Fall Camp

[TomCat88]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

I’m sure he can compete athletically, but how’s he going to hold up when they go live? He’s listed at 157 lbs. Gonna be tough to tackle at that weight.

157!?! I don’t recall seeing him make a tackle. There was no tackling until the last portion. At 157 lbs I’d guess he’s going to get exposed. I never would’ve guessed he’s that small. I recall a160 lb wr but until now that’s the smallest player I recall being here. Might explain why he’s not at a more prominent program.

[BobcatBuiltTexan]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

Appreciate the synopsis. His dad played cb in college so I'm sure he's tapped into that knowledge base to help with learning the playbook and concepts. His hs program is one of the stronger programs in Houston the past several years and they coach them over there. No just be a better athlete so it's good to hear that it's translating over to college. Looking forward to seeing this defense on the 24th..... is someone going to do a recap by position of the scrimmage?

[AFCAT]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

I’m sure he can compete athletically, but how’s he going to hold up when they go live? He’s listed at 157 lbs. Gonna be tough to tackle at that weight.

157!?! I don’t recall seeing him make a tackle. There was no tackling until the last portion. At 157 lbs I’d guess he’s going to get exposed. I never would’ve guessed he’s that small. I recall a160 lb wr but until now that’s the smallest player I recall being here. Might explain why he’s not at a more prominent program.

Jalen Cole was pretty small at 150lbs but he was also fearless.

[BobcatBuiltTexan]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

I’m sure he can compete athletically, but how’s he going to hold up when they go live? He’s listed at 157 lbs. Gonna be tough to tackle at that weight.

157!?! I don’t recall seeing him make a tackle. There was no tackling until the last portion. At 157 lbs I’d guess he’s going to get exposed. I never would’ve guessed he’s that small. I recall a160 lb wr but until now that’s the smallest player I recall being here. Might explain why he’s not at a more prominent program.

Not much difference between 160 and 157 but in talking to his dad(after i saw the roster) he said he's 160lbs. I trust the coaches enough that if he was that inept at tackling they wouldn't have him running with the older guys. Even if he does show the ability to cover right now, if he was a liability out there I don't see them having him run with the older guys. They would let him mature with the young guys and wait till he's more physically ready to play. I don't think his size will be a problem.

[BobcatBuiltTexan]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

I’m sure he can compete athletically, but how’s he going to hold up when they go live? He’s listed at 157 lbs. Gonna be tough to tackle at that weight.

Not really..... if you're physically strong(have a strong base... he squats 475lbs) you can create enough force coupled with your speed to either take a man down, knock their legs out from under them or slow their momentum down while you hold on and wait for the calvary to come. Is he going to have a knock back tackle on a rb on the goal line? Probably not but cbs shouldn't be able to do that, lol. I don't see him having a problem tackling wrs this year if he's playing. I trust that the coaches wouldn't have him going with older guys if he was a liability. From what everyone is saying tackling is a focus for the defense this year so if he couldn't do it I think they would have him with the young guys until he is physically ready.

[TomCat88]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

I’m sure he can compete athletically, but how’s he going to hold up when they go live? He’s listed at 157 lbs. Gonna be tough to tackle at that weight.

157!?! I don’t recall seeing him make a tackle. There was no tackling until the last portion. At 157 lbs I’d guess he’s going to get exposed. I never would’ve guessed he’s that small. I recall a160 lb wr but until now that’s the smallest player I recall being here. Might explain why he’s not at a more prominent program.

Jalen Cole was pretty small at 150lbs but he was also fearless.

That's right, I forgot about him earlier. He was still listed at 150 (and 5'8") going into his junior year. The WR I was thinking about was from California and played when Prukop was the QB.

McMillan reminds me of players like Taco Dowler that just have that air about them. They carry themselves like seniors when they're true freshman is what Colter would say about Taco. The self-assuredness, coupled with athleticism and skills just pours out of him. Then throw in what people are saying and the fact he's running with the 1s and 2s. It's all positive.

Boyd, another Texas speed merchant, was in a soft knee brace.

Coon and Jones stood out, as mentioned. I saw Marsh in with the 1s and 2s and Brott mentioned him with a little enthusiasm in his voice when I asked about players standing out that people haven't heard much about. You can hear that in the video of his interview. Provience mentioned Steel as someone he thought was showing some solid ability among offensive players that haven't been seen much.

