Spring Scrimmage 2009

[BeauCajun]

_ Well, I'm sure watching Cajun players is hard enough for ya so maybe you missed a few of his plays. However, he didn't play a lot last year in games due to the depth at WR but he has obviously IMPROVED. He looked like he gained a little weight and really made plays against the first team D. If he keeps that up, he'll be a solid contributor. _

Hopefully Goodlet's injury wasn't too serious. He really made some nice plays yesterday.

[VObserver]

_ I stayed until about 11:30 and here is a small script of what I saw.

First, the D will be much improved and have much more depth this year. Even though there were no Fleming and Brooks in LB corp, everyone looked much more comfortable with their roles and looked liked they reacted vs. thinking.

Not sure on numbers but the tall Receiver (#18 white) played really well. I think that might be Goodlet but the WR was bigger than I thought Goodlet was. Louis Lee and Verlin Moore made nice catches and Marlin Miller had the nice TD catch. Aubrey played really well as he had a couple of really nice grabs. Ladarius Green still needs to add some size and he has another 4-5 months or so to hopefull put on at least 10-15 pounds. The line has some nice depth and will certainly be very good entering the season as long as they stay healthy.

QB's played like I thought. I still sticking with my prediction that Gauthier will be the starter by conference play. He just makes more plays than everybody else. McGuire is solid and I have no problems with him at QB but he's just a step slower than Gautier and he doesn't make things happen as well out of the pocket. Remember, Gautier's bread and butter was passing on the run in H.S. on lots of bootlegs and playaction in the shotgun. Chris Masson looked MUCH more comfortable over last season and he will actually be a solid backup.

RB's looked very average. Shankle looked like he had the track on the starter spot to me. Walker and Booker didn't do a lot to wow but its only spring and the D is way farther along than the Offense at this point which I think we all expected.

Defense= Noticed a couple of things. First, Hall Davis did not play with the first team and there was no sign of T. Richardson which worries me. Anything happen to him?? Also, it looked like Bentley played at the nickel spot a lot and he was playing behind #23 a lot. I don't have the roster so I'm in the dark on some names but #23 and #22 played really well at CB. However, #22 had what looked like a possible major knee injury as he was carted off and I'm concerned about him. I'm sure one of these guys is Rodney Gillis. I'm excited about him as I've heard great things so far. Lance Kelley played at Safety and seemed comfortable. At one time, they even had Blount at SS and Kelley at FS. All in all a pretty average scrimmage but the coaches were definitely pushing for the WR's and RB's to push the ball upfield as opposed to running sideways. I still think we throw to many lateral screens but we did throw the ball more vertical as this seems like it will be a standard in our playcalling. _

I thought Gauthier looked pretty good against the # 3 defense. No way he is ready to take over as the starter, though. McGuire has an NFL quality arm and release, is a solid, tough runner, and a very good leader. The last time I saw a release as quick as McGuire's at Cajun Field, it was Daunte Culpepper; before that it was Brett Favre. Not saying he is either one of those guys, but definitely he has the release and arm strength you look for in a QB, an the toughness and grit you want in a team leader.

As far as the RB situation, I really liked all four of the guys who saw a lot of action. In particular, Yobes Walker did an excellent job of blocking in pass protection. Look for him to be the guy in passing situations.

Defense looks to be much more athletic and much deeper than last year. The Orienne/Bentley CB tandem may be the best ever for the Cajuns. If we get solid play from our safeties over the top, our D could be really special [by our standards, anyway]. Depth in the DL and at LB is great, depth in the secondary is not so great, but there is time for improvement.

I'm excited. More depth across the board than I ever recall seeing at UL. Maybe not as stellar at the top as we have been at times, but MUCH less falloff in talent when starters get rested.

Expect the offense to be a little less explosive than last year; but the D will be so much improved that the loss of explosive capability won't matter.

[zephyr]

_ I thought Gauthier looked pretty good against the # 3 defense. No way he is ready to take over as the starter, though. McGuire has an NFL quality arm and release, is a solid, tough runner, and a very good leader. The last time I saw a release as quick as McGuire's at Cajun Field, it was Daunte Culpepper; before that it was Brett Favre. Not saying he is either one of those guys, but definitely he has the release and arm strength you look for in a QB, an the toughness and grit you want in a team leader.

