I was on vacation last week in Wisconsin and given we were going further than anticipated, had to scratch going to the First Practice last Monday. Anywho, some observations from afar:
1. Unrelated to Cardinal Football but just a demographic observation...if a movie is ever made called "Kentucky State Fair" it will be filmed on location. And that location is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee may have produced Miller Lite, Richie Cunningham, the Fonz and sadly Jeffrey Dahmer, but it could as easily be known as the progenitor of the wife beater shirt, mullets thirty years after they were en vogue and people who believe Lipitor is a Morning After pill to be taken after every platter of Sausage. I did find the Sausage Race at the Brewers game to be a riot, yet strangely reminiscent to the towns overall low regard for nutrition.
...but I digress...the reason Wisconsin has such exceptional offensive lines consistently is because they are a big people, not a beautiful people.
2. ...which segues into my favorite new cause...the Big and Beautiful Mekhi Becton. As it stands today we appear to have at least four likely starting offensive linemen 315 plus. Last year I believe that number was two wasn't it? I've never gotten into the old UK game of saying they have an advantage "Because Matt Elam is 377 pounds vs. the Alabama AA C who is 295"...but it is somewhat comforting to know that we will be blocking 320 LB DT Dexter Lawrence and 300 Christian Wilkens with comparably larger players off both shoulders. At one point two years ago and early last season I commented that we were using our multiple tight end sets to arc block and bring across the formation in such creative ways that I never have seen anywhere in college football. We had Towbridge who was an outstanding blocker in that capacity; we had Hikutini who could be used as a standup slot, flexed in the backfield, isolated downfield on a linebacker (Exhibits A and B were home run throws against Marshall and Clemson). I think what happened as the season materialized was teams saw those arc blocks and decided they would overload us and have smaller players coming underneath blocks and either chasing down plays from behind or causing our running game to become too horizontal. Not only were Mahoni, Hughley and Hunter not huge by the modern offensive linemen standard, they weren't particularily long (impacting reach blocking abilities) nor athletic, obviously impacting second level blocking abilities so critical to springing a player of Jackson's otherworldly abilities. Beyond that they were both outquicked and overpowered straight up the A gap by an Ed Oliver performance that was reminiscent of two of the most dominant DT performances I've witnessed in my lifetime and those were Warren Sapp's three quarter demolition of an outstanding Nebraska OL in the 1995 Orange Bowl, and the Ndamakung Suh decimation of Texas' offensive line in the Big XII Title game his senior year. Jackson still had the big plays going off misdirection shooting the A or B gap--most notably against BC. But Houston did to us in November what they did the previous year in September and as fatefully what Marshall did to us. They flooded the tackle box with safeties and had Godzilla to occupy everything inside the B gaps.
Despite missing two really great TE fits in Towbridge and Hikutini (who I still think is going to play in the NFL through a couple contracts)...we still have a deep pool and it's very diversified. Averett is unique from Crum and Standberry, Crum is unique and has laid some of the more dynamic downfield blocks in recent years, Standberry had the stint as a slot receiver....with Davis being a big fourth option. All of that lends itself to the underrated quality of setting the edge or in Petrino's terms being able to outflank the edge with misdirection...but more importantly, athletically gifted enough to have a big kid laying a second level block on a pursuing linebacker by design; the kind of block lethal when pared with a Lamar Jackson.
3. ...all of that said...I am extraordinarily bullish on our offense. Under normal circumstances I would be a little skeptical of our running back corps without Spring Practice superhero Dae Williams; but it might be we need that one cut straight ahead runner type more than who it is. Whoever it is or will be...that group as a whole has got to treat ball security with more seriousness than we did last year. It's pretty uncommon to see a team turn the ball over in consecutive years without some address to the problem; I can't imagine we'll kick the ball around like we did last season. God knows we shouldn't be missing snap counts at center.
** We had three big play deficiencies offensively last year any one of which is usually the death of any offense: 47 sacks which I can't conceive we'll remotely approach this season. The extraordinary number of fumbles and what I would also state was an equally extraordinary number of drops. Would it be fair to say our biggest droppers were Quick and Staples with Staples being sort of a shocker since he statistically didn't drop a ball in 2015. Standberry was a big dropper in 2015.
Is it really a stretch to say those three facets will improve in 2017; the volumes seemed historic to me on the sack and fumbles alone statistically. I don't find that to be false optimism. Many factors have changed that would seem to directly address those faults.
