On Wisconsin!

Champs Sports MVP(s)

2009-12-30T08:51:00.001-08:00

Clay had a nice game. So did Kendricks. And Tolzien.

MVPs were the offensive and defensive lines. It's a team sport, and the guys in the trenches -- as a team -- won that game.

That is all.

On Wisconsin!

(and now back to my regularly scheduled absence)

Postponed

2009-11-02T11:18:00.001-08:00

Taking a break for a while. For those who are interested, I like Scott Tapa's blog, Badgercentric, and I think Adam Hoge does a nice job at Buckys5thQuarter.

How Losing to Ohio State May Help The Badgers

2009-10-13T11:11:00.001-07:00

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271352-just-what-the-doctor-ordered-upside-from-wisconsins-loss-to-ohio-state

Road Trip: Warning! Columbus, Ohio

2009-10-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

You've heard the rumors. Profanity-laced tirades, showers of beer, bottle throwing.Notre Dame 1995. Michigan 2002 (and every year?). Texas 2005. You call your colleague to verify it's better now, but . . . USC 2009: beer showers and profanity. The home crowd at Ohio Stadium has earned an ugly reputation.

And yet? We could only just have had a nicer reception than we received. Ok, so it wasn't quite "Welcome to Ohio State, good luck," a la my first visit to Notre Dame wearing the opponent's colors, but it wasn't far off.

Maybe it was because we all wear the same color? Maybe OSU doesn't fear us (most of their fans seem to respect our program)? maybe we were well-behaved and gracious so they returned the favor? Whatever the reason, other than a mild comment at the gas station in Dayton and some mild (and deserved) post-game ribbing more associated with my own stone hands, the home crowd was gracious and welcoming.

From the walk across the Olentangy river to the woman on the jet way also returning home through DFW, our interaction with fans of the Ohio State University was universally positive.

Prologue:
We got the rain out of the way on Friday, which provided a muni golf course in Dayton to us all to ourselves. Saturday began with a beautiful, crisp fall day in the Midwest. Partly cloudy, sunny, and alternately warm and slightly chilly depeneding on whether the sun was behind a cloud.

We began the day with the drive into Columbus on I-70. We listened to Jim Tressel graciously dealing with callers looking for retribution against Jay Valai ("we can't spare any energy to waste on that; we need to go play a solid, fundamentally sound football game.") and questioning the team's fashion ("if brining gray sleeves back is really all we'll need to win those BCS games, I'll take a look into it!"). We arrived at our hotel at Capitol Square in time to watch the Badger players stroll through the lobby on their way to the game.

Then we caught a cab down to campus. Not wanting to get stuck in traffic, the cabbie dropped us off on the north side of the Schott. That gave us a chance to walk through some tailgating. We crossed the Lane Avenue and walked over to Woody Hayes Drive to cross the Olentangy over to the hulking north side of Ohio Stadium with its dome edifice.

The Tailgate:
Within a few minutes we reached our gracious hostess on the phone who guided us past the old basketball stadium to her Ford Expedition parked at the base of the Lane Avenue Bridge still on the stadium side of the river. While we helped her set up some tables and food (lots of food!), her father returned with appropriate technical support and the missing coax cable to get the satellite dish and TV up and running.

Under a Buckeye tent, beers in hand, and grill heating up, we settled into the Georgia @ Tennessee game. A party of four, fresh in from New York and decked out in Buckeye paraphenalia, arrived, introduced themselves, and added a bunch of beer and food to the already overstocked tables.

Over the next few hours (and beers) several more internet friends from the CFN Big Ten message board joined in the fun bringing along their guests. While everyone brought a nice contribution of beer, soda, and/or food, I cannot say enough about our hostess's hospitality. She and her dad provided brats, burgers, chips, potato salad, all the fixings, sweets, beer, an HD TV on a satellite feed, a shady tent, a lovely smile, and a welcoming attitude all to a bunch of strangers she "knows" from the internet.

You always wonder how such a meeting will go. Having never laid eyes on these internet personalities, you wonder what they will be like in person. Will you have anything to talk about? Will your non-CFN friends who don't know "the Board" and its personalities feel like outcasts? Will it all be very awkward?

As with CFN-inspired meetings past, this event once again fulfilled my high opinion of our little online community. In addition to our lovely hostess, every guest added something. We chatted, ate, watched football, drank (a little), laughed, and all got along very well. Not just well, but "next year in Madison" well.

After two-and-a-half quick hours, we were having too much fun to make it to the nearby "skull sessions," though I'm sure they would have been great. Despite the time we were having, my non-CFN friend and I decided to take a stroll around the campus to get a little feel for the place. What we saw reminded us of college in the Midwest. Nice old brick buildings with some gothic flair mixed with more modern [as usual, science] buildings and a scattering of drab 60s builds that probably everyone Midwest wide would love to see replaced.

Throughout our walk there was nary a nasty comment from the Ohio State fans. To the contrary, we received several well-wishes and welcomes. Returning to the tailgate after our stroll, we had time for a final bite and last pre-game beer before filing into the stadium for the main event.

The Show at the Shoe:
We walked up the stairs to the visiting section in the north-east corner of the Shoe (up diagonally from the "E" in the "Ohio State" end zone). Just walking around the Shoe is impressive. It is a giant and imposing tribute to one of college football's elites. Inside is no different. Emerging from the tunnel, the height and steep angles of the stadium are imposing. We climbed the steepest stadium steps I've ever walked to get to our towering seats.

As we walked through the tunnel out to Section 8C, TBDBITL emerged from their own tunnel, well below us and to our right. They whipped the crowd up with the Buckeye Battle Cry before the obligatory playing of the opponent's fight song, frankly, the oddest sounding rendition of On Wisconsin that I can recall (while forming a well-done Motion W on the field). Then Carmen Ohio before performing script Ohio, which just looks cool. I'm sure the sousaphone player who dotted the "i" loved doing it, and it was cool to see, but I was a little surprised at how understated it was, and how quickly it passed.

The school's Army, Navy, and Air Force cadets ran up a giant American flag for the national anthem, and as they say in baseball, "play ball!"

The Game:
I wrote more here, but I should add a couple of things. First, I held my head high at the end. There are blowouts where one team completely outclasses the other. Then there are blowouts where one team was better, but the final score resulted from a handful of unfortunate plays rather than a game-long domination in all phases of the game. This was the latter kind.

The Badgers can't make the mistakes Ohio State forced them to make and still survive against such a good team. Nonetheless, this young team can build from the experience and especially the defense can point to things they did very well.

Buckeye fans need to remember that in the first half, with the game still in doubt, Pryor led them 88 yards in just over a minute to take the lead and retake the momentum that Wisconsin had steadily built. The next time he touched the ball, the game was decided and it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to allow Pryor to air it out when nothing good could come of it, and plenty bad could. He's a work in progress. He's shaky (as I said before the game), but he didn't take a meaningful snap in the second half, so don't worry too much.

The crowd was solid throughout, though never really got deafeningly loud. Had the tight game that defined the first half carried through the second half, surely the crowd would have turned the volume up to 11, but as it was 9.5 was fine.

Post-Game:
After the beat down, we trudged back to the tailgate to help break down. We had a few more, and watched the first quarter of the Michigan/Iowa tilt. With the parking lot clearing out, we had time for a random toss-around of the old pigskin, where I flashed my stone hands, and took a little mild ribbing from some less-than-sober tailgaters nearby. It certainly wasn't nasty, and it was appropriate to compare my lack of skill to the Badgers given the outcome of the game.

We got everything more or less wrapped up and jumped in a cab to hit our post-game spot. On the way to German Village we had quite the colloquy with our east-African cab driver about whether we were headed to Blanks or Planks (imagine "who's on first"), which resulted in him hitting a traffic cone before he got his eyes back on the road (lesson: always wear your seatbelt in a cab!). It didn't do any damage, and my friend's sharp eyes caught Planks on South High before we rocketed too far past.

It was a solid end to the evening as we consumed plenty more, watched Florida beat LSU back, and Iowa hold off Michigan. Things slowly petered out and after last call our hostess gave us a lift back to our hotel to end the evening.

In the elevator on the way up to our room my friend turned to me and said, "that was a perfect day." And it was. Well, except for the Badgers losing. A few more beers (God only knows why), and we called it a night.

On Wisconsin!

Bits and Pieces from Columbus

2009-10-12T13:19:00.001-07:00

I'll get my road trip review up soon, but in the mean time, a couple of thoughts from this game (on top of these).

I think when Paul Chryst takes a look at the game tapes, he'll see that Zach Brown was often (maybe always) open for the outlet on passing plays when he left protect to go to the flat. Against a team that was dominating the line of scrimmage as much as OSU was, I would think we'd want to hit that pass a few times to slow them down just a little.

That said, I thought Chyrst called a solid game. Bielema's call to fake the kick was brilliant. There wasn't one person among the 108 thousand not on the Badger sideline who saw that coming. That's why it worked.

Doeren, too, called a nice game. The Badger defense came to play. After such a big blow, there's one sure bright spot: the play of the Badger defense. Now, some perspective: the last drive of the first half was unfortunate. I didn't think it was the tipping point (the second INT was, then the kickoff return was the nail in the coffin), but as Potrykus points out for the Journal Sentinel, fans are starting to wonder why we keep seeing these late rallies work. I actually called the "give up a long pass for a big play" defensive alignment to the folks around me in the crowd just before it happened. The Buckeye fan in front of me thanked me for making the call.

Sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut.

The Buckeyes didn't do anything in the second half, but before everyone declares how bad Pryor is, consider that it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to let him open it up with a 15-point lead.

Nonetheless, solid effort by our defense. Particularly O'Brien Schofield who was rallying the troops even at the very end. That's leadership. And at least those of us up in section 8C appreciated his fire.

We knew we couldn't make the mistakes we made against Minnesota and win. We did, and lost.

Iowa is another opportunity and one I think we have a good chance in. But we'll need to limit the mistakes.

And if their line is dominating us in the passing game, Paul, look for Zach coming out of the backfield a few times. It was there on Saturday.

ROAD TRIP!!!

2009-10-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

See ya in Columbus, suckas!

Cannot wait for this game. Should be a close fought, slugfest.

I wrote some more here.

On Wisconsin!!

On the Road

2009-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Badgers haven't been very good on the road the last two years (of course, they weren't very good anywhere last year). This battle for the Axe is going to be huge for both teams.

As if we didn't all know that without me writing it . . .

Keys to Sparty

2009-09-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Both teams will pass well against soft opposing defenses, but neither will make it through the entire game without mistakes in the passing games (drops, misses, INTs). The team that wins is the team that establishes the run and is able to control possession in the 4th quarter.

MSU has the better linebackers, but I think the Badgers have a better defensive line. Moreover, the Badgers offensive line is, I think, a better run-blocking line (though retarded in progress due to injuries). Finally, I'm confident the Badgers have the better tailbacks.

Slight edge to the Badgers.

BUT . . .

It could be wet tomorrow. Turnovers?

While the Badgers have the better +/- (+2 vs. even), we have also put the ball on the carpet much more than MSU (it's just that we've caused more turnovers, too). In a wet game ball security could be the determinative factor. That worries me. A lot.

PS. For those curious about my tepid enthusiasm for the Badgers on this one, look no further than Scott Tappa's write up this morning: http://badgercentric.blogspot.com/2009/09/2008-revisited-game-4-and-michigan.html

Michigan State Prediction

2009-09-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

I fear a two-score loss, but see a win, 26-24.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/259692-wounded-warriors-michigan-state-at-wisconsin

Football Season Starts Now

2009-09-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Michigan State: wounded warriors.

Minnesota: in their new home.

Ohio State: at the Shoe

Iowa: 'nuf said.

Play time is over.

Quick Thoughts on Wofford

2009-09-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

(1) See, we didn't overlook them. Good.

(2) Zach Brown is the best back on the team. Period.

(3) Good to see Moffitt and Nagy back in there. That bodes well for conference play.

(4) Gilreath was as bad as Clay hanging onto the ball.

(5) I liked what I saw from Phillips. He's a nice changeup. The problem is how to handle him in a close game where the offense is struggling. Do you put him in for the changeup, or does that risk ruining Tolzien's rhythm.

(6) I like the young players, but Schofield is by far the best player on our D. I think the best four are probably Schofield, Watt, Taylor, and Maragos, in that order. Maragos is a real leader.

(7) Toon is looking great.

(8) Still having penalty problems.

(9) Great to see Kendricks get involved. We have so many quality targets to throw to. Which leads me to . . .

Finally, is there any doubt that the player of the year in non-conference play is Scott Tolzien?

Why I've Decided To Overlook Wofford

2009-09-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

That's just how it is. I'm overlooking Wofford. I have the September 26 date with Sparty circled. This weekend? Meh.

You can't overlook anyone, right? I can, and I will. I hope the Badgers don't.

And that's the thing. They won't. I'm fairly confident the Badgers have a 1-point escape over Cal Poly seared in their collective memory. And thus, the triple option will die a quick death at Camp Randall.

How did I get there?

The triple option works for teams like the academies and FCS squads because so few teams employ it. So you have one week a year to prepare for this crazy offense that just doesn't look like anything anyone else on your schedule is doing it.

But that's not all. The other thing that inevitably happens (and this should sound familiar) is that the BCS squad underestimates its competition. Those little Cadets/Middies, or Mustangs, as the case may be (or Terriers, sure, Terriers, too), the BCS squad just knows they will physically dominate them. (This is also what makes Paul Johnson's Georgia Tech such an interesting experiment; they don't have any drop off in talent and size.)

Then they don't. That scrappy, undersized teams comes out, survives the punch in the mouth, and starts scoring points. About the second quarter the BCS guys looks up at the score board, see they are really losing this game, and start taking their week-long coaching and preparation seriously.

And normally the BCS squad comes back and wins. But sometimes they need a kicker to miss three extra points to get there.

And that's where this year is different. The Badgers won't spend any time overlooking the Terriers. They don't want a repeat of Cal Poly and should come out in the first quarter to prove it.

Oh, and the Terriers' best back is out with an injury.

So anyway, I'll watch the game, but I'm overlooking it because I know our squad isn't. Go Badgers.

Calling All Badger Videographers

2009-09-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so how come the only highlight videos on youtube right now are from our vanquished opponents? I mean, it's not like we're packing 80K plus in every game, is it?

Seriously, some guy from NIU puts together a 10-minute deal of their loss, and a Fresno State fan puts together 5 minutes of the Bulldogs whuppin' up on us (I always like highlight videos showing all the great plays the losing team made).

Anyway, BigAlJeff has done some nice work, but can we get anyone on this game-by-game?

Doeren: Credit Where Due

2009-09-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

The defense was getting shredded in the first half. At halftime Doeren made the adjustments needed. The secondary was still soft, and Fresno State's quarterback's mistakes contributed, but the bottom line is Fresno scored only three points in the second half. He couldn't do any more with the players he had. That was solid coaching.

Likewise, Chryst earned his money on Saturday. The setup and play to Anderson was spectacular, as was Clay's touchdown. Well played.

Quick Hitters on Fresno State

2009-09-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Gratifying win. Team fought back, coaches made the right adjustments. Guys made plays. Team won against a quality opponent (I think; now don't go all Fresno State on us, Fresno State).

Some thoughts, in no particular order:
(1) Maybe it was the flu, but I remember thinking the secondary would be a strength for the defense. It sure wasn't today.

(2) Man, do I like Schofield. He's a player.

(3) Tolzien! He's also a player.

(4) Our running backs look good, but our line looks bad. And remember when I was worried about depth on the line? Yeah, how's that going?

(5) Clay ran with a lot more purpose this week.

(6) Still thinking about the line: I sure hope not having the flu, and having Moffit back in there makes the running game work better (though Konz did a phenomenal job, given what he was asked to do).

(7) If our line can start blocking for the run, this could be a special Badger offense. Seriously. And I think we only lose Graham and Turner next year (though those are big losses).

(8) The defensive line and the linebackers made the right adjustments. After looking like a seive in the first half, they looked good in the second.

(9) I loved the 57-yarder to finish the first half, but Welch still looked shaky; even his 22-yarder for the win was just inside the upright. He needs to spend extra time in the McClain center this week.

(10) Gratifying, if stressful, win. 2-0.

Fresno State, in Short

2009-09-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

31-17, Badgers.

I've got a little more over here, but here's Fresno State in brief:

(1) Stop the run up the middle; contain the edges.

(2) Improve our running game to manage the clock (though rotating eight defensive lineman will help regardless).

(3) Improve in the kicking game.

(4) Stay out of the infirmiry.

Fresno State is pretty good, but Wisconsin is better. Put a stamp on the Bulldogs, a good tune-up for Sparty in two weeks.

Check the Bulldog Bounce to see what the Bulldogs think about this game (it's interesting).

The Cynic: It's Only One Week.

2009-09-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

It's a twelve game season, but man, people get so amped for football to start that they fall all over themselves to react when things finally kick off. Folks, it's been one week, and there haven't been that many truly interesting games.

Let's review:
Michigan is now about #30 in the AP poll as a result of beating Western Michigan. Ok, nice win, but it was Western Michigan. Decent MAC team, yes. Does it really erase a 3-9 season? I don't think so.

Speaking of which: Notre Dame's beat down of Nevada? Nevada, like Western Michigan, might be a decent non-BCS squad, and yeah, ND looked good, but isn't that what should happen in that game?

Week two is a lot more telling for both of those teams.

Miami at Florida State. They looked evenly matched, with good offense, but mediocre defense. Does that mean both teams are "back?" No, it means they were evenly matched. Let's see what happens.

Back to our league for a minute. Ohio State struggled with Navy. Guess what, lots of teams struggle with Navy. Pardon me if I don't all of the sudden think OSU is going in the toilet.

Speaking of which, Penn State destroyed Akron. Shouldn't they?

And Iowa struggled with Northern Iowa. That's not good, but it also doesn't make the season. Talk to me in a few weeks about the Hawkeyes. For now they are 1-0.

Minnesota struggled at Syracuse. Playing on the road is tough -- ask LSU about that (or Maryland). While I still question how good the Gophers are, like Iowa they are 1-0. Let's see how they handle Air Force and Cal in their new house.

MSU and Northwestern won big. Like Penn State, shouldn't they?

And the two remaining teams? Ok, I'll pile on on these two. (1) Juice has never been that good. Color me unsurprised by the Illini's loss to Mizzou. (2) Indiana is still Indiana. I'm prepared to live with both of those conclusions after one week.

Oklahoma State . . . solid win over Georgia, but I'm not sure either team is really that good.

Boise State . . . who is going to beat them? If ever there was a team with a one-game season, they are it. Here's hoping Fresno State and Nevada turn in good years and push the Smurfs.

But, kudos to BYU. If they are in the BCS hunt in November, they will have earned it, beating Oklahoma on the road, playing Florida State, and their decent conference foes Utah and TCU.

One last thing: the Boise player deserved it. I'm ok with suspending Blount for the rest of the season because he couldn't collect himself, but for the punch itself I think only a few games would have been enough. The Bronco in question got what he paid for.

Tolzien!

2009-09-06T14:11:00.001-07:00

Liked what I saw and I'm excited to see this season unfold.

More from me, including the criticisms (there are several), here.

Honestly? 9-3.

2009-08-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Struggling quarterback? Check.
New front seven? Check.
Nine-win season? Yeah, I think so.

Now, I'm a glass 3/4 full kind of guy, so it's always worth taking me with a grain or two of salt, but there's no reason this Badger team can't win nine games. The schedule is weak, and more than anything else people are overanalyzing last season.

It sucked. It happens. Get over it.

Brass tacks:
NIU is a decent MAC team and will put up a fight. But their defensive line and linebackers won't be able to handle our rushing game. 1-0.

Fresno State will throw a lot of runs at our front seven, but they aren't as good as they were last year, and our offense should be better than it was last year, on the running game alone. 2-0.

Wofford is a decent FCS team. Period. 3-0.

Michigan State -- hmm. This game is a toss up. It's in Madison. That's good. They have a new quarterback and a new running back. That's good. It's the week after they play a big game (also on the road) against Notre Dame. That's good. They don't have any more talent than we do. That's good. They are a well-coached team. That's bad. Toss up, but I lean win, and I don't think that's a big stretch. 4-0.

First road trip, to Minnesota. Sure, they return a whole bunch of folks and they'll be anxious for this game to showcase their new home. Good people, watch their last five games last season. They are an ok team, not any more than that. The only reason the game last season was close was poor ball security on the Badgers part. 5-0 (yes, this revises my earlier thoughts on this game).

Ohio State: 5-1.

Iowa: 5-2.

Purdue: 6-2.

Indiana: 8-2. Just kidding. 7-2.

Michigan: they will be a decent team by the time this game comes around, but still playing with a true-freshman quarterback (no, Sheridan won't be in the rotation by this time), no more than a decent offensive line, it's in Madison, and we won't have another epic collapse. We'll have to work for it, but 8-2.

Northwestern. Damn. Bielema hasn't proven to be very good on the road and their defense will handle our running game. While they aren't a great team, they are a good team. 8-3.

Finally, Hawaii. June Jones is gone. This team isn't that good. 9-3.

Basically, I'm finding myself not buying into Minnesota and thinking we'll split MSU and Northwestern. I think MSU is a little overrated right now. They have a couple of big holes to fill, and it's not like they are USC.

This Badger team should have a potent, if run-heavy, offense, and a decent defense. Not a great team, but a pretty good team. Just like 12-1 didn't make Bielema a genius, 7-6 didn't make him a disaster. Solid team, solid record, not a lot of frills.

This is a Passing Offense

2009-08-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Tolzien is the starter. Good news.

I don't have anything against Phillips, but it seems like fans get all amped about him more because of his recruit rankings than anything else. Yes, it's nice that he can run. That's a bonus. But in Chryst's offense delivering the ball on time is more important . . . much more important. So I was wrong about Sherer (outspokenly wrong; put me in my place wrong). But the bigger picture for me remains the same: our quarterback needs to be able to deliver the ball reliably.

When Phillips is described as "erratic" during good times (and throws four picks in eleven attempts during bad), that's not a good sign. Will he improve? Of course he will. But for now, Chryst needs a guy who can deliver the ball and with the player makers we have on the receiving end, Graham, Toon, Kendricks, Anderson, Gilreath, Appleton, etc., it's that much more important that we use them.

Depth . . . "Or"

2009-08-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

A few minutes early, and a few minor surprises. At quarterback Tolzien is listed first with an "or" Phillips. I think that means Tolzien will get the bulk, with Phillips in for particular packages (because of his running ability). I don't like it. Two-headed quarterbacks are no-headed quarterbacks.

Brown is listed first at tailback, but with an "or" Clay. Again, that reflects what I would expect, about a 60/40 split in the snaps.

Two surprises on offense: Mo Moore is listed as second string WR, rather than Kyle Jefferson. That's a good sign for Moore and a bad one for Jefferson. As expected, Gilreath is a #2, the starters are Anderson and Toon. The other surprise (mild) is redshirt freshman Kevin Zeitler ahead of Bill Nagy at right guard. However, this might just be more of a reflection of Nagy's lack of practice time due to injury (he still hasn't gone full speed/contact). I suspect Nagy will win that spot back as he gets fully healthy.

Two tight ends are listed as starters (and while they include a fullback depth, that's more for show than anything else; don't expect much traditional fullback action in Madison this year). The tight ends are listed as Graham or Kendricks and Kendricks or Turner.

On defense some mild shakeups: as expected the ends are Schofield and Watt. The tackles are Stehle and Moore "or" Butrym. Moore is considered more of a natural end, but is needed inside. I suspect that "or" decision will be made based more on the team the Badgers face.

Linebacker is where the real surprise is. McFadden is, as expected, one OLB. However, the other is redshirt freshman Mike Taylor over Blake Sorensen, who isn't even on the depth chart at OLB (true freshman Chris Borland is #2 behind Taylor), however, Culmer St. Jean is listed first at MLB with another "or" . . . Blake Sorensen. It's no surprise to me that Sorensen doesn't have the speed to play outside, but I wasn't aware that he put such a push on at MLB. Still, I expect to see St. Jean a lot more.

The safeties, as expected are Valai and Maragos, with freshmen backing them up. The corners are Henry and Devin Smith (who unseated Niles Brinkley), with Brinkley and true-freshman Dez Southward listed as "or" backups to Smith. Expect Southward to see the field as a nickel back pretty often. The coaches are pretty excited about him.

No surprise amont the kickers, Nortman and Welch, but the returners are Gilreath for punts (with Fenelus and Henry -- that last one's a surprise -- listed as "or" backups), and for kickoffs it's Gilreath and Fenelus.

Depth Chart: Offense

2009-08-26T12:10:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I couldn't wait. Here's how I see the offense, sans quarterback:

And here's what I said about it over on the Bleacher Report.

Anticipation and the Depth Chart

2009-08-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Man, the anticipation of tomorrow's depth chart release is near killing me. Phillips? Tolzien? Sherer? For the record, I think it will be Phillips, but I'm not sure I read Bielema's comments about Sherer the same way the media has. I think what Bielema said is that they know what they have with Sherer, so they needed to give more reps to Phillips and Tolzien to make sure they know what they have with them. While I think the smart money's on Phillips, it still won't surprise me to see Sherer as the #1.

Brown over Clay? Taylor over Sorenson? Anderson over Gilreath? Smith over Brinkley? Who are the starting DTs? How does the offensive line shake out with all of the injuries?

Lots of good stuff due in tomorrow. And practically no new news today, which makes it tougher.

On an unrelated note, I've taken to penning some stuff for the Badgers page at the Bleacher Report. The first was a revised version of what I posted here the other day on quarterback potential, the second was a missive on my current worries about the defense, here.

The Problem With Potential

2009-08-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Badgers have a big decision to make (again) at quarterback. It's no secret that Chryst and Bielema have said if the competition is close this fall, they will go with the guy with more upside -- the younger guy who will have more time to develop. That's a not-so-subtle nod to Curt Phillips.

Indeed, every report out of practice this week indicates Phillips is the guy (Adam Hoge says Phillips took over 60% of the snaps yesterday). Jeff Potrykus (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) hedged and said maybe the staff knows what Sherer brings to the table, and they are just trying to evaluate where the other guys are. Maybe. Probably not (the coaches provided all the clues needed to connect the dots prior to the Donovan and Evridge decisions, I have to assume the same is true this year).

According to those practice reports, while Dustin Sherer still makes bad decisions, Phillips is still "erratic" and also throws picks (to quote Potrykus this week: "Phillips still isn't a polished passer. Nevertheless, more often than not the ball arrives on time and in a place that allows the receiver to make a play." [In a different article] "However, [Phillips'] throwing was erratic."). Based on these reviews, it sounds as though the coaches are implementing the above theory: if it's close, go with the guy still developing. So here we go.

Generally I don't disagree with the theory: Phillips will continue getting better, so let's go with him rather than someone who's likely already peaked (or near it). The problem comes when we're in a tight game -- maybe down a score -- and Phillips has been playing badly: throwing incompletions and picks, trying to do too much with his feet while our best receivers in 5 or more years languish unused. Do you put someone else in?

