Spring Ball 2018

[Jackedforlife]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

I appreciate the point of view regarding Jake and Dallas with TC...I think what I'm trying to express, poorly, is that TC's first option was always JW or DG. A 1a/1b scenario, TC would often force balls into them instead of going to the second and third reads. Because of the talent/catch radius it worked more often than not. I often saw a WIDE open receiver that never had an opportunity because TC went to the big guys. Now you can argue that the guy won't be as open now that DG and JW are gone...but I'll also add without a true #1a/1b the defense won't be able to pick their poison and really decide who to double cover. TC will have to be better with his pre-snap reads and accuracy.

Another thing to consider is Eidsness and his playcalling...when we get good Eidsness we are unstoppable. If something is off then it could end up being a long day. TC's 4th year in this system and time for he and EE to prove it without Dallas and Jake.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

I think our offense will be average or above average again next year. We obviously lose alot from the passing game game. I think we will be more balanced in the passing game though, and provided TC gets back into a good rythym, we should be decent in that realm. What I'm hoping for the most though, is a return to a strong running game. We have three starting oline, plus several experienced backups back, plus two returning running backs. Our rush offense was quietly very effective last year, and I hope it takes the next step this season. I want to see more commitment to the run, especially power, and I want to see us take control of some games with our rush offense.

So much of our issues/negative plays in the run game the last couple of years have been due to the read option and RPO plays. With the talent we had, those plays were a great change up, but I think we committed to them too much, and TC ended up making a lot of bad reads on those plays that hurt us in the chains. I'd like to see a little less spread option, and a little more downhill counter/power. Earlier this fall, I rewatched our playoff game with Northern Arizona from 2013. It was incredible how much more we went under center. Obviously, we had much different talents at QB and RB back then, but I'd like to see a little bit more of that type of identity in the 2018 jacks. Doesn't have to be under center, but more commitment to the run game and play action will serve us well late in the year, and maybe help keep our D fresh.

Which brings me to my largest concern. I think the back seven in D should be fine, but our D line will be a huge question mark. We will see how they develop, but I'd be incredibly surprised if our D line ends up being a strength as opposed to a liability. Now, in 2015, we had a below average D line and a great back seven, and we had a fantastic D that year. But this will be a really unproven/young group, and I'm concerned that it will be what holds us back the most.

I don't want to discredit the kids before the season begins, because we do need to see how they develop and work as a unit. But I am pretty damn tired of having the D line be the weak link on our D. It's been the same story for 5 years now. Maybe they will develop into a strength of the D, but on paper it doesn't seem real likely.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

At this point in TC's career I think he is who he is. His accuracy is average. Losing Jake and Dallas won't improve his accuracy.

That being said I think our offense will be just fine. TC is still good enough to make plays and our other receivers seemed pretty good. I don't think the offense will be good enough to carry our defense like last year so we need to see some improvement on that side of the ball.

[BTownJack]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

I've said this before but I really was impressed with our WRs not named Jake last year. They came on strong and put my mind at ease after this year. Insert Skyler into Goedert's position and we will be okay. Will we take a step back, yes, but not as big of one as I think most people think.

[WestSideRabbit]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

Meh...that was one game...against an incredible defense. It was also on the road. There was lots of pressure. I wouldn't be concerned about TC...but losing those proven weapons has got to hurt. A healthy Goedert is near impossible to cover.

Not to rehash.... but I'm fairly certain TC was more injured from the accumulation of hits the last few weeks of the season and the New Hampshire game then we have been told. Again, no one has said so directly, but it has been hinted at.

[Jackedforlife]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

Not rehash.... but I'm fairly certain TC was more injured from the accumulation of hits the last few weeks of the season and the New Hampshire game then we have been told. Again, no one has said so directly, but it has been hinted at.

I still look at that hit he took late in the NH game and wonder what the heck were the coaches thinking??? No reason for him to be in there let alone running around or passing. Definitely had an affect.

[WestSideRabbit]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

I don't want to discredit the kids before the season begins, because we do need to see how they develop and work as a unit. But I am pretty damn tired of having the D line be the weak link on our D. It's been the same story for 5 years now. Maybe they will develop into a strength of the D, but on paper it doesn't seem real likely.

I'm with you. This is the weakness of the team, not just the defense. At this point Ryan Earith is our only average to above average starter on the defensive line. He really came on as the season progressed and he showed why he was a top recruit. Smenda and Kern battle and are gamers but also get out of position or blown-up way too often. I just don't know what to think about Elijah Wilson. Tons of potential and flashes in practice but hasn't put it together in an actual game. We'll see if Tolu and Callendar can make some strides and catch-up on the mental part of the position. I like the potential of Van Marel but would prefer if he could redshirt. I was impressed with the redshirt Reece Winkelman last fall in the practices I watched.

