Blinkscout Game 7 analysis ... Bears

Here's to a solid win ... likely a game we had an edge on because of Staley ... but a solid win nonetheless with really solid individual efforts from many players ...


The Great

1) Hekker. I mean ... The Bears returner shaking his head after every punt drops inside the ten may be my favorite recurring theme. And he did it from every area of the field. And the watermelon punt? Goodness gracious. To be able to enjoy him after the depressing aspect of not getting a first down seriously changes my viewing enjoyment levels.

2) DBs, as a unit ... the pass breakups and tackles in the open field ... Hill tipping it to Rapp ... Ramsey coming off his guy for the pick ... Dareus with the PD in the endzone AGAIN (on what was honestly a well thrown ball) ... Burgess' read and react skills and JJ3 being all over the place. I'm trying to think of a time when I had more faith in our DBs as a unit, and I can't. A combination of great scouting drafting and coaching (likely mixed with the precision of who they face in practice every day) has really led to an outstanding unit. And that's not even mentioning Fuller.

3) The two play Malcolm Brown TD. I don't know why I haven't compared him to a rhino before, they way he bucks up under the guy trying to tackle him, but I will be doing that going forward. That is such a morale boost and motivating thing to see.

4) I thought the pass to Reynolds for the first TD was perfect.

5) Reynolds overall playing with confidence and making plays does well for our future comp pick situation.


The Good

6) Henderson getting his burst, initiating contact and driving forward ... also? I thought specifically his vision has improved ... he was hitting holes I didn't know were there.

7) Offensive rhythm was there.

8) Mundt sighting!!! I liked him since he was on Oregon, TEs take slow roasting over 4-7 years ...

9) I like the feeling of knowing that if Everett catches the ball with no one on him at the 10 he's definitely going to score.

10) Goff spreading the ball around.

11) Terrell Lewis makin plays, man.


The Bad

12) Playcalling in the 4th quarter past the ten minute mark ... I was talking to Sun Tzu at the time (who was livid about it) and had to figure that there was some metric he was using to know that the odds were on the side of taking minutes off the clock. But it's not my ideal plan of attack.

13) More Terrell Lewis.

14) Get Akers some touches ... maybe you're saving him a bit and he's green, but you get rookies touches.

15) Gonna miss Burgess.

16) I don't like the missed hands to the face ...

17) I ALSO REALLY DON'T LIKE the complete ignoring of the holding in the endzone.

18) Couple of the run plays we called were going the wrong way ... entailed making a nearly impossible block based on the personnel.


The Ugly and the Gone

19) Sloman ... as I said after the first game ... he kicks too low.



Sorry I missed last weeks ... but it would have been The Bad ... 1) "didn't show up ready to play."


College

20) Having the Big Ten back is nice ... don't sleep on Indiana, they have one of the best stables of backs Ive ever seen.

21) I'm seeing more quality edge rushers than I was expecting. Michigan's bookends are ferocious. I think Harbaugh has a shot, even though I am not a fan of their QB ... yet.

22) The TE position is changing, getting bigger and faster. Coaches that don't maximize that position going forward are going to be at a serious disadvantage and having 3 TEs who play is going to be soon. "Baby Gronk" Freyermuth on PSU has been fun to watch his whole career and should be a top 10-15 pick. Like Hockensen but bigger and honestly I believe more natural hands.


Thoughts and questions welcome ...

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