Bobcat Coaches Pick Spots
8/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
It doesn't take a mathematician to understand that Montana State approaches the 2006 season with a wealth of linebacker candidates. It may take something like a scientist, though, to figure out how to turn that into an advantage.
"It sounds obvious," Bobcat coach Mike Kramer says, "but getting your best players on the field, and putting them in position to make plays, is the most important part of coaching."
Montana State's linebacker situation illustrates the process teams go through each fall in preparation for a new season. MSU entered fall camp with six veterans vying for the four starting positions in MSU's 3-4 scheme. Will Claggett was penciled in at one outside spot and Clive Lowe at the other, with returning starters Epikopo King and Bobby Daly challenged by Chase Gazzerro and Grant Elliott inside.
Easy enough. Transfer Reyshawn Bobo from Washington State almost immediately played his way into contention on the outside, while Elliott retired due to continual battles with injuries. That flurry of personnel moves left the Bobcats with three outside linebackers and three on the inside.
Then, earlier this week, inside linebacker Bryant Matthews arrived after finishing his junior college academic requirements. He made an immediate impression. "I watched him (during Thursday's practice), and just said, 'Wow,'" Kramer said. That quickly, the possibilities at linebacker increased exponentially.
And that quickly, MSU defensive coordinator Rob Christoff got busy trying to fit the pieces together. "It's a good situation," he said.
The process of sorting out which players play where travels through three phases, Kramer said. "The first phase is to find out a player's physical limit," he said. "Second, how fast do they learn? Third, how fast does his body learn? It's the ability to do what your brain tells you to do on a repetitive basis."
Physical, genetic ability trumps all, Kramer said, but it isn't the be-all, end-all. "We always look for physical skill first," he said, "but we always play mental dependability."
That process begins early, and not necessarily on grass. "Once a player gets on campus we ascertain physical skill -- the ability to play with pain, to run fast, the change direction, the ability to do what he needs to do. I can usually tell a player's physical ability without seeing him play football and without talking to one of my assistant coaches, just by talking to (MSU strength coach) Justin Braun. If a player can function and succeed in the weight room, then he has the physical ability to do what we need him to do."
Evaluating the transition into the second, more cerebral phase is often more subtle, Kramer said. "Can you recite what you need to know in a classroom setting? Can you show on a written test that you know your position? Can you stand at the greaseboard and draw the play?"
The third phase brings the first two elements together on the football field. "The combination of those first two things is what we call body learning. We know you have the physical ability, and that you know what to do, but can your body do what your mind tells it to do play after play, day after day?"
Junior offensive lineman Adam DeCock stands as Kramer's 'perfect example' of body learning. "Adam DeCock has the body and the skill, but at Oklahoma State last year he couldn't get out on the edge and block his man, and that resulted in a sack that ended an important drive. It took about eight weeks to get him going."
DeCock is presently involved in a battle to get on the field. He is locked out of his natural tackle spot by the presence of returning starters Joe Hirst and Peder Jensen, so the effort to get him on the field -- "He is playing so well, we have to have him on the field somewhere," Kramer says -- involves evaluating him at guard, and possibly juggling the three players that occupy the guard and center spots.
Every player integrates the physical and mental aspects of the game at a rate unique to that individual, Kramer said. "That's one of two things you never know when you put a guy on the team," he said. "Can he become the player he wants to become? The other thing is whether he has the guts to do it. That's the complexity of position determination."
Once players land in a position, coaches begin building the team's scheme around the available personnel, a process which begins "right when we start practice" in the fall, said MSU offensive coordinator Don Bailey. "It's an on-going process that starts in practice one and goes until the week before the Colorado game. We evaluate every player at every position during every practice."
The process doesn't end once the season begins, Bailey said. "We constantly re-evaluate," he said. "Our Sunday meetings the day after games are more personnel meetings than game-plan meetings."
