Insider.com blurb about Omar...

[98_BG_GRAD]

Agreed with J4 and 1987....debate the issues, accept the fact that people will disagree.

I accept that people disagree, but the point I was trying to make is that since the last game of the season almost all we've heard is that this team won't be any good next year because of who will be lost. I would love to see somone, who knows more about who will be playing next year than I, talk about the future of the program and who will replace the seniors. We all know Turner will be the QB if Omar goes, but who will be the 3rd and 4th receivers, who will compete for the running back spot and what does the future look like at offensive line and cornerback. I am sick of "we lose Sharon and Sanders, Omar or Turner will have no one to throw to" and "our defense will suck again." I understand that there are questions, but all people are doing is asking questions, no one is providing any answers. No matter what, there will be players to fill those spots, so let's talk about that. I unfortunately have not studied the replacements to this point, so I would love to hear what other people have to say.

[Germainfitch1]

Agreed with J4 and 1987....debate the issues, accept the fact that people will disagree.

I accept that people disagree, but the point I was trying to make is that since the last game of the season almost all we've heard is that this team won't be any good next year because of who will be lost. I would love to see somone, who knows more about who will be playing next year than I, talk about the future of the program and who will replace the seniors. We all know Turner will be the QB if Omar goes, but who will be the 3rd and 4th receivers, who will compete for the running back spot and what does the future look like at offensive line and cornerback. I am sick of "we lose Sharon and Sanders, Omar or Turner will have no one to throw to" and "our defense will suck again." I understand that there are questions, but all people are doing is asking questions, no one is providing any answers. No matter what, there will be players to fill those spots, so let's talk about that. I unfortunately have not studied the replacements to this point, so I would love to hear what other people have to say.

....Down the road:
1987's snippet and his analysis of the recent recruiting got me thinking and I am now going to jump into next season and after.
"found this quote from the post-Akron press conference very interesting.

"We do have some great young guys that will be great for us next year. The tendency is to play those guys, but I don't want to. I want to red-shirt them. We are still good enough on both sides of the ball, including the injuries, to win games. I'm not willing to cash in the chips and burn guy's years. I am not going to sacrifice the farm. I am in it for the long haul."

Makes me think we may have more talent on the roster than we think and that Brandon is taking the correct approach in regard to roster & eligibility management, building for the long-term."

When I saw the post about the last two recruiting classes I thought to myself that Brandon has actually done a solid job recruiting. I am going to now dive into next year position by position of what I expect adn outline plain and simple what we will have the next two years at each spot, ignoring injuries, departures adn recruitment. Overall I expect 1 of 2 things. A down year no matter what with the loss of Sharon, Warren, Pope and Sanders and a brutal OOC schedule. A very down year should Omar leave. With Omar I expect to squeak into a bowl game with an improved defense and emerging skill players. Without Omar I expect a big drop off.

2006 (no recruits mentioned) My expectations: A down year, if Omar stays we sneak into a bowl. If he leaves we are very poor and battle but are just under .500 as the Defense improves substantially but the offense has growing pains.

QB:The Players
Omar Jacobs, Sr(r):Will be a name in the heisman race next year as well as potentially a 1st round pick, should he return. Will provide stability to an offense that will sorely need it with the rest of the skill position players leaving.
Anthony Turner, So(r):Turner may start game one next year if Jacobs turns pro. And it will be a baptism by fire with OSU and Wisconsin on the docket early. With a couple of starts and solid playing time under his belt Turner should hit his stride by MAC play.
Freddie Barnes, Fr(r):Athlete who will likely stay at QB if Jacobs leaves, but may move(DB?, anyone have any info on him in HS) should Jacobs stay and Sheehan show something.
Tony Hunter, Fr (r):Walk-on will provide depth
WILD CARD: Van Johnson: Penciled in to start at Corner but here is a scenario that played out for me in NCAA 2006 (If it happened in a video game it must be real) Jacobs went pro. Turner came in and played ok but then got hurt, out 9 weeks. My recruits were not ready to go. Van started the rest of the season and played well.