With all the talk about Scott Tolzein being a safe #2, wouldn't you rather have the guy who has the bigger arm and the potential for bigger plays lead you back (not to mention 7 career starts): you know, like the strikes to David Gilreath in last year's Illinois game and Isaac Anderson in the Minnesota game? Do the Badgers then effectively end up with a two-quarterback system? That dog don't hunt.Last season when Bielema addressed the quarterback derby he talked about the obligation to go with the guy who gives the best chance of winning today, not next year. If Chryst and Bielema have in the back of their heads that maybe Sherer is really that guy, and not Phillips, will they be too quick to give Phillips the hook? We can't have that.

Now, I've been a Sherer proponent, but the chorus is pretty loud that he hasn't made the strides the Badgers need him to. Assuming that's the case (and the coaches and folks attending practice know better than me), then it's time for someone else.The coaches are at the practices and want to win even more than I do. I trust they will make the right decision on the quarterback. But that doesn't mean I'm not nervous about it. I think it's next Wednesday that the starter is announced.

Whomever we go with, it's got to be concrete. Period. Can you give a guy the hook if he's awful (see Evridge vs. Penn State)? Yes, but if they have any doubts about their decision it will end badly.

Pick someone and stick with him.

Real Blogs, Fake Blogs

2009-08-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

I like the UW athletic department website. There's a lot of great info there. We all know their "blogs" aren't really anything more than propoganda. And that's ok, it's UW's site, afterall. But 1st and Goal, their purported news aggregator, ends up disengenuous. If you want people to come to your site first to see what's going on out there in the world of Badger sports, but it doesn't include the biggest stories because they aren't positive for the University? Well, it ends up not being a particular good source. Example. No Carter and Pleasant story. Well, the Journal Sentinel wrote about it, Badger Beat wrote about it, the real blogs (bloggers, not just professional journalists putting out short stories without waiting for the morning copy of the paper) wrote about it. UW still hasn't acknowledged it. That's a pretty big story to fall through the cracks.

So, anyway, this brings up what a blog really is, and what it isn't. In my view, it's not professional journalists writing short stories that aren't tied to the paper's morning edition. That's just online news content. It's not UW putting out fluff pieces. That's propoganda. A blog is some independent out there recording their thoughts on the web. Now, some folks have done it well enough to actually make a living at it (in the sports world there's Brian at MGoBlog and . . .? Anyone else?). But most folks are just doing it for the fun of it, and because they know the journalists aren't really allowed to include all the invective opinion we little people can write.

Want news? Go to JSOnline or the BadgerBeat (they are both good for it). Want propoganda and details about two-deeps, rosters, etc., videos of presser's with Bielema et al, and game highlight films? Go the UWbadgers.com. Want real opinion pieces that are more likely to include a little UW history and fan perspective? That's where the blogs come in. Anyway, rant complete.

Precedent

2009-08-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have a simple message for the message board crazies out there: you're crazy.

This guy? You're partially right, but on Bielema?

Look, I don't know if Bielema is the answer. He's certainly done some things I wasn't happy with. He's done some things I was happy with, but in hindsight were wrong. He hasn't been perfect. But where all the crazies get this, "UW will never win under Bielema" from is beyond me. Seriously.

Oh, but you have numbers on your side, right? I mean look: 12-1, 9-4, 7-6. Clearly a team on the decline. Clearly Barry Alvarez's legacy is tarnished, left in tatters by a coach who doesn't know what he's doing.

Well, I'm a lawyer in my day job, so I like precedent. Let's look at some:
10-1-1 . . . 8-3-1 . . . 4-5-2. Anyone recognize that? Ok, another:
10-2 . . . 9-4 . . . 5-7. How about that one?

So what happened? In 1993 Barry led the breakout season that was a sign of things to come and was golden every year since, right? Um . . .

Returning a bunch of stars in '94 (notwithstanding Brent Moss's troubles), we started the season highly ranked (#10), got smacked around by Colorado (55-17, for those who don't recall the pain), and ended up beating #25 Duke (yeah, Duke), in the Independence Bowl (and we remained unranked). Not what we wanted, but not awful. Then it all came crashing down: 4-5-2, including another embarassing loss to Colorado (at the Camp, 43-7, we were ranked #21) and painful ties to Stanford and Illinois (the last tie in college football, and the most boring game in the history of Wisconsin football; thank God I decided Thanksgiving was more important).

That was it. '93 was a flash in the pan, and Wisconsin was back to the Morton era. Well, not quite. Ron Dayne saved the program, or that's how the script goes. In '96 we started unranked (not even receiving votes), went 8-5 but lost to all but two teams with a winning record (Utah in the Copper Bowl, and 7-5 Stanford), and finished the season unranked. In '97 we started the season #24, but after another embarassing loss (remember when Syracuse was good?) we dropped out, and ended the same way, with a brutal loss to Georgia in the Outback Bowl, finishing unranked, just as we had the prior three years (8-6 overall, beating one team with a winning record, 7-5 Iowa).

We all know what happened next: we were "the worst team ever to play in the Rose Bowl" (until we stunned national title contender UCLA), then we beat Stanford to become the only Big Ten team to ever win back-to-back Rose Bowls. And then?

That's right, we started 2000 with seemingly all the pieces in place, ranked #4 in the country, and instead went 9-4, beating a good Oregon team (10-2), but only beating two other teams with winning records (Western Michigan and pre-Big East Cincinnati; forgive me for not alerting the presses) before beating 6-6 UCLA in the Sun Bowl to finish the season at #23. Then? 5-7. And that's when people started wondering if Barry had passed his prime. The same people who are now arguing that Bielema has permanently ruined Barry's legacy and needs to go . . . now.

And it isn't as though Barry rocketed back from that 5-7 season, any more than he did from the 4-5-2 season in '95. 8-6 (losing to 3-9 Indiana and only two conference wins), 7-6 (beat a good Ohio State team, but the only other conference win over a winning team was Michigan State); that was when everyone started wondering if Barry had gone all Joe Tiller on us. The voices were loud: Barry needed to go. Then we narrowly missed the Rose Bowl in Barry's last two years, and sent him out with an epic beat down on Auburn.

Under Alvarez (of whom I'm a big fan, by the way), the Badgers finished in the top 25 only 6 times in 16 seasons, with two big gaps interspersed: '93, '98, '99, '00, '04, and '05 (see here).

So, Bielema goes 12-1 (#7), 9-4 (#24), and 7-6. Not the trajectory we like, but not without plenty of precedent from none other than "King Barry." So let's save the "trashing his legacy" talk for a little further down the road. How about we start by cheering for the Badgers and hoping (not without reason) that they have a good year. And what's the standard? Well, if we're holding up Barry's legacy, I'd go with about 8 wins against a pretty mild slate. That's what the King did.

I, for one, think we'll be a little better than that.

Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Purdue

2009-08-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Still capturing pre-season optimism from our opponents, here is our Purdue preview in their own words, from the good people at Hammer and Rails and Boiled Sports.

Purdue rose from the dead when Joe Tiller took over in 1997 (prior to that 9-3 campaign, Purdue hadn't won more than half their games since 1984. They even parlayed an 8-3 year into a Rose Bowl a few years later. But after the epic 2004 contest with the Badgers in West Lafayette, it was all down hill for the Boilermakers. It's true, they managed 8-win seasons in '06 and '07, but the magic was gone. Tiller finally bailed out last season (his worst at Purdue), to make room for Danny Hope, like Bielema, a hand-picked successor to the coach who put Purdue football back on the map. On to the review . . .

(1) Danny brings new Hope? What's the word on his view of things? More basketball on grass? Needed infusion of new blood, or mistaken, unimaginative inside hire?

Boiled Sports: First, well done on the obligatory “Hope” pun – we can’t help but do this all the time, too. As for Danny, our early thoughts were that it was a marginal hire, more evidence of the program not thinking big, etc. But we’ve gotten to know more about him and he’s intense. He’s demanding. He expects a lot and makes no excuses. We’ve sort of fallen in love with Danny. He’s dreamy. Well, okay, maybe not that great… but we’re impressed thus far. The guy has the right approach, in our opinion, and has many of us excited about a season that really in any other era would be more dreaded than anticipated.

As for what to expect from Coach Hope, it doesn’t sound like he wants to run the ball any more than he has to. We would expect some “pass to set up the run” looks but with an inexperienced receiving corps, he’ll have no choice but to expect a lot out of the running game, too. Balance will be key – and elusive.

H&R: I view it as a needed infusion of energy. One of the biggest unofficial stories around the program the last few years is that Tiller grew tired of all the legwork needed in recruiting. Things got a little soft, and last year’s 4-8 season was the result. Hope gives us a new enthusiasm that the players are picking up on. In my interview with The Daily Gopher I talked about the idea of O.N.E. (Opportunity Now for Everyone) and how the entire team is on board for it. Coach Hope has this team believing it can compete in any game, something we lacked in recent years.

(2) The offense lends itself to big numbers for the quarterback, but Kory Sheets was the bigger star recently: are the faithful excited about Jaycen Taylor, or hoping for unexpectedly big things out of Joey Elliot? Or will one of the younguns force his way in to the starting spot under center?

H&R: A lot of people are comparing Elliott to coach Tiller’s first quarterback, Billy Dicken. Dicken also had little experience and was overcoming a shoulder injury, yet he went on to be an all-Big Ten player in 1997. Elliott has similar skills and background, so who knows. Taylor will likely split the running game with Ralph Bolden, who had a spectacular spring, Dan Dierking, and incoming freshman Al-Terek McBurse. I doubt any of them will put up the numbers Sheets put up, but combined they may be better.

Boiled Sports: You’ll surely see Caleb TerBush gets some snaps under center this season, and don’t be shocked to see some tricks and surprise formats. This offense needs to be creative this season and what better way than to do some kooky stuff? I’d say the faithful are indeed excited about Jaycen Taylor being back. Sure, he tore up his knee, but assuming he’s healthy – which it appears he is – he’s a huge asset to have in that backfield. But, again, Elliott is going to need to keep defenses honest to avoid them stacking the line and pummeling the RB corps.

The buzz is good about Elliott and having a senior leader in there who is a game manager isn’t the worst thing for a team like this.

(3) It feels like for all the high octane, Purdue's spread struggles in the redzone. Is this true, and if so, what is the fix (that you hope to see this season)?

Boiled Sports: That’s probably a fair impression to have, especially in the past year or two. For some inexplicable reason Curtis Painter was never a lock in the red zone the way some of his predecessors were (Orton and Brees, for example, made you feel pretty sure you were getting in there). That said, though, we don’t worry about the spread not being reliable in the red zone – we worry more about the inexperienced players being able to step it up there.

The fix, if there is one, is that boring answer of balance. Everyone likes to watch a passing, exciting team, but for this team to succeed at all, it will need strong running performances in multiple looks coupled with accurate short passes from Elliott and the occasional deep ball. In the red zone, Elliott will need to be able to thread the needle with some zip and also be able to make the decisions needed in D1 college football. Sounds obvious but he’s yet to be relied on to do that.

H&R: My hope is that we have games where we don’t completely abandon the running game. The most frustrating drive I remember seeing came at Hawaii in 2006. We got the ball at the 10 yard line and twice had to overcome 15 yard penalties, but we ended up losing the ball when Painter pitched it off a fullback’s thigh on a first and goal from the two. We basically drove 118 yards and got nothing because we got too fancy instead of powering the ball ahead. I look to see more of that this year, as Frank Halliburton is a dedicated fullback with experience. (4) A few years ago it felt like the Boilermakers rattled off dangerous wide receivers as often as big name quarterbacks; is there anyone who fits that bill this season?H&R: That is the biggest question facing our offense. Keith Smith could be an all-Big Ten talent, but only Aaron Valentin has any other significant playing time. The majority of Valentin’s receiving yards came on one play against Indiana last season. WE have several of our Florida freshmen coming in who will compete for playing time at receiver, as well as converted DB’s Royce Adams and Tommie Thomas. Your guess is as good as mine as to who will actually step up.Boiled Sports: Keith Carlos, Eric Williams and Gary Bush. Boilermaker fans should get to know those names. We’re not sure they’ll be the kinds of wide receivers you’re referring to but they should be impact guys.

(5) 26 points seems like the magic number for Purdue against Wisconsin (and most other teams, too, I think). Purdue is 5-0 against the Alvarez era Badgers -- yes, history began in 1990 as far as this Badger fan is concerned ;-) -- and with the notable exceptions of the Michigan and Northwestern games, the defense looked surprisingly solid last season. Can the Boilermakers win a low-scoring game in Madison this season?

Boiled Sports: Assume you mean 5-0 when scoring 26 points or more [ed.: actually, I screwed that all up: in all five wins Purdue scored 26 or more, but they were actually 5-1-1 when scoring 26 or more, and 0-7 when scoring fewer than 26]. Which seems like a reasonable assumption against most teams – 26 points is a lot and any decent defense should be able to hold that more often than not. In fact, if the Boilermakers score 26 a game this year, we’ll be expecting a good bowl game. But as to your question, against the Badgers, yes, we think it’s possible that Purdue could win a close, low-scoring affair in Madison. Possible, but not likely. Let’s put it this way – it needs to be a low-scoring, defensive affair if Purdue hopes to win this game at all. We’re of the opinion that Wisconsin is on a downward trend under Bielema, but their defense usually brings the pain and Camp Randall is a tough place to win. Of course, the Boilers last two wins over the Badgers were in Madison so, really, who the hell knows?

H&R: Absolutely! I think for the first time in years we will be a much more run-oriented team. As a result, we will have longer drives and keep our improving offense rested. I am encouraged that aside from the games you mentioned and the embarrassing performance against the run at Notre Dame, the defense wasn’t that bad. It did a lot of bending without breaking against a very good Oregon team. Against Ohio State a fantastic defensive performance was wasted by no offense and one special teams mistake.

(6) The 4-8 record last year hides several pretty darned good games against very good teams (Oregon, Penn State, and road games at Ohio State and Iowa). Was the team just always one play away, or were those teams content to run out the clock (clearly not Oregon, who needed last minute heroics, if I recall correctly). Do you take anything away from that heading into this season (Steele always points out close wins and losses in his previews, I think).

Boiled Sports: That’s a nice thing to say about our boys, but those games you mentioned were an 0-4 effort for the Boilermakers, no matter how close they might have been. They were quite frustrating, actually, because as good as those teams were, Purdue was in all of those games, as you noted. And if Curtis Painter had anywhere NEAR the season he was expected to have, Joe Tiller’s final year goes very differently. The defense came to play last year and has only gotten better, so we’re of course hopeful that the offense can cobble something together and make it an exciting year, where maybe a couple of those close ones and solid defensive efforts actually go our way.

H&R: The Oregon game really set the tone. There were a handful of plays in that game that made a huge difference. If we hold on to win, we would finally have gotten a win over a ranked opponent and it would have given us a ton of momentum. We had Brandon King get an interception with nothing but green grass in front of him only to be chased down from behind. We had to settle for a field goal on that drive. Before halftime, all we needed to do was run out the clock, but Painter threw an awful interception that led to a field goal, making it 20-6 at the half. We also gave up a punt return for a TD and got too conservative in settling for a long field goal to end regulation. We had strong swirling winds that day, but instead of moving closer for a game winner we settled for a 45-yarder. I think if we get that game and Painter doesn’t get hurt against Minnesota we would have had at least 3 more wins.

(7) The epic 2004 game (you know the one) ended up being the high-water mark for both teams this decade (at least as far as national rankings go), but your boys fell a little harder. What's it going to take for Purdue to start challenging the top of the conference again?

H&R: Time. I am encouraged by the types of players Hope is bringing in on the recruiting trail. The overall talent level will be much better in two years. I honestly don’t think we’re that far from the rest of the Big Ten right now. I think outside of Penn State and Ohio State (and we don’t play Penn State this year) you have a conference full of even teams. Someone can make a big jump that way, so why not us?

Boiled Sports: We’ve discussed among ourselves and on our podcast (and probably other places) the fact that the 2004 Wisconsin game was truly the tipping point for Purdue football. It was Tiller’s best chance at climbing the mountain: no early stumbles, favorable scheduling (toughest games at home), established big-game QB in Orton, and so forth. The 5-0 start, College Gameday in West Lafayette, a night game on national TV with actual national title chase implications and the #5 ranking in the nation. And then a ten point lead in the fourth quarter. Then The Fumble happened and the program was never the same. And we’re not being melodramatic – that was it. The team went into a death spiral, losing their next four games (all of which should have been wins) and Tiller folded. He was a beaten man after that and never seemed to have the same drive and “Cowboy Joe” approach that had gotten them to that point.

Why am I rehashing all of that? Because that’s what we’re up against. The morning of October 16, 2004 was likely the apex of Purdue football as we know it with potential everywhere we looked. And now the challenge is to begin climbing back to where that’s possible. The climb should have begun long ago, but it didn’t and Tiller coasted another four seasons. That seems to have ended now, attitude-wise, and we think Coach Hope has us on the right track. That’s the first step. Next is believing they can compete up there again and there’s no reason to think they can’t at least scare some big guys this year. Recruiting will be critical, especially when you need to get a few 2-3 stars who blossom, catch some breaks, etc. Can it happen? Sure. Will it? Hard to say. At the start of 1997, the concept of being ranked in the top 5 was a pipe dream none of us would dare to openly discuss. And within 7 years, there it was.

(8) The perception is that Purdue is so much a basketball school that you guys have played basketball on grass since 1997; what's something people should know, but don't, about your football program?

Boiled Sports: Well, for one thing, nobody associated with Purdue football has called it “basketball on grass” in about a decade. That was something Tiller said in his earliest days, when discussing the switch in styles that he was unleashing on the rest of the plodding Big Ten. The basketball on grass approach peaked during the Drew Brees years, which ended after the 2000 season. We don’t mind that people perceive the Boilers offense as an exciting thing – but it’s not really basketball on grass anymore. It’s just a spread, like a lot of teams play.

For another thing, while Purdue may be perceived by some as a basketball school, Ross-Ade Stadium is the home of the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.”

H&R: It’s the cradle of quarterbacks, baby! I love basketball first, but Mike Phipps, Bob Griese, Gary Danielson, Len Dawson, Drew Brees, Mark Herrmann, Jim Everett, and Kyle Orton have all made names for themselves at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Finally, does anyone really care about that darn drum?

H&R: I love the drum! When I was a student, they had the 80th anniversary of the drum. One of the original members of the drum crew was still alive and came back for the halftime ceremony. The dude had to be at least 95, yet he still was able to jump and hit the drum. We joked he would be partying at Harry’s after the game. That, and seeing Neil Armstrong hit the drum is very cool.

Boiled Sports: You know, I don’t know why everyone takes shots at the drum, quite frankly. This is like me saying, “Hey, what’s the deal with that tuba in the Wisconsin band?” You’d say, “In the band? What are you talking about? What’s that got to do with football?” And I’d say, “Oh, nothing.” And you’d say, “Yeah…FACE!”

Seriously, the drum is a part of the marching band. If that’s the best thing fans of opponents can come up with to mock, it’s time to hang ‘em up.

Sounds like it's 1-1 in the cares about the drum question; in any case, perhaps it's time to hang up this preview of the Cradle of Quarterbacks, pre-season, 2009.

Fall bits and pieces

2009-08-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of news out of practice yesterday. One thing, though, is I note the practice report omits who threw the two interceptions mentioned, and the third narrowly averted. One of them sounds like it was on the receiver . . . the other two?

I like Sherer as the starter, but the thing that annoyed the coaches last Spring, and the thing I'm worried about with him, is turnovers (like the pick-6 he through in the Spring Game). So, is it Sherer?

Speaking of which, I continue to wonder who are the fans who post / participate on the Journal Sentinel's cite. Seriously, they are off the charts crazy. For the latest example, their "Who would you like to see start at QB for Wisconsin?" Current results?

69% Curt Phillips. Now, I think this guy is an exciting prospect, but remember, this the guy Chryst says still can't make the throws.

15% Jon Budmayr. Seriously, more for a true freshman who didn't play his senior year in high school than for the returning starter who beat Minnesota and Illinois, and played well enough to beat Michigan State?

10% Dustin Sherer. 1 in 10? I know he's not likely to replace Peyton Manning anytime soon, but how did this guy earn such disdain (and based on how the poll works with my internet service, I've now voted for him twice just to see the results)?

6% Scott Tolzien. No one has ever seriously talked about him starting. He must be a good guy and all, but how is there only a 4% difference between him and Sherer?

I just don't get it.

Oh, and Nagy is a little more dinged up than we knew about, but should still be ready for the openor. And Clay is big, but a good big. Or so they say.

The 4-week Season

2009-08-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Really, that's what 2009 is shaping up as. As much as NIU, Fresno State, Wofford, and the Rainbow Warriors would have us believe otherwise, we should be 4-0 in those games. Look at the second half of our conference slate: Purdue, Indiana, the once mighty Michigan (at home), and Northwestern. Yeah, Northwestern isn't a given, but those other three? Even in our present devalued state, we're favorites (maybe big favorites) in those games.

As much as the commentor crazies at various places (JSOnline, BadgerBeat, Badger message boards, etc.) want everyone to believe that the Bielema Badgers are the second coming of Morton's Badgers, it's hard to believe they will be. You have to have an awfully negative view of things to believe a team returning this many guys on offense will be that bad.

What that means is the difference between a mediocre season with a decent bowl (7-8 wins) and a solid or even great season comes from those four weeks starting September 26 through October 17. MSU, @ Minnesota, @ Ohio State, Iowa. Last year wasn't all that different, with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa all in a row. We went 0-4, and went on to a mediocre bowl with awful results.

This year? Another 4-week season.

I, for one, can't wait for the pre-season.

Time to Cue Up the Imperial March?

2009-08-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Covered better than me elsewhere, Moffit is hurt. Pulled a chest muscle while lifting. Supposedly not too badly, though from the sound of things, they were plenty worried when it happened. May not be ready for the opener.

Likewise, Bill Nagy has a bad wrist and will miss the first week or so of camp.

Now, as it happens, I'm not too worried about either of these guys, as long as they get healthy in time. But if they don't? Bad news.

Our depth on the offensive line is brutal, especially at the guard and center positions. We need Moffit and Nagy healthy. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come . . .

And Westphal is hurt, too. We need him healthy to provide competition on the two-deep at DE.

On the departures: WR Daven Jones, who always seemed like he had a little spark in him, but never seemed to crack into the depth chart, has decided to transfer. While I'm generally not a fan of transferring because of perceived worries about depth (that's always a fluid situation), he really was buried behind Anderson, Toon, Gilreath, Jefferson, then Theus, plus the anticipated often-used 2-tight end set, and with the new infusion of Appleton and Duckworth, things weren't getting any brighter for Daven's chances on the playing field. On the other hand, that UW degree would have been nice . . .

I'm a little more disappointed in Dex Jones leaving. While he may have projected 3rd among the fullbacks, that was almost certainly fluid. Without any true fullbacks right now, and as much as Chryst seems to like them, if anyone asked me I would have recommended sticking around and seeing how things went. Especially with as much eligibility (4 years, I think -- at least three) he has remaining.

And the recruit? Meh. Best of luck to him at K-State.

If You Can't Beat 'Em . . .

2009-08-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Since Bielema (and probably most coaches, AD's, etc.) dislikes bloggers so much, it looks like the athletic department is trying to get into the act. This is an aggregator of sorts: linking to stories about the Badgers around the web. No links to any true bloggers yet, though. At minimum I'd vote for BadgerCentric and Bucky's 5th Quarter (ok, and me, too) for football coverage, but I won't hold my breath.

Also, UW opened a Fall Camp headquarters page. It includes the 2009 Fact Book (more or less a media guide -- there's generally a lot of good stuff in these), the present roster, and the current depth chart. Note: starting wide receivers are Isaac Anderson and Gilreath or Toon (I'm betting on Toon); strong safety is listed as Valai or Pleasant; and while Henry has one corner, the other is listed as Brinkley or Devin Smith.

Summer Camp

2009-08-10T12:37:00.001-07:00

It's finally time. Hooray! But no singing on the bus, it's time for the Badgers to get down to business. Adam Hoge has a nice camp preview over at Bucky's 5th Quarter, complete with his 10 questions for camp. It's all interesting stuff, but I think the big issues are covered in the first three questions:
(1) What's the quarterback situation;
(2) What's the linebacker situation;
(3) What's the D-line look like?

Carry on . . . and back to my Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses (in just a few moments . . .)

Through Rose Colored Glasses: Northern Illinois

2009-08-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

With the season just around the corner, here's our first look at an out-of-conference opponent, and logically, it's our first. The Northern Illinois Huskies, pushovers, right? Probably not.

The Badgers are 10-1 vs. these Huskies, but they gave us a good scare in 2002 with a 3-point loss (24-21). Moreover, they were pretty close last season against Tennessee (admittedely, a down Tennessee, 13-9), and Minnesota (31-27). And it isn't as though they haven't claimed a pelt or two in their time. Their biggest? They were one of three teams to beat Gator Bowl-winning Maryland (#17 final AP) in 2003 (winners over Virginia Tech; other losses to Florida State and Georgia Tech). The biggest name? They brought down Alabama in 2003 (not the world's best Alabama, but it's still the Crimson Tide).

They return their key players on offense and look to improve on last season's close calls. Those people who see NIU and figure we'll waltz in and out of Camp Randall with an easy opening day win should think twice.

Here to preview his squad through the optimism of August (that's what all these Rose Colored Glasses previews are about afterall), is Mike Breese of the Red and Black Attack:

I know you guys run a run-oriented spread with a solid quarterback. What should we know about him? Is there a credible passing threat to go with the run?

RABA: Yes, that's Chandler Harnish that you are talking about. He started as a redshirt freshman last year and performed admirably for a player with minimal experience. Without a full grasp of the offense, Harnish tried to do too much last year. He led the team in rushing with 539 and 4 TDs on the ground, despite going down in week 2 with an ankle injury and returning in game 6 against Miami OH before he was 100%. Those stats are troublesome, because he needs more help around him in the offense. We've got a good stable of running backs returning and a talented, but extremely young group of wide receivers that need to step up this year. Harnish has a much better grasp of the offense this year and made great strides in the off-season to improve his game. Chandler finished with a 8-9 TD to INT ratio last year and that was because we ran a limited offense as he was still learning to play the game full-time. He is also expected to be the first Sophomore captain for the Huskies in over a decade.

What's the view of the defense with all the new starters (7, right?). Do you expect a rebuilding year? Who are the guys you are excited about that we should know about?

RABA: Coach Jerry Kill rotates our defensive players like crazy, so seven new starters can be a bit deceiving if you look at the history of the players that we are putting in this year to start for our defense. Of course there is going to be an obvious drop off with the departure of Larry English off to the San Diego Chargers in the NFL. The new star on the DL should be Brandon Bice, who was a full-time starter in 2007 and had 6.5 sacks and was named 3rd Team All-MAC last year all while only starting one game. Mike Krause is the consistent starter on the DL [but Mike learned -- literally this morning -- that Krause is out with a heart condition] and replacing Larry English's side is a 25-year-old former Marine in Jake Coffman that has seen significant playing time these past couple years.

At linebacker the name to remember is Alex Kube. He shifted from SS to OLB before last year and slowly began to be a terrorizing force on the defense with 57 tackles last year. On his other side is Cory Hanson, who has good speed and had 37 tackles in 7 starts LY. One of our most productive linebackers and a full-time starter back in 2007 John Tranchitella will be playing behind Kube because there is so much depth at this position. At MLB, Pat Schiller should fill in nice after playing in all 13 games last year an compiling 24 tackles as a redshirt freshman.

