(04-22-2024 11:16 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 09:13 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 07:03 AM)CarRamrod Wrote:  DMo is the guy, it's not even particularly close right now. He's smooth in the pocket, knows where the ball should go, and has great processing speed. There was some miscommunication on a couple of throws with WRs but other than that, he played clean. Wouldn't be surprised if Billy or Zo transfer out. I hope that's not the case but it feels unlikely we keep both going into Fall camp.

While Jordan McCloud seems to be a somewhat polarizing figure on these boards, tough to argue what an outstanding season he had a year ago. I'm not so confident that JMU currently has enough in the QB room, but then again I didn't attend the spring game. Morris hasn't played in a while and is not big or mobile. The rest of the room is completely inexperienced and has not shown well when input into an actual game. And Evans, while physically talented, is still pretty raw supposedly. I watched a good bit of the Indiana spring game and they had two 4 stars at QB with experience competing for the top job, not to mention a couple of other promising freshman QBs expected on their roster.

Would it make sense for JMU to add a portal QB? Perhaps. Second, with regard to the make-up of JMU's staff, does Dean Kennedy have too much on his plate? In last year's organizational structure, JMU had both a QB coach and an OC. Now Kennedy is filling both roles.

The QB room is full....and I saw enough from #5 to feel good he will look even better by the opener with more time to absorb offense and work with WRs.

I think I will trust the HC with his preferred organizational structure of his staff.

Why in the heck would folks be watching the IU spring game....do you have a report from the ECU spring game as well and how Mike Houston is looking for the fall.

I watched about 30 minutes of the IU spring game. I wanted to see how some of the JMU guys were fitting into their roster. It was nice to see Fisher, Lawton, Black and others playing major roles for them. I would have preferred to see them still in purple and gold, but still glad they seem to be successful. I never blamed them for leaving for an opportunity to play in the B1G.

(04-22-2024 11:16 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 09:13 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 07:03 AM)CarRamrod Wrote:  DMo is the guy, it's not even particularly close right now. He's smooth in the pocket, knows where the ball should go, and has great processing speed. There was some miscommunication on a couple of throws with WRs but other than that, he played clean. Wouldn't be surprised if Billy or Zo transfer out. I hope that's not the case but it feels unlikely we keep both going into Fall camp.

While Jordan McCloud seems to be a somewhat polarizing figure on these boards, tough to argue what an outstanding season he had a year ago. I'm not so confident that JMU currently has enough in the QB room, but then again I didn't attend the spring game. Morris hasn't played in a while and is not big or mobile. The rest of the room is completely inexperienced and has not shown well when input into an actual game. And Evans, while physically talented, is still pretty raw supposedly. I watched a good bit of the Indiana spring game and they had two 4 stars at QB with experience competing for the top job, not to mention a couple of other promising freshman QBs expected on their roster.

Would it make sense for JMU to add a portal QB? Perhaps. Second, with regard to the make-up of JMU's staff, does Dean Kennedy have too much on his plate? In last year's organizational structure, JMU had both a QB coach and an OC. Now Kennedy is filling both roles.

The QB room is full....and I saw enough from #5 to feel good he will look even better by the opener with more time to absorb offense and work with WRs.

I think I will trust the HC with his preferred organizational structure of his staff.

Why in the heck would folks be watching the IU spring game....do you have a report from the ECU spring game as well and how Mike Houston is looking for the fall.

Dean Kennedy was Chesney's QB coach in 2022 before becoming OC in 2023. Apparently Holy Cross didn't have a QB coach in 2023 which makes me think that Kennedy was probably both OC and QB coach.
I trust Chesney decision to give his assistants what they can handle. If he gave his OC more than he could handle, then that would be a HUGE blunder as first year HC of an FBS program.
I feel confident that Kennedy can handle it.

(04-22-2024 06:39 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 05:20 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(04-21-2024 10:22 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(04-21-2024 12:32 PM)Halz87 Wrote:  I agree on the punter & running backs. None of the quarterbacks looked great to me. Looked slow /unsure on reads.

