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idontrollonshobbas

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Posts posted by idontrollonshobbas

  1. Thanks for the article and analysis....your conclusions match what I saw with my own two eyes though I had no idea why the play was improved other than different players.  

     

    I am still shaking my head in disbelief.  I waited decades for 5-start LB's.....finally lived to see it with Sewell and Flowe on the roster.....only to have that duo become the soft spot on the defense.   I would have lost money on that bet.

     

    Sewell first year was solid....I guess injuries slowed him down some but the game moved away from his skill set to some degree.   Flowe was faster than lightning.....and yet whiffed on targets, or was late, and was one of those guys who got hurt a lot. Troy Dye could play with a broken arm and be more effective.

     

    Whether it was coaching, scheme, talent, effort or a combo of all four....let's hope Coach Dan has it figured out.  

     

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  2. The mindset of the Pac-12 leadership, especially at the institutional level, is not now, nor has it been historically one of athletics growth.  The focus has been almost exclusively on academics, with athletics as a delightful side dish to the main meal.  The Jell-O mold salad with cottage cheese, if you are inclined to go with the metaphor.

     

    The other conferences have had more balance in terms of interest in both athletics and academics which means they have had a better strategy since forever to capitalize on the growth opportunities.

     

    Pac-12 boosters have funded athletics, but they don't have the political heft to move strategy at the admin and conference levels.  Once a bureaucracy congeals into a status quo, it is tough to drive change dynamics outside of an exogenous catastrophic event.  Maybe this will be it, and folks will demand excellence, or the Pac-10 is destined for shrinkage and loss of prestige.  

     

    The Dakotas will be playing better college football than the left coast before too long if we just keep trundling along.

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  3. I am coming around to the axiom that "sunlight is the best disinfectant" within regards to the new NIL era.  This stuff has always been going on, some would say, so let's make it transparent.  That way we can judge the various handlers, players who hire handlers, the recruiting agencies, on their merits.

     

    The handlers & athletes athletes that lead to production on the field, honor commitments to schools reasonably, and meet all of the institutional requirements asked of them by the NCAA will be rewarded and future PSA's will know how to chart the best course for them.

     

    Those who don't.....won't. 

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  4. Great article, Joshua.....thanks for the insights!  A few posters have highlighted concerns with the new O line alongside scheme tweaks and I worry about those too.

     

    Another concern is the TE room. Now that Cam and Moliki have transferred, we are down to 3 guys.  One is a frosh, another is injury prone (missed 2 straight years) and the third had a lot of snaps but wasn't a regular starter in Ferguson.

     

    If Harbor joins, he is a fourth guy, but also a freshman.  Granted a 5 star freshman. Joshua's article highlights Stein's different approach with TE's.....he likes them split out more.   That makes me feel better about the thin TE depth, because our body types are better suited to wide splits and route running more so than blocking.  The exception might be Herbert who is 250+lbs.

     

    Even if Harbor commits, I would like to see a transfer portal TE added to make it a 5 man TE room. I could see one or two of the DL or DB guys transferring out after Spring ball to free up the schollies.

  5. Thanks for the article, David.  Given the fact that OBD have brought in 16 new DL/Edge guys and now have 50 total Defensive players on the roster, it seems Coach thinks our defensive deficit was primarily upfront and that the lack of pressure exposed the secondary. 

     

    The play-calling question is one I don't have an answer for, but your conclusions regarding the strengths of Lupoi and Hampton ring true to me.  Could one posit that the personnel was the larger issue last season which caused play calls to have the additional burden of trying to mask a huge roster weakness in addition to countering opponent sets and down/distance concerns?

     

    I'll leave it to the site gurus to parse those distinctions.  Again, thanks for a great read and ponder point!

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  6. It's hard to explain how meaningful this guy was to me as a 12-year old listening to the 77 championship run.   Not only was he a huge fan of the game and team but he was a true radio broadcasting story-teller.  

     

    Going into the Western Conference Finals against Kareem, et al., The Schonz captured all the drama of the David vs. Goliath storyline, possession by possession and game by game.  As the Blazers slowly asserted themselves, then gained confidence, then puffed their chests out and blew the doors off the Laker machine in a 4-0 sweep.....The Schonz, an audible Bob Ross, painted a picture of the Blazer unit as a amalgam of faith, grit, resolve and cunning that was the pinnacle of team ball of that era, the begining of the NBA superstar growth cycle.

