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(03-21-2018 11:31 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  

(03-21-2018 10:25 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(03-21-2018 09:51 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Most MAC teams losing very good QBs to graduation struggle. I don't see Toledo the favorite in MAC West. They lost a lot of offense and a bad QB showing in their bowl game showed how delicate they concos.uld be in 2018

Don't count on it. This will be a better Rocket team than in 2017. This is not a comment
on the Broncos. You all have better insight into your program.

Could be but if Rockets are going with QB Mitchell Guadagni they mirror the 2017 Broncos. Little if any experience. Guadagni threw one pass in '17. Did Toledo bring in another QB besides the freshman kid from Florida?

Eli Peters, Illinois transfer and Cross Wilkinson, Freshman

(03-21-2018 08:26 AM)brovol Wrote:  We have every reason to have a tremendous season, and to win the MAC; but we did last year as well. If you are predicting our record though, understand that, just like last season, we will have injuries, and will lose key players throughout the year. That is football, and it is never an excuse, because (1) it happens to every team, and (2) depth at every position is a imperative component to having a good "TEAM".

Our schedule really couldn't be better this season. We have Michigan, which will be a very difficult challenge, and I don't expect a win, but at least it is a quick and easy road trip, and wont leave us exhausted like that USC game last year (I think we would have played way better against MSU but for the USC trip the week before). Syracuse is a very winnable opener, which is at home, and if we have a solid team which is ready to play, I do expect us to win. We have both Toledo and NIU at home. If we do not have a great year this season I will have no optimism whatsoever for any future with Lester as our head man. He got his pass last year, but if he continues to try and force square pegs in round holes he shouldn't be a head coach. Time will tell.

I agree with all of this except I really don't think we're going to beat Syracuse. I think we're underestimating them a bit, especially offensively.

(03-22-2018 07:03 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-21-2018 08:26 AM)brovol Wrote:  We have every reason to have a tremendous season, and to win the MAC; but we did last year as well. If you are predicting our record though, understand that, just like last season, we will have injuries, and will lose key players throughout the year. That is football, and it is never an excuse, because (1) it happens to every team, and (2) depth at every position is a imperative component to having a good "TEAM".

Our schedule really couldn't be better this season. We have Michigan, which will be a very difficult challenge, and I don't expect a win, but at least it is a quick and easy road trip, and wont leave us exhausted like that USC game last year (I think we would have played way better against MSU but for the USC trip the week before). Syracuse is a very winnable opener, which is at home, and if we have a solid team which is ready to play, I do expect us to win. We have both Toledo and NIU at home. If we do not have a great year this season I will have no optimism whatsoever for any future with Lester as our head man. He got his pass last year, but if he continues to try and force square pegs in round holes he shouldn't be a head coach. Time will tell.

I agree with all of this except I really don't think we're going to beat Syracuse. I think we're underestimating them a bit, especially offensively.

I think the teams should be pretty evenly matched. I expect that we should win, because we are at home, and have the players to do it. I think if we play with the same strategies, game plan, play calling we used throughout last season we will lose. We SHOULD win. Whether we do, I think, will come down to preparation, plan and execution. That game will be telling for the rest of the season; and perhaps the Lester era.

(03-22-2018 07:03 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-21-2018 08:26 AM)brovol Wrote:  We have every reason to have a tremendous season, and to win the MAC; but we did last year as well. If you are predicting our record though, understand that, just like last season, we will have injuries, and will lose key players throughout the year. That is football, and it is never an excuse, because (1) it happens to every team, and (2) depth at every position is a imperative component to having a good "TEAM".

Our schedule really couldn't be better this season. We have Michigan, which will be a very difficult challenge, and I don't expect a win, but at least it is a quick and easy road trip, and wont leave us exhausted like that USC game last year (I think we would have played way better against MSU but for the USC trip the week before). Syracuse is a very winnable opener, which is at home, and if we have a solid team which is ready to play, I do expect us to win. We have both Toledo and NIU at home. If we do not have a great year this season I will have no optimism whatsoever for any future with Lester as our head man. He got his pass last year, but if he continues to try and force square pegs in round holes he shouldn't be a head coach. Time will tell.

I agree with all of this except I really don't think we're going to beat Syracuse. I think we're underestimating them a bit, especially offensively.

I tend to agree. Connelly's 48% chance of a W feels a bit high to me.

We have a decent chance, sure. But I don't see the game as a pure flip the coin toss-up. It'd be an upset (albeit mild one) if we won.

(03-22-2018 11:07 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(03-22-2018 07:03 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-21-2018 08:26 AM)brovol Wrote:  We have every reason to have a tremendous season, and to win the MAC; but we did last year as well. If you are predicting our record though, understand that, just like last season, we will have injuries, and will lose key players throughout the year. That is football, and it is never an excuse, because (1) it happens to every team, and (2) depth at every position is a imperative component to having a good "TEAM".

