gdp's Comments

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Washington fallout

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:55:54 +0000

Two things I noticed in this game: 1) Poyer is flat out the best special teams players in the conf! The kid is simply an awesome athlete and virtually unblockable on special teams. Who is ALWAYS the first player down trying to down a punt or make a key tackle on a return: Poyer. Even his return skills are maybe not James Rogers level but certainly respectable. Kid deserves to man the other CB spot. 2) Did anybody see how wide open Bishop was on that 2-pt conversion? I saw just a glimpse when he was in great position to take a slant pass right in, virtually uncovered. Cant believe a guy who can high jump 7" isnt used more for red zone help!!!

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: O-line issues

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:32:32 +0000

I am just as puzzled as to the status of our OL. Clearly the loss of guys like Devan and Levitre have made an impact. However, every other team in the conf (CFB in general, for that matter) has to deal with the same issues. Has anyone seen UO's lineup of recruits for the OL for 2011. Check out www.beaverblitz.com and click over to the OL category. Ducks have already received 3 commits for OT's alone...4 star recruits, no less. Beavs simply must quit relying on the development of walk-on types and start aggressively working on getting talent equal to or better than even Mike Phllips.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Practice update

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 00:03:13 +0000

I predict that not only will Mannion succeed as Beavs QB, I think he pushes Katz significantly next year. This guy just oozes with talent and maturity. Can he hit the 2nd - 3rd option receiver? RB on a screen? If he can then he's already the best QB we have on the roster.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Practice update

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 00:01:23 +0000

My big question is what the heck happened to the defense's pass rush??? Could Matt Lagrone have made any difference? I mean, 2 sacks in 3 games is...well...WSU level here. Is it because 2 of 3 games were vs option/spread teams? Moore just having a quick release? What happened to Gabe Miller's fastest 10 yrd shuttle on the team?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Blue field practice report

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:07:32 +0000

Two reasons why Boise St has achieved its lofty status: Excellent coaches in the last 10 years and playing in the WAC. I live in Reno and, trust me, the WAC outside of BSU and an occassional good year from Nevada, is collosally weak! WSU could beat 1/2 the teams in the WAC. Coaches? Petersen may be the best coach in all of college football. He is able to recruit solid athletes to Boise -talent nobody else seems to want- and coach them well beyond their abilities. Dan Hawkins was a decent coach but its clearly obvious who controlled this team: Chris Petersen. BSU is simply well coached, well disciplined and executes better than 90% of the teams in CFB.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Louisville aftermath

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:21:14 +0000

Cliff - Have to believe that the losses of Matt LaGrone and LB Pai-ahui (whatever his name was) have been huge voids to fill. LaGrone was really starting to have an impact as a pass rusher. G. Miller? Has the guy even touched an opposing QB's jersey? Seems to be no LB leadership, as well, a staple in Beavs D's past. Offensively, Beavs made improvements after a slow start. I really liked how Quizz got more invovled in the passing game. This MUST continue if the Beavs are going to have a respectable season.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Pac-10 power rankings

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:11:06 +0000

Cliff - UCLA and UW over ASU??? ASU looked much improved offensively on a very tough Wisconsin team and their defense looks every bit as sound as prior years. UW looks highly overrated so far and UCLA still has offensive issues at QB. It will be interesting to see how ASU handles UO's spread. Of all the teams in the conf, I like their defenses chance the best to slow that team down.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Ranking, ESPN GameDay, lines

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:11:26 +0000

If Katz cant do better than 9 completions, coupled with LU's defense stopping the Beavs run game, this could potentially be a closer game than anticipated. Beavs cannot afford to take anyone lightly, particularly a team that just a few years ago trounced our team to the attune of 63 pts. Hopefully the TCU game was a wakeup call and Beavs will make the adjustments to come out smoking. No reason why Beavs shouldnt be competitve against BSU, either!

