Not The Real Tiki's blog

Another week; Another win

2007-10-09T15:41:06Z

I didn't see any of the game, because it wasn't on TV where I was. I've watched some highlights and read plenty about the game. But my thoughts are still mostly second hand.

Considering the struggles we've had on the road the past few seasons, I'll take any road win no matter how ugly. And last second wins are always exciting, especially for the players. However, it seems to me that we didn't play very well. The game plans on the road have often been questionable, and were again. From what I've seen and heard, we didn't pressure the MTSU QB enough, and we didn't run the ball enough. That sounds a lot like the Wyoming gameplan.

We expect teams to load up on the run and force us to beat them with the pass. So then we don't try to establish a run game, we start out trying to throw the ball. The problem with that game plan is our QB isn't all that accurate, and we don't have the personnel to really throw the ball downfield. So keeping 8 guys at the LOS is still a solid defense against short crossing routes and flare passes. If we want to make teams respect our passing game, we need to be able to complete a fly route, or a deep out, at least once in a while. Our longest pass plays have all been to TEs, mostly on seams and posts. Those routes will not work as well against the VT and Miami defenses because their safeties are good enough to cover TEs.

It is nice to see Vic Hall doing so well with punt returns. He's so explosive with the ball in his hands. It sounds like the block in the back penalty had little to do with the TD that it negated. I think Vic is going to take one to the house in the next couple of weeks. He's just too good.

If you'd told me we'd be 5-1 right now I would've been thrilled. And I am thrilled. This week may have been a small step backwards, following the thumping of Pitt. However, a win is still a win. One more to be bowl eligible.

Virginia over Pitt

2007-10-01T21:21:22Z

I've been pretty quiet on the Virginia football season so far. It's been such a strange season, that I never knew what to write. Also, I've been kind of busy.

Now that we are over 1/3 of the way through the season, and I've finally seen the team in person, I've decided to comment. Obviously a 4 game winning streak is nice. The team has improved from week to week, culminative in this weekend's blowout of Pitt. It sounds crazy, but 44-14 doesn't really tell how big a blowout this game was. The middle quarters were closer, but mostly due to some poor execution on the part of Virginia. Pittsburgh just never got anything going, even struggling to move the ball late, against a Prevent defense.

As bad as Jameel Sewell was against Wyoming, thats how good he was in the first quarter on saturday. He completed all 7 of his passes, including 3 TDs. He had some poor throws later in the game, but the game was out of reach. He was also victimized by a few drops. Still, all in all, it was a much better effort from the passing game.

What can I say about Cedric Peerman? I was not sold, coming into the season. I will happily admit that I waws wrong. He's a completely different back than we saw last year. He's picking his holes, he's hitting them hard. And when he gets hit, he doesn't go down. I just love watching this guy run. Some backs try to run around contact. Peerman just lowers the shoulder and goes through guys. Maybe he learned it from watching Snelling last year. But Peerman is much faster than Snelling, Peerman runs over DBs 10 yards downfield.

Also, the coaching staff has improved significantly since the Wyoming game. Maybe that was a case of over-thinking. I guess that can happen when you have 10 months to prepare for a game. We tried to be cute, when we should've just been overpowering a smaller team. I also think maybe Sewell wasn't mentally ready for that game. All the more reason for us to run the ball more.

That Wyoming game still stings a bit. It's hard to get over looking as bad as we looked. But I'm beginning to think it was the wakeup call this team needed. They spent the offseason talking about how good they were and how much potential they had. Now they are finally showing it. If they continue to get better at the same pace, look out.

UVA vs Wyoming

2007-09-01T22:30:00Z

First of all, this is going to be a very short post, because I simply do not want to talk about the game.

We had 6 yards rushing. 6! 108 total yards. Remember when our offense sucked last year? Remember when it was supposed to be better this year? Nope. Sewell was terrible. He missed open receivers. When he did hit guys, passes were dropped. Bobby Bowden was forced to fire his son as OC, does Al Groh have the balls to do the same? I don't know if Mike Groh is the problem, but he's certainly not the solution. There is simply too much talent on the offensive side of the ball for us to struggle this much. Peerman was terrible, the OL was terrible. The best offensive play we had a screen to Pearman in the first quarter.

The defense was ok early on. They did a lot of blitzing, which meant a lot of soft coverage. Most of Sween's 25 completions were easy. Can somebody please tell Al Groh that Jamaal Jackson sucks? The "poor" section of my preview was pretty much written for Jackson. He can't cover anybody. He doesn't get to the ball. He's awful. He got beat deep early on what was probably the biggest play of the game.

Basically, we sucked. 221 yards rushing is a lot, and the defense deserves the blame for that. But with the offense getting nothing done, the defense was on the field a lot. That's all I have to say. I stopped watching early in the 3rd quarter because there was too much else on today for me to waste my time watching us play that poorly. I have it tivo'd so maybe I'll watch some of it later and write more.

USA vs Sweden

2007-08-23T02:20:00Z

I just finished watching the USA vs Sweden friendly and despite the loss I'm somewhat happy with the way we played. It's a tough environment, playing in Sweden, and the fact that we've never played well on european soil doesn't help.

The dutch ref didn't help either, not that he was bad, but it seemed like a lot of 50/50 calls went Sweden's way. This includes the no-call on the push that led to the Sweden goal. Despite the push, it was a pretty phenomenal strike. If that what it takes for one of the top Euro teams to beat us on their own soil, when then we can't complain too much about that.

My biggest complaint is that, once again, we had trouble finishing opportunities that we should finish. And again thats due to not having a true striker. Dempsey and Donovan are both true midfielders, and when they are playing up front, we lose don't have a lot of finishing ability. We also have no size up front. Thankfully, Sweden also missed some very good opportunities, or this game could've been more than 1-0.

In terms of individual performances, I was happy with Tim Howard, he's a pretty clear step up from Keller. There wasn't much he could do on the goal, as it was a great strike and he was screened.
I was also happy with Onyewu, which is a surprise. He still fouls too much, but Sweden is a physical team, and at times we lack that physical presence. Onyewu was up against Imbrahimovic who is HUGE, and Onyewu generally did a good job in terms of positioning. He also had a nice stop on the line of an Imbrahimovic shot.
Finally, I thought Kamani Hill did some good things after coming in as a sub. He showed good pace, handled the ball, and generally did a good job with possession. I wouldn't mind seeing some more of him up front.
On the negative side, Jonathan Bornstein continues to disappoint me at left back. He didn't do anything terrible today, but he got beat a few times. He's supposed to be strong when stepping up and playing in an offensive role, but I didn't really see too much of that either. There's a few guys I'd rather see there, including Spector, who is more comfortable as a right back, but has done well at left back also.

Oh well. It wasn't a great performance, but it wasn't a bad performance. We've certainly closed the talent gap on Sweden and some of the other Euro teams. We're certainly not quite on par with Germany, England, France, etc. With the next match being in a couple of weeks against Brazil, we'll get another idea of how far we've come.

Part V: The Crappy Ones

2007-08-22T20:24:18Z

Unfortunately, not everybody on a team can be good. Sometimes, a player just never gets "it". Sometimes, circumstances lead to a player never reaching his potential. I respect all the players on the team, but the guys listed below just haven't proven to me that they belong on the field.

Jamaal Jackson: Jackson has seen plenty of time on the field, playing mostly on special teams as a freshman, and then seeing time at safety in the past two seasons. He played a lot in 2005, especially late in the season after Nate Lyles' injury. In 2006, his playing time decreased with the emergence of Byron Glaspy. I expect that trend to continue this season, with not only Glaspy and Lyles, but some of the younger guys like Rico Bell, Brandon Woods and Matt Leemhuis seeing some time at S.

Jackson has very good size, at 6'3" and 212 lbs. However, he probably has below average speed for a DB. His play against the run is solid, as he is good at beating a block from a WR and is generally a solid tackler. However, in pass coverage, Jackson falls somewhere between bad and a disaster. His strength is playing downhill. If he's used as an extra pass rusher, on a safety blitz, he can be dangerous. However, in the 2-deep zone, I cringe when I see him back there. Maybe Jackson should've been slotted at LB when he first came to Charlottesville, but its too late now.

