Early predictions for 2014

[clawman1]

EAGS 11-1. After watching the scrimmage Saturday I am confident the EAGS will sweep the BSC this year. It will be hard to beat UW there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the EAGS win a close one in Seattle. As for the Big Sky, NAU and PSU will be hard fought road wins. The Montana schools pose not threat. My mole in Missoula reports the GRIZ look mediocre and quite SOFT on the defensive side.

You should never rely on a mole for your information, as they have very poor eyesight. :nod:
:thumb:

You're right

 

[Eagledawg]

EAGS 11-1. After watching the scrimmage Saturday I am confident the EAGS will sweep the BSC this year. It will be hard to beat UW there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the EAGS win a close one in Seattle. As for the Big Sky, NAU and PSU will be hard fought road wins. The Montana schools pose not threat. My mole in Missoula reports the GRIZ look mediocre and quite SOFT on the defensive side.

GoldenEagle isn't that the scrimmage that VA threw 3 int's. I'm more of a wait and see type of person but please tell what about the scrimmage did you like.

 

[marceagfan5]

EAGS 11-1. After watching the scrimmage Saturday I am confident the EAGS will sweep the BSC this year. It will be hard to beat UW there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the EAGS win a close one in Seattle. As for the Big Sky, NAU and PSU will be hard fought road wins. The Montana schools pose not threat. My mole in Missoula reports the GRIZ look mediocre and quite SOFT on the defensive side.

Montana is really the only threat this year in conference for EWU, they will be good on offense, but questionable on D. We get them at home, coming off a home game the weekend before, on senior day, so it plays out well for us. Considering the timing of that game, it could be for the conference title...

 

[GoldenEagle]

EAGS 11-1. After watching the scrimmage Saturday I am confident the EAGS will sweep the BSC this year. It will be hard to beat UW there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the EAGS win a close one in Seattle. As for the Big Sky, NAU and PSU will be hard fought road wins. The Montana schools pose not threat. My mole in Missoula reports the GRIZ look mediocre and quite SOFT on the defensive side.

Montana is really the only threat this year in conference for EWU, they will be good on offense, but questionable on D. We get them at home, coming off a home game the weekend before, on senior day, so it plays out well for us. Considering the timing of that game, it could be for the conference title...

Marceagfan5. I’m not so sure Montana will even be that productive on offense. Their offensive line is average and if you paid attention to last year you probably noticed their quarterback got punished. He got hit a lot and it affected his accuracy. I think this year will be no different. If their starting QB is not healthy, they are an average team.

 

[GoldenEagle]

EAGS 11-1. After watching the scrimmage Saturday I am confident the EAGS will sweep the BSC this year. It will be hard to beat UW there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the EAGS win a close one in Seattle. As for the Big Sky, NAU and PSU will be hard fought road wins. The Montana schools pose not threat. My mole in Missoula reports the GRIZ look mediocre and quite SOFT on the defensive side.

GoldenEagle isn't that the scrimmage that VA threw 3 int's. I'm more of a wait and see type of person but please tell what about the scrimmage did you like.

Eagledawg,
First, I like the way Baldwin and staff run these scrimmages. I think they are a great balance between the scripted structure and just loose enough that the athletes have a good time. For a spring scrimmage, the quality of play was really good, very spirited and competitive.

I was impressed with the overall depth this team has, the number of athletes making plays was impressive, especially for a spring scrimmage. One of the things that stood out was the overall speed of the team. Many of the veteran starters from both offense and defense did not participate in the scrimmage. So, the underclassmen got a lot of reps. I did not have a roster (not sure if one was available), and the jersey #s didn’t seem to match up with the players I did recognize anyway. So it was difficult to keep up with specific players.

I focused on the defense, especially the defensive backs and I think the corners played very good with a lot of tight coverage and some good run support. I don’t think cornerback play will be an issue this season. It was great to see Jordan Tonani on the field again. He looked 100% to me. He and Todd Raynes were the safeties on the #1 defense and both looked good. When Tevin McDonald gets back and add Miles Weatheroy and Zach Bruce equates to a lot of depth at safety.

Yes, VA got picked three times, and I think part of those picks was due to solid defensive play. He threw into coverage on the first pick, the second pick was a screen that I think VA thought he could squeeze in and DL Matthew Sommer made a great play and snagged the ball. I think the last pick was an overthrow near the deep middle that Zach Bruce picked. VA did make some good throws however, just not his best performance. I did like the way both Jordan West and Conner Richardson played. Both threw the ball well and I believe the EAGS are in very good shape with backup quarterbacks. I am looking forward to the Red and White game this weekend. Will be able to track players better and want to focus on the DLine and linebacker play.

I am interested in what other fans thought of the scrimmage.