     

    Getting to the Finals was nearly enough for most of us after 6 years of mundacity.  We were the youngest squad, with the best coach and a team system set up to dominate for a decade.  We would be the next NBA western conference legacy franchise, replacing the worn out Lakers. So, the Finals was the proverbial 'gravy' on the meal.

     

    But then, Darryl Dawkins, poked the Bear.  Chocolate Thunder picked the wrong guy to provoke, The Enforcer....Maurice Lucas....LUUUUUKKKKKKE!    Bobby Gross took the Dr. J challenge head on and Larry Steele vise-gripped George McGinnis...of course the Big Redhead was always there to clean up the mess if needed.  Walton's rebounding and defensive and outlet passing unlocked The Train and Johnny Davis on the break and Gene Shue still doesn't know what hit him.

     

    Only The NBA Finals series was all televised.  Up until then it was only The Schonz on most nights. After the Blazers went down to the Sixers 0-2, I was convinced it was my fault because I had switched on the Volkswagen Beetle sized color tv in the living room and abandoned The Schonz.  Game 3, the TV stayed off, and the tide turned.  I didn't watch the TV broadcast again until I broke down in the 4th quarter of Game 6.  Going back to Philly for Game 7 was a deathwish.  The Blazers had to pull it out and I had to see it.

     

    McGinnis clanked a jumper off the front of the rim at 109-107.....Walton skied above all one last time and tapped the rebound out to JD who dribbled out the final seconds.  CBS immediately shifted to the Western Open golf tournament.  Back to the radio where The Schonz narrated the locker room drama and the Trophy presentation.

     

    We all knowhow things turned out.  What we thought was the birth of a dynasty was instead its Zenith.  The Schonz was the final tie to that *poof* of a dream season.  Now, like the fledgling dynasty, he is resolved to the Ethereal World.

     

    Thanks Bill Schonely.....you painted your masterpiece for this young Blazer fan.

     

    RIP....city.

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  7. On 1/16/2023 at 1:46 PM, Nevada Dawg said:

    I read this morning that MJ Sherman has found a new home at Nebraska and was surprised that he still had three years of eligibility remaining. My prediction is that he will become a meaningful contributor to that defense.

     

    Correction: It was late when I typed my response to the death of the Georgia football player yesterday. His name was Willock not Wilcock.

    I was sorry to hear of the tragic incident, Nevada Dawg, my condolences to the Georgia football family. 

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  8. On 1/16/2023 at 3:42 PM, Duckdude said:

    Herbert’s o-line didn’t give him much protection.  He didn’t have time to get set up.  He also didn’t have Mike Williams.  Also, Herbs doesn’t have the escapability of a Kyle Murray or Mahomes.

     

    The 1st round draft pick Left Tackle was injured all year.   They put the starting LG out to tackle and he played pretty well much of the season....I think he went down in the 2nd quarter.

     

    And, on defense, they lost Bosa and a starting CB int he second half.  The second string CB was a rookie, I believe.

     

    But, all they needed was another first down to hold them off, and two more first downs to seal it away.  The play calling was conservative.  Earlier in the year, Staley channeled Mark Helfrich with predictable 4th down and 2 pt conversions play calls.....only to become Cristobal in the playoff game.

     

     

  9. After the ASU game, I was preparing to post the obituary for this season with a positive nod toward next season and the incoming recruits.  I am especially psyched about Shelstad's skill set and leadership that I feel has been lacking since PP laced up for the Celts.

     

    But then I remembered that Dana Altman is a Witch/Wizard/Warlock and thought to myself "They'll probably go out and beat the Wildcats next game" so I held back.  

     

    Dana Strikes Again

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  10. I hope Herbert doesn't extend with LAC.   The franchise is not Super Bowl caliber.  They have a 5th year option they can pick up for 2025.  If the O line doesn't get him killed by then, he can refuse an extension and sign elsewhere for 2026 and beyond.

     

    I don't speak Greek but "spanos" must translate to "snatch defeat from jaws of victory"

    british GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers 

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