Offensive practice observations from Bob

[Jarius]

1.) Fitzgerald is still ahead of Staley simply because he has been here longer and has had more time to progress, but Staley is the most talented and Bob expects him to eventually overtake Fitz
2.) Shumpert is the clear number one but A. Williams has moved ahead of D. Lee for the number 2 spot
3.) Warren is entrenched as the starter at left tackle. Rankin is the 6th olineman at this point.
4.) The 3rd wide receiver is Fred Brown. Morrow will probably start but Brown has been the better guy and Bob expects him to get the most reps. Donald Gray is behind Brown and Morrow. He says they are all pretty close though

Defensive breakdown tomorrow, but one little note was that McLaurin is going to play and has been really impressive.

[mic]

1.) Fitzgerald is still ahead of Staley simply because he has been here longer and has had more time to progress, but Staley is the most talented and Bob expects him to eventually overtake Fitz
2.) Shumpert is the clear number one but A. Williams has moved ahead of D. Lee for the number 2 spot
3.) Warren is entrenched as the starter at left tackle. Rankin is the 6th olineman at this point.
4.) The 3rd wide receiver is Fred Brown. Morrow will probably start but Brown has been the better guy and Bob expects him to get the most reps. Donald Gray is behind Brown and Morrow. He says they are all pretty close though

Defensive breakdown tomorrow, but one little note was that McLaurin is going to play and has been really impressive.


#4... WR depth is sick... And just because Gray is listed as the #3 at his position or anyone else doesn't mean anything.. They ALL will play and play different positions at times.... Esp when we go 4/5 wide....

[CadaverDawg]

2.) Shumpert is the clear number one but A. Williams has moved ahead of D. Lee for the number 2 spot.

Been trying to tell y'all to pump the brakes on D Lee. I think he will be a really good back for us, but too many people went crazy about a Spring game.

[ShotgunDawg]

1.) Fitzgerald is still ahead of Staley simply because he has been here longer and has had more time to progress, but Staley is the most talented and Bob expects him to eventually overtake Fitz
2.) Shumpert is the clear number one but A. Williams has moved ahead of D. Lee for the number 2 spot
3.) Warren is entrenched as the starter at left tackle. Rankin is the 6th olineman at this point.
4.) The 3rd wide receiver is Fred Brown. Morrow will probably start but Brown has been the better guy and Bob expects him to get the most reps. Donald Gray is behind Brown and Morrow. He says they are all pretty close though

Defensive breakdown tomorrow, but one little note was that McLaurin is going to play and has been really impressive.

Good breakdown

1.) Fitzgerald is still ahead of Staley simply because he has been here longer and has had more time to progress, but Staley is the most talented and Bob expects him to eventually overtake Fitz

We will have a great QB competition next year between two quality participants. It's about production though. It's not about who has "more talent" (Jeff Driskel).
2.) Shumpert is the clear number one but A. Williams has moved ahead of D. Lee for the number 2 spot

Competition is wonderful. My guess is that Williams has stepped up rather than Lee stepping down.

3.) Warren is entrenched as the starter at left tackle. Rankin is the 6th olineman at this point.

4.) The 3rd wide receiver is Fred Brown. Morrow will probably start but Brown has been the better guy and Bob expects him to get the most reps. Donald Gray is behind Brown and Morrow. He says they are all pretty close though

WR depth is sick, but REMEMBER DAK HAS NOTHING AROUND HIM. No matter how good any of these WRs are, Dak has nothing around him because the media told me so. Think about that. Deepest, best WR core in 100+ years of MSU football history and people have the audacity & ignorance to say, "Dak has nothing around him."

[ShotgunDawg]

Been trying to tell y'all to pump the brakes on D Lee. I think he will be a really good back for us, but too many people went crazy about a Spring game.

Your making an assumption that this has to do with Lee and not Williams improving. I see it as a great competition in which both players are likely improving.
In order to make Williams look good, we don't have to sacrifice Lee. It's possible that they are both really good and Williams has probably picked up the nuances like blocking & protection quicker.