RB:The Players (A 2-back backfield again next season?)
Dan Macon, Jr(r):I believe I am correct when I say he has not played a down this year and it will be his redshirt year. He will take over for what may have been the best back in BG history. Hopefully he will be an adequate back and atleast be able to block, his ability (if I remember correctly what some have said) has been flashed in spring games and late minutes.
Bobby Thomas, So: Thomas has shown flashes and those flashes have kept Macon's redshirt on while Pope was out. Option 1A for 2006
Chris Bullock, Fr(r): The case for why I/we as fans know nothing about recruits. I read this guy as possible star. And then Bobby Thomas (A DB on there recruit list) was put in??? Still could really be something. at 5-10 220 he provides something a little different. 2 years from now we could have a banger and a scat back.

TE:The Players
Sean D'Obriniak Jr(r):Good sized solid player at a little used position. Nice Goal line threat
Ruben Ruiz Sr: Ability is making us use the TE more.
Andre Boomer So(r): ?He scores a bunch of Tds as my FB in NCAA 2006.
Jimmy Schiedler Fr(r): Frosh who will be redshirted.?. Caught 16-307 and had 102 pancake blocks as a senior. That sounds good to me.

WR:The Players (*should be very interesting to see who the 3-4-5 WR's are. A group of 4 vets will vy for the position with 3 frosh)
Corey Partridge So(r): Solid Wideout will be a key to this offense for 3 years. Has battled injuries but produced when in.
Brandon Jones Sr(r): Caught 1 ball this year but the undersized senior will be that, a senior. We should and will need to see more of him.
Marques Parks So(r): Has been in the starting lineup this season. Second leading receiver amongst the returnees.
Kenneth Brantley Sr(r): No catches
Benjy Kennedy Jr(r): No catches * Have a feeling he will step up next year
Matt Emmans Jr(r): No catches
Aaron Davis Fr(r): Athlete who could be special after playing in a run first offense in HS * Have a feeling he will step up next year
Rhett Magner Fr(r): Who? I have never heard anything about this kid? Who's brother what? JK all you have to do is look at his last name to pencil him in at WR next year * Have a feeling he will step up next year
Kollin Hancock Fr(r): Walk-on

OL:The Players
C: John Lanning Sr(r): Lost to Culp this year, will be anchor next
RG: Derrick Markay Sr(r): Started every game so far this year. Solid player
LG: Kory Lichtensteger Jr(r): S-T-U-D
RT: Drew Nystrom Jr(r): Could emerge into Stud O-lineman
LT: Kevin Huelsman Jr(r): Must take over for **** Warren. Has he played?
Patrick Watson Jr(r): 1 of the 5 blocks of Granite. Will likely be starting C or G in 2007
Edmond Massey Jr(r): Backup G
Andrew Stafford Jr(r): Backup G
Jeffrey Fink So(r): Backup RT
Aaron Kent So(r): Backup
Shane Steffy Fr(r); Guy Williamson Fr(r); Kevin Mahoney Fr(r); Phillip Pollard Fr(r); Richard Solak Fr(r); Jarret Buckosh Fr(r); Anthony Parkison Fr(r)(walk-on), Scott Albert Fr(r)(walk-on)

DL:The Players
DE: Devon Parks Sr(r): Likely our best defender 252lbs
Brandon Mack Jr: Shown flashes as a solid pass rusher 257lbs
DT: Nick Davis So(r); 280 lb Tackle has 30 tackles this year. Should see substantial time next year with 2 starters gone
Brad Williams Sr(r): I don't likeit but I expect him to move inside next year after a season at DE. He has experience inside even thought he lacks size 256lbs
Brandon Curtis, So(r) Will see substantial time as a run defender 280lbs
Joe Schaefer, So(r) Will be a solid end 247lbs
Dyrial Briggs So(r) Could be way undersized solid rush end 217lbs
Thomas Smith Sr(r) Vet inside player
Don Sprenkel So(r); Michael Ream Fr(r); Thomas Jones Fr(r); Jacob Harwick Fr(r)Brady Mintrum Fr(r); Trevor Frericks Fr(r); Walk-Ons Duane Miller Fr(r); Grant Hartung Fr(r)

