The CardBoard
Spring Game - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: Spring Game (/thread-21967.html)

Pages: 1 2

Spring Game - pcgoode - 05-22-2021

McKee has a much better release than I saw on his HS film. He is impressive.
Nice run by EJ Smith.

RE: Spring Game - pcgoode - 05-22-2021

Patu can really zip it. Very fluid athlete.

RE: Spring Game - ADPinWDC - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 02:10 PM)pcgoode Wrote:  Patu can really zip it. Very fluid athlete.

Agree -- Patu looked sharpest, and can get the ball out fast while rolling.  
Did not see West or McKee separate themselves, and balls were thrown behind WRs. 
The O-Line lookded better at blocking the Pass than Run, because the Front 7 on Defense looked aggressive and potent. 
Looked deep at Linebacker, quick, Farrar, Sinclair, Herron back to healthy status.  
Not enough seen downfield with Defensive Secondary vs the wideouts.  WR should be successful at getting open.

RE: Spring Game - Brickcity - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 02:25 PM)ADPinWDC Wrote:  
(05-22-2021, 02:10 PM)pcgoode Wrote:  Patu can really zip it. Very fluid athlete.

Agree -- Patu looked sharpest, and can get the ball out fast while rolling.  
Did not see West or McKee separate themselves, and balls were thrown behind WRs. 
The O-Line lookded better at blocking the Pass than Run, because the Front 7 on Defense looked aggressive and potent. 
Looked deep at Linebacker, quick, Farrar, Sinclair, Herron back to healthy status.  
Not enough seen downfield with Defensive Secondary vs the wideouts.  WR should be successful at getting open.

McKee and West: McKee looked a Hell of a lot better to me. Sure, he had some fumbled snaps, but that should be fairly easy to correct with more snaps. You can see the potential there, and I think he can be good this fall. West...yikes!

RE: Spring Game - vataha - 05-22-2021

Ari Patu showed a lot of potential, he got the ball out super quickly and his passes had zip and were on target. Smith Jr. and Filkins impressed.

RE: Spring Game - CompSci87 - 05-22-2021

Mostly it was great to get to the stadium again on a pleasant afternoon and see a little football, even though only a scrimmage. Helps make it feel like the long pandemic nightmare is moving toward its close.

RE: Spring Game - needle - 05-22-2021

Very happy to see Patu look the part of a potential starter down the road.

Much hype about Booker but he did look very good to my eyes.

What was up with Karty? Yikes.

Perhaps Yurosek will play a big role in the fall.

RE: Spring Game - Snorlax94 - 05-22-2021

I just got back from the stadium. I took some notes. I generally find I follow the X's and O's better on TV (and know who's doing what), but get an impression of different things (energy, crowd, seeing the whole play) from being at the stadium.

For me, the biggest positive was the energy the defense brought to the "second half." They came out with some attitude. I just like seeing that.

Also, I think the positive on offense is that we have, as we expected, a lot of skills position weapons. There were some dropped balls and some O-line miscues, but there's some good speed. It was fun to watch EJ Smith live getting to be his own "Swiss Army Knife" RB/Receiver. I imagine he will get some opportunities to show what he can do in games, like McCaffrey and Love got.

In terms of QB depth, the bad news is there's no returning starter like Mills. But the good news is that there are multiple QBs who have something. Remember that year when there were no scholarship QBs remaining in the Spring and they had to use a walk-on. It's hard for me to gauge how good the QB will be without the blitzes, the contact, and the tricky defenses. I was a little disappointed that we weren't able to connect on end zone fades like we've been able to in the past. I was impressed with Isaiah Sanders' speed. I thought -- yeah, running QB from Air Force. But that dude is quick. I hope he can throw so the running play won't be too predictable. But it's really nice to have another option, and one with experience. 

Defensively, the biggest positive I saw was that the 2nd string looked a little more athletic than I've seen things get in the past (at the start of the season, I think Stanford always has an athletic 11 in the first string). I also saw some positive plays -- like a sweep where the D Line stretched it out wide then the defensive back fired in and made the tackle. It was pretty to watch.

Of course, you don't like to see the blown coverages (one of them resulting in the McKee-Tremaine touchdown), but it's Spring so I don't make too much of it. Anyway, the first string of defense looked solid to me. Maybe not as much of explosiveness and dominance in areas we've seen, but I think they can be solid or more, if they are healthy.

The positive related to the crowds was that there were more people than I expected. It was hard to park(!) and I wound all the way through the Sunken Diamond parking, down to the next lot and almost to El Camino Real. I mean, it was pretty empty, but I'd say a high percentage of people who reserved seats came, and it seemed like a lot more people than I've seen in places like Cagan Stadium.

The crowd noise component was a little odd. At one point, the announcer said "make some noise", and largely, we didn't. But should we? I think people are unsure. I'm unsure. I just tried to clap extra-hard. It's a bummer because I wish we could provide a more energized space for the players.

One peeve: about 20% of the fans weren't wearing masks. It was typically like a group of 3 dudes in their fifties or sixties. I don't want to make this a political or even a scientific question, but only an issue of compliance with Stanford's policy. I think it's better if people follow Stanford's policy whatever it is, especially this fall, when hopefully the stadium is at full capacity and people are yelling and screaming.

RE: Spring Game - pcgoode - 05-22-2021

McKee looked a lot better than West to me. And we didn’t get to see one part of McKee’s game that is impressive from his HS tape - his legs. The kid looks like he has some wheels. If his HS tape transfers to the college game, he will be the best running QB we’ve had since Hogan, which in my view really torques up Stanford’s offense.

RE: Spring Game - SamuelMcF - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 03:02 PM)needle Wrote:  Very happy to see Patu look the part of a potential starter down the road.

