Where Does the Roster Need Help?

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Lord Vigo
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Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by Lord Vigo » Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:28 am

Ok, so I know that some will say "everywhere," as in-- they shouldn't settle at any position. I get that mindset.

But the reality is that there are position groups where help would be more useful than others. So how do you see these position groups and their relative needs?

Fairly Set:
  • Quarterback
  • Tight End
  • Linebacker
  • Cornerback
  • Safety
A Little Help Wouldn't Go Amiss:
  • Running Back
  • Offensive Tackle
  • Defensive End
They Should Really Find a Guy:
  • Wide Receiver
  • Interior Offensive Line
  • Defensive Tackle



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RobertCats
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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by RobertCats » Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:03 pm

I agree with your list for the most part. I might say we could "use some help" at the safety position. Ortt has some potential but he is still only going to be a redshirt sophomore. Basically going from Webb to Ortt and then with Okada's troublesome shoulder we are thin behind them. We have a TON of underclassmen at safety and I haven't heard how they are progressing so i wouldnt mind a drop down upperclassmen transfer there.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by Lord Vigo » Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:06 pm

RobertCats wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:03 pm
I agree with your list for the most part. I might say we could "use some help" at the safety position. Ortt has some potential but he is still only going to be a redshirt sophomore. Basically going from Webb to Ortt and then with Okada's troublesome shoulder we are thin behind them. We have a TON of underclassmen at safety and I haven't heard how they are progressing so i wouldnt mind a drop down upperclassmen transfer there.
Yeah, I could agree with that.

I was on the edge with that one. I ended up making the choice I did because I've heard very positive things about Connor Ryan and Tyson Pottenger.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by RobertCats » Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:09 pm

I heard the same about Pottenger too! I loved Ryan's size and high school film so I'm glad to hear that!

I also wonder, if we consider CB room to be a little deeper than Safety if we move Zambrano to safety. Almost the same size as Webb and he likes to come up and hit in the run game.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by AFCAT » Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:12 pm

I’d have to also get on the Pottenger train. Heard good things about him.


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by Lord Vigo » Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:15 pm

RobertCats wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:09 pm
I heard the same about Pottenger too! I loved Ryan's size and high school film so I'm glad to hear that!

I also wonder, if we consider CB room to be a little deeper than Safety if we move Zambrano to safety. Almost the same size as Webb and he likes to come up and hit in the run game.
Maybe not a bad idea if Polidore takes over Zambrano's role.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by superbobcat » Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:51 pm

Fairly Set:
Tight End
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety

A Little Need:
Quarterback (Vigen’s guys)
Running Back Infanse needs a partner,
Offensive Tackle- Left Tackle
Defensive End- Depth and speed
Wide Receiver young guys need to step forward

Help us please
Offensive Line size
Defensive Tackle depth size
Add depth anywhere it is along season



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by TomCat88 » Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:55 pm

There aren’t any areas of desperate need. I think Leighton was either injured or off his game late in the year. That needs to get fixed. Need a special teams coach.


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by coloradocat » Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:59 pm

Punt returner. I know we have Taco coming in but if he isn't the answer as a true freshman it's right back to Willie.


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by AFCAT » Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:09 pm

coloradocat wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:59 pm
Punt returner. I know we have Taco coming in but if he isn't the answer as a true freshman it's right back to Willie.
Charles Brown and Andrew Patterson,


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by AFCAT » Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:10 pm

TomCat88 wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:55 pm
There aren’t any areas of desperate need. I think Leighton was either injured or off his game late in the year. That needs to get fixed. Need a special teams coach.
Yes!!!


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by technoCat » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:18 pm

The one glaring need I see is size on the dline. Seems like everyone else can get 1-2 300lb guys to soak up blocks. Why can't we? I think we have guys almost every where else so depth would be nice but not the highest priority.


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by coloradocat » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:24 pm

AFCAT wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:10 pm
TomCat88 wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:55 pm
There aren’t any areas of desperate need. I think Leighton was either injured or off his game late in the year. That needs to get fixed. Need a special teams coach.
Yes!!!
Yeah, more than a punt returner maybe we just need a ST coach.

This is probably a question for a new thread but what exactly does a Special Teams coach do? There are a lot of various skills that fall under that part of the game: kicking off, kick off coverage, onside kicks, PATs, 2pt conversions, FGs, fake FGs, punting, punt coverage, fake punts, long snapping to holder, long snapping to punter, kick returns, kick return coverage, onside kick coverage, punt returns, punt return coverage.

Does an FCS ST coach really know how to coach all of these or does he leave a lot of the individual aspects up to the player (punting, kicking, catching kicks/punts)? I would assume a lot of other position coaches can handing coverage and fakes but the specialized aspects of ST would be harder to coach. Even the difference between catching a kickoff vs catching a punt might not be something a WR coach can help with. And who really knows how to help a kicker or punter with their form? I'm guessing it's not Vigen, our defacto ST coordinator.

Seems like you'd need a whole group of ST coaches, not just one. Maybe that's why some schools don't bother and just split up the work and hope for the best. If a ST coach really knows all that stuff then he's probably the most impressive coach on the team.

Am I overestimating how difficult special teams is or underestimating how difficult it is to coach as a whole?


