2012 Fall Practice

[forestgreen]

Best time of the year is fast approaching! :thumb:

Opening Of Football Practice Right Around The Corner

http://www.goviks.com/news/2012/7/26/FB_0726122822.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

Here Come The Vikings... First Practice This Sunday

http://www.goviks.com/news/2012/8/2/FB_0802120132.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

Here we go!

Portland State football: Vikings open fall practice with optimism, sights set on challenging for titles

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2012/08/portland_state_football_viking_22.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

I couldn't make it out to the practice today, but will be there for the first scrimmage on Saturday. Go Viks!

VIKING FOOTBALL: If You Can't Stand The Heat, Don't Step On The Practice Field

http://www.goviks.com/news/2012/8/5/FB_0805120807.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[martymoose]

Interesting that Sisler is moving over to safety.

I guess there's two schools of thought on that; we're either very deep at linebacker, or we're very thin in the secondary.

 

[psublog]

Here's even more info, because if youre here youre a diehard.
http://ianruder.com/wp/?p=722" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[scooter1]

Interesting that Sisler is moving over to safety.

I guess there's two schools of thought on that; we're either very deep at linebacker, or we're very thin in the secondary.

Both really, but moving Joel back probably strengthens that safety tandem without overly diminishing the LB corp. It will also allow Edgerson, Faddis & Organ to grow into the role with a great mentor in Joel.

Damn, this season should be fun !

 

[BroadwayVik]

With fewer than five weeks to prepare for the Sept. 8th meeting in Seattle with the Washington Huskies (with a televised September 1st tune-up game), the Portland State Vikings started fall camp Sunday with a sense of urgency. It would be premature to say that head coach Nigel Burton has already elevated his team to the level of the Mountain West Conference, but with a deep roster and two and half years invested in his administration, there is no doubt expectations are rising.

“That’s when you know you’re moving the program in the right direction and bringing in the right people,” Burton said. “I think our players’ expectations of themselves are phenomenal and I think the work they’ve done has been phenomenal.”

1) Defensive Ends Appear Impressive

Transfer defensive ends Marquis Jackson, Nick Alexander and Jerry Boone. NFL draft experts have already tabbed the 6-5 senior Jackson, the transfer from Texas Southern, a late round draft pick. He is ripped, huge and quick in drills. He can play.

Alexander, a redshirt last season on the Boise State Bronco roster is comparably impressive in size

Coaches are also excited about fellow big man Jeremy Boone who, now fully rested and healthy after last season's hiatus, is ready to play.

2) Players as Good as Advertised

Having personally seen the ballyhooed class of freshmen recruits, I can honestly say that they are the real deal. There is a quantum leap in size, athleticism and attitude. It seems reasonable that this should all reflect favorably on the field. The potential is unquestionably there.

3) Freshman Summer

All the freshmen players were on campus this summer and I don’t think I can emphasize how important that seems to have been. I sensed how all the players came to know one another and build team identity together better than at anytime in the past. Jesuit High grad Nick Rothstein reflected how he and his fellow freshman felt at home on Day One: “We’re all really close,” he said. “We were in the dorms together all summer and there was a lot of bonding.”

4) Who’s the Man?

The six-man depth chart battle to starting quarterback. Sophomore Josh Milhollin and touted transfer Collin Ramirez are the fore-running favorites, but competition remains perpetual and a dynamically open affair.



…

 

[martymoose]

Here's even more info, because if youre here youre a diehard.
http://ianruder.com/wp/?p=722" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Damn, Is Sulleyman not eligible until fall term, or is it some sort of transfer issue? Regardless, that's a bummer.

I love the 10:1 on McDonagh. Oddly enough, I actually went to a game that he played last year. If he's the real deal, I'd like to see him redshirt and get a year in the program under his belt.

On the other hand, what the hell, if he can move the offense in the Big Sky, let him loose!

 

[VikThunder]

Here's even more info, because if youre here youre a diehard.
http://ianruder.com/wp/?p=722" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Damn, Is Sulleyman not eligible until fall term, or is it some sort of transfer issue? Regardless, that's a bummer.

I love the 10:1 on McDonagh. Oddly enough, I actually went to a game that he played last year. If he's the real deal, I'd like to see him redshirt and get a year in the program under his belt.

On the other hand, what the hell, if he can move the offense in the Big Sky, let him loose!

Man, that was a surprise for me to read that Great to hear. Don't burn a year of eligibility if he's an up and comer!

 

[martymoose]

Great day for football today.

