40 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  That one is still a head scratcher to me. Why in the world would you have a kid stand on the bench the entire game and bring him in on the final drive and give him the ball on a goal line game determining play. Withers can try to explain that one away all he wants but that was stupid. There's no two ways about it.

Shades of Ape State.

Oh man, you had to go there, haha. That was awful. One good thing I haven't heard out of camp is any significant injuries knock on wood. Guys are always going to get banged up but usually you can count on a couple cases where a guy tears up a knee or something and is out for the year and you just say "*** **** it". Unless I've missed it, we seem to be healthy at least so far. From the pictures I've seen, it doesn't look like there have been a lot of practices in pads so maybe that helps. We start with a couple games we honestly should win easily so our guys should get some live work there.

Less hitting leads to sloppy tackling which leads to crappy defense...

Agree, and didn't we have this exact discussion a year ago. Let's hope the first five games our defense doesn't resemble the first five from 2014.

(08-25-2015 06:47 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(08-25-2015 12:12 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 11:09 PM)bulldogg Wrote:  

(08-24-2015 06:40 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  That one is still a head scratcher to me. Why in the world would you have a kid stand on the bench the entire game and bring him in on the final drive and give him the ball on a goal line game determining play. Withers can try to explain that one away all he wants but that was stupid. There's no two ways about it.

Shades of Ape State.

Oh man, you had to go there, haha. That was awful. One good thing I haven't heard out of camp is any significant injuries knock on wood. Guys are always going to get banged up but usually you can count on a couple cases where a guy tears up a knee or something and is out for the year and you just say "*** **** it". Unless I've missed it, we seem to be healthy at least so far. From the pictures I've seen, it doesn't look like there have been a lot of practices in pads so maybe that helps. We start with a couple games we honestly should win easily so our guys should get some live work there.

Less hitting leads to sloppy tackling which leads to crappy defense...

Agree and I worry about that part. Don't get me wrong, you can never take any team lightly. We've had our share of scares of the years (Bloomsburg, CCSU) but that's why I said our first couple games should theoretically be a chance to work those kinks out.

According to the DNR writer's tweets, Safety Raven Green did not scrimmage Saturday or practice today. He was in a walking boot today w/ a sprained ankle. Also, JUCO DT Martez Stone did not practice today as he's dealing with an academic issue. Being that Stone was on the Spring Deans List at Lackawanna CC, I'm hopeful its not a big issue.