In the secondary, the competition was so fierce in the Spring that Mike Sobol who started 12 games last year at SS got beat out by a sophomore in Tracy Wilson. FS David Bryant is the leader of the defense and has been deemed by Coach Kill as his next player with NFL potential. Two starters need to be replaced at CB, but there are some solid players filling in there. Patrick George is a speed demon and has played 24 games the past two years and Kiaree Daniels played in all 13 games LY.So lets just say we don't lose as many starters in reality, but it might take a while for all of them to break in as a unit.

I know you guys lost a lot of close ones last season to quality teams. Was that the high-water mark, or do you see marquis wins over Wisconsin, Purdue, etc.?

RABA: Was that the high-water mark? Absolutely not. Last year NIU was only outgained by 31 ypg in a pair of 4-pt losses to both Minnesota and Tennessee. Our starting QB was out for the Tennessee game and we were still in that game despite not having much of an offense to boot. If Harnish would have started in that game, then that would have been a win in Knoxville. Our fans are starving right now for another season like 2003, when we beat a nationally-ranked Maryland team and Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It's not like we haven't been to the top in the past and it is always our goal to perform and win these games against BCS schools.

This season is interesting, because we are supposed to be a better team than last year. It is only the second year in Coach Kill's tenure, but we have a young team that isn't afraid of anything. NIU was thrown to the wolves last year and its not like we haven't tussled with the big boys before. This year should be interesting, because both Purdue and Wisconsin have been predicted to finish in the middle to bottom-half of the Big 10 by all the pundits out there. Usually we have to face schools we have no chance against like #4 Michigan in 2005 or #1 Ohio State in 2006. It's our best chance to beat one, if not two Big 10/BCS schools in a long, long time.

What's the game plan to win at Madison at night? Do you see it happening?
RABA: The gameplan will be the typical Coach Kill game plan: run the ball, run the ball some more then some play action. If I'm not mistaken, this is the best strategy because the Badgers have some pretty big losses on both the DL and LB units this year. Then on defense um...stop John Clay? Is that even possible? I think we have some players to match up with Garrett Graham, but I think our CBs might have some trouble keeping Gilreath, Toon & whoever else in check for most of the game.

Our last (and only) win against a Big 10 team? Wisconsin in 1988. I'm sure a bunch of the players want revenge for that mauling back in 2007 when half our team was injured. Do I see a win happening? I think it will be a lot closer than people are anticipating.

I agree, it will be closer than people on our side of the border want to believe.

Badger Blogger Roundtable: 2009 Defense

2009-08-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

After discussing the offense, we Badger bloggers turned to the near blank slate that is our defense. What to make of all the new faces? Adam Hoge of Bucky's 5th Quarter led the charge, with Scott Tappa of BadgerCentric, Phil Mitten of Hoops Marinara, and me contributing our views as well:

Can you believe it has been five years since that great defensive line of 2004? Depth is once again an issue this year, but there seems to be some promise in J.J. Watt among others. Do you see any newcomers stepping up on the D-line to provide some depth?

On Wisconsin: Yeah, 5 years since Anttaj and Erasmus, but harder to believe for me is that Chapman and Shaughnessy never became true beasts on the line. They had so much promise early. Schofield is solid (led the team in sacks last season) and everyone is excited about Watt, but it's all based on practice so far. I want to believe in him, but I'm a little nervous. I'm concerned about our size everywhere and Moore really should be an end (where he would probably be very good), but we should have speed on the edges. I don't know who the solid tackles-to-be are, but with Nzegwu, Mains, and Westphal, there is plenty of young talent ready to step up on the ends. We'll need it.

Badger Centric: It's funny, because when you mentioned 2004, the first thing I thought was "I thought 2005 would be a down year, and we ended up winning 10 games, great year." But that was in spite of the defensive line! Even so, while injuries killed that unit (remember Beckum playing end?), but guys like Shaughnessy, Hayden, and Chapman showed promise. I don't see those guys on this unit. O'Brien is a solid starter. Watt seems to have a Hayden-like ceiling. But are there difference-makers? Doesn't look like it. I'll be happy if these guys can keep offensive linemen off our linebackers.

Hoops Marinara: It's a shame Erasmus and Co. flamed out in the NFL. Maybe they weren't that great after all. In 2009, the Badgers look weak up the middle and that spells trouble. I like O'Brien Schofield, who seems like he should be the emotional leader on the unit. Again, I like the younger guys UW has backing up the end positions, but inside is a question mark.

Bucky’s 5th Quarter: You have to be careful from what comes out of Camp Randall in the off-season because a lot of it can be propaganda. But I must say I am a little more optimistic about the defensive line than I was in the spring. After talking with O’Brien Schofield, I must say he seems like a solid leader and he’s determined to have a good year. If J.J. Watt blossoms like he is supposed to, I think Brendan Kelly and Louis Nzegwu do enough to make this a solid line.

Speaking of a lack of depth, the linebacking corp. seems to be scrambling to replace Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy. Blake Sorensen didn't have a great spring, but he is still listed ahead of Mike Taylor on the depth chart. Are you worried about the linebackers?

Badger Centric: Yes, very. Don't want to join the chorus questioning Sorenson, but I've never seen it with him. Saw Taylor play in high school and he was a stud, but we certainly can't count on him to be a standout this year. McFadden and St. Jean are average at best. And there is no one else. What about playing Pleasant at linebacker? We see so much spread it might make sense to have a guy like that in the front seven.

Hoops Marinara: Sorensen certainly has a lot of expectations to fulfill, but I think along with Culmer St. Jean and J. McFadden they can form a decent group. No one will accuse them of being as athletic as last year's group -- Casillas and Levy were two of the best athletes at that position that Wisconsin has seen. But what the Badgers really need is simply a group that knows how to tackle well. I don't want every draw play that gets past the line going for 6 ... can we get another Donnel Thompson in this bunch, please?!

Bucky’s 5th Quarter: I’m excited about McFadden in the middle, but very worried about the other two spots. Culmer St. Jean has never really put it all together and Sorensen didn’t exactly take advantage of his opportunities in the spring. It should be interesting to see what Mike Taylor can do. If he has a good camp, this will be the most fun defensive position battle over the next month.

On Wisconsin: I think the linebackers are the scariest group. First, Sorenson looked S-L-O-W in the spring. I'm pulling for Taylor if only because Sorenson either isn't fast enough or didn't care enough to try harder. I think St. Jean played pretty well when he had his chances last season, so we have two solid starters, but who's backing them up? That's where the loss of Hodge as a solid, contributing second-stringer really hurt. We've heard some positives about Megna, Rouse, and Hubbard, but we haven't seen it yet. Bottom line: I'm worried. Really worried.

Is it safe to say (and a little scary to say) that the secondary is the strength of the Badger defense? It seems like every guy listed on two-deep has shown flashes of brilliance at some point in the last few seasons, but they also have had their hardships. And will Aaron Henry really be as good as he looked like he would be before the knee injury?

Hoops Marinara: There's no question that the secondary looks good by comparison. But I think they actually will be good. Henry should be ready to go -- he's one of the elite talents on the team. I'm really excited to see him grow up. The entire makeup of the secondary is intriguing. You have knock-out artist in Valai, an overachiever in Maragos, plus a lot of experience backing those safeties up (Carter and Pleasant). Niles Brinkley is probably the weak link.

Badger Centric: It is scary, and I'd even question the "flashes of brilliance" assertion. We've seen flashes of competence from these guys, and I'd settled for sustained competence. But every one of the starters has question marks: Henry with the knee, Maragos still learning the position, Valai and his pure hitter MO, and Brinkley giving up big plays. But I'm actually optimistic about these guys and the young guys too. Shane Carter is a wild card, if he could come in and force some turnovers that would be huge.

Bucky’s 5th Quarter: Remember when Shane Carter led the Big Ten in interceptions two years ago? And Niles Brinkley picked off four passes last season? Why don’t I remember all of this? Oh, because when they weren’t grabbing turnovers they were getting beat for touchdowns and committing crucial penalties. Every member of the starting secondary has a good amount of experience, but how much talent do they have? We’ll find out soon.

On Wisconsin: I think they are a strength, but that's relative to the near total unknown of the front 7. Especially at safety, I worry about making that critical tackle. As much as Valai can lay the wood (needs to watch the head-to-head stuff, though), he missed his fair share of tackles last season. That's been Carter's problem all along, which is why Maragos will probably start at free safety. At corner Henry will be fine. I'm glad they decided to keep him out all of last season to truly let him heal. Niles Brinkley played fine last season, and I'm hoping Fenelus and Smith are coming along as well as advertised. But hope is not a method.

What are your thoughts on the defensive coaching staff? Toughness seemed to be an issue at times last season. How will this unit overcome the mental and physical shortcomings that were apparent in 2008?

Bucky’s 5th Quarter: The good news is that fixing these problems was item No. 1 in the off-season. Improving the defense’s mental and physical toughness – and committing fewer mistakes – will give this team an extra win or two this season. And if the problems continue then it will be a major problem for the defensive coaching staff.

On Wisconsin: Bottom line is the heat should be squarely on Doeren. After what Hankwitz did to turn around the Northwestern defense, Bielema's choice to go with Dave over Mike hasn't looked so hot. Maybe it was just breaking everything in the first year with guys who were more used to Hankwitz's way of doing things? That's no excuse this year. On top of making tackles, the defense needs to improve its conditioning. The losses to Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State all lay at the defense's tired feet (Bielema's too, of course). The idea that a Barry Alvarez legacy team (as long as he's the AD, he's a part of it) could be 9th in scoring defense in the Big Ten is unfathomable. That can't happen again.

Badger Centric: I don't know about toughness, it's hard to get to be a guy who plays a lot on a Big Ten defense and not be at least somewhat tough. Remember, there were a lot of injuries on that side of the ball last year: Casillas, Levy, Chapman, Henry, and that hurt productivity. What sticks with me are comments made on my blog after the Iowa game. I forget who said it, but the point was made that our defense had finally adapted to deal with the Spread, but when we go against a power line and back like Iowa had, we get run over. That probably won't always happen, but there's a lot of truth there. So by making the seemingly necessary adaptation to deal with the Spread, we have lost our identity as being a stout, stop-the-run defense, and become just another defense with a bunch of undersized guys running around in space. If these undersized guys were racking up sacks and interceptions, that would be one thing, but the unit seems mediocre at best, and it's not like next year looks any more promising. Some of that's on X's and O's coaching, but it's also recruiting and player development.

Hoops Marinara: It starts at the top with BB. I can't stress enough how much I want the coach to relinquish the Special Teams duties. He needs to set the example being focused and knowing where to be at all times. The good news is if the secondary can be everything I want it to be, that makes the job of pressuring the QB a little easier. I think the offense can be better this year too, which should (hopefully) alleviate the problems the defense had being worn out all the time in tight games.

On Leadership

2009-08-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

What is leadership, and how does it work for a football team? A flurry of articles over at the Journal Sentinel yesterday and today got me thinking . . .

Too many seniors may actually be a bad thing.

Writers, coaches, players, and fans often talk about the number of returning seniors and how that translates to leadership. It translates to experience, certainly, but I'm less sure on the leadership side of things. There's a difference between depth and leadership.

I think too many seniors actually limits their leadership potential. Instead of having a handful of guys that everyone else looks to, you get a big group of guys who are all buddies who are distinct from the rest of the team. Instead of having that one guy that everyone looks to, the younger guys are probably turned away from the group of senior guys that all huddle together.

I don't mean to say this is an intentional thing, but I suspect it happens. Think about the Badger teams over the last few years. In 2006 we had a great season with few seniors on either side of the ball. But you can bet on offense there was no question who was in charge: Joe Thomas and John Stocco. And on Defense? Mark Zalewski and Joe Stellmacher. They were in charge. No question. And that's what you need from leaders: leadership.

Last season, who was in charge? It wasn't the quarterbacks. PJ Hill, Travis Beckum, Kemp, Urbik, Vanden Huevel, Pressley, Rentmeester?
And on defense? Casillas, Levy, Chapman, Shaughnessy, Newkirk, Langford?

These guys probably had good chemistry between them, but not as much with the other classes. And as the switch in leadership from '07 to '08 shows (Casillas to Levy, for instance), there probably (a) wasn't good leadership amongst them (was Casillas going to lead Levy when we really needed that extra effort late in the 4th, or the other way around?), and likely they hung out in groups where the younger guys were discouraged (not actively, but implicitly) from approaching them.

I can imagine the three offensive lineman all hanging out (heck, UW even gave us a video of them chatting with Bielema). Did Moffitt or Oglesby feel like they could just stroll up and look for guidance? Did they know who was really in charge? Likewise with the defensive line: did Schofield, Nzegwu, or Mains feel like one of the crew or know where to turn to find the boss? In the linebacking corps, it was more of the same.

Sometimes I wonder if the departure of all those seniors (as at the end of 2005) actually helps with the new team because it provides opportunity for real leadership and breaks down likely cliques of guys who have played together since they came in and who look at the younger guys as being part of a different clique.

Someone asked me the other day if I'm a 1/2 full or 1/2 empy kind of a guy: I said 3/4 full. Maybe I'm just clutching at straws looking for reasons to elevate my expectations for what could be a rough year. Or maybe I'm on to something.

Look for guys like Garrett Graham, Gabe Carimi, O'Brien Schofield, and Jaevery McFadden to really take the reigns. They will lead, others will follow. Teams need leaders, not cliques.

I think we'll see true leaders this season (though I won't go so far as to suggest they will be as good at leading as that 2006 group). I won't be at all surprised to see this group acting more like a team than last year's.

Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Iowa

2009-07-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

National Champs, right? I mean, it's Iowa and we're asking Iowa fans to weigh in . . . Ok, that's not [entirely] fair, but the Hawkeyes do have a reputation for being overly bullish. This year Iowa loses Shonn Greene (who the Badgers turned into a superstar last season), but they return an offensive line that might make me, at 35 and never playing a down of organized football, a Heisman candidate. So, is this the 3rd act of the Kirk Ferentz story at Iowa? The one where he defies the firekirkferentz.com crowd and wins that elusive title (Big Ten or better)? Here's opinion from one emminently reasonable Iowa fan and blogger, Fight for Iowa (we had this exchange a little while ago, so I've added some updates where appropriate):

(1) No Shonn Greene, and now word is Jewel Hampton may have a bum knee . . . who's going to carry the rock, and how good will he be? Does it even matter, or would I go over 100 yards per game behind that line? Is there anything at all that you worry about regarding the offensive line?

This has been all the buzz the last couple of days. The severity of Hampton's injury isn't known yet, but it is expected that he'll miss time [ed. update: Hampton is a go]. Now, Kirk Ferentz likes his experienced backs that know the offense and don't fumble. But, really there is nobody proven to be all those things at runningback. The most experienced player is Paki O'Meara, who will be serviceable if necessary, and could start the season at #1, but I expected Jeff Brinson to be the permanent starter once the season starts rolling on. Brinson was recruited by the likes for Florida and put up huge numbers in high school. By all accounts he's just as good if not better than Hampton and would have got the #2 spot last year if it weren't for ono/asthma/something issues. Also, there is incoming freshman Brandon Wegher, who also put up huge numbers in high school. He's got a lot of hype around him and is very quick. If he can pick up the offense I think he'll be the #2 back.

Oh the offensive line...if you would have asked me a month or so ago I would have been very confident that Iowa has the best o-line in the conference. However, Julian Vandervelde has an injury and will at least miss a few games. And Kyle Calloway is suspended for at least a game [ed. note: 1 game] for his drunken moped ride. So, I am not quite as confident. The line should still be good as there is tons of experience on the inside and Bryan Bulaga is a beast at tackle. Once Calloway and Vandervelde are back in the line up and the line has a chance to meld, then watch out...that line will be good.

(2) Stanzi has to be the man, right? Without Greene, can he be? It seems like Iowa always has a solid tight end, is Moeaki ready to be that guy? Is the Badger-like stereotype accurate that Iowa doesn't throw the ball unless absolutely necessary?

Stanzi is the Manzi, as they like to say. I think he'll have a good year. He definitely had his moments last year, good and bad. If he can limit the number of turnovers, then he'll be successful. He is accurate enough, mobile enough, and smart enough to lead this offense to lots of yards and points. And, yeah, he'll get his chances. Iowa is definitely a run first team, but Ken O'Keefe and Kirk Ferentz love the play action pass. A fake hand-off, then roll out by Stanzi...this play works really well for Stanzi. He is better on the move than in the pocket and can pull it down and run if necessary.

Tony Moeaki should be ready this year. He's hopefully over all his injuries and will be the starter. When healthy he has consistently produced and Iowa knows how to use their tight ends. Allen Reisner is also good at tight end and saw a lot of time last year while Moeaki was out.

(3) With the new defensive tackles, is there any hope for the opposition to run up the gut? What's the weakness of this defense?

The defensive tackle is definitely the most inexperience part of the defense. The two tackles will be Karl Klug and Mike Daniels. While they won't be King and Kroul (obviously) they should be just fine. Klug was the B10 Defensive Player of the Week way back in week 2 and made some huge plays against PSU last year. Daniels should be okay too. He's on the small side, but quick and should be able to make some plays in the backfield. Though the tackles are relatively inexperienced, the defensive ends will be the anchors of this line. Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard are a very good duo at defensive end. Though their numbers are not as flashy as some of the other ends in the conference they make a lot of big plays. Both have the size to move inside and play tackle and there is a lot more depth at end, especially with Broderick Binns. So look for Clayborn to line up at tackle next to Klug with Binns and Ballard on the outside in passing situations.

(4) I'll be honest, last year's Iowa team is a puzzle. I know, you guys could've been unbeaten on the basis of about 4 plays, but the results were still erratic: Pittsburgh, Northwestern, and Michigan State just weren't world beaters. They were decent teams that didn't give up much for free (although Pittsburgh did from time to time). The loss to Illinois and the home struggle against an awful Purdue team were puzzling, to say the least. It isn't as though those two teams had great run defenses. So Iowa beat one team that finished the season ranked, and that was at home (though to be fair, the win over Penn State was huge), and only played one other team that finished ranked (MSU, at #24). This season the schedule looks a lot rougher with Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin on the road (on paper we don't deserve mentioning with those first three). What was the story last season, and what do you make of your chances in 2009? Is CFN right to call you a "deep sleeper in the championship chase?"

Bad turnovers cost us in our 4 losses. Northwestern was a nightmare...5 turnovers and still only lose by 5. Michigan State and Illinois were more of the same (not as many turnovers, but very costly ones). And, you can blame the Pitt game on the quarterback controversy. Heck, maybe blame the Northwestern game and MSU game on that too. It took Stanzi a few games to hit his rhythm and get the turnover bug out of his system. And he hadn't really figured out yet how to win the close game. Against both Northwestern and Michigan State, Iowa drove down the field with a chance to win, but couldn't get it done.

But on to this upcoming year. I'd say a "deep sleeper" is a fair assessment. In contrast to the difficult road schedule, the home schedule is fairly easy. It's very conceivable Iowa could for 7-0 at Kinnick which is a good start to have a championship type season. Now, I think Iowa goes 2-2 on the road in the Big Ten, but I'll give you reasons why Iowa could win each game.

PSU - Iowa is lucky to get Penn State early in the year. They lost all their receivers and all of their secondary, so may still be a little green there in the 4th week. Though it is a revenge game, at night, and will be a White Out, Iowa under Ferentz has had Penn State's number (6-2).

MSU - Michigan State and Iowa are very similar teams this year. Both lose a start running back and both have tons back on defense. The differences are, Iowa returns its quarterback, and Iowa's returners on defense are good, while Michigan State's are mediocre.

Wisconsin - You know more about Wisconsin than me, but Iowa matches up very well defensively against a power run team like Wisconsin. Also, from what I've read the Badgers have a lot to replace among both lines.

OSU - Well...it's much harder to make a case against Ohio State. Iowa hasn't won in Columbus in forever [since 1991]. But the Buckeyes only return 5 guys on offense and lose two stud linebackers in James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman.

(5) 2002-04 was a great run, and after a decade at the helm, Ferentz has Iowa fifth in the Big Ten in winning percentage, but ten points back from #3 Wisconsin, and five back from #4 Penn State (67%, 62%, and 57%, respectively; ranking is the same, but it's closer counting only Big Ten games) and no Rose Bowls (1 BCS bowl). Is that really good enough? Did last season take Ferentz off the hot-seat, or would an 8-4 year with as many arrests as wins kick-start firekirkferentz.com?

I think Ferentz is off of the hot seat. And 8-4 seasons will be good enough to keep him in Iowa as long as he wants to be. Yeah, arrests have been a problem...but I think it's just the media that blame Ferentz. It's been said before many time, but Ferentz has done a lot with very little. He has developed players better than just about anyone and it seems like this year at least recruiting has been going better. Realistically for Iowa, fans will be happy with a bowl game every year, with a Big Ten Title every 6-7 years.

(6) The university -- and the state -- is named for the woodsman Hawkeye from the Last of the Mohicans. How did he get to Iowa, and what made him stick as the mascot?

Wow...that's a tough questions. You're making me do research! From what I can gather, the state of Iowa originally took on the moniker the "Hawkeye State" in a tribute to the great Chief Black Hawk of the Sac Native American tribe. The University of Iowa, liked the name made a connection with the popularity of the character Hawkeye from the books, so the name stuck. Iowa's mascot is really Herky the Hawk. Though, Herky didn't come around until later. He made his first appearance at a football game in 1959.

(7) I've heard Kinnick can be a great road trip, but there's no love loss between our fan bases and some Badgers I know report some unfortunate incidents in Iowa City. Badger and Gopher fans think Iowa fans always think Iowa a national title contender, regardless of what's happening on the field, and that Ferentz is doing his best to rename the Fulmer Cup. Why is that wrong, and what is the Hawkeye take on Badger fans? I was in Madison for the Iowa game in 2007 and it seemed like everyone got along fine, even with the alcohol-fueled night start. What do you expect in Madison this time around?

We Hawkeye fans got spoiled a little bit in 2002-2004 ['02 Co-B10 champs with national champ OSU, Orange Bowl, '03 Outback victory over Florida, '04 one heck of a Capital One victory over LSU]. Three years like that in a row! That was great. So yeah, so people got a little carried away and expected years like that every year. But realistically there are very few teams that can compete on that level year in and year out and I think most Hawkeye fans understand that. I think the common conception of Badger fans is that they are rowdy, but I don't know. Nothing too bad. Maybe I'm too nice to have bad thoughts about Badger fans. I've never been to Madison but I've heard the atmosphere is great. Game-wise, I expect a closer game than last year's Shonn Greene highlight reel.

(8) I know, Bielema has a Hawkeye tattoo. What clever thing do you want to say about it?

Does the tigerhawk tattoo really bug Badger fans? That would be great if it did. I am assuming the tattoo is really some kind of telekinetic portal into the minds of the Iowa coaches that Bielema uses to find out which recruits Iowa is offering, so that he can swoop in and do the same.

We Heart Garrett Graham

2009-07-29T18:38:00.001-07:00

Doesn't everyone? Yes. And yes.

Nice work, Bucky's 5th Quarter -- good insight on Turner and quarterback.

Media Days Bits and Pieces: Day 1

2009-07-28T09:05:00.001-07:00

A nice follow-up at Bucky's 5th Quarter with some decent info in it. Nice work, Adam. [edit] Here's another nice piece where Adam asks the question many of us want: what's up with Sorenson? (and some other stuff)

Here's Potrykus's write-up of the same, and Badger Beat's, complete with a little sunny optimism.

Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Michigan State

2009-07-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

At the Big Ten Media days the coaches predicted Michigan State will come in 3rd in conference. In year three of Dantonio that isn’t a stretch. Sparty comes to Madison to kick off the Big Ten season and they hope a run for the Roses. Through Rose Bowl colored glasses? Sparty faithful hope so, and may not be delusional . . . though certainly optimistic. The bloggers at SpartyMSU and the Enlightened Spartan answered my questions to let us know what to expect on September 26.

1) Who's your quarterback?

Sparty MSU: The good thing for MSU is that we have 2 good QBs Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol, and in the wings four star recruit Andrew Maxwell and Stud recruit Joe Boisture .. but at this point I think Kirk Cousins will lead the team on the field. Last year he was behind Brian Hoyer and had stats of 32-43-1 for a 74.4% comp rate. This spring I thought both QBs look sharp. I’m not too worried about the QB position…

Enlightened Spartan: 1) Actually, it really doesn't matter who our quarterbacks are, they equally shined and probably had the best Spring ball out of quarterbacks in recent memory. Both Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins are mobile and have strong arms. Each are an improvement over our serviceable, but efficient, QB Brian Hoyer .

2) Who's your running back? And is your offensive line good enough to make them look
decent? Word from the Spring Game is they were a little porous. What on earth should we
expect from your offense?

SpartyMSU: For the spring game, as any spring game Lines go at half speed, and the
Spartans have been working on diversification of the offense. 2008 it was the Javon Ringer
show. He was good, why not go with your strengths. This year our backs are strong, talented,
but no Javon. So, we have to work in the passing game. And that’s what happened. Look at
the Spring Stats: 357 yards passing for both Green and the White team. Which was over
87% of the total offense for both teams, and they ran only 18 rushes each side. But for
passing the QBs were 29 for 43 (Kirk) and 20 – 28 (Keith).

Running backs will be Ashton Leggett, Andre Anderson, Caulton Ray and/or A.J.
Jimmerson. I think Leggett and Ray might start, but with a range of backups, they might
platoon.

Bottom line, the ball will be in the air more this year than last.

Enlightened Spartan: Our running backs can use some work, and I've never been sold on senior AJ Jimmerson -- so it will likely be a running back-by-committee (Ashton Leggett, Andre Anderson, Caulton Ray) and you may likely see true frosh blue chippers Ed Baker or Larry Caper get the pigskin plenty this fall. Offensive line actually might be the best its been under Dantonio -- they were piss poor last year and didn't reach its potential despite two big seniors on the line: case in point was the team's 3.4 yards per carry a year ago despite the workhorse, Javon Ringer. Our wideouts need to wipe the butter off their hands and hold onto the ball this year... but have lots of experience returning (Mark Dell, Blair White, BJ Cunningham, and Charlie Gantt all should be improved). The o-line can only improve, and Joel Nitchman, Rocco Cironi, and Joel Foreman have plenty of PT (and better footwork) to make this an improved unit. Bottom line: expect an evenly balanced offense in 2009, a far cry from the 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-Ringer offense last year. I expect we will be a little more efficient, in all honesty. Mark Dell may be the most improved player in the Big Ten and may rack up big-time stats behind our great QBs and a more balanced offense; he was injury plauged for most of the second half of 2008.

3) Dantonio seems to have righted the attitude issues in East Lansing. He took his first year's close losses to quality teams and turned them into close wins in his second season. He seems to get the most out of his players. However, since Michigan State last played in the Rose Bowl every team in the Big Ten except Indiana and Minnesota has made the trip. Is this the year that Michigan State makes their triumphant return (skipping Ohio State and getting Penn State and Iowa at home is a plus), or are the Spartans still a year or two away?

