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- Thread starter bucknut11
- Start date
BIATCHabutuka
out of chaos comes playoffs
i am sure he is just itching for the chance to man up with manningham again. all the great ones have some sort of setback or off night or nemesis that pushes them further towards greatness.Alan said:
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Does anyone one have any links to any photos related to teh AA game besides the bucknuts practice gallery (http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/340545.html)?
For instance, where did that big picture of Rico come from with the gloves in his helmet (as in what is the URL)?
I checked getty images and got nowhere.
For instance, where did that big picture of Rico come from with the gloves in his helmet (as in what is the URL)?
I checked getty images and got nowhere.
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PlaywithPride21
whatsamattayou
I have to agree with your list there. From what I saw the studs were:
Nicholson- tha guy was all over the place
Lucky- the kid has a nice burst
Jamario- from what i saw only got burned once
Stewart- didn't see him much but had a couple nice carries
Perriloux- provided everything as expected
Jackson- cocky but electric
Rouse- tried to imitate Ginn but not at the same level
the disappointments:
East QBs- basically provided no offense
East O-line- how many sacks?
East Coach- try to run? played Paulus too much
AMW- not really all that disappointing though
McCoy- disappointed in his decision making
Doering- got side-stepped all the time
Commentary- they didn't know a whole lot
I am sure I am missing many others. The game lost my interest after the East seemed out of it. Couldn't quite measure the talent of Wells, Jamario, or Boone from the little I saw of them.
Nicholson- tha guy was all over the place
Lucky- the kid has a nice burst
Jamario- from what i saw only got burned once
Stewart- didn't see him much but had a couple nice carries
Perriloux- provided everything as expected
Jackson- cocky but electric
Rouse- tried to imitate Ginn but not at the same level
the disappointments:
East QBs- basically provided no offense
East O-line- how many sacks?
East Coach- try to run? played Paulus too much
AMW- not really all that disappointing though
McCoy- disappointed in his decision making
Doering- got side-stepped all the time
Commentary- they didn't know a whole lot
I am sure I am missing many others. The game lost my interest after the East seemed out of it. Couldn't quite measure the talent of Wells, Jamario, or Boone from the little I saw of them.
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the FG attempt where Rey Maualaga hurdled the guard (Monroe or Slocum?) and blocked the kick was impressive...
Rouse has obviously been watching our boy Teddy...
Zoltan the punter impressed me...
Gwaltney looked good as a RB and on special teams...
Boone looked better than any other of the East lineman today...
King showed some potential...
David Nelson looked decent...I know my ND friends hope he stays on board...
Powe could be a monster, if he qualifies...
Cushing needs to bulk up to play LB in college...
Stewart showed amazing balance...he could be the next Corey Dillon at UW...
Rouse has obviously been watching our boy Teddy...
Zoltan the punter impressed me...
Gwaltney looked good as a RB and on special teams...
Boone looked better than any other of the East lineman today...
King showed some potential...
David Nelson looked decent...I know my ND friends hope he stays on board...
Powe could be a monster, if he qualifies...
Cushing needs to bulk up to play LB in college...
Stewart showed amazing balance...he could be the next Corey Dillon at UW...
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Well let me give my own update from what my local cable provider has decide to show...
Kentucky 68 Georgia 43
Barnburner eh
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Not sure why you think King looked overrated. He had a ball taken away from him when he was in position. Other than that he played really physical out there and held his own.
AMW was a big disappointment for the Rivals ratings but not for what we've been hearing.
AMW was a big disappointment for the Rivals ratings but not for what we've been hearing.
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I'm sure you guys have already seen these 5 pics, but just in case you haven't:
http://msn.foxsports.com/pgStory?contentId=3326352&pageNumber=1
http://msn.foxsports.com/pgStory?contentId=3326352&pageNumber=1
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I agree with VG that Nicholson was the best LB out there. He was all over the field. Seemed like every play there was #30....
How about that Mark Sanchez? Not only a great talent on the field, but the way he dealt with his interview after getting POY was impressive. Not that he is as polished a speaker as he'll ever need to be, but he sure has a good start.