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by jgrilley406 » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:41 pm

Interior d line and o line, we need to build our team to beat NDSU, the last 3 times we’ve faced them, they’ve been able to slow our run game down and run right at us and gash us for large rushing games. Obviously we can’t just ignore other position groups but those two areas is where we’re lacking the most when we are matched up with NDSU.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by VimSince03 » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:45 pm

Lord Vigo wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:06 pm
RobertCats wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:03 pm
I agree with your list for the most part. I might say we could "use some help" at the safety position. Ortt has some potential but he is still only going to be a redshirt sophomore. Basically going from Webb to Ortt and then with Okada's troublesome shoulder we are thin behind them. We have a TON of underclassmen at safety and I haven't heard how they are progressing so i wouldnt mind a drop down upperclassmen transfer there.
Yeah, I could agree with that.

I was on the edge with that one. I ended up making the choice I did because I've heard very positive things about Connor Ryan and Tyson Pottenger.
Eli Aby impressed as well.


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by ilovethecats » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:54 pm

jgrilley406 wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:41 pm
Interior d line and o line, we need to build our team to beat NDSU, the last 3 times we’ve faced them, they’ve been able to slow our run game down and run right at us and gash us for large rushing games. Obviously we can’t just ignore other position groups but those two areas is where we’re lacking the most when we are matched up with NDSU.
Agree 1000%.

I know that most care about the gris more than anything and I understand it. Don't agree but understand it. And I know they beat our asses this year. But if we have any aspirations of winning the whole damn thing, we need to build to beat NDSU. If we do that, the rest of the wins will come. But three in a row of them not just beating us, but dominating us, shows that's where we need to go.

I'm confident Vigen knows this better than anyone and he'll get us there.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by jgrilley406 » Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:35 pm

ilovethecats wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:54 pm
jgrilley406 wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:41 pm
Interior d line and o line, we need to build our team to beat NDSU, the last 3 times we’ve faced them, they’ve been able to slow our run game down and run right at us and gash us for large rushing games. Obviously we can’t just ignore other position groups but those two areas is where we’re lacking the most when we are matched up with NDSU.
Agree 1000%.

I know that most care about the gris more than anything and I understand it. Don't agree but understand it. And I know they beat our asses this year. But if we have any aspirations of winning the whole damn thing, we need to build to beat NDSU. If we do that, the rest of the wins will come. But three in a row of them not just beating us, but dominating us, shows that's where we need to go.

I'm confident Vigen knows this better than anyone and he'll get us there.
Losing to the Griz sucks and having state bragging rights is one thing but when we’ve played NDSU we’re on the national stage for everyone to see and we’re getting humiliated. We’re to the point where it’s a toss up come cat/Griz game and that’s good but come NDSU it’s clearly NDSU.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by BelligerentBobcat » Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:52 pm

It’s fairly uncommon to get a ST’s coach that actually knows more than the very basics about kicking. I wouldn’t expect a coach to impact kicking. They might have an impact on coverage and blocking, but typically not kicking itself.



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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by TomCat88 » Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:58 pm

jgrilley406 wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:35 pm
ilovethecats wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:54 pm
jgrilley406 wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:41 pm
Interior d line and o line, we need to build our team to beat NDSU, the last 3 times we’ve faced them, they’ve been able to slow our run game down and run right at us and gash us for large rushing games. Obviously we can’t just ignore other position groups but those two areas is where we’re lacking the most when we are matched up with NDSU.
Agree 1000%.

I know that most care about the gris more than anything and I understand it. Don't agree but understand it. And I know they beat our asses this year. But if we have any aspirations of winning the whole damn thing, we need to build to beat NDSU. If we do that, the rest of the wins will come. But three in a row of them not just beating us, but dominating us, shows that's where we need to go.

I'm confident Vigen knows this better than anyone and he'll get us there.
Losing to the Griz sucks and having state bragging rights is one thing but when we’ve played NDSU we’re on the national stage for everyone to see and we’re getting humiliated. We’re to the point where it’s a toss up come cat/Griz game and that’s good but come NDSU it’s clearly NDSU.
I'm concerned about what will happen to what seems like at least 50% of Bobcat fans if there isn't a team dominating MSU. I swear these people live for this kind of defeatism. First it was UM and the 16-game losing streak, then it was EWU, now it's NDSU. Will this become a lost tribe? Will they migrate to the Serengeti plain only to be preyed upon by of a barbaric clan of marauders wishing to dismember and mutilate them?


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Re: Where Does the Roster Need Help?

Post by coloradocat » Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:53 pm

BelligerentBobcat wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:52 pm
It’s fairly uncommon to get a ST’s coach that actually knows more than the very basics about kicking. I wouldn’t expect a coach to impact kicking. They might have an impact on coverage and blocking, but typically not kicking itself.
That's kind of what I figured, that they generally focus on the not so specialized aspects of special teams.

Then it just comes down to time management. Do you want to allocate a coaching position to someone who only focuses on coverage/blocking kicks/punts and spends a little time on fakes or do you think the rest of your staff can carve out some time during the week to handle this? The ideal situation is probably to have a HC with ST experience so that he can take that role, like a certain coach a couple hundred miles west of us.


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