Spring Questions

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

QB - Who starts?

Joey Halzle - Had a few reps in last seasons spring game but threw a few int's. This could have been nerves, but who knows for sure. He also had a few snaps in a blowout game last year in memory serves, but IMO he was brought in a for desperation purposes only because from what I hear the players say he sucks which I cannot confirm nor deny.

Sam Bradford - Probably looks the part of a QB the best of the three. At 6'5 he is a prototypical big QB that teams seems to look for these days, runs a 4.6, not to mention he is also a terrific basketball player (averaged around 18 points a game in High School) So, Bradford is a great athlete, but how is he as a QB ? I have watched one video on youtube of him and to be honest I wasn't all that impressed. He seemed to not have very much velocity on the ball when he threw it downfield but that may have changed since being at OU with a year under his belt.

Keith Nichol - If you have not watched any video of him yet go check it out on soonersports. People said he has a cannon for an arm, and I think they may have been right. He slings the ball downfield, and accurately I might add. With this guy think about the last No. 7 QB we had only a little faster and throws the ball harder. I think he is around 6'2 and has gained 10+ pounds of muscle since he has been at OU working under Schmidty, so he is around 200'sh lbs. now. Nichol has the most hype coming in of the three and probably the most talent, but his experience will play a big part in his time on the field (if any) My favorite attribute about Keith is the fact that he is a winner He may have only lost around 3 games in his high school career at QB, I think he has a couple of district titles and even a state championship on his resume. I really like that, The Idiot came in as the No. 1 QB but had a terrible record in high school, Keith on the other hand is talked about as being a vocal leader that makes the team better. Paul Thompson came off as being a little soft spoken to me, which may be wrong, but I think OU needs a vocal leader now more than ever.

What I Think Bradford starts, with Nichol seeing snaps. I knows Stoops like to have THE GUY out there, but I think Florida proved that it is very possible to have two guys play and be successful.

==================================================


RB - Who Starts/Plays/Watches

Allen Patrick - (or Patrick Allen, depending on who calls the game) He will start, we know him, we have watched him, we know what he can do..

Chris Brown - Again, we know him, we have watched him, he will see the field a lot.

Gute - We know him, he will get back at RB a few times but is a solid special teams player.

Demarco Murray - The guy that we have wanted to watch for a while now. I think he will see signifigant time on the field. I'm sure his youtube video has been viewed millions of times and teams wonder why OU does not play him? I think he had a turf toe injury so that affected his time on the field, which I believe he would have had snaps on the field but who knows for sure. I think OU uses his in the slot and hopefully in there with another RB lined up behind the QB. But trust me he will see the field this season and be a star.

- Mossis Madu - I must confess, I barely know anything about the guy but I have watched his high school clips. He has the shiftiness of Murray, but not the speed IMO. If you have watched his clips you may know what I am talking about because he just doesn't seem to have the breakaway speed a RB should have. But I am sure with time in the weight room all will be good in Soonerland for this guy. By the way, the kid is actually a great reciever, so a slot position would be right up this guys alley.

What I Think - I really wish Kevin Wilson would mix it up with multiple RB's in the backfield. I think with Patrick and Murray in the backfield at the same time there could either be sort of a thunder and lightning approach.

What I Think - Round 2 -It all goes back to the ability of the QB to grasp the offense and make plays if he has to. Not what we are used to (hand it to AD and get out of the way) This year and maybe next might just possibly be OUr best oppertunity to make it to a MNC game. Of course this depends on recruiting over the next several years, which oh by the way if you guys have not been paying attention to the 2008 class please do so now. But anyway, QB play is crucial this season because the O line will be solid, along with the D, which could be very special with the players coming back from injury or just waiting in line to play.

Whew....Your thoughts now if you made it through :D

[Blues1]

With AD gone it's time for some new ideas approach on Offense - A Two back offense would give us a different Look and hopefully open up the end around running game....and maybe the eight men defense fronts would be less of a factor vs our offense...AP is very Good but AD he is not - It's time to use the wealth of our RB talent - You can always put a RB in motion for one more reciever IF you need to.....JMHO...!!

My gut say's Sam will be the Man in 2007......With a all out battle next year in 2008 - Sam B. vs Kieth N.

Rockin'

[bixby28]

QB: You hit this issue right at the heart. Bradford will likely start, but the QB job won't easily be won. Like you, i'm not convinced that Halzle cannot play D1 football, but he has not had an opportunity to prove himself on Saturdays yet. Nichol has a good chance to end up redshirting, in my opinion. In my gut, i feel that Halzle will end up backing up Bradford and Nichol will not make the starting rotation as a freshman.