 

[Eagledawg]

Goldeneagle thanks for the in depth reply. Being in the Seattle area I relish any kind of insight to Eagle football.
I'm not big on predictions but I have a few things that I think are key requirements.

Offensive line: If the 3 new starters can be aggressive right off the bat that will be key for the whole season. I've seen a average QB look great due to they played behind a really good line and I've seen a really good QB look bad because he's always worried about the rush. I thought last years line played great and I hope the big guys up front can do just as well or better!

Running backs: We have a bunch and I think we have some good ones but I really like Forte's running style and he has a nice burst of speed and when he turns the corner he can do some serious damage. If those guys on the line give him some operating room he could really take the heat off the passing game A five yard gain on first down makes everything so much easier.

Receivers: Or should I say replacing Ashton Clark. Kupp had a super year but I think part of that was because of Ashton Clark. Without Clark Kupp would have seen a lot more double coverage. Clark was so good at catching the intermediate crossing pattern, he will be sorely missed! So who's going to pick up the slack? You can't ask Kupp to do much more. I would like to see Shaq Hill get more plays that would help develop his short game more (short pass long run) to complement his deep threat. I hope Cory Mitchell has a good year. Blair Bomber (great name for a receiver) had a nice TD in the Oregon State game but I didn't see much from him after that. I don't know a whole lot about Kendrick Bourne but he has nice size.

Defense: I liked Pulu's size for plugging up the middle but with him gone maybe the overall line speed will pick up. The linebackers should be in fine shape and all the concerns about the secondary will sort itself out. We have the athletes there and I think people will be surprised well they will come along.

Can't wait for SHSU Aug. 23rd, have my reservations at the Holiday Inn. Just hope we can fill the place and have even been testing out some new tailgating recipe's!

 

[clawman1]

Eagledawg;
You make good points especially from afar. Having been to 4 practices and 2 scrimmages this season I can say there does not appear to be any drop offs. I can't really say about the oline but it appears they are well coached and quick. That seems to be the theme from my perspective speed speed speed.
Cooper Kupp is such a competitor he will get his chances. At the last scrimmage he ran the length of the field to strip the ball after an interception. H was NOT going to let him score and it was only a scrimmage! There are several other receivers that will be difference makers. VA is really throwing good. I did not realize how hard he can throw the ball into tight coverage. I hope that does not get him into trouble.
RB's Marion Brown looks awesome and the walk on from Cda looks very dynamic. fast fast fast.
If we get DJ Martin on the field the running game will be as good or better than the passing game.
The DB's - WOW there is definitely no concern there.
Very deep at linebacker.
As I said, from this laymans viewpoint, not many weak spots and a lot of depth is there are injuries.
I would hope we use more quick plays to get guys in space and take advantage of that speed.

 

[EWU98]

The UCLA safety transfer who broke his leg at the end of the year is he back yet?

 

[DefendtheRed]

The UCLA safety transfer who broke his leg at the end of the year is he back yet?

Yes he is but not expected to be at 100% until the fall. Jim Allen has an on-going series about the different positions in the Spokesman he he talked about the secondary and Tevin McDonald.

 

[EWU98]

Thanks have not checked the Spokesman for a while. Look forward to the read.

 

[tski60]

Happened to catch the Huskies "spring Preview" on TV last night... according to the announcers their 1st 4 games will be easy wins - which of course includes us. They backed this up with the fact that the Huskies return almost all starters on O & D line - which they said is where games are won or lost. Sure hope they go into the game like OR State did - overconfident in an easy W.

 

[EWURanger]

Happened to catch the Huskies "spring Preview" on TV last night... according to the announcers their 1st 4 games will be easy wins - which of course includes us. They backed this up with the fact that the Huskies return almost all starters on O & D line - which they said is where games are won or lost. Sure hope they go into the game like OR State did - overconfident in an easy W.

I actually don't think Oregon State went into our game with us overconfident or under-prepared. Eastern played basically a flawless game offensively...they just couldn't match us in that regard.

As for UW, we'll put points up on them. Doesn't BLM still hold the record for passing yards in Husky Stadium? I don't think Peterson will try to play real conservatively, either, so I think there will be a lot of points scored in that game.

 

[sammamisheag]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

 

[DefendtheRed]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

 

[EWURanger]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

Not trying to give the defense a free pass, but the Towson loss had as much to with poor clock management/play selection as it did the D. If we had run the ball on 4th down we would have forced them to at least take a timeout. Inexplicably, we throw it.

 

[Rjones61]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

Not trying to give the defense a free pass, but the Towson loss had as much to with poor clock management/play selection as it did the D. If we had run the ball on 4th down we would have forced them to at least take a timeout. Inexplicably, we throw it.