Johnson made up for what could have been a very embarrassing game. He had the whole 4.5 yard leap thing (I guess it wasn't a fumble cause the penalty came before the fumble? Bizarre. Shoulda gave the ball to the East) then was involved in a muffed punt.
Perrilloux will make people not miss Vince Young once VY moves on (Assuminb RP stays with Texas)
Probably the format of the game, but no TB really stood out.
The East's QBs, as a group, were bad.
AMW kept getting victimized. It was nice to see Jamo live up to his billing as shut down.
How about that Mark Sanchez? Not only a great talent on the field, but the way he dealt with his interview after getting POY was impressive. Not that he is as polished a speaker as he'll ever need to be, but he sure has a good start.
Johnson made up for what could have been a very embarrassing game. He had the whole 4.5 yard leap thing (I guess it wasn't a fumble cause the penalty came before the fumble? Bizarre. Shoulda gave the ball to the East) then was involved in a muffed punt.
Perrilloux will make people not miss Vince Young once VY moves on (Assuminb RP stays with Texas)
Probably the format of the game, but no TB really stood out.
The East's QBs, as a group, were bad.
AMW kept getting victimized. It was nice to see Jamo live up to his billing as shut down.
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CleveBucks
Serenity now
Here's how I saw each position:
QB - Sanchez definitely the best. He had great touch on the ball as opposed to Paulus and Christensen who had happy feet and threw mostly hard liners. Perrilloux looked good too but not quite as quick as I'd imagined.... but for a 230 lber he can move. I didn't realize how far down this year is for QB's... last year just in the East you had Henne, Morelli, XLee, Weatherford, Brohm, etc. wow...
RB - Stewart showed a good combo of size and speed, but fumbled twice. Once by JamO and once on a suspect exchange. Still he has the tools. Ditto for Gwaltney, didn't look quite as built in the lower body as I'd expected, but he will be a good one and quickly. No one else really had a chance, the usual for an all star game.
WR - Jackson is a great player that I'm not sure I'd even want on my team. The West coach should've benched his ass for the rest of the game. Any coincidence he went to the same HS as Kenyon Rambo? Rouse has the tools but nowhere near the burning speed some had claimed. Turner could be a Mike Williams-type.
OL - Boone played great. If the east QB's didn't bail out of the pocket so much, they would've had much more success. The only time I recall Boone really giving up anything was when he pushed the DE to the right away from the pocket, only to have Paulus run the same way. Expected more out of Doering and Richardson on the East squad.
DL - Powe looked great. Can't believe a big man has that athleticism. I didn't see McKinney more than once in the game. Did he even play? Earl Heyman from KY looked pretty good. Sort of an under-the-radar guy I guess. The West DLine in general looked very good. East could've used Worthington and Taylor from tSUN.
LB - Nicholson was the top LB as others have suggested. FSU or UNC will be very happy. He was all over the field. Jerome Hayes is also a good one. McCoy was probably 3rd best. Hard for any LB to make an impact with no blitzing.
DB - O'Neal shut down his guy all night. Only allowed one short catch that I remember. Fierce tackler, also caused that fumble on Stewart. Great hit. King looked pretty good but did get outmatched against Jackson on that one long pass. Looked a little smallish. AMW should let LLLoyd give him the Burgess treatment. He got burnt all day, and not only against Jackson. I don't think he is one we'll miss. Evans from Jville looked pretty good. Morley was average. Phillips from Miami was not noticeable at all. Pegues from MS looked pretty good. Harris from VA didn't do a whole lot and got burnt once.
ST - King had one nice kick return to midfield. Not much ST action besides that. The West punter boomed them most of the night. Good player. Mesko didn't look that great. I expected some real nice punts after all the hype about 48 yards with 5 sec. hangtime avg. Whatever. Too bad JamO never got to return a punt or kick. Rouse doesn't have the elusiveness to return punts.