When Jackson is used on first down or a 2nd and 5 type situation, I don't mind because its almost like having another LB on the field. Jackson's speed and range is poor for a DB, but its pretty good for a LB. However, I do not understand why he is on the field in a 3rd and long situation, or against a 2 minute offense. He can't cover anybody man to man, even a TE or a RB. In the deep zone, his range and instincts aren't good enough to make plays on the ball.

Chris Gorham: There's a reason why Gorham was moved to WR during the offseason. He was pretty terrible at CB. He'd been passed on the depth chart, not only by guys like Vic Hall and Chris Cook, but he was likely to be passed by incoming freshmen such as Ras-I Dowling. Most of his action came in 2005, after Cook's injury. All told, Gorham has 2 INTs and 48 tackles in over 700 total plays. In the Virginia Tech disaster 2 years ago, I remember early on seeing Gorham lined up opposite Eddie Royal on a play, and thinking that we were in a lot of trouble. True enough.

Gorham certainly has good speed. At 6', he's got good height for a CB. However, he was just never very fluid as a DB. His man to man coverage was terrible, and even in zones he looked out of place. He was also never any better than average in terms of run support either. Gorham's size and speed translate well to the WR position, and a good season there should gain him at least an NFL tryout.

Basically, at DB, Gorham's was a waste. Hopefully, his size and speed combination will play well at WR. Considering the lack of experience we have at WR, maybe Gorham's time at CB will help. At least Gorham has seen the field during actual games, and won't have to spend time getting used to the speed of DI football. He may be a surprise at WR, and I hope for his sake that he does. Otherwise, it will be hard to consider his career a complete bust.

Josh Zidenberg: Zidenberg is placed here only a FB. As a special teams performer, Zidenberg has tremendous value, and is one of our best. There were two reasons we spent most of last year in a one back set on offense. The first reason was that Jason Snelling is better suited for a one back set because of the style of runner that he is. The second reason was that we didn't have a FB who belonged on the field.

Zidenberg, at 6' and 213 lbs, simply is not big enough to play FB. Honestly, he's really a LB, listed at FB. If he's playing FB for us, there's a problem. Zidenberg's strength on special teams is his determination, as well as his football IQ. He is very good at kick coverage because he knows where to go and what to do when he gets there. And he never gives up. However, as a FB, he's simply too small. He has adequate hands and because of the same football IQ, he is able to get open at times.

Zidenberg will see almost all of his playing time on ST. He's one of our most consistent special teams players, and will play on almost every special teams play. In that role, he's immensely valuable. However, as a FB, he's basically useless.

I almost felt bad writing this part of my preview. I like these guys, I really do. Especially Gorham, who I feel never really got put in places that he would succeed in. I really hope Gorham succeeds at WR, similarly to what Art Thomas did after a similar switch. The good news is that there are only 3 players on this list (and Zidenberg is really only here because I forgot about him earlier).

The rest of my preview will be dedicated to guys I know little or nothing about. This includes the redshirt freshmen, incoming freshmen, and anybody else who has seen little or no time on the field.

Up next: The redshirt freshmen.

Testing BloGTK

2007-08-22T03:29:00Z

I recently put linux on my laptop and I'm want to know if I can use BloGTK to write and edit my posts. If this works, then I can. :-)

That's all.

Part IV: The Average Ones

2007-08-17T20:48:00Z

I use the word average to describe a player that is, in a word, average. At times, this player may be dominant, but at times, they may be completely lost. At times, this play may be doing exactly what he's supposed to do, and at times, he may be doing the complete opposite. All of this combines to be average.

Once again, alphabetical order.

Will Barker: Barker is the only starting OL I have not rated as great or good. It is no coincidence that he is also the youngest of the OL. Barker had a decent season in 2006, as he started every game during the season, and saw most of the snaps at RT. He looked raw at times, which was to be expected. He was still getting used to the weight he put on during his redshirt year. He was also getting used to the speed of the college game. In truth, he probably wasn't ready to play as much as he did. However, that trial by fire will almost certainly help him in the long run, as he clearly became a better player as the season went on.

Barker has the body of an OT. 6'7" and 306 lbs as a 20 year old. Thats a big guy. He's got strength, and his athleticism is fantastic for a man his size. He also has good feet and quickness (he played lacrosse in HS). Once he locks on to a defender, he's not going to lose too many battles due to a lack of strength or quickness. His biggest problem is making the right decision on who to block. He missed far too many blocks. As I've mentioned previously, this was a problem for the entire offensive line, especially early in the season. But while it improved as a whole, Barker still struggled with this through the end of the season. One other problem is that, like Jordy Lipsey, Barker doesn't seem to have the intensity of other OLs. At times, he seems passive, almost bored.

Barker is a bright young man, and he seems willing to put in the work to succeed. The question is only whether this will be the year, or if he takes another year.

Allen Billyk: Billyk reminds many people of Andrew Hoffman, in that he's a very workman-like NT. It is interesting to note that Hoffman has been moved to OL in the NFL. Billyk, like Hoffman, is not going to make a lot of plays in the backfield, but he never quits on a play, and he will occupy blockers on every play. In the 3-4 defense that we play, this is often the role of the NT.

Billyk isn't going to play with much range, which is a main reason he was moved inside from DE. He just isn't going to beat anybody with quickness. While he doesn't have great strength, he does have adequate strength. Against the run, Billyk is very good at holding blockers up, and keeping them from getting to the second level. Again, in the 3-4, this is his job. He will often tie up two OLs and let the ILBs make plays on the RB. Similarly, against the run, Billyk is going to get past the OL and into the QBs face very often. Any sacks that he gets are probably coverage sacks, where the OL breaks down after decent initial protection. But Billyk will keep blockers busy, while the LBs or Safeties can come on blitzes.

Last year, Billyk was the de facto starter, but Nate Collins saw plenty of action, especially in passing situations. Keenan Carter also saw some time at NT. Billyk will not get many snaps in the nickel package, because rushing the passer is not his strength. Look for Billyk to again maintain the starting nod because of his consistency, and his determination. However, Collins and manchild Nick Jenkins should continue to take plenty of snaps away from him, as they give the defense a little more athleticism along the line.

Aaron Clark: Clark hasn't really gotten too many opportunities to play, and therefore many people do not much about him. Clark has spent time at both OLB and DE, although most of his actual playing time has been on special teams. It's unfortunate, for both him and the fans, that Clark hasn't seen the field more.

Clark has very good size, and good quickness. He'd probably be ideal as a DE in the 4-3, whereas in our 3-4 he's a bit of a tweener. This is why he's jumped around from DE to OLB, based on where we've needed him. Also, it seems like he's constantly been passed on the depth chart at both positions. He's apparently put some bulk on, and has been practicing exclusively at DE, but with the recent news about Olu Hall's suspension, this may change yet again.

Many people have been clamoring for a mid-career redshirt for Clark. Considering he's moved from position to position several times, this would make some sense, if he could ever get set in one position. If the news about him moving fulltime to DE is true, a redshirt would be beneficial, since it is unlikely he will see much time there this season. He has enough talent that if his career continues as it has gone so far, it would be a tremendous waste. Here's hoping he finds his way onto the field at some point and shows his potential.

Maurice Covington; Due to the injury to Kevin Ogletree, MoCo comes in as our leading returning receiver among the WRs, with all of 11 catches. Covington should earn the starting nod at the Y position due to his experience. I'm of the opinion that Covington should've redshirted as a true freshman, considering he played only 5 games and had only 5 receptions. However, that didn't happen, and the chances of a mid-career redshirt are basically nil, especially considering KO's injury.

Convinton is a WR in the same mold as Fontel Mines. He's a big guy who is going to use his size to get open, and his height to catch passes over a DB. Covington isn't the type of receiver who is going to run fly routes and post routes and beat people downfield. He's got good speed for a big receiver, but not elite speed by any means. Covington, however, is the perfect complement to a faster receiver who can get open downfield. He's very good at running underneath routes such as a drag, or a in. He's good in goalline situations on a fade route, because of his height and his ability to go up and get a pass.

Convington never seemed to develop any chemistry with Sewell, or any of the other QBs. He had 6 catches last year, while getting a decent amount of playing time. One problem is that his strength basically mimics that of our TEs. If you're Sewell, and you're looking for a guy underneath, are you gonna throw to Stupar or to Covington? With the injury to Ogletree, it appears to be time for Covington to step up and have more of an impact. If we can find somebody to run the deep routes and put some pressure on a team's secondary, Convington can be valuable going over the middle on short and intermediate routes. But because Covington is not going to step into Ogletree's role, we need somebody to step up first, before MoCo can really have much impact.