As far as the RB situation, I really liked all four of the guys who saw a lot of action. In particular, Yobes Walker did an excellent job of blocking in pass protection. Look for him to be the guy in passing situations.

Defense looks to be much more athletic and much deeper than last year. The Orienne/Bentley CB tandem may be the best ever for the Cajuns. If we get solid play from our safeties over the top, our D could be really special [by our standards, anyway]. Depth in the DL and at LB is great, depth in the secondary is not so great, but there is time for improvement.

I'm excited. More depth across the board than I ever recall seeing at UL. Maybe not as stellar at the top as we have been at times, but MUCH less falloff in talent when starters get rested.

Expect the offense to be a little less explosive than last year; but the D will be so much improved that the loss of explosive capability won't matter. _

Agreed except for the QB. I agree that McGuire is solid but he didn't wow me at all with his decision making yesterday although I am not concerned about him. I just feel that Gautier offers much more in playmaking ability. You'll see him more in the fall scrimmages working with the number 1 offense and my prediction is he'll be the starter by conference. If not, I definitely see him starting the next year.

[DrumRoll]

More depth across the board than I ever recall seeing at UL. Maybe not as stellar at the top as we have been at times, but MUCH less falloff in talent when starters get rested.

Expect the offense to be a little less explosive than last year; but the D will be so much improved that the loss of explosive capability won't matter. _

The change in depth seemed significant to me as well, and that's why I disagree on the explosive part. The O always has the farthest to go in spring especially when you the replace leading passer, rusher, and receiver. The redshirt guys have had 7 practices, basically a week under their belts as they were scout team guys last fall running our opponents offense. What I saw was a nightmare for a DC to prepare for, so many players, so many different weapons to prepare for, no more shutting down the O by matching up well on 3 players, you have to match up on everyone now...or else.

Keep in mind, the O looked that promising against a much faster and more explosive defense, we sure found some closing speed. A friend and I were wondering why we do not try running a 3-4 with the speed we saw closing on the ball...

[zephyr]

_ The change in depth seemed significant to me as well, and that's why I disagree on the explosive part. The O always has the farthest to go in spring especially when you the replace leading passer, rusher, and receiver. The redshirt guys have had 7 practices, basically a week under their belts as they were scout team guys last fall running our opponents offense. What I saw was a nightmare for a DC to prepare for, so many players, so many different weapons to prepare for, no more shutting down the O by matching up well on 3 players, you have to match up on everyone now...or else.

Keep in mind, the O looked that promising against a much faster and more explosive defense, we sure found some closing speed. A friend and I were wondering why we do not try running a 3-4 with the speed we saw closing on the ball... _

Well, here is my answer to that question. To run a 3-4, you need a lot more than speed. Your 3 downlinemen HAVE to be able to clog the middle to allow the LB's to make plays. Our DL are neither big physical enough or good enough pass rushers to get pressure on the QB. We rarely get enough pressure when we rush all 4 and a LB. Good 3-4 teams in either college or the pros have DT's that are huge and physical. Plus, in a 3-4, your OLB's need to have very good coverage skills these days as so many more teams run multiple WR sets in the spread. We have struggled with this for some time now. The speed means little if your LB's can't cover. I'd rather stick with the 4-3 and hopefully really develop our DE's into pass rush specialists.

[DrumRoll]

_ Well, here is my answer to that question. To run a 3-4, you need a lot more than speed. Your 3 downlinemen HAVE to be able to clog the middle to allow the LB's to make plays. Our DL are neither big physical enough or good enough pass rushers to get pressure on the QB. We rarely get enough pressure when we rush all 4 and a LB. Good 3-4 teams in either college or the pros have DT's that are huge and physical. Plus, in a 3-4, your OLB's need to have very good coverage skills these days as so many more teams run multiple WR sets in the spread. We have struggled with this for some time now. The speed means little if your LB's can't cover. I'd rather stick with the 4-3 and hopefully really develop our DE's into pass rush specialists. _

I would like to see a 3-4 used against Sunbelt opponents, it solves several problems we experienced last season.

