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The straight scoop from
Colonel Mustard

April 17, 2000

The game was impossible to judge because of the QB situation, so let's talk about individual performances. The best player on the field was Vanden Bosch. He ran right by our starting tackles, and we know how good they are. Stella made every tackle before he got hurt. He was all over the field. Davies is the real deal, and we will be hard pressed to keep him off the field. He ran right through our first defense. Our top two lines both showed at times how good they are. Both lines worked together well.

The receivers were hard to evaluate because of the QBs. But Dabbert at TE impressed me, and Wistrom moved fine. Coleman and Tata are both big hitters at middle linebacker and will both contribute this year. Johnson was running back kickoffs and is a fast LB. Shanle, who I told you about last year, made a lot of plays. I think with him and Stella we'll be fine at the speed LB position. But that position is one the two biggest problems for this year. We rely on them so much that they have to make plays. The secondary wasn't tested , but Pippens and Blomeier both played a lot and supported the run. Neal was fun to watch running back kicks and could give some of our starters a break from those duties.

On offense the lines were solid as expected. Of the tailbacks, Butler looked the best, as he did last spring. He has some speed but can also break tackles and has good vision in the hole and in the open field. Diedrick was the second best -- he adjusts well at the line and does a good job of running to daylight. Miller was slow, like he was dragging a leg like Hearst does in the pros. I guess I was looking for more. He picks his holes and runs tough, but he doesn't have a burst when he breaks free. And we also have an endless supply of powerful 220 to 240 lb. blocking FBs. We will never run out of those. Chrisman will surprise you. As Tom would say, he's not the worst. He runs pretty well and throws a nice ball. He is inconsistent, but you would expect that. Lindstrom is a good athlete who I first saw play QB in '96. He was playing with my son at Hollywood High and I was impressed then that he was a natural option QB. He is small but he is quick and a good runner. His passing isn't sharp, but he has been a QB for only a month. Cook is a fine touch passer with a very short arm. The fact that I am talking about him at all isn't good. We need to go recruit three QBs next year. I'd like to know how Carlyle Holiday feels now. The McLaughlin kid who committed from Millard North is a fine runner and athlete. He will play somewhere. But because Millard N. is coached by Fielding Yost we don't know if he can pass.

Three other young defenders caught my eye. Warrior is a giant rush end, and Kabongo is the largest human in the world. He looks huge in our huddle. Put him in there with the Harwaiian kid Tagoa'i and the middle is blocked. Kabongo can move -- on one play he did a good job of flowing outside and making the tackle. One last defender who made a lot of plays was rush end Wichmann.

The best news I have for you is that runzas are back in the stadium. It was only the spring game and the QBs had green shirts, but it was great to be in the stadium. Crouch can't get hurt. Talk to you this summer.
 
-- The Colonel

 

 
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