Jermaine Dias: Dias has played 4 years at OLB now and has yet to really distinguish himself. At times, he's looked good in pass coverage, and on outside running plays. However, too often he seems lost and never makes an impact on the game.

Dias is almost the opposite of his OLB mate, Clint Sintim. While Sintim is at his best going into the backfield, getting after the QB, Dias is more of an all a round LB. He's very adept at pass coverage, and will usually cover the TE or RB on passing plays. Against the run, Dias often has a problem beating blocks, but he usually does a good job of staying home and forcing a RB inside, where his fellow LBs can make plays.

I believe much of Dias' struggle has been due to a confidence problem. With a little bit of extended success, Dias' game could grow quickly to the point where he's a real asset to the defense. If this does not happen, look for some of the younger LBs (Olu Hall, anybody?) to see a lot of time at Dias' OLB spot.

Chris Gould: Is Gould a PK or a P? That question has yet to be answered. Last season, he spent much of the year in both roles. This happens quite a bit in college, as oftentimes a team will have one kicker who is the best at both. However, it is difficult for the player, because the two roles have such drastically different kicking techniques. Gould, as others have in other situations, struggled in both roles. Eventually, Ryan Weigand came on to do much of the punting, allowing Gould to focus on PK. Gould still handled the pooch kicks, simply because he was still better at it than Weigand was.

Gould's brother, Robbie, is the PK for the Bears. While a good punter, Gould's strength is placekicking. His strength as a punter is pooch kicks, because he simply does not have tremendous leg strength. However, he's consistent as a punter, has good hands and gets his kicks off quickly. As a PK, his leg strength is adequate, as evidenced by his career long of 48 yards and 21 touchbacks last season.

Gould's problem as a PK appears to be consistency, although there are other factors that go into FG kicking. Still, at the end of the day though, it comes down to the kicker being able to execute, and 11 of 19 last season is just not getting it done. We brought in Chris Hinkebein as a PK, although it looks like Gould will hang on to the job, at least for now. It also looks like Weigand is getting the nod at punter, and this is good. Perhaps spending all his time and focus on PK will help Gould's consistency and will give us confidence in the 3 point opportunities.

Byron Glaspy: We all know that Glaspy is a great story. A former walk-on who made the team as a reserve safety, Glaspy worked his way into the starting lineup and became a mainstay in the defensive secondary. Glaspy is a high IQ playerwho rarely makes mistakes and is very good at bringing down a ballcarrier, although will not make the big hit that Nate Lyles often delivers.

Just because Glaspy was a walk-on, doesn't mean he isn't a very gifted athlete. Glaspy does not give up much size or speed to Lyles. In fact, Lyles and Glaspy are very similar safeties. This, however, is the problem. Both of their strengths are moving towards the line of scrimmage, and both are very strong against the run. However, neither of them are much of a centerfielder type, and both will get beaten on the deep ball at times. A perfect set of safeties will complement each other, as one will be more a coverage safety (generally called a FS) and the other will be more like a LB, playing closer to the line and laying the big hit on a ballcarrier (generally called a SS). Lyles and Glaspy are both SS types. Against the run, this is an advantage because both will get into a ballcarrier and prevent the big run. However, since neither of them are good in pass coverage, our defense becomes susceptible to multiple WR sets.

So if they are so similar, why is Glaspy Average, while Lyles is Good? The main reason is that I believe Glaspsy has probably reached his maximum potential, whereas Lyles still has room to improve. If a younger safety, with more range in coverage (read: Brandon Woods) steps up, Glaspy will probably lose more snaps than Lyles will. This is because Glaspy lacks the intimidationg factor that Lyles has. Those big hits that Lyles delivers are why teams will be tentative when throwing over the middle. Nobody dreads throwing in front of Glaspy. That said, Glaspy will see plenty of time on the field, and will do the most he can on every snap.

Vic Hall: Hall moved to CB after being one of the most successful QBs in Virginia high school history. CB seems like the best position for Hall's future in football. You can't play QB in the NFL at 5'9", no matter how quick you are. That said, there aren't really a whole lot of 5'9" CBs in the NFL either.

Hall might be the most athletic player on the team. He has very good speed, tremendous quickness, good hands and displays good strength for his size. Obviously, this bodes well for his success as a CB. He has the speed and lateral quickness to cover the quickest of receivers. While he may lack the height to defend jump balls and fade routes against taller receivers, he does have the strength to make a solid jam at the line. Hall's instincts on the field are good, and its likely that his QB background helps him understand defending against the pass. Experience is really the only thing holding him back.

One place I am very excited to see Vic is on punt returns. Hall ran for something like 100 million yards as a HS QB, and that skill bodes well for returning punts. He has to prove he can catch the ball consistently, but once he gets his hands on the ball, he could be very dangerous.

Once again, the biggest question mark here is experience. Is Vic Hall ready to be an all-ACC CB? Can Mike London put him on an island against a WR like eddie royal, and expect Hall to get the job done? This will go a long way towards determining if our defense is only very good, or if its phenomenal.

Andrew Pearman: After a season at Hawaii where he was injured most of the season, and then a redshirt year following his transfer, APII again missed much of last year with an injury. Missing spring practice as well didn't help. It's time for him to step into the role he should've been in from the start, before he spurned us for the Warriors.

Physcially, APII is as gifted a WR as we have on the team. APII is faster than his brother, although probably not as strong (thus being a WR instead of a RB). The problem with Pearman is going to be rust. He hasn't really played meaningful football since in almost 4 years. Thats a long time, especially for a skill position guy. It is going to take Andrew some time to regain the feel for running routes, and get used to the speed of the game again.

At this point in his career, Andrew's biggest impact will probably be felt on special teams, and possibly on end arounds, or WR screens. Someplace where he can get his hands on the ball in space and use his superior speed and running ability. Alvin was one of the best on the team at punt coverage. Maybe he can pass some of that on to his brothere. Skills such as route running will probably take some time, as will catching the ball at full speed. Hopefully, by the end of the season, and into next season, APII can be where back where he was in high school, and can have the type of impact that his brother did. Thus far, it would be difficult to call his college career anything other than a bust.

Cedric Peerman: A lot of people are predicting big things for Peerman this season. I'll believe it when I see it. People say he is back to the one-cut running style that was successful for his in the past. But that success was a 3.4 ypc season in 2005. To me, even for a freshman, that is not really success. Peerman has had success as a KR. I do believe he can excel in that role. As a KR, he has time to get up to max speed and pick a hole. As a RB, there are defenders on you right away and Peerman has not shown the ability to avoid those defenders.

Peerman certainly has a good combination of size and speed. He has good hands out of the backfield. He's an adequate blocker. So where does he fail? I don't know. Sometimes he just doesn't look like an instinctive running back. I've seen him miss the hole. I've seen him stand around looking for a place to go. I've seen him try to run over guys for no reason. The number of poor runs he's had far exceed the number of good runs.

There is no question that Peerman will be the starter for the first game. There is also no question that other backs will get chances to run the ball. Peerman seems like the kind of back who could be successful at wearing down a defense, and being better in the fourth quarter. But will he get enough carries to do it? I would be thrilled if Peerman has a big year and maintains his hold on the starting TB spot. But I would also be thrilled if one of the other backs stepped up and passed Peerman.

Gordie Sammis: Gordie is the first non-starter to be featured on either of my lists. I suppose Jon Stupar isn't technically a starter, but he may as well be, because he'll play as many snaps at Santi. Sammis is not a starter by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, for the opening two games, he won't even dress. He's not eligible, due to "accidentally" burning his redshirt year. In one of the few inteligent decisions the NCAA has ever made, they granted him an extra year of eligibility, to make up for that "accident."

Gordie has been a career backup, albeit a valuable one. He's played both guard positions, as well as seeing action on the FG team. Once his two game suspension is up, he will likely backup both guard positions. He may not be as talented as some of the younger OLs, such as B.J. Cabbell, but his experience helps keep him on the depth chart. Gordie is a hard worker, and gets by mostly on inteligence and perseverance, as opposed to athleticisim and strength. That isn't to say he isn't strong, because he is. His strength is that he will not blow assignments, he will work hard with the other OLs and he will not give up on a play. Those attributes go a long way for an OL.

