Fall Camp

[AFCAT]

I think I’ve said this in another thread before, but I really believe this team will be better than last year. More balanced, better suited to attack teams. I’m very high on Lamson, maybe too high, but I think we upgraded at QB. I’m gonna run away after that comment lol

What the!? After we catch Belligerent at Gold Rush.




Relax, I'm just kidding!

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

"but I think we upgraded at QB."

What you talkin' about, Willis?

You remember the xfl when it first came out and they could put whatever they wanted on the back of their jerseys? They had that one player that put on the back of his jersey, “he hate me”? I think belligerents would be “you aint me”

[BelligerentBobcat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

[coloradocat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

I agree. We already know Lamson can run. That, combined with our OL and RBs, means we should see no drop off in the run game. Unless Vigen and Sterbick whiffed on scouting him, last year's passing game should be this year's floor. That's not to say Lamson > Tommy but that 2025 > 2024.

[GoldstoneCat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

[PHAT CAT]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

[iaafan]

Sounds more and more like Lamson is going to be QB1. What are everyone’s thoughts on this? His passing numbers in college are rough. Is that him or was it more of a byproduct of his teams? He was a good passer in high school but he was on a good team. I think his mobility and running ability look good.

MSU will be able to win a lot of games this year with Lamson at QB given the talent around him especially at RB and OL. But how good he can be in the passing game will likely be a very significant determining factor as to whether MSU has a legitimate shot at winning the national championship this year, and we'll all just have to wait and see what the answer to that question is! I wouldn't put too much stock in his Stanford stats since he'll have a far better team around him at MSU than he did there compared to the level of competition he'll be facing after the Oregon game.

I can’t argue with that. I think MSU has a great chance to have its deepest and most well-rounded team of the recent past this year. I don’t expect Lamson to be Tommy but he needs to be better than Rovig. I think he runs better than Tucker. Tucker was a 135 passer and was essentially tied for fifth in the league. If Lamson can hit that mark, I think it’ll be a fun season.

You think he runs better than Rovig?

Brother. He’s going to be a better running QB than anybody else on the roster.

I knew I’d get someone with that and you were my first guess!!!! GOTCHA!!!

[iaafan]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

I agree 100% …

















…with Belligerent

[BelligerentBobcat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

Again, I said that Tommy is the better player. If Lamson performs as well as I think he can, I think he can be the better QB.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I think I’ve said this in another thread before, but I really believe this team will be better than last year. More balanced, better suited to attack teams. I’m very high on Lamson, maybe too high, but I think we upgraded at QB. I’m gonna run away after that comment lol

What the!? After we catch Belligerent at Gold Rush.




Relax, I'm just kidding!

As long as I get beer after I’m good with it.

[imacat]

Bryson Parker dismissed for violation of team rules per Flores.

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/s ... efbed.html

[TomCat88]

Chris Long made one of the most jaw dropping catches I’ve ever seen today. One-handed, on the sideline, off balance with a man draped all over him.

[MSU01]

Chris Long made one of the most jaw dropping catches I’ve ever seen today. One-handed, on the sideline, off balance with a man draped all over him.

Hmm, you mean like...so glad MSU eventually got these guys in the playoffs after losing to them two years in a row including once in Bozeman!

[Long Time Cat]

Sounds more and more like Lamson is going to be QB1. What are everyone’s thoughts on this? His passing numbers in college are rough. Is that him or was it more of a byproduct of his teams? He was a good passer in high school but he was on a good team. I think his mobility and running ability look good.

Did you see or hear something recently that makes you think this?

[94VegasCat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

I know that Vigen said in one of his pressers that he’d recruited Lampson for his passing ability. That being said, what has MSUs mantra been for the last several years: Run the Damn Ball. Belligerent is correct. We don’t need Lampson to be Tommy. We need him to distribute that ball to ALL of the tools around him. Our running game will open up the pass and if Lampson can provide ball security the ceiling is huge. Sperbeck might be the best all around OC MSU has had in several years if he can keep it balanced.

[GoldstoneCat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

Again, I said that Tommy is the better player. If Lamson performs as well as I think he can, I think he can be the better QB.

That's a fine line you're trying to walk there. When the best offensive player in the country is playing QB for your team, pretty hard argument to make that Lamson will be the better QB. I think i get what you're trying to say, that he can helm a balanced offense in a more "traditional" sense better than Tommy could. Be more efficient with his passing (questionable imo). It's definitely going to look different, as much of what Tommy did last year was half field reads and schemed up throws, but the fact remains he led a hugely prolific offense. If this year's offense is as productive we're going to be near impossible to deal with bc i think we're going to be better on defense, especially in the front 7. I think you're going to be wrong, actually, I think the offense will take a step back, but I still think we're gonna be right there in the mix at the end of December because our roster is deep all the way thru.