I know what I saw with my eyes in the Spring game & Lee has talent. If Williams has made it to that level or passed it, then GREAT!

[Johnson85]

Warren is entrenched as the starter at left tackle. Rankin is the 6th olineman at this point.


So do we have a good enough backup to consider redshirting Rankin? Or is he going to spend one year of his eligibility as a backup?

[KB21]

IMO, if Staley is ever going to start, he needs to focus on football and not basketball.

[blacklistedbully]

Your making an assumption that this has to do with Lee and not Williams improving. I see it as a great competition in which both players are likely improving.
In order to make Williams look good, we don't have to sacrifice Lee. It's possible that they are both really good and Williams has probably picked up the nuances like blocking & protection quicker.

I know what I saw with my eyes in the Spring game & Lee has talent. If Williams has made it to that level or passed it, then GREAT!

That's not what I took from what you said Cadaver. My take is you were referring to the enormous amount of hype coming out based on the Spring Game alone, and that it's not yet settled who our 1, 2 & 3 are going to be. Personally, I'm very excited about our RB prospects, whichever order it comes out. If AW is now supposedly ahead of DL, I choose to think it's just the way things are shaking out as each continues to learn and improve, and just a sign of how great competition can be a catalyst for positive change.

[ShotgunDawg]

That's not what I took from what you said Cadaver. My take is you were referring to the enormous amount of hype coming out based on the Spring Game alone, and that it's not yet settled who our 1, 2 & 3 are going to be. Personally, I'm very excited about our RB prospects, whichever order it comes out. If AW is now supposedly ahead of DL, I choose to think it's just the way things are shaking out as each continues to learn and improve, and just a sign of how great competition can be a catalyst for positive change.

I agree, just saying that I don't have to pump the brakes on Lee, just because Williams may have moved ahead of him. As we saw with the Josh Robinson/Ladarious Perkins debate, Mullen will play one back over another for numerous reasons. I think both Williams and Lee are going to be good

[blacklistedbully]

I agree, just saying that I don't have to pump the brakes on Lee, just because Williams may have moved ahead of him. As we saw with the Josh Robinson/Ladarious Perkins debate, Mullen will play one back over another for numerous reasons. I think both Williams and Lee are going to be good

I get you, I'm saying I think Cadaver, when he said, "pump-the-brakes" wasn't indicting or disparaging Lee, he was simply saying, "Let's hold off on the coronation and see how it works out". I could be wrong.

[CadaverDawg]

Your making an assumption that this has to do with Lee and not Williams improving. I see it as a great competition in which both players are likely improving.
In order to make Williams look good, we don't have to sacrifice Lee. It's possible that they are both really good and Williams has probably picked up the nuances like blocking & protection quicker.

I know what I saw with my eyes in the Spring game & Lee has talent. If Williams has made it to that level or passed it, then GREAT!

Where did I "assume" Lee regressed? No I didn't.

Whether Williams passed him, or Lee regressed, people still made to much assumption based on a Spring game. Williams and Shumpert have TONS of talent too. I just said people needed to pump the brakes on HOW SOON Lee would be a producer for us. He will play a lot this year, but he is not ready to steal Shumps reps, and probably not Williams' either.

Holloway and Chappelle "looked" the part in Spring games too...so I don't care what your eyes told you. Spring games can be deceiving. I would also bet that we're all blowing up what Fitz did in Spring game too, myself included. Much like Lee, they both showed what they're capable of, but neither is ready to take the reigns...which is what I've said all along.

[CadaverDawg]

That's not what I took from what you said Cadaver. My take is you were referring to the enormous amount of hype coming out based on the Spring Game alone, and that it's not yet settled who our 1, 2 & 3 are going to be. Personally, I'm very excited about our RB prospects, whichever order it comes out. If AW is now supposedly ahead of DL, I choose to think it's just the way things are shaking out as each continues to learn and improve, and just a sign of how great competition can be a catalyst for positive change.


