Boomerang story from practice

Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:01 am

http://www.laramieboomerang.com/article ... 708237.txt

I'm thinking whoever can catch the ball is going to play right away - true freshman or not.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:24 am

evilpoke wrote:I'm thinking whoever can catch the ball is going to play right away - true freshman or not.

I think you are right. I don't know what the deal is, but the current state of our WR's is very depressing. It isn't difficult to catch a ball...and these kids are getting a free education to do it. I trust that Hammer will get it worked out.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:47 am

This has been a problem the last few years. Poor performance by the recievers in many aspects; unable to catch, unable to get seperation, unable to block. This is the result of poor recruiting and coaching the last few years. This is going to take a few years to fix i'm afraid.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:01 pm

I've been generally happy with everything the coaching staff has done, but I was a little surprised they didn't pick up a JUCO WR. Maybe they saw the numbers and thought they didn't need one.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:11 pm

WHo are some of the True Freshamn that has a shot at getting in the rotation at WR.? and. I hope DC can get a couple WR in this next upcoming 2010 class.!

Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:18 pm

It is early people and it was their first practice in full pads. Sure it is a concern if they can't get the ball caught, but this can be learned and they have over three weeks to get it fixed.

It looked liked we only recruited two WR's last year....McNeill and Battle. If they can catch, they can probably play this year.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:24 pm

Cheypoke has it right, this was one of our biggest problems the last few years. I can't count the number of times I found myself yelling "Catch the damn ball!" since Glenn got here. Probably half of the interceptions we had last year were a result of the ball bouncing up off a receiver's hands. Our QB's recently have generally put the ball in a catchable position, but receiver's weren't doing their job. If Glenn and company had recruited some receivers that could spread the field and keep the defense honest, the run first plan might have actually worked.

While I think it was a recruiting problem to some extent, I think it is a teachable skill as well. You can teach a kid to catch the ball, and train him to be tough enough to sacrifice for it. And at the vary least, you can teach them that if you don't catch the ball, knock the damn thing down. I'm sure that DC and company are spending a lot of time on it, but it definitely has to be fixed. We may be looking at some freshman that aren't as developed but can catch the ball. it's got to be a priority for recruiting as well.

GO POKES!

Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:04 pm

Man, this story pisses me off. I can't believe this is a consistent problem at an FBS school. Catching a football is a fundamental part of the game and crucial for WR's. It sounds like everything else is in place for the offense to be much improved over last season except for the f-word WR's. It sure sounds like Robert Benjamin is an immediate answer at QB and I fully expect ACS to be the QB of the future. The offensive line wasn't bad last year and even if they haven't improved one ounce, they are still a solid unit. I think Darius Terry is going to pleasantly surprise a lot of people this fall. Believe me, we will be fine at the RB position for a few years to come. The fact that Zach Bolger is even close to earning a starting spot speaks volumes. I have nothing against the kid. He always appears to work hard and he does all the little things right, but the kid is not D1 caliber material. He wouldn't see the 3-deep at any other MWC school. The sad thing is, I sure as hell didn't see anything in the freshman WR's that had me thinking there might be a quick turn around.

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articl ... 965536.txt

Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:33 pm

I thought these QBs and WRs spent all summer throwing and catching the ball. How can catching the ball not become second nature?

Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:37 pm

BallerBoy88 wrote:WHo are some of the True Freshamn that has a shot at getting in the rotation at WR.? and. I hope DC can get a couple WR in this next upcoming 2010 class.!

I'm hoping he gets 4-5 High Schoolers and a couple JC'ers

Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:06 pm

TheRealUW wrote:The fact that Zach Bolger is even close to earning a starting spot speaks volumes. I have nothing against the kid. He always appears to work hard and he does all the little things right, but the kid is not D1 caliber material. He wouldn't see the 3-deep at any other MWC school. The sad thing is, I sure as hell didn't see anything in the freshman WR's that had me thinking there might be a quick turn around.

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articl ... 965536.txt

Just curious why you don't think he is D1 material? Apparently, he is the 4th fastest player on the team and has good hands. What else is there?

I think we'll be fine at WR once they get properly coached up. Hammerschmidt is a solid WR coach and should help. But you're right, we need guys who should be able to catch a ball in their sleep. That should be skill #1 if you want to be a D1 receiver.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 5:40 pm

JimmyDimes wrote:Just curious why you don't think he is D1 material? Apparently, he is the 4th fastest player on the team and has good hands. What else is there?

Zach lacks the ideal size, agility, ability to run after the catch, and quick release from the line for a FBS wide receiver. I've also noticed that he really struggles when CB's jam him off the line. Speed and hands are definitely two very important aspects of being a good WR, but there are other things a good/great WR needs to be able to do.

In my opinion, he would be a good guy to come in on a third and short and run a 3-4 yard route in order to get a first down. That being said, I don't think he is even close to being an every down WR in the MWC and most certainly not a starter at the outside spot. If he is the best we have, then I hope he gets the start, but I will be extremely worried if we can't find anybody better than him.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:35 pm

I've never seen the kid play, so couldn't comment. For me, I would hope to have Bolling, Leonard, and Stewart as starters....after Bolling serves his suspension. Stewart showed some speed and athletism we were lacking when he became healthy last year. Both Bolling and Leonard have good size. Bring in a Donate Morgan and Bolger to give these guys a break when needed. We need some more players for the first two games, so it will be interesting to see if there is another player who can help or if we need to use some true freshman.

Just catch the damn ball fellas.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:56 pm

Speed isn't everything! Bouknight wasn't the fastest guy on the team, but he could run routes and get seperation. His YAC were nothing short of spectacular. We need a few more like him, what ever became of Reciever U?

Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:14 pm

Silver Lining is the current state of our WR corp should make it easier to recruit stud WRs who want to play right away. Also, I like that part of DC's plan is to be the hardest working team in the MWC, that's always a good place to start to make up ground on the others, It shouldn't take years to have a good WR corp - like DC has said in interviews - no excuses - find a way to get it done - make the current guys better or go get better guys. Seriously any top HS WR that wants great college stats could come to a team that throws a ton but needs recievers, should be able to find a few of them.

Agreed, Bouknight was the real deal - stud!