Spring ball is never the final product with QBs. Last year there were questions on McCloud, and the year before on Centeio. It takes QBs a little time to get comfortable with the playbook and system. I'm more interested in their throwing mechanics, depth/accuracy and physical ability in Spring.

Unfortunately we got in the gate a tad late, but heard a certain #5 looked very crisp out there. I also thought Atkins looked pretty good in one of the series. We'll see who wins out, but I think we have sufficient talent at QB. I also think our run game may be improved over last year, and that can take some pressure off the QB and open things up.

I would love to see Adkins be the man. He had something terrible going on in his head against Bucknell. I'll call it stage fright. Nevertheless, I don't believe he saw the field after that. Pretty admirable for him to stick around.

You must mean Barnett, and maybe he can be a solid #2 but we should all be extremely surprised if Morris isn't QB1.

Yes, thanks

RB Sammy Malignaggi in the transfer portal. Was probably buried on the depth chart behind Adeyi, Pettaway, and Vanhorse. Wish him the best of luck, he ran hard as hell

(04-22-2024 12:31 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 11:16 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 09:13 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 07:03 AM)CarRamrod Wrote:  DMo is the guy, it's not even particularly close right now. He's smooth in the pocket, knows where the ball should go, and has great processing speed. There was some miscommunication on a couple of throws with WRs but other than that, he played clean. Wouldn't be surprised if Billy or Zo transfer out. I hope that's not the case but it feels unlikely we keep both going into Fall camp.

While Jordan McCloud seems to be a somewhat polarizing figure on these boards, tough to argue what an outstanding season he had a year ago. I'm not so confident that JMU currently has enough in the QB room, but then again I didn't attend the spring game. Morris hasn't played in a while and is not big or mobile. The rest of the room is completely inexperienced and has not shown well when input into an actual game. And Evans, while physically talented, is still pretty raw supposedly. I watched a good bit of the Indiana spring game and they had two 4 stars at QB with experience competing for the top job, not to mention a couple of other promising freshman QBs expected on their roster.

Would it make sense for JMU to add a portal QB? Perhaps. Second, with regard to the make-up of JMU's staff, does Dean Kennedy have too much on his plate? In last year's organizational structure, JMU had both a QB coach and an OC. Now Kennedy is filling both roles.

The QB room is full....and I saw enough from #5 to feel good he will look even better by the opener with more time to absorb offense and work with WRs.

I think I will trust the HC with his preferred organizational structure of his staff.

Why in the heck would folks be watching the IU spring game....do you have a report from the ECU spring game as well and how Mike Houston is looking for the fall.

Dean Kennedy was Chesney's QB coach in 2022 before becoming OC in 2023. Apparently Holy Cross didn't have a QB coach in 2023 which makes me think that Kennedy was probably both OC and QB coach.
I trust Chesney decision to give his assistants what they can handle. If he gave his OC more than he could handle, then that would be a HUGE blunder as first year HC of an FBS program.
I feel confident that Kennedy can handle it.

I posted what I did for good reason, as something to ponder. What production does JMU have at QB returning from last season? None, essentially. I was hoping to see glowing reviews about the quarterback play and impressive statistics flying off the screen and I saw two 4 yard passing touchdowns, a 38 yard touchdown run and two field goals for an offense that Kennedy described as being explosive earlier in camp. As I recall from a year ago, both McCloud and the kid from North Carolina put up big numbers during the spring game, which I found reassuring at the time and proved prescient for McCloud at least.

The reason that Indiana as a comparison matters is obvious. Cignetti just finished a tenure in which his teams went 52-9 at JMU, which will be difficult for any successor to match. Moreover, he produced four players of the year at quarterback. He himself is a former QB, as is Tino Sunseri, plus they have another offensive mind in OC Mike Shanahan. I thought it was obvious that JMU's QB play improved with the hiring of Sunseri. JMU, meanwhile, has one former QB on its staff in Dean Kennedy, a young guy who has limited experience as an offensive coordinator, at the Patriot League no less; and now has to come in and manage the entire offense with all of its position groups, as well as the QB room. On top of that, he's going from 63 scholarship players to 85. Chesney's background, by all accounts, is as a former DB on the defensive side of the ball. Not saying that Kennedy can't handle it, but it's still a big ask and not a lot of QB expertise on the staff to lean on in tough times.

