Yep. I thought the O-line looked pedestrian at best on Sat and on several plays, looked very inexperienced (missed assignments, blown blocks, lost at times). Early in the year, but still a bit disconcerting. The news on Fornadel in not good at all. Hope the o-line is a position of focus with recruiting in the near future. Certainly an area where transfers can help.

(09-06-2021 08:36 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(09-06-2021 08:09 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  8. A lot of people probably forget that Phil Simms played at Morehead.

Interesting story how he ended up there, a D2 school that was the only one to offer him a scholarship. His numbers were pedestrian so it’s amazing he was drafted yet alone so high as the 7th overall.

Phil Simms was an anomaly. Simms never had a winning record at Morehead State and if Im not mistaken only won 14 games in 4 years (1975-78). What teams saw in him were leadership and the "IT Factor".

Bill Walsh HC of the 49ers wanted to draft Simms but San Francisco didn't have a 1st round pick. Their 1st pick in the draft was the 1st pick in the 2nd round. Simms went 7th overall to the Giants and Walsh got his QB on the 82nd pick of the 1979 draft of the 3rd round with Notre Dame QB Joe Montana. How much would the history of the NFL change if that were to have happened.

Yesterday's game = meh

It was an exhibition game. First half looked uninspired. 2nd half we looked better, although much of the time against backups.

I'm still confident for this year and give little value to how we looked. Got to play the starters for so long to get them conditioned for league play next week, although not what they do in the NFL.

(09-06-2021 08:09 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  Just a few quick thoughts:

5. Vaunted d-line didn't look as impressive perhaps I expected. Not having Greene in there makes a huge difference. Towson transfer looked good. Ohio State transfer looked undersized.

To be fair to them, the "get rid of the ball in 2 steps" approach was a nod to the ability of the line. They're really good; Morehead just made sure they got rid of the ball before they got run over. So, really, not a good test and we can't tell either way.

We'll know more after Maine and Weber.

Also, ranked #3? Grrr.

We have some very good underclassmen on the OL. Nick Kidwell (R-So) is a starter at RT. Tyler Stephens (R-Fr) is his two-deep. Both are big (6'6), athletic, and are expected to be very good. As a redshirt sophomore, Kidwell is the old man on the right side of the line. Cole Potts (R-Fr) starts at RG and is backed up by another redshirt freshman, Tanner Morris. Tyshawn Wyatt (R-Fr) starts at LG and is backed up by redshirt soph Kyle Smith. Redshirt freshman Ronald Altman was listed as Fornadel's backup, but wasn't it Stephens who came in to replace Liam when he went out? Altman seems awfully light for LT at 280 pounds.

We are very young overall on the OL. The loss of Fornadel is huge, no question. It's next man up. That's all there is to it. The experience the youngsters get this early is going to bode well for the future. I believe we are going to be just fine this season. By playoff time, these youngsters are going to be vets.

Out of curiosity what does a FCS ref make? A per game thing depending on what they do (head ref v line judge)?

(09-06-2021 01:33 PM)Purple Wrote:  freshman Ronald Altman was listed as Fornadel's backup, but wasn't it Stephens who came in to replace Liam when he went out? Altman seems awfully light for LT at 280 pounds.

We are very young overall on the OL. The loss of Fornadel is huge, no question. It's next man up. That's all there is to it. The experience the youngsters get this early is going to bode well for the future. I believe we are going to be just fine this season. By playoff time, these youngsters are going to be vets.

Raymond Gillespie was very lean for a LT and did just fine. Sucks for Liam, a guy that could’ve bolted and started at an FBS program a year ago when our fall season was cancelled, but stuck around and had two season ending injuries and subsequent surgeries within a few months of each other. I also think these youngsters getting a baptism by fire will be advantageous this season and long term.

(09-06-2021 06:20 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(09-06-2021 01:33 PM)Purple Wrote:  freshman Ronald Altman was listed as Fornadel's backup, but wasn't it Stephens who came in to replace Liam when he went out? Altman seems awfully light for LT at 280 pounds.

We are very young overall on the OL. The loss of Fornadel is huge, no question. It's next man up. That's all there is to it. The experience the youngsters get this early is going to bode well for the future. I believe we are going to be just fine this season. By playoff time, these youngsters are going to be vets.

Raymond Gillespie was very lean for a LT and did just fine. Sucks for Liam, a guy that could’ve bolted and started at an FBS program a year ago when our fall season was cancelled, but stuck around and had two season ending injuries and subsequent surgeries within a few months of each other. I also think these youngsters getting a baptism by fire will be advantageous this season and long term.

I agree. I think Liam needs to hang around another year to get the best shot at the next level. After two seasons on the bench, the pros may be a little skiddish to hire him. One solid season at JMU and he will get a better look. Without the injuries, he may have been an early- to mid-rounder. No reason he can't still do that, but I think he needs the extra year to get that level of attention.

I thought I noticed Liam getting up slow a couple times before he was forced off the field. I hope he did not make the injury worse by staying on the field.

We might be in for a really long run of great offensive lines if these kids are good. So, so young. If we win this year with them, look out for the next few years!

BSKB 24

Mrs ParentofJMUMRDs and I were having the very same conversation this afternoon while listening to the Fan and Press Conference!!

Brian

(09-06-2021 01:33 PM)Purple Wrote:  We have some very good underclassmen on the OL. Nick Kidwell (R-So) is a starter at RT. Tyler Stephens (R-Fr) is his two-deep. Both are big (6'6), athletic, and are expected to be very good. As a redshirt sophomore, Kidwell is the old man on the right side of the line. Cole Potts (R-Fr) starts at RG and is backed up by another redshirt freshman, Tanner Morris. Tyshawn Wyatt (R-Fr) starts at LG and is backed up by redshirt soph Kyle Smith. Redshirt freshman Ronald Altman was listed as Fornadel's backup, but wasn't it Stephens who came in to replace Liam when he went out? Altman seems awfully light for LT at 280 pounds.

We are very young overall on the OL. The loss of Fornadel is huge, no question. It's next man up. That's all there is to it. The experience the youngsters get this early is going to bode well for the future. I believe we are going to be just fine this season. By playoff time, these youngsters are going to be vets.

Another thing because everyone gets the extra season, these guys aren’t as young as their class yrs indicate. Example Kidwell is a 4th yr rSo. (2019 Fr, 2020 rFr, 2020/21’ rSo, 2021 rSo). Course you can say the same for all teams.

(09-07-2021 11:50 AM)BSKB 24 Wrote:  We might be in for a really long run of great offensive lines if these kids are good. So, so young. If we win this year with them, look out for the next few years!

They are that good and we are going to win. I see several of these kids making it to the next level. These are FBS-caliber offensive linemen and we are lucky to have them. OL looks like a Cig recruiting specialty. Urban Meyer, likewise, put a huge amount of his recruiting effort on the OL. Very smart!