LB:The Players
Terrell White Sr(r):Leads team in tackles. Will likely lead the 2006 D.
Pete Winovich Jr: Showed flashes as a Freshman on ST's, solid in 2nd term
John Haneline So(r): Decent Production
John Jakubowski Sr(r): Walk on earned schollie will provide nice depth
Adrian Baker So(r); Will Myles Sr(r); Scott Goodwin So(r); Nick Lawrence Fr(r); Cordelle Thompson Fr(r); Cody Basler Fr(r); Jarrod Wells Fr(r)

S:The Players
Deaudre Perry Jr(r): Started good deal at SS
Erique Dozier So(r): Experience at FS 2 deep this year
Loren Hargrove Jr(r): Solid Depth
Nate Waldron So(r);Calvin Wiley Fr(r); Jeremiah Tucker Fr(r); Walk-ons: Travis Moody Fr(r); Maurice Hillman Fr(r)

CB:The Players
Antonio Smith So: True Freshman has been this years best surprise.
Van Johnson Sr(r): QB transfer should be a key db contributor
Kenny Lewis So: True Freshman has had limited production but has played
Ed Hood So(r): Big things expected from big recruit
Stephen Thompson Fr(r); Chris Wright Fr(r)


2007 (no recruits mentioned) My expectations: Back on track. Growing Pains done. Defense has improved after two years under same DC. offensive skill players mature. (I beleive this is the senior year for Brandons first class.)

QB:Anthony Turner, Jr(r); Freddie Barnes, So(r); Tony Hunter, So(r)
RB:Dan Macon, Sr(r); Bobby Thomas, Jr; Chris Bullock, So(r)
TE:Sean D'Obriniak Sr(r); Andre Boomer Jr(r); Jimmy Schiedler So(r)
WR:Corey Partridge Jr(r); Marques Parks Jr(r); Benjy Kennedy Sr(r); Matt Emmans Sr(r); Aaron Davis So(r); Rhett Magner So(r); Kollin Hancock So(r)
C: Patrick Watson Sr(r); RG: Edmond Massey Sr(r); LG: Kory Lichtensteger Sr(r); RT: Drew Nystrom Sr(r); LT: Kevin Huelsman Sr(r)
Andrew Stafford Sr(r); Jeffrey Fink Jr(r); Aaron Kent Jr(r); Shane Steffy So(r); Guy Williamson So(r); Kevin Mahoney So(r); Phillip Pollard So(r); Richard Solak So(r); Jarret Buckosh So(r); Anthony Parkison So(r)(walk-on), Scott Albert So(r)(walk-on)
DE: Brandon Mack Sr; Joe Schaefer, Jr(r)
DT: Nick Davis Jr(r); Brandon Curtis, Jr(r)
Dyrial Briggs Jr(r); Don Sprenkel Jr(r); Michael Ream So(r); Thomas Jones So(r); Jacob Harwick So(r); Brady Mintrum So(r); Trevor Frericks So(r); Duane Miller So(r); Grant Hartung So(r)
LB:Pete Winovich Sr; John Haneline Jr(r); Adrian Baker Jr(r); Scott Goodwin Jr(r); Nick Lawrence So(r); Cordelle Thompson So(r); Cody Basler So(r); Jarrod Wells So(r)
S:Deaudre Perry Sr(r); Erique Dozier Jr(r); Loren Hargrove Sr(r); Nate Waldron Jr(r);Calvin Wiley So(r); Jeremiah Tucker So(r); Walk-ons: Travis Moody So(r); Maurice Hillman So(r)
CB:Antonio Smith JR; Kenny Lewis Jr; Ed Hood Jr(r); Stephen Thompson So(r); Chris Wright So(r)

2008 Just for fun. Todays' Freshman and reshirts will be the nucleus of the team. Biggest Hole will likely be O-line, potentially replacing every starter. D-Line could be one of the best we have had.