In the early going, JMU might be relying more on the running game than the previous regime, it would seem. And yes, to be really good, a team usually has to have balance.

(04-23-2024 09:31 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 12:31 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 11:16 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 09:13 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 07:03 AM)CarRamrod Wrote:  DMo is the guy, it's not even particularly close right now. He's smooth in the pocket, knows where the ball should go, and has great processing speed. There was some miscommunication on a couple of throws with WRs but other than that, he played clean. Wouldn't be surprised if Billy or Zo transfer out. I hope that's not the case but it feels unlikely we keep both going into Fall camp.

While Jordan McCloud seems to be a somewhat polarizing figure on these boards, tough to argue what an outstanding season he had a year ago. I'm not so confident that JMU currently has enough in the QB room, but then again I didn't attend the spring game. Morris hasn't played in a while and is not big or mobile. The rest of the room is completely inexperienced and has not shown well when input into an actual game. And Evans, while physically talented, is still pretty raw supposedly. I watched a good bit of the Indiana spring game and they had two 4 stars at QB with experience competing for the top job, not to mention a couple of other promising freshman QBs expected on their roster.

Would it make sense for JMU to add a portal QB? Perhaps. Second, with regard to the make-up of JMU's staff, does Dean Kennedy have too much on his plate? In last year's organizational structure, JMU had both a QB coach and an OC. Now Kennedy is filling both roles.

The QB room is full....and I saw enough from #5 to feel good he will look even better by the opener with more time to absorb offense and work with WRs.

I think I will trust the HC with his preferred organizational structure of his staff.

Why in the heck would folks be watching the IU spring game....do you have a report from the ECU spring game as well and how Mike Houston is looking for the fall.

Dean Kennedy was Chesney's QB coach in 2022 before becoming OC in 2023. Apparently Holy Cross didn't have a QB coach in 2023 which makes me think that Kennedy was probably both OC and QB coach.
I trust Chesney decision to give his assistants what they can handle. If he gave his OC more than he could handle, then that would be a HUGE blunder as first year HC of an FBS program.
I feel confident that Kennedy can handle it.

I posted what I did for good reason, as something to ponder. What production does JMU have at QB returning from last season? None, essentially. I was hoping to see glowing reviews about the quarterback play and impressive statistics flying off the screen and I saw two 4 yard passing touchdowns, a 38 yard touchdown run and two field goals for an offense that Kennedy described as being explosive earlier in camp. As I recall from a year ago, both McCloud and the kid from North Carolina put up big numbers during the spring game, which I found reassuring at the time and proved prescient for McCloud at least.

The reason that Indiana as a comparison matters is obvious. Cignetti just finished a tenure in which his teams went 52-9 at JMU, which will be difficult for any successor to match. Moreover, he produced four players of the year at quarterback. He himself is a former QB, as is Tino Sunseri, plus they have another offensive mind in OC Mike Shanahan. I thought it was obvious that JMU's QB play improved with the hiring of Sunseri. JMU, meanwhile, has one former QB on its staff in Dean Kennedy, a young guy who has limited experience as an offensive coordinator, at the Patriot League no less; and now has to come in and manage the entire offense with all of its position groups, as well as the QB room. On top of that, he's going from 63 scholarship players to 85. Chesney's background, by all accounts, is as a former DB on the defensive side of the ball. Not saying that Kennedy can't handle it, but it's still a big ask and not a lot of QB expertise on the staff to lean on in tough times.

In the early going, JMU might be relying more on the running game than the previous regime, it would seem. And yes, to be really good, a team usually has to have balance.