On the interior, I'm intrigued by Xavier Ward's potential. I just don't know if we can totally rely on Barrett, Hildahl, and Stacker. It felt like they continued to make significant mistakes last season instead of improving as the season went along. The one positive is at least these four got plenty of in-game experience last season. I hope all of the incoming freshmen along the defensive line will be able to redshirt and get stronger but it all depends on how the older players develop.

[BTownJack]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

Not to rehash.... but I'm fairly certain TC was more injured from the accumulation of hits the last few weeks of the season and the New Hampshire game then we have been told. Again, no one has said so directly, but it has been hinted at.

I've heard hints that this was the case as well. But as you said, no one wants to come out and say it directly or confirm it.

[TransAmBison]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

Not to rehash.... but I'm fairly certain TC was more injured from the accumulation of hits the last few weeks of the season and the New Hampshire game then we have been told. Again, no one has said so directly, but it has been hinted at.

Completely agree.

[Jackedforlife]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

I'm with you. This is the weakness of the team, not just the defense. At this point Ryan Earith is our only average to above average starter on the defensive line. He really came on as the season progressed and he showed why he was a top recruit. Smenda and Kern battle and are gamers but also get out of position or blown-up way too often. I just don't know what to think about Elijah Wilson. Tons of potential and flashes in practice but hasn't put it together in an actual game. We'll see if Tolu and Callendar can make some strides and catch-up on the mental part of the position. I like the potential of Van Marel but would prefer if he could redshirt. I was impressed with the redshirt Reece Winkelman last fall in the practices I watched.

On the interior, I'm intrigued by Xavier Ward's potential. I just don't know if we can totally rely on Barrett, Hildahl, and Stacker. It felt like they continued to make significant mistakes last season instead of improving as the season went along. The one positive is at least these four got plenty of in-game experience last season. I hope all of the incoming freshmen along the defensive line will be able to redshirt and get stronger but it all depends on how the older players develop.

The staff isn't afraid to pull redshirts on DTs. Which begs the question, do either Sanders(Iowa HS wrestling state champ at 285) or Walhaf(just threw a shot put pr of over 53' at his first indoor comp) get a chance. I would think both could prove themselves for depth.

Note of interest, Sanders is on the Iowa all star team going to wrestle in the Pittsburgh classic this weekend. Another future Jackrabbit wrestler, Zach Price is also on the team.

[thumper_76]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

My opinion: Offense is fun to watch and exciting, but defense wins championships.


I'm interested to see if TC can get past what happen against JMU.

The TC thing worries me a bit, a game like that can be really tough to overcome once things start to go wrong in another game.

As to the old sports cliche, at least in football I think it’s overrated to be honest. It’s just as difficult to win a championship with a stellar defense and a bad offense. Just like I can only think of a couple of teams who won Super Bowls off of pure offense, I can only think of a couple that won off of pure defense as well. Teams that are really successful and win championships have a core identity and are very good at it. Ndsu last year had a very good offense to go with their defense. Yes their defense is what powers the machine, but their offense was pretty incredible as well. And every year they won the championship their offense was very good at what it was designed to do. If you look at the recent teams that have been mainstays in the playoffs and have been in the championship games or won them they consistently have a core identity they play with. SHSU and EWU are two that come to mind that are offensive oriented and have been in multiple semi final games and championship games. You could point out they have one natty between them, but that’s more than most anyone else in the last decade outside of ndsu.

I’m not arguing that you don’t need a good defense. I’m arguing that whatever identity your team has they need two things to win a championship. One is be very good at what they are known for, the second is to have the other side of the ball be good to great as well to compliment it. For our situation I’m going to piggyback off of what SoDakJack replied to me.

The most success we have seen in the program is with an open offense. I don't think that you mess with it. The most room for improvement would be the defense.

There are a couple reasons for that IMHO. The first is it is a style of play that when executed well along with a defensive game plan that can hold their offense down gives ndsu some serious problems. A mobile qb with a spread out set can give them fits, only if it’s good of course. Look at their EWU game two years ago and our last two Marker Games as an example. Winning that game both years has been the difference between getting a seed and not getting a seed. We’ve gotten deep in in the playoffs than ever before because of that.

Secondly, we had tried for years to out ndsu ndsu. Anybody remember how that went? Part of the problem with that is if you are going to out do somebody at their own game, you need to have better guys, which eventually comes down to recruiting. The problem with that is we recruit against them a lot, and they have a whole bunch of nattys and FBS wins that mean a lot to these kids, so I think having a different identity than what ndsu does is a good thing for bringing in more talented players that may not be attracted to the ndsu style of play or be as big of a priority, like wide receivers and such. That helps us become a better team overall.

