Photo by Jason Olson/Deseret News
I was blessed -or cursed- to be apart of two different Coaching regimes. One that went to consecutive bowl games and one that went home for consecutive bowl season. While seeing your family for an extra week during Christmas break is nice, the bowl games are more beneficial to individual players and teams.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way…
5 WORST THINGS:
5. Not Dominating Washington. At the beginning of the year perception can be detrimental to the psyche of the team. We went into that game thinking Washington was supposed to be a good team. They had a lot of hype around them this year coming in. We were content with playing them tough and being ahead by a score. Hindsight is 20/20 right? Reference No.2 for this, but it would have been great to come out and stomp them like we did the UCLA and Wyoming.
I’ve taken sometime to separate my self from the game -due to the fact that I didn’t want to write anything in haste. I sympathize with both teams this year. I understand what it feels like watching the home team fans rush the field in victory and I completely understand the frustration and disappointment of losing “the game”.
I’ll get the post game wrap-up posted soon, but here are a few thoughts I’ve had as I have read through the comments after the game.
I, too, praise Quinn for keeping this blog running and for the unique insight that is given daily. Not only that, but thanks to him for taking the TIME to do it. Quinn tried to elicit my assistance a couple of months ago and I agreed to help out with the blog, only to (more…)
Photo by Miller
I got a text from Quinn asking me if I would write a little bit about 2006’s final drive. Detailing my thougts and feelings on the final drive. I think for the rest of my life whenever it is the BYU vs Utah week I will always be reminded of that game in 2006. Even as I sit here typing, I have above me on a shelf the ball I took the final knee with. I wanted the ball that Johnny caught, but I don’t know if anybody knows where that ball currently resides. I just held on to the next best thing.
Well where do I begin.
AP Photo Douglas Pizac
First and foremost, Quinn, you are doing a marvelous job of giving priceless insight to Cougar Nation. With all the catchpenny rubbish and hearsay that I’ve read on all the other sites, it’s quite refreshing to come onto your blog and read an intricate, even “doctrinal” analysis of the game from a intelligent and articulate player’s point of view.
To all you cougar fans out there, if you wish to satiate that thirst for true knowledge of the game of football, and how the Cougs play it, don’t be an ignoramus, read Quinn’s blog and tell your friends.
This is probably the funniest thing I remember from the Air Force games. It was in 2005 when Cameron Jensen was roaming the middle at linebacker -Kelly Poppinga did something similar, but I remember it more distinctively from 05′-06′.
“Hey there, Cougar Nation! I am glad that I am able to share a few words and memories with all of you. Quinn has done such a great job on the site and I believe that the insider perspective that he shares in most of his posts, are distinctly unique and most likely very much appreciated among all cougar fans. I know for myself, simply reading and reminiscing about some of the moments that have been written about really take me back.
Well a little about myself since, BYU. After the draft and attending Camp,-with the New York Jets- I was able to continue playing this great game and get paid to do it. Because I was drafted my Junior year in college in the CFL draft, to the Toronto Argonauts. I was able to pursue my dream to play professional football, and I signed a 4 year deal up North. It has been a great experience. My family and I have been able to spend 5 months of the year in Toronto and then we were able to buy a home in Cedar Hills, Utah. So it has been really a great life for us.
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
There is another part of Air Forces offense, which makes them unique to defend, cut blocks. It’s not that the cut blocks are vicious or dirty; it’s just that they take a certain amount of focus to defend to insure that you aren’t left lying of your back as a cadet scurries for a first down.
AP Photo by Douglas C. Pizac
This may be my shortest post of the year because defending the Veer Option is not a complicated task on paper. The AFA offense tries to out-execute their opponent by getting the defense frustrated and having players trying to do too much, or more than their responsibility. But if you study their offense you realize that they run the veer the exact same every time. There are no variations. It all comes down to who will be more disciplined.
Linebackers and O Line get to know one another quite well throughout the course of a football game. As Jake mentioned in his X’s and O’s the OL is always taking into account the position and possible responsibilities of the LBs. Likewise, LBs are constantly reading the keys that the OL may give so that they can put themselves in the proper position to make a play and/fulfill their assignment.
Although they are all “Linebackers,” ILBs see things a little differently than OLBs do. Let’s take a look at how an ILB approaches each play of the game.
ILB Reads - In a 3-4 the ILB reads the “Triangle.”
If the ILB is lined up over the G or in the A Gap the triangle is the G, C and near back.
If the ILB is lined up in an outside shade of the G or over the T the triangle is G, T and near back.
While the ILB tries to see the whole TRIANGLE, 98% of the time the eyes are on the Guards. Guards will tell you everything about a play you could ever want to know.