So a team that has played together for a month with an entirely new QB, RB room, WR room, new TEs, and new scheme didnt light up the scoreboard in the spring game is cause for concern? Dont mention that another cause could be playing against a defense with a similar scheme from last year, quality returning players and that typically the defense is ahead of the offense early in a new system

Also, did we even have a td run of 35+ yards last year?

Wasn't DK the assistant QB coach for Kyle Trask at UF when he finished 4th in the Heisman voting and was a 1st round pick? I'm sure that served as a good learning experience for DK as to what elite QB play looks like. DMo has more experience against good competition than JM did coming into JMU.

Spring games are an event that is put on for the fans and to get players some live action and that is really all it is.

There is really nothing you can take from the Spring game other than seeing a flash from a guy that you did not expect or seeing some young guys getting a chance on the field. It has absolutely no bearing on what will happen in the fall.

As for our offense this year I would think we will be much more balanced than last year as we have way more explosive talent in the RB room. I am also hearing great things in regards to the OL which will bear fruit in the running game.

How successful we will be next year will come down to where we are at QB and whether out receivers can get open enough to keep teams honest.

(04-23-2024 09:31 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 12:31 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 11:16 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 09:13 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(04-22-2024 07:03 AM)CarRamrod Wrote:  DMo is the guy, it's not even particularly close right now. He's smooth in the pocket, knows where the ball should go, and has great processing speed. There was some miscommunication on a couple of throws with WRs but other than that, he played clean. Wouldn't be surprised if Billy or Zo transfer out. I hope that's not the case but it feels unlikely we keep both going into Fall camp.

While Jordan McCloud seems to be a somewhat polarizing figure on these boards, tough to argue what an outstanding season he had a year ago. I'm not so confident that JMU currently has enough in the QB room, but then again I didn't attend the spring game. Morris hasn't played in a while and is not big or mobile. The rest of the room is completely inexperienced and has not shown well when input into an actual game. And Evans, while physically talented, is still pretty raw supposedly. I watched a good bit of the Indiana spring game and they had two 4 stars at QB with experience competing for the top job, not to mention a couple of other promising freshman QBs expected on their roster.

Would it make sense for JMU to add a portal QB? Perhaps. Second, with regard to the make-up of JMU's staff, does Dean Kennedy have too much on his plate? In last year's organizational structure, JMU had both a QB coach and an OC. Now Kennedy is filling both roles.

The QB room is full....and I saw enough from #5 to feel good he will look even better by the opener with more time to absorb offense and work with WRs.

I think I will trust the HC with his preferred organizational structure of his staff.

Why in the heck would folks be watching the IU spring game....do you have a report from the ECU spring game as well and how Mike Houston is looking for the fall.

Dean Kennedy was Chesney's QB coach in 2022 before becoming OC in 2023. Apparently Holy Cross didn't have a QB coach in 2023 which makes me think that Kennedy was probably both OC and QB coach.
I trust Chesney decision to give his assistants what they can handle. If he gave his OC more than he could handle, then that would be a HUGE blunder as first year HC of an FBS program.
I feel confident that Kennedy can handle it.

I posted what I did for good reason, as something to ponder. What production does JMU have at QB returning from last season? None, essentially. I was hoping to see glowing reviews about the quarterback play and impressive statistics flying off the screen and I saw two 4 yard passing touchdowns, a 38 yard touchdown run and two field goals for an offense that Kennedy described as being explosive earlier in camp. As I recall from a year ago, both McCloud and the kid from North Carolina put up big numbers during the spring game, which I found reassuring at the time and proved prescient for McCloud at least.

The reason that Indiana as a comparison matters is obvious. Cignetti just finished a tenure in which his teams went 52-9 at JMU, which will be difficult for any successor to match. Moreover, he produced four players of the year at quarterback. He himself is a former QB, as is Tino Sunseri, plus they have another offensive mind in OC Mike Shanahan. I thought it was obvious that JMU's QB play improved with the hiring of Sunseri. JMU, meanwhile, has one former QB on its staff in Dean Kennedy, a young guy who has limited experience as an offensive coordinator, at the Patriot League no less; and now has to come in and manage the entire offense with all of its position groups, as well as the QB room. On top of that, he's going from 63 scholarship players to 85. Chesney's background, by all accounts, is as a former DB on the defensive side of the ball. Not saying that Kennedy can't handle it, but it's still a big ask and not a lot of QB expertise on the staff to lean on in tough times.