All in all I thought the talent level was way down this year. Not just in this game, but the HS talent level in general. Last year may have been the best ever when all is said and done.
QB - Sanchez definitely the best. He had great touch on the ball as opposed to Paulus and Christensen who had happy feet and threw mostly hard liners. Perrilloux looked good too but not quite as quick as I'd imagined.... but for a 230 lber he can move. I didn't realize how far down this year is for QB's... last year just in the East you had Henne, Morelli, XLee, Weatherford, Brohm, etc. wow...
RB - Stewart showed a good combo of size and speed, but fumbled twice. Once by JamO and once on a suspect exchange. Still he has the tools. Ditto for Gwaltney, didn't look quite as built in the lower body as I'd expected, but he will be a good one and quickly. No one else really had a chance, the usual for an all star game.
WR - Jackson is a great player that I'm not sure I'd even want on my team. The West coach should've benched his ass for the rest of the game. Any coincidence he went to the same HS as Kenyon Rambo? Rouse has the tools but nowhere near the burning speed some had claimed. Turner could be a Mike Williams-type.
OL - Boone played great. If the east QB's didn't bail out of the pocket so much, they would've had much more success. The only time I recall Boone really giving up anything was when he pushed the DE to the right away from the pocket, only to have Paulus run the same way. Expected more out of Doering and Richardson on the East squad.
DL - Powe looked great. Can't believe a big man has that athleticism. I didn't see McKinney more than once in the game. Did he even play? Earl Heyman from KY looked pretty good. Sort of an under-the-radar guy I guess. The West DLine in general looked very good. East could've used Worthington and Taylor from tSUN.
LB - Nicholson was the top LB as others have suggested. FSU or UNC will be very happy. He was all over the field. Jerome Hayes is also a good one. McCoy was probably 3rd best. Hard for any LB to make an impact with no blitzing.
DB - O'Neal shut down his guy all night. Only allowed one short catch that I remember. Fierce tackler, also caused that fumble on Stewart. Great hit. King looked pretty good but did get outmatched against Jackson on that one long pass. Looked a little smallish. AMW should let LLLoyd give him the Burgess treatment. He got burnt all day, and not only against Jackson. I don't think he is one we'll miss. Evans from Jville looked pretty good. Morley was average. Phillips from Miami was not noticeable at all. Pegues from MS looked pretty good. Harris from VA didn't do a whole lot and got burnt once.
ST - King had one nice kick return to midfield. Not much ST action besides that. The West punter boomed them most of the night. Good player. Mesko didn't look that great. I expected some real nice punts after all the hype about 48 yards with 5 sec. hangtime avg. Whatever. Too bad JamO never got to return a punt or kick. Rouse doesn't have the elusiveness to return punts.
All in all I thought the talent level was way down this year. Not just in this game, but the HS talent level in general. Last year may have been the best ever when all is said and done.
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sandgk
Watson, Crick & A Twist
Was AMW only recently returning from an Injury?
Was AMW only recently returning from an Injury?
-- Swear I heard on the local radio just last week that Meyers-White of Hamilton had only recently recovered from some sort of (recent) injury.
Could that have limited his speed during this game?
Frankly though, with O'Neals size, speed and ability to lay down the wood (his hit on Stewart) I think we've added what we need in the backfield.
Did anyone catch Maualuga's reaction to his dad trying to steal the spotlight when he was getting ready to don his Trojan's cap for the Lemming?
If looks could kill...
Was AMW only recently returning from an Injury?
-- Swear I heard on the local radio just last week that Meyers-White of Hamilton had only recently recovered from some sort of (recent) injury.
Could that have limited his speed during this game?
Frankly though, with O'Neals size, speed and ability to lay down the wood (his hit on Stewart) I think we've added what we need in the backfield.
Did anyone catch Maualuga's reaction to his dad trying to steal the spotlight when he was getting ready to don his Trojan's cap for the Lemming?
If looks could kill...
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SC"U"Mbuster
Junior
Additions:
STUDS:
Derek Nicholson (LB) -- Florida State or North Carolina
He was all over the field as well, even though he wasn't as highly touted as some of the other LB's.