Our schedule really couldn't be better this season. We have Michigan, which will be a very difficult challenge, and I don't expect a win, but at least it is a quick and easy road trip, and wont leave us exhausted like that USC game last year (I think we would have played way better against MSU but for the USC trip the week before). Syracuse is a very winnable opener, which is at home, and if we have a solid team which is ready to play, I do expect us to win. We have both Toledo and NIU at home. If we do not have a great year this season I will have no optimism whatsoever for any future with Lester as our head man. He got his pass last year, but if he continues to try and force square pegs in round holes he shouldn't be a head coach. Time will tell.

I agree with all of this except I really don't think we're going to beat Syracuse. I think we're underestimating them a bit, especially offensively.

I tend to agree. Connelly's 48% chance of a W feels a bit high to me.

We have a decent chance, sure. But I don't see the game as a pure flip the coin toss-up. It'd be an upset (albeit mild one) if we won.

I was just thinking today about Syracuse the past couple years. Finished 4-8 both years. Last year beat by an average Middle Tennessee St, but steamrolled CMU. This will be Dino Baber's third trip to Waldo as a head coach, each time under a different team. His style of offense he had that took BGSU to the top of the MAC scares me the most. But it's winnable, on par with the NW or even Illinois team in 2016. SU should be the favorite, but if we are a top MAC team, we should be able to pull it out. I'd be more concerned about Toledo or NIU.

I'd be more worried about Syracuse if it were our 4th OOC game.

1st game of the season, at Waldo stadium...I like our chances. Syracuse is running that Babers high-flying offense that can score in bunches, but I don't see them waltzing in and firing on all cylinders. They might wear us down at the end, yeah. We'll see. It all depends on how our DL develops this offseason. Get pressure on the QB and we win this game.

I hope Waldo is rocking. Back in 2015 when we had MSU come in for the home opener, it was a lot of fun. Great atmosphere. We've gotta show up and show these P5s that we aren't afraid.

I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

How can you possibly know how good the Bronco defense will be in March, 6 months before the season begins?

(03-23-2018 07:38 AM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

How can you possibly know how good the Bronco defense will be in March, 6 months before the season begins?

Based on last years results and some pretty significant losses in terms of personnel & depth (Phillips, Turner, A. Brown, Spillane, Clark, Bailey, Boyd, Matich, etc.), what makes you think our defense will be good? I'm genuinely wondering.

We've got some great young talent, no question. But I'm not exactly expecting defense to be our strong suit in 2018.

(03-23-2018 09:24 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 07:38 AM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

How can you possibly know how good the Bronco defense will be in March, 6 months before the season begins?

Based on last years results and some pretty significant losses in terms of personnel & depth (Phillips, Turner, A. Brown, Spillane, Clark, Bailey, Boyd, Matich, etc.), what makes you think our defense will be good? I'm genuinely wondering.

We've got some great young talent, no question. But I'm not exactly expecting defense to be our strong suit in 2018.

We've got a really talented secondary with a true shut-down corner. We've got athletic linebackers with experience, and it's been said Clayton was "unblockable" last year while he sat his transfer year. We have got some good young talent at the defensive line, but that unit definitely remains a question mark, especially with Clark done.

If you read the preview analysis, our defense statistically was better last year than the year before (which, granted, was not a great defense), even with all the injuries at safety. There's no reason to think it should be worse than last year, and if it can generate a more consistent pass rush, either through the line or a blitzing Clayton, we can get some turnovers, and then I think this defense has the potential to be truly impactful, what it is meant to be.

Combine that with a sustained ground attack on offense, and it's a good mix.

A lot of unknowns with our front seven, and even in our secondary to a degree. You guys are way more confident than me, that's for sure.

(03-23-2018 10:39 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  A lot of unknowns with our front seven, and even in our secondary to a degree. You guys are way more confident than me, that's for sure.

I am not confident. I said we should win, not that we will win. I, unfortunately, think Lester & Co will continue to follow the mainstream-conservative-old-school-coaches-handbook, which works if you have the old Washington Redskins Hogs making holes for John Riggins, but doesnt work in college. I may be very wrong though, and if they do learn from mistakes and change philosophy, we will be a very good team.

We did lose a lot of very good players, and frankly I think those losses are more significant than losing Davis and ZT the year before. We still have a ton of players who, by all estimations, are very talented. As always, I am excited for the season to start. Our schedule couldn't be better from a competitive standpoint.

(03-23-2018 12:23 PM)brovol Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 10:39 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  A lot of unknowns with our front seven, and even in our secondary to a degree. You guys are way more confident than me, that's for sure.

I am not confident. I said we should win, not that we will win. I, unfortunately, think Lester & Co will continue to follow the mainstream-conservative-old-school-coaches-handbook, which works if you have the old Washington Redskins Hogs making holes for John Riggins, but doesnt work in college. I may be very wrong though, and if they do learn from mistakes and change philosophy, we will be a very good team.

We did lose a lot of very good players, and frankly I think those losses are more significant than losing Davis and ZT the year before. We still have a ton of players who, by all estimations, are very talented. As always, I am excited for the season to start. Our schedule couldn't be better from a competitive standpoint.