I try to ask prominent players to talk about guys that haven't broke through yet as I don't get to very many practices, and they seem to have good insight on that just by observing and hearing other players talk. They often mention everyone though, so you need to read their body language and hear their voice inflection to interpret just who they really think is doing things.

[BobcatBuiltTexan]

Jhase McMillan is for real.

Care to expound on that statement? What makes you say that? Is there something he did that opened your eyes?

All accounts are positive from knowledgeable football sources. To the layman he just looks superior athletically. He is running with the main rotation of corners. His speed, quickness and agility jump out at you. He’s looks comfortable and fluid, which tells me he’s taken to his coaching and not just relied on his athleticism prior to arriving. He didn’t get beat while I was watching. His man (transfer King, who is drawing raves himself) caught a pass but it was a good pass and nearly impossible to stop. His footwork and positioning were excellent as I didn’t see him stumble or lose his balance.

I’m sure he can compete athletically, but how’s he going to hold up when they go live? He’s listed at 157 lbs. Gonna be tough to tackle at that weight.

157!?! I don’t recall seeing him make a tackle. There was no tackling until the last portion. At 157 lbs I’d guess he’s going to get exposed. I never would’ve guessed he’s that small. I recall a160 lb wr but until now that’s the smallest player I recall being here. Might explain why he’s not at a more prominent program.

Jalen Cole was pretty small at 150lbs but he was also fearless.

That's right, I forgot about him earlier. He was still listed at 150 (and 5'8") going into his junior year. The WR I was thinking about was from California and played when Prukop was the QB.

McMillan reminds me of players like Taco Dowler that just have that air about them. They carry themselves like seniors when they're true freshman is what Colter would say about Taco. The self-assuredness, coupled with athleticism and skills just pours out of him. Then throw in what people are saying and the fact he's running with the 1s and 2s. It's all positive.

Boyd, another Texas speed merchant, was in a soft knee brace.

Coon and Jones stood out, as mentioned. I saw Marsh in with the 1s and 2s and Brott mentioned him with a little enthusiasm in his voice when I asked about players standing out that people haven't heard much about. You can hear that in the video of his interview. Provience mentioned Steel as someone he thought was showing some solid ability among offensive players that haven't been seen much.

I try to ask prominent players to talk about guys that haven't broke through yet as I don't get to very many practices, and they seem to have good insight on that just by observing and hearing other players talk. They often mention everyone though, so you need to read their body language and hear their voice inflection to interpret just who they really think is doing things.

Thank you again.... it's always a good thing when one of your leaders lights up about a guy you weren't expecting them to. I always look at that as we got insta-depth. It's as much about attrition as it is about ability and that depth will always come in handy.

[TomCat88]

Casey Kautzman looks like a different person out there. Last year his kicks didn't come off his foot with as much explosion as they seemed to yesterday.

[GoldstoneCat]

Colter, I’m curious. You said it was irresponsible for MSU to not bring in a transfer QB because they don’t have a backup. I have multiple questions.

1) Why don’t you think Jordan Reed is good?

2) Why is Fife automatically viewed as better than Reed?

3) What starter quality QB is going to transfer to MSU where they have an established starting QB, and the only chance they’d play is in case of injury or blow out?

We will hash this out on the next podcast....but short answers:

1 - there's a big difference between "good" and ready. I do not think Jordan Reed is ready. I thought he held on to the ball too long during the spring game and the word is that his command of a huddle, his ability to get in and out of things is limited. Part of that might be a new offensive coordinator. But one of the top factors to Montana State's success is either Tommy Mellott staying healthy or Reed/Chance Wilson making a big jump. For what it's worth, Wilson has been operating the No. 2 offense the last week.

2 - I also do not think Fife is ready> I think he makes quite a few risky decisions and turns the ball over much more than the head coach he plays for will allow. I'm of the opinion that Clifton McDowell was an average at best quarterback....but he could run the ball effectively and he never turned the ball over. That's one of the main reasons Montana made a run last year.

3 - Montana State added a player who started in the FBS when they added Sean Chambers. And it saved their bacon on multiple occasions.