Roy Miller (DT) -- Texas
Along with Powe (to a lesser extent), Miller was a stud DT who was responsible for beating Doering, Scott, and Oher on the East OL.
DUDS:
Brian Cushing (LB) -- USC or Miami
Wasn't heard from very much, and on the plays he was in on, didn't look impressive.
FLASHES:
Jim Barnes (QB) -- Alabama?
The West coach's son, he threw a nice TD pass and ran a couple series.
Jason Gwaltney (RB) -- Southern Cal or Ohio State
His seemingly nice 9-yard run was really not a run, because replays showed he was hit behind the LOS (his knee was clearly down) and shouldn't have had any gain. But he had some decent ST plays, and a great block on Powe (DT).
Travis Beckum (LB) -- Wisconsin
Had his name called on a few ST plays, which were impressive because he was the lead guy tackling the returner down the field. Not bad for a big guy.
STUDS:
Derek Nicholson (LB) -- Florida State or North Carolina
He was all over the field as well, even though he wasn't as highly touted as some of the other LB's.
Roy Miller (DT) -- Texas
Along with Powe (to a lesser extent), Miller was a stud DT who was responsible for beating Doering, Scott, and Oher on the East OL.
DUDS:
Brian Cushing (LB) -- USC or Miami
Wasn't heard from very much, and on the plays he was in on, didn't look impressive.
FLASHES:
Jim Barnes (QB) -- Alabama?
The West coach's son, he threw a nice TD pass and ran a couple series.
Jason Gwaltney (RB) -- Southern Cal or Ohio State
His seemingly nice 9-yard run was really not a run, because replays showed he was hit behind the LOS (his knee was clearly down) and shouldn't have had any gain. But he had some decent ST plays, and a great block on Powe (DT).
Travis Beckum (LB) -- Wisconsin
Had his name called on a few ST plays, which were impressive because he was the lead guy tackling the returner down the field. Not bad for a big guy.
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all american game review...
http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/allamericangame.htm
All American Game Review
http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/allamericangame.htm
All American Game Review
By: Chris Harring
1/24/05
<TABLE style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" width="99%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" vAlign=top><TABLE style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" width="100%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none">Best Players:
DeSean Jackson, West WR- When he wasn’t celebrating at poor times, he was teraing up the East defensive backs. Demetrice Morley, Justin King, and Adam Myers-White all took their turn getting embarrassed by Jackson. Add to that his beautiful TD pass on the trick play.
Derek Pegues, West CB- Despite not coming in as one of the more highly touted guys, he completely locked down practice superstar Patrick Turner. He has some incredible speed, and had no fear going up and challenging the much bigger Turner.
Reggie Youngblood, West OT- The only East lineman that stood up to Melvin Alaeze. Youngblood possesses a great combo of strength and quickness, and pretty much dominated Alaeze for the entire time he was in there.
Roy Miller, West DT- Great acceleration/burst for a DT. He’s going to be a good pass-rusher at Texas. He played the best of all the interior Dlineman, and that says a lot considering how well Jerrell Powe and Marques Slocum did.
Marlon Lucky, West RB- I know a lot of people think highly of the existing Nebraska backs, but Lucky’s easily the best of them. He has unreal quickness and speed; and proved in the second half that he was capable of some amazing things. Plus, he has great hands
Worst Players:
Greg Paulus, East QB- He should thank Coach K for convincing him to play basketball. He started scrambling like a madmen every time he even thought that pressure would be on its way, then once he was on the run he tried to force everything.
Adam Myers-White, East Safety- He’s just bad. I lost count of how many times he got beat at about 5.
Toney Baker, East RB- For all the hype, it’d have been nice to see him actually do something in the game. NBC even took the time to have a pre-game video comparing him to Barry Sanders; I guess that fits because Baker ran for about as many yards as Sanders did in that game.