In the early going, JMU might be relying more on the running game than the previous regime, it would seem. And yes, to be really good, a team usually has to have balance.

What production did JMU have returning from 2022-23? Or from 2021-22?
The answer is exactly the same....none.
Yes, we have a new staff, but the issue is the same. Zero production returning.
This year is no different than the Centeio or McCloud year. Neither offense blew up during the spring game. Did either of their spring games foreshadow their fall? No. McCloud wasn't even slated as the starter until Barnett struggled. And it took one half of football before Cignetti pulled Barnett.
And back to Barnett. Cignetti was far more complimentary of Barnett than he was for McCloud. McCloud only started due to Barnett's struggles. Had Barnett played well, McCloud may never have seen the field.
As for Kennedy, he was QB coach for Sluka in his 2022 before becoming the OC (possibly even QB coach- HC didn't have a QB coach on their staff in 2023 according to the staff page).
Sluka:
2022:
passing: 153/266 2489 yds, 26 TDs 4 INTs
rushing: 203 att 1234 yds 11 TDs
2023:
passing: 122/197 1728 yds, 20 TDs 5 INTs
rushing: 186 att 1247 yds 9 TDs

At the least he did a pretty damn good job with Sluka. Really low INTs for both seasons.

Kennedy was also an assistant QB coach at Florida. Per Holy Cross' website:
"... and aided in the coaching of quarterback Kyle Trask, who finished fourth in voting for the 2020 Heisman Trophy."

The spring game does not accurately reflect fall production. We've seen it over and over. Overreacting to the spring game (both good and bad) is silly. There are things that have been happening in practice that we obviously didn't see much of during the spring game. Does that mean that what was said was false or concerning now? No.
It just meant that on one Saturday afternoon (that wasn't a game, by the way) we saw a glimpse of what the team has been working on up to this point.

130 days until kickoff. Good chance that the team learns a lot between now and then.

(04-23-2024 10:45 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  130 days until kickoff. Good chance that the team learns a lot between now and then.

Lies. Everyone knows that there's a cryogenic room that the entire staff and team go into and they get thawed out right before first game's kickoff.

You never turn down a good QB form the portal especially when you don’t have an incumbent starter at the position. Who knows what may be available in the next few weeks. JMU could lose/push out one of the QB’s on the roster and then being someone in who is better than anyone on the team.
I’m sure Chesney has his eyes wide open even if you think a position group is solid. He’d be foolish to turn down possible upgrades and there is no need to be sensitive to players getting their feelings hurt. Either you are the best player at your position this year or you are not.

Speaking of QB’s, how did Barnett look?. Cignetti said he was significantly better than all other QB’s in Fall practice last year. If the team moves to more of a running game in 2024, could he be the X factor with his running ability? I liked what I saw from his ability to run the read option. I didn’t see enough of his scrambling ability to know if he would be a threat on tuck and run plays.

(04-23-2024 12:15 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  You never turn down a good QB form the portal especially when you don’t have an incumbent starter at the position. Who knows what may be available in the next few weeks. JMU could lose/push out one of the QB’s on the roster and then being someone in who is better than anyone on the team.
I’m sure Chesney has his eyes wide open even if you think a position group is solid. He’d be foolish to turn down possible upgrades and there is no need to be sensitive to players getting their feelings hurt. Either you are the best player at your position this year or you are not.

Speaking of QB’s, how did Barnett look?. Cignetti said he was significantly better than all other QB’s in Fall practice last year. If the team moves to more of a running game in 2024, could he be the X factor with his running ability? I liked what I saw from his ability to run the read option. I didn’t see enough of his scrambling ability to know if he would be a threat on tuck and run plays.

From what I heard from twitter, he seemed to have a good spring game and broke off a long run.