[tetoncat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

Again, I said that Tommy is the better player. If Lamson performs as well as I think he can, I think he can be the better QB.

That's a fine line you're trying to walk there. When the best offensive player in the country is playing QB for your team, pretty hard argument to make that Lamson will be the better QB. I think i get what you're trying to say, that he can helm a balanced offense in a more "traditional" sense better than Tommy could. Be more efficient with his passing (questionable imo). It's definitely going to look different, as much of what Tommy did last year was half field reads and schemed up throws, but the fact remains he led a hugely prolific offense. If this year's offense is as productive we're going to be near impossible to deal with bc i think we're going to be better on defense, especially in the front 7. I think you're going to be wrong, actually, I think the offense will take a step back, but I still think we're gonna be right there in the mix at the end of December because our roster is deep all the way thru.

Not really, Cam Miller was a better QB, Tommy a better athlete. You also acknowledge he had half field reads. If we can get full field this year and running ability he could be a better QB. with that said I do believe OC held Tommy back at times passing, being to coservative to avoid TOs.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

Again, I said that Tommy is the better player. If Lamson performs as well as I think he can, I think he can be the better QB.

That's a fine line you're trying to walk there. When the best offensive player in the country is playing QB for your team, pretty hard argument to make that Lamson will be the better QB. I think i get what you're trying to say, that he can helm a balanced offense in a more "traditional" sense better than Tommy could. Be more efficient with his passing (questionable imo). It's definitely going to look different, as much of what Tommy did last year was half field reads and schemed up throws, but the fact remains he led a hugely prolific offense. If this year's offense is as productive we're going to be near impossible to deal with bc i think we're going to be better on defense, especially in the front 7. I think you're going to be wrong, actually, I think the offense will take a step back, but I still think we're gonna be right there in the mix at the end of December because our roster is deep all the way thru.

Life is full of nuance

A more dramatic example for you. Troy Andersen was an all conference player when he played QB. Without a doubt, a fantastic player. He was also a very mediocre QB, despite being a good player when lined up at that position. Obviously Tommy was better in all facets of that, but I’m just using it as an example.

I think the offense can be better. Able to score points when the explosive plays aren’t there. But I’m biased. I’ve been saying Lamson was the perfect fit for our offense back in December to my BIL when I knew they were recruiting him.

[TomCat88]

I know, I understand what I’m saying sounds crazy. I’m probably being overly optimistic here, but let me explain.

Stylistically, I believe a QB like Tommy was gives a team a very high floor. That running game will nearly always work. It also makes you highly dependent on one player.

If, and I’m stressing the if, Lamson can pass like I think he can, it opens the offense tremendously. Despite what the stats say, Tommy just wasn’t a super dependable passer. There were certainly fantastic flashes, but consistently, I would say no. I believe a true dual threat QB, one who can dependably pass the ball, can unlock a different dimension and higher ceiling to this offense.

At the end of the day, Tommy is a better athlete, and the better player. I think Lamson might be a better QB and lead to a higher ceiling for the offense.

Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton award as the best offensive football player in fcs football. If Lamson is going to be better than that, he's going to be quite possibly the best to ever play here. Might he be a better passer? Maybe. But we were f$@#ing prolific on offense last year. A wagon. Being 86% of that this year gets us to Nashville.

Again, I said that Tommy is the better player. If Lamson performs as well as I think he can, I think he can be the better QB.

Simply put, a better passing game gives MSU a better chance of beating strong opponents due to the fact that when MSU's run game is slowed down it's in trouble because its passing game isn't dependable. It's no big secret.

MSU played three very good teams last year: UCD, USD and NDSU. Each game was close, and each game saw the opponent limit the running backs, not Mellott's running, the RBs.
UCD: 31 carries for 155 yards, which is good but that included Julius Davis'* 91 yards on 13 carries. Jones/Humphrey just 18 for 64.
USD: 29-101 for Jones/Humphrey. 3.5 per carry is a far cry from 6.5.
NDSU: 22-64. <3.0 per carry. (Absolutely amazing that MSU was able to make this game close and a game it could've won when you look at that. It's a great testament to how good of an all-around team it had despite the flawed pass game).
*No Julius Davis in the latter two games.

They struggled, in part, because those defenses (good run defenses is another reason) weren't threatened by the pass. Those teams were hurt by MSU's pass game at times but not under a constant threat. Put a QB/system that has that constant threat and it enables the RBs to maintain productivity against the UCDs, USDs and NDSUs of the world. Mellott's running ability was a good asset in offsetting where the pass game lacked and where defenses loaded the box. But it also allowed defenses to do just that.

Mellott himself was a great example of this last year. He was a better passer last year, by far, than he was the previous 2+ seasons. That led MSU to one of its best seasons in school history. Despite not winning a national championship, I thought it was the best team MSU has ever fielded.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Tom put it better than I did.