Other players of note:
Melvin Alaeze, East DE- If the offensive tackle is slow getting out of his stance he might as well give up, because Alaeze’s going to be by him. However, he did have a problem with a big guy like Youngblood so some strength training won’t hurt.
Jonathan Stewart, West RB- Great speed and explosiveness, to go with some incredible balance; but he fumbled the ball twice and could have had more because he didn’t really ever secure the football once he got through the line. Then again, Adrian Peterson had the same problem and he turned out OK.
Mark Sanchez, West QB- He can make some beautiful throws then come back and miss wide open WRs. It was probably good for him that Leinart decided to stay a year, because, learning from Matt and Norm Chow, Sanchez is going to be the man to beat for that job in ‘06.
Alex Boone, East OT- He’s a huge human being; sadly, that doesn’t make a great football player. He has to learn how to move laterally, because the quicker DEs were just running right by him.
Rodney Picou, West OT- Melvin Alaeze’s best friend for a good part of Saturday. Two consecutive plays in the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> quarter Melvin went almost untouched past Rodney. He looked better when he was playing inside at guard.
Jason Gwaltney, East RB- He’s listed at 240 pounds, but he’s in absolute peak physical shape; and is nearly impossible to tackle on first contact. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he was making some plays on that kick coverage team.
Rey Maualuga, West LB- Everything about him says he’s going to be one of the best MLB’s in college football. He’s got the size, speed, instincts, and most importantly playmaking ability.
Phil Dillard, West LB: Great closing speed and a brutal hitter. He was kind of kept back by the No Blitzing rule, but it gave him a chance to really show off some nice coverage skills.
Fred Rouse, East WR- I’m proud of Fred because he didn’t just flip out on the sidelines and attack Greg Paulus. Rouse must have been open about 90% of the plays he was in, but pretty much every pass to him was 10 yards overthrown.
Ryan Perriloux, West QB- Once he learns to go down when he’s about to get killed by defensive pursuit, he’ll be a good QB. There’s a lot of new information coming out recently about his future school, and I really don’t think he’s going to stick with Texas.
Brian Cushing, Derek Nicholson, and Rico McCoy, East LBs: These three were all over the place, be it on D or on kick/punt coverages.
Jake Christianson, East QB: He has the tools to be a good QB down the line, but it seemed that every other play he panicked and threw up a jump ball. Smart move committing to Iowa, because Drew Tate will still be there for a few years.
Kenny Phillips, East Safety: KP showed up on camera maybe twice all game. I don’t think the West offense even tried to throw a pass near him.
Michael Ray Garvin, East CB: Only 5-8, but he was probably the fastest player in the game.
Jimmy Barnes, West QB: For being by far the least talked up QB on the West roster, he more than held his own on the field.
Best Moments (on the field):
- Three minutes in, West Punter Justin Brantly bobbles the snap, the ball bounces on his head three times, but he manages to tip it to himself and get the punt away.
- Texas commit takes Roy Miller out Punter Zoltan Mesko and Corner Derek Pegues when he was trying to block a punt. You could see the fear in Mesko’s eyes when he realized there was no way Miller could have stopped himself.
- After a beautiful tackle by Phil Dillard in the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> quarter, East OT Eugene Monroe destroys West DE Tyler Blum, despite the play being over for a few seconds. Adding to Blum’s embarrassment, he drops his mouthpiece when trying to trash talk.
- DeSean Jackson catches a wounded duck from Jimmy Barnes, breaks a Demetrice Morley tackle and takes the ball down untouched to the one; which was where he landed after trying to do a Reggie Bush-like flip into the end zone. Too bad he didn’t plan it out so he’d actually land in the endzone.
- Rey Maualuga jumped clear over the offensive line to block a 2<SUP>nd</SUP> quarter field goal. It was capped nicely by a fight between 6-8 Alex Boone and 326 lb Demarcus Granger; the kicker was not involved.
- The West team ran a beautiful fake punt that Derek Pegues takes for a first down. The Punter Brantley waited until the last possible moment before pitching it to him, giving up his body for the team.