All that said, I do not expect Gordie to play much. If the starters sub out late in a blowout, Cabbell will be the first guard to come in, because he needs the game reps. However, if any of our OGs go down with an injury (knock on wood), Gordie will be the replacement. I put him here not because I expect him to have a productive season, but because having a suitable backup lineman is important, and we'll need Gordie if anybody does go down.

Jameel Sewell: Don't get me wrong, I like Sewell. He's tremendously talented. The team was much better with Sewell at the helm than they were with Olsen or McCabe. He threw for 1300 yards and 5 TDs as an 18 year old. That is impressive. I put him here because there are too many question marks coming into this season. First of all, there is the wrist surgery. How strong is the wrist? How will he feel the first time he takes a hit and has to use his hands to brace the fall? How much was the wrist injury affecting his accuracy last year? Second, who will he throw to. The only receiver he really developed any chemistry with was Kevin Ogletree and KO is (likely) out for the year. He'll pretty much have to learn on the fly with very green WRs. Thankfully, he still has security blankets in his TEs. Third, will the OL be good enough to let him make plays. This was the biggest problem last year. Early in the season, the OL couldn't block anybody. Makes it rough on a QB, especially a young one.

Sewell has a good arm, and combines that with good legs. He also throws a nice ball, with a good quick release. His accuracy is an issue, especially on the deep ball, but maybe that was because of the wrist injury. Added experience may help the accuracy issue, as his mechanics are sound. The other issue is his reads. At times, it seemed like he would lock onto KO and never look elsewhere. Being a young QB, it may be that the staff was giving him simple plays where he wouldn't have to make many reads. But that will have to change if he is to succeed. He's going to have to read coverage and make the right throw, especially with no KO out there.

Sewell is probably the biggest question mark on the team this season. Obviously, there is no position on the field with more responsibility that the QB. If Sewell has a strong season, the offense will be much improved. With a defense as good as ours, that could be the difference between a mediocre season and a great season. If Sewell struggles with his wrist, or with his reads, it could be another long season for Hoo fans.

Zak Stair: If Zak was going to ever be a real starter on this football team, it would've been last year. He started at LT a few times last year, because of HooGene's health issues. It might have been nice if Stair had taken the starting RT job, and Barker could've been the backup. Maybe they could've switched once it became clear that Monroe's body wasn't right. But, it was clear from the beginning that Barker was going to see the majority of the snaps at RT.

Zak is the type of OL who gets by on grit and determination. He's not quick enoungh to stay with speed rushers on the edge. He's also not going to drive defenders off the ball on a running play. He's limited athletically, and while he's certainly strong, he does not have elite strength. However, he's willing to get his hands dirty, and once he gets engaged he's not going to get outworked.

Because Stair is the best (only?) backup OL we've got, he will see plenty of snaps at OT, and may even see some snaps at OG while Sammis serves his suspension. But if he ends up seeing extended action, we may be in some trouble offensively.

That ends my Average players preview. Obviously there are still a lot of players left out of my previews. I have one more section remaining for experienced players, "The Crappy Ones". I will then write about the younger players, such as the incoming freshman and the redshirt freshman. It is harder to judge them because I've never actually seen them on the field. I will also write about the walk-ons and other players who are unlikely to see the field much (the Scott Deke's and Josh Zidenberg's of the team).

Next up: The Crappy Ones.

Charleston Battery: Stephen Armstrong's Goal

2007-08-17T20:06:00Z

I said I would post the goal when I found it, and I found it. So here it is. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to embed it directly, so I'm just posting a link to the page.

Armstrong's Goal

Click on the "Webcast Highlights" link (blue button). NOT the big red "Watch Video Now" button.

The goal is at about the 0:50 mark. The rest of the highlights suck, since the Battery lost. But the goal was sweet.

OK, I figured out how to post the video directly, so here it is.

View Video
Format: asx?eventId=1794&d=
Duration: --:--

Movie Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

2007-08-13T22:29:26Z

I'm going to try to do this without any spoilers. Easier said than done.

Wow, that movie rocked. You shoulda seen me driving back from the movie. I kept having to tell myself to slow down, because I was flooring it constantly. So much adrenaline. Just like the first two Bourne movies, it is non-stop action. Theres also some humor, a ton of suspense, likable characters as well as hateable characters. The filming locations are all phenomenal, coming from pretty much all over the world.

Matt Damon again does a great job as Jason Bourne. He continues to prove why he is one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. He has the skills and the look to pull off the action scenes. But he also the range and ability to pull off the emotional and intelectual twists and turns.

Julia Stiles repirses her role of Nicky Parsons from the first two movies, although she has a bigger role in this one. While not the most glamorous of her roles, she nonetheless looks the part and does a great job.

Joan Allen, meanwhile, reprises her role as Pamela Landy from the second movie, and also does an admirable job. The character develops a bit more than in the first one, and Joan does it well.

The other actors are all new to the movie, and while nobody necessarily stands out above any others, all do a good job of making the movie as enjoyable as is could have been.

I give it a 9 out of 10.

My one negative is the shaky camera that was prevalent in the 2nd movie. Seriously, Greengrass, get a steady cam.

Part III: The Good Ones

2007-08-09T20:04:00Z

The second group of players are the guys I'm expecting to have strong productive seasons. Not stars, not the guys who would be "impact players" in NCAA Football. Still, players you are going to count on game in and game out to do what they are supposed to do, and be where they are supposed to be. This category may well be the swing players for the season. If most of these guys perform as I expect them to, or even better, we should have a successful season. If more of these struggle, or miss time with injuries, we will probably struggle.

The main requirement for this list is consistency. To be great, you have to be dominant all the time, game in and game out. To be good, you have to be dominant occasionally, and pretty solid the rest of the time. If you're dominant one play and lost the next, you're not good. If you're merely solid all the time, you're not good.

Once again, players are listed in alphabetical order, because otherwise I would end up putting my favorite players first and that's unfair.

Danny Aiken: I start this section out with an underwhelming addition, and one who may not be familiar to many fans. Aiken will likely only be used as a long snapper. However, this position is critical to the success of a team. A poor long snapper causes problems for punters and placekickers, both of whom rely tremendously on consistent timing. Oftentimes, when a kicker struggles, it is due to his snapper (or holder) being off on the timing. UVA fans saw this with Connor Hughes, who had a phenomenal year in 2003 with Matt Schaub holding, and then struggled somewhat in 2004 with John Phillips (the QB, not the TE) as the holder. Was Hughes a different kicker, or did the exchange from snap to place throw him off? I guess we'll never know, but I believe the new holder at least played a role. Hughes was again very good in 2005, with Phillips holding again. Maybe it was a one year fluke, or maybe Hughes and Phillips got more comfortable with each other.

Anyway, Aiken will probably be our long snapper all season, and by all accounts, he's well suited for the job. He acted as the long snapper for Fork Union Military Academy last season, so he's certainly got some experience. I've never seen him play, so I'm basing most of this on speculation, along with what little I've read about him. At 6'4" and 230 lbs, he seems big and strong enough to make the snap and still block onrushing defenders. He's also a former HS quarterback, who ran for 400 yards and 8 TDs as a senior, indicating that he has the speed to get downfield on punt coverage.

We have to hope Aiken can hold down the fort at long snapper, since long-time snapper Tyrus Gardner is no longer around. I do not have any idea who else would be called upon to handle the position if Aiken weren't able to do it, so I'm banking on Aiken being the man.

Antonio Appleby: After being forced into action early in 2005 due to a lack of depth at LB, Appleby forced his way into the starting lineup by the end of that season. He continued to progress last year, starting every game and finishing second on the team in plays and tackles. He and Jon Copper formed a successful, if underappreciated ILB duo.

Antonio is not a blazer in the Ahmad Brooks mold. Nor is he a hammer in the Kai Parham mold. Realistically, Appleby is a mix of the two. He's definitely faster than Parham, and while he may not be as strong as Brooks (we all know Brooks was a freak of nature), he's certainly very strong. At 6'4" and 248 pounds, he's got the size Al Groh wants from his ILBs, while also possessing above average speed. He shows the willingness back in pass coverage when necessary, although this is not his strength and frankly, he's not very good at it. He can rush the passer when needed, but again this is not really his strength. Appleby is at his best when he is attacking ballcarriers coming through the line. Appleby usually chooses good lanes, and is good at beating, or fighting off, blockers to get to the ball and make the tackle. Most of the time, when Appleby hits the ballcarrier in the hole, that run is not going anywhere.