Exactly. That's exactly what I was saying.

Shotgun likes to put words in people's mouth to try and formulate an argument where there is none.

[CadaverDawg]

I agree, just saying that I don't have to pump the brakes on Lee, just because Williams may have moved ahead of him. As we saw with the Josh Robinson/Ladarious Perkins debate, Mullen will play one back over another for numerous reasons. I think both Williams and Lee are going to be good

Ha, fine, don't pump the brakes on Lee. But you may be disappointed when you realize that you can't judge a player's career on a Spring game performance. Nobody is saying Lee isn't good, so you can stop trying to act like someone said that...but he's not ready to be our #1 RB, which a TON of people claimed he would be before the end of the season.
It will likely take an injury for that to happen, but he will get carries, and he will eventually be a good back for us. Not sure he'll ever match the expectations our fans placed on him after one Scrimmage performance though.

Hell I feel bad for the guy. He had one good scrimmage and several of our armchair heroes are expecting him to be the next great MSU running back. That's why I said "pump the brakes"...if not for Shotgun, for D Lee.*

[BorneDawg]

the fact we are talking about #2#3#4 on depth list is GLORIOUS !!! That is how you compete for championships year in and year out. In the past we've had 1st units that could play with anybody but where we would falter is a big drop off in the 2nd unit guys. Now we have the depth to sub without that drop off. Exciting times my friends EXCITING TIMES!!!!!

[Jarius]

I am ready to hear the defensive breakdown tomorrow. McLaurin showing out is very good news because he has been saying (along with the coaches) that Bryant, Coman, and Market are all going to be very serviceable this year. The only real concern is the depth at Dline if the safeties pan out and from all accounts they are panning out.

[CadaverDawg]

the fact we are talking about #2#3#4 on depth list is GLORIOUS !!! That is how you compete for championships year in and year out. In the past we've had 1st units that could play with anybody but where we would falter is a big drop off in the 2nd unit guys. Now we have the depth to sub without that drop off. Exciting times my friends EXCITING TIMES!!!!!

Amen brother.

[Tbonewannabe]

Having Bryant, McLaurin, and Peters at safety will be probably the most athletically talented group we have ever had. The future is bright.

[TUSK]

Ha, fine, don't pump the brakes on Lee. But you may be disappointed when you realize that you can't judge a player's career on a Spring game performance. Nobody is saying Lee isn't good, so you can stop trying to act like someone said that...but he's not ready to be our #1 RB, which a TON of people claimed he would be before the end of the season.
It will likely take an injury for that to happen, but he will get carries, and he will eventually be a good back for us. Not sure he'll ever match the expectations our fans placed on him after one Scrimmage performance though.

Hell I feel bad for the guy. He had one good scrimmage and several of our armchair heroes are expecting him to be the next great MSU running back. That's why I said "pump the brakes"...if not for Shotgun, for D Lee.*

In my experiences, Spring Games offer next to zilch, Cadaver...

[Coach34]

1.) Fitzgerald is still ahead of Staley simply because he has been here longer and has had more time to progress, but Staley is the most talented and Bob expects him to eventually overtake Fitz
2.) Shumpert is the clear number one but A. Williams has moved ahead of D. Lee for the number 2 spot
3.) Warren is entrenched as the starter at left tackle. Rankin is the 6th olineman at this point.
4.) The 3rd wide receiver is Fred Brown. Morrow will probably start but Brown has been the better guy and Bob expects him to get the most reps. Donald Gray is behind Brown and Morrow. He says they are all pretty close though

Defensive breakdown tomorrow, but one little note was that McLaurin is going to play and has been really impressive.

Rankin was 9th or 10 coming out of Spring- so thats good to hear

[CadaverDawg]

In my experiences, Spring Games offer next to zilch, Cadaver...