- Final play of the first half, John Crompton scrambles outside the pocket. Fred Rouse starts to go for a block before realizing that all 6-5, 260 pounds of Ray Henderson is barreling towards him; Rouse quickly steps out of Henderson’s way.
- In an incredible turn of events, with 5:43 left in the 3<SUP>rd</SUP> quarter, Adam Myers-White successfully covered somebody, I hope his family got it on tape.
- En route to a 3<SUP>rd</SUP> quarter TD, Marlon Lucky put a move on Brian Cushing that I’m still having nightmares about. He went from stuck in the backfield to untouched in the end zone in about 2 seconds.
- On a double reverse pass, DeSean Jackson throws a beautiful ball on the run to Perriloux. Play of the day.
- With 6:55 left in the game, Martellus Bennett becomes the first TE to catch a pass. I understand that TEs aren’t used that much in the all star games, but you got to give them a little love.
- With about 3:30 left in the game, Alaeze absolutely blows by Picou and destroys Jimmy Barnes; his dance afterward caught some heat from the announcers for its lack of technical merit, but I think it was the best of the night.
Best Random Moments (not directly football related):
- Announcer commenting on a pass from Greg Paulus to Fred Rouse: “I’m amazed at the timing between him and Paulus, because before the ball was even caught by Rouse, Paulus let it go. That’s pretty good.” Remember, NBC only brings in the best.
- Ryan Bain, I’m sorry, if you don’t feel comfortable talking on camera, don’t announce your decision on live TV. Its been 5 days and I still have no idea what you said.
- WR Dave Gettis chooses Baylor… Why?
- The announcers took a good 10 minutes to analyze the use of “Dude” by Ryan Perriloux and Marl Sanchez. Its hard to believe these guys are wasted on Arena Football.
- High school teammates Moeacki and Richardson verbal to Iowa with 1:20 to go in the first; making it 4 commits for the Hawkeyes before halftime. I guess I wasn’t the only person watching the final play of the LSU-Iowa bowl game.
- Jerrell Powe, easily my favorite declaration of the day; in case you missed it, here’s what it went like:
Sideline Reporter: A lot of people have been calling you lately haven’t they?
Jerrell Powe: Yeah…
SR: It’s time for you to announce where you’re going to play football.
JP: Before I pull this hat I wanna give a shout out to everyone in one aye can bay (it took 5 rewinds, but I think he said “Wayne County baby”)
SR: So where are you going?
JP: LSU bear (baby).
I was actually kind of hoping that he pulled out a hat from Southwest Jackson Junior College, because based on what people familiar with his situation are saying, the chances of him qualifying aren’t very good.
- After a dropped pass, the announcer says “He dropped it like it was hot.” No further comment needed.
- They pronounced Rey Maualuga’s name with an “N” all day, I still have no idea why.
While the game lacked any real breakout superstars like last year’s with Adrian Peterson and Teddy Ginn, there was probably more talent across the board. You’re probably going to see even more impact players from the incoming freshman class than last year’s, especially with the teams that had significant underclassmen losses (like Alaeze with Maryland replacing Shawn Merriman, or Maualuga replacing Tatupu at USC).
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
DeSean Jackson, West WR- When he wasn’t celebrating at poor times, he was teraing up the East defensive backs. Demetrice Morley, Justin King, and Adam Myers-White all took their turn getting embarrassed by Jackson. Add to that his beautiful TD pass on the trick play.
Derek Pegues, West CB- Despite not coming in as one of the more highly touted guys, he completely locked down practice superstar Patrick Turner. He has some incredible speed, and had no fear going up and challenging the much bigger Turner.
Reggie Youngblood, West OT- The only East lineman that stood up to Melvin Alaeze. Youngblood possesses a great combo of strength and quickness, and pretty much dominated Alaeze for the entire time he was in there.
Roy Miller, West DT- Great acceleration/burst for a DT. He’s going to be a good pass-rusher at Texas. He played the best of all the interior Dlineman, and that says a lot considering how well Jerrell Powe and Marques Slocum did.