Appleby had a strong year last year, but at times was overmatched by the position. As his reads got quicker and his instincts started to take over, he played with more confidence and looked more comfortable out there. I expect his progression to continue, and I'm expecting big things from him next year and the year after. He (and Copper) will get more rest this year, which will hopefully lead to better performances.

Nate Collins: Collins was the lone true freshman to have any impact on the field last season. This is not a knock on the rest of his class, this is simply proof that Collins is a player. He forced his way onto the field, and was productive when he was out there. 2.5 TFL and a sack, in limited snaps. Collins also drew several holding penalties (as well as a few that weren't called.)

Collins isn't really what we've grown accustomed to seeing at NT in the 3-4. He's only 281 lbs, while most NT are bigger. Last year, we saw Keenan Carter play there at well over 300 pounds. But Carter wasn't very productive, and Collins was. Collins is more in the mold of Andrew Hoffman. He uses his quickness to beat the linemen off the snap. Sometimes, he's in the backfield before the Ol has a hand on him. With the DE tandem we have out there, our DL will run a lot of stunts, designed to generate mismatches for the DLs. Collins will be the beneficiary of this, as OLs will be focused on the tandem of Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald. Even when we don't stunt, Collins will oftentimes be matched up on the C, as the rest of the OL concentrates on the DEs. This works to Collins' advantage because by the time the C looks up from snapping the ball, Collins may be by him, busting up the play.

Why is Collins on this list while Allen Billyk, the starter, isn't? They are similar in style, both undersized NTs who rely on quickness and effort to get the job done. The main difference is that Billyk is 22 years old, in his 5th year with the program and Collins is 19 years old, in his 2nd year. Collins needs to gain some strength, as he will wear down quickly from too much action. Billyk is also a bit more consistent and makes better reads, especially against the run. Collins can push into the backfield so quickly, letting a quick hitter running play run right past him. I expect Collins to be starting by the end of the season, if not much sooner, as he improves against the run. It is going to be fun to watch him for the next 3 years.

Chris Cook: Cook had a solid year last year, but it would be difficult to call it a good one. Considering Marcus Hamilton was on the other side, so you'd expect teams to go at Cook a little more, he had only 1 pick and 5 passes broken up. Then again, he did have 58 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. Much of that was due to to soft Cover-2 we often employed in the defensive backfield, and the fact that teams were running on us a lot, and the DBs had to make a lot of tackles on RBs. Still, Cook certainly looked like he belonged out there, and coming off a broken leg in 2005, I was happy with his performance.

Should Cook be a safety? That is a question I've seen posted time and time again (mostly by thesabre football guru, Jhoo). He's a big guy, checking in at 6'2" and 204 lbs. He's got good speed, probably a bit faster than Hamilton, but he's not a burner by any means. Cooks strength in coverage is physical, bump-and-run type coverage, where he can jam a WR at the line and use his size to his advantage. Thus, Cook is going to struggle to man up with a quick, burner WR, due to the lack of top end speed. However, considering we'll probably see a lot of the Cover-2 again, this is less of a problem. Cook is pretty much an ideal CB in that system. He's very solid at coming up and defending the run, probably better at this stage than Hamilton ever was. He seems to make good reads on balls in the air, and with his size, he should be able to go up and get some of those balls. His interception return TD in 2005 vs Maryland was a thing of beauty. The broken leg, suffered in the BC game, was a major blow to a player who was really beginning to come into his own.

After a season spent somewhat in the shadow of Hamilton, Cook now gets to the be #1 CB. This means he'll normally be matching up against the opposing #1 WR. While there's no more Calvin Johnson in the ACC, there is still some very impressive WR talent around the conference. I wouldn't expect to see Cook left on an island all that often, just because that isn't really his strength, and it isn't really the way we play. However, there may well be situations where it is necessary, especially after the injury to Mike Brown, who was probably going to be the starter on the other side. I fully expect the proverbial "light" to come on for Cook this year. The injury is behind him, the focus will be on him and I believe he is ready for it. If it does happen, it will be a huge boost to our defense, allowing more freedom with the LBs in terms of rushing the passer. If he fails to step up, we may struggle to defend the deep ball again.

Jon Copper: A 3-4 defense needs quality ILBs if it is going to stop the opposition from running the ball. Therefore, having both of our starting ILBs on this list is a good sign. Copper led the team in tackles, even though many people thought (and continue to think) he lacks the athleticism to handle the position. 81 tackles, including 8 for loss, and 4 sacks shows he can handle the position. He was the most consistent LB, and playing in a defense that requires consistency out of our LBs, that is most impressive than the occasional highlight reel play you will see from other, more athletic LBs.

Copper is a beast. In fact, I would not be surprised if he ripped his shirt off one day, and his body was green. Point is, when he hits somebody, they go down. Copper combines this strength with a tremendous football IQ and great instincts. He makes the right read, and often beats blockers and makes the tackle not because he's quicker, but because he makes his move before the play happens. Copper also shows a good feel for the delayed blitz. At least a couple of his sacks came on a delayed blitz. The delayed blitz can be a dangerous play, if the LB leaves too early, he either gets blocked or leaves a receiver wide open, and if he leaves too late he doesn't get to the QB in time. Copper is also going to act as the QB of the defense, making reads and making sure everybody is in the right place. This will be important as the team incorporates more young players into the defense.

As I mentioned for Appleby, the rotation at LB is going to much better than it was last year. Letting the starters rest more allows them to go all out on every play, and to still have some gas left in the tank late in the game. Copper will likely see a lot of time on the field with some of the younger guys, because as such a heady player, he is capable of making up for a missed read from his teammate. He and Appleby may not rack up the tackles they had last year, but should nonetheless be more productive.

Ian-Yates Cunningham: I have to admit, IYC is one of my favorites. I'm not really sure why, but he always has been. In 2003, as a true freshman out of Plano, TX, he stepped into the starting role at LG and held his own. Those were the days when we had a dominating OL with guys like Elton Brown and D'brickashaw Ferguson. For a true freshman to come in and play at that level, with those guys around him was impressive. Unfortunately, his health problems started soon after that. He missed the entire 2004 season due to back surgery. He came back in 2005 and has played all 3 interior line positions. He played RG in every game last season, and missed only a handful of plays all season.

IYC will never overwhelm a defender with strength. He's listed at 6'3" and 290 pounds. Big certainly, but not huge. He is a better pass blocker than run blocker, another reason we'll probably see many more runs over left side than over right side. That isn't to say IYC isn't a solid run blocker, as he does get a good push off the line, and he does have the ability to get outside on a pull. But as a pass blocker, IYC simply doesn't get beat once he gets into a block.

The biggest problem through IYC's career has been his health. He just can't keep his back healthy. Last year he remained fairly healthy, and had a nice, productive year. This year, he's finally able to spend an offseason working with the same set of OL teammates, and concentrating on a single position. Here's hoping he can stay healthy and have another strong year. I would very much like to see IYC playing on Sundays.

Rashawn Jackson: If I had written a similar preview for last season, I might have put Jackson in this same spot, but as a LB. He never really stepped up at LB, and Jon Copper did. So Jackson moves fulltime to FB, a position he played a few times last year in short yardage and goalline situations. As a FB, Jackson reminds me a lot of Jason Snelling. He even wears the same number, having changed from 31 last year to 38 this year. Snelling had 31 receptions and 4 TDs as a freshman FB, and was a real weapon in the passing game for that team. Jackson can be that same type of player this year.

Like Snelling, Jackson played a lot of TB in high school. My scouting report is based on speculation because the little action he got at FB last year isn't enough to make a real judgement. I do know that he's got very good speed for a FB and probably a little more juke that your typical FB. He can certainly run over a defender, but he's also got the ability to run around him. He'll probably have to work on his lead blocking, but at 6'1" and 254 lbs, he's got the frame for it. It is mostly as a receiver out of the backfield that I expect Jackson to have the biggest impact. His speed will make it difficult for a LB to cover him in the flats, and while I can't say much for his hands, I've heard they are good enough. Once he gets his hands on the ball, he'll be dangerous in space. That LB who is covering him in the flats may well get dusted, and a DB coming up to make a tackle will show some guts taking him on.