RB: This will be a season-long battle for playing time. I think Allen Patrick will not only be good in 2007, but great. If Murray shines half as bright as his scout tapes do, he'll be a MAJOR contributor this coming season. But, you're right about the RB rotation, there is a lot of talent in the depth chart that will end up seeing the field in 2007.

[lcaldwell1]

I think you hit the nail right on the head..i really hope murray gets a lot of playin time and really hope some of it is in the slot, cause he is just amazing on film...also though dont you think that we need to get the ball to the Tight Ends more this year..I mean Finley is good has descent speed and is like 6'5 ...and Gresham in my opinion is an animal...he is athletic 6'7 and can fly for a guy his size....any thoughts?

[LittleWingSooner]

Defense we have question marks at End, and linebacker right now. And can our defensive backs tackle?

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Yes, I forgot about the tight ends, I just got tired of typing :D

I know Stoops and Wilson are just dying to get Gresham the ball, but sinxce he was so young and slightly green last season they didn't trust him 100% More like 75% (See Nebraska game) Gresham and Finley are going to be used a lot this year, but unfortunately I don't think we will see many deep balls thrown this season :( My opinion only of course...

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Defense we have question marks at End, and linebacker right now. And can our defensive backs tackle?

Linebackers and DB's and to an extent DT's are going to be great this season.

We have the entire secondary back for crying out loud! and they were pretty good last year and will only be better

DE's are a question, but I think OU will be fine

[CrimsonChampion]

I didn't realize Bradford could run a 4.6, didn't know he could hoop either. I'm pulling for Sam to start since he's a homegrown Oklahoma boy, but I have no problem with the better guy playing. Whoever starts will have an offensive line that will protect him very well, and a wr crew that will make him much better. We need to work our tight ends into our offense more, that's one problem I've had with our offense after Trent Smith left. With Joe John and Gresham, Kelly and crew at wr, our passing game has the potential to be really really good.

On defense I'm still worried about our linebackers, ofcourse they should be good, but I'm still worried. Last season we started off aweful and our D was supposed to be one of the best in the nation, it came around though. I am worried about the production of our D ends, but that's expected when you get new starters, they'll probably be ready to go by the opener. With Granger and McCoy in the middle, those ends should be able to do what they want. I just can't wait to see our D, CFN.com says our secondary might be the best or second best in the nation. Normally I don't ever even goto cfn.com but I was bored and checked it out. Anytime I hear our secondary is gonna be up there in the ranks I get pumped.

[Collier11]

My thoughts are that we will start either bradford or halzle and work in nichol kind of like tebow, getting 5-10 snaps a game.
As far as the running game goes, i think we will see patrick get around 25 touches a game with brown being the TRUE backup, getting about 5-7 touches a game. We will see murray and/or madu get about 3-5 touches a game through running the ball, catching passes, or returns.

[LittleWingSooner]

We have the entire secondary back for crying out loud! and they were pretty good last year and will only be better

But they didn't tackle well against Oregon or Boise or Texas. They played better against OSU though.

[Collier11]

But they didn't tackle well against Oregon or Boise or Texas. They played better against OSU though.


Im pretty sure against texas we gave up less than 250 yds if my memory serves me correct. Other than two big plays they played well against boise, unfortunately those two plays(hook and latter and deep pass) were too much to overcome mixed with the turnovers. Oregon is another story but OUr D was much improved from that game on. Our D should be top 15 easily this year.

[goingoneight]

I think everone's pretty much on the same page here. But I'll give my humble opinion just to add onto a good thread, BB.

With OUr OL, OUr great blocking backs and WR's, and a wealth of talent everyone else in the country is drolling over, I feel that whoever plays QB is really gonna have to suck to screw things up. Remember in 2003 when Jason White had just got back into the swing of things? He was a tremendous passer from day one, and his wealth of talent around him only made him better. Now, Jason White is a pimp, make no mistake, but imagine how he would have been somewhere with a bad OL, so-so receivers, and no legit running attack. For anyone who thinks I'm doggin JW, I feel the samwe about Matt Leinart and Vince Young as well. They all had unique talents that were strengthened by a championship level supporting cast.

Anywho, If Joey Halzle starts, I don't feel we'll see any running game at all out of him. He is upright and hesitant carrying the ball. If he plays, look for him to succeed in the manner Josh Heupel did, by making great passing plays since we all know he has the talent at WR to do so.

If Sam Bradford starts, you'll see the pocket presence that comes natural to people who play in many other sports like he does. He's quick and elusive, but his passing game is in question. We only have a few videos of him throwing the ball, and we've yet to see him hit any clutch plays. If SB succeeds, look for it to be in the manner that *spit* Chrissy Simms did in 2001. I don't know, nor feel that any of these guys will be ghey or choke like Chrissy did... just sayin' the natural athletic ability is what we can look for and count on early on.

