• Welcome to Green Bay Packers NFL Football Forum & Community!
    Packer Forum is one of the largest online communities for the Green Bay Packers.

    You are currently viewing our community forums as a guest user.

    Sign Up or

    Having an account grants you additional privileges, such as creating and participating in discussions. Furthermore, we hide most of the ads once you register as a member! Furthermore, we hide most of the ads once you register as a member!

Orange & Blue Debut: Saturday April 12 @ 1:30 Eastern

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
Moderator

Spring is in the air! The Florida Gators will conclude spring practice with the Orange & Blue Debut, sponsored by Sunniland. This year's scrimmage will feature honorary captains Shane Matthews and Josh Evans for Team Orange and Chris Doering and Jelani Jenkins for Team Blue. Team Orange and Team Blue held a live draft of the players for each team. The following players were selected:

Team Orange:
1. CB Vernon Hargreaves
2. DE Dante Fowler
3. LB Antonio Morrison
4. WR/RB Valdez Showers
5. DL Jonathan Bullard
6. RB Mack Brown
7. DB Keanu Neal
8. WR Latroy Pittman
9. DB Marcus Maye
10. LB Jarrad Davis
11. FB Hunter Joyer
12. LB Bryan Cox

Team Blue:
1. QB Jeff Driskel
2. WR Quinton Dunbar
3. LB Michael Taylor
4. RB Kelvin Taylor
5. OL Chaz Green
6. DB Jalen Tabor
7. OL D.J Humphries
8. WR Demarcus Robinson
9. DB Duke Dawson
10. OL Trenton Brown
11. OL Max Garcia
12. DL Alex McAllister

This year's debut will consist of four, 12-minute quarters with a running clock. The clock will stop during the two-minute drill at the end of each half. Regardless of Orange or Blue team designations, the offense will wear blue jerseys and the defense will wear orange.
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
It's a little different, a little strange--but an improvement on LAST year, BIG time, I think (I'm talking about the format for the game, but I could be talking 'bout everything)...and I couldn't BE more excited and relieved that we're here: Summer, then the 2014 season-proper. Sounds "all good" to me, at least lookin' forward from here. Now if we can just get there healthy, with the talent we appear to have and the rate that by all accounts things are coming along, well...
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Meanwhile, turns out we won't see it here 'til 11:30pm tonight--at least that's the first chance my DVR box will get to record it. Me, I MAY watch it then, but I'd like to think 1st-look'll be Sunday morn'...I mean, it's Sat.-night in Austin, after all, temps are rising and clothing-layers dropping away--and all the stuff that implies about human behavior, etc. Even with my vehicle "blowed-up" (lost the transmission on my "SS"--long story, crappy ending), like to think I'll be at the bar, drinkin', flirtin' and rockin' out. Maybe I can get 'em to put the "O &B Revue" up on the main monitor--though they generally prefer funky ol' slasher pics and samurai movies there, at least at my favorite haunt. All of which is my roundabout way of saying I'm "into it", but it still isn't quite a real game yet, happy as I may be to get to this point, regardless.
I AM excited to see how our new offense performs against what I anticipate will be one of the best defenses in the SEC (and therefore, the nation). Driskel's supposed to have filled out considerably, and has a whole new poise and confidence running this "read-and-react" offense out of a constant shotgun. I figure if they can move the ball in all the varied ways it is designed to do, and manage to drop a few big plays on them here and there throughout, it really will presage our pending reemergence.
I'm just not all that worried about the "D". Staying healthy is the key: Be real nice if this season were the flip side of '13 when it comes to our luck there. Fine with me if we're "off the radar" this time around, that no one is expecting that much from us outside of ourselves...
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Watching it (well, got an eye on it over the bar while I "monitor other activity"), and will have much more to say in the next day or two, with repeated viewings, but one of the main things I wanted to see--ie. the rebirth of a med-to-long-range passing game--hasn't exactly materialized, at least in the first 12 minute "quarter" or so. Driskel hasn't been consistently accurate, his receivers haven't distinguished themselves (especially in their routes), and Grier, the more accurate and apparently stronger-armed QB, has had even less support from HIS targets. That extra "zip" he has on his throws seems to be too much for the receivers, who've been dropping darts right on their hands. We'll be able to run the ball, sure (all the RBs look good in their own way--but freshman Adam Lane is all over the place, and Taylor more than ever a natural with "star" written all over his future), but YIKES!...Even that won't go so well without a vertical game opponents have to either defend against or die. A third of the way thru' this thing and I'm still waiting for what I see as the key to our success on offense, and in turn our whole season: Consistent improvement towards an explosive passing game. There ARE signs, but we have GOT to be able to hit the streaking WR on the run several times a game this year. If this offense can learn to do that against our defense, then we'll be fine come the real thing.
(Ahhh--THERE'S that Driskel-to-Demarcus connection that's been the buzz of spring practice...That's what I'm talkin' about.)
No doubt about it: Grier has the stronger arm, and great pocket poise to go with it. Still fixing on his primary receivers early, obviously so--part of his inexperience that'll get him and us into real trouble against SEC defenses if he's forced to step in too early. He'll be a great one, with experience, but right now the best case scenario is still DRISKEL coming thru' as a leader with solid, efficient play (but if he doesn't, here's a prediction: Grier will supercede him as the first string QB NEXT season). No matter what, these receivers have GOT to start helping the QB--better hands, better routes, "better" in every way than what most of 'em are showing here.
We are not showing much improvement inside the red zone--and JD STILL can't throw the fade. Damn shame; it's pretty well unstoppable when properly executed, and it'd open up everything else from the -teens-on-in if he could throw it, the receivers run it right and squeeze the soft ball as it drops in over their shoulder.
One last observation: What the hell happened to the punter, Christy? Couple seasons back he arrived as an instant asset, booming it sky-high a consistent 45 yds plus...dropped back to low and wobbly returnables barely 40 yds last year, and isn't showing much improvement on that here so far, with little pressure. How long do we wait for him to come around? What are the alternatives, if we can't wait any longer?
 