QB:Anthony Turner, Sr(r); Freddie Barnes, Jr(r); Tony Hunter, Jr(r)
RB:Bobby Thomas, Sr; Chris Bullock, Jr(r)
TE:Andre Boomer Sr(r); Jimmy Schiedler Jr(r)
WR:Corey Partridge Sr(r); Marques Parks Sr(r); Aaron Davis Jr(r); Rhett Magner Jr(r); Kollin Hancock Jr(r)
OL: Jeffrey Fink Sr(r); Aaron Kent Sr(r); Shane Steffy Jr(r); Guy Williamson Jr(r); Kevin Mahoney Jr(r); Phillip Pollard Jr(r); Richard Solak Jr(r); Jarret Buckosh Jr(r); Anthony Parkison Jr(r); Scott Albert Jr(r)
DE: Joe Schaefer, Sr(r); Dyrial Briggs Sr(r)
DT: Nick Davis Sr(r); Brandon Curtis, Sr(r)
Don Sprenkel Sr(r); Michael Ream Jr(r); Thomas Jones Jr(r); Jacob Harwick Jr(r);Brady Mintrum Jr(r); Trevor Frericks Jr(r); Duane Miller Jr(r); Grant Hartung Jr(r)
LB:John Haneline Sr(r); Adrian Baker Sr(r); Scott Goodwin Sr(r); Nick Lawrence Jr(r); Cordelle Thompson Jr(r); Cody Basler Jr(r); Jarrod Wells Jr(r)
S:Erique Dozier Sr(r); Nate Waldron Sr(r);Calvin Wiley Jr(r); Jeremiah Tucker Jr(r); Walk-ons: Travis Moody Jr(r); Maurice Hillman Jr(r);
CB:Antonio Smith Sr; Kenny Lewis Sr; Ed Hood Sr(r); Stephen Thompson Jr(r); Chris Wright Jr(r)

[1987alum]

Gfitch:

Nice detail!

My thoughts below ...

QB:The Players
Omar Jacobs, Sr(r):Will be a name in the heisman race next year as well as potentially a 1st round pick, should he return. Will provide stability to an offense that will sorely need it with the rest of the skill position players leaving.
Anthony Turner, So(r):Turner may start game one next year if Jacobs turns pro. And it will be a baptism by fire with OSU and Wisconsin on the docket early. With a couple of starts and solid playing time under his belt Turner should hit his stride by MAC play.
Freddie Barnes, Fr(r):Athlete who will likely stay at QB if Jacobs leaves, but may move(DB?, anyone have any info on him in HS) should Jacobs stay and Sheehan show something.
Tony Hunter, Fr (r):Walk-on will provide depth
WILD CARD: Van Johnson

Interesting point about Barnes. I don't know enough about the kid to say if he's capable of playing another position effectively. As for Johnson, I think he's found a home at DB and would only be used as an emergency QB.

RB:The Players (A 2-back backfield again next season?)

Bank on seeing it next year a lot more.

I fully expect Macon to bust out this year. You're setting the bar too low by hoping he merely be adequate. I won't say he has Pope's all-around ability, but the kid is a rocket and based on the fact that he was recruited as much as a LB as a RB, he's not afraid of contact.

Thomas looks like he could be the next great back and Bullock comes with a lot of potential. Despite losing one excellent back and one very good back, I feel good about our running game.

In regard to TEs, Ruiz has been moved to WR. O'Drobinak is solid, Boomer and Schiedler are just names on the roster for me at this point, though the latter has an impressive background. Again, gotta feel good about this position.

WR:The Players (*should be very interesting to see who the 3-4-5 WR's are. A group of 4 vets will vy for the position with 3 frosh)

And now the slope gets slippery. As I've posted before, it's more than replacing Sharon and Sanders; we never adequately replaced Magner, Hawkins and McGrady. It's my contention that we're basically rebuilding the WR corps this year. With that in mind ...

Partridge looks like the real deal. The only, and I mean only, concern I have is durability.

Ruiz shows promise, but had waaaay too many drops. He must improve.

Parks appeared to be coming on before his injury. How long it takes him to get back to that form will be a big factor in our offense.

Jones and Brantley: Two rising seniors who've combined for seven career catches. Not exactly what I would call comforting depth.

Kennedy, Davis, Magner: The unknown quantities. Lots of hype, but we'll need to see some proof pretty darn quickly.

Emans & Hancock: Appear to be heir apparents to Jones & Brantley.

We lose a bit from an O-line that did not peform up to 2004 standards. That being said, I still feel good about our group. Look for Nystrom and Watson to really emerge this year.

On the D-line, there's a lot in play, IMO.