Nichol is still a question. A good looking recruit is all we have to say for now.

If I had to guess how OUr offense will work, I'd say look for the true I again, with play action only when necessary. Allen Patrick has made a name for himself and will be the big man on campus. The only way someone unseats this starter is to have an Adrian Peterson-esque influence on the coaching staff. Meaning, someone is gonna have to step in and flat-out OWN their opponents to get the reps and game time AP will. Fine by me, AP is good enought to carry the load. My favorite WR's for OU in 2007 are no doubt Malcom the Great and Juaqin Iglesias. Iglesias, you ask? That guy always finds a way to get open, and while he doesn't wrestle defensive backs for the ball, he does make some outstanding grabs and is a go-to guy for YAC (yards after the catch). Hey, he's got that magical number... could he be the next Mark Clayton? As for Manuel Johson, he'll be in three-receiver sets, and very much involved, ala Travis Wilson during MC/BB's tenure. I'm sorry to Quentin Chaney folks, I just don't think he's a guy we can count on, too hot and cold. Look for Adron Tennell, Fred Strong or maybe even Ryan Broyles to push him back down the depth chart..

Those are your skill positions, I believe the OL is just a matter of rotating guys accordingly to rest eachother. This OL, may be the best we've had by season's end under Stoops. TE is most definitely gonna be JJ and JG with Brody Eldridge eith in their shadow or sharing time at fullback, should we use one (FB).

Defense:

Again, should be great... and I'll go ahead and drink the Brent Venable Kool-Aid because I believe in his great abiltity to field good LB's. The ends all saw game time last season, and all had their more punishing moments at times, all in all were solid. Looks good for a "rebuilding year" here.

The secondary will see Reggie and probably Darrien Williams with Lendy and Marcus W. at corner. I don't think there's any question there... I look forward to seeing Nic Harris drop back in Nickel a few times, because he's one of the most instinctive DB's I've ever seen. Instinctive, not totally dominating yet, however.

Special Teams as always will belong to the practice warriors and the skill postions guys, with GH kicking, Mike Cohen probably takes full-time punting duties and Reggie is the main man in the return game. Reggie's not gonna keep his job easily though with guys who have confessed their will to get in on the return game such as Chris Brown, Juaqun Iglesias, DeMarco Murray, Allen Partick has experience returning kicks, and GUUUUUTE among others.

And who will be the chief Lazy-Boy coach in 2007? Well, I'll do my best... ;)

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Thanks Eight, I was hoping to see your input.

I think we are forgetting about Mike Reed, the guy is an absolute beast on the football field. I really hope that his talent translates into D1 but as of right now I am convinced he will be a force. Ryan Reynolds is back and I talked to a guy who spoke with coach Heupel and he said that Reynolds has a chance to be one of the best LB's that Stoops has ever had. Lofton is another story, he has a good nose as to where the ball is but Im not certain he has the big playmaking ability we are used to seeing in OUr linebackers.

I, along with every other die hard really wants to see Gerald McCoy and Demarcus Granger tear opponents helmets off. I think the entire Sooner nation wants to see McCoy on the field to see if he is the real deal, and I think he will show up in a big way.

Maybe it's just coach speak but Stoops said that he doesn't want to redshirt any of the recruits this season. I am not naive enough to believe that but Stoops loves to get freshman on the field to get experience, so he may be telling the truth. EX: Austin Box, Broyles, Travis Lewis on special teams...

WR - I think Adron Tennel is definitely a superstar in the making. If you guys remember the thread I posted about the winter testing Tennel's speed drills were up there with smaller DB's and RB's which is phenominal. Look for him to see signifigant time this season, with obviously most of the balls being thrown to Kelly

[snp]

What I Think - I really wish Kevin Wilson would mix it up with multiple RB's in the backfield. I think with Patrick and Murray in the backfield at the same time there could either be sort of a thunder and lightning approach.


Can we ever put this issue to bed? Stoops has often remarked that he will not use 2 backs in the the backfield. It brings another player into the box and using a 3rd WR or TE spreads out the field.

[illinisooner]

Best case scenario for our QB this year would be a Colt McCoy-like season...minus getting injured and losing to multiple aggies. But whoever the QB is will be coming into a similar situation that Colt did last year. Worst case would be something like Georgia had last year, with Stafford really struggling for a large part of the season and not having anyone else do much better.