SpartyMSU: Can’t put the cart before the horse. Sure, all Spartans are keenly aware of the painful eons its been since we made a trip to Pasadena. But, we will return. With so much mediocre history behind us, no one in the program wants to rush in for a One and Done type of season. We are all on board for a long term rise with staying power. We want to get back to the Rose Bowl, its been since 1988 (when we beat USC 20 – 17), I still have a rose on my bedroom mirror as a daily reminder .. but, we are all behind Coach D, and have backed his long term approach. If we get to the Rose Bowl this year, We’ll take it.

Bottom Line: SpartyMSU has predicted it, so I’m packing my Bag and have Hotel reservations !

Enlightened Spartan: MSU seems to be a year away, but is improving across the board, in ALL areas of the team. I think we all should take a closer look at Dantonio's recipe... teach sound fundamental football (reduce turnovers), add in your typical, Pro Set offense to reduce spread-offense mistakes (three things can happen when you throw the football, and two are bad), add more fundamentals (reduce penalties), move to a bare-knuckles defense instead of a stunt defense, add more fundamentals (play to your position) and what do you get? A focus on defense with a minimal mistake offense, that plays games to the end. Dantonio is all about letting the other team make the mistakes as the game wears on, call their bluff, take advantage, and win on fundamentals. Results are improving as the cupboard becomes stocked with better talent.

While I'm not a believer in the recruiting services per se (eg, Keith Nichol helped Oklahoma to a Rivals-ranked Top 5 recruiting class, and now he plays for MSU), I believe you can get an IMPRESSION from them -- and the impression is that the Spartans are gaining better talent and more players who care about character & values to campus to play football. While Greg Jones is already emblematic of this on defense, you should really begin to see much more of this on the playing field as depth across the team has really begun to set in.

So, are we are year away? Probably... as we have a ton of talent returning next year. but that football is a funny shape, and you never know what might happen.

(3) Holding Iowa to 13 points was impressive, but overall the MSU defense wasn't great, and got scorched by Penn State, Ohio State, and dinged up pretty badly at Cal, too. What will make them better this season? Just how good is Greg Jones, and who else will shine for MSU?

SpartyMSU: No one in the Big Ten was as good as OSU or PSU last year, period. They were the cream of the Big Ten.. But to say the D wasn’t that great, well… ok. Not great, but we were good and better than most others in the Big Ten. We did end up in third place in the Big Ten.

Lets roll back the video Tape: MSU wasn’t First in “D”, just had middle of the road in “D” stats for 2008, MSU was # 5 in total “D” in the Big Ten in 2008, #1 in Red Zone “D”. #1 in fourth down conv. “D”. In terms of Big Ten leading tacklers, MSU had the #3 (Greg Jones), #13, #15. Of the top 15 tacklers in the Big Ten, only NU had more than 1 player, with only two. Spartans had three. And of those three, two return.

As for this season, we only get better on “D”…. 9 out of the 12 top MSU tacklers return. The D Line lost 2 starters, but are back filling with existing experienced players. LBs: Starters return. For Secondary, we lost stud Otis Wiley, but 75% of the ints. come back to the field this year, and everyone has starting experience. IN 2009, behind the “D” line, we only added depth this year.

Enlightened Spartan: I would argue the MSU defense was pretty good last year -- depends on how you define as "good." It was called on in some pretty tough situations (eg. Iowa, Wisconsin) to make big plays down the stretch when its offense, and Ringer's running, was anemic. Our wideouts dropped lots of passes last year. It was our defense that time and again bailed out MSU... at the end of games. That is Dantonio coaching, and it worked. The Spartans demonstrated that they weren't in the same league as JoePa or Ohio State -- and it showed. It's not all in the statistics -- and, we won 9 games, largely as a result of our defense, solid fundamentals, and superior coaching. Our defensive backfield has significant experience, size & speed, and is very deep.... reminds me of an Ohio State secondary. Our linebacking corps is the best we've had in 15 years, (ranked #7 nationally by Phil Steele, with Greg Jones, Eric Gordon, Adam Decker, and Josh Rouse. Lots of depth and experience here. Watch out for Trevor Anderson on the Dline, who may end up leading the Big Ten in sacks. Dantonio's best defense yet... and the majority return for another year.

(4) Starting with the painful (for us) game in 2004, the home team has won the last four games in this series, but the last two were very close; what do you think will be different this year that the Spartans will leave Madison with a win?

SpartyMSU: Please see my posting: Preview - Spartans 2009 Game 4: Wisconsin [ed. note: not sure where Sparty got the lyric sheet for On Wisconsin, but he may want to check that again.]

Spartans win…[ed. note: big! SpartyMSU sees it 28-15] !

Enlightened Spartan: It won't be different. It will be very close again. Another FG game. Yes, we'll win. Your dumb coach will screw it up again, thank you very much.

(5) The Badgers start off with a painfully soft schedule. While yours isn't all-world, the road game in South Bend the week before your trip West won't be a cake-walk (not withstanding the impressive 6-straight road wins over the Irish). Do you see the Notre Dame game as a benefit to you coming into Madison, or will that longstanding, heated rivalry take some spirit (and maybe some healthy bodies) away from the Badger game?

SpartyMSU: Spartans LOVE this rivalry (see recent posting: Preview - Spartans 2009 Game 3: Notre Dame)

We have to take the Tom Izzo attitude: play anyone, any time, anywhere. Yeah, we might be a little banged up, but I think the Spartans will know more about the Spartans, then Wisconsin will have their own insight. Come on, what weenie schedule is this ? Northern Illinois, Fresno State, and WoofWoof ? Spartans come in to Camp Randall, and we are the first real slap in the face you’ll be getting. So, The Badgers will have it more difficult than MSU by Sept. 26.

Enlightened Spartan: Don't get sold on the Irish just yet, and their over-inflated ego of an offense that scortched June "Cheater" Jonesless-Hawaii in Hawaii (that is just a joke). We've whipped their panties 9 of the last 12. It'll happen again, right after their tilt of the "wanna-bes vs. used-to-bes," Michigan and Notre Dame. And, no it won't have any bearing heading into Madison. We need to kick yer tail to be in the Big Ten race.

(6) Speaking of which, who is worse, Joe Michigan Fan or Joe Notre Dame Fan?

SpartyMSU: Michigan fans suck. I can and do respect all teams and their fans in the Big Ten and other. But Michigan fans are dicks, and they cannot deal with any verbal jousting or competitive jocularity. I think it comes due to their low self esteem fan base, who truly base their own identity to the Team. Sad really, so sad. It’s the only team I get personal threats from.

Wisc, Illinois, Ind., Notre Dame, NU, etc. We all have a good time at each other’s tailgates. But, with Michigan, its different. Its down right mean. I try to stay away form Ann Arbor on Game days.

Enlightened Spartan: Oh, God, Joe "my UM football stadium addition costs as much as your entire UM football stadium" Michigan Fan.

(7) What should everyone know about Michigan State football that you find very few people actually do know?

SpartyMSU: The pregame team walk, and the tradition of flipping pennies at the Spartan stature before the game..

Enlightend Spartan: Michigan State's football team is the only Big Ten squad mentioned in the book, The Undefeated, by Jim Dent. The book is about University of Oklahoma, their coach Bud Wilkinson, and the longest winning streak in college football history (47 games during the 1950s). MSU is noted repeatedly as a powerhouse of the era.

Ed. Note: Sparty MSU will be in Mad-Town for the game, so welcome them with open arms, and offer them a consoling beer when it’s all over!

Media Days: Coach Speak

2009-07-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

(1) I'm jealous of Adam Hoge, Badger blogger at Bucky's 5th Quarter. He's attending Big Ten Media Days, and is providing updates. Good on him. In addition to the convenience of living in Chicago and working at BTN, something tells me Adam is single and without kids. (As a 2008 grad, he's also young enough to have a handle on Twitter.) But maybe he's just better at multitasking than me. Anyway, I'm jealous.

(2) The live chat UW set up with Coach Bielema today was what one would expect: thin on substance. Nonetheless, I think he gave two comments we can learn from: (a) expect a lot of Lance Kendricks and Garrett Graham together (Q: "I thought Garrett Graham was kind of a breakout player last year. Can you give us one or two that you think might 'breakout' this season?" A: "I believe one offensive guy is Lance Kendricks. We really felt good about him last year going into the MSU game, but unfortunately broke his leg."); and (b) JJ Watt will play some tackle depending on the game situation (I predict passing downs) (Q: "If the opener were tomorrow, who would you anticipate being the starting front four defensivlely" You mentioned JJ Watt & I've read you like his cersatility, but will he start inside?" A: "I can name our top six: Schofield [DE], Watt, Moore [DT, some DE], Stehle [DT], Kelly [DE], and Butrym [DT]. It would probably be some combination of those four. J.J. is one of our d-lineman who can play inside or outside [Moore is the other] depending on game plan and the type of offense we are going against.")

Ok, so neither of these is earth shattering. I think everyone expects a lot of 2-tight end sets (I've only written about it somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 times). But I was wondering about Watt. Originally I thought of him as an undersized tackle, but he's listed on the two-deep as a starting end. I think this clarifies that. He is probably the starting end (opposite Schofield), but may move inside from time to time. I'm guessing passing downs because guys like Kelly, Nzegwu, and Mains are pass-rush specialists (they have to be given their size). So you throw them in to rush the quarterback, but keep Watt in on the play as a solid penetrating tackle.

Pretty much the same story out of the opening address to the media today (video embedded below): three solid tight ends (with Turner playing some fullback, too); Kendricks looking to fill Beckum's H-back role, and effectively the same rundown on the defensive line. Combining the statement he made in the chat and the statement he made to the media, it's looking like: Watt, Moore (he pegged him as inside), Stehle, and Schofield.

Last thing: Bielema thinks the Badgers' success at home has hindered high profile home-and-home scheduling. Wouldn't surprise me. Generally scheduling is a tough thing to do, and our home record doesn't look too appealing to opposing teams with resumes similar to ours.

Don't have the interviews with Graham, McFadden, or Schofield up on the BTN yet, so I'm in the dark on those.

Badger Blogger Roundtable: 2009 Offense

2009-07-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

A handful of Badger Bloggers got together to discuss the upcoming football season. Joining me are Scott Tappa of Badgercentric, Phil Mitten of Hoops Marinara (a Badger basketball blog -- nice alliteration on that one, no?), and Adam Hoge of Bucky's 5th Quarter. We started with the easier task, making sense of the offense:

What's your take on the WR's? Is Gilreath really the #1? Where does Jefferson fit in post multiple concussions?
Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: Gilreath is No. 1 right now, but I'm convinced Nick Toon will be a starter by the opener. Whether that means he takes Isaac Anderson's spot or Gilreath's, we shall see, but Toon has great size and he proved last year he could make some big catches. As for Jefferson, I think it is all up to him. I didn't really like his attitude last season after a pretty good freshman year and I think that had a lot to do with his sub-par season. Attitude plays a big part in getting over concussions as well. Jefferson has the tools to make the UW receivers a scary group, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will make it happen.

BadgerCentric: Don't think Gilreath is the #1, not strong enough. Think it's gotta be Toon. Jefferson is the deep threat, can't see sending him over the middle any more. I have faith in Gilreath and Anderson to find openings in coverage, Brandon Williams types.

Hoops Marinara: Gilreath may be our best, but he's certainly not a #1. Honestly, I wish the best for Jefferson to contribute, but at this point I am hoping for Toon and/or Anderson to pass him by, preferrably Toon so we can have a steady option on the outside to go with Graham on the inside. Gilreath is slightly overrated as a return man (still waiting for that first TD!), but he does have the ability to break a big play. Maybe Jefferson could develop into our jump ball specialist in the red zone. Work on those hands son!

On Wisconsin: I think Gilreath was #1 last season by default -- Anderson had been hurt and Toon and Jefferson were far less experienced. I think he starts this season #3, as the slot receiver. Toon probably has the most talent, although I sometimes think we all get distracted by his last name. Anderson is a better pure receiver than Gilreath. Maybe not as fast, but better hands and better size. Anderson and Toon are your starting two. Gilreath is dangerous in space, but I think he’s #3 based on his size and hands. Jefferson? He’s a good kid, but I worry a lot about his head. I can’t see him starting over any of those three, so he spells Toon and Anderson. I think this is the best group of receivers – especially when you factor in the tight ends – in more than five years (with the depth, better than Williams, Orr, and Daniels). I’m excited about our passing game . . . IF . . .

The Running Backs? Anyone else think Brown may take more than 1/3 of the snaps this season? Worried about depth?
Hoops Marinara: What me, worry? No, I think the depth is fine at RB. Wisconsin has always done well with the next man in philosophy, so the Badgers can handle a minor injury here and there and use a Ewing or an Erik Smith as needed. I am okay with Brown taking a full 3rd of the snaps if it means keeping JC the Messiah fresh.

Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: I don't think Brown gets a third of the snaps unless John Clay has to battle some injuries. Still, a fourth of the carries seems realistic because of Brown's talent. I'm not worried about depth because Montee Ball provides some emergency insurance much like Brown did during his freshman season. The difference is that UW needed Brown because Lance Smith couldn't play in road games, but if Wisconsin needs to use Ball this season because of injuries then they could pull the red-shirt early.

BadgerCentric: Hadn't thought of it, but I agree Brown might take more than a third of the snaps, a combination of his being pretty good, Clay being in his first season as the main guy, and probably more third downs than we'd like.

On Wisconsin: I’m still not sold on Clay as the every-down back. The position takes more than just running the ball hard and I think Chryst’s offense looks for more flexibility with the back (see, e.g., Calhoun, Brian). Brown provides a lot more of that. I think Brown could see as many as 40% of the snaps, though probably only about 1/4 of the carries. Regardless, if they stay healthy, I honestly think this is the best 1-2 combination in the Big Ten this year.

Tight Ends? So Graham is a beast, how dangerous is Kendricks? Will Turner really just be a fullback already at the line? Will we ever even see a true fullback with this offense?
On Wisconsin: Kendricks is dangerous enough to line up wide as a receiver every now and again, which makes sending in the right personnel tough for the defensive coordinator. I like that flexibility and with him and Graham out there you see a great 2-tight end set. That said, Mickey Turner played very well last season as a traditional tight end and several times proved he could make the catches we need that #2 tight end to make. Remember in 2006 when we went the whole season without a fullback? Worked out ok. I suspect Turner will play a fullback-ish role, but I think it will most often come after he lines up as a second tight end. I think we see very little of a traditional fullback this season. At least that’s my hope – our personnel are built for the 2-tight end set.

Hoops Marinara: I anticipate the Graham/Kendricks combo to surpass the Beckum/Graham combo ... of last season. That means accumulating more than 2008's 60+ catches, 800+ yards and 5 TDs. Very doable as long as they are both healthy.

Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: Lance Kendricks is very dangerous and we've seen in past years how much better UW's offense is when they have two tight ends that can catch the ball. As far as Turner goes, I think he gets a good amount of snaps at the traditional fullback position. The fullback has been pretty important in recent years and if they need to use him there they will.

BadgerCentric: I can see fullbacks still playing a part of this offense, seems like we're still recruiting that type of kid. Turner's a blocker, not much more. With Graham and a solid group of wide receivers, I don't see Kendricks catching more than 35 or 40 passes, max, even if he's a lot better.

And the biggie . . . who's it going to be? Who should it be? And why?
BadgerCentric: It's going to be Sherer, at least at the start. It should be ... Budmayr if he's even close to being ready. A reach? Maybe. But my sense is he's the best passer of this group, he probably wouldn't be much worse than the other guys this year, and we could have him start for four years.

On Wisconsin: I guess I just don’t trust inexperienced players and I think Sherer got a bad rap. He played very well after his first start (Iowa; that can hardly be blamed on him). He also got the ball to his WRs more than either Evridge or Donovan did, which is a positive. Did he look bad against FSU? In the second half, but he had little time to throw the ball and the offense was predictable at that point. I think we’ll see pretty solid (not spectacular) play from Dustin this year and the real battle will be redshirt Freshman Budmayr vs. Sophomore Phillips in 2010.

Hoops Marinara: Scherer to start. But it should be Phillips from Day 1. He's put a year in on the scout team already. Phillips has the running instincts that has brought Wisconsin success in the past (ie: Samuels, Bollinger) but a better arm.

Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: As of today it is going to be Dustin Sherer and should be Dustin Sherer because Curt Phillips and Jon Budmayr haven't shown enough yet to be considered a starter. Still, I find it slightly peculiar that Sherer isn't one of the three players representing the Badgers at Big Ten Media Days this year. We know -- and I think the coaches know -- that this is still Dustin Sherer we are talking about. He has never shown us anything spectacular and if Curt Phillips comes on strong during camp then it wouldn't surprise me at all if Sherer didn't start the season at quarterback. At the very least, I doubt Sherer starts all 12 regular season games.

I guess on offense all that leaves is the line: How will it be with three new starters? Was Bielema serious that Konz could push Oglesby out of the starter's spot, or was he just making a point to Josh? How will Bscherer be at guard? Anyone else worried about a lack of depth at guard? Will anything stop the rash of false starts and holding penalties?
Bucky’s Fifth Quarter: I think the Peter Konz chatter was a motivational ploy to get Oglesby going. We are getting close to that point where if Oglesby isn't starting now then he might never be starting. Bscherer will be fine at guard, but probably not spectacular. Fans should be worried about the depth right now, but I think guys like Travis Frederick and Jake Current will ease those worries by the end of the season. If the false starts and holding penalties don't stop then that reflects back on the coaching staff. I think that is one of a handful of improvements that we have to see this season or the hot seat will start scorching Bielema's rear end.

On Wisconsin: Oglesby was a 5-star because of his size, but Konz wasn’t a legit threat to his position; Josh will start. The fact that they moved Bscherer to guard, rather than demoting Oglesby, tells me Josh is doing ok, if maybe not living up to all the (probably unfair) hype. I see injuries at the guard position as a real concern. Freshman lineman aren’t something you like to see, and that’s where we are if Bscherer or Nagy goes down. Bielema and Chryst need to end the penalties. I’ve never coached football, so I don’t know how to do it, but it needs to happen. If it does, I think we’re looking at a solid line, maybe as good as last year (especially considering how many games Oglesby and Nagy played significant minutes in).

BadgerCentric: The line won't be as good as last year, but I'm not worried about it. Carimi is a stud, Moffitt's solid, and the other three starters have starting experience. I could see Konz beating out Oglesby, he struggled mightily at times last year. Bscherer I see being a Matt Lawrence type, someone who's not going to be a huge plus but isn't going to be a liability.

Hoops Marinara: I am looking for a hungrier group of lineman this year that could surprise some people. Bielema is not afraid to call guys out (remember P.J. Hill's "toughen-up pills"?), so Oglesby needs to get it together quickly. Everything looks if he finally gets it, even the depth. Unfortunately, I think as long as Bielema is the head coach some undisciplined play will be the norm. We know he's less of a cool collected guy than Barry, plus he's spread himself too thin.

THE Priority

2009-07-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Dustin Sherer this, Curt Philips that, Jon Budmayr, maybe? It's all about the quarterback in Mad-town. Everyone knows that.

Wrong.

THE priority, THE problem with the Badgers is the defense. I just suffered through last year's "highlights." Sure, Evridge wasn't brilliant, and neither was Sherer (though he was a significant upgrade). Yeah, there were penalty problems and fumble problems (big penalty problems and big fumble problems). And with all that, the biggest problem I saw was with the defense. Check the numbers.

In the Big Ten, only Michigan State surrendered more points to Penn State than we did. Not Indiana, not Purdue, not Illinois.

Iowa only scored more than 24 points in conference three times; against Indiana (45), Minnesota (55), and Wisconsin (38). The only other teams they scored on more than us? FIU and Maine.

The 24 points we put up against Michigan State? That put us in good company, with Georgia (24), and only Penn State (49), Ohio State (45), Cal (38), and -- oddly -- Indiana (29) scored more. It was the 25 we gave up that was the problem.

We gave up 32 to Decker-less Minnesota. How many other conference teams let them in the 30s? None. They only got above 20 two other times in conference play.

We blew out Indiana, but not before letting them hang around with us, scoring 20 early. Only Michigan State (29) and Northwestern (21) allowed more in conference.

The 27 we allowed to Michigan? Including out-of-conference games (Utah, Miami-Ohio, Notre Dame, and Toledo), they only scored more against Purdue (42) and Minnesota (29; Michigan's only other conference win).

Oh, and Florida State's 42? They only scored more against Chattanooga (46) and Western Carolina (69).

The bottom line is in-conference while we were 5th in scoring, we were 9th in points allowed. When your conference is called the Big Ten, coming in 9th isn't so hot.

Now, let's recall how we started the year on defense:
Three 3+-year starters on the line. Two three-year starters at linebacker. A four-year starter at one corner (to be fair, Langford played his part very well all season), and Shane Carter, at safety, was supposed to be one of the team's best players, and one of two returning starting safeties (neither of whom ended up starting). This was basically the same defense that shut down Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl two years earlier and performed pretty well against Tennessee in the next Outback Bowl.

So what happened? Well, that Northwestern defense looked pretty good this season . . . with the Badgers' '06-'07 DC, Mike Hankwitz on the 'Cats sideline. I haven't given up on Dave Doeren after only one season, but the bottom line is his squad is the one that's most not living up to appropriate expectations. For better or worse he gets a clean slate this season . . .

Defense wins championships? Indeed.

Come on, Dave . . . we're counting on you . . .

Interesting Big Ten Preview

2009-07-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

Here: http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblogs/behind-the-stripes/2009/jul/08/big-ten11-preview-joepa-rules/

First he tells us why the conference sucks. Well, it has been a down year or two, but lost in the statistics are the actual bowl match-ups. Michigan's win over Florida in '07 was big. Ohio State's game against Texas last season was much closer than it was supposed to be, and that was with a true-frosh quarterback. USC is USC. That's what the Rose Bowl will do to you sometimes.

On to his review: he seems less enamored of the Gophers than some others and highlights the same problem I see with Illinois: Juice just isn't that good. He also rags on Sherer, but (a) it's not without reason, and (b) I have a feeling the story will be different at the end of the year. I know the conventional wisdom is we come in 8th this season. I suspect it will be more like 3rd or 4th. And no, I'm not under the influence of anything . . . except maybe my new redshirt!

Like Barry Alvarez, a decent thing we took from Notre Dame.

Hey Rudy! Step aside . . .

2009-07-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Notre Dame has the tradition and the national titles and the TV contract (and unlike most of my Big Ten brethren I actually have a soft spot for the Irish), but the Rudy story just isn't that great.* The movie is pretty good. I liked the movie.

Jim Leonhard. He's the real deal. 5'8," unrecruited, walk on, became a starter, became an All-American (on one of those teams that, you know, wins bowl games -- something Notre Dame doesn't have much experience with this century), is first all-time for the Badgers in picks (tied with Fletcher with 21) and picks in a season (by himself, 11), passes defended in a season (25), all-time punt return yardage and single-season punt return yardage, was an undrafted free agent in the NFL, becomes a starter (incidentally, ahead of Notre Dame's all-American Tommy Zbikowski on the Baltimore roster) and now he makes the free-agent market dough (yup, thats a 6 with 6 zeros). Anyway, this is a nice story the Journal Sentinel pointed out. He's a classy guy on top of being one heck of a football player. Good on ya, Jim. Five feet nothin'? He's got your five feet nothin' right here:

* Rudy isn't even the best ND walk-on story. Walk-on kicker Harry Oliver stuck a dagger through one of their biggest rivals' hearts (the link is worth it to hear Michigan's pain) with this 51-yarder. Here's the Notre Dame announcer's version.

It's a Numbers Game

2009-07-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

The new roster, complete with incoming freshmen and new numbers is up. Notable changes: Jay Valai from #12 to #2, filling the sizable shoes of Casillas and Calhoun. However, more relevant to Valai -- and even bigger shoes -- two standout corners have worn the number, Scott Starks, this Scott Starks, and all-time Badger corner Jamar Fletcher.

Kyle Jefferson takes his third number in three years (previously #14 and #7) at #3, worn by maybe THE great all-time Badger receiver, Lee Evans.

Blake Sorenson abandons #27 (my favorite number) to take up #9, most recently used by Beckum, and before him Orr; if it does for him on defense what it did for them on offense, not too shabby. Oh, and some guy named Paul Chryst also wore it once (also on offense).

Finally, J.J. Watt switches from #87, a tight-end-feeling number, to #99, a dominate-the-line kind of number (best worn, apparently, by Rick Graf, a linebacker before my time).

Some other notes:

No one on the roster is listed as a fullback.

Eric Kossoris is still listed as #32 at WR, but if so, he can't play at the same time as this fella. Something tells me Eric isn't looking at a lot of playing time on offense.

As for the incoming freshman?
Fan-favorite-in-the-making, QB Jon Budmayr will wear #5, same as that Brooks Bollinger fella.
DL David Gilbert will wear #11, worn best in my memory by Darrell Bevell and Owen Daniels, and also well by DeAndre Levy. DB Ed Withers, the Badgers' first Black All-American (twice), also wore the number.
DB Desmond Southward better be tough as he takes the #12 abandoned by Jay Valai and Tyler Donovan.
Stud LB recruit Conor O'Neill takes #13, a number ordinarily worn on offense, but I like it when linebackers wear those low numbers.
WR Jeff Duckworth is #15, worn once by some Vander Kelen guy you may have heard of.
DB Josh Peprah is #17, left behind by All-Big Ten and team MVP CB Allen Langford.
DB Darious Thomas is #23, but with DB Mario Goins already wearing #23, the newcomer appears slated to redshirt.
Highly touted RB Montee Ball may be looking to make a new number famous for Badger backs, coming in at #31.
LB Ethan Armstrong is #36 worn not too long ago by, get this, freshman linebacker Travis Beckum.
LB AJ Fenton is #39, vacated by PJ Hill.
LB Chris Borland takes #44, worn by Rose Bowl-contributing linebacker Donnel Thompson (we need some more great walk-ons . . .).
TE Jacob Peterson takes #48, which has primarily been a linebacker's number, but worth noting that Garrett Graham wore it his freshman year.
TE Brian Wozniak takes #49.
DL Tyler Dippel is #51, worn best by C "Iron" Mike Webster, a 9-time pro-bowler, and 4-time Super Bowl winner, also on the NFL's 75th anniversary team (not bad; but he left us way too soon).
LB Nick Hill is #52, worn by another center, All-American Cory Ramer, a key cog on the '93 Rose Bowl team, and an 11-year NFLer.
OL Casey Dehn is #63, also worn by a '93 Rose Bowl contributor, G Joe Rudolph (maybe Dehn will fill in some much needed depth at guard?).
OL Travis Frederick is #72. That Joe Thomas guy wore #72. No pressure though.
OL Zach Matthias is #75. All-American Tackle Chris McIntosh wore #75.
DL Ethan Hemer is also #75
OL Ryan Groy is #79. Another solid lineman, Aaron Gibson anchored the line for the '99 Rose Bowl team at #79.
Anticipated star, WR Kraig Appleton took, perhaps looking for a number to blaze his own way as a great Badger receiver, #81.
DL Shelby Harris will live in Garrett Graham's shadow at #89
DL Jordan Kohout is #91 perhaps hoping to live up to lineman Don Davey's long shadow.
DL Pat Muldoon is #92, taking over where Matt Shaughnessy left off.
TE Michael Brunner and K Pat Hughes selected #96, a number not associated with great Badger tight ends or kickers.