Marlon Lucky, West RB- I know a lot of people think highly of the existing Nebraska backs, but Lucky’s easily the best of them. He has unreal quickness and speed; and proved in the second half that he was capable of some amazing things. Plus, he has great hands
Worst Players:
Greg Paulus, East QB- He should thank Coach K for convincing him to play basketball. He started scrambling like a madmen every time he even thought that pressure would be on its way, then once he was on the run he tried to force everything.
Adam Myers-White, East Safety- He’s just bad. I lost count of how many times he got beat at about 5.
Toney Baker, East RB- For all the hype, it’d have been nice to see him actually do something in the game. NBC even took the time to have a pre-game video comparing him to Barry Sanders; I guess that fits because Baker ran for about as many yards as Sanders did in that game.
Other players of note:
Melvin Alaeze, East DE- If the offensive tackle is slow getting out of his stance he might as well give up, because Alaeze’s going to be by him. However, he did have a problem with a big guy like Youngblood so some strength training won’t hurt.
Jonathan Stewart, West RB- Great speed and explosiveness, to go with some incredible balance; but he fumbled the ball twice and could have had more because he didn’t really ever secure the football once he got through the line. Then again, Adrian Peterson had the same problem and he turned out OK.
Mark Sanchez, West QB- He can make some beautiful throws then come back and miss wide open WRs. It was probably good for him that Leinart decided to stay a year, because, learning from Matt and Norm Chow, Sanchez is going to be the man to beat for that job in ‘06.
Alex Boone, East OT- He’s a huge human being; sadly, that doesn’t make a great football player. He has to learn how to move laterally, because the quicker DEs were just running right by him.
Rodney Picou, West OT- Melvin Alaeze’s best friend for a good part of Saturday. Two consecutive plays in the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> quarter Melvin went almost untouched past Rodney. He looked better when he was playing inside at guard.
Jason Gwaltney, East RB- He’s listed at 240 pounds, but he’s in absolute peak physical shape; and is nearly impossible to tackle on first contact. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he was making some plays on that kick coverage team.
Rey Maualuga, West LB- Everything about him says he’s going to be one of the best MLB’s in college football. He’s got the size, speed, instincts, and most importantly playmaking ability.
Phil Dillard, West LB: Great closing speed and a brutal hitter. He was kind of kept back by the No Blitzing rule, but it gave him a chance to really show off some nice coverage skills.
Fred Rouse, East WR- I’m proud of Fred because he didn’t just flip out on the sidelines and attack Greg Paulus. Rouse must have been open about 90% of the plays he was in, but pretty much every pass to him was 10 yards overthrown.
Ryan Perriloux, West QB- Once he learns to go down when he’s about to get killed by defensive pursuit, he’ll be a good QB. There’s a lot of new information coming out recently about his future school, and I really don’t think he’s going to stick with Texas.
Brian Cushing, Derek Nicholson, and Rico McCoy, East LBs: These three were all over the place, be it on D or on kick/punt coverages.
Jake Christianson, East QB: He has the tools to be a good QB down the line, but it seemed that every other play he panicked and threw up a jump ball. Smart move committing to Iowa, because Drew Tate will still be there for a few years.
Kenny Phillips, East Safety: KP showed up on camera maybe twice all game. I don’t think the West offense even tried to throw a pass near him.
Michael Ray Garvin, East CB: Only 5-8, but he was probably the fastest player in the game.
Jimmy Barnes, West QB: For being by far the least talked up QB on the West roster, he more than held his own on the field.
Best Moments (on the field):
- Three minutes in, West Punter Justin Brantly bobbles the snap, the ball bounces on his head three times, but he manages to tip it to himself and get the punt away.
- Texas commit takes Roy Miller out Punter Zoltan Mesko and Corner Derek Pegues when he was trying to block a punt. You could see the fear in Mesko’s eyes when he realized there was no way Miller could have stopped himself.