In the scrimmage I thought the pass coverage was excellent except on the TE's, they were open whether or not the QB found them. A 3-4 helps a lot underneath and on the roll out drag route with a mobile QB. If we are playing a pocket passer with limited mobility, 4-3 em to death, but in our league the QB is usually an Artful Dodger type with wheels.

Bottom line, last year I saw guys run down sidelines on us, the 3-4 helps prevent that. Just my opinion.

[zephyr]

And you're right but since we have been so dreadful against the run for I can't remember how many years, a 3-4 exposes you a bit, especially up the middle. I hear what you are saying and I think you are going to see some hybrid alignments that are similar like getting more speed on the DL and a Daylon McCoy to cover some ground. The fact that we have these possiblilites in running different coverages just makes me feel better.

[VObserver]

_ Agreed except for the QB. I agree that McGuire is solid but he didn't wow me at all with his decision making yesterday although I am not concerned about him. I just feel that Gautier offers much more in playmaking ability. You'll see him more in the fall scrimmages working with the number 1 offense and my prediction is he'll be the starter by conference. If not, I definitely see him starting the next year. _

I didn't see what you saw in Gauthier. He's a great athlete with a gun. That doesn't make him a quarterback. Ask the Falcons. There is a reason he is running # 4 right now behind McGuire, Masson and Brady Thomas. I would consider moving both him and K. White to other positions, as both are athletes that need to be contributing something in games.

[HOUCajun]

_ I didn't see what you saw in Gauthier. He's a great athlete with a gun. That doesn't make him a quarterback. Ask the Falcons. There is a reason he is running # 4 right now behind McGuire, Masson and Brady Thomas. I would consider moving both him and K. White to other positions, as both are athletes that need to be contributing something in games. _

I don't see anything wrong with the guy sitting and learning for a couple of years. If he's that great of an athlete, script a few plays a game to take advantage of what he can do. When he's a Jr or Sr he may be ready to step in to the QB role.

[RPCajun]

_ I didn't see what you saw in Gauthier. He's a great athlete with a gun. That doesn't make him a quarterback. Ask the Falcons. There is a reason he is running # 4 right now behind McGuire, Masson and Brady Thomas. I would consider moving both him and K. White to other positions, as both are athletes that need to be contributing something in games. _

Might want to ask Coach Bustle ... last time I checked the UL does not play in the NFC South... Vick was 22-1 (Va TECH went 22-2, losing to Miami w/o Vick) in College. Think if that happened in Lafayette most people would be pretty excited.

[J-Town Cajun]

_ I don't see anything wrong with the guy sitting and learning for a couple of years. If he's that great of an athlete, script a few plays a game to take advantage of what he can do. When he's a Jr or Sr he may be ready to step in to the QB role. _

Coach Viator at McNeese always scripted 1 series in each half for his 2nd string QB not matter the score or situation. This gives the #2 valuable game experience and he seems to stay in the game much more. It also could throw the defense a curve ball esp. with someone like Blaine G. who is so dynamic. With scripted plays this would be easier on him also.

[wcd35]

_ Might want to ask Coach Bustle ... last time I checked the UL does not play in the NFC South... Vick was 22-1 (Va TECH went 22-2, losing to Miami w/o Vick) in College. Think if that happened in Lafayette most people would be pretty excited. _

That's exactly right. People get down on Vick style players. Folks, we're not in the NFL. A player in Vick's style with that athleticism will eat up defenses.

Also, VObserver, you had to feel pretty comfortable with his pocket presence. The only times he ran were on designed runs for the most part. He did as well as any QB at stepping up in the pocket to give his receivers time to get open. Its not like Gautier ran it 75% of the time. Plus, did he even have an incompletion besides a drop on the far sideline.

He is not 4th string either. You cant go strictly by that first half of the scrimmage. Gautier was the 2nd QB in the 2nd half if I remember correctly, maybe 3rd.

I dont mind him learning either, but I think we can be very dangerous with him coming in for certain situations. 3rd and short is cake for this kid. He would give defenses nightmares having to prepare for both him and McGuire.