It is somewhat disappointing that Jackson spent all last season at LB. He did a lot of work, both on and off the field, trying to learn a very difficult position. Now all that work is almost for naught. Therefore, I expect Jackson to come on slowly, and probably make some mistakes, especially as a blocker. However, he will be a weapon in a passing game sorely lacking for weapons. Depending on who our TB is at various times during the season, Jackson will probably get some short yardage carries as well, and he can be very dangerous there.

Jordy Lipsey: It sure took him long enough, didn't it. Lipsey was a 5 star recruit out of talent-rich Florida. He was listed at the time at 6'3" and 272 lbs. Now he's listed at 6'3" and 280 lbs. That right there highlights the trouble he's had putting weight on and keeping it on. The problem isn't just a lack of bulk, but a lack of strength as well. At times throughout his career, he's been manhandled by opposing DTs due to this lack of strength. Last year, finally, he was able to play at a high enough weight and strength level that he had a very productive year, and kept a hold on the starting center job. However, this may have led to some early problems due to line calls and other communication issues due to inexperience. Since I wasn't down there on the line with the guys, I can't say for sure what the problems were, but I do know that there were defenders flying unabated into the backfield while our OL stood around and watched. That sounds like a communications problems to me.

Lipsey's technique has never been in question. He gets good leverage, especially in run blocking. His pass blocking improved markedly last year, but he still suffers from a strength disadvantage and can still, at times, get bulldozed by pass rushing DTs. Lipsey rarely makes mistakes (physical mistakes anyway, some of the problems with line calls last year were probably mental mistakes on his part), but sometimes I do not feel like he plays with enough tenacity and emotion. A lot of guys who lack the strength are able to get by on will, and I have never seen that from Jordy.

The communications problem from early in the season appeared to get better, since the OL as a unit was playing better, even though the opposition was much better in most cases. Hopefully a full offseason of working with the same group of guys will lead to even more improvement in this area. Another hope is that a full offseason of conditioning for Lipsey will increase his strength and give him a little more to work with in terms of pass blocking. While Lipsey may never turn out to be the superstar OL anchor that he was predicted to be, he has turned into a good center and his perseverance has made him a personal favorite of mine (and a lot of other UVA fans). Here's hoping he has a great year, because not only would it be really nice for him, it would mean a lot to Sewell and our offense in general.

Nate Lyles: Lyles is another one of my favorites. I suspect he's a favorite of a lot of fans. First of all, everybody loves seeing big hits, and Lyles can deliver them. Second, we all respect his perseverance in coming back from a major neck injury. I'm pretty sure I've never heard Scott Stadium as quiet as it was after that hit against Georgia Tech two years ago. And I've been there when it was completely empty. I'm also not sure I've heard U-Hall as emotional as it was when he led the football team out onto the basketball court before the season-opening Liberty game.

Lyles is a hitter. That's pretty succinct, isn't it. He loves to hit people. The hit against GT that caused the injury was scary, but it was also a nice textbook hit. It was just a freak thing. He's also had big hits against Maryland a couple of years ago, and against Miami last year. Those hits don't just pump up the defense and the crowd, but they make the offensive player think twice about coming anywhere near Lyles. Lyles' strength is coming up against a receiver or runner. He'll come up and plant the guy. Sometimes he gets too caught up in the hit, and forgets to wrap up. This tends to be a problem with big hitting safeties, even accomplished NFL players like Sean Taylor and Ed Reed. As good as Nate is at coming up on a ballcarrier, that's about how much he struggles going back in pass coverage. He does not match up well in man to man coverage, whether its a slot receiver or a TE. Lyles knows his responsibilities, and rarely gets caught out of position in his deep zone drop, but he doesn't really have the range to make plays on the ball like some safeties do.

Lyles would be a great SS if paired with a ball-hawking FS (calling Brandon Woods). Lyles intimidates the offense and will make a WR think twice about running a short crossing route. While not a burner, Lyles has enough speed to make plays when he needs to. Lyles is a senior now, and its time for him to live up to the promise he came in with and play with the consistency he's lacked. He's had a full season, and offseason since the injury, so I'll go ahead and predict he does it.

John Phillips: Now that the "other" John Phillips has graduated, the TE is the only one left on team. This will remove some confusion. I remember during the Duke game his freshman year, when he scored that brilliant touchdown, carrying half the Duke defenders over the goalline, some people in the stands being confused about why a walk-on QB/holder was also playing TE. Like the other TEs, Phillips was underutilized as a receiver last year. Again, this was due to the OLs struggle to keep the QBs on their feet. Phillips 44-yard catch in the Miami game set the tone early that we would be able to move the ball against them. Sadly, I was on line at the concessions for this play, so I've only seen it on replays.

Phillips is a better blocker than either Stupar or Santi. Especially when it comes to pass blocking. Phillips is big and strong for a TE, and uses his size and strength along with a great deal of tenacity, to handle opposing DEs very well. Do not think that because Phillips is a good blocker, that he is a poor receiver. He's certainly not the downfield threat that Tom Santi is, but he's actually very similar to Jon Stupar in his ability to find the open spots in a zone, or use his size to "box out" a defender. He also has very good hands. The tenacity that he uses as a blocker is also apparent in his unwillingness to go down. Being a huge NY Giants fan, I fondly recall Mark Bavaro carrying half the 49ers defense down the field in 1987. John's Duke TD reminds me a great deal of that play.

John is really the first non-starter I've featured in either of my lists. Because I expect Santi and Stupar to see a similar number of snaps, it is difficult to portray one as the starter and one as the backup. The only reason John is a backup is because Santi and Stupar are so talented. It is almost a shame that John has had more opportunity to shine, but thats going to happen when you're a TE at TE U. Phillips will start next year, and will be tremendously productive. For the meantime, Phillips will still play a lot, in 2 TE, and even 3 TE sets. He will be used as an in-line blocker, and will be used to give the other TEs a breather. I'm expecting increased production out of Phillips, largely because somebody has to catch the ball, and there aren't a whole lot of WRs that I'm counting on. Look for Phillips to move up to the "Great" list next season.

Mikell Simpson: Simpson was mildly productive in limited opportunities last season. He scored a rushing TD late in the Duke game, long after that game was over. During the offseason, he spent some time learning the WR position, which could be very big considering the lack of WR talent we have. Simpson is a natural RB, but he certainly has the size and ability to play WR. I've heard reports that Simpson will be used as a hybrid WR/RB, much like Florida used Percy Harvin last year. Simpson isn't as quick as Harvin, but he's a bit bigger and plenty quick.

Simpson is a good runner. He's fast, he's fluid, and he can make people miss. So why move him to WR? Aside from the lack of WR depth, the reason is he's too talented to keep off the field. But so are our other RB options. Of all the RBs, Simpson has the best feel for the passing game. He also has a good pair of hands. He's apparently shown the willingness to sick his head into a defender as a blocker. But he's just not strong enough to really have an impact there. This is another reason he'll spend more time on the outside.

Harvin had 34 receptions and 41 rushing attempts last season as a true freshman, much of that coming late in the season, once he learned the offense. If we actually run more of the spread offense like everybody is talking about, Simpson could potentially match those opportunities, and that would make him a very useful, versatile weapon for Sewell.

Clint Sintim: I came pretty close to including Sintim in the Great section. And that was before he showed up to Training Camp looking Cruise Missile Sleek. The reason I didn't was because my criteria for Great required consistently dominating out on the field. Sintim has not remained consistent in his career. Sintim did have a pretty strong year last year, recording 4 sacks and 12 TFl. He also had one FF and one FR. I just didn't feel like he was really dominant game in and game out.

Sintim is similar to a LB we saw at Virginia who was dominant for most of his career in Darryl Blackstock. 'Stock is currently second on the depth chart at OLB in Arizona. Even a slimmer Sintim is bigger than 'Stock ever was, although not as fast. Like Blackstock, Clint's strength is as a pass rusher. He wants to hit the QB and he wants to hit him hard. Coming off the edge, especially with the OL having to deal with our talented DEs, Sintim is going to get into the backfield and he just needs to make plays once he gets there. While Sintim's best at getting to the QB, he's worked hard at improving his reads against the run, and has had some success there. He's not a lateral player who is going to chase down RBs across the field, but he does show the ability to maintain the edge and force a runner back inside to the rest of the defense. One thing that Blackstock really improved on in his UVA career was pass coverage. It may well be that Sintim has improved as well, but he's still terrible at it. I do not like seeing Sintim drop back, its a waste of his talent.