Always good to link to these: All-Time Badger Roster, and my take on it, here.

Gopher Follow-Up

2009-07-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Something of a follow-up to the Minnesota chapter of Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses, the good people over at the Daily Gopher posted their Wisconsin preview, with some replies I wrote as well as those from the good folks at Bucky's 5th Quarter.

Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Northwestern

2009-06-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

A pain in the ass. That's what Northwestern football has been to the Badgers. And maybe the rest of the Big Ten, too.

Before all you go out and write our roadie to Northwestern in as a victory, think again.

King Barry went 7-7 against Northwestern. Think about that. In 1992 the 'Cats denied Barry his first bowl game with a late November 27-25 win. In '95 Gary Barnett's squad DESTROYED us, 35-0. Are you freakin' kidding me!?! (they went to the Rose Bowl that year, we went 4-5-2). In '96 Ron Dayne fumbled away a 2nd and 2 with under a minute to play (for the record, we couldn't have simply run out the clock), and the 'Cats converted a touchdown for the improbable 34-30 win at Camp Randall. In 2000, the 'Cats survived a late 4th and 8 while down by a touchdown, then down 3 with under 10 seconds to play converted a 3rd down from about the 50 to get into field goal range, force overtime, and win 47-44 in the second OT, again at the Camp. In 2003, the sub-.500 Wildcats dealt Wisconsin a 16-7 loss. Then in 2005, in a game that ultimately may have prevented Barry's last team from a BCS Bowl (though in hindsight I'm happy with the win over Auburn), Northwestern exploded for 27 points in the 3rd quarter and hung on for a 51-48 win -- Wisconsin's first loss of the season.

Moreover, the 'Cats gave heavily favored Missouri all they could handle in last season's Alamo Bowl mostly due to a solid defense coached by former Badger coordinator Mike Hankwitz. Have I mentioned our road record under Bielema? In fact, this looks like our second or third toughest road game of the season (Minnesota is the other; I concede our road schedule doesn't look that tough). That said, the 'Cats will bring a whole new cast of skill players to their offense, so there is hope.

In preparation for all this, and admittedly still struggling to get my head around taking Northwestern seriously, I sent the world's best Northwestern football blog, Lake the Posts, an inquiry about what to expect next year, below is their response:

Shhh!! We're Not Just a Bunch of Nerds

(1) The stereotype is that Northwestern is good when its brainy quarterbacks have two to three years of starting experience. That description doesn't fit 2009. How much confidence do you have in this year's offense and the whole new set of skill players? What's the story on the o-line?

I spend way too much time trying to dispell the brainiac stereotype. This year's offense is exactly the inverse of last year at this time. A year ago we were loaded with veterans at every skill position and the very youthful O-line was the question mark. This year, the 0-line is the strength as nearly everyone returns, with essentially only Doug Bartels at G as the newbie. They're still relatively young, but tons of experience. Yes Sutton is gone. Yes Bacher is gone. Yes Peterman, Lane and Ward are gone. However, most forget that senior QB Mike Kafka actually started back in 2006 before getting injured and had key experience last year in relief when CJ was injured in the Indiana.game. All he did in his first start last year was set the Big Ten rushing record for a QB with 217 yards. He is a true dual threat and his arm is underrated. Andrew Brewer headlines the quad of spread receivers that includes Sidney Stewart who got several reps last year, but sophomore Jeremy Ebert started as a frosh last year and will be, along with Brewer, Kafka's primary target. The giant question mark is at RB where heading into Camp Kenosha the three-man race is wide open.

(2) Best Northwestern defense ever? (ed. note: this was a reference I saw in some preview somewhere on the web.) If that works out for you, can we have our defensive coordinator back? No, really. Would if help if I said please? Seriously, tell me what I should know about the Northwestern defense. How are the injured lineman coming, and how is the depth behind them?

Best defense ever? Hmmm...not yet. That role still belongs to the 1995 Pat Fitzgerald-led team, but the expectations are this is the best "D" SINCE 1995. Thank you very much for letting go of Mr. Hankwitz - we could not believe how fortunate we were to get him, but not even the most optimistic purple faithful (me!) could've envisioned the 1-year turnaround. Both DEs Corey Wootton and Vince Browne are expected to be back and at full strength and word is Wootton has more than returned to his All Big Ten status, but until he gets back on the field and we see it there is a tad of anxiety. Our secondary may truly be the best I can ever remember and that includes 1995. Sherrick McManis and Jordan Mabin (Sporting News Freshman All-American) are back at CB and seniors Brendan Smith and Brad Phillips have so much chemistry at the safety slot that I expect most offenses to try and exploit the weakest link of a very strong unit - the LBs. Fitz has been able to really up the athleticism of our players and while their is definite room for growth at LB (they're young), they have talent. Most believe our "D" will keep us in just about every game. There is a ton of depth in the secondary, but we're thin at LB.

(3) I want to take Northwestern seriously, and I know I should; the Badgers are only one game above .500 against the Cats in the Alvarez era (ed. note: 8-7, with the '06 win under Bielema), including an embarrassing loss in 1995, and heartbreakers in '96, '00, and '05. So what's the problem, what's holding me (and lots of other folks back) from taking Northwestern seriously?

I use one stat to try and underscore this conception - three Big Ten titles since 1995 only Michigan and Ohio State have more. During that same timeframe, NU is 5-5 vs the Badgers since 1995. See, much like Wisconsin which would like to forget a nice chunk of its history in the 80s, it is all about referencing the starting point of being good again. Wisconsin uses 1993 as the "since..." starting point. We use 1995. (Ed. note: I don't mean to nitpick, but since 1993, Wisconsin is 4th in the Big Ten in in-conference winning percentage behind Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State; since 1995, Northwestern is 7th.) We actually relish the fact most STILL don't take NU seriously. We still suffer from the small alumni base and private school in a pro sports town fan base that painfully makes our attendance and media attention incomparable to a state school in a college town. A couple more years of Fitz winning and I think we'll have changed perception at least among those under 30. Old perceptions die hard.

(4) What's the biggest misconception about Northwestern football?

That we had one good year in 1995. NU has been to six bowls since 1995 (96 Rose, 97 Citrus, '00 Alamo, '03 Motor City, '05 Sun, '08 Alamo) yet the "average" fan doesn't even remember we won back-to-back in 1995 and 1996, let alone the bowl games this decade. NU has had only 3 seasons this decade with less than 6 wins. The passion around NU football is building it is just frustratingly slow after the fall-off post Barnett.

(5) Really, purple!?!

Yup. Proud of it.

(6) What campus legend, little known fact, or other random piece of information should everyone know about Northwestern?
There are plenty. Many don't know about defending "The Rock" which is a fixture in main campus. Nearly every night of the year a different campus group camps out to paint the rock for its organization for group of friends. You claim it at daylight and must retain a foot in the base throughout the day to keep the rights. The first Final Four was hosted on the Evanston campus but we don't like to go there since we've NEVER made the NCAA Tournament.

Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Minnesota

2009-06-25T17:13:00.001-07:00

For the second installment reaching out to hear what our opponents currently think about their squad, I go to another big roadie, a new beginning for the oldest rivalry. On October 3rd, the Badgers will play the Gophers for the 119th time, in Minnesota's new home, TCF Bank Stadium. The excitement for Minnesota is palpable. After years sadly borrowing the Metrodome, the University has sold out the first [outdoor!] season in its own place.

Although the Badgers have gone 8-2 in the series in the last decade, the last two have been unnecessarily dicey, and given our road record the last two years, there is reason for hope in the Twin Cities and concern back in Mad-town. Minnesota returns a bunch of starters whereas the Badgers have another quarterback controversy, a re-tooled offensive line, and a slew of new faces on defense.

In anticipation of what could be one of the biggest games in Minnesota in a decade or more (Game Day, anyone?), I sent the good people at the Daily Gopher a few questions. Those questions and their answers are below:

Doubling Down in the Twin Cities

(1) Defense has been the Gophers achilles heel for the last few seasons. What has Brewster done to cure the problem? What will the fix look like in 2009? - The 2007 defense was one of the worst ever to set foot on a Big Ten field. 2008 was markedly better, although still finished in the bottom third of the conference. But the improvement cannot be ignored, the details are below but the 2008 defense improved by giving up just shy of 12 fewer points per game and 135 fewer yards. The fix? Well we return 8 starters and finally some of the athleticism that was recruited in Brewsters highly acclaimed 2008 class will be seeing the field. So the fix will come from a year of experience and a year of maturation. Nobody expects this defense to rank in the top 3 of the conference and they will not duplicate their 31 turnover performance, but they will be capable of stopping teams on 3rd down and making the opposing offenses work for their points. Much of what ailed this defense last year was just one or two big plays at critical times. Up 7 at Wisconsin in the 4th qtr and has the Badgers at 2nd and 19 on their own 28. 17-yard pass to Toon (with a NEAR sack) plus a 15-yard penalty followed by a 39-yard pass to Anderson takes the Badgers to the 1 and it was all downhill from there. That was 71 yards given to the Badgers on two plays, that is where the improvement needs to happen.

Charting Change 2007 to 2008
Pts Allowed 36.7/24.8 (-11.9)
Rush Yds Allowed 229.3/143.3 (-86)
Pass Yds Allowed 289.3/240.3 (-49)
Total Yds Allowed 518.7/383.6 (-135.1)
Turnovers generated 14/31 (+17)
Opponent 3rd Down % 44.3/34.6 (-9.7%)

(2) Can Adam Weber be the man under center? Who will step up to take the pressure off of Eric Decker on offense? - I believe that Weber is the most underrated QB in the Big Ten. From his freshman season to his sophomore season he improved by 5% in completion and reduced his INTs by 11 on the year. All of this while he was sacked 31 times last year, had a terrible running game and was missing Decker for the last few games of the year. He is the man under center, a good leader on the team and I have complete confidence in him as the starter this year and next. As for who will step up to help him in the passing game? Well once again I'm going to the "plus one more year" theory and the JUCO help on the way. Last year we had a few talented receivers who were true freshmen. It was right around the Badger game that guys like Xavier Brandon and Brandon Green started to step up their play. Xavier is now gone, but Brandon Green and DaJon McKnight are expected to take big steps forward and help Decker out as other options in the receing game. The other guy worth mentioning is Hayo Carpenter who is a JUCO transfer that has Gopher Nation kind of excited. He has the tools to step in and be a threat immediately but that is often hard to gauge so time will tell.

(3) The last decade has been good for the Badgers, narrowing the gap in this series by 8 games, including two Gopher losses that must have been very painful (the blocked punt - Barry's last Axe game - and last season's meltdown). Is Wisconsin in the Gophers' collective head, or should we look at the hockey series over the same time and shut the hell up? How will the new stadium change things (keeping in mind my most painful loss as a Badger fan anywhere, anytime was in the Metrodome in 1993)? Oh the blocked punt game is painful for Gopher fans, but I don't know that it has any affect on the current roster and coaching staff. I was at the post game press conference for last year's game and I think if anything the 2008 loss will serve as pretty good motivation. This rivalry is heating up with the mutual dislike between the head coaches and with Minnesota improving their overall talent, so I don't think the new stadium changes anything but this is the best game on the home schedule for 2009 without a doubt.

(4) The days of Maroney and Barbour likely left with Glen Mason, but is there a feature back in Minnesota's stable? No is the easy answer. Duane Bennett was to be the feature back last year but blew out his knee when Ralph Spry was unable to block his man on a screen. Jay Thomas has also been through a series of injuries but the senior will be in the mix in 2009. DeLeon Eskridge and Shady Solomon got their shots as true freshmen last year and performed admirably. Hasan Lipscomb is the hot four-star incoming recruit and Kevin Whaley redshirted last year after getting shot in the leg before arriving on campus also will be in the mix. All have a shot at carrying the load with Eskridge and Bennett likely getting the first crack at the bulk of the carries. This was a major area of weakness the last couple seasons. Weber led the team in rushing in 2007 and was second in 2008. Improving the running game was a major focus in the offseason so we'll have to see if this team can get it done on the ground.

(5) Recruiting in Minnesota is heating up, but it seems like Wisconsin and others (like Notre Dame) are still doing well there; can Brewster end the poaching? Things are slowly changing with regards to the best from Minnesota staying in Minnesota. In the 2008 class Brewster lost the top two players to Notre Dame and Ohio State and kept just one of the top 5 kids from the state. But the 2009 class was a different story. The number one ranked player in the state did end up at Clemson but the 2 through 8 players ended up as Golden Gophers. The only player Wisconsin "poached" was Casey Dehn, a two-star lineman who's only offers were from Wisconsin and Minnesota. What is becoming interesting is the slow reversal of the recruiting battles. So far in the early 2010 recruiting battles the Gophers have received verbals from two of the top three or four in-state kids already and have put the pressure on a number of Wisconsin kids early. Tom Parrish will be a top 5 or 6 player out of Wisconsin who has verballed to Minnesota. And Konrad Zagzebski gave the Gophers an early verbal before changing his mind once the Badgers were forced to offer. I'm not suggesting we will have our pick of Badger State kids, but Brewster is putting Beilema on his heals just a little bit which never happened in the past. Enjoy David Gilreath while you can, because you'll have to start finding guys like him elsewhere in the future!

(6) Which is more important this year, beating Iowa or beating Wisconsin? This year? Wisconsin, without a doubt. I don't think the general fan base is expecting to beat Iowa this year (although being competitive should be expected this time). Wisconsin however, is viewed as beatable. We were right there till the end in Madison a year ago, the Badgers return just 11 total starters from a 7-6 team, the Gophers return a lot of their young talent and the game is at home as the first Big Ten game in the new stadium. This game will be a benchmark game for Minnesota. If we want to gain some level of Big Ten respectability you have to beat a team like Wisconsin at home. The Badgers are not a weak team by any stretch but they also are not at the Ohio State/Penn State level this year. I'm also not saying the Gophers are a superior team but Wisconsin is beatable this year and, like I said, if you want to gain some respectability you need to win home games like this.

Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Ohio State

2009-06-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

As I was writing my post-spring preview, complete with unrealistic game-by-game predictions, I thought about all the football fans out there right now impatiently waiting for the season to begin (especially now that baseball is the ONLY show in town) and hoping and believing that this year is their year. I decided to ask all of our opponents some questions about what to expect from their teams this year.

If we're really talking about Rose Bowl colored glasses, it only makes sense to start with the returning Big Ten champ, and unquestioned leader of the conference this decade, the Ohio State University.* The Badgers travel to Columbus on October 10. In the Tressel era, we're 2-1 in Columbus (0-1 in the Bielema era), and in the last decade we're 4-4 versus the Buckeyes (0-2 in the Bielema era). There's little doubt that the Buckeyes are the early favorite for yet another Big Ten title, so this is, as always, a big game for the Badgers (and hopefully for the Buckeyes).

Anyway, below is what our friend Vico, at a great Buckeye blog, Our Honor Defend, had to say about our visit to the 2009 Buckeyes (I've gotta agree: we should definitely bring the band!). You can see my effort to address his questions about Wisconsin at their blog.

without further ado . . .

Meet the Buckeyes

The Wisconsin Badgers come off as something of a non-conference opponent in the eyes of Buckeye fans. They were cycled off the Big Ten docket for all too important seasons in 2005 and 2006. As Tressel forged his own legacy independent of John Cooper, the Badgers were only a name in the Big Ten standings. Perhaps some of the unfamiliarity with the Badgers of late comes from the early dominance of the Badgers over Tressel. Tressel started off 1-3 against Alvarez, with a crushing blow delivered in 2003. Even with recent gains against Bielema, the Badgers are the only team over whom Tressel does not possess a winning record.

In 2009, the Badgers return to Columbus, where they even have a winning record against Tressel. Below, I take an early glimpse at this matchup, introducing Badgers fans to the Buckeyes we expect you will see in 2009.

Terrelle Pryor will be in his second year as a Buckeye. In most Buckeye fans view, he will be measurably better than he was as a true freshman. Mind you, Terrelle Pryor -- unlike Tim Tebow -- was not an early enrollee. He did not have extra time to work under the current coaching staff, only getting a condensed playbook from the coaching staff to look over in his Jeannette hometown while he prepared to enroll at Ohio State. He was also greatly distracted with high school basketball.

With an all-Big Ten grayshirt senior quarterback (Todd Boeckman) returning to the helm in 2008, Pryor was expected to be used in gimmick situations. A potent offense to be led by Boeckman was supposed to be made more dynamic by the introduction of Terrelle Pryor on gadget plays that ultimately required Pryor to be able to do only a few things as a true freshman. Consequently, the theme during the summer of 2008 was to not overload the freshman with the intricacies of the playbook. He was to be brought in principally as a run-first quarterback and an athlete that most defenses would not look forward to seeing. It was therefore disconcerting to all involved that Pryor had to be subbed in for Boeckman after the USC debacle. With an offensive line degenerating in front of our very eyes (more on that later), a quarterback that's able to scramble -- read: run for his life -- was necessary if the offense was to score any points. As a result, his deficiencies in the passing game were glaring.

Hope springs eternal that this will be corrected in a big way by time the Badgers, and even the Midshipmen, come to town. It almost has to improve by default. This is the longest that Pryor has had to work under a QB-oriented head coach, and he's already professing marked improvements in decision-making and ability to read coverages. Pryor's work ethic alone suggests a rapid improvement from his freshman form is inevitable, and remember: he was one of the Big Ten's most efficient quarterbacks as a true freshman. Elsewhere, Pryor has admitted that knowledge he's acquired in the past few months on how to read opposing defenses has probably been the area he's improved the most. In the same breath, he admitted an embarrassment that he wasn't able to see this as a true freshman. Still, in spite of the gains we expect in the passing department, making Terrelle Pryor throw will be the way most teams will probably approach beating the Buckeye offense. It's no secret that Ohio State relies on a run-first mentality to shorten down and distance.

Busting up the offensive line (more on that later) forces Pryor to throw in improbable situations for most QBs. At this point, Pryor's mechanics -- including an irregular delivery and a bad habit of relying on his upper body to power passes in the pocket (especially under pressure) -- will show.

Where Buckeye fans are not too thrilled about the prospect of Terrelle Pryor finding himself in third and long situations, they are thrilled about the prospect of a backfield that consists of Pryor and the post-Beanie back Dan "Boom" Herron. Herron's story resembles that of former Buckeye quarterback Joe Germaine. He was buried on the depth chart when he got to Columbus, but worked so hard and improved so much during his redshirt year that the coaching staff could not keep him off the field. Going from 4th string tailback to a productive, 2nd string tailback behind Beanie in 2008 is no small feat considering that a senior (Maurice Wells) and a highly-touted sophomore (Brandon Saine) started the summer ahead of him on the depth chart. His stiffarms won't be as lethal, and he won't be able to gain the big yards after contact that Beanie did. However, don't assume Ohio State's rushing attack will necessarily suffer for Beanie's absence, especially with Pryor in the backfield with him. I think Buckeye fans want to see Pryor lead the way more than they do Boom Herron, but Boom is going to get serious yards in 2009.

And now, as promised: the feature attraction. I argue that Ohio State's offensive line is the most important reason why the Buckeyes have suffered of late on the national stage. They returned their entire starting unit from 2007 and got WORSE in 2008. They were slow to pull and trap on running plays and cannot pick up the perimeter heat on the pass rush (see: USC, Purdue, Texas, and especially Penn State in 2008 alone). They could not even get a push on the line against the likes of Ohio University, Purdue and Northwestern. In the first two games, Ohio State's offensive line was the most important reason why the Buckeyes were trailing in the 4th quarter against the hapless Bobcats and why they could not score an offensive touchdown against Purdue. The Buckeyes routed Northwestern, but no part of that was attributable to stellar line play. In fact, Pryor and Beanie succeeded in pounding Northwestern in spite of the offensive line. The Buckeyes were at 3rd and 10 or longer repeatedly during that game, only to have Pryor pull a rabbit out of his hat to keep the offense going.

The natives are getting restless in Columbus, but we're hopeful that a new set of higher ceiling prospects can do the trick. Ohio State recruiting on the offensive line has been unfortunately awful for the years that mattered most. They recruited 50 percent less linemen overall than the past 5 national champions from the years 2003-2007 and over 60 percent less 4-5 stars during that time as well. This year's line should see some improvements, we hope. Michael Brewster and Mike Adams are both 5-star offensive linemen that are likely to start in 2009. Justin Boren was an all-Big Ten linemen for Michigan before infamously transferring to Ohio State. He will likely be the left guard in 2009. The right side of the line seems a little shaky because it involves position changes for two starters from 2008's unit. Bryant Browning -- the right tackle from 2008 who was more liability than lineman -- will be moving to right guard it seems. This should be an improvement from his position in 2008, as it became apparent against USC and Penn State that opposing defense identified him as the weakest link on the line and identified him as a man playing out of position. Jim Cordle, the starting center from 2008 who was moved to guard after an injury to another lineman, will again be moving: this time to right tackle. He has speed to spare on the line, so there's some optimism he'll be up to the task in 2009.

The consensus from Buckeye fans seems to be that the 2009 line, with so many new faces and unproven players, will actually be better than the 2008 line full of returning starters. The recent hire of Keith Uecker bodes well for further development as well. Run blocking should improve considerably. Justin Boren, a veritable road grader, will be a much welcomed leader on the line. However, pass protection remains a little hazy, and the inability for Mike Adams to assert himself as "the guy" to protect Pryor's blindside at left tackle lends itself to more nervous thoughts.

I'm not sure if you know this, but James Laurinaitis' father used to be a professional wrestler. If you did know, you will no longer have to be reminded of it since he and running mate Marcus Freeman have matriculated to the NFL. Looking ahead to 2009 following the Fiesta Bowl, I assumed that Ohio State would have a stable corp of 3 linebackers entering 2009. After watching the Spring Game, it's not quite clear what's going on. I would've expected Etienne Sabino, a highly touted true sophomore from Pryor's recruiting class, to have established himself as the middle linebacker. If anything, Tyler Moeller -- a sparsely used 5th year senior -- has emerged as a player in that unit to remember. If pressed for an immediate comparison, I'd liken Moeller's presence in the linebacker corp as equivalent to Brit Miller for the Illini in 2008. Yes, it's a preliminary association, but both have that unsung, unathletic appeal to them, and always find themselves close to the ball regardless.

A discussion over at my blog on the issue, here, puts a different spin on it. The Buckeyes are not lacking for options at linebacker for 2009. The wealth they have at the position may allow the defensive coaches to effectively "plug and play" contingent on the opposing offense, and not really lose a step for it. Against conventional, pro-style offenses like the one the Badgers will bring with them, the Buckeyes will "go big" and feature linebackers like Ross Homan, Austin Spitler and Tyler Moeller. Homan was the weakside linebacker in 2008. Against, smaller, faster spread offenses, the Buckeyes can sub in Etienne Sabino and Brian Rolle, matching speed with speed. If leadership at the position may be absent (at least immediately) because of the wealth of options and absence of mainstay Laurinaitis, the Buckeyes have the advantage of being flexible.

With so many new faces in 2009, and a veritable youth movement going on in the football program in general, there is no shortage of possible players to recommend Badger fans to write down for future reference. If Ohio State is to repeat as Big Ten champion again, several players need to step up. Justin Boren and Michael Brewster will have to lead the way on the line. Boren has the experience and Brewster is an unofficial leader of his 2008 class, members of which will feature prominently in the 2009 offense. DeVier Posey, a close confidante of Terrelle Pryor through the recruiting process and himself another 2008 signee, will have to be on the same page with Terrelle. Similarly, slot receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, arguably Pryor's favorite target in 2008, will have to prove himself durable during the season since his backup, Lamaar Thomas (another 2008 signee), doesn't seem to have made the transition from tailback to college wideout just yet. Maybe the biggest factor will be the defensive line. The defensive line will unquestionably be the strength of the defense in 2009, and Thaddeus Gibson has dedicated himself to destroy everything moving in 2009.

The performance of the defensive line in 2009 becomes even more important considering the uncertainty at linebacker and the admission of most Buckeye fans that the secondary will be our achilles heel in 2009. In the secondary, Ohio State returns its two safeties, but loses both corners. Chimdi Chekwa seems to be a lock to secure one of the spots vacated by Malcolm Jenkins and Donald Washington, but his iffy performance in the Spring Game does not inspire confidence. Beyond Chekwa, there are even more question marks. RS freshman Travis Howard, Devon Torrence and Andre Amos are in the discussion for the other spot. However, both Howard and Amos have noticeable injury histories and Torrence has devoted a lot of time playing minor league baseball. Beyond those three lay even more freshmen and worst case scenarios.

Another pursuit at a national title is always nice, but the performance of these players is necessary to securing a January bowl game. Of those players, keep Thaddeus Gibson in mind. Buckeye fans think his offseason improvements should result in 1st Team All-Big Ten honors.

As previously mentioned, the Badgers are the only team against whom Tressel does not have a winning record. Tied 3-3 in the Tressel era, I think many Buckeye fans are expecting this to be the year where Ohio State has a winning record against all Big Ten teams in the Tressel era. Bielema's performance of late does not inspire the sense of fear and trembling that Buckeye fans had thinking of Barry Alvarez coming to town. Bielema had a fantastic inaugural season in 2006, where his 12-1 Badgers seemed like they were on the verge of being worldbeaters. After that, things seemed to get ugly for Buckeyes watching the Badgers from afar. Weak scheduling, bizarre results against the likes of Cal Poly and an offense more conventional and uninspiring than our own seemed to characterize Wisconsin. I'm expecting 2009 to be more of the same for the Badgers. They'll benefit from a light schedule (for the most part) and having some important foes at home, but will seem to have as many new faces on defense as the Buckeyes will have. Both have that same problem, but I give the advantage to the Buckeyes for bringing in higher-caliber recruits than Wisconsin has. A dynamic quarterback like Pryor should give fits for the Badgers in front a raucous home crowd sympathetic to the Buckeyes. Long story short: I don't expect the Badgers to have the horses to hang in for a full race with the Buckeyes.

Naturally, I don't want to be proven wrong.

If you're a Badger fan, I wouldn't walk in with a bravado that you could've easily strolled into Columbus with in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Alvarez undeniably had Tressel's number. Still, there are important question marks at important spots on the Buckeye team that allows for restrained optimism. Enjoy the game and your time in Columbus if you make the trip, and please bring the band with you. It's just not Wisconsin football without the band.

* As a rule I don't refer to OSU as tOSU or the Ohio State University, but I figured since OHD threw me a bone here, I'd throw them one back. Thanks, Vico!

2009 Badger Football Post-Spring Preview

2009-06-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

We’ve got them where we want them: thinking we’ll be average.

I'm not saying we'll have a great team, but I think we'll have a pretty darned solid record and a nice bowl game to show for it.

Let’s just get it out of the way: starting quarterback Dustin Sherer (sr.). No, he’s not Brooks Bollinger, but it is what it is. Here’s the upside: he was good enough to beat Michigan State (even though we didn’t), Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Cal Poly (though our defense did what they could to surrender that one, too). Iowa wasn’t his fault (and it was his first collegiate start). He’s going to be even better this year. Great? No, but solid. That’s what we need, not some red-shirt freshman with a wobbly arm. And especially not with the other weapons on our offense.