Love the questions! I'm pasting them in a doc and Tootell and I, + Mike Rider and I will address them in future episodes in the next week or so. Please keep asking!

Thanks for the response!

1) I would counter that you can’t become ready until you’re put in a position to be ready. If they continually bring in transfer QB’s, they won’t develop the ones they recruit. I actually think Bobby is a perfect example of this. Ah Yat could be the first QB that goes from HS recruit to starter since…Bergquist?

2) If you say that Fife isn’t ready, and that Reed isn’t ready, it hardly seems fair to say that MSU/Vigen was irresponsible in their QB room. I actually think the situations are similar, both universities have inexperienced backups but one could argue that MSU has more in terms of experience due to longevity, and it’s not like Reed, Wilson, and Duchien are lacking in talent. To clarify, I don’t have a problem with saying Reed isn’t ready, more in how you framed it. MSU was irresponsible because they didn’t bring in a transfer? By logic, is Hauck not irresponsible because he largely refuses to get quality HS QB recruits or allow them to develop? Yet you don’t use that kind of language with Hauck. Just my observation.

3) Chambers came to play for his former OC/QB coach after he got benched at Wyoming. It was a different, and unique circumstance that isn’t easily replicated.

The No. 1 thing to understand when comparing the Cats & the Griz or comparing the Griz to anyone is that Bobby Hauck does not depend on the quarterback to win like the vast majority of other modern football organizations. In fact, it's almost as if he wants to prove to the world that he can win a national championship IN SPITE of his quarterback....

It wouldn't matter if Hauck had Tommy Mellott or DeNarius McGhee or whoever....he would bring in a transfer every single year to compete with that person. Bergquist was a starter as a redshirt freshman after Jason Washington fell apart and led Montana to the playoffs down the stretch of an otherwise pretty mediocre 2005 season. The following year, instead of letting Bergquist be an incumbent and potentially four-year starter, Hauck brought in Josh Swogger from Washington State. Bergquist crumbled and lost out and almost transferred. The following year, Bergquist beat out the JC transfer they brought in and was a two-year starter.

If you watch camp right now in Missoula, Hauck's staff are doing whatever he can to make it impossible for Ah Yat. The last time I was down there, he could not move the ball whatsoever. The Griz were blitzing relentlessly and the offensive staff was quite pissed. It was hilarious. This does not make Hauck irresponsible as much as antiquated and stubborn. You can argue that he's flawed in this way of thinking and I would fully agree. But again, Bobby has NO intention of winning with his quarterback. He has told me and the media this many times. He wants the QB to be a cog in his machine.

I would probably rephrase my comment about the MSU situation if given a chance to have another take. Live is live and unlike writing (which I much prefer), you sometimes slip. Irresponsible is probably too strong a word.

But to me, it's very clear that neither Reed or Wilson is ready to play in big games. Given the offense MSU runs and the makeup and history of Mellott, you have to have someone who is ready to play in a big game. And every person I know who has watched spring and fall ball from the MSU side of things agrees.

Are you going to get another Sean Chambers? No. Are you going to get an all-conference caliber QB to backup Tommy? Hell no. The vast majority of the league can't even get a good quarterback to be its starter! But I do think you could bring in a veteran who could have command of an offense and get a squad in and out of things. Like a Cam Humphrey for the Griz a few years back. Guys like Jake Bleskin and Quinn McQueary were both more ready than what MSU currently has.

Maybe those guys will rapidly accelerate if called upon. If either Wilson or Reed is called upon, they will have to if MSU is going to fulfill its lofty expectations this season.

I suspect what msu would do in the event of an extended absence for Tommy is run wilson and be a run heavy team with a bunch of iso 50/50 balls when the box gets too heavy. Ala Tommy on thy frisco run. That would probably require less change to the offense than going from Tommy to reed.

I’m curious what every one has seen in Wilson that makes him impressive. I’ve watched him in about four or five scrimmages and he doesn’t seem to be any better than Patrick Duchien right now. I guess I’m missing something.

All I really know about him is he's a very good runner. So I think you could quickly and easily tailor the Tommy offense to him. You have to change more to go to a more traditional QB like Reed or Duchien. So if that needed to happen mid-season I just think based on what happened the last time vigen had to do that without chambers, Wilson is the direction they would choose to go.