Much hype about Booker but he did look very good to my eyes.

What was up with Karty? Yikes.

Perhaps Yurosek will play a big role in the fall.

Recall Conrad Ukropina missed every single FG in the spring game before his first year starting, in which he made 18/20. I wouldn't worry.

RE: Spring Game - CardinalSagehen - 05-22-2021

Injury Report - A number of starters didn’t play but looked generally okay. It’s hard to know how precautionary their absences were.  

Miles Hinton was on crutches and in an ankle boot. He was the only guy that looked seriously or newly injured, but at least it appeared to be an ankle rather than a knee. 

Rouse, Bragg, Wilson, and Humphreys were among those not in pads on offense. 

DWP, Miezan, Caleb Kelly, Williamson, and both Fox’s were out on D. Did I miss Kyu Blu Kelly? I don’t remember noticing him on the field so he may have been held out, too. 

McKee seemed like QB1 to me, based on the reps he received and the quality of those reps.  He missed Higgins on a downfield throw but was otherwise considerably sharper than West today.

RE: Spring Game - DC 86 - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 03:53 PM)CardinalSagehen Wrote:  McKee seemed like QB1 to me, based on the reps he received and the quality of those reps.  He missed Higgins on a downfield throw but was otherwise considerably sharper than West today.

McKee has looked considerably sharper than West every time that I have seen them play, there is no comparison for me.

RE: Spring Game - Phogge - 05-22-2021

West will kill them if he plays and McKee should sleep with the ball all summer. Patu stood out but he won't be seen until 2024 when he will have memorized 1200 plays and can recite them like a plebe serving dinner at West Point.

RE: Spring Game - old spanish trail - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 03:55 PM)DC 86 Wrote:  
(05-22-2021, 03:53 PM)CardinalSagehen Wrote:  McKee seemed like QB1 to me, based on the reps he received and the quality of those reps.  He missed Higgins on a downfield throw but was otherwise considerably sharper than West today.

McKee has looked considerably sharper than West every time that I have seen them play, there is no comparison for me.
Same here.

RE: Spring Game - Pants - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 03:48 PM)SamuelMcF Wrote:  Recall Conrad Ukropina missed every single FG in the spring game before his first year starting, in which he made 18/20. I wouldn't worry.

Yes... I saw Conrad's family meet him after the spring game, and I felt that I had to avert my eyes. I was so happy for him when he nailed that game-winner vs. Notre Dame.

RE: Spring Game - Row80Critic - 05-22-2021

I'd say this was the best Spring Game in a long long time.  Great format, kind of like a full game of over-time possessions. And it was in the big stadium where football belongs!  The team seems to have way more depth across the board than years past, especially on offense.  

Biggest surprises for me were Patu at QB, and Filkens at RB.  Both looked slight/small when they came out, but both played like future starters.  (As an aside, I watched the game on TV when I got home and laughed out loud when the announcers said it took McKee the same time to become fluent in Portuguese as it did for him to learn the Stanford playbook.).  EJ Smith also looked great, but expectations were high for him, so less of a surprise (for me) than Patu and Filkins. 

As for QB's, based on today only, I'd rank them:

1. McKee -- clearly the best in my view; passes the eye test, great form, quick arm, worked his progressions well, and run-away best stats at 6 of 8, 68 yards, 1 TD. (Needs to work on snaps.)

2. Patu -- looked like skinny high school player when he came out -- but he looked like a starter once they snapped the ball --  strong very quick arm and production on par (per play) with McKee -- 2 of 4, 25 yards, 1 TD.

3. Plautz -- you could make the argument he had the best day statistically -- 4 of 5, 38 yards. I would have put him above Patu, but Patu just seems to have a special arm and speed.

West was 4 of 8 for 4 yards. He had a couple chances for big throws, but just missed.

When Jet Toner was hurt, Ryan Sanborn kicked 7 of 9 FGs with a long of 48 yards.  I'm wondering if he has a few more in him...

RE: Spring Game - CompSci87 - 05-22-2021

I noticed Sanborn is listed only at punter this year. From the reps today it looks like Karty and Precioso are 1-2 on the kicker depth chart.

RE: Spring Game - Jamesy - 05-22-2021

Karty is going to be an amazing kicker. Mark my words...

RE: Spring Game - Snorlax94 - 05-22-2021

(05-22-2021, 06:53 PM)Row80Critic Wrote:  Biggest surprises for me were Patu at QB, and Filkens at RB.  Both looked slight/small when they came out, but both played like future starters.  (As an aside, I watched the game on TV when I got home and laughed out loud when the announcers said it took McKee the same time to become fluent in Portuguese as it did for him to learn the Stanford playbook.).  EJ Smith also looked great, but expectations were high for him, so less of a surprise (for me) than Patu and Filkins. 
Yeah, that reminds me, I was struck by Filkens as well. I was sitting in the stands wondering, who is this guy, incorrectly Googling "Pilkens." Though, I see now he had action last year, often in KR.

I really like Filkens's patience and burst. There was one play where I think a couple linemen pulled and gave him lead blocks and he ran it so well, staying patient, hiding himself between his blockers, letting his blocks develop, then turning on the jets with a great burst and getting a nice gain out of it. It reminded me of how some backs can just disappear in their line -- Jacquizz Rodgers used to give Stanford conniptions doing that.

I was looking at him and he looked small -- like 170 lbs, so I dismissed him thinking he wouldn't have the durability for a season-long pounding yet. But he's listed at 205 lbs and he played 6 games last year.

Very exciting to have so many weapons at RB.

RE: Spring Game - ADPinWDC - 05-22-2021

Look at Filkins HS video from Lake Oswego state champs in Oregon -- second coming of McCaffrey.
Both were MVPs of their State