Hey Guys! From what I read it looked we made some improvements, but the game ended in a tie. Not a bad game; but not an excellent one either.
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Hey Guys! From what I read it looked we made some improvements, but the game ended in a tie. Not a bad game; but not an excellent one either.
I've watched it (more a "glorified scrimmage" than a "game") twice more today, three times altogether, and aside from that Mornigweig drive at the end that pretty well solidifies an overall impression of improved offense in general, plus depth at QB, the only thing I'd add to my first impressions above is that, with the several other spring games I watched, I suspect the biggest reason their offenses looked more explosive than ours is mostly 'cause THEY'RE not working against what may well turn out to be the best damn defense in the country by late in the year. Personally, I'd be a whole lot more worried if the 1st-string offense had run up big numbers on the 1st-string "D", as elsewhere. Gotta trust Roper to get that still mostly-(JUST) missing vertical game to what otherwise seems to be coming along nicely. Dale's right: There's no doubt we're "much improved" on offense, and hopefully this is just the beginning, 14 practices in. We're clearly, notably strong at every position and in every phase of the offense EXCEPT at WR, where the jury is still out. More than ever, we'll be able to move the ball down the field on anybody, but I'm hoping one of the reasons they went and GOT Roper is 'cause our Head Coach finally sees that too much of that eventually just offers more chances for something to screw-UP. Hit a long one here and there and you not only open everything else up, but cut those chances, the accumulating odds that something bad will happen--fumble, missed assignment, WHATEVER--down to manageable size.
Again: In my view, Driskel's health and consistency, and a couple of break-out performers at WR, are all that stand now between a "decent" season, and a really exciting one.
 

InkedAdrenaline

VIP Member
Yes it seemed like it was a better spring game than last year and YES Driskel looked pretty good. But he also looked good in the spring game last year and game 1...it wasn't until the Mia game where he looked like shit.
 

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
Moderator
I am cautiously optimistic. Not all spring scrimmages are created equally. For example, in the South Carolina scrimmage, all 15 wide receivers--scholarship or not--caught multiple passes. In the FSU game, the latest Heisman winner and rapist looked horrible, but this offense will still challenge the Gators. In some of the other scrimmages, the offenses racked up 600+ yards of offense.

What we can tell from the Gator scrimmage is that Driskel seems to have healed from surgery, he throws well on the run, he makes better decisions when he is not in the pocket, and our receivers like the spread offense. The punting game will still be shaky, but the kicking game might be better from 40 yards and in.
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
The best any of us can manage at this point is "cautious optimism", I figure. I mean, there's reason for hope, but after last year, how much further can you go based on the evidence thus far?
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
I'm just glad we didn't lose...
(laughing) Yeah, if there were a way to LOSE, last year's squad might have found it...
Actually, I think we DID manage the equivalent of a "win" last Sat.: The new offense functioned in an encouragingly efficient and flexibly varied fashion, if at times inconsistently so. That was against our already threatening defense--itself young, far from full-strength, and far from the level I believe it'll be operating at by fall. All things considered, after several viewings and further reflection, I'd now say that was probably as good an over-all performance and outcome as we could hope for. We need to get and STAY healthy, that's the main thing now.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
20,339
Messages
90,513
Members
1,226
Latest member
GeorgeDuema
Top