Shaq went down prior to the scrimmage and I hope he's ok. I thought that he maybe just got the wind knocked out of him by landing on the ball or something, but he seemed to be in a bit of pain and was without pads for the rest of the day.

The greatest workout of the day was by the referees. Ice those arms fellas, as throwing that many flags will lead to some sore arms. What in the hell is with all of the penalties? False starts just kill me. :evil:

Here's some random things that stood out to me today:

- Grrr, I printed off a roster and forgot it at home, so I missed a few plays looking up guys on my phone.

- Plummer had a hell of a play on a screen pass. He read the play to perfection and lit up the back right after he caught the ball.

- Penn had the throw of the day with that sweet play that hit Monahan stride for stride down the right side. I'd love to see that again on video.

- Nothing against Fite, but seeing ole number 24 out there and it not being Shead saddens me. Big shoes to fill for that jersey.

- Leg strength from our kickers seems to be quite strong. Brown is the man, but when he moves to playing on Sundays instead of Saturdays, I think we're going to be fine. Additionally, there were a couple of punts today that were tight spirals with nice distance.

- McDonagh looked really sharp in his passing. Good to see from a freshman.

- I can just hear Hewitt's call 'Intercepted by Bass!!! He's to the 20, the 10, the 5, to the house!!' That was a great pick, and an even better return.

- Long snapping. Concerning.

- Good solid tackles by the linebackers today.

- Snap hitting the QB in the face in the first scrimmage once is acceptable. Snap hitting the QB in the face from here on out is unacceptable.

- Was that Monahan that had one of the greatest one handed catches ever down the east sideline today. I had a crappy view, but damn, that looked like a catch.

- Late in the second, there was a play close to the west sideline where a offensive guy (I didn't get numbers) had a chance at a crackback block on a defensive guy (again, I didn't get numbers). He pulled up and didn't make the hit. Given a game scenario that hit would have been made and it would have been brutal. Hats off to him for pulling up since it's a scrimmage and that's a teammate. Fall camp can make or break you on the depth chart, so big plays can get you on the coach's radar. Good for him to not risk injury to a fellow teammate.

- I think that Karrington Jones is going to be the most improved player of the 2012 season. Just a hunch.

Overall, I think the starting offense and defense looks pretty solid. I'd say that our 1's on defense are ahead of our 1's on offense. I'm ok with that, as defense wins ballgames.

For the offense, even with Shaq not participating today, the running back play shows our depth at that position. I'd like to see the majority of the QB reps down to two guys by the next scrimmage. I'd say that Lewis and Monahan are a couple of the better receivers in the Big Sky, and we have some quality depth behind them. We just need our starting QB sorted, and we can go from there.

For the defense, the depth in the secondary is a concern. The line dominated early, and had some sacks. It's tough with the scrimmage format to judge what is and what is not a sack, but there was constant pressure on the QBs for most of the day.

 

[pdxfan]

Marty - Ian had a nice article on yesterday's scrimmageHe favored Muhollin and backed away from Ramirez. Any idea why? Didn't say how many passes he completed, whether he ran, etc., just implied he "lacked leadership". How is that measured? Maybe he wasn't left in very long?

 

[pjstano]

Marty - Ian had a nice article on yesterday's scrimmageHe favored Muhollin and backed away from Ramirez. Any idea why? Didn't say how many passes he completed, whether he ran, etc., just implied he "lacked leadership". How is that measured? Maybe he wasn't left in very long?

Objectively, I think that it was just that Ramirez had almost no positive plays out there when he ran the offense: handed off the ball, couple of missed snaps from center, botched plays, etc. Tough on him and Milhollin going against a D that looks real good. Penn and McDonagh looked super out there, but against the 2/3/4 deep defenses. I still think Ramirez looks like he's got a lot of skills and leadership. I think we're deep at QB.

 

[psublog]

Hey-o,
Just to clarify about the "lacked leadership" - what stood out to me, and has stood out since spring, is that Ramirez just doesnt look like he has bonded with his teammates. I've rarely seen his teammates rally around him or show the excitement that they do with Milhollin, Penn or McDonagh. Clearly, loving your QB isnt a prerequisite for success. If he was lighting things up or was clearly the best passer or runner, the lack of a connection wouldnt be as meaningful. The problem is, right now Ramirez has yet to show any exceptional physical skills. That leaves his experience and reputed leadership skills as the main things to judge him on. So far, neither has stood out. He can still be the guy, but to do so he is going to have to stand out in some way and I dont see him besting his competitors on arm strength or speed.