Didn't Terry Grant look All-World in a Bama Spring game one year, and then never pan out? Or did he get injured? Or am I totally wrong about him

[AlSwearengen]

Didn't Terry Grant look All-World in a Bama Spring game one year, and then never pan out? Or did he get injured? Or am I totally wrong about him

He tore it up early against out of conference patsies b/c he could outrun them to the edge. Once he got to SEC games, he couldn't rely on his straight ahead speed which is about all he had. The guys that should have been ahead of him had some kind of book/pell grant scandal going on as well as injuries.

During his senior year, he was too good to stay in MS (or so he and his advisors thought) and was initially headed to FSU until he thought they were going to put him at corner after his official visit. Bama got him by default b/c remember, he was too good to stay in MS. He probably should have gone to usm in hindsight. He wasn't going to play ahead of Boobie and I don't know who olemiss had. Good kid though.

[msstate7]

the fact we are talking about #2#3#4 on depth list is GLORIOUS !!! That is how you compete for championships year in and year out. In the past we've had 1st units that could play with anybody but where we would falter is a big drop off in the 2nd unit guys. Now we have the depth to sub without that drop off. Exciting times my friends EXCITING TIMES!!!!!

I'm pretty sure we've pumped up back up players for years. The difference is back ups now actually are worth some hype

[msstate7]

Rankin was 9th or 10 coming out of Spring- so thats good to hear

If he's that low bc the others are really good, then yeah. If he's that low bc he wasn't as good as the hype, then no.

[War Machine Dawg]

If he's that low bc the others are really good, then yeah. If he's that low bc he wasn't as good as the hype, then no.

Combination of JUCO adjustment period, needing to learn the offense, and Warren going beast mode is my understanding. Nothing I worry about, honestly. Plus I've been high on moving Warren since last season. As a former TE, he's got the feet and athleticism to be an outstanding OT.

[shoeless joe]

No doubt in my mind that the RB situation is based on Aeris puttin in the work and being committed to gettin better more than anything negative about lee. We are deep at that position.

[Coach34]

Aeris was always supposed to be the more talented of the two

[Tbonewannabe]

Aeris was always supposed to be the more talented of the two

Wasn't Aeris supposed to be the best RB in MS for his last 2 years in hs?

[maroonmania]

Ha, fine, don't pump the brakes on Lee. But you may be disappointed when you realize that you can't judge a player's career on a Spring game performance. Nobody is saying Lee isn't good, so you can stop trying to act like someone said that...but he's not ready to be our #1 RB, which a TON of people claimed he would be before the end of the season.
It will likely take an injury for that to happen, but he will get carries, and he will eventually be a good back for us. Not sure he'll ever match the expectations our fans placed on him after one Scrimmage performance though.

Hell I feel bad for the guy. He had one good scrimmage and several of our armchair heroes are expecting him to be the next great MSU running back. That's why I said "pump the brakes"...if not for Shotgun, for D Lee.*

Hey, if Shumpert and Williams are looking the best now then great, but as far as Lee goes he was actually the talk of the entire Spring session, not just the Spring game.

[Johnson85]

Wasn't Aeris supposed to be the best RB in MS for his last 2 years in hs?

Heard that but have also heard people claiming that he is a less athletic and less quick version of Shumpert. No clue which is closer to the truth. I assume both can't be.

[Bullshooter]

I am excited about Shumpert/Williams finally getting a chance to run the show. Both have way more upside/potential than anything we've had since Boobie left. Ballard had 2yrs of Juco and had a great 2yrs at State (not making light of that), Perkins had 3 yrs before Jr year breakout (Sr. year slump), Robinson had 2 years before breaking out last year. I'm not trying to go all Black Bear here and base everything on stars, etc. but Shumpert and Williams have the measurables and I think they and Lee are the main reason why J-Rob decided he'd better give the pros a shot. If the OL is there, I think we're really discounting our RB's potential this year with 2012 MS Gatorade POY and 2013 Mr. Football now getting their shot.