I also think that our shift in styles of play shows we have a smart coaching staff who puts winning ahead of ego. You need to emphasize the strengths of the personnel you have, not force them to run what you decide because that’s now it is. When the coaches saw we had a good qb and a supremely talented wr they utilized that instead of not maximizing his potential in a system designed for a star rb.

I personally would prefer us to be a strong defensive team that grinds it out on the ground and gashes people with play action, but I’m not going to bemoan us doing something different that has worked for us better than anything in the history of the program ever has.



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[SoDakJack]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

The TC thing worries me a bit, a game like that can be really tough to overcome once things start to go wrong in another game.

There are two ways a player can go after a performance like TC had against JMU.
1) Use it to motivate him to be even better this year and show that it was an anomaly.
2) Start to have flashbacks whenever things go a little sideways.

Personally, I think that #1 is what will play out. My biggest worry with TC this year is that he might press trying to do more with Dallas and Jake gone. My hope is that he can develop relationships with the new guys quickly.

I also think that our shift in styles of play shows we have a smart coaching staff who puts winning ahead of ego. You need to emphasize the strengths of the personnel you have, not force them to run what you decide because that’s now it is. When the coaches saw we had a good qb and a supremely talented wr they utilized that instead of not maximizing his potential in a system designed for a star rb.

I personally would prefer us to be a strong defensive team that grinds it out on the ground and gashes people with play action, but I’m not going to bemoan us doing something different that has worked for us better than anything in the history of the program ever has.

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My thoughts for this upcoming year are that the offense won't be as explosive due to who we lost, but the defense won't be as bad because of what we have retuning. I think that this year both sides of the ball are going to have to carry their share of the work to be successful. The past couple years the team was carried by the offense. Before that it was the defense doing the brunt of the work. If this team is going compete in a NC game, we need to have both sides clicking.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

The TC thing worries me a bit, a game like that can be really tough to overcome once things start to go wrong in another game.

As to the old sports cliche, at least in football I think it’s overrated to be honest. It’s just as difficult to win a championship with a stellar defense and a bad offense. Just like I can only think of a couple of teams who won Super Bowls off of pure offense, I can only think of a couple that won off of pure defense as well. Teams that are really successful and win championships have a core identity and are very good at it. Ndsu last year had a very good offense to go with their defense. Yes their defense is what powers the machine, but their offense was pretty incredible as well. And every year they won the championship their offense was very good at what it was designed to do. If you look at the recent teams that have been mainstays in the playoffs and have been in the championship games or won them they consistently have a core identity they play with. SHSU and EWU are two that come to mind that are offensive oriented and have been in multiple semi final games and championship games. You could point out they have one natty between them, but that’s more than most anyone else in the last decade outside of ndsu.

I’m not arguing that you don’t need a good defense. I’m arguing that whatever identity your team has they need two things to win a championship. One is be very good at what they are known for, the second is to have the other side of the ball be good to great as well to compliment it. For our situation I’m going to piggyback off of what SoDakJack replied to me.

I think you're right. I certainly don't think we can win with just defense, but our defense has to be better than last year for us to take the next step. Our defense showed flashes last year but overall they were average at best IMO.


As for the old adage, it's not fool proof, but recent history seems to provide several examples.


FCS: NDSU and JMU
FBS: Alabama and Clemson
NFL: Eagles, Broncos, Seahawks

Except for Alabama and the Broncos all these teams had pretty good offenses. All of them buttered their bread on defense.

[BitsTD]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

Based off of last years performances I expect Cade Johnson to be an absolute stud. Really excited to see some of the younger skilled guys who have been killing it in weight room (Campbell) on the field to see if the work is gonna translate.

[91jack]

Re: Spring Ball 2018

I don't want to discredit the kids before the season begins, because we do need to see how they develop and work as a unit. But I am pretty damn tired of having the D line be the weak link on our D. It's been the same story for 5 years now. Maybe they will develop into a strength of the D, but on paper it doesn't seem real likely.

I would hope that they have somebody else that can play DE. I know a couple of them might have left the team but didn't they have 12 underclassmen at DE last year. I think they recruited 6 more this year. There might not be 18 bodies there but there should be enough players to choose from to have a couple quality starters and 3 or so backups that can hold their own.
I think that DT is a lot lower in numbers. They only have around 8 players to choose from but hopefully 3 or so of them can get the job done.
there might just be a couple seniors so they might be a little young but hopefully they can do the job.