If Sherer is decent, this offense could be spectacular. Clay (so.) and Brown (jr.) are a solid 1-2 combo. Clay will get more carries, but probably not that many more (I’m guessing 60/40) -- Brown is the better all-around back because of his blocking and hands in the passing game). Playing in a two-tight end set, with potential All-American Graham (sr.) and Kendricks (jr.), or Turner (jr.) (playing a hybrid fullback role from the TE spot), we’re going to see versatility Chryst hasn’t had to work with in a couple of years. Add to that Isaac Anderson (jr.) and Nick Toon (so.) starting at receiver, with David Gilreath (jr.) and Kyle Jefferson (jr.) adding depth and a solid 3-WR set. That’s a pretty stacked set of skill players by Badger standards.

With the departure of three starters and everything on offense relying on them, it’s reasonable to question how good the line will be? Pretty good. Carimi (jr.) is the leader, at left tackle, with a very capable and athletic Moffitt (jr.) at center. At right tackle Josh Oglesby (so.) needs to get and stay mean, but brings a load to move the right side of the line. Converted tackle Bscherer (jr.) and game-tested Nagy (jr.) will do well at the guard spots. Oglesby, Bsherer, and Nagy are all “new” starters, but all have significant playing experience as back-ups and starting several games in place of injured guys ahead of them. This line may not be all world, but it will be solid. The biggest area of concern is depth at guard. The Badgers just don’t have a stable of guards. One of the lesser problems to have, but one that an injury or two could really exacerbate.

In short, look for a capable and balanced Badger offense. Sherer won’t be asked to sling the ball all over the place, but he will throw more than the Badgers did last season, and with the skill the Badgers have around him, the Cardinal and White should be prolific.

That’s the good news.

With all the talk about who the starting quarterback should be, the defensive front seven hasn’t gotten the attention critics should give it. One starter returns to his position from last season. One.

Who knows what the defense will look like this season? Maybe a change of blood will mean the end of late-game struggles? (See, e.g., Florida State ‘09, Minnesota ’08, MSU ’08, OSU ’08, Michigan ’08, Fresno State ’08, Minnesota ’07, Michigan ’07, OSU ’07, and MSU ’07.) That’s the hope. In the mean time, who’s doing what for the new front 7? Schofield (sr.) is the [only] returning starter (DE) and got better and better as last year wore on. While no star, he’s good enough. At the other end, Watt (so.) turned heads throughout his mandatory (transfer) red-shirt year and continued doing so throughout the spring. There’s reason to be excited about him. Backing them up are two guys who show lots of promise in the passing game, but are pretty light to defend the run, Nzegwu (so., 245 lbs.), and Kelly (fr., 240 lbs.). The middle is a source of real concern. Dan Moore (sr.) is a solid player, but is a more natural end converted to tackle. Stehle (sr.) has yet to establish himself as a real presence inside, even with playing time last year. Backing them up are Butrym (so.) who has potential, but is young and not big (280 lbs.), and Cascone (sr.). In passing downs we may see Watt move inside with Nzegwu or Kelly taking his spot on the end.

Moving to the linebackers, talk about a lack of depth. McFadden (sr.) is a returning starter, but moves back outside (his more natural position). Culmer St. Jean (jr.) finally takes the middle position he’s been groomed for over the last two years. And Sorensen (jr.) is the other outside linebacker. McFadden and St. Jean should be fine, maybe even pretty good. Sorensen hasn’t shown up much, despite plenty of playing time and experience. And the two-deep? Freshman and sophomores with no real experience. All the guys on the list have gotten some favorable comments from their peers and coaches, but favorable comments don’t read offenses, shed blocks, and make tackles.

So, real questions up front for the Badgers. If I were an opponent, I’d game plan running the ball right at us. The good news on defense is the secondary.

Aaron Henry (so.) is back at one corner, and looks like his knee has finally healed up. He will get the opposition’s better receiver. Brinkley (jr.) and Devin Smith (so.) both look decent at the other corner (Brinkley will probably start), with Fenelus (so.) not far behind. At safety, after toying with a left/right idea (which held for the linebackers), the coaching staff is back with a strong/free set. Given the personnel, that makes sense. Valai (jr.) is purely a strong safety and Maragos (sr.) and Carter (sr.) are free-types and pretty good (Carter should press Maragos for the starting spot). Pleasant (sr.) could go either way, but has spent most of his career in Madison at strong safety, and is a pretty good option backing up Valai (or pressing him to start). These guys won’t all be pros (maybe a couple will), but they make up a solid Big Ten secondary.

In the kicking game, Welch (so., PK) and Nortman (so., punter) will continue to be fine. The Badgers need more out of Gilreath in the return game, and need to continue to improve their coverage.

In summary, expect the Badgers to play high scoring games this season. Despite all the talk about the quarterback situation, the offense should be very good, but don’t be surprised to see the defense give up long, sustained drives against teams running the ball up the gut.

And as for a game-by-game prediction?
Northern Illinois: Win
Fresno State: Win (but closer than it should be unless we can focus entirely on stopping the run)
Wofford: Win (augh)
Michigan State: Win (because it’s at home; expect a close fight)
@ Minnesota: Loss (they return almost everybody, we’ve struggled with them for two years, and it’s a huge home game for them in their new place)
@ Ohio State: Loss (close, but Pryor will do what he has to against our defense)
Iowa: Win (screw them!)
Purdue: Win (they just aren’t very good)
@ Indiana: Win (still Indiana football)
Michigan: Win (but close, they will be much improved and their option will hurt our defense)
@ Northwestern: Win (another close one; their defense is better than ours, but our offense will prevail)
@ Hawaii: Win (not the same since their coaching change)

That’s an unreasonably optimistic 10-2, with a terrible out-of-conference schedule, and optimistic picks against Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwestern. With as weak a Big Ten slate as we have this season (no Penn State or Illinois, still rebuidling Michigan, MSU with a new quarterback and running back, Iowa has a new running back, and Northwestern has a new quarterback), 10-2 just isn't that impressive. Worse than 8-4 would be a disaster of a season.

I'll take Sherer, please.

2009-04-20T22:30:00.001-07:00

The quarterback's job is to manage the game and make throws. Unless I'm delusional, the choice couldn't be clearer if the season started today: Sherer. Phillips is fun to watch and can do more with his legs, but that's not his job. Playing against the second team he consistently threw inaccurate balls into coverage. Playing the game he played on Saturday against a solid defense would be a disaster. There's nothing wrong with that: he's a redshirt freshman. He's not really supposed to be game ready. Sherer is.

Sure, the pick was bad. Really bad. The throw was late, but the pass was never open and Brown -- presumably the earlier read -- was, right over the middle for an easy 5-7 yards. Ok, so bad, bad throw. But outside of that throw, he was solid and had one or two throws that no one else on the team can make, and it's not close. Not right now. So Sherer, please.

Could Phillips challenge in the fall? Yes, but I wouldn't count on it. Could Chyrst install something to try to make Phillips Tim Tebow, circa 2006? Sure. Maybe that's even likely (except the Tim Tebow part). I think the more interesting quarterback battle will be next Spring when it's Budmayr and Phillips. I think this statement Potrykus wrote pretty much sums up this fall: "If [Phillips] makes similar progress in the summer it is conceivable he could push Sherer in camp." If, conceivable, could . . . Phillips is your starter.

Ok, so on to a few other things I noted:
(1) Turner at fullback. I'm not excited about it. I'd rather see two tight ends and two wide receivers. But I'm not in charge and Chryst knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.

(2) Where was Isaac Anderson? He emerged towards the end of last season, but we didn't see much from him on Saturday. Is Jefferson really ahead of him on the depth chart? I didn't think so, but after the game, maybe. Gilreath appears no higher than third on the depth chart. I think that's a good call.

(3) Still pretty confident we'll see Clay starting, but Brown with about 40% of the snaps.

(4) I'm scared stiff of injuries to the offensive line. There is no quality depth. As with Phillips, nothing against the freshman on the depth chart, it's just not a position freshman should have to play.

(5) Linebacker isn't looking good. There's no depth, and Sorenson didn't look like he was playing at full speed.

(6) Glad not to see any fumbles.

(7) Penalties weren't bad, but the holding needs to go.

Spring Game: Two Things

2009-04-17T15:01:00.001-07:00

I've been on vacation this week, but no great changes at practice. Sherer still looks in the lead, Pleasant is pushing Valai, and the two-deep is getting nailed down on the defensive line. So, what's on tap? The Spring Game is a nice opportunity to watch the team practice in a scrimmage format, but remember that's what it is: a practice.

Two keys that the Badgers were bad at last year, Bielema has identified as major areas of concern, and they need to be better at this coming season:

(1) penalties: the offense, particularly, has to stop hurting itself with penalties. Unfortunately, the news out of practice hasn't been great. What better place to see if there's been any improvement than a scrimmage?

(2) ball security: the receivers need to make their catches and the running backs and quarterback need to hang onto the ball. The quarterbacking wasn't great last year, but the receivers hurt the guy under center far too often. And fumbles? The main difference in the bowl game and hurt us all year. They need to stop. The quarterback needs to feel the rush better and the running backs need to cover up as they approach contact.

This is it, folks: the last big football event until the fall . . .

Freaks! On the NFL Draft and Prospects

2009-04-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Interesting write up in the Journal Sentinel about the players with Wisconsin ties getting ready for the NFL draft, here. Bottom line, as discussed before, the NFL is a business. All those guys we cheer for in the Cardinal and White? Scouts say things like, "just a guy," "never blocks anybody," "not very good." These are multi-year starters, all-Big Ten players, all-Americans. So, yeah, it's a business. On top of that, to be a pro athlete you need to be a freak of nature. I claim no credit for this thought; a fellow Badger was the first to make the argument to me, but it's right on. To make it as a pro athlete -- to play a few years for league minimum (which is a lot, I will grant you) -- a guy needs to be a freak of nature. Maybe he's unnaturally large. Maybe he's unnaturally fast. Unnaturally strong. Maybe only well above average talent and size, but an unnatural work ethic, which always sounds like, "oh, he really worked hard to get here," as if it wasn't freakish that the guy could pull it off. But it is.

Thinking about all those guys who are stars in Madison, few make NFL rosters, fewer start, and the number of stars in "the League?" Minimal.

I've played a lot of sports [badly] over the years. I've played basketball with Division 1 scholarship players who are head and shoulders above anyone else I've seen. Nowhere close to NBA talent. The pitcher with the 88-mph cannon for an arm? 3-4 mph too slow. The best kid on my little league baseball team, the best my old coach said he's ever had in now 30 years, made it up to triple A and plataued. That's pretty darned good. But it's not the show. Of all the people I ever played with and against, there's been one legit pro athlete. He is a hockey player who projected as a journeyman in the NHL. Decided he'd do better if he finished school. He was right (he did better). I played with him many years after he'd abandoned serious hockey. Now approaching 50, he's still leaps and bounds better than anyone I've ever seen skate with or against him.

Anyway, I think the lesson here is stay in school and take it seriously. Even the freaks only make a living at it for a few years.

Have We Talked About Two-Tight End Sets?

2009-04-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's practice report, two items that warmed my heart. The offensive play of the day?

Zach Brown took the handoff on the counter play, following
guard Jake Bscherer and Kendricks. Bscherer wiped out one defender and both
Kendricks and Brown ran downfield untouched for about 25 yards.

Effectively playing with three tackles (Bscherer at guard) could have its advantages . . .

And spotlighting the tight ends:

Whoever ends up being the quarterback will be able to take solace in the fact
that they will be throwing to a very talented group of tight ends. As a group
they haven’t gotten a whole lot of pub this spring. Part of the reason for that
is the headliner in the group, senior Garrett Graham, is an unassuming star.
However, it doesn’t seem like offensive coordinator Paul Chryst will be taking
them for granted.
It seems as though every practice each of UW’s four tight ends come up with multiple catches. There were two that stood out today. One by Lance Kendricks, who absorbed a hit from Niles Brinkley to come up with a reception for about a 20-yard gain. Graham also picked up about 20 yards by jumping in front of safety Aubrey Pleasant, making the catch and coming down with Pleasant on his back.

The biggest item from Bielema's post-practice interview with the media:

If the season started tomorrow, Sherer would start. He's considering packages to get Phillips in the game to take advantage of his running ability, but folks, the smart money is on Sherer.

A couple of days ago, Bielema said the defense is going back to a Strong Safety, Free Safety model rather than the right side/left side idea. No word on the linebackers, but given the personnel at safety, this seems like a good idea (Valai doesn't play much like a free safety).

Announcing the Badger Sports Bar

2009-04-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

For all things Badger athletics on the internet, start at the Badger Sports Bar

Handicapping

2009-04-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

For what it's worth:

I think Dustin (Sherer) is probably playing as well as he’s ever played since he’s been here at Wisconsin. All the other guys too, Curt Phillips, Scott Tolzien and Jon Budmayr, have all made progress and they have a better understanding and feel for what they’re doing when they’re under center.

-- Bret Bielema, April 9, 2009.

Starting Offense?

2009-04-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

It seems like every day we're hearing about how good JJ Watt and Nick Toon look. Sometimes Spring sensations don't turn into Fall gold, but I'm optimistic -- it's that time of year. Ok, so take the quarterback off the table for a minute (as before I'm in the Sherer camp, based purely on what we hear) and just look at the starting 10 for the 2009 offense.

No offense to Jones, Spitz, and Ewing, but based on the talent we have, I think you're looking at fewer downs with a fullback in the backfield. I think the sets we'll see the most from Chryst will be two tight ends, two wide receivers, or three wide receivers, 1 tight end, only one tailback. See 2005 (3/1 sets) and 2006 (no healthy fullbacks, lots of 2/2 sets). I'm also thinking that we'll see a Moss/Fletcher circa '93 type split of backfield duties. Brown is the better all-around back, but Clay just brings too much to the table for him not to get the majority of the carries. It's not going to be a feature back system, though. I think we'll see about a 60/40 Clay to Brown split in snaps.

From what we're hearing Toon must be locking down a starting spot on the outside. Maybe the bigger question is who is the #1 receiver, Anderson or Gilreath. I'm sticking with Anderson, and keeping Gilreath as #3, which means lots of playing time. You have to like the flexibility you get with Graham and Kendricks (or Turner) in there. Two tight ends with traditional size and blocking ability, plus Toon's size for downfield blocking. Clay and Brown should love the opportunities they get on the ground. And with Brown in there, you're looking at a formation (the 2/2) that could run a power dive, or send 5 solid receivers into pass patterns. That can happen with both tight ends in, or Chryst can send Kendricks wide, as he has before, effectively giving the Badgers a 3/1 set with 2/2 personnel. Chryst obviously knows way more about all of this than I ever will, but I'm salivating at the possibilities.

P.S. Konz practicing with the 1st team looks more and more like a ploy to get Oglesby practicing harder. Oglesby is your starting right tackle.

And then there's the quarterback issue. So anyway, here's how I see the starting lineup, depending on whether we're 3/1 or 2/2 WRs to TEs:

Spring in the Midwest: A look around the Big Ten Football Blogosphere

2009-04-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Michigan (MGoBlog): thin defense, true-freshman quarterback. Hoping for decent improvement, not much more. http://www.mgoblog.com/content/spring-practice-tea-leaves

Penn State (Black Shoe Diaries): Defense looking nasty (shocking, right?); concern about the wide receivers and the backup quarterback. http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2009/4/5/823475/nitt-picks-is-running-like-hell

Ohio State (Buckeye Commentary and Our Honor Defend): Defense lacking stars, but under Tressel will be solid; Pryor needs to develop his passing game, needs the line to provide extra protection. http://buckeyecommentary.com/; http://www.ourhonordefend.com/2009/04/observations-from-sundays-practice.php

Iowa (Black Heart, Gold Pants): Ferentz's kid got arrested for drinking. Is there anything else?[Ed. note: Whatever, I'm sure they'll be no worse than 10-2, right?]

Michigan State (Ground Zero East Lansing, Spartans Weblog): What is this "football" you speak of? http://groundzeroeastlansing.blogspot.com/; http://www.spartansweblog.com/

Northwestern (Lake the Posts): Kafka looks good at QB. Who will surround him is an open question. http://www.laketheposts.com/2009/04/eyes-wide-open.html

Illinois (Hail to the Orange): with Juice back for his hudredth year, Benn and some other speedy guys, let's throw deep. Every down. Nothing on the defense, which may be appropriate. http://www.hailtotheorange.com/2009/3/30/814407/run-fast-catch-ball-win-il

Indiana (Crimson Quarry): This is a basketball school; someone else can talk about football (like our friends at Rivals, Esq). http://www.crimsonquarry.com/2009/3/30/815836/2009-indiana-football-spri

Minnesota (GoperHole): New coaches (Bad-ger Re-jects clap, clap, clap clap clap -- insert smiley here), new system; defense is in good shape if they can get a pass-rusher to replace VandeSteeg, wondering who will step up to help out Decker on the offense. http://www.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=973

Purdue (Boiled Sports, Hammer & Rails): quarterback dismissed for cheating, and PS we're a basketball school, too . . . at least for now. http://www.boiledsports.com/2009/04/justin-siller-we-hardly-knew-ye.html, http://www.hammerandrails.com/

Heck, while I'm at it, our other 2009 opponents:

Fresno State (Bulldog Bounce): We're a baseball school. But it fully sucks that their defensive coordinator passed away last month, only 50 years old. Also, the offense will look different than it did last year (personnel wise), and they aren't likely to be ranked when we play them. http://www.BulldogBounce.blogspot.com/

Northern Illinois (Red and Black Attack): I'm not sure what it means, but it looks like NIU will be more comfortable running than passing. http://www.redandblackattack.com/

Hawaii (uhfootball): they're fast, which is good because they run and they shoot. And they need to replace some guys on their offense. http://uhfootball.blogspot.com/

Wofford (shocking: I can't find a current blog, but they've had one at wordpress): last year they were a pretty solid FCS team. http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/tiny-wofford-college-smashes-the-university-of-tennessee-chattanooga-56-7/; also this: They have two starting quarterbacks . . . seriously. http://goupstate.us/index.php/2009/03/25/wofford-football-depth-chart-after-sprin?blog=16

The Injury Bug: Depth Concerns

2009-04-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Bad news for senior outside linebacker Erik Prather. He suffered a knee injury that likely ended his hopes to play in 2009, his last year of eligibility. Last week defensive end Louis Nzegwu was lost for the Spring (MCL). Although he should return in the fall, missing that practice will hurt. Missing practice can't compare to missing his senior year, as Prather is now likely dealing with. Both losses are tough from a depth perspective, too.

At linebacker, Bielema said he plans to move Kevin Rouse to the outside to Prather's spot on the two-deep (behind McFadden), and move Leonard Hubbard, a redshirt freshman, into Rouse's spot at middle linebacker. That means that of the 6 linebackers in the two-deep, only four have played a down at the collegiate level. While the Badgers will have enough bodies with the true freshman coming in, we will be very short on experience.

Likewise, on the defensive line we were already looking at a nearly brand new crew. With Nzegwu' knee injury, Anthony Mains and Tyler Westphal need to step up. While Nzegwu should be back in the fall, the Badgers can't afford to be thin at end. Like the linebacking corps, the incoming freshman will provide the bodies, but not the experience we need.

Here's how I project the two-deep on defense for the Spring (number corresponds to year eligibility, 4 is max; * is a 4-star recruit):

Flexibility and the Pro Style Offense

2009-04-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have said before that Wisconsin's offense (under Chryst) resembles Notre Dame's offense (under Weis), but with key personnel differences. Whereas Notre Dame has top-end quarterback talent, the Badgers have relied on a punishing rushing attack. Or at least so goes the theory. The Blue-Gray Sky, an excellent Notre Dame football blog, just published an expose of at least one of the problems with the Notre Dame offense, here.

You'll note their discussion of the packages Notre Dame runs; they look a lot like the ones we run. The three biggest under Weis have been: (1) 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB; (2) 2 WR, 2 TE, 1 RB; and (3) 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB, 1 FB. Same as us. Now this is no great revelation; those are your traditional pro sets.

The big problem BGS identifies with Notre Dame's offensive production is predictability. Sound familiar? In their case, losing the ability to field two-tight end sets made them much more predictable. Especially because no one respected their run game. That should sound familiar, too, if an inverse of our problem last year. Injuries limited our ability to field the two-tight end set, no one respected our passing game. As a result we were very predictable. The key isn’t necessarily the two-tight end set; it’s flexibility, but the two-tight end set helps create flexibility.

Oddly, 2005 may have been the panacea for both teams' offenses. The Irish had Quinn going to Stovall and Samardzija, along with Fasano at tight end and Darius Walker as the running back. All of those guys are pro athletes now (Samardzija is a Cub, but the rest are in the League, as are several of their lineman). It was a good year for the Badgers, too, with Stocco, Williams and Orr, Daniels, and Calhoun. A step down in talent at QB and WR, but pretty solid players. And what did both offenses have? Flexibility. Quality receiving threats, including at TE, quality running backs, and quality quarterbacks running the show. Just like Notre Dame, in 2005 we were versatile. Stocco threw the ball 46% of the time on first down.[i] When Stocco was dealing with 9 new starters on the offense, in 2006,[ii] he was down to passing only 40% of the time on first down.

There's another piece, hinted at above: other than the quarterback, who's on the field? From '05 to '06, Stocco lost all of his "skill position" players. Not surprisingly, even with a quality quarterback, Chryst got a little more conservative, and went to the running game a little more often, and in the passing game, it was all tight ends, all the time. Well, almost. Of the 53 passing plays I could identify the receiver, 51% were to tight ends (Beckum and Crooks), 47% to WRs (Hubbard and Swan; only 3 to backs). Contrast that with '05, when Stocco went to his receivers 57% of the time, and his other throws were evenly divided between his backs (mostly Calhoun) and his tight ends (mostly Daniels).

Moving on to 2007, Donovan is under center, and the other skill players are the same: Hubbard, Swan, Beckum, Graham (Crooks was injured most of the season) and Hill. On first down?[iii] Passing 41% of the time; about the same as Stocco with the same lineup. And Donovan's targets overall? 49% tight ends, only 41% to the receivers. The remaining 10% went to backs. Not surprising that Chryst would have a first year starter throwing more to check downs than Stocco, a three-year starter.

And then we get to 2008. Not unlike the Irish in 2008, there was only one thing we could do well: run the ball (ND couldn’t do that; they passed the ball well). Our tight ends were dinged up and our down field threat was, let’s say . . . limited. So, on first down Evridge passes only 25% of the time, and Sherer only passed 23% of the time.[iv] That’s awfully one-dimensional.

Where did the 2008 passing plays go? Evridge threw to his tight ends (54%) and his backs (9%), with just 37% of his throws to wide receivers. Sherer, in contrast, found his receivers (53%) and his tight ends 43%, with only two throws to his backs (4%). For both, a tight end was the leading receiver (Beckum, then Graham, respectively; injuries to both playing a role), but Sherer spread the ball around more to his receivers.[v] Regardless of who was catching the ball, the Badgers relied too much on the run. The lack of flexibility translated to predictability.

Which leads us to Spring 2009. Coming back to the offense may be a better set of weapons than we had in 2005. At tailback we have the punishing Clay (more fleet of foot than Hill, by a fair margin), “all-around” Zach Brown, and either Erik Smith or Montee Ball (when he matriculates in the Fall). The wide receivers are likely led by Isaac Anderson, but Nick Toon has been flashing his skills of late, David Gilreath is a big-play threat, and Kyle Jefferson isn’t far behind Toon. With Garrett Graham back along with Mickey Turner and H-backish Lance Kendricks, we’re well stocked at tight end. That’s a lot of skill on the offense by Badger football standards.

That leaves the same gaping question: the quarterback.

And that leads me back to Sherer vs. Phillips and Budmayr. We need someone who can manage a complex offense. As much as Budmayr may be a future star, a true freshman with one Spring camp under his belt, isn’t likely to do it. Not unless we want a repeat of last year’s single dimensional offense. So, Phillips and Sherer.[vi] It doesn’t come down to who throws the better spiral or who has the bigger cannon for an arm. It’s the guy that can best spread it around. He needs to understand the variety in the offense, and he needs to get the ball there.

As Bielema said the other day, Sherer has a clear advantage in understanding the offense. 2009 will be his 5th season with the Chyrst playbook vs. Phillips’s second (and last season Phillips was mostly running the scout team). That means Phillips has to be that much better than Sherer at getting the ball to his receivers.[vii] Can he be? I’d say it’s a tough hill to climb.

At this point, I’d say the odds should be on Sherer, and the fans should be happy about it. He’s already shown that he’s capable of spreading the ball around. If he can lock down a little more throwing consistency, he could be a solid game manager. And that’s all we really need to return flexibility to the Badger offense.

And two-tight end sets.

[i] Evaluating three competitive games in ’05: Michigan, Iowa, and Auburn.

[ii] Against Penn State, Arkansas, and Illinois.

[iii] Against Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa.

[iv] When not in the 2-minute drill. Evridge is against Fresno State and Ohio State; Sherer is against Illinois and Minnesota.

[v] Keeping in mind that these statistics are just from two competitive games, it’s tough to extrapolate too much, but in those games Sherer found Graham 14 times, Anderson 11 times, Gilreath 9, and Beckum 6 (who didn’t play against Minnes0ta). Evridge was more reliant on Beckum (who wouldn’t be). Against Ohio State he went to all the wide receivers a total of seven times (or at least got the ball close enough for them to be identified as the intended target), but he went to Beckum 8 times; Kendricks and Turner 4 more, then 3 more to Hill (all 3 incomplete). Against Fresno State, even with Beckum dinged up, Evridge went to him 7 times; Graham 4. Again, not much to the receivers: Anderson once, Gilreath x3, Jefferson x2, and Moore x2.

This isn’t entirely fair to Evridge. With two healthy tight ends, against Illinois, Sherer mostly used them (Graham x10, Beckum x6 vs. Gilreath x4 and Anderson x2). When he was down to only one nominally first stringer (Graham), he spread the ball around to all the receivers (Anderson x9, Gilreath x5, Toon x4 vs. Graham x4 and Hill x2).

[vi] It’s unfair that I’m not including Tolzien, but I have yet to see a report that indicates he’s a serious contender to start.

[vii] Phillips’ running ability is nice, but we have capable backs and we don’t run a spread option.

Notes from Bielema

2009-04-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

Coach Bielema gave an enlightening interview to the Big Ten Network, below. Some things of note:
(1) Sherer is in the lead. He says so specifically. Something I noticed about the quarterback discussion in 2007 and 2008? Bielema and Chryst both gave direct answers that were prescient about who would start. With Donovan, he had an understanding of the playbook and toughness, whereas Evridge needed more consistency. Then with Evridge it was experience, but everyone needed to be more consistent (then experience wasn't getting it done). All of that was absolutely true.

Bielema's doing the same things. (1) Sherer has the "upper hand" and has taken a big step forward this Spring. (2) Notice the paucity of remarks about Phillips. The only thing he says is that the Spring start last year helped him; nothing about what he's doing right. (3) Tolzein does certain things well, but isn't flexible: i.e., doesn't read defenses, breakdowns well. (4) Budmayr? Looks good. Seriously, we aren't starting a true freshman.

