Big Dan & Co. vs. Georgia Tech

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mkAz said:
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Linebacker out of position gets Faalele coming at him

OH GAWD PLEASE DON"T KILL ME!
 

Not a whole lot to report from the third quarter. We ran a total of eight plays from scrimmage, but retained control of the game.

Faalele's struggles returned, as he scored just 50% on six running plays. His transgressions included:
• A holding penalty
• A failure to move his man off the line on a run his way, resulting in a TFL.
• Getting to the second level on a run, but unable to decide who to block so blocked no one.

Now don't get the impression I'm down on this kid, because I'm not. As you can see in the clip above, Big Dan generates plenty of highlights. But his problem is inconsistency, which you would expect in an inexperienced player. And this also underscores the fact that Faalele is far from an NFL-ready product. That doesn't mean he won't be a very high draft pick some day. It just means he's not there yet.

On the plus side, that mouthy DB from GT I mentioned earlier got completely steamrolled by Mo on our first play from scrimmage in the second half. Justice prevails.

Through three quarters:
• Dunlap: 88% run, 82% pass
• Andries: 86% run, 100% pass
• Olson: 83% run, 100% pass
• Faalele: 70% run, 87% pass
• Schlueter: 88% run, 100% pass

JTG
 

rockford said:
Not a whole lot to report from the third quarter. We ran a total of eight plays from scrimmage, but retained control of the game.

Faalele's struggles returned, as he scored just 50% on six running plays. His transgressions included:
• A holding penalty
• A failure to move his man off the line on a run his way, resulting in a TFL.
• Getting to the second level on a run, but unable to decide who to block so blocked no one.

Now don't get the impression I'm down on this kid, because I'm not. As you can see in the clip above, Big Dan generates plenty of highlights. But his problem is inconsistency, which you would expect in an inexperienced player. And this also underscores the fact that Faalele is far from an NFL-ready product. That doesn't mean he won't be a very high draft pick some day. It just means he's not there yet.

On the plus side, that mouthy DB from GT I mentioned earlier got completely steamrolled by Mo on our first play from scrimmage in the second half. Justice prevails.

Through three quarters:
• Dunlap: 88% run, 82% pass
• Andries: 86% run, 100% pass
• Olson: 83% run, 100% pass
• Faalele: 70% run, 87% pass
• Schlueter: 88% run, 100% pass

JTG
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Nice analysis, rockfish! This unit should continue to improve next year with the added experience. I would much rather have Faalele next year with the game experience than if he was just coming in as a redshirt - he is just going to be farther along and he knows a lot more now than when he came here. I think your analysis details what he needs to work on specifically. I also like the depth that we are building - this team will not go very far without a good offensive line and Fleck has done a good job building a good one so far.
 

Big Dan has a ways to go but he is certainly headed in the right direction. It seems to me the only thing that could stop him would be injury or desire, the latter is difficult to gauge by someone on the outside. Does he practice hard on every rep? In the meeting room, does he ask questions, become involved? I would love to read that Big Dan would be sitting out his final bowl game to protect his first round status. That would mean he had made it and it would also translate that the Gopher football program had too.
 

The one thing I wonder about is his drive. He certainly has all the physical attributes, but he seems to get a little lazy at times. That may just be because -- even as massive as he is -- he's still only a teen-ager. As he matures physically, he's going to become even more of a monster. And the lack of experience has to also be a limiting factor.

I just hope Big Dan has the drive to want to be the best. Because he could be.

JTG
 


rockford said:
The one thing I wonder about is his drive. He certainly has all the physical attributes, but he seems to get a little lazy at times. That may just be because -- even as massive as he is -- he's still only a teen-ager. As he matures physically, he's going to become even more of a monster. And the lack of experience has to also be a limiting factor.

I just hope Big Dan has the drive to want to be the best. Because he could be.

JTG
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He certainly could! While he will get most of the attention the next couple years, the rest of the young linemen should not be overlooked as they look like they have outstanding potential as well! Maybe they can challenge each other to be the best!
 

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