 

[martymoose]

Marty - Ian had a nice article on yesterday's scrimmageHe favored Muhollin and backed away from Ramirez. Any idea why? Didn't say how many passes he completed, whether he ran, etc., just implied he "lacked leadership". How is that measured? Maybe he wasn't left in very long?

Sorry, I was out of town and didn't get a chance to respond.

Ian responded with regards to his leadership comment. I'm not around the program as much as he, so the bonding comment is news to me, and eyebrow raising.

Regarding Ramirez... He just didn't stand out. At all. Sure, these other QBs are going up against 2-3-4's, but some of the guys made big plays. McDonagh threw some tight spirals on the money. Penn threw one of the better PSU scrimmage passes that I can remember in the past few years for a 40+ yard gain. Green showed his running ability.

Milhollin had some moments, but it is hard to get past that pick six. That was a linebacker's dream. Is playing mediocre and not really having any 'good' plays, or any 'bad' plays worse than a couple of 'good' plays and a 'bad' play?

Time will tell.

 

[GreenGiant]

Obviously one scrimmage does not portend what may happen for the rest of the season, but based on what I saw, Ramirez was lackluster at best. They have a couple of weeks before the first game, and I would guess that someone is going to go into that game as the odds on favorite, but we will see more than one QB taking snaps that day. If Ramirez wants to be one of those guys, he's going to have to show more energy and command of the team.

 

[pdxfan]

Nice article on Ramirez in Wednesday's Tribune. When he's good, he's very good. Still learning the playbook, he admits. Takes time. I expect we'll know more come Saturday.

 

[martymoose]

I was late today and ended up getting there about five or ten minutes before half, so I missed the majority of the first half.

Here's some notes from today:

-The tempo seemed to be raised today, as plays seem to go at a faster rate, which was nice.

-Although I missed most of the first half, I didn't see Shaq out there today. Was he out all of today?

-The WRs had a case of the drops today. Let's hope this goes away, but when the pass hits your pads, then your hands, then the turf, you're not doing it right.

-It was good to see Carter out there behind the center. I was impressed with some of his play. He looked good last fall, but this year he really had that 'field general' look. As soon as the play was over, he was getting the play and the formation set. He has some nice short passes, and a couple that weren't so hot.

-Snapping was better today, but still needs work. Snapping is critical on QB reads and if the ball is in a different spot every time, our QBs won't have a chance at success.

-#44 (Brody-Heim) was helped off the field in a bit of pain. They were checking him out by me and mentioned his MCL. Not sure how serious it is, but he was limping around with ice on it later on.

-We're deep at RB. Deep I tell you.

-The QBs. This has been one of the better fall camps to watch the QBs. While the starting spot isn't locked down, I find myself wanting to see the two freshman out there. Both Penn and McDonagh have looked good at times. I think Penn had a play versus the 1's, however, it was a poor snap and was doomed from the start. Overall, I think that we have better down field passing skill on this team than in years past. There are quite a few passes that have been really, really good.

-Number 1 QB... If I had to put money on who will get the first snap of the 2012 football season today, it would be Josh Milhollin. I think Ramirez will need to really turn heads from here on out to earn the starting spot. That's not to say that he won't see the field this season, but at this point we're 14 days out from the season, and he hasn't grabbed the golden ring. There were a couple plays that were close together in the second half that stood out. Ramirez threw out to the right side and the receiver didn't cut out. Not sure who's fault it was, but it was clear that they're not on the same page. Meanwhile, Milhollin was facing a 3'rd and long, everyone was covered, ended up running for it and juked multiple defenders for the first down. It's all about getting it done.

 

[scooter1]

Nice read Marty - A few of my own thoughts (by the way, Shaq was not out there today)

- if the snaps from center were better than before, than we are in deep doo doo, and I'm not talking about long snaps either. Unbelievable the number that were downright embarrassing

- QB situation still very unsettled with Milhollin & McDonagh having slight edge

- defensive line is the REAL DEAL, and DBs looked reasonably good

- RB corp is going to be good and deep. Lilley & Bowen both making an impact today along with Adams - with Shaq making it back and Long in the fold next year this is going to be a scary, scary group to try and stop

- Alex Toureen had a pretty spectacular day at WR - is going to complement Monahan, Lewis, and Tatum quite well

All in all, not a really impressive day for the offense, but this may well turn out to be one of the best defenses in the Big Sky, and until we have a QB in place we won't know what kind of chemistry this group can put together

 

[martymoose]

Sounds like Carter is now a wide receiver so it's down to Milhollin, Ramirez, and the two freshman (McDonagh, Penn).

While I think that we'll probably see Milhollin as the starter, when was the last time we had a true freshman as the starter for the season opener?