[NU Sports] Cat report card

Sun Nov 28 21:20:47 CST 2010

Dennis,

Sorry that the Illinois and Wisky games have you even more pessimistic and crabby than normal.

As others on this list have said, this is a team that had an opportunity to win every game that Persa started this year.

We both agree that the non-Persa running game improved through the year. That's what the statistics show too. That could only happen if the Oline also improved. 

I don't get a chance to talk with defensive coordinators much, so I can't say what their degree of anxiety was regarding the running game, but I could see the results on the field. Our Persa-led offense was able to score on everybody. With Persa, we would have won the game at Wrigley in a shoot out and would have been scary good against Wisky.

The defense did let the game get away from them on the road in happy valley, but they came back the next week to stone an even stronger Iowa team holding them to just 101 yards on the ground.  They finally played a full 60 minutes at Iowa and got the expected result. 

IMHO, you can't count the last two games against the D when the offense kept turning the ball over. The turnovers weren't the fault of the Oline either. They were the result of an inexperienced QB taking too long to get the ball out or making ill-advised throws. The team also missed Persa's leadership.  We had five fumbles to go along with five interceptions in the last two games. When you figure that we had only 4 interceptions and lost 8 fumbles in the previous 10 games with essentially the same Oline, receivers, and backfield, the problem should be obvious.  That's not a knock on Watkins either.  He just isn't where he needs to be yet to take over for Persa.

This is a young team that needs leadership. By the Wisconsin game there were 7 Freshman, 6 Sophmores, and only 3 seniors on the two deep chart for the offense. It was a little better on defense with 3 Frosh, 6 Sophs, and 4 Seniors. But basically half the team that played in that game were playing in their first or second year of college ball.  Compare that to Wisky where it seemed like the whole team were seniors.

In terms of starters, we are only going to lose one Oline (Grant) and one Dline (Bryant) player to graduation. While a wholesale blood transfusion for all the returning linemen is an interesting suggestion, another year in the weight room for our young guys will probably work even better.  

With all of the positive publicity that this team has generated, Fitz should have another great year recruiting. Persa has a tough rehab ahead of him, but I'm confident he'll come back.  He'll also have a team next year that won't require him to do as much as it did this year and two backups with big game experience.  So I think any panic around a return to the bad old days is largely hysterical and best treated with medication. 

Finally, this team earned a trip to a bowl game.  The extra practices and an opportunity to play on a national stage will only make them stronger next year. Fortunately, you can't take that away from them no matter how disappointed you are. 

As far as glasses are concerned, I don't think tint is the problem.  But a new prescription might help bring some of this into better focus for you.

Jeff

PS You didn't answer my question.  What grades would you have handed out if Persa played and NU won their last two games?

________________________________

From: Dennis W. Brandt [mailto:tbng at comcast.net]
Sent: Sun 11/28/2010 6:12 PM
To: Beamsley, Jeff; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Cat report card

Whoa!  You have some statements in here that are incredible.

<the team got better as the season went on

It did?  It sure didn't show in the last two games plus one-half of the Penn State game.

<We developed a running game.

None of our running backs were any concern for defensive coordinators.  I said we got better as the season went on.  I didn't say we got good.

<The defense tightened up [as the season progressed]. 

Good lord!  The defense in the last two games and the second half against Penn State harkened back to the woeful teams of the 70s and 80s.

<The defense didn't lose the Illini and Wisky games, the offense did with all the turn-overs

Yes, the offensive line was inept - one of my major points, by the way - and that caused turnovers.  But the defense was just as guilty.  They didn't fade from weariness.  They were dreadful from the first snap.  When the other aspects of the team needed to step up to cover for Persa's loss, they played the worst football of the season.  It isn't that we lost those two games but that we got totally hammered.

A rebuilding year?  Maybe.  Let's hope.  But that does not affect the reality of this season's team.   I'm positive about some aspects for next season, but the two lines are not among them.  They need new blood.  As far as our bowl-eligible record, five of our seven wins came against teams with a combined 16 - 41 record, and the only one of those over .500 was lower division Illinois State at 6 -5.  And don't forget losing to a 3 - 8 Purdue team.  The Iowa win was impressive.  The rest of the season was not.

My glasses are clear, not rose-colored.  I calls 'em like I sees 'em.

	----- Original Message ----- 
	From: Beamsley, Jeff <mailto:Jeff.Beamsley at covisint.com>  
	To: Dennis W. Brandt <mailto:tbng at comcast.net>  ; nwu-sports at tssi.com 
	Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2010 3:52 PM
	Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Cat report card

	I can appreciate your disappointment.

	I'm disappointed too, but more for fate rather than effort.

	The good news is that Northwestern is producing more talented NFL players than ever.  We sent six seniors to the NFL last year from both sides of the ball.  That should address your question about the ability to recruit players who have the capability of playing on Sunday.

	The bad news is that all that talent graduated and the team got a lot younger.  But contrary to EVERY previous post senior-season team, this one will finish with a winning record and go to a bowl.

	For the first time EVER, we had a reloading season rather than a rebuilding one.  

