Sunday, August 31, 2014

Nothing

Thoughts following the Falcons 44-16 win over Nicholls St Saturday: Its good to get the first game out of the way-and win it................. And thats it....Don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but Air Force started this way last season with a Parents Day win over an FCS team, and we all know what happened after that. Yes, I loved the running of Jacobi Owens, the fact Air Force had 5 sacks and 6 tackles for losses on defense. But until those performances and numbers come against a MWC team, I'm in a wait and see mode. I'm always optimistic and I do like the newly discovered energy I have seen from Air Force. I think Steve Russ will get this defense playing MUCH better than it did a year ago. But one win over Nicholls St answers zero questions about this team. Saturdays game against Wyoming is a HUGE HUGE HUGE game because we'll find out how much true improvement this squad has made against a much better team. Other observations: I noted the other day Kale Pearson would carry the ball 10 times or less. He had 8 carries for 46 yards. He took a couple of good hits on his right leg, but popped up. He seemed to get more comfortable as a runner as the game wore on......That play I couldn't talk about in my last blog was a quick screen pass to wide receiver Jalen Robinette. It went for 0 yards Saturday. But I love the fact the Falcons have it in their playbook. Robinette will break 1 or 2 of those this year....Garrett Brown will surprise some teams. He had 5 rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown, and 1 catch for 6 yards. He is a good player.....On the injury front, Linebacker Joey Nichol was held out for much of the second half. I asked Troy Calhoun about that and he said "We'll see" meaning, at the moment he may, or may not play against Wyoming. Not sure how he got hurt.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Nichols St

What to expect Saturday....It won't be 72-0 like it was in 2009. The Colonels come in with a Senior at Quarterback in Kalen Henderson. He is a transfer from Tulsa who is a threat to throw and run. Good Player. He played early last year, then hurt his leg and was lost for the season. The one true weapon he has is at wide receiver in Keenan Canty, who had a year of eligibility left after graduating from Colorado. Other than that Nichols (which is what they preferred to be called) is very young at the skill positions. The Colonels defense last year was as bad as the Falcons. They too have a new coordinator, so we'll have to see how they play the option. Not sure what to expect. For Air Force I think the Falcons play it close to the vest in terms of formations, plays and defensive schemes. Save that for conference games. But what you will see are some changes on defense. It will look at times like the Falcons are lining up in a 4-2-5. I don't think you will see as much substituting as you did last year. The Cornerbacks will play man to man a majority of the time, and will line up right on the line in the face of the receivers. No more 9 yards off the line of scrimmage. I will also be watching to see how Kale Pearson holds up at quarterback. How many times will he carry the ball? How many times will he get hit? I will be surprised if he has more than 10 carries Saturday. We will see a lot of running backs Jacobi Owens, Devin Rushing, and Shayne Davern, who at 245 pounds is the biggest fullback the Falcons have had in the last 20 years. I don't think Troy Calhoun will showcase much of his offense this weekend. I like 35-14 with good guys on top. Hope to see you at the game. Bring your radio and follow us live beginning with the pregame at 10am on Colorado's 740 KVOR.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Speed Kills

The other day watching the Air Force Football team practice, I saw the Falcons offense run a play that I can't tell you about. One of the agreements allowing the press to attend practice is you don't write or tweet about specific plays or formations. My hope is, Air Force runs more of this kind of play I can't talk about in the 2014 season. As I look at the Air Force roster I see several players on offense who have size and/or speed. And some of them are not running backs. Now, I am not advocating the Falcons throw the ball 50 times a game, or get away from their option offense. What I would like to see is a little more creative play calling, using players who are fast and quick, who can hurt the defense. Air Force has those players, from Wide Receiver Jalen Robinette, who stands 6'3 and weighs 220 pounds, to Z Backs Garret Brown, who had a solid year a season ago, and veteran Jon Lee, who was moved to the Z Back position. When you have talented players, you try to get them the ball, "in space," which essentially means you put them in a position in the open field where their athleticism can take over. Air Force did it 7 years ago with Chad Hall. He was the conference MVP that year. The Falcons have a myriad of formations, designed to confuse the defense. Teams come in each week trying to stop the option attack. If you, every so often, give the opposition something else to think about (The play I can't tell you about) it will make the defense hesitate just a bit. While College and Pro Football can be complicated, there's also times when ALL coaches overthink it. Just use the tools you have in your tool box.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Potential

There's a lot to be excited about watching the Air Force Football team work out as the season opener approaches in a bit more than two weeks. You can feel a different energy at practice, especially from the defense. Now, we all must remember, its practice, and its early. But if this Falcons team can stay healthy it may surprise a lot of people. Here are some of the things that have stood out to me as I've watched practice... 1) A Lesson Learned from last season-Cornerbacks are now up on the line, just 2-3 yards away from opposing wide receivers. Last year you could park a bus between the wideouts and the cornerbacks. I never figured out why an apparently easy fix was never made, and the defensive backs stayed off the line all season long. That's changing under new Defensive Coordinator Steve Russ. 2) Outside LB's are now closer to the line, and at times, on the line of scrimmage. In my opinion, it gives opposing offenses a lot more to think and worry about. Plus it gives Steve Russ more options. Its clear the "sit back and don't get beat" mentality is gone from the Falcons, and thats good news. 3) Wide Receivers...Air Force is deep at this position with Jalen Robinette, Garret Brown, Alex Ludowig, and others. How involved they'll be, in terms of catching the ball, remains to be seen. 4) Quarterbacks. At the moment, unless something changes, Kale Pearson is the starter. He is wearing a knee brace because of last years season ending injury, but is moving well and is not limited in anything he does. He's been in the program for several years, but is still unproven. Nate Romine and Karson Roberts are battling for the backup job. A lot of guys played last year. This years team will be deeper because of that. Everything that could have gone wrong for the Falcons did a season ago. Here's hoping this year will mark a turnaround. Listen to the Falcons all season long on Colorado's 740 KVOR.