That's 3 linebackers that I have on this list, which is obviously a good sign for a 3-4 defense. Sintim may be the best of the three, if used properly. He is the type of LB that an OL has to account for. A pass protecting RB is not going to be able to handle Sintim one-on-one, so an OT or TE needs to get on him. This is why he shouldn't be dropping back into pass coverage. If he does that, the tackle can focus on Long/Fitzgerald and the TE can run his pattern. When we come out in a nickel set, with 4 down lineman, Sintim will usually be one of the DEs, although he may still be standing up, as opposed to in a 3 point stance. If Sintim accumulates only 4 sacks again this year, I think I will be very disappointed. I could see him going for twice that.

There are other guys I considered putting into this section. I like a lot of the redshirt freshmen, such as Rico Bell and Mike Parker. But I can't bring myself to put this here without any real knowledge of where they are on the learning curve.

I would have loved to put one of the WRs on here, like maybe MoCo, but I just haven't seen enough from him to predict a good year. We're going to need a WR to step up and prove to me that they belong on this good list in my end of season review. Maybe it'll be MoCo or Chris Dalton, or maybe it'll be one of the incoming freshman (calling Ras-I Dowling).

The other player I really wanted to put on here is Jameel Sewell. One reason I did not is that I do not want to expect too much of him. I also do not want him to expect too much of himself. I'm won't delude myself into thinking that Sewell might ever see this, but I hope the fans' expectations in general don't go to his head. The other reason I didn't put him on here is that he is coming off surgery to his wrist on his throwing arm. I just don't know what to expect. Was the wrist hurting him last year, causing him to struggle with his accuracy? Or was the accuracy something he's going to struggle with and the wrist injury will only exacerbate that?

Thats my list, and while there are, again, notable exceptions, its a pretty good list. Notice that almost the entire list is defense. While I expect our offense to be better this year than it was last year (how could it be worse?), I'm still not sold on the offense, while the defense may well be one of the best in the country.

Coming up next: The Average Guys.

Charleston Battery: The US Open Cup Run Ends

2007-08-08T19:44:00Z

The Charleston Battery were eliminated from the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup last night by FC Dallas, 2-1 in OT. The Battery have to be happy with reaching the quarterfinals, including a win over MLS' Houston Dynamo. That said, they pretty much got dominated last night. The final score does not accurately describe the game. Dallas held possession for most of the game, their midfield winning ball after ball. Both Dallas goals were entirely too easy, as attackers were not picked up in the box. This is the second year in a row that Dallas has eliminated the Battery, last year advancing on PKs in the fourth round.

For Battery fans, the highlight of the game has to be Stephen Armstrong's 16th minute goal. I couldn't have been further away from the play, but still had a pretty decent view, as I was on a direct line with Armstrong and the goal. He was perhaps 40 yards from the goal, and ripped a strike into the far upper 90. I'm pretty sure that's the greatest goal I've ever seen live. I've been looking for video of it, but since its a US Open Cup game, and not televised, it might be some time. They do have closed-circuit TV there so somebody's got it on video somewhere, and I figure its just a matter of time. Now that my blog-host, Tim, has enabled video posting, I will post it as soon as I find it.

Unfortunately, other than the goal, the Battery had a sub-par game. Many of the Battery players looked tired or lazy. The heat probably helped, as it was very hot and very humid. But Dallas was playing in the same conditions and looked faster. I guess that's the difference between MLS and USL.

Dallas plays the Seattle Sounders in the Semis. Seattle beat the Colorado Rapids 5-0. Wow. MLS teams shouldn't get dominated by USL teams. Seattle is a good USL team, currently tied for first place and Colorado isn't a great MLS team. Still, 5-0 is a little ridiculous.

The Community Shield

2007-08-07T18:14:25Z

From time to time, I will be posting comments on soccer, and specifically Manchester United. I've been a ManU fan since the days of FIFA 97, when I played as ManU because Beckham was pretty much the only international soccer player I'd ever heard of. I realize this is a stupid reason to choose a team, but nonetheless, that's what I did.

My other soccer teams are the Red Bulls, since I'm from NY and the Charleston Battery, since I live in Charleston and attend most of the home games. I don't follow MLS all that much, although I'm trying to force myself into it. Finally getting Fox Soccer Channel helps cuz I actually to get to watch some matches.

Anyway, the community shield was this past Sunday, and while I didn't get to see it live, I did catch most of it the other day. The game was fairly sloppy, which is to be expected in a preseason match where neither team is really all that fit. Also, since the game doesn't mean a whole lot beyond pride, its likely that players weren't really going all out. The best thing I could say about the game itself was seeing Van Der Sar stop all those penalties. Granted stopping penalties is partly luck, but its still nice to see.

Still, it was good to see some high level soccer being played. And since Chelsea and ManU are likely to be fighting atop the table, its nice to start out with a good result.

In other ManU news, it looks like the Tevez transfer isn't going to be finalized in time for the week 1 games to begin this weekend.

Part II: The Great Ones

2007-08-03T16:54:08Z

This first group of players are the guys I expect to be the stars of the team. Maybe not in the media's mind. Obviously quarterbacks and running backs tend to get all the media attention. Jameel Sewell is going to be under the miscroscope all season long, just because that is the nature of the beast. Lets pray he can handle it. It is on the field that I think these guys will be stars.

Players are listed in alphabetical order to prevent any subconscious ranking by me.

Branden Albert: This will come as no shock to most UVA football fans. Albert had a very good, maybe great season in 2006. Because of the failings of the OL as a unit, it may not seem that way, but it appeared to me that game in and game out, Albert did what he was supposed to do.

Albert is big and strong, listed at 6'7" and 315 pounds. He remains a better pass blocker than run blocker, which is not surprising since he came to Charlottesville as a tackle and has had to learn to play on the interior line. However, his interior run blocking has improved and he will now be the focus of most short yardage and goalline run plays. Albert's quickness and footwork allow him to be a strong pulling guard. Wahoo fans are no doubt familiar with the dreaded stretch play. Expect most of those to be run with Albert as the pulling guard on the trap.

I'm expecting even more of Brandon Albert this year. He's a year older and a year wiser, as is the rest of the OL. If healthy, I believe he will likely be the best OL on the team.

Jeffrey Fitzgerald: To most Wahoo fans, Fitzgerald came out of nowhere last year with a freshman All-American campaign. He hadn't played a down of football in almost 2 years, due to an injury in his senior year of high school and a redshirt year at UVA. His 64 tackles, including 12 for loss, and 5 sacks were third and first, respecitively, on the team. Pretty solid for a freshman.

Fitz benefits greatly from having Chris Long on the opposite side of the line. While teams were focusing on Long, Fitz was consistently getting into the backfield and disrupting things. At 6'3" and 279 lbs, Fitzgerald pretty much has the prototypical size for a 3-4 DE. He shows quickness off the snap, and an ability to use either strength or speed to beat blockers. His technique could use some work, and he could vary his moves a little more. However, is it difficult to call those weaknesses as he begins the 2007 season at only 19 years old and with 3 more years of eligibility. Finally, Fitzgerald showed a knack for being in the right place at the right time, as evidenced by 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.

With teams continuing to focus on Long, Fitz will still see a lot of single-teams. I suppose its a case of the lesser of two evils. Single-team Long and you may end up with a headless QB, whereas Fitzgerald might not be quite ready for that kind of dominance. I expect him to spend enough time in opposing backfields that he may as well set up a camp there. Furthermore, as a sophomore, Fitz has a lot more room to improve. Straight up, if Fitz stays healthy, he will be a star for the Hoos.

Chris Long: OK. I admit, this one is pretty obvious. Long is one of the best DLs in the country, and almost without question the best individual player on the Cavaliers football team. He will continue to see double teams on just about every play.

Long's strength is getting into the backfield and disrupting plays. He's also solid at holding his ground and keeping opposing OLs off of the LBs behind him, allowing them to make plays. I'm sure ILBs Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby will agree that having a guy like Long in front of them makes it much easier for them to do their job.

