If They Could Say It: Spring Game Edition

Submitted by Ron Utah on

The most exciting part of the game was having Harbaugh home

As spring games go, that was the most exciting one we've seen in years...but only because we haven't actually seen a spring game in years.  The 7-0 win for the Blue team featured lots of good defensive plays and some pretty disconcerting offense.  It seems the rich (defense) has gotten richer while the poor (offense) has only received a modest raise.  But there is still time...

"If They Could Say It" is my attempt to give the honest answers coaches (and others) won't/can't give during their press conferences.  The idea is to answer the way I believe the individual would if s/he could answer honestly without any repercussions or media frenzy.  This is my attempt at the Spring Game edition, and I'll answer some questions for the HC and the coordinators.  When appropriate, I'll use actual questions asked at press conferences (those will be in bold italics; my made-up questions are in standard italics).

Jim Harbaugh

Your general takeaways from today? What did you like, what maybe obviously needs work still?

My general takeaway is that our offense is bad and our defense is good.  Sure, the defense should be ahead at this point, but I did not see enough guys willing to do whatever it takes to win on offense.  We have a long way to go.

I liked the inside pressure from the defensive line, the linebacker play, the safeties, and the cornerbacks who are actually listed as CBs on the roster.  Dennis Norfleet may have just lost his job as a CB.

And finally, your phrasing really sucked there.  "What maybe obviously needs work?"  That's a stupid fucking question.  And I think I've pretty much answered it anyway--there are probably only four positions on offense that are set in stone, and that's not a good thing.

What did you see out of your quarterbacks today? What did you like from them?

I saw two guys prove that they are who we thought they were.  Shane has an amazing arm and is finally developing some touch, but he doesn't go through his reads and always trusts his arm to make the primary throw.  He's got a pretty good deep ball--his fades get there pretty quickly and in the right spot--and some good chemistry with Darboh.  Some of those slants he threw were Brett Favre speed throws...not sure if that's a good thing.  Physically, he's ready to go be our starting QB, and we can win with him.  Mentally, I'm not sure he's ready to go through progressions and know how to throw the ball so our guys can catch it.

Malzone has "it," but hasn't developed enough to be physically ready to start.  He reads the game, goes through progressions, and knows how to win.  His throws are still just a little bit off and he didn't challenge the defense deep.  But he was hurried quite a bit and he is still in the thick of the race.  We'll just have to see if he can make the throws this fall.

I wish Speight had been healthy.  This QB race is wide open.  Rudock will definitely challenge.  By next year, we'll have lots of good options.

You yourself noted that you played with mixed offensive lines today. How much would you say the running game has come along since maybe day one of spring practice to now?

Not enough.  Were you watching?  It's not good enough.  The blocking is still inconsistent and the RBs aren't always finding the holes.  De'Veon Smith has demonstrated that he's the best back we've got that's healthy right now.  His vision, balance, and power really showed today.  We mostly limited Derrick Green to outside runs where he doesn't have to work as hard find the crease.  Ty's been looking good, but wasn't able to go today.  Shallman is an H-back playing RB.  But the bottom line is that if we don't get better blocking from our first team OL, it's going to be a long season.  I'm disappointed that only Cole and Glasgow have locked down starting roles.  The other three spots are up for grabs, though Kalis is probably close.

Are you guys trying to come up with, even within the coaches, some kind of two-deep so that you go into the summer with some idea and then they can fight again in the fall, or are you just not even going to look at that again until the fall?  You talked about the starting five on the line. Do you have an idea who those are? Can you share?

Did you see a published depth chart?  We obviously have one.  If I wanted you to know that information, don't you think I would have given it to you?  Stop asking the same fucking question different ways as if that's going to get me to answer it.  

The only guys that have locked-down starting spots on offense are Mason Cole, Graham Glasgow (assuming he's not in jail), Amara Darboh, and Jake Butt.  Kalis and Smith are close, and Chesson is right there too.  But it's disappointing that so few players have separated themselves, and that showed on the field today.

DJ Durkin

Your team lost today.  What positives do you take away from this game?

That I'm a better football coach than I am a general manager.  Yeah, the Maize team lost, but the defense sure kicked the offense's ass today.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your defense?

Our DTs kick ass.  We have several good players there, and not enough good players on the outside at DE.  Glasgow, Hurst, Mone, Henry, and Wormley are all making plays.  Injuries aren't helping, but we need more production from our DEs.

The LBs are pretty damn good.  Bolden is everywhere, and Morgan isn't far behind.  Gedeon will make an impact.  Ross and McCray will add even more once they're back.

The starting CBs look pretty good--Lewis is a future NFL player and Countess has improved.  We need more depth there--Norfleet isn't going to cut it.  At safety, we are surprinsingly loaded.  Wilson and Peppers are the clear starters, but Hill, Clark, and Thomas are impact players.  We may have to find ways to get more of them on the field.

Tim Drevno

Coach, how di-

WOOOOOOOO!!!!  FUCK YEAH!!!  BLUE TEAM, BABY!!! SUCK IT, DURKY-DURK!!!

Coach Durkin mentioned that the defense is way ahead of the offense....

Well, duh.  Did you see what I inherited?  Do you have any idea how poorly coached this offense has been?  We are un-learning bad habits and trying to replace them with good ones.  That takes time, especially on the offensive line.

Who are the guys that stand out right now on offense?