I disagree. I think the coaches made an excellent play call. They predicted what actions Towson would make and they called a play that left Cooper wide open. If the play had been executed correctly, then we would have won the game. However, that is simply the game of football. There are so many variables and something can always go wrong.

 

[EWURanger]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

Not trying to give the defense a free pass, but the Towson loss had as much to with poor clock management/play selection as it did the D. If we had run the ball on 4th down we would have forced them to at least take a timeout. Inexplicably, we throw it.

I disagree. I think the coaches made an excellent play call. They predicted what actions Towson would make and they called a play that left Cooper wide open. If the play had been executed correctly, then we would have won the game. However, that is simply the game of football. There are so many variables and something can always go wrong.

Just my opinion on that one. I probably would have run the ball in that situation to milk the clock, but Baldwin's not a take it safe type guy - and that mentality has served the program well, up until that play, IMO. At the end of the day, that's how these things go sometimes. We could have done a number of things to win that game (get a first down, make a stop on defense), but we didn't. And thus, it's a total team loss. People will focus on VA because 99% of the time he will make that throw, and Kupp will catch it. Ultimately, we turned the ball over on downs and let them drive the field with a little over a minute left on the clock. I guess my point is that it was a total team loss, not focused on the O or D - both units failed to make plays when it mattered most in the game.

 

[marceagfan5]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

Not trying to give the defense a free pass, but the Towson loss had as much to with poor clock management/play selection as it did the D. If we had run the ball on 4th down we would have forced them to at least take a timeout. Inexplicably, we throw it.

I disagree. I think the coaches made an excellent play call. They predicted what actions Towson would make and they called a play that left Cooper wide open. If the play had been executed correctly, then we would have won the game. However, that is simply the game of football. There are so many variables and something can always go wrong.

We lost the game because Towson scored 3 tds in their first 4 possessions.

As far as the last drive, we ran the ball a bunch, I don't think anyone changes the play calling on that drive. The execution was just a bit off on the last play it was the perfect call. Even if we run it on 4th and 2, if we turn it over on downs, the clock stops for change of possession so Towson would not have had to use a time out. Before the pass on 4th and 2, we had run the ball 4 of the last 5 plays.

This team will learn from that game and WHEN we are in the semi's this year, the game won't be that close....

 

[clawman1]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

Not trying to give the defense a free pass, but the Towson loss had as much to with poor clock management/play selection as it did the D. If we had run the ball on 4th down we would have forced them to at least take a timeout. Inexplicably, we throw it.

I disagree. I think the coaches made an excellent play call. They predicted what actions Towson would make and they called a play that left Cooper wide open. If the play had been executed correctly, then we would have won the game. However, that is simply the game of football. There are so many variables and something can always go wrong.

We lost the game because Towson scored 3 tds in their first 4 possessions.

As far as the last drive, we ran the ball a bunch, I don't think anyone changes the play calling on that drive. The execution was just a bit off on the last play it was the perfect call. Even if we run it on 4th and 2, if we turn it over on downs, the clock stops for change of possession so Towson would not have had to use a time out. Before the pass on 4th and 2, we had run the ball 4 of the last 5 plays.

This team will learn from that game and WHEN we are in the semi's this year, the game won't be that close....

There is no way a championship caliber defense should allow a 70 yard drive in 1 minute.

 

[eaglesfootball]

Same could be said for EWU. Both teams are natl title contenders with a defense that can get stops in the 4th qtr.

UW is not a national title contender. Also, I hope you meant to say CAN'T get stops in the 4th quarter. All we had to do was get ONE STOP against Towson with a little over a minute left on the board and we would've been in Frisco this year.

Not trying to give the defense a free pass, but the Towson loss had as much to with poor clock management/play selection as it did the D. If we had run the ball on 4th down we would have forced them to at least take a timeout. Inexplicably, we throw it.

I disagree. I think the coaches made an excellent play call. They predicted what actions Towson would make and they called a play that left Cooper wide open. If the play had been executed correctly, then we would have won the game. However, that is simply the game of football. There are so many variables and something can always go wrong.

We lost the game because Towson scored 3 tds in their first 4 possessions.

As far as the last drive, we ran the ball a bunch, I don't think anyone changes the play calling on that drive. The execution was just a bit off on the last play it was the perfect call. Even if we run it on 4th and 2, if we turn it over on downs, the clock stops for change of possession so Towson would not have had to use a time out. Before the pass on 4th and 2, we had run the ball 4 of the last 5 plays.

This team will learn from that game and WHEN we are in the semi's this year, the game won't be that close....

we have a winner! Agree with all in this post, especially the part about letting them get an early lead. we didn't let any team do that this season minus Sam Houston and the result in that game was also an L.