Defensive coordinator Rob Christoff says the decision-making process now evolves more around specialization. "We try to form our scheme around situations," he said. "In passing situations we want our four best pass-rushing linebackers and defensive linemen on the field, and we try to put them in the best pass-rushing position possible to make plays. We want to put our best cover guys (in the secondary) in position to make plays. We'll sub in guys to fit the situation."
That scenario plays out on the Bobcat practice fields, as Christoff, Kramer, and the Bobcat staff evaluates how Bobo's speed can be utilized in conjunction with outside linebackers Lowe and Claggett. "We need to have (Bobo) on the field," Christoff says. "We're looking at him in some different spots, we're looking at ways to have those guys on the field at the same time."
The proposition always ends with the head coach, Kramer says, and his ability to evaluate players on their abilities. "Ultimately it depends on the head coach and his ability to sidestep the issues of loyalty and politics," Kramer said. "Head coaches sidestep the issue of loyalty, and good head coaches make loyalty work for them in getting the best players on the field, with the definition of 'best players' not just related to physical skill."
What Kramer enjoys the most, he says, is the ultimate determination. "In the end, it's all evaluated by one simple metric," he says. "Whether you win. That's it."
* * * * *
Regardless of what Montana State accomplishes physically during fall camp, Mike Kramer says the team has impressed something more important upon him.
"We had good, emotional practices (Thursday and Friday morning)," he said. "We're slow because we're tired, but we play with very good emotion. This is a different group of kids (because of that factor), and it's a fun group to work with."
Kramer said the team's emotional nature compensates for a particular kind of leadership the program has been built around in recent years. "We lack that single intimidating leader that can shape or change a practice or game just by his presence," Kramer said. "What we have, though, is a general sense of coachability. That is a very good attribute."
* * * * *
MSU's starting quarterback for the season opener against Colorado on September 2 is still anyone's guess -- anyone but Mike Kramer, that is.
"I know who it is and I'm not saying anything to anyone," Kramer said with a mischievous smile on Friday morning. Kramer indicated that he plans to name his starter early next week, in order to "give him the opportunity to fail (in practice) and learn from that failure without having to worry that it's going to cost him the job."
"It sounds obvious," Bobcat coach Mike Kramer says, "but getting your best players on the field, and putting them in position to make plays, is the most important part of coaching."
Montana State's linebacker situation illustrates the process teams go through each fall in preparation for a new season. MSU entered fall camp with six veterans vying for the four starting positions in MSU's 3-4 scheme. Will Claggett was penciled in at one outside spot and Clive Lowe at the other, with returning starters Epikopo King and Bobby Daly challenged by Chase Gazzerro and Grant Elliott inside.
Easy enough. Transfer Reyshawn Bobo from Washington State almost immediately played his way into contention on the outside, while Elliott retired due to continual battles with injuries. That flurry of personnel moves left the Bobcats with three outside linebackers and three on the inside.
Then, earlier this week, inside linebacker Bryant Matthews arrived after finishing his junior college academic requirements. He made an immediate impression. "I watched him (during Thursday's practice), and just said, 'Wow,'" Kramer said. That quickly, the possibilities at linebacker increased exponentially.
And that quickly, MSU defensive coordinator Rob Christoff got busy trying to fit the pieces together. "It's a good situation," he said.
The process of sorting out which players play where travels through three phases, Kramer said. "The first phase is to find out a player's physical limit," he said. "Second, how fast do they learn? Third, how fast does his body learn? It's the ability to do what your brain tells you to do on a repetitive basis."
Physical, genetic ability trumps all, Kramer said, but it isn't the be-all, end-all. "We always look for physical skill first," he said, "but we always play mental dependability."
That process begins early, and not necessarily on grass. "Once a player gets on campus we ascertain physical skill -- the ability to play with pain, to run fast, the change direction, the ability to do what he needs to do. I can usually tell a player's physical ability without seeing him play football and without talking to one of my assistant coaches, just by talking to (MSU strength coach) Justin Braun. If a player can function and succeed in the weight room, then he has the physical ability to do what we need him to do."