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Pac-10 power rankings

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:56:21 +0000

Before we declare Oregon as the best team in the conf or the nation, for that matter, let's wait until they have played a respectable opponent. New Mexico? Come on. NM was routinely viewed (and voted on ESPN) as one of the worst programs in the country. 1-11 last year. Says it all. Tennessee? I believe they were 5-6 last year and had major talent / staff defections once Kiffin left for USC. New coaching staff, a freshman QB in Simms doesnt say much for that team at this point. Now Oregon plays Portland St., whom they should beat by 50-60 pts. I cant wait until Oregon actually plays a team with a respectable talent, coaching and on the road.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Midweek notes

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 18:04:34 +0000

Quizz caught 78 passes last season. Had Katz looked in his direction even 4-6 times in the receiving game, his completion % would have gone from 36% to maybe 50% (considering that he would actually make the completion). How huge would those completions be in sustaining the few critical drives (like towards the end of the 1st half) the Beavs had? Aside from the defense, this is the single-biggest area that I thought the Beavs failed to capitalize on vs TCU. Canfield was simply outstanding in utilizing his outlet receiving option!

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Going to Texas

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:05:25 +0000

Sorry. 2 years ago at Penn St, not last year.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Going to Texas

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:04:45 +0000

Jayson - There will be no comparison to the venue at Penn St or LSU for the Beavs. As Cliff said, even with the predominant Texas crowd pulling for TCU its not exactly in the same realm as if the Beavs were playing Texas. I think this will be a totally different experience than walking into Penn St last year. Beavs are looking to prove they are for real, not to mention the huge momo for the Rogers bros.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: OSU notes (update)

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:12:19 +0000

Hate to downplay Olander's prior criminal history but as long as the guy can keep 1-2 blockers off of Paea this year, I can overlook a few poor decisions.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Camp Day 2 report

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:02:00 +0000

Cliff - Has Riley given any indication on different packages that he is going to use with Quizz (i.e. Wild Beaver)? Quizz threw one TD last year and it seems like a play like that could be HUGE if implemented on a semi-regular basis.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Early notes, video from Day 1

Mon, 9 Aug 2010 23:53:08 +0000

Anybody ever tell Katz he is a "dead ringer" for the dude who played The Mummy (Brendan Frasier version)?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Morning reading, recruiting

Mon, 9 Aug 2010 15:45:50 +0000

Wow! Are we seeing the second coming of Bill Swancutt??? This guy looks like a serious football player, has a VERY quick 1st step off the snap, relentless pursuit and a solid tackler. It may be tough for Riley to redshirt this kid! Great pickup!

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Players to watch

Fri, 6 Aug 2010 14:46:49 +0000

Cliff - I noticed you didnt mention Aaron Nichols, WR. Riley has gone on record as saying Nichols has a serious shot at the #2 WR position and sure to have an active role in the offense. Any thoughts on Nichols?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: OSU at media day

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:55:02 +0000

It may just be my blind ignorance but how is the BSU team of this year superior to the Beavs. Let's break this down: QB = Clear edge in terms of experience to BSU RB = Clear edge to Beavs WR = Slight edge to Beavs because of depth and proven talent OL = Edge to BSU DL = Edge to Beavs. BSU has no Paea / Ollander combo on their squad. LB = Edge to BSU DB = Edge to Beavs because of depth and proven talent K / P = Split or slight edge to Beavs. Coaching = Have to give a slight edge to BSU...a VERY slight edge On paper, where is the dominance overall? Why cant we beat this team?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: A new recruit

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:47:01 +0000

Hard to argue with results of the DE's the Beavs have had in the past. This guy already has the size - speed ratio that other DE prospects lacked at this stage. Usually they start off in the 225 - 230lb. range, not 250lbs. I like this guy's potential but sure wish that I new some stats on what he produced so far.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: A new recruit

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:02:38 +0000

Sounds like he has protypical size and decent speed. Puzzling how second tier teams like N. Texas, Utah St. were the only other quality teams after this guy. I mean, SE Louis??? What's your take on that, Cliff? Are the Beavs just THAT good on finding overlooked gems or are this guy considered a "reach" even by Pac-10 standards?