Bielema tells us what he's thinking, really. I'll be moderately surprised if Sherer isn't the starter in the fall.

Some other things? He was more positive about Clay than Settle was a week ago. Still, expect Brown to get around 40% of the carries. He's more versatile, and Clay's size won't allow him to take many more than 60% of the carries.

Oglesby vs. Konz? This is the big battle that's suprising folks (Bscherer is firmly planted at guard). A by-line in an article in the Journal Sentinel, and now Bielema's comments to BTN? Ok, maybe. Taking a wild guess, the coaches think Oglesby isn't working hard enough and they're pushing him to work harder. As long as he responds, he's still the right tackle.

There's been a lot of emphasis on the change in the conditioning program. I like big, strong football players. What I'm hoping is that we have a defense that isn't gassed in the second half. That's been a consistent theme over the years under Bielema. It needs to end.

The team is practicing turnovers. That's a good thing. It was a major problem last season, so I'm happy to hear the coaching staff is addressing it.

Finally, no more weakside or strongside linebackers. Like the safeties and also the ends, the defense will be playing left and right, not strong and weak. Apparently this is part of the recognition of how things need to change to defend the spread.

Here's the interview:

But Seriously . . . J.J. Watt

2009-04-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

For those looking for news on Phillips (real news, that is), here's a good find by the Journal Sentinel.

In other news, it sounds like we're going to see a lot of JJ Watt on the defensive line over the next few years. He's getting rave review after rave review. Here's UW's introduction to him. I'm a hockey player, myself, so his stock just soared in my book. More important than a sport he gave up when he was 13, let's hope he causes as much havoc in our opponents backfield as he seems to do in our practices.

On the substantive side of things, here's what the UW editors thought to put in Spring Pratice Report #3 about JJ:

Defensive Play of the Day
With the pads finally on, it was a chance for both the offensive and defensive lines to go live and the first chance for observers to catch a glimpse of the new faces on both sides of the ball going at full speed. One of those faces, one that the coaches have talked about a lot, was sophomore J.J. Watt. He wasted little time showing why the coaches are excited about him.
A portion of practice was reserved for “inside drills,” basically offense vs. defense without wide receivers and defensive backs. It consists of both lines, linebackers and running backs and features exclusively running plays. On each of the first two plays, Watt came off his block to make the play either at or behind the line of scrimmage. Then, on the first play of full team drills (11-on-11), Watt again beat his blocker to make the stop on running back John Clay behind the line of scrimmage.

Breaking Announcement: New Quarterback, New System

2009-04-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

For those people who think that Barry Alvarez still has tight control over "his" football program, today's expected announcement should put that talk to rest.

Everyone has been waiting with baited breath to learn more about the quarterback situation, and the answer has leaked out. Curt Phillips is your new starter. But that's not all. One of the last vestiges of the Big Ten's three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust reputation is going by the wayside. After a hush-hush meeting with the coaching staff, we've learned that Paul Chryst is stepping down as offensive coordinator to pursue other options outside of the program. The new offensive coordinator appears to be Nevada's Chris Klenakis, who Bielema is bringing in to institute his version of the spread option, the Pistol offense that Nevada has used to light up the scoreboard for the last few years.

Although there isn't yet an official announcement, it is expected soon. The spread option, especially one that makes use of running back dives the way the Pistol does, looks like a solid move for the Badgers. Phillips came in a touted "athletic" quarterback who can make plays with his legs. Lining up behind him with Clay turns the Pistol into a Colt .45, as it were. Likewise, the spread may make better use of Gilreath's speed and compensate some for his shorter stature, and with high caliber tight ends, Phillips could have some great options to work with. With less experience than year's past on the offensive line, and a little less weight, this appears to be the perfect opportunity to bring in the new system, taking advantage of Moffitt's athleticism at center, and effectively playing with three tackles (Oglesby, Bscherer, and Carimi).

Presumably message boards the Badger nation round will rejoice at the news: a highly touted quarterback recruit running an exciting new offense? The "Colt .45" -- a spread packing a serious kick (Clay and the Big Uglies) -- could give the Badgers the most potent offense Madison has seen since Ron Vanderkellen roamed the backfield with Pat Richter at "split end."

And yes . . . April Fool's.

Rolling Along Through Spring Practice

2009-03-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

First, tracking Potrykus's comments, I'm sticking with my obscenely early snap decision that Sherer will be the starter. And I'm ok with that.

The Sentinel's (unattributed, but got to believe it's Potrykus's) latest practice report has some good info in it. From the sound of things, expect Toon as a starting wide receiver. It's good to hear that Jefferson is doing something to reduce his exposure to further concussions, but with the solid reports Toon is getting, I'm assuming he'll be the first on the field (with Anderson). As I said the other day, I think 3 WRs will be a pretty common set for the Badgers, with a TE rather than a fullback. That's where Gilreath will come in, I think. On the other hand, with Mickey Turner flashing some skills in practice, Chryst may have a tough decision whether to go that way, or two tight ends, which might give him as many weapons receiving, and better versatility running. Either way, don't expect to see our new fullbacks (Jones, Ewing, and Spitz) on the field as often as you saw Pressley and Rentmeester last season.

Two more notes from the report: it sounds like the DBs are playing pretty well (also here), and Pat Hughes, a walk-on, will be the back-up kicker with Fischer off to Cornell (Potrykus asks Bielema about it on video; also an interesting discussion of the DBs, including focus on Otis Merrill who remains buried in the depth chart).

Speaking of the secondary, another note from the JS gives a little background on the Shane Carter "incident" that kept him out of the bowl (not academics, as I previously misstated). Also, Potrykus reiterates what Coach Cooks said last week, that the safeties will play one side and the other, but not a traditional strong and free safety. In the back of my head that worries me a little re Valai, who's height might be a liability in a free safety-type role -- on the other hand, it's probably a liability no matter what. Despite that, he got consistently better last year, and I expect will do the same this year.

JJ Watt sounds like the real deal at DT. I remain not terribly concerned about the d-line.

Badgerbeat reiterates what Coach Settle had to say about John Clay: lose weight, understand the playbook. Clay has been up around 250, but needs to get to 240, preferably a little lower than that. I've got to believe Clay will stay at #1 on the depth chart, but if he doesn't get a better handle on the playbook, we'll see more of Zach Brown. Not a bad thing. Zach can play.

It's a Business

2009-03-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying Chris Pressley's blogging for the Journal Sentinel about his efforts to make the NFL. He's a smart guy, a hard worker, and everyone in Badger Nation should wish him all the best. Here's his latest installment.

One thing you can take away from this? College football is a lot of things, including a money maker for the athletic department. It's not a business. Not like the League is. Just reading Pressley's notes you start to get a feel for the business influence. The NFL is great football, but it sure isn't just a bunch of guys out playing football for the love of the game.

Nick Sheridan Breaks Leg

2009-03-25T18:02:00.001-07:00

Michigan quarterback Nick Sheridan apparently broke his leg yesterday in practice. Conventional wisdom was already that true freshman Tate Forcier was the starting quarterback for the Fall. Now there's no doubt.

Let's hope the Badgers don't have any similar injuries this Spring.

Chryst Knows

2009-03-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Solid comments from Chryst on the quarterback situation yesterday here (about 1 minute in).

QB is the key and it's what he's focused on.

Also, interesting comment at the end about using what you have. Don't be surprised to see a lot of two-tight end sets and more 3 WR, 1 TE sets than we did the last two years.

Spring Bloom: Notes from BB's Presser

2009-03-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Some quick hitters out of the opening press conference for the Spring:

Of note on the depth chart: Bsherer moved to left guard to help shore up the lack of depth there. We could have a very athletic line, but a very green second string. On the defensive line Garner and Grimes, both likely not in the two-deep, but good for depth . . . not anymore. They are out of the program.

Backup kicker Fisher is gone to Cornell. Frankly it's hard to see how that's a bad move for him.

Likely the 1st and 2nd string fullbacks (Jones and Ewing) are out for the spring with injuries. Mo Moore and Jay Valai will miss some practice due to recent surgeries. Tyler Westphal is also going to miss the Spring, which isn't good news for a developing young talent at defensive end.

Mario Goins is still in academic trouble with Bret and won't practice this Spring. Similarly Shane Carter is on thin ice. Pretty clear that Henry and Brinkley will be the starters at corner unless something surprising happens. If Goins and Carter don't make the grade, as it were, it's going to hurt the previously expected depth in the backfield quite a bit.

Clay needs to slim down. But not too much; he's always going to be a load to carry.

Toon and Jefferson are sprinting with the track team and Bielema likes what it's doing for their attitudes.

Finally, based on Potrykus's thoughts on the quarterbacks yesterday, and looking at a ridiculously quick snap decision (subject to change daily), I'm throwing my hat in the Sherer corner. Consistent is what we need, much more than "athletic," and I'm just not willing to call for a true freshman who hasn't played competitively in over a year.

5 Questions for Spring Practice? How About 3 . . .

2009-03-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Men's basketball survived longer than expected, but they're done. Men's hockey came in third in the WCHA regular season and tournament, but that wasn't good enough to make the dance, and the women have established their dynasty. So let's get back to football, with Spring practice kicking off tomorrow:

It seems fashionable to ask 5 questions for spring practice, and I guess, if pressed, I can come up with five, but I think there are really three critical questions:

(1) Who is the quarterback? Really, this is the only question. All else pales in comparison. If ESPN is reporting on it, you know that it's common knowledge. As the quarterback goes, so go the Badger fortunes in 2009. Sherer? Phillips? Tolzein isn't really in the equation, is he? Budmayr? No. Not as a true freshman who hasn't taken a competitive snap in over a year. The coaches' video on the quarterbacks: here.

(2) How do the new folks look in our defensive front seven? Largely new defensive line and a complete reshuffling at linebacker (McFadden is back, but in a new position).

(3) Can our receivers hang onto the ball? Last year there were dropsies all over the field. To give the offense the diversity Chryst so badly wants, we need receivers who hang onto the ball.

By my count, those are the three big questions.

For those of you who really want five, (4) how does Henry look at corner? Recovered? (5) How do the semi-new faces on the offensive line look?

But don't kid yourself even with three questions, it's all about the quarterback.

Here is Potrykus's version.

Dynasty

2009-03-22T16:05:00.001-07:00

The Badgers women's hockey team won their third national title in four years. Led by all-American Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Alicia Matthews, Captain Erika Lawler, and the NCAA's top player, goaltender Jessie Vetter, the Badgers left no doubt with a 5-0 finals win over Mercyhurst. The Badgers rolled through the NCAA tourney outscoring the competition 17-1 capping a season with only two losses. Seniors Vetter, Lawler, Matthews, Rachel Bible, Kayla Hagen and Angie Keseley have been there for all three national titles. Coached by Mark Johnson, himself one of the Badgers' all-time greats, with a men's NCAA title as a player, two goals in the Miracle on Ice victory over the Russians in 1980, a two-time NHL all-star with over 300 career goals, now coach of three women's NCAA titles, and the 2010 U.S. Women's National Team Coach, there's very little not to like about this team. Many, many congratulations to the dynasty in Madison.

UW Release College Hockey Online Release

Nice video intro to the team here; UW will surely release a 2008-09 highlight video soon.

The Kaz Meow

2009-03-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Badger goaltender Jessie Vetter: best women's player in the NCAA:

Vetter wins Patty Kazmaier

UW's announcement

Basketball Tourney: On Second Thought . . .

2009-03-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've been kind of down on the NCAA tourney this year. Not that interested. Too many teams that don't belong. Frankly 64 teams is just too many. Among those 64, there's no way the Badgers are a national title team, so why should they (among many others) be playing in the tourney for the national title? It's a fun event, but it's a ridiculous way to chose a champion. Maybe even more so than the way they do in football. Anyway, that's not the point here. The point is, I've been disinterested.

So it's halftime of the Badger game and the announcers have decided Wisconsin sucks and doesn't belong, nor, for that matter, does the rest of the Big Ten. All of the sudden I cared again.

I was stuck at work, then coming home checking the score on my blackberry. It went to overtime as I was getting on my bike from the train station, so like any true fan I checked the score while I was riding (real safe, I know).

So all I have to say now, in sum, is . . .

HELL YEAH!!

Why Wisconsin?

2009-03-20T10:11:00.001-07:00

It's a good year to adopt the women's hockey team. First, they are gunning for their 3rd national title in four years. Second, with a win today they could become the first program to go to four straight national finals.

Update: With a 5-1 thrashing of UM-D, the Badgers are in the finals.

Third, the ladies "get" Wisconsin. Really. Senior captain Erika Lawler, from Massachusetts:

"It's a very proud school," said Lawler. "You go there, and everyone's really proud to be a Wisconsin Badger. Definitely the school's pride is a cool, cool thing, a unique thing that Wisconsin has."

"Wisconsin people go all out in their sports, everyone's really into it and just fully invested in their sports and very supportive there. They have an unbelievable atmosphere. It's such a fun environment to be a part of while you're there and while you're living in it."

Meaghan Duggan, also from Massachusetts:
"I didn't know much about the school," Duggan said. "They fly you out for your official visit and I was kind of starstruck. It's an unbelievable campus, it's a beautiful city, I love Madison. They won the national championships the year before I got there. I knew the hockey was a powerhouse and it's just an unbelievable university."

"Anyone that goes out to Madison and gets the tour on the University of Wisconsin campus is going to think the same thing. I heard from a bunch of people from home that they didn't go out there because they were afraid they'd never come back."

"I guess that happened to me. It's hard to leave home and be away from my family but it was definitely the right decision for me."

Same for me. Ok, I didn't have an official visit and wasn't playing any sport (let alone one that just won a national title), and I enjoyed the independence of being far away from home, but on my first visit I saw the same thing: the University really is a special place. Nice to see these lady Badgers represent us so well.

Go Badgers.

I like the news feed feature, got this from here.

Badger Hockey Friday

2009-03-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so the men are playing basketball tomorrow, too.

Update: no NCAA tourney for the men after losing the WCHA semi to Denver. Tough to miss the tourney. Time to pull for the ladies.

Lest you forget, the Badger men's hockey team is playing in the WHCA semi-final vs. Denver. Defenseman Jamie McBain just won the WCHA player of the year award and was named as a top 10 finalist for the NCAA's Hobey Baker (MVP) award. Had the men been a touch more consistent this season, they wouldn't be fighting for their NCAA tourney lives, but they weren't, so they are. A win over Denver won't guarantee anything, but it's a necessary step to keep their NCAA hopes alive. They will need Connelly's best in net and will need to avoid the scoring droughts that haunted them at critical times throughout the regular season.

The women are legit national title contenders, and play in the NCAA semi-final against Minnesota-Duluth. The Badger women have a slight edge in the season series, at 2-1-2, but as that tells you, these teams are evenly matched. They basically need the same thing the men do, solid goaltending and goals (funny, but that's a common theme for how to win hockey games: score more than the other guys), but unlike the men, they consistently get both. In net, Jessie Vetter is one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier (MVP) award, and the Badgers had three skaters in the running, too (with two forwards making the final 10).

The Case For Phillips

2009-03-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

(1) Mr. Tennessee Football.
(2) Better legs than Sherer
(3) Let's not kid ourselves, Sherer was the guy who couldn't beat out Evridge in the fall last year.
(4) Time

Sure, he'd have some growing pains, but isn't the time for annually having a new quarterback under center over? Maybe he'd be a little rough around the edges, but he's got a solid supporting cast. Moreover, look at their eligibility. Anderson, Gilreath, Toon, Kendricks, Clay . . . all have at least two years left. The offense will only lose two players after the 2009 season to eligibility: Bscherer (who may not even start over Oglesby), and Graham (who is a big loss anyway you cut it). Wouldn't it be nice to have some continuity for the rest of the offense. Can you imagine the potential for that offense in 2010?

And again, it's not as though Sherer was lighting things up last season. Potrykus says you've gotta play for today, not for next year, but this quarterback derby has to end. It's been terrible for the Chryst offense.

The backup is always the fan favorite. To be honest, the case isn't overwhelming for Phillips. However . . .

At the end of the day, if Sherer isn't comfortably ahead of Phillips at the end of the Spring, shouldn't Phillips enter the Fall number one?

PS: ESPN blogger's *probing* interview with Bielema here (I thought BB didn't like bloggers?).

Why Sherer Should Start

2009-03-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Budmayr? Folks he didn't even play last season as a senior in high school, and some are talking about him starting as a true freshman? Uh, no.

So, Phillips or Sherer. The fan money is on Phillips, right? Phillips was Mr. Tennessee. You know: talent, SEC speed, the whole deal. Sherer will be a 5th year senior who won the starting job last season after Evridge cratered in the first 2-1/2 Big Ten games. Remember the Champs Sports Bowl? Pretty ugly, right? I'm not so sure.

First, do we really want a redshirt freshman starting with the team we're going to send out. We have one of the better (and complimentary) running tandem's the Badgers have had, we have outstanding tight ends, and more experience at wide receiver than we've had in three years, and our line is in pretty decent shape, despite the new starters in three spots. Wouldn't solid quarterback play go a long way to making this a highly efficient offense?

So Sherer wasn't exactly an all-American last year, but he was also thrown in mid-season, having spent the better part of the fall taking limited snaps in practice. He made some great plays against Illinois, Michigan State, and Minnesota. Even against Florida State he made some fantastic throws (in the first half he hit Graham for an amazing 3rd down play inside our own 10). He appears to have a better arm than either Evridge or Donovan. In addition, more so than any quarterback since Stocco in his junior year, Sherer found open wide receivers. He spread the ball around better than Donovan, and better even than Stocco in his senior year. The '09 offense is built to keep the bad guys off balance by spreading the ball around.

Did he make some mistakes? Sure, but is that a big surprise for a guy who's just now starting? Did he learn some lessons? You bet he did. Lessons Phillips would have to learn this season. In addition, he's been in the Chryst system for five years, and he's taken a lot of meaningful snaps and reps. Phillips spent last season on the practice squad, so he's not nearly as well immersed in how the Chryst offense works.

Do we really want a redshirt freshman starting? Wouldn't it be nice to get Phillips a full year as the back-up quarterback so that his sophomore year (by eligibility) he can step in with three full years ahead of him, and a full year behind him practicing in Chryst's system?

That's the argument for Sherer. Don't be surprised if he comes out of camp at the number 1 spot on the depth chart. It might well be for the best.

Spring 2-Deep: Best Guesses

2009-03-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

The Badgers haven't released the Spring depth chart yet, but here's my best guess at how the 2-deep will look. As before, the number corresponds to their eligibility (1=freshman, whether redshirt or true; 4=senior, including 5th years), and an asterisk means a highly touted (i.e. 4 or 5 "star") recruit (for some reason Clay is missing his, but whatever, you all know who he is). On offense things look very good everywhere except depth at guard, and the now annual questionmark at quarterback (and yes, I'm projecting the two new receiver recruits to get playing time, though obviously not this Spring). Also, obviously I've got three receiver positions, along with a tight end and a fullback, so 12 players here on offense. I think that better represents the potential for what Chryst is working with, as does including four tight ends because I think 2-tight end sets will continue to be a common package.

The defense is a little less experienced up front, but thinking back to the work these guys have done, I'm thinking this will be a solid, though probably not spectacular, crew.

Spring Preview: Receivers Coming of Age?

2009-03-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

That's even how UW titled their Spring preview for this crew (all UW Spring Content here). And that's the bottom line: will a group of talented guys realize their potential. David Gilreath became the most uttered name among the receivers last year after turning in some big plays. He is straight line fast and quick, but needs to catch the balls thrown his way. With his smaller size, in a perfect world he would be a slot receiver in a 3-wide set.

I'm an Isaac Anderson fan. He has good size, good speed, and good hands. Among the current crop of receivers he has the biggest immediate upside and at least some people thought of he had the best pure talent coming in as a recruit. Coming off an injury the year before, he has two years of eligibility left. If the guy under center is good, Anderson can become a real star.

The third receiver is probably the toughest call. Kyle Jefferson started his freshman campaign in part due to Anderson's injuries. He has played well, but drops too many passes. Unfortunately, Jefferson suffered a concussion his freshman year, and again last season, in addition to other injuries. Concussions aren't something to be trifled with, so Jefferson's role may be limited. Given the opportunity to step in last season, Nick Toon played well, if not exceptionally well. He, like practically every other receiver in the corps, needs to do a better job catching balls thrown his way. However, with his size and speed, Toon has a lot of potential, and three more years to realize it. Fans are excited about Toon's NFL-sized pedigree, which is nice, but it's plays he makes, not the ones his dad made, that will make or break him for the Badgers.

Mo Moore and Daven Jones are both fighting back from injuries and will be limited in the Spring. They, too, have solid upside, but are understandably further down the depth chart. With true-freshman Appleton and Duckworth coming in, as well as redshirt freshman TJ Williams, and contributing fifth-year senior TJ Theus back for a final round, there should be plenty of depth on the outside for the Badgers.

I honestly believe Anderson, Toon, and Gilreath (with Jefferson thrown in) could be one of the best sets of starters the Badgers have had. The depth behind them is an added bonus. The key for that to happen is twofold:

(1) to catch the darn ball; and
(2) a quarterback who gets them the ball routinely

Seriously, this Badger offense has a ton of potential. It all hinges on the quarterback . . .

Spring Preview: DBs

2009-03-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

Defensive Backs

One word to describe the Badger defensive backfield headed into the Spring? Depth. At safety there are three players with a year-plus of starting experience. Big-hitting Valai is the obvious starter at strong safety, but Pleasant continues to push him and played well in the second half last season. You can't teach height, and that's always a concern with Valai. Free safety is a little tougher to sort out. Shane Carter looked to be a star two years ago, but it hasn't happened yet. Transfer Chris Maragos pushed him for playing time last season, replacing him as the starter for a while. They will continue to battle. Carter looks like he has more raw talent, but in his 5th season, he needs to capitalize on it to hold off Maragos's determined push for the starting spot.

At the corners Aaron Henry returning -- as long as his knee really is fully recovered -- is good news, giving at least the potential for a true lock-down corner. Goins began last season as the starter, but after he went down to injury Niles Brinkley played well. They will battle hard for the starting spot, with one likely becoming the nickel back. I suspect Goins will regain his starting spot, but coach Cooks won't hesitate to go with Brinkley.

Devin Smith and Anthony Fenelus were special teams contributors who are expected to round out the two-deep at the corner spots, and the coaching staff is looking at Otis Merrill as an additional contributor. All have potential, but are unlikely to challenge for the starting positions in 2009.

Looking at a backfield that reads Goins, Valai, Maragos, Henry is reassuring, if not earth shattering. This crew, and their backups, will take a little pressure off of the mostly new defensive line on passing downs. Still, when facing elite receivers, one wonders if they will be able to keep pace.

I Don't Believe In Jinxes: Post-Season

2009-03-17T11:01:00.001-07:00

Well, I don't believe that some random fan out in California can say something that somehow jinxes our athletic teams in Wisconsin.

The Badger hockey team still has a shot at the NCAA tourney without winning the WCHA tourney. Number one, they need to beat Denver in the WCHA semifinal. Then a whole bunch of other stuff has to fall just right. So it's still possible, but not likely. The problem is even teams that aren't playing any longer can get a boost in the pairwise rankings (which are very good at predicting NCAA tourney invites) when the teams they have played win. Because of that, the only sure bet is to win the WCHA tourney. So let's pull for that. It only requires 2 upsets, folks.

Along those lines, this Florida State match-up in the basketball tourney seems doable. Truth be told, though, this is a football blog and I don't know a thing about Florida State basketball (but I do know that 12/5 upsets aren't uncommon in hoops; oh, and I know we should have played them better in football). Assuming a win over FSU, everyone seems ok with the likely second round match-up with Xavier, although that strikes me as likely major conference bias. Of course I'd like to see the Badgers go far, but, seriously, there's no way they are one of the best 16 teams in the country. They just aren't. Get there and I'll be very happy for them and cheering them on, but that would just be an example of how strange the outcomes in the NCAA basketball tourney can be. You could say the same thing about the men's hockey team making their tournament.

On the other hand, our women's hockey team is a legit national title contender. Semifinals this Friday vs. UM-D (three WCHA squads, with Minnesota in the other semi, in the Frozen Four!). Go Badgers! Good goaltending is the key to playoff hockey and so far Patty Kazmaier finalist Jessie Vetter (video, and yes, the athletic department LOVES that song for highlight videos), who sounds like a someone who could shred on the lead guitar, has proven up to the task (1.33 GAA is just sick!).

Tuesdays with Barry?

2009-03-17T10:55:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty cool little fluff piece from the athletic department *interviewing* Barry about the seniors on the men's basketball team. For the first in the series, talking about other UW coaches, go to the UW audiovisual page.

In other news, PJ . . . well, others have said what needs to be said.

Spring Preview: Tight Ends

2009-03-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

This just in: we're stacked at tight end. Graham is a possible All-American, Kendricks has Beckum-like potential (came in as a highly-recruited wide receiver), and Turner would start at tight end for most schools.

The question here isn't quality. Rather it's can the Badgers avoid the slew of injuries that hit the tight end corps last season? If they do, look out. Chryst will come at the opposition with all kinds of clever uses for his tight ends. This year shapes up to be another step towards making UW the new Tight End U.

Pre/Post Season

2009-03-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today the post season begins for the men's basketball and hockey teams. The roundballers start with Ohio State in the Big Ten tourney, and on the ice the Badgers take on Minnesota State (Mankato) at the Kohl Center. Both likely need wins to get to the NCAA tourney. For the hockey team, they will need more than just winning this series with Mankato.

The top-seeded women's hockey team hosts Dartmouth to start the NCAA tourney tomorrow.

It goes without saying, but . . . Go Badgers! On Wisconsin!

Of course, this is a football blog, so we're in the pre-season. UW put up its linebacker preview today. As previously noted, Culmer St. Jean will move to middle linebacker, with Jaevery McFadden moving to the strong side. Blake Sorensen is the most likely starter on the weak side. I'm pretty comfortable with those three as the starters. St. Jean has been well regarded, but unlearned, from the start. With several years under his belt, the learning shouldn't be a problem any longer (and didn't look like it was his extensive action in the last two games last season). McFadden is moving to his more natural position on the outside.

The bigger concern, especially with the news that Hodge isn't coming back, is depth. Yes, everyone's excited about Rouse's talent, and we hear good things about Taylor, Hubbard, and Prather, but there isn't much experience there (practically none outside of special teams). Of the true freshman coming in, O'Neill and Fenton got the most press, but neither of them is likely ready to go this coming Fall.

In short, the problem with the linebackers isn't talent, it's depth.

On the plus side, the defense is much healthier this Spring than it was last year. Hopefully that pays dividends.

Spring Previews

2009-03-12T18:21:00.001-07:00

As we're about two weeks from Spring practice starting, UW has begun releasing pre-Spring position previews. So far they've put up the offensive line, defensive line, and running backs.

Of note, reshirt freshman Peter Konz has been switched from defense to offensive guard for this year. Line coach Bostad says Konz, Zeitler, and Current will compete for the left guard spot. Interesting battle shaping up for right tackle between Bscherer and Oglesby who have both seen significant time on the field at tackle. Current looks to be the backup center, but that hasn't prevented players from starting at guard before. Guard depth still looks like an issue. In sum, Carimi says (in the video UW offers) "We're mean." A lot meaner than years past, or so he says. That should be interesting . . .