Long accumulated 57 tackles (12 for loss) and 4 sacks last year, which doesn't seem like a whole lot of plays, but in a 3-4 defense that was often fighting an uphill battle, he was spectacular. Look for him to improve on that and remain the focus of the Cavs defense. Also, expect Long to be a top 5 or 10 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Eugene Monroe: After suffering a dislocated knee during spring practice, HooGene struggled some in 2006, losing some playing time to Zak Stair over the course of the season. Having missed almost all of spring practice and much of training camp, he was constantly behind the curve physically. However, he improved as the season went on and looked more comfortable towards the end of the season.

To describe Eugene as huge is somewhat of an understatement. Listed at 6'6" and 315 pounds, he is probably, in truth, bigger than that. He is strong, and often uses his strength to dominate smaller defensive ends, especially against the run. His struggles in pass blocking last year were almost entirely due to the injury. Not only did he lack the explosion off the snap to get into position to prevent the outside speed rush, but he had also missed so many practice reps that his technique sufferred as well.

I expect Monroe to become the dominant LT that he was touted as out of High School. This will be the first time he's had an entire offseason to work on his technique, as well as a full offseason conditioning program. He should continue to be a dominant run blocker and with the added experience and practice reps, his pass blocking will improve as well. Of course, going up against Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald in day-in and day-out in practice can't hurt. Hopefully, the injury is completely behind him, and HooGene can pair with BA to form a very good, if not dominant, left side of the OL.

Tom Santi: Once again, this isn't coming as a shock to anybody reading this. Santi is pre-season All-ACC. In my opinion, the only ACC TE near Santi was Anthony Hill from NCSU, but he's hurt for the season, so All-ACC TE is Santi's to lose. In fact, his primary competition may well be the next guy on this list.

By many accounts, Santi didn't have a great year last year. There were several memorable drops, and in many games, he simply seemed lost. Because of the failings of the OL, Santi spent a lot of time acting as an extra blocker. This is not his strength, as he isn't the biggest of TEs. Also, in previous years, he spent a lot of time in the backfield as an H-back/fullback and at times he excelled in this position. Because Snelling, Jason is more a one back type guy, we ran less two back sets and therefore Santi was used less in that role. Still, because of Kevin Ogletree's injury and Snelling's graduation, Santi is the leading returning receiver.

Tom Santi is a TE in the Tony Gonzalez/Antonio Gates mold. He is a wide receiver in a tight ends' body. With the inexperience we have at WR and the depth at TE, I expect to see Santi split out on a lot of plays, even in running situations. He provides one hell of a matchup out there. Do you want to put a CB on him, and let him use his size and strength to post up or get a fade route? Do you put a LB on him who doesn't have the cover skills to handle a guy with Santi's speed and route running? Or do you use a safety on him, who may have a little bit of both problems? I wouldn't want to have to make that decision. All that said, Santi is not a great blocker. From what I've seen, he wants to be. He'll throw his body in there and get into the defender. Because of this willingness, he's a better run blocker, especially in space. But his pass blocking needs work. Is it technique? Is it lack of strength? Yes.

If the OL can keep Sewell on his feet, Santi could have a big year. He's probably the best weapon our offense has, with his combination of size and speed. When I think about Santi, the first thing I recall is the Music City Bowl. We were sitting one row in front of a bunch of his friends from Nashville, and he had a huge game. I remember him running down the field time and time again en route to a huge game. Theres no reason why we shouldn't see more of that this year. I would not be surprised if Santi led the team in receiving.

Jonathan Stupar: It may seem strange to see two TEs on this list. Stupar won't start. Or at least, he won't be on the starting lineup listed because they only list a single TE. However, Stupar may well be on the field for the first snap of games. Stupar, like Santi, had a somewhat disappointing season, at least based on the numbers. His catches, yards, and ypc all went down dramatically from 2005. Again, like Santi, this wasn't really a case of not performing when given the opportunity, but it was a case of not getting the opportunity. He spent a lot of time, especially early in the season, acting as a 6th OL.

In many ways, Stupar is more of a true TE than Santi. He's a much better blocker than Santi, especially on in-line blocks. His technique is solid, although he is usually at a big strength disadvantage when facing a defensively lineman. Stupar seems to be very adept at sealing off the end on an off-tackle run and that is why you will see Stupar (along with John Phillips) more than Santi in rushing situations. As a receiver Stupar does not have the speed of Santi (not many TEs do) but he has shown the ability to get down the field. He won't break for 60 yard TDs like Santi can do, and like we've seen Big Money do, but he can catch the ball and turn upfield and pick up some YAC. Stupar's strength is finding the soft spots in zones and getting position on the defender. Finally, he has great hands and if the ball is there, he'll catch it.

It really does seem like we are turning into TE U. The depth of our TEs is almost unfair. If we had that kind of depth at WR...well we might really have a passing game. As I said, we're going to see a lot of 2 TE sets. We may even see some sets with Santi split out, and Stupar and Phillips on the line as true TEs. Stupar and Santi are probably the best 1-2 TE combination in the country. Expect their production to more in line with 2005, and hopefully even surpass that by a bit. If Santi and Stupar can't return to those levels of production, we are going to struggle to move the ball through the air, and probably at all.

Unfortunately, thats all I see for great players this year. People may ask where Sewell is, or where Superman is. Similar questions on the defensive side will be asked about Sintim, or Nate Collins. These guys may well have great seasons. But I wouldn't put money on it. Other guys may come out of nowhere to have great seasons, as Fitz did last year. But these are my predictions and its hard to predict somebody coming out of nowhere. That is why its called "out of nowhere".

Up Next: The Good Ones.

Virginia Football Preview: Part I: Introduction

2007-08-01T21:19:23Z

I've been thinking about how I want to break this preview down. The obvious way would be offense/defense, or each position separately. But there are probably 100 previews broken down like that. And, interesting as they are, its not necessary to have another one.

Therefore, I am going to try something different. I'm going to break it down into how I expect various players to perform this year.

What does that mean? It means the first group will be players I expect to have great seasons. After that will be players that I expect to have solid seasons. It will continue like that. Obviously, the next question is, how do you define a great season. If the starting RB rushes for 1000 yards, is that great? Perhaps. What if the 2nd string RB rushes for 250 yards, is that solid? Again, perhaps. If a RB rushes for 1000 yards on 300 carries, well that is not great, is it? However, if the 2nd string RB rushes for 250 yards on only 50 carries, that is superb.

I plan to take the expected depth chart into account. A player who is not expected to start at the beginning of the season will not need to have as good a year, in terms of production, to be listed as great or good. However, a player who is expected to start all year but do nothing spectacular will likely be considered poor. Furthermore, age will play a role. The same production from a redshirt freshman is clearly superior to that of a 4th year player.

Obviously, some players will see little or no playing team. This includes walk-ons, most incoming freshmen and some other players who just haven't cracked the depth chart. I will include these players in a separate section.

Discussing specific players is completely different from talking about team performance. Some teams outproduce their individual performances and some teams underproduce. The thing is, despite what "experts" love to say, it is impossible to predict this. A team with more individual talent is more likely to succeed than a team with less individual talent. But, as Wake Forest proved last year, this isn't always going to hold true on the field. Everything from coaching, to the weather, to the bounce of the ball is going to affect a team's performance of the course of a season.

The "experts" love to talk about chemistry. But isn't it funny that winning teams always have good chemistry and losing teams always seem to have bad chemistry. All teams have players that get along and some that don't. I dont know these players, and I do not know what goes on behind closed doors. This is why I focus on individual performances. If most of the players perform well, the team should win. If everybody struggles individually, the team will suck...again.

Disclaimer

Please know that I have the utmost respect and admiration for every single player on the team. I'm also jealous of all of them because I wish i'd been able to play football for Virginia. Which is why I love the NCAA football games so much.

When I rank a player as "poor", I'm not talking about the players character, or intellect, or anything personal about them. I'm not even necessarily saying I don't think they are a good football player. Hell, they're all better than me. Sometimes its not their fault. Coaching, specific cirumstances, injuries, etc, can affect a players performance on the field.

Also, this is all in fun, I'm do not wish to hurt anybody's feelings, even though I inevitably will.