W2W4 in the Spring Game

[catsfan20012002]

http://www.kansascity.com/165/story/78781.html

Players to Watch -

Carson Coffman, redshirt freshman QB: We know what starting signal caller Josh Freeman can do. Now it’s Coffman’s chance to show his stuff. He hasn’t been in this type of setting since leading Raymore-Peculiar to a state championship in 2005.

Justin Roland, senior LB: Roland has earned praise often this spring working at inside linebacker, a position that is very crucial in the 3-4 defense. He made a name for himself causing a fumble in the upset of Texas in 2006.

Daniel Gonzalez, senior WR: Jordy Nelson may be the go-to pass catcher, but Gonzalez has emerged as a force. He had key moments last season, including five receptions at Colorado, and he’s also a special-teams standout.

Position Battles to Watch -

Kicker: Brooks Rossman, who transferred from Ohio University, held the edge much of the spring. But expect Tim Schwerdt to take this battle into August.

Running back: A leg injury might keep Leon Patton out of the game. That could give James Johnson a major advantage as he tries to build on a solid spring. But a healthy Patton means there is no guarantee that Johnson will end up the starter.

Cornerback: Four viable candidates — Justin McKinney, Joshua Moore, Byron Garvin and Bryan Baldwin — will make it tough on the coaches to choose. Baldwin has recovered from a season-ending injury and has made his presence known.

I also want to see how Free looks with an extra 20 lbs. on him, I want to see how the O-Line holds up and I want to see if we can make Rashaad Norwood a viable part of this offense.

[catsfan20012002]

I also want to see how Ian Campbell's move to LB effects a guy like Rob Jackson.

[cireksu]

I'm interested to know if Mastrud is any faster this year.

[catsfan20012002]

Carson Coffman, redshirt freshman QB - All you can say is.....Wow! What an incredible performance. He managed the game extremely well going 12-29 for 69 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The question remains.....How much of this performance can be attributed to the fact that he was playing against a defense that he already knows? Free is still the man but no doubt he's got eyes in the back of his head right now.

James Johnson, RB - A leg injury kept Leon Patton out of the game and Johnson took advantage of the opportunity with an impressive 33 yard breakaway run.

Josh Freeman, QB - Free struggled the entire game. It started off early when his first pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Ian Campbell and only got worse from there. Bryan Baldwin picked him off at the end of the first half which lead to a TD drive lead by Coffman. Free came back at the start of the 2nd Half and again was picked off.....This time by Ray Cheatham. Coach Prince gave DE Rob Jackson credit for disrupting Free all night long. LB Reggie Walker was the leading tackler in the game with six tackles.

The highlights of the day, other then Coffman's performance, were probably when a snap went sailing over punter Cole Brokenicky's head leading to a safety to start the scoring and when DB Courtney Herndon absolutely crushed WR Cedric Wilson (who lost two yards and his helmet) on a reverse. Who knew they called reverses in Spring Games anyway?

The bottom line is this.....It was another fun Spring Game but you can't seriously take anything away from these things. The only thing to be gained from games like this is that the team has a starting point on which to improve going into the Fall.

[catsfan20012002]

There's hope for the Offensive Line and receiving corps.....

Alesana Alesana and Nick Stringer are probable starters who didn't play in the spring game. Plus, Ben Liu, Eldridge Sims and Clyde Aufner aren't even going to get here until August.

The receivers will receive a boost this summer when Ernie Pierce, Deon Murphy, Lamark Brown and Danny Hogan join the program.