Evaluating the transition into the second, more cerebral phase is often more subtle, Kramer said. "Can you recite what you need to know in a classroom setting? Can you show on a written test that you know your position? Can you stand at the greaseboard and draw the play?"
The third phase brings the first two elements together on the football field. "The combination of those first two things is what we call body learning. We know you have the physical ability, and that you know what to do, but can your body do what your mind tells it to do play after play, day after day?"
Junior offensive lineman Adam DeCock stands as Kramer's 'perfect example' of body learning. "Adam DeCock has the body and the skill, but at Oklahoma State last year he couldn't get out on the edge and block his man, and that resulted in a sack that ended an important drive. It took about eight weeks to get him going."
DeCock is presently involved in a battle to get on the field. He is locked out of his natural tackle spot by the presence of returning starters Joe Hirst and Peder Jensen, so the effort to get him on the field -- "He is playing so well, we have to have him on the field somewhere," Kramer says -- involves evaluating him at guard, and possibly juggling the three players that occupy the guard and center spots.
Every player integrates the physical and mental aspects of the game at a rate unique to that individual, Kramer said. "That's one of two things you never know when you put a guy on the team," he said. "Can he become the player he wants to become? The other thing is whether he has the guts to do it. That's the complexity of position determination."
Once players land in a position, coaches begin building the team's scheme around the available personnel, a process which begins "right when we start practice" in the fall, said MSU offensive coordinator Don Bailey. "It's an on-going process that starts in practice one and goes until the week before the Colorado game. We evaluate every player at every position during every practice."
The process doesn't end once the season begins, Bailey said. "We constantly re-evaluate," he said. "Our Sunday meetings the day after games are more personnel meetings than game-plan meetings."
Defensive coordinator Rob Christoff says the decision-making process now evolves more around specialization. "We try to form our scheme around situations," he said. "In passing situations we want our four best pass-rushing linebackers and defensive linemen on the field, and we try to put them in the best pass-rushing position possible to make plays. We want to put our best cover guys (in the secondary) in position to make plays. We'll sub in guys to fit the situation."
That scenario plays out on the Bobcat practice fields, as Christoff, Kramer, and the Bobcat staff evaluates how Bobo's speed can be utilized in conjunction with outside linebackers Lowe and Claggett. "We need to have (Bobo) on the field," Christoff says. "We're looking at him in some different spots, we're looking at ways to have those guys on the field at the same time."
The proposition always ends with the head coach, Kramer says, and his ability to evaluate players on their abilities. "Ultimately it depends on the head coach and his ability to sidestep the issues of loyalty and politics," Kramer said. "Head coaches sidestep the issue of loyalty, and good head coaches make loyalty work for them in getting the best players on the field, with the definition of 'best players' not just related to physical skill."
What Kramer enjoys the most, he says, is the ultimate determination. "In the end, it's all evaluated by one simple metric," he says. "Whether you win. That's it."
* * * * *
Regardless of what Montana State accomplishes physically during fall camp, Mike Kramer says the team has impressed something more important upon him.
"We had good, emotional practices (Thursday and Friday morning)," he said. "We're slow because we're tired, but we play with very good emotion. This is a different group of kids (because of that factor), and it's a fun group to work with."
Kramer said the team's emotional nature compensates for a particular kind of leadership the program has been built around in recent years. "We lack that single intimidating leader that can shape or change a practice or game just by his presence," Kramer said. "What we have, though, is a general sense of coachability. That is a very good attribute."
* * * * *
MSU's starting quarterback for the season opener against Colorado on September 2 is still anyone's guess -- anyone but Mike Kramer, that is.
"I know who it is and I'm not saying anything to anyone," Kramer said with a mischievous smile on Friday morning. Kramer indicated that he plans to name his starter early next week, in order to "give him the opportunity to fail (in practice) and learn from that failure without having to worry that it's going to cost him the job."
Saturday, August 29
Thursday, August 27
Monday, August 24
Monday, August 24