4. The four things that stood out to me from all reports from last week from practices and up through media day defensively were:
A. The emergence of Travon Young as a real compliment to James Hearns; when we start talking about carryover from 2016 we have to be blunt about Fields...he made big contributions against Charlotte, had a big game applying pressure against Florida State, had a really big game against Wake...and damned near nothing in between. Wasn't he second or third team All-ACC last year? It was obvious to any of us watching that as far as impact goes we got far more from Hearns. So can Fields' production be replaced by Young? I'd say that he's odds on to go beyond that if the reports are accurate. B. the effusive praise heaped on Dorian Etheridge, and by extension as I see it the being lost in the shuffle of Amante Caban. The reports or Etheridge coming out of early Fall Practice reports remind me of another surprise Mike from years ago that came onto campus somewhat under the radar and that's Rashad Harris. The reports are practically parallel...mature beyond his years, instinctive, inquisitive, arrives with a quality payload and most important to defensive coaches few false steps or wasted motion. That's something that was a pretty big concern coming out of Spring if we're confessing concerns, and C. the report that GG Robinson is realistically splitting and pressing for reps with Richardson who did have a pretty good year last year; opposite Drew Bailey who is an every down tackle that's exciting. With two DTs you really need four contributors, with five to six being optimal. But we can't all be Clemson or Alabama. and D. Sturghill pressing for that backside corner with Trumaine Washington. Washington has made alot of big plays for Louisville in his three previous years and that's too soon forgotten because I think he in particular has suffered from a lack of consistent pass rush; he'll be remembered as getting beaten over the top twice at Clemson, getting beaten deep against Kentucky and rolling his ankle when it happened. Some talk about him like he's Antonio Roundtree's bastard son. But he still makes plays. If Sturghill flat beats him out...that's bigger news than I think people realize. Whoever is playing there is going to be challenged and you can bet the ranch on it.
Something I think can unquestionably be improved on over 2016 that I think surprised Petrino based on one area he thought we'd be effective...kickoff return production. It was supposed to be in Dawkins wheelhouse--but produced little. Same for Samuel. Ditto a little for Alexander who did a brief stint in the return game before his clear value as a corner and punt returner was realized. We have to get something out of it...and more kickoff depth for that specialty unit as well.
1. Unrelated to Cardinal Football but just a demographic observation...if a movie is ever made called "Kentucky State Fair" it will be filmed on location. And that location is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee may have produced Miller Lite, Richie Cunningham, the Fonz and sadly Jeffrey Dahmer, but it could as easily be known as the progenitor of the wife beater shirt, mullets thirty years after they were en vogue and people who believe Lipitor is a Morning After pill to be taken after every platter of Sausage. I did find the Sausage Race at the Brewers game to be a riot, yet strangely reminiscent to the towns overall low regard for nutrition.
...but I digress...the reason Wisconsin has such exceptional offensive lines consistently is because they are a big people, not a beautiful people.
2. ...which segues into my favorite new cause...the Big and Beautiful Mekhi Becton. As it stands today we appear to have at least four likely starting offensive linemen 315 plus. Last year I believe that number was two wasn't it? I've never gotten into the old UK game of saying they have an advantage "Because Matt Elam is 377 pounds vs. the Alabama AA C who is 295"...but it is somewhat comforting to know that we will be blocking 320 LB DT Dexter Lawrence and 300 Christian Wilkens with comparably larger players off both shoulders. At one point two years ago and early last season I commented that we were using our multiple tight end sets to arc block and bring across the formation in such creative ways that I never have seen anywhere in college football. We had Towbridge who was an outstanding blocker in that capacity; we had Hikutini who could be used as a standup slot, flexed in the backfield, isolated downfield on a linebacker (Exhibits A and B were home run throws against Marshall and Clemson). I think what happened as the season materialized was teams saw those arc blocks and decided they would overload us and have smaller players coming underneath blocks and either chasing down plays from behind or causing our running game to become too horizontal. Not only were Mahoni, Hughley and Hunter not huge by the modern offensive linemen standard, they weren't particularily long (impacting reach blocking abilities) nor athletic, obviously impacting second level blocking abilities so critical to springing a player of Jackson's otherworldly abilities. Beyond that they were both outquicked and overpowered straight up the A gap by an Ed Oliver performance that was reminiscent of two of the most dominant DT performances I've witnessed in my lifetime and those were Warren Sapp's three quarter demolition of an outstanding Nebraska OL in the 1995 Orange Bowl, and the Ndamakung Suh decimation of Texas' offensive line in the Big XII Title game his senior year. Jackson still had the big plays going off misdirection shooting the A or B gap--most notably against BC. But Houston did to us in November what they did the previous year in September and as fatefully what Marshall did to us. They flooded the tackle box with safeties and had Godzilla to occupy everything inside the B gaps.