Such a downer. We were a couple of fumbles from 8-4. Wins over NIU and CMU were there for the taking in spite of a plethora of injuries at every position. We started a first year QB with zero experience, who just quit FB to pursue throwing the discus.

I’m surprised you’re not advocating we move to the GLIAC as part of your WCHA crusade

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

It's a concern for sure, but I doubt the Cuse will have their offense working on a dime that early in the season.

Syracuse ain't going to know what hit em'. It will mainly be our linebackers.

(03-23-2018 09:24 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 07:38 AM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

How can you possibly know how good the Bronco defense will be in March, 6 months before the season begins?

Based on last years results and some pretty significant losses in terms of personnel & depth (Phillips, Turner, A. Brown, Spillane, Clark, Bailey, Boyd, Matich, etc.), what makes you think our defense will be good? I'm genuinely wondering.

We've got some great young talent, no question. But I'm not exactly expecting defense to be our strong suit in 2018.

All I'm saying is that you can't determine how good a defense will be on paper. The Bronco defense last season was supposed to be awesome with all they were returning from the season before that had a pretty good defense and they didn't perform very well at all, even before they started losing players to injury. Therefore, with all the talent they have, if they can stay relatively healthy, I truly believe that this defense may be better than many are giving them credit for.

(03-23-2018 07:42 PM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 09:24 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 07:38 AM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

How can you possibly know how good the Bronco defense will be in March, 6 months before the season begins?

Based on last years results and some pretty significant losses in terms of personnel & depth (Phillips, Turner, A. Brown, Spillane, Clark, Bailey, Boyd, Matich, etc.), what makes you think our defense will be good? I'm genuinely wondering.

We've got some great young talent, no question. But I'm not exactly expecting defense to be our strong suit in 2018.

All I'm saying is that you can't determine how good a defense will be on paper. The Bronco defense last season was supposed to be awesome with all they were returning from the season before that had a pretty good defense and they didn't perform very well at all, even before they started losing players to injury. Therefore, with all the talent they have, if they can stay relatively healthy, I truly believe that this defense may be better than many are giving them credit for.

They played pretty well against SC and MSU. If we had an offense at MSU, would have been a decently close game. Lewerki killed us running the ball.

From Lester/MLive:

Quote:"The injuries from the fall, they carry over. Our No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 running backs are all still hurt. When you break your ankle in October or November, you're not ready in February and March, so we've been throwing it a lot.

"Jon's been loving it, and I'm happy with where we're at."

The Broncos' injuries extend to both sides of the ball, making it impossible to hold a traditional Spring Game featuring two full sets of starting offensive and defensive units, but the lack of healthy bodies has allowed younger players to see more action in practice.

"They're all getting tons of reps because we're so banged up and not really deep," Lester said of his young players. "We're about one-and-a-half deep on offense and defense, so the amount of reps has been really good for all those guys, and I'm excited about their future."

We're nearing the calendar mid-point between the our last game in 2017 and opening game of 2018. Someone calm my fears about us still being so 'banged up' across the board.

I like us taking precautions and especially getting the young guys all the reps they can. And I know August 31 is still a ways off, but I'm just not getting warm fuzzies hearing how we're still a MASH unit heading into April.

Last game of the season was November 24th, first practice of spring was February 20th. That's less than 3 months. Spring ball started pretty early this year and a lot our injuries were in the second half of the season.

With all the RB/WR/DB injuries, which were mostly lower body injuries, I have no problem holding them out and working them up to 100% so they can hit the ground running in fall camp.

Also, the spring game is this Saturday, March 31st. That gives them 5 full months before the 1st game of the season.

(03-23-2018 09:02 PM)Stampede your face!! Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 07:42 PM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 09:24 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 07:38 AM)WMUPorter Wrote:  

(03-23-2018 06:40 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I don't like our chances defensively against any team that can "score in bunches"

How can you possibly know how good the Bronco defense will be in March, 6 months before the season begins?

Based on last years results and some pretty significant losses in terms of personnel & depth (Phillips, Turner, A. Brown, Spillane, Clark, Bailey, Boyd, Matich, etc.), what makes you think our defense will be good? I'm genuinely wondering.

We've got some great young talent, no question. But I'm not exactly expecting defense to be our strong suit in 2018.

All I'm saying is that you can't determine how good a defense will be on paper. The Bronco defense last season was supposed to be awesome with all they were returning from the season before that had a pretty good defense and they didn't perform very well at all, even before they started losing players to injury. Therefore, with all the talent they have, if they can stay relatively healthy, I truly believe that this defense may be better than many are giving them credit for.

They played pretty well against SC and MSU. If we had an offense at MSU, would have been a decently close game. Lewerki killed us running the ball.

Only lost by two scores, thanks to Phillips, so it already was a "decently close game." If WMU had an offense (including better play calling - RB's were wide open in the flat and MSU's outside LBs struggled to cover, and tackle in open space, all season) the Broncos would have been closer, or even won.

I agree Lewerki's running was the difference.