Player / Measurables / 24/7 composite
A. Shumpert / 6-2, 220lbs / 0.92
A. Williams / 6-1, 220 / 0.90
J. Robinson / 5-9, 215 / 0.84
L. Perkins / 5-9,180 / 0.85
V. Ballard / 5-10, 226 / 0.855 (Juco)
A. Dixon / 6-1, 225 / Gold Standard

[Jack Lambert]

Rankin was 9th or 10 coming out of Spring- so thats good to hear

I don't know why but i never worry about the O line. Might should but they always seem to get it together.

[War Machine Dawg]

I am excited about Shumpert/Williams finally getting a chance to run the show. Both have way more upside/potential than anything we've had since Boobie left. Ballard had 2yrs of Juco and had a great 2yrs at State (not making light of that), Perkins had 3 yrs before Jr year breakout (Sr. year slump), Robinson had 2 years before breaking out last year. I'm not trying to go all Black Bear here and base everything on stars, etc. but Shumpert and Williams have the measurables and I think they and Lee are the main reason why J-Rob decided he'd better give the pros a shot. If the OL is there, I think we're really discounting our RB's potential this year with 2012 MS Gatorade POY and 2013 Mr. Football now getting their shot.

Player / Measurables / 24/7 composite
A. Shumpert / 6-2, 220lbs / 0.92
A. Williams / 6-1, 220 / 0.90
J. Robinson / 5-9, 215 / 0.84
L. Perkins / 5-9,180 / 0.85
V. Ballard / 5-10, 226 / 0.855 (Juco)
A. Dixon / 6-1, 225 / Gold Standard

Hmmmm......
http://i.imgur.com/A5Fts4j.gif

[Johnson85]

I don't know why but i never worry about the O line. Might should but they always seem to get it together.

An oline that gets it together like 2011 or 2013 would leave everybody here pretty disappointed in this season.

[Coach34]

An oline that gets it together like 2011 or 2013 would leave everybody here pretty disappointed in this season.

2011- we lost 4 starters and then had 3 injuries in the 1st 3 games. The fact that we even went bowling was impressive IMO

2013- what was wrong with 2013? We had statue at QB that held the ball forever- and still was 7th in the SEC in sacks allowed

[Johnson85]

2011- we lost 4 starters and then had 3 injuries in the 1st 3 games. The fact that we even went bowling was impressive IMO

Agree, but we were going to be relying on a converted DT at LT even without injury. We had a particularly bad string of luck with respect to injuries, but we weren't in a position to survive anything but good luck.


2013- what was wrong with 2013? We had statue at QB that held the ball forever- and still was 7th in the SEC in sacks allowed

Some of 2013 performance definitely could have been on skill position players, but you're putting way too much blame on Russell. He had to rely on a third down back to be his primary RB. Perkins couldn't get tough yards and didn't have the phsyical ability to be a good pass blocker in the SEC. I'm also not sure our passing game was good enough to keep good defenses honest. We didn't have a single deep threat receiver and after Bumphis, our receivers just weren't quite SEC quality, or were SEC quality but should have been the 4th or 5th receiver on a solid receiving corp. I don't think Russell's ability was nearly as much of a problem as just not having the tools to complement him.

But yes, you give us a focused Josh Robinson, or a mature Dak, or a Bear or Ross to go with Bumphis, and our line probably looks more effective that year.

[Jarius]

We lost the Auburn game in 2013 because the defense choked in the last 2 minutes of the game. We lost the LSU game in 2013 because we gave up 50 something points. We lost the A&M game in 2013 because of Johnny football being amazing and we gave up a ton of points. We lost the Carolina game in 2013 in large part to Dak having the worst game of his life due to his mother being on her death bed. We lost the Alabama game in 2013 because we had to play our backup and backup to backup quarterbacks.

I think you are blaming the wrong group for our 2013 problems.