Despite missing two really great TE fits in Towbridge and Hikutini (who I still think is going to play in the NFL through a couple contracts)...we still have a deep pool and it's very diversified. Averett is unique from Crum and Standberry, Crum is unique and has laid some of the more dynamic downfield blocks in recent years, Standberry had the stint as a slot receiver....with Davis being a big fourth option. All of that lends itself to the underrated quality of setting the edge or in Petrino's terms being able to outflank the edge with misdirection...but more importantly, athletically gifted enough to have a big kid laying a second level block on a pursuing linebacker by design; the kind of block lethal when pared with a Lamar Jackson.
3. ...all of that said...I am extraordinarily bullish on our offense. Under normal circumstances I would be a little skeptical of our running back corps without Spring Practice superhero Dae Williams; but it might be we need that one cut straight ahead runner type more than who it is. Whoever it is or will be...that group as a whole has got to treat ball security with more seriousness than we did last year. It's pretty uncommon to see a team turn the ball over in consecutive years without some address to the problem; I can't imagine we'll kick the ball around like we did last season. God knows we shouldn't be missing snap counts at center.
** We had three big play deficiencies offensively last year any one of which is usually the death of any offense: 47 sacks which I can't conceive we'll remotely approach this season. The extraordinary number of fumbles and what I would also state was an equally extraordinary number of drops. Would it be fair to say our biggest droppers were Quick and Staples with Staples being sort of a shocker since he statistically didn't drop a ball in 2015. Standberry was a big dropper in 2015.
Is it really a stretch to say those three facets will improve in 2017; the volumes seemed historic to me on the sack and fumbles alone statistically. I don't find that to be false optimism. Many factors have changed that would seem to directly address those faults.
4. The four things that stood out to me from all reports from last week from practices and up through media day defensively were:
A. The emergence of Travon Young as a real compliment to James Hearns; when we start talking about carryover from 2016 we have to be blunt about Fields...he made big contributions against Charlotte, had a big game applying pressure against Florida State, had a really big game against Wake...and damned near nothing in between. Wasn't he second or third team All-ACC last year? It was obvious to any of us watching that as far as impact goes we got far more from Hearns. So can Fields' production be replaced by Young? I'd say that he's odds on to go beyond that if the reports are accurate. B. the effusive praise heaped on Dorian Etheridge, and by extension as I see it the being lost in the shuffle of Amante Caban. The reports or Etheridge coming out of early Fall Practice reports remind me of another surprise Mike from years ago that came onto campus somewhat under the radar and that's Rashad Harris. The reports are practically parallel...mature beyond his years, instinctive, inquisitive, arrives with a quality payload and most important to defensive coaches few false steps or wasted motion. That's something that was a pretty big concern coming out of Spring if we're confessing concerns, and C. the report that GG Robinson is realistically splitting and pressing for reps with Richardson who did have a pretty good year last year; opposite Drew Bailey who is an every down tackle that's exciting. With two DTs you really need four contributors, with five to six being optimal. But we can't all be Clemson or Alabama. and D. Sturghill pressing for that backside corner with Trumaine Washington. Washington has made alot of big plays for Louisville in his three previous years and that's too soon forgotten because I think he in particular has suffered from a lack of consistent pass rush; he'll be remembered as getting beaten over the top twice at Clemson, getting beaten deep against Kentucky and rolling his ankle when it happened. Some talk about him like he's Antonio Roundtree's bastard son. But he still makes plays. If Sturghill flat beats him out...that's bigger news than I think people realize. Whoever is playing there is going to be challenged and you can bet the ranch on it.
Something I think can unquestionably be improved on over 2016 that I think surprised Petrino based on one area he thought we'd be effective...kickoff return production. It was supposed to be in Dawkins wheelhouse--but produced little. Same for Samuel. Ditto a little for Alexander who did a brief stint in the return game before his clear value as a corner and punt returner was realized. We have to get something out of it...and more kickoff depth for that specialty unit as well.