	Isn't that progress that we should celebrate?

	Also the team got better as the season went on.  We developed a running game.  The defense tightened up.  The offense learned how to win a close one against a ranked team.  That's what happens with young teams.  They have to learn on the job and, with good coaching, they gain confidence as the season goes on.

	What also happens with young teams is that they are often fragile.  They haven't won enough yet on their own to trust each other when mistakes happen and times get tough.

	The defense didn't lose the Illini and Wisky games, the offense did with all the turn-overs.  You just can't do that to a young defense and expect them to hold up.  

	So the grade I would give this team is incomplete.  They weren't able to finish the course because the dog ate their term paper.  We won't know how good this team could have been, but I can promise you that both the Illini and Wisky games were winable if Persa had been playing.  

	So let's say that they finished the season 9-3 rather than 7-5, because that's just where Fitz had this team heading after the Iowa win.  

	What sort of grades would you have handed out then?

	Jeff

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	From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com on behalf of Dennis W. Brandt
	Sent: Sun 11/28/2010 1:25 AM
	To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
	Subject: [NU Sports] Cat report card

	Annual Cat Report Card

	To end on a high note, I listed worst to first

	OL - F  The good news is that all but one of these fellows will return next season.  The bad news is that all but one of these fellows will return next season.  They were among the worst in the country in protecting the quarterback, and that was with fleet-footed Persa back there minimizing the damage.  Once he was gone, we saw how incapable they were of protecting the relatively immobile Evan Watkins.  This was the most disappointing unit on the team because they entered the season with some experience, but they proved they lacked the size, strength, and athleticism to compete against the league's better defensive fronts.

	RB - D-  This grade was an "F" until the final game and perhaps still should be.  We had no running game for most of the season that didn't include Dan Persa.  It did get somewhat better by season's end but not good enough.  Trumpy did yeoman's work and is a plus as a receiver, but we have problems if he is our feature back next season.  Imagine the offense we would have with a Damien Anderson-type back to compliment Persa.  Of course, a weak OL made matters far worse.

	DL - D-  These guys get my most frustrating group award.  For nine games, they could look great stopping the run for a few plays or even a few series and then shred like cheese in a pizzeria.  In the last two games, they utterly collapsed.  DiNardo has a motor and Browne is a decent pass rusher, but there wasn't much else that evoked cheers.  They also lack the physical presence to compete against the better offensive lines.

	DB - C  Jordan Mabin played some solid coverage and Peters is a good presence at strong safety.  This is not a great pass coverage secondary, but a weak defensive line made their lives considerably more difficult.

	LB - C  Nate Williams is a solid middle linebacker.  Quentin Davie started strong but was not often mentioned during the Big Ten season.  All in all, they did a decent but unremarkable job.  Once again, they got little help from the front four.

	WR - B-  Jeremy Ebert alone ups this grade by one, and he should get consideration for All Big Ten honors, although the drop-off in receptions after Persa's injury may prevent that.  As for the others, I kept waiting for the speedy frosh to step forward as the season advanced, but they did not demonstrate the ability to get open consistently, thus forcing Persa to run too often.  Neither was their YAC outstanding.  They are young, however, and, with Ebert's return, there is hope this unit could be a relative strength next season.

	ST - B-  Special teams was all over the map.

	Punting:  It truly can be said of Brandon Williams that when he was good he was very, very good, but when he was bad, he was truly awful.  A fifty-yarder to a shank in two easy punts.  He's a redshirt freshman and should only get better.  He has the leg.

	Place kicking:  While Stefan Demos's kickoffs were generally good, he performed erratically on FGs and XPs.  This position requires an upgrade.

	Kick coverage:  This was the best kick covering Northwestern team I can remember both on kickoffs and punts.  No opponent broke one off a TD, and they generally kept returns to a minimum.  Venric Mark looks like our return man of the future.

	SB - B Drake Dunsmore is a fine pass receiver and a decent if not devastating blocker.  There is a drop-off in talent after him, but he carried the position.

	QB - A  Houdini Dan deserves to be the All Big Ten quarterback, although the injury will likely deny that.  Most remarkably, his accomplishments came in the absence of a good offensive line and any running game that didn't include him.  He is already the best quarterback in Northwestern history, including the vaunted Otto Graham, who was the same size but played against smaller, slower defenses.  (On the other hand, Dan can't play the french horn as well as Otto.)  Evan Watkins has the size and the arm but clearly was not ready to start as the Illinois and Wisconsin games demonstrated.  He needed help from a offensive line that had no help to offer.  He will get the reps preparing for the bowl game and again in spring practice, and that should help.

	Coaching - B-  I have always maintained that Fitz and his staff get about as much out of their players' talent as possible.  Problem is, there isn't enough talent.  More troubling is that both lines got worse late in the season.  While we may have defeated Illinois with Persa in there, that doesn't excuse the horrible line play on both sides of the ball.  It wasn't all "missed assignments;" they just weren't good enough.  While Fitz has improved the quality and depth of talent during his tenure, he must do even better.

	Based on these last two games, I fear we will be humiliated by whomever we play in the bowl game.

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