Coach Harbaugh already answered this, but I'll add to it.  Darboh is a very good WR, and he'll start for us.  Chesson will likely start too, because he knows how to play the game and is a good blocker.  We need Canteen, Cole, Norfleet, and Ways to step-up.  Jake Butt's going to have a big year in this offense.  De'Veon Smith showed why recruting rankings aren't always right--he's way ahead of Green.  We still need more production, and hopefully Isaac can help us there.  On the O-Line, only Cole and Glasgow have really grabbed the job by the balls.  Kalis is close.  We need Magnuson, Braden, LTT, Dawson, and JBB to step up.  Kerridge is clearly our best FB.  There are five or six starting jobs wide open, and that's not a good thing right now.  On defense, they've got the opposite problem at DT, LB, and S--too many good players to start them all.

What are you going to do to improve between now and the fall?

The most important thing is that we're going to smash each other on the O-Line until we play like fucking men.  But we really need time to develop--the offensive side of the ball on this team has not been well-taught, and we are obviously behind the defense.

Does that mean you think Coach Durkin is a better coach?

Shut the fuck up.  Did you see who won today?  BLUE TEEEEAAAAMMMM BABY!!!

Comments

acnumber1

April 8th, 2015 at 5:24 PM ^

Nice write up.  

Question - you have Harbaugh using 2 F-bombs in answering 4 questions.  Is it known that he uses F-bombs in such manner and frequency (or infrequency)?  Wouldn't bother me either way, but as I read them in his 'if they could say it' answers, I realized that I don't know if he does (or doesn't).

Any insight from anyone?

alum96

April 8th, 2015 at 5:58 PM ^

LOL love the Drevno. 

I am holding out on Darboh as a "very good WR" until he proves it against #1 CBs.  He benefited from Funchess taking the top CB and some safety attention.  I was disapointed in his play in the 1st half.  Gallon - now that was a very good WR.  Even Funchess for parts of the past 2 years.

Disagree on Smith too.  He had a chance last year after Green went down and did nothing.  Drake wrestled the job away from him.

It is very sad how mediocre to average both those guys are.  Esp Green.  #1 RB?  He looks like a MAC back.  This is year 3 - guys rated like him win Heismans at other schools.

turtleboy

April 8th, 2015 at 6:30 PM ^

LIke the write up, its a fun idea, and you did a good job. Im less pessemistic about our offense, though. We could have a very talented OLine this year, and likely a solid run game benfitting from that, but we definitely didn't have enough depth to field 2 competent lines like in the Spring game. Cole, Braden, Glasgow, Kalis, and Magnuson may very well Hulk Smash their way through defenses this fall, but they were certainly in no position to find any chemistry out there on Saturday playing out of position, and playing next to random backups (also playing out of position.) Give Rudock our 5 best linemen and we'll see a completely different offense.

west2

April 8th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^

Also, if they could say it, replying that's a stupid question or you already asked me that before would apply to a number of questions posed.   My take on the offense was that backs were not hitting open holes, sometimes the gain might have only netted 2-3 yards but they continued wide and were tackled for no gain.  Also I thought Morris was better than expected and with a bit more time could have found open recievers.  This game and the play calling wasn't to exploit what the opposition was doing or giving up but more simple base plays designed to feature competition not necessarily to win on the scoreboard.   Although I agree the offense clearly needs to improve. 

Saint_in_Blue

April 8th, 2015 at 9:44 PM ^

I'm taking the Spring Game with a grain of salt. The offensive playbook was rather thin for both sides, save a couple trick plays used. Of course the defense is going to pick up on that rather easily. I'd say the offense did pretty well considering the defenses knew what was coming at them. I think it was just fun for them to play a simulated game rather than just practice.

CoachBP6

April 9th, 2015 at 5:23 AM ^

I think Rudock and the new and improved offensive line will really transform our offense. There are several RB's that can get the job done, a solid TE, and a WR core that should get better as the year goes on. I think the defense has a chance to be elite, top 5 in the country.

If the defense is truly as good as they can be, the offense just has to manage games, and not beat themselves with the big mistake. There is a chance that this team could be very good.

Babblu1

May 5th, 2015 at 7:52 AM ^

I used ESPN recruit rankings. I first looked at the stats of 5* freshmen who were labeled as SGs or SFs (i.e. Russel was listed as a SG on ESPN) from the 2014 class. Next, I went from 2014 to 2007 and picked out SGs or SFs who were ranked as a top 5 recruit in that class (because Jaylen Brown is a top 5 recruit), because I think that you can reasonably expect more from the #2 ranked player than the #20 ranked player. I know top 5 is arbitrary, and maybe next time I'd look at all players given the same ranking that Brown received (96)...although I'm sure those grades are also relatively arbitrary.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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charblue.

April 9th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^

competency. How could it be when both sides essentially what the other side is lining up in and doing for the most part. i

I thought the secondary play was outstanding along with the linebacking work by Bolden. Again, it's hard to measure the competency of the Oline and thus the run game production based on the circumstances at play. So the issue then becomes subject to a UFR for actual determination when cross-referenced by the staff and what they wanted and were hoping to see.

We know Peppers is going to dynamically change this defense which was already highly competent based on last year's performance. The expectation that 15 practices would magically transform an offense with a depth chart and expectations but nothing to go on beyond hope and Harbaugh's presence that a transformation might instantly occur, is hardly surprising if moderately disconcerting.

But again, this staff is building on what it has and needs to learn in order to field a winner in the fall. And so while it would be better if highly recruited players would live up to their billing starting now, the fact that there are holes to fill through competition and consistent performance is a good guage for focal areas of imrpovement both individually and teamwise. I was impressed by the oveall demeanor of play and the energy level of all those who played. The OP didn't really address that, but I think that was a huge takeaway for me.

NamedMyDogWoodson

April 19th, 2015 at 7:28 PM ^

Plenty of time for the offensive players to step up and earn their respective positions. Having said that, a competent offensive line is an absolute game changer for a young/growing offense and potentially new QB.




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