(04-23-2024 12:15 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  You never turn down a good QB form the portal especially when you don’t have an incumbent starter at the position. Who knows what may be available in the next few weeks. JMU could lose/push out one of the QB’s on the roster and then being someone in who is better than anyone on the team.
I’m sure Chesney has his eyes wide open even if you think a position group is solid. He’d be foolish to turn down possible upgrades and there is no need to be sensitive to players getting their feelings hurt. Either you are the best player at your position this year or you are not.

Speaking of QB’s, how did Barnett look?. Cignetti said he was significantly better than all other QB’s in Fall practice last year. If the team moves to more of a running game in 2024, could he be the X factor with his running ability? I liked what I saw from his ability to run the read option. I didn’t see enough of his scrambling ability to know if he would be a threat on tuck and run plays.

eh....looked similar to the Bucknell game to me....scared to actually throw the ball and missed a wide open WR by 5+ yards on a flea flicker.

Atkins looked the same as well....mr happy feet.....a good throw, followed by a head-scratcher.

(04-23-2024 02:10 PM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-23-2024 12:15 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  You never turn down a good QB form the portal especially when you don’t have an incumbent starter at the position. Who knows what may be available in the next few weeks. JMU could lose/push out one of the QB’s on the roster and then being someone in who is better than anyone on the team.
I’m sure Chesney has his eyes wide open even if you think a position group is solid. He’d be foolish to turn down possible upgrades and there is no need to be sensitive to players getting their feelings hurt. Either you are the best player at your position this year or you are not.

Speaking of QB’s, how did Barnett look?. Cignetti said he was significantly better than all other QB’s in Fall practice last year. If the team moves to more of a running game in 2024, could he be the X factor with his running ability? I liked what I saw from his ability to run the read option. I didn’t see enough of his scrambling ability to know if he would be a threat on tuck and run plays.

eh....looked similar to the Bucknell game to me....scared to actually throw the ball and missed a wide open WR by 5+ yards on a flea flicker.

Atkins looked the same as well....mr happy feet.....a good throw, followed by a head-scratcher.

(04-23-2024 02:10 PM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(04-23-2024 12:15 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  You never turn down a good QB form the portal especially when you don’t have an incumbent starter at the position. Who knows what may be available in the next few weeks. JMU could lose/push out one of the QB’s on the roster and then being someone in who is better than anyone on the team.
I’m sure Chesney has his eyes wide open even if you think a position group is solid. He’d be foolish to turn down possible upgrades and there is no need to be sensitive to players getting their feelings hurt. Either you are the best player at your position this year or you are not.

Speaking of QB’s, how did Barnett look?. Cignetti said he was significantly better than all other QB’s in Fall practice last year. If the team moves to more of a running game in 2024, could he be the X factor with his running ability? I liked what I saw from his ability to run the read option. I didn’t see enough of his scrambling ability to know if he would be a threat on tuck and run plays.

eh....looked similar to the Bucknell game to me....scared to actually throw the ball and missed a wide open WR by 5+ yards on a flea flicker.

Atkins looked the same as well....mr happy feet.....a good throw, followed by a head-scratcher.

It looked to me he was really good on out /sideline routes but had issues trying to throw in the middle of the field. I'm assuming the out routes have less "clutter" and easier to see. Threw a really good ball on those. (Unless I mixed him up with Griffis. Had a few beers in me by gametine).

Barnett tucked and ran a lot. Great wheels but hard to judge his arm.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I've been listening to interviews from after the Spring game.
For any that had concerns about what they saw, go listen to those interviews. Especially the Dylan Morris one.
The playcalling for the spring game was very vanilla. They kind of reverted back to basics plays and concepts.
Plus, the defense was very familiar with all of the plays that they were seeing, so that probably made it even more challenging.
One of the main focuses was energy, and Dylan thought the offense did a good job of that.
Coach Kennedy believes the QB room is farther ahead than he expected.
I am really excited to see what this team will look like in the fall. I think this team could be pretty special.