For the defensive line, no big surprises. One change is it looks like Dan Moore will move from end to tackle. Transfer J.J. Watt, after sitting out last season, is getting a lot of attention for serious playing time this fall. In no particular order, Schofield, Kelly, Nzegwu and Mains are the likely two-deep at end, with Moore, Watt, Stehle, and Butrym likely the same for the tackle spots.

No surprises at running back, either. Clay, Brown, then the young guys. Concerns about depth, however, appear overstated. Fullback? It looks like this blind squirrel found a nut when predicting that Dex Jones might just be our next starting fullback. A little surprise is that Brady Ewing might be in the mix at fullback rather than halfback, as will walk-on Sam Spitz. Reading Coach Settle's comments, maybe the offense plans to use the fullback a little more to catch the ball out of the backfield? (In 2008, the Badgers completed one pass to a fullback.)

Although the Badgers haven't posted a quarterback preview yet, ESPN ran a little piece on Chryst's latest quarterback derby -- as basically everyone knows -- the biggest question heading into the Spring. Other than the puzzling statement that Budmayr was the Badgers' biggest quarterback recruit in years (1 year after the higher-rated, Mr. Tennessee Football, Phillips?),* the article seems pretty spot on.

You can find all of UW's Spring rundowns here.

Not to be overlooked, as Scott Tappa noted (as well as the media outlets), Elijah Hodge, Xavier Harris, and James Stallons won't return with the Badgers. Hodge will graduate in May and will forego his 5th year of eligibility in Madison. Harris's back has never sufficiently recovered from injury. His playing days are over, but he's on track to graduate (still on scholarship) next year. Stallons? With Phillips and Budmayr on the younger end of things and Tolzein and Sherer on the older, maybe he just didn't figure to get much playing time. Or maybe it was something else . . . ?

Harris and Hodge will both be missed for the depth they provided. Good for them for taking their education seriously. Both are pretty high profile examples of the injury bug ending bright prospects in football.

* Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about Budmayr's potential, too.

The Chryst Manifesto

2009-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Having proven my own limitations as a blogger, what follows is the Chyrst Manifesto, a study of the Badger offense, 2005 to present . . . as a series of jpegs. You should be able to click on each to enlarge and read or print it . . . (ps typos and editing mistakes are included for free!)

Scheduling Outrage? Not Really.

2009-02-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

So we've scheduled another FCS (D-1AA) opponent, South Dakota, for 2011. And there's outrage from the loyal fans. "Oh, how can we compete for national titles?" "Bielema should be canned." "Can't we get another Pac-10 team?" "The MAC?" "We chickened out of Virginia Tech." "We were scared to schedule Texas!" "We should play all ten Big Ten teams" (never mind the math).

Please. The FCS games replace overpriced mid-major "talent." No one ever liked playing the mid-majors, either. They were always "beneath us," too. They became too expensive so the big kids around the NCAA flexed a little muscle. "You want a cool million for a one-off at our house? Sorry, no. We'll go get ~~Cal Poly~~ Wofford for half that (or whatever it is)."

Those second rate games get us better bowls. I'm ok with that. They also make the athletic department more money. I'm ok with that, too. Some of you don't want to go watch the Wofford game? You're not going to cancel your season tickets over it; let someone else go in your place.

My understanding is that Alvarez wants one "travel" game a year for the alumni and the players (Las Vegas, California, Hawaii, etc.), one "good" game for rankings purposes (a solid BCS team, or a Fresno State type), and some home moneymakers, e.g., FCS or cheap mid-majors. Makes sense to me.

Crying about missing out on Texas? Get over it. We got nothing in that proposed deal (for 2009). We gave up a home game (ticket sales are the lifeblood of the program), travel to Austin for a likely loss, which hurts us more than beating Wofford does (lower ranking, fewer wins, lower bowl, less media attention, less money -- gee, looks like a real winner), and Texas backs out of the return game four years later because, well, they can make a bunch of money by staying at home and playing Chattanooga. If Texas will negotiate with us on close to even terms, that deal can happen. If not, I'm happy playing ASU, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, etc. Oh, but we won't be a national title contender? I'm sorry, when was the last time we were? Let's try winning the Big Ten again before we worry about contending for national titles.

As for VaTech? I've written about that before. It was the right decision. Folks who think it wasn't are delusional. That is, unless you really like playing for the shot at the Insight or Champs Sports bowls.

Power Running? Studying the Myth

2009-02-26T08:43:00.001-08:00

I keep hearing about how the Badgers are a power running team. I'm working on an effort to determine if that's true. Based on the games I've looked at, the Badgers ran nearly 80% of the time on first down in 2008. Sounds like power running.

What I've looked at from 2005 through 2007, the Chryst directed offense ran less than 60% of the time on 1st and ten.

Folks, the quarterback matters.

Much more to come.

Pre Draft Notes

2009-02-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

An offensive line video that starts out with some nice comments and looks at Kraig Urbik, here. As it turns out, is he the best Badger in the draft? With Kemp next? Beckum does a lot of things nicely (including leading tight end prospects in the bench press), but isn't a traditional tight end. Casillas is speedy, but undersized. Levy has the right size, but is he athletic enough for the next level? Shaughnessy? Hill . . .

I'd love to see all of these guys do well, but the current Badger class looks to rely on the linemen for it's quality (and Beckum should be a solid role player).

Badger Day in Florida

2009-02-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Journal Sentinel's blog links a nice article from the Naples News on the Badger Day (29th Annual) talk that Barry and Bret gave yesterday in Naples. The big news is Bielema announced Culmer St. Jean (a Florida product) would start at middle linebacker next season. While this is a change from McFadden, it's not a big surprise. The Badger coaching staff has been excited about St. Jean's progress for a while now and it was near a lock that he'd be in the starting lineup. McFadden will likely still play, probably on the strong side, with Sorenson on the weak side.

Some other interesting comments in the article, but I particularly liked hearing the coach and AD emphasizing academics and citizenship. The guys at Wisconsin need to be student athletes. Just this morning I was discussing with a friend what happens to all the guys who aren't playing on Sundays; it's most of them. That degree is important, and it starts with arriving prepared as a Freshman, as Bielema and Alvarez stressed.

More On Recruiting and Expectations

2009-02-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Good find by Scott Tappa over at Badgercentric on recruiting. It shouldn't come as a big surprise, but the Badgers are among the best at turning average recruits into winning football teams. We have the biggest positive spread in the Big Ten between win rankings and recruit rankings over the last four years. That's the good news (here's a link to the article he's discussing). Also worth pointing out, the three teams ahead of Wisconsin in these rankings all play in the Big East. I have a hard time viewing the Big East on the same level as any of the other BCS conferences. Maybe that's unfair, but it's how I see it.

The bad news is that "elite" teams recruit better than we do, and win more often. Here is Scout's take on recruit rankings vs. winning % and AP ranking (which I would argue is the more relevant number because it weights strength of schedule) for 2004 to 2008. Of course, I think one should really stagger the years considered for recruiting vs. ranking. How about take the AP rankings for 4 years after the recruit rankings. That way you capture the team in the recruits' 4th and 5th years. The San Diego Union Tribune did one of the better pieces on this, here. The AP's entry staggers a little, as reported on doublextrapoint (a Nebraska blog; the AP has taken the story down).This is a pretty good article from North Carolina.

Bottom line? You don't need to be a top recruiting school to have a very good program, but you probably do need to be a top recruiting school to join the college football elite.

I had the great fortune to be on campus when Barry made us matter to the football world, but I'm not one of those fans who won't be happy until we're winning national titles. I think a good bowl game with the occasional Rose Bowl is enough (don't get me wrong, I'd love a national title). Heck, that would basically put us on par with Michigan (and we tend to win those Rose Bowls!). And that's how I will rate Bielema: can he keep winning the way Barry did? So far? The jury is out. Year 1 was great, year 2 was ok, year 3 was disappointing (to say the least), but Barry had those years (and runs), too.

Again, I may be the Pollyanna in the crowd, but I'm seeing a solid season for the Cardinal and White come this fall. Our recruiting is good enough, and I haven't yet jumped the Bielema ship.

Rumor Mill: Texas

2009-02-17T10:37:00.001-08:00

Two items from the rumor wire:
(1) the Badgers won't travel to Austin in '09, but the schools are still working on a home-and-home deal. Landing a home-and-home with such a high profile opponent is tough for schools in the Badgers' tier of football competition (consistently good, not elite), so this would be a coup if Barry lands it. Keep your fingers crossed.

(2) Edited: lacking any further confirmation, the second rumor needs to be pulled.

Top 10 Badger Victories

2009-02-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's the off season, so as good a time as any to recall the top 10 Badger victories . . . of the Alvarez Era (which includes the last three years). Why the Alvarez era? Because that's what I know, what I saw, what I experienced. What I experienced is a key component of my evaluation; feel free to give me yours . . .

Coming in at #10:
October 3, 1992: Wisconsin 20, #12 Ohio State 16. To my mind, this is the game that started it all.

In 1990 Barry Alvarez promised things would be different, but after a 1-10 season (the second in three years) things didn't get off to a great start. Five wins in 1991 were more than the previous three seasons combined, but included only two wins in conference, over fellow cellar-dwellers Minnesota and Northwestern.

In the Fall of 1992 I was a Freshman on campus. Week one featured a respectable 27-10 road loss to #2 -- and defending national (co)champion -- Washington, in the midst of U-Dub's run at the top of the Pac-10. Then two home wins over Bowling Green and Northern Illinois. We were 2-1, but had started the previous season 3-0 with wins over your typical cupcakes before a trip to Ohio State kicked off a 6-game losing streak. Here they were again, #12 Ohio State, ready to ruin our party. I remember sitting in the upper deck with my parents (it was parents' weekend) while the underdog Badgers inexplicably hung on for the win. It didn't translate to immediate success. The next week we lost at Kinnick, and with losses to the likes of Indiana and Northwestern, we finished the year at 5-6 -- again. But it was the start of something. Wisconsin hadn't beaten a ranked team since beating then #3 Ohio state in 1985, and had only beaten two ranked teams in the prior 10 years (ironically, the other one was also Ohio State, in 1984). It was a sign of things to come in the Alvarez Era.

#9: December 28, 2002, Alamo Bowl: Wisconsin 31, #14 Colorado 28 (OT)
7-6 Wisconsin limped into the Alamo Bowl, losing six of their final eight regular season games. In San Antonio they lined up against heavily favored #14 Colorado. Two second-half fumbles gifted Colorado scoring drives of 26 and 17 yards, to take a 28-21 lead. In one of the more remarkable finishes in Badger history, the Badgers were still down 7 with 2:25 to play when they took over at their own 20.

On first down, Brooks Bollinger hit Brandon Williams for 32 yards, but after a loss of 4, two incomplete passes, and a 9-yard penalty, the Badgers faced 4th and 14 at their own 48. Bollinger again went to Williams, this time for 26 yards over the middle to keep their hopes alive. Two more incompletions and on third and ten Bollinger dropped a beautiful pass in stride to Freshman Jonathon Orr . . . who dropped the sure touchdown. On their last, desperate 4th and 10, Bollinger hit Darrin Charles with a 30-yard strike down to the Colorado 1. Bollinger snuck it in from there to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra frame, the Badger D pushed the Buffs back, and they missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. Mike Allen then zeroed in a 37-yard kick for the Badger win.

Carrying the rushing load for the Buffs in the 4th quarter? A kid named Brian Calhoun who totalled 16 yards on 9 carries and lost a yard on his only reception.

#8: October 11, 2003: Wisconsin 17, #3 Ohio State 10.
It was an otherwise forgettable year for the 7-6 Badger squad that lost to Auburn in the Outback Bowl, to finish losing five of their last 6, but before the collapse, for one Saturday in October, Bucky rallied for another upset of #3 Ohio State. Ohio State was the returning national champion, but after an afternoon of hard-nosed Big Ten football, Ohio Native Lee Evans took a pass from backup Quarterback Matt Schabert 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Sure, it was the high water mark of an otherwise mediocre season, but it was also an Ohioan plunging the knife into a top-ranked Buckeye team.

#7: October 16, 2004: #10 Wisconsin 20, at #5 Purdue 17.
A battle of Big Ten unbeatens in West Lafayette, Wisconsin was coming off another road win over Ohio State, but the Boilermakers flashed their Heisman hopeful, Kyle Orton. Purdue took a 17-7 lead deep into the 4th quarter when John Stocco capped a 73-yard drive hitting Booker Stanley for a 7-yard score to pull within 3. Purdue took over with 5:23 remaining and started working the clock. 3rd and 2 at the Purdue 38, with 2:49 remaining. Two yards picks up a first down and all but seals the game. Even if they have to punt away, the Boilermakers can taste the win.

Purdue won every statistical category except for turnovers; the last one was the most painful.

Orton takes the snap and rolls to his right on a naked bootleg; he easily has room to pick up the first down to seal the game, and is upended by Scott Starks as he dives for the first down. Before he hits the ground, Badger safety Robert Brooks delivers a blow to the ball, swatting it loose. Starks picks it up and returns it 40 yards for the winning touchdown. This is only the second 7-0 start the Badgers have had since 1912 and the win vaults them to #6 in the country and they reach #4 -- as high a regular season ranking as I can remember -- before a catastrophic loss in East Lansing started a three-game skid to finish the year. Had the season ended better, this game would probably be higher on the list. As it is, it was a huge and thrilling Badger win.

#6: September 30, 1995, Wisconsin 17, at #6 Penn State 9.
Happy Valley is a tough place to play and in 1995 the Badgers were making their first trip to it as a Big Ten destination. Penn State was coming off of a 13-0 season in which they should've had at least a share of the National Championship (with Nebraska); the Nittany Lions hadn't lost since October 1993.

The Badgers made the trip -- and I made it along side them -- at 1-1-1, with a brutal home loss to Colorado and an unsatisfying tie at Stanford. The funny thing about road trips -- especially road trips that happened 13 years ago, is you don't tend to remember the games very well. The Badgers played inspired defense and, if I recall correctly, a 4th quarter touchdown sealed the improbable road upset. Things I remember for certain? We couldn't buy a keg in State College, and we couldn't buy beer on Sunday. Stupid blue laws, but a great win.

It was a tough year for the Badgers. The team would end up 4-5-2, a major letdown after a Rose Bowl win followed by a bowl victory in Tampa, but the win over Penn State was epic. Especially for those of us who were there.

#5: October 2, 1999, Wisconsin 42, at #12 Ohio State 17.
The Buckeyes have been there for us when we've needed them. Coming off the '98 Rose Bowl win with a top 10 preseason ranking, Barry's boys inexplicably lost to Cincinnati, then faltered, as usual, to Michigan. We were 2-2, hitting the road to Columbus, and watching things come apart in a hurry. My boss at the time, and still a good friend, was your typical non-Ohio State alum Buckeye fan. He couldn't wait to ruin my weekend with the Buckeye victory. Not thinking straight -- or remembering past upsets over the Buckeyes -- I laid a beer on the game (not being a betting man). He eagerly accepted.

I was driving north from Tennessee to Chicago that Saturday and the last report I heard was the Buckeyes had taken a 17-0 lead. The weird thing is, I didn't panic. Somehow I retained some confidence. The Badgers rewarded me by running off 42-straight, for a huge road win over a heavily favored opponent. That's all I know about the game. We won. I won a beer, and some pride. Oh, and it vaulted us back into the W column, which eventually led to a 17-9 victory over Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

#4: January 2, 2006, Wisconsin 24, #7 Auburn 10, Capital One Bowl
Near national title contender Auburn. SEC speed. Slow, plodding, boring Wisconsin, who only got into the Capital One Bowl because Ohio State got an at-large bid into the BCS. Poor Barry Alvarez. Still hadn't beaten an SEC team, and was going to go out from his career as the Badger head man a loser. Not. So. Fast.

You want to talk about speed? Brian Calhoun made the Plainsmen look silly. Brandon Williams, Jonathan Orr, and Owen Daniels couldn't be stopped. The depleted Badger front 7 (sure NFL first rounder, Junior OT Joe Thomas played two ways, playing defensive tackle due to the Badger shortages and tearing his ACL during the game) owned Auburn all afternoon. Wisconsin went into the half with a 17-0 lead.

Auburn made it interesting, reeling off 10 straight, but after their touchdown to start the 4th quarter pulled them within 7 at 17-10, John Stocco led a 5-play, 65-yard drive, culminating with a 33-yard Calhoun run to the house. On the ensuing possession, Auburn stalled at the Wisconsin 47 and punted to the Badger 1. They never touched the ball again. The Badgers ground out 98 yards over the remaining 9 minutes and took a knee at the Auburn 2 to finish a dominating 24-10 win. Barry went out appropriately: a winner.

#3: January 1, 1999, #9 Wisconsin 38, #6 UCLA 31, Rose Bowl.
"The worst team ever to play in the Rose Bowl." That was, at least according to Craig James, your 1998 Wisconsin Badgers. It was Ron Dayne's junior year. Mike Samuel was under center. Chris Chambers was an unpolished deep threat. 11-1 notwithstanding, with only a single win over a ranked team (#14 Penn State), Wisconsin wasn't supposed to be in Pasadena. But there we were. Across the field from a legitimate national title contender with Heisman hopeful Cade McKnown and playing in their home stadium. Wisconsin was a 10-point dog.

It wasn't pretty -- the defense gave up 538 yards and 31 points -- but it was enough. The Bruins had no answer for Ron Dayne, who averaged over 9 yards per carry and scored all 4 offensive touchdowns (seen here, here, here, here, and here). Late in the game, with a slight 31-28 lead, Freshman Jamar Fletcher stepped in front of DeShaun Foster on a deep route to midfield. Fletcher made the pick and followed a convoy of blockers to the house, to give the Badgers a 10-point lead with 14 minutes to play. The Badgers held on for the win. Suck it, Craig James.

#2, January 1, 1994, #9 Wisconsin 21, #13 UCLA 16, Rose Bowl
It had been 31 years since our last trip. Wisconsin had never won the Granddaddy of them all. Barry told us he could do it in 5 years, but the Badgers hadn't had a winning season since 1984. This was Barry's fourth year. We were 9-1-1. We partied on State Street when we saw the Badgers beat Sparty in Japan (a home game we gave up for the travel opportunity) after Michigan upset Ohio State (28-0, if I recall). We were going to the Rose Bowl.

I waited in line in the early morning in freezing weather under Camp Randall to get my tickets. One of my buddies got on a plane for the first time to fly out and stay with me in California and to make the 6-hour drive down to Pasadena. We saw friends there we didn't know were going. The Rose Bowl, UCLA's home, was 70% red. It was 80 degrees in Pasadena and -60 in Madison (with the windchill). That's a 140 degree difference, for those of you counting at home. It was just meant to be.

Brent Moss up the middle. You cheered when he got the ball, it didn't matter if it was stopped for no gain. You just knew it was right (158 yards and two touchdowns later, it sure was). Terrell Fletcher changed things up. Lee DeRamus was a deep threat. Joe Panos. Darell Bevell. Jeff Messenger. Ugly beauty in cardinal red.

UCLA's JJ Stokes tore off large chunks of yardage in the middle of the field setting a record for receiving yards, but just as they had all season, the Badgers' lunch-pail defense forced 6 turnovers to hold the Bruins in check.

We were up 14-3 going into the 4th quarter, but a UCLA touchdown pulled them within 4. Then Darrell Bevell rolled out and ran -- for crying out loud, he never ran! -- for a 21-yard touchdown to give us an 11-point lead. UCLA made us sweat with a final push, but the Badgers held at midfield, and the party was on. Wisconsin Badgers, Rose Bowl Champions. Unbelievable.

So what can top that?

#1: October 30, 1993, #21 Wisconsin 13, #24 Michigan 10. Wisconsin football: for real.
Is this really the top game? Better than Rose Bowl wins? Better than upsets of top 5 teams? For me it is. There we were, 6-1, heading to Camp Randall for the first real big test, just a week after a devastating loss to a terrible Minnesota in the Metrodome. We were better than we had been, but after nine years of losing records, were we much better? Big Blue would tell us. And on the night Madison would celebrate Halloween. Always a good party, that night was EPIC.

My memory of the game isn't great. I remember we scored a touchdown and all the students in my area of Camp Randall dog piled. It was amazing. When it happened it just felt like we had finally arrived. That score had been huge. I remember it was tense at the end, but we were confident. Then it ended, and "we" had done it. The Badgers were on the football map. We weren't a mediocre team beating other mediocre teams, we were good. Maybe really good. Maybe, just maybe, Rose Bowl good.

Unfortunately, either the Badger Herald or the Daily Cardinal, I don't remember which, published a big ad, or something of the sort, saying that the students should do what Michigan's Tyrone Wheatley wouldn't do: run all over Camp Randall. After the game, we tried. For one bad reason after another, that caused the Crush. 5 pulseless non-breathers (thank God they all recovered). A dorm-mate of mine from freshman year on the cover of Sports Illustrated crying out for help. We made it down to the field, but came from way over and high up in section L or so. We went around the big mass of people, without any idea what had happened. That night we knew. It seems callous now, but at the time we toasted the injured (75 of them, it turns out) and continued on with our epic party, live band, kegs draining in a hurry.

In the dog pile, my best friend lost his wallet with about $200 in cash in it. Someone turned it into the UW police, who called him on Sunday to let him know they had it. Would you believe the money was still there?

So there it is. I don't really even remember my top game, but I know it was the best. That was the day we arrived. The Alvarez Era to be. #1.

Honorable Mentions:

1993, 41-20 over Michigan State in Japan to put us in that first Rose Bowl
1997, 13-10 upset over #12 Iowa
1998, 24-3 over #13 Penn state to put us in the Rose Bowl against UCLA
1999, 41-3 shellacking of Iowa, which is always nice, plus Dayne set the NCAA D-1 rushing record
2000, Rose Bowl win, 17-9, over Stanford. They may actually have been the worst team ever to play in the Rose Bowl and we played down to their level. At least that's always how I've seen it.
2005, 38-34 at Minnesota, Casillas improbably blocks a punt in the final minute to give Barry one last victory over the Gophers and one last chance to carry the axe.
2007, Capital One Bowl win, 17-14, over Arkansas. Big win, but probably the worst feeling win I can remember; the second half was just brutal to watch.

Badger Hockey Tournaround

2009-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Not real knowledgeable about our hockey team, but follow them as much as the internet, work, family, and other hobbies allow. After starting the season without a win in 7 games, the Badgers have clawed their way back into first place in the WCHA with a sweep of Minnesota at Mariucci. Mariucci has been a house of horrors for Wisconsin over the years, so this was very big. This is probably the first week all year that the experts will say Wisconsin should be in the NCAA tourney. We have Denver and North Dakota (1st and 2nd in the WCHA -- we're tied for first) remaining at home, with Minnesota State-Mankato sandwiched in between before the WHCA tourney. The Badgers still need a strong finish to make the NCAA's, but it's within legitimate reach for the first time this season.

Update: here's a great blogpost from UW about the Badgers' NCAA hopes.

Here are the BTN's highlights from Friday night's win:

Signing Day: Thoughts on Depth

2009-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

There isn't a lack of signing day coverage out there, starting with UW's official page, then JSO's pretty cool interactive recruiting map, word on the surprise "win" for WR Kraig Appleton (over Illinois), the Capital Times's signing day blog, and note on QB recruit Jon Budmayr (ps Mulhern, it's "Weis" not "Weiss").

Update: here is Potrykus's rundown of the new class.

And finally, Dave Heller's last minute reminder about recruiting hoopla:
"And just so you don't get too caught up in rankings, consider that in 2005, Colt McCoy was ranked the No. 15 pro-style quarterback. No. 14? Dustin Sherer."
I'm pretty cool to all the recruiting hype. I think there are only a handful of kids coming out of high school who are ready to make an immediate impact and who's stock is strictly bullish. I know the AD shares that view. On the other hand, recruiting provides depth which is the future of the program. (The balance might be different at places like Ohio State, Michigan, etc., but for programs like ours, you build the team through coaching, not recruiting.)

So, how did our 2009 recruiting class (highlight video here) shape up? A month or so ago I worried about offensive guard depth, outside linebackers, and the long term depth of our wide receiving corps. Landing Appleton in addition to Duckworth was a solid addition to help shore up the need for underclassmen wide receivers. Three scholarship linebackers and two more "preferred walkons." Not bad. Not awe inspiring.

We have a great haul of defensive lineman, which is nice. It's an area we've been too short in for the last couple of years, but as it happens, I think our depth was already ok there. I like the Budmayr pick-up at quarterback. Say what you will about Charlie Weis, he does have a track record with quarterbacks (and recruiting quarterbacks). I'm not saying he's going to be a star, but he has solid potential.

The biggest problem I see is at guard. We literally don't have a two-deep at guard right now. Nagy should be a solid starter and Zeitler was on the two-deep for the Champs Sports Bowl. After them? No one obvious. We might switch someone from tackle, but we're not all that deep at tackle, either. It seems strange, but I'm concerned about our lack of depth at guard. Only time will tell, but this recruiting class (with two potential guards) doesn't appear to do enough to address that problem.

Close, but no Burnt Orange Cigar

2009-01-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

Update, 1/20/09: the new rumor is the deal isn't dead . . . yet.

With ESPN's help, Texas and Wisconsin were trying to work out a home-and-home with the Badgers playing at Austin this coming fall. Unfortunately, the return date in Madison couldn't happen before 2013, and they scrapped the deal.

Too bad. I suspect the fan base would have loved it, even with a four year wait for the return.

Moreover, it's too bad we couldn't reshuffle a game or two to make it work. It's hard to get marquis teams like Texas to come to Madison. I'm disappointed the athletic department couldn't make this one happen.

Here's the link:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/01/15/0115texfoot.html

A little clarification on my perspective is in order. These things aren't easy. They are negotiations. You don't just pick up the phone and say, "hey, let's play a game." There's a reason the Badger athletic department didn't make the deal and it likely has to do with the terms, i.e. Texas's position in the negotiations. Nonetheless, it's a shame it didn't happen.

The Capital Times reports a slightly different reason that the deal hasn't worked (yet): each team wants to preserve their 7 home games. This makes a lot of sense. What joe-fan may not realize is selling football tickets is the lifeblood of athletic departments. Giving up that seventh game means a lot of lost revenue for the department. That's not going to happen. Unless they can find a way that both teams play 7 home games, the deal can't happen.

Notes in the Off-Season

2009-01-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

The Champs Sports bowl was the most watched bowl game on cable TV, and higher than 3 bowl games on network TV. So people wanted to see us play Florida State; that's good. Too bad they saw us take the 3rd worst beating of the bowl season. It still stings.

Scott Tappa at Badgercentric has a nice look at Badger running backs over the years.

A little noticed tidbit in the State Journal tells us that someone new will take over football scheduling duties. That said, Bielema and whomever the new assistant is take their direction from the AD, so don't expect to see big changes on the scheduling front. So probably little noticed for a reason.

Interesting summary of Paul Chryst's discussion of the quarterback situation with Mike Lucas and Matt lePay.