SPRING GAME NOTES

Falconfliccbone · Post by **Falconfliccbone** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:24 pm

Amazing weather...I loved it even though I am rather pink.
Great turnout by the fans. I was really impressed, but I bet the weather helped out a lot. Overall, I think we look pretty good. The kicking game looks good, but I'd like to see the punts under pressure. I didn't really notice one QB over the other one. However Corey Partridge looked outstanding. I think this team should be good. GO FALCONS!

Pete Segaard · Post by **Pete Segaard** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:19 pm

What was up at the Doyt after the scrimmage? The family and I stopped at Myles for ice cream after the game and they had the tent up with plenty of people in the South end zone when we went by. I hope I did not miss a tour of SEBO center. Great day for a scrimmage with a heck of a turnout.

MarkL · Post by **MarkL** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:32 pm

My thought on starting QB - still Turner.

1 - Turner had to split a lot of snaps with Glaud. Sheehan played all but one possession, so naturally he'll have more times to look good. Also, on Turner's team, the receiver/QB chemistry would get out-of-whack so much that it would be hard for either QB to play well.

2 - Sheehan had Corey Partridge for a target.

3 - Turner had the current top running back on the depth chart and Dan Macon, who had a hell of a game. Naturally, the white team would be more run-based than pass-based where the orange team would generally pass more.

4 - If the walk-on kicker wouldn't have gone 0 for 3 in FG kicking, Turner would have let the white team to victory.

5 - Turner is a much better runner. Not to say Sheehan can't run, because if you saw his high school highlight video, you'd swear he learned some moves from Vince Young, but at this point, Turner is the better athlete and runner.

6 - Turner has much more game experience and seemed to read defenses much better.

While I am saying that I think Turner right now is the top QB, that could easily change. Sheehan is right now above where Turner was last year and is clearly on a very good learning curve. Come kickoff against Minnesota, that could change. No matter what, I can say that the team is gonna be seriously good this year.

The Niz · Post by **The Niz** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:28 pm

I believe that was a team-wide family dinner. That's what it looked like when I took my run by it earlier. I can't be truly certain of it but I'm almost positive, especially since the motivation for the game was the losing team had to serve dinner to the winning team.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:33 pm

I don't see how Turner can ever start another game here. The coaching staff was afraid to let him throw the ball downfield even in the freaking spring game. Sheehan wasn't any good either with the bad interceptions.

As for the first read thing that's our offense folks. It's all rolling out and giving the QB no options on who to throw to. We very rarely actually allow the QB to take the snap and examine the field for a target. When we do it doesn't seem we have a QB who can be decisive and make the throw downfield with any consistency. I actually think the way we limit our QBs' options is mostly a result of lacking confidence in our QBs. There is no way that our staff (which looked like offensive geniuses 4 years ago) can honestly think this scheme is an improvement over what they had...unfortunately it doesn't look like we have a QB actually capable of running that sort of offense.

Personally, I thought the RBs were by far the best players on offense. Macon actually looked good, but I'm wondering if that's our defense again? He always looks good in the spring games... Bullock was good and Ransom looked like he had potential, but didn't seem like he got a ton of touches.

Cody Basler seemed to be in on a LOT of plays on defense as well. Dozier's INT was a good play on the ball, but it was way underthrown by Sheehan.

I didn't focus on O'Drobinak much, but on Sheehan's first INT O'drob busted through the line pretty good and looked to actually be getting held before tyler put it up for grabs.

The way we did STs today was just insane. The biggest weakness we had last year was protecting our kickers and we have no idea, based on today, if that has been improved. We had some good FG kicks and punts appeared about 50/50. Kickoffs were fugly. I'm not sure who was doing which kicking though...perhaps one kicker was worse than the other...not sure. I still cannot figure out why we didn't go full go on STs, but whatever.

I still have no idea why you run draw plays on the 2 minute drill in your spring game...should this be a time to actually WORK on the 2 minute drill? The way the last drive of the half was handled made little sense. Same goes for the final drive of the game as well. 2 running up the middle plays to attempt a 41 yard FG? Why settle for a FG in that situation???? We got the all to the 30 with like :35 on the clock, and we ran it out to kick the FG, makes no sense to me.