Carve Parks into the starting lineup. I hope we keep Brad at DE; Brandon said Winovich could be switching positions and DE would be the likely spot. I like Winovich a lot, but I'm not convinced he has the quickness we need at LB; maybe DE would be a better fit. That would be a neat three-end rotation: Parks, Williams, Winovich, with Briggs sprinkled in as he continues to be a LB/DE.

Davis and Curtis could develop into a nice pair of DTs; Spart43 said to keep an eye on Minturn, so he merits some attention. I'm intrigued by Frericks.

LB continues to be a sore spot, I think. We didn't move those DBs up because we're strong at LB.

White is solid. After that, what? Winovich is likely moving to DE, Haneline looked OK in limited time, Jakubowski seems adequate, Myles is a converted DB. Don't have a line on Goodwin and we all know Lawrence is, at best, a wildcard. Recruit Eugene Fells was told he could compete as a freshman, which says a lot.

S:The Players
Deaudre Perry Jr(r): Started good deal at SS
Erique Dozier So(r): Experience at FS 2 deep this year
Loren Hargrove Jr(r): Solid Depth
Nate Waldron So(r);Calvin Wiley Fr(r); Jeremiah Tucker Fr(r); Walk-ons: Travis Moody Fr(r); Maurice Hillman Fr(r)

As much as it pains me to say this, I'd scratch Perry. Hargrove looked pretty good late in the year and should be considered a starter going into Spring ball. Dozier has been good. Like Fells, recruit Mahone said he was told he would be competing for PT at safety as a freshman.

As for CB, it's hard to believe, but we might actually be developing some depth here!

Smith was very good for a freshman and Lewis showed flashes, too. Van Johnson provides experience, stability and depth. Is Hood going to stay at CB? Also, I believe we're working on a JuCo DB.

And the kicking game? God help us.

[Germainfitch1]

1987, loved your responses. That was a post I made over a month ago. I just copied and pasted.

[Falconfreak90]

"I won't say he has Pope's all-around ability, but the kid is a rocket"

87,
Don't ever say that again!

I agree with ya....Macon can be a stud of a runner. He has some very strong legs. Class of 61 can fill ya in on all his credentials cuz he played right down the street from 61.

And I thought Hargrove did very well in relief of Perry. If DP doesn't get it together, it's nice to know Hargrove will be back cuz I really like him. I think he was supposed to have coverage on the UT TE (Hobkins (sp?) ?) on the winning TD pass last month. I paused the tape 2 seconds after the play and Hargrove had the sickest, saddest look on his face. I felt badly for him. I apologize if he wasn't the one who was supposed to have coverage and will check it again this weekend....if I can stomach it.

[BGGrad01]

I apologize if he wasn't the one who was supposed to have coverage and will check it again this weekend....if I can stomach it.

It was Hargrove on the coverage. Don't make yourself watch that ending again!

[orangeandbrown]

I thought Hargrove made a bunch of plays, just not that one. He's going to be a contributor.

[Flipper]

A couple of additional things.... At WR look for RS freshman Aaron Davis to make some noise. RS freshman LB Cordelle Thompson has the kind of speed Lovett seems to be looking for. I wouldn't be totally suprised if one or two of the OL recruits form last year wound up on defense. On the recruiting video, Guy Wiliamson looked really good at DT. he's a moose and he has pretty good feet.

We nabbed Fells from Florida and we're looking strong for Jackson, the LB out of Memphis....anyone think that coach Lovett is getting tired of those yankee LB's

To get back onto Omar's decision...here's an interesting link about the draft. Omar gets mentioned at the bottom under guys needing to stay in...

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com ... -headlines

[bgou]

System QB.
Bad mechanics
Poor competition
Injuries
Leadership
Performance in Big Games

[BGSUfalcons]

We nabbed Fells from Florida and we're looking strong for Jackson, the LB out of Memphis....anyone think that coach Lovett is getting tired of those yankee LB's
[/quote]

Yeah, Yankee LBs suck. A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Paul Posluszny, Chad Greenway -- scrubs all.