[goingoneight]

illinisooner, you're spot on. If we have a guy who's truly gonna be a championship level QB, he'll show flashes of brilliance liek McCoy did in 2006. I'm not one to praise a whorn, but as long as that kids playing, OU's really gonna have to be on their feet. I don't think I've EVER seen a freshmen QB do some of the natural things he did out there. He looked good against us, but as the season progressed, Tejas' running game slowed to a stop, and their defense really went down the sh*tter as well, but that kid still won every game he was healthy in. Even in high-scoring shootouts.

I really feel that if Tejas had Bomar or Reid, or someone else "highly touted" as we've seen in recent years coming out of Tejas, they would have been very lucky to get past seven wins last season.

We need someone to come in and pose a passing threat immediately, and fortunately, we get four home games to kick off 2007. And I do count Tulsa as a home game, since there will be an entire stadium full of Crimson, with a few blue and yellow spotted in here and there.

[LittleWingSooner]

The only time we use 2 backs is maybe in some WR sets like we did with AD in the last game. We didn't really use it that well in that game. You can't hope to have a championship team with one facet of a game. We will have a good running game but our passing game is a mystery right now.

Our defense has some question marks. We lose a lot of our front 7 and our tackles were a big time question mark last year. I don't know if we are as good at tackle as we were with Harris, Dvoracek, and McGruder. We'll see if Granger, McCoy, Bennett and some of these young guys step up but they haven't done near as good as any of those other guys did.

Losing 2 senior linebackers will hurt early on. But I think the talent we have is really good here. The experience will hurt early on. Lofton is probably gonna be our best guy early on.

The DBs were pretty good in coverage, but I'm not sure if they are good tacklers in open field. There were a few blown coverages early in the year but they were pretty solid in coverage even in the bowl game. They just weren't great tacklers like we've had there in the past. Harris looks like a hitter though.

[melbitoast]

Here's my humble opinion, and I'll try to be brief:

QB -- Halzle throws like a limp noodle (based on the video and spring game)
Bradford - could end up like McCoy (I hate Texas, but the kid suprised everyone).
Nichol - I have a slight lean towards only b/c he's here early and he's still fresh in terms of full speed action.

RB -- no worries there, but would like to see Murray get some touches
FB -- who knows
TE -- incredible athletes whom I feel will get enough action to remind us of Trent Smith
OL -- 180 from last year; no real concerns other than depth; amazing job by the coaches last year

DL -- DE's are a big concern of mine; who and how many are returning??
DT -- SOLID is an understatement; Colemen, Bennett, Granger, McCoy...wow
LB -- MIKE REED (just watch his video), Pleasant and Reynolds had a great battle last year and both will highly contribute, Lofton is no slouch and Robinson was very highly recruited; depth is the only slight concern
DB -- should be even more improved than last year; a wealth of talent and another year under their belts will have them very aware and ready for this year
Special Teams -- great returners, great kicker, but I would like to see our punter kill some balls this year; been a while since we've had a real boomer back there

*** Side note: I don't like our pre-season ranking of #5 by Rivals b/c of our QB situation. HOWEVER, if Bradford comes in and does what McCoy did for the Whorns last year, then we should have a very, very pleasant and entertaining 2007 football season. BOOMER SOONER!!! :pop:

[melbitoast]

dang it, i left out the WRs

WR --loads and loads of talent; no worries; I will contest a previous statement on here about no deep balls: Tennell has the size AND speed to get loose on someone (i.e. Brandon Jones); with Iglesias (Mark Clayton), Tennell (Brandon Jones), Johnson (Mark Bradley speed) and Kelly (no comparison) we'll see 25-30 TD passes this season no question

[snp]

Johnson (Mark Bradley speed)

Not a chance. I'm not too wild over your Iggy to Clayton comparison either.

[jccouger]

Clayton wasnt ever really that fast. Didn't he run a 4.6? He was more shifty then anything...

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

4.45

[Sooner-N-KS]

Best case scenario for our QB this year would be a Colt McCoy-like season

Yeah, but has Bradford or Nichol rescued someone from a little pond? :P Hook 'em

[Collier11]

Keith Nichol once wrastled a grizzly bear to the ground, put him in a sleeper hold, and knocked him out cold just cus the bear ate his sandwhiches on a campout! HONEST!