I dunno, I thought the overall quality of play was pretty poor...I just don't see where we've improved much on what we had last year. Hopefully they'll look better after we get the freshmen in and go through summer practices.

MACMAN · Post by **MACMAN** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:35 pm

I drove by and saw t˙e crowd impressive, good turn out.
I hope and pray to god above that turner gets t¨rned away...the guy doesnt have it and to waste another season on him is pointless. We need to develop someone who actually has real potential and abilities. Im still in the Gauld camp, we should have his way last year and just e-fing developed him then.
I hate to ask..as i know the answer..but our gay as hell punt formation...is it...still...in use...you know the here are 7 quick points to you punt formation.
sounds like it was a good time.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:01 am

reyray82 wrote:Is the punt formation back to normal?

Not really. They didn't rush the punter or cover the kicks so it is hard to tell. But the formation was close to what we lined up in last year. The seven guys on the line took very wide splits, but did all line up balanced on the line and distributed equally from the center. Still had three 'fullbacks', but they are now split as well. One in the middle and then one about 3 feet to each side instead of shoulder to shoulder.

Overall, I agree with most of what hammb said. Thoroughly unimpressed with the QB play and with the play calling. I had to leave at halftime/ But what I did see didn't lend much to make me think we are going to be improved over last year.

Very disappointed with the number of times we passed and the intended WR was still within probably 2 yards of the line of scrimmage. Very rarely did we throw down the field. And both times Sheehan was intercepted was when he tried to throw over the middle.

Can Freddie Barnes play QB?

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:47 am

hammb wrote:The coaching staff was afraid to let him throw the ball downfield even in the freaking spring game.

This is a really valid point. He was 9-14 for 30 (!!) yards. He and Glaud together only had 82 yards on 20 attempts, and one of those was a 29 yard pass. The White team basically ran the offense we had last year.

Orange opened it up a little more, but both teams averaged only 3.9 yards per play, which is not good. I thought the defense made more of the plays today.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 1:08 am

Welll...it doesn't sound like I missed much. So far as the offense goes...teams will often not run the full offense they've been working on in the spring game. I think it's a scouting thing. What we ran in 2004 didnt look any thing like th offense Omar ran that fall. I don't recall Freddie Barnes running a singkle QB draw last year

If the QB 's looked that lackluster, It will be interesting to see what happens when Nate Brown gets here in the fall.

On the plus side..."Go Diego Go" was a decent show in Detroit. Even if I did have to battle traffic for a nearly sold out Joe Louis Arena and a standing room only Tigers crowd to see it.

svillefalcon · Post by **svillefalcon** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:56 am

I just really hope Nate Brown comes in and blows everybody away and wins the starting quarterback job. There is not one guy from what i saw that can lead us to a bowl game.

da3mite · Post by **da3mite** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:14 pm

Falconfliccbone wrote:Amazing weather...I loved it even though I am rather pink.
Great turnout by the fans. I was really impressed, but I bet the weather helped out a lot. Overall, I think we look pretty good. The kicking game looks good, but I'd like to see the punts under pressure. I didn't really notice one QB over the other one. However Corey Partridge looked outstanding. I think this team should be good. GO FALCONS!

I think they could be pretty good this year also. I just hope that they don't "run out of gas" or become "mentally deficient."

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 1:54 pm

Glaud impressed me. There's something about him the other 2 don't have. He just seems to have a presence about him. Tough to describe. I'm not necessarily advocating he starts, but I was encouraged by what I saw of him.

The offense was still very poor overall. Hopefully we can improve a great deal between now and the regular season.

I'm sunburnt as hell also. don't know if it was the spring game or the 18 holes afterwards, but I'm crispy.

The Niz · Post by **The Niz** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 2:00 pm

Jacobs4Heisman wrote:I'm sunburnt as hell also. don't know if it was the spring game or the 18 holes afterwards, but I'm crispy.

You should see the people who played in the band yesterday. Having to wear a tuxedo for your concert band concert after getting fried all day at the game is not my idea of fun.

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 2:37 pm

Has anyone ever heard of sunscreen?

Zom · Post by **Zom** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:24 pm

orangeandbrown wrote:Has anyone ever heard of sunscreen?

Sensible precautions are not within the remit of the typical sports fan. Its a Northern European thing. It didn't stop the Vikings, and I don't think the Scots were too fussed about sunscreen either.