[PapaG]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

[MSU01]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

Wouldn't teaching tackling technique be primarily be a position coach responsibility? That said, I totally agree with others that Garza leaving is likely going to be a positive thing overall.

[wbtfg]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

The interviews with both Daly and Howe, they emphasized tackling and leverage. Both stated that was an area they have been working hard to improve on.

[PapaG]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

The interviews with both Daly and Howe, they emphasized tackling and leverage. Both stated that was an area they have been working hard to improve on.

It was the main problem on defense last year so I wondered if it was a technique issue or if they were slightly out of position due to scheme.

It’s not like the guys were trying on purpose to miss tackles, so maybe it was a schematic problem of being a fraction late to spots to make clean tackles instead of the YAC that extended too many drives.

[wbtfg]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

The interviews with both Daly and Howe, they emphasized tackling and leverage. Both stated that was an area they have been working hard to improve on.

It was the main problem on defense last year so I wondered if it was a technique issue or if they were slightly out of position due to scheme.

It’s not like the guys were trying on purpose to miss tackles, so maybe it was a schematic problem of being a fraction late to spots to make clean tackles instead of the YAC that extended too many drives.

I got the impression it was a leverage issue. I’m not sure if that was due to scheme, lack of practice in that area or what. But both coaches made sure to emphasize leverage as part of becoming better tacklers.

[AFCAT]

[TomCat88]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

The interviews with both Daly and Howe, they emphasized tackling and leverage. Both stated that was an area they have been working hard to improve on.

It was the main problem on defense last year so I wondered if it was a technique issue or if they were slightly out of position due to scheme.

It’s not like the guys were trying on purpose to miss tackles, so maybe it was a schematic problem of being a fraction late to spots to make clean tackles instead of the YAC that extended too many drives.

I got the impression it was a leverage issue. I’m not sure if that was due to scheme, lack of practice in that area or what. But both coaches made sure to emphasize leverage as part of becoming better tacklers.

Every play I watched I heard Owens yelling “leverage” and even tho I don’t know exactly what it means I do know that it’s definitely a huge emphasis.

[BornBobcat2000]

Casey Kautzman looks like a different person out there. Last year his kicks didn't come off his foot with as much explosion as they seemed to yesterday.

This might be the most encouraging thing I’ve seen so far. Really hope he can be reliable this year

[AFCAT]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

The interviews with both Daly and Howe, they emphasized tackling and leverage. Both stated that was an area they have been working hard to improve on.

It was the main problem on defense last year so I wondered if it was a technique issue or if they were slightly out of position due to scheme.

It’s not like the guys were trying on purpose to miss tackles, so maybe it was a schematic problem of being a fraction late to spots to make clean tackles instead of the YAC that extended too many drives.

I got the impression it was a leverage issue. I’m not sure if that was due to scheme, lack of practice in that area or what. But both coaches made sure to emphasize leverage as part of becoming better tacklers.

Every play I watched I heard Owens yelling “leverage” and even tho I don’t know exactly what it means I do know that it’s definitely a huge emphasis.

It means to hit the opposing player with some sort of a lever.

[RickRund]

Any updates on tackling? It seemed last year it was common for the opposing offense to get another 2-4 yards after initial contact and it extended drives.

Was that a technique flaw being taught by Garza and is it all improving?

The interviews with both Daly and Howe, they emphasized tackling and leverage. Both stated that was an area they have been working hard to improve on.

It was the main problem on defense last year so I wondered if it was a technique issue or if they were slightly out of position due to scheme.

It’s not like the guys were trying on purpose to miss tackles, so maybe it was a schematic problem of being a fraction late to spots to make clean tackles instead of the YAC that extended too many drives.

I got the impression it was a leverage issue. I’m not sure if that was due to scheme, lack of practice in that area or what. But both coaches made sure to emphasize leverage as part of becoming better tacklers.

Every play I watched I heard Owens yelling “leverage” and even tho I don’t know exactly what it means I do know that it’s definitely a huge emphasis.

It means to hit the opposing player with some sort of a lever.

Sort of like in baseball, you play the ball, not let the ball play you.

[TomCat88]

Haven’t confirmed but I just heard Justus Perkins injured his knee.