[windycityfalcon]

Freedy Barnes went to school at Homewood-Flossmoor high school in the South Suburbs of Chicago.
If Omar comes back - he may go DB or WR.. the kid was a track star in high school, not to mention a good basketball player. While the latter doesn't do much for the football team, the former does - no matter what position he plays. He's young, but has wheels - so I could see him being moved IF Omar stays. Freddy, from what I remember from his high school days, wasn't that great of a quarterback, and when he signed with the Falcons, everyone assumed he go as a WR or DB..

[Im_Full]

System QB....Every QB is a "system QB"
Bad mechanics..it isn't bothering Vince Young too much
Poor competition...hasn't hurt any other top MAC QBs
Injuries...you mean a seperated shoulder?
Leadership.....he lacks leadership? This is news to me.
Performance in Big Games.....isn't football a team game?

[BGGrad01]

Bad mechanics..it isn't bothering Vince Young too much

I can't believe that no one ever mentions this. Nearly every time anyone talks about Omar, they say that his mechanics must change for him to play in the NFL. It appears to me that Young has mechanics just as bad or worse than Omar, but nobody ever talks about it.

[Im_Full]

Bad mechanics..it isn't bothering Vince Young too much

I can't believe that no one ever mentions this. Nearly every time anyone talks about Omar, they say that his mechanics must change for him to play in the NFL. It appears to me that Young has mechanics just as bad or worse than Omar, but nobody ever talks about it.

That is frequently used against him, and it's so perplexing for that reason. People just buy into the hype on Vince Young hook line and sinker, and the common fan doesn't even think twice about saying "Omar has bad mechanics" and then in the next breath "Vince Young is a future NFL star". They don't put enough thought or analysis into their thoughts. They just buy whatever they hear on Sportscenter. Oh Vince Young is great? Oh, ok.

Honestly, Vince Young has a HORRIBLE sidewinder release that just boggles my mind when I see mock drafts with him going in the top 5 of the draft. Good luck coaching this guy up to NFL standards. And on Omar, he would be no worse than a 2nd round pick if he declared. Anyone saying he is a day 2 day hasn't a friggin' clue how these QBs are tiered or how this draft is likely to shake out. To say he's a day 2 pick would basically lump him with Charlie Whitehurst or Brett Basanez. He is clearly a tier ahead of those guys.

[hammb]

That is frequently used against him, and it's so perplexing for that reason. People just buy into the hype on Vince Young hook line and sinker, and the common fan doesn't even think twice about saying "Omar has bad mechanics" and then in the next breath "Vince Young is a future NFL star". They don't put enough thought or analysis into their thoughts. They just buy whatever they hear on Sportscenter. Oh Vince Young is great? Oh, ok.

Vince Young IS a future NFL star. He does have horrible mechanics, but he's also got a cannon for an arm. I also think that he gets more of a pass on his mechanics because he's more mobile. Omar is going to be a stand in the pocket passer, so people are more concerned about his mechanics. Personally, I'm not a mechanics guy. So long as you're stepping into throws (which Omar does & VY DOES NOT), and are able to get the mustard on an accurate pass, I don't care how you're throwing it. Both of those guys are plenty tall enough that they don't need a pure over-the-top release to get the ball out of there like a smaller guy would. Vince will improve his mechanics greatly when he gets to the NFL, IMO. I actually read an article where Mack Brown basically said he doesn't coach VY, he just tells him to go out there and be himself. Great attitude coach . Once he gets into the league he'll get some actual coaching and he'll be a star, he's got a lot more natural ability than Omar, which is really saying something.

Honestly, Vince Young has a HORRIBLE sidewinder release that just boggles my mind when I see mock drafts with him going in the top 5 of the draft. Good luck coaching this guy up to NFL standards. And on Omar, he would be no worse than a 2nd round pick if he declared. Anyone saying he is a day 2 day hasn't a friggin' clue how these QBs are tiered or how this draft is likely to shake out. To say he's a day 2 pick would basically lump him with Charlie Whitehurst or Brett Basanez. He is clearly a tier ahead of those guys.

Omar is not a day 2 pick. He's got prototype size, all the arm strength, and he's had one season of terrific numbers, with one year of pretty darn good numbers. He'll be a first day pick, probably the top 2 rounds. I do think it is possible he slips to round 3, simply looking at draft history and how QBs are in the 2nd, but I don't see how he drops out of the first day.