[rufnek05]

What about OUr O-Line. i think they are going to have a good year, i know they were young, but they came together pretty well

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

73 Walker, Brandon OL 6-3 306 Jr. Detroit, Mich. (Coffeyville CC)
50 Cooper, Jon OL 6-2 285 Jr. Fort Collins, Colo. (Fort Collins HS)
71 Williams, Trent OL 6-5 321 So. Longview, Texas (Longview HS)
77 Moore, Sherrone OL 6-3 297 Sr. Derby, Kan. (Butler County CC)
72 Robinson, George OL 6-5 330 Jr. Atlanta, Ga. (Washington HS)
74 Simmons, Brian OL 6-4 293 So. Raleigh, N.C. (Hargrave Acad.)
- Williams, Alex OL 6-5 300 Fr. New Orleans, La. (O. Perry Walker HS)
76 Braxton, Branndon OL 6-6 312 Jr. Youngstown, Ohio (Ursuline HS)
- Hannan, Jason OL 6-3 270 Fr. Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie HS)
70 Brandon, Cory OL 6-7 271 RFr. Corsicana , Texas (Corsicana HS)
- Loadholt, Phil OL 6-8 350 Jr. Fountain, Colo. (Garden City CC)
- Cooke, Kody OL 6-4 315 Fr. Enid, Okla. (Enid HS)
- Stephenson, Donald OL 6-6 275 Fr. Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs
75 Beeler, Chase OL 6-3 276 So. Jenks, Okla. (Jenks HS)
64 Howard, Zach OL 6-0 250 RFr. Shawnee, Okla. (Shawnee HS)
63 Hughey, Noah OL 6-3 270 So. El Reno, Okla. (Redlands CC)

[melbitoast]

Clayton wasnt ever really that fast. Didn't he run a 4.6? He was more shifty then anything...

quote from post-draft analysis on Clayton:

"Not thought to have great speed, Clayton surprised scouts by running in the low 4.4s at the predraft combine, then followed up with superb private workouts."

I believe during the draft they posted a 4.37 for him from the private workout. Seeing how the fastest recorded laser-timed ever was a 4.30 by Reynaldo Hill in 2005, saying that Clayton was more shifty than fast is just flat wrong.

And "Iggy" (i like that btw) is pretty darn shifty, but not quite as fast as Clayton is/was.

[melbitoast]

Not a chance. I'm not too wild over your Iggy to Clayton comparison either.

see the previous post above this one. simply regarding shiftyness; not flat speed, although Iggy is quite quick.

[insuranceman_22]

We are strong at WR, no question about that. Iglesias is no Mark Clayton though, not yet, maybe never. Kelly will be our stud! If we have 25 or 30 td passes, we'll have a legit shot at being undefeated! I don't see that happening (the 25 or 30 TDs). Hope it does, but not going to hold my breath.

[snp]

see the previous post above this one. simply regarding shiftyness; not flat speed, although Iggy is quite quick.


I hate it when people try and make these inaccurate comparisons. Mark Clayton had excellent hands, great speed AND amazing quickness. So far, Iggy has only shown he's pretty quick as well. So he's kinda like him in 1 outta 3 ways.

He is nothing like Clayton at this point in his career. Which shouldn't be a slight to Iggy because Clayton was the greatest WR to ever play here. At least, my favorite.

[Collier11]

IMO Malcolm Kelly is a faster Keyshawn Johnson which is bodes well for his future in the NFL

[LittleWingSooner]

When Mark Clayton came here he ran a 4.7 40.

[goingoneight]

Oh yeah, how fast could he DRINK a 40, eh? :D

[MojoRisen]

quote from post-draft analysis on Clayton:

"Not thought to have great speed, Clayton surprised scouts by running in the low 4.4s at the predraft combine, then followed up with superb private workouts."

I believe during the draft they posted a 4.37 for him from the private workout. Seeing how the fastest recorded laser-timed ever was a 4.30 by Reynaldo Hill in 2005, saying that Clayton was more shifty than fast is just flat wrong.

And "Iggy" (i like that btw) is pretty darn shifty, but not quite as fast as Clayton is/was.

The confusion here is that he learned technique- he came to campus running a 4-7 flat if you can believe that- it is true.

[melbitoast]

The confusion here is that he learned technique- he came to campus running a 4-7 flat if you can believe that- it is true.

True, and I think he weighed ~150lbs soaking wet when he arrived. I believe it's a true testament to the coaching staff at just how successful they are at developing players.

Don't get me wrong, Clayton is my favorite all-time receiver, but I think Iggy is a decent (perhaps 2nd tier) comparison to Clayton. No one else has displayed that kind of shiftyness.

[melbitoast]

IMO Malcolm Kelly is a faster Keyshawn Johnson which is bodes well for his future in the NFL

Kelly is quickly rising as one of my favorite receivers all time. Sickest hands I've ever seen wear the Crimson and Cream. My only knock is he needs to carry the ball better after the catch and learn that he's not 220lbs. I've seen him get lit a few times and lose the rock. Otherwise the guy is one of the best ever. :D