- After a beautiful tackle by Phil Dillard in the 2<SUP>nd</SUP> quarter, East OT Eugene Monroe destroys West DE Tyler Blum, despite the play being over for a few seconds. Adding to Blum’s embarrassment, he drops his mouthpiece when trying to trash talk.
- DeSean Jackson catches a wounded duck from Jimmy Barnes, breaks a Demetrice Morley tackle and takes the ball down untouched to the one; which was where he landed after trying to do a Reggie Bush-like flip into the end zone. Too bad he didn’t plan it out so he’d actually land in the endzone.
- Rey Maualuga jumped clear over the offensive line to block a 2<SUP>nd</SUP> quarter field goal. It was capped nicely by a fight between 6-8 Alex Boone and 326 lb Demarcus Granger; the kicker was not involved.
- The West team ran a beautiful fake punt that Derek Pegues takes for a first down. The Punter Brantley waited until the last possible moment before pitching it to him, giving up his body for the team.
- Final play of the first half, John Crompton scrambles outside the pocket. Fred Rouse starts to go for a block before realizing that all 6-5, 260 pounds of Ray Henderson is barreling towards him; Rouse quickly steps out of Henderson’s way.
- In an incredible turn of events, with 5:43 left in the 3<SUP>rd</SUP> quarter, Adam Myers-White successfully covered somebody, I hope his family got it on tape.
- En route to a 3<SUP>rd</SUP> quarter TD, Marlon Lucky put a move on Brian Cushing that I’m still having nightmares about. He went from stuck in the backfield to untouched in the end zone in about 2 seconds.
- On a double reverse pass, DeSean Jackson throws a beautiful ball on the run to Perriloux. Play of the day.
- With 6:55 left in the game, Martellus Bennett becomes the first TE to catch a pass. I understand that TEs aren’t used that much in the all star games, but you got to give them a little love.
- With about 3:30 left in the game, Alaeze absolutely blows by Picou and destroys Jimmy Barnes; his dance afterward caught some heat from the announcers for its lack of technical merit, but I think it was the best of the night.
Best Random Moments (not directly football related):
- Announcer commenting on a pass from Greg Paulus to Fred Rouse: “I’m amazed at the timing between him and Paulus, because before the ball was even caught by Rouse, Paulus let it go. That’s pretty good.” Remember, NBC only brings in the best.
- Ryan Bain, I’m sorry, if you don’t feel comfortable talking on camera, don’t announce your decision on live TV. Its been 5 days and I still have no idea what you said.
- WR Dave Gettis chooses Baylor… Why?
- The announcers took a good 10 minutes to analyze the use of “Dude” by Ryan Perriloux and Marl Sanchez. Its hard to believe these guys are wasted on Arena Football.
- High school teammates Moeacki and Richardson verbal to Iowa with 1:20 to go in the first; making it 4 commits for the Hawkeyes before halftime. I guess I wasn’t the only person watching the final play of the LSU-Iowa bowl game.
- Jerrell Powe, easily my favorite declaration of the day; in case you missed it, here’s what it went like:
Sideline Reporter: A lot of people have been calling you lately haven’t they?
Jerrell Powe: Yeah…
SR: It’s time for you to announce where you’re going to play football.
JP: Before I pull this hat I wanna give a shout out to everyone in one aye can bay (it took 5 rewinds, but I think he said “Wayne County baby”)
SR: So where are you going?
JP: LSU bear (baby).
I was actually kind of hoping that he pulled out a hat from Southwest Jackson Junior College, because based on what people familiar with his situation are saying, the chances of him qualifying aren’t very good.
- After a dropped pass, the announcer says “He dropped it like it was hot.” No further comment needed.
- They pronounced Rey Maualuga’s name with an “N” all day, I still have no idea why.
While the game lacked any real breakout superstars like last year’s with Adrian Peterson and Teddy Ginn, there was probably more talent across the board. You’re probably going to see even more impact players from the incoming freshman class than last year’s, especially with the teams that had significant underclassmen losses (like Alaeze with Maryland replacing Shawn Merriman, or Maualuga replacing Tatupu at USC).
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