Year in Review

Opening Thoughts:

There is nothing that I like better than cutting a Thanksgiving vacation short in order to go to a playoff game. I doubt that my mother feels the same way – but she understands my passion. I got to admit that I was a little chilly for the game. The wife and I had brought plenty of layers, so it wasn’t too bad. Of course my friend Joel wore shorts for the game – but I’m pretty sure that he is crazy. I’ve never seen him wear pants to a game – including the Chadron game, GV game, or the UNA game. He wasn’t at the Duluth game, otherwise he probably would have tried there too. I wouldn’t have allowed him – for his own safety, and I don’t like going to hospitals! The actual temperature wasn’t too bad, there was just enough of a slight breeze that made the day rather cold. The set up was quite nice – tailgating was very close to the stadium, with ample parking all around. The tailgating atmosphere was great – as the MSU fans were intermingled with the NW fans, I think that the NW fans might have actually outnumbered the MSU fans that were tailgating.

Last Game’s Recap:

I am a firm believer that one person does not win or lose a game. Even if that person is the QB. I know that Trevor Adams has gotten a lot of flack for the loss – and rightfully so, but he is only one person on the team, there were 21 other starters.

TA did a lot of bad things in the game – no doubt about that, but he wasn’t alone. If DeFeo hadn’t of dropped that pass in the second possession, a lot of things could have been different. There were a lot of dropped passes in the game. NW’s three best receivers (Shaw, Simmons, Young) were all hurt and NW really needed some of the other WR’s to step up, and they didn’t. That is disappointing. One could argue that they hadn’t been given the opportunity all year – well, now they had. But the vast majority of them are very young and hopefully they will in this offseason. Jordan Simmons proved why he is one of the best competitive RB’s in my mind. The kid is a winner – and just wants to win. He was the primary recruiter to get JF3 to come to NW knowing that it would cut his own number of carries, but they would be quite the dynamic duo. You could tell he was in a lot of pain out there, but he was going to do whatever it took to give his team the best chance to win. Billy Creason showed his heart and  determination. He is a powerful North-South type of runner. Timely penalties killed NW again – mostly against the OL.I know that I harped on them a lot at the beginning of the year, then I kind of resigned myself that what NW had is what they had. And unfortunately what NW had this year for an OL was not that good – by NW standards at least. Rod Williams and Cole Chevalier are good players, but the rest, I’m sorry – aren’t up to NW standards. I’m sure that they are great kids, but I’d rather have great kids who are great Olineman. NW has had them in the past let’s get them again! The fact of the matter is that the playcalling in the game is what cost it for NW. Granted, a lot of that had to do with how Adams was performing – but still, 2^nd and Goal from the 5 and throwing it? When your QB already has 3 picks? And you are averaging 4.9 yards per carry? As they would say on ESPN… C’mon Man!

On Defense – what can I say. They played pretty darn good. For giving the opponent a short field 3 times, t, o only lose by 3 in OT is really saying something! Plus, they gave the offense a chance to win the game – twice, but creating turnovers at the end of the game giving the ball to the offense within the 45 both times. As good as NW’s defense was this year, I think that they have a chance to be even better next year. DJ Gnader is obviously in a lot of pain – you can see that just by the way that he walks. Hopefully in this offseason he can rehab his hip and regain some of his mobility that made him one of the best LB’s I’ve ever seen in D2.  The Dline was not able to get a lot of pressure on Wolf by themselves, and Bailey wasn’t able to contain the end at all – that is why Wolf was able to get so many darn yards running the ball. The Dline was the weakness of the D in 2012 and will need to improve in 2013.

Special Teams – huge for NW. Two blocked punts, a botched punt return that was almost a fumble. Kyle Goodburn had some great punts. Overall – like I said, Special Teams had a great day!

Looking Ahead

I think that 2013 could be a very good season for Northwest. Northwest Loses some very good talent this year, but I think that the replacements are on the team waiting for their chance. Let’s break it down:

QB: I think after the Minnesota State game, Dorrel has to at least open up the QB spot to fair competition. TA is a good QB – but I’m sorry, he’s not great, and that is what we are used to here at NW, and I believe that there is a kid behind him that has the potential to be great. The biggest problem with Adams is his inconsistency. He’s either on or off – and that can switch by the quarter it seems. When he’s on, he’s pretty darn good – he’s got a decent arm, and can move his feet. But when he’s off, he’s the MVP for the other team. He kind of reminds me of Osborn – a good QB but not great when it comes to the physical tools. But what Joel Osborn had, that TA doesn’t, Joel was a student of the game – he was probably the best game manager I’ve seen at NW. He knew the other team as well as the coaches did – probably because he spent as much time watching film as the coaches did. Which is probably why he is Coach Osborn now. My guess is that Tyler Seals will not come back for the 2013 season. I believe he graduates in the spring, and I would not be surprised if he goes on to graduate school somewhere. Brady Bolles I believe should be the next QB for Northwest. From all accounts he has an even better arm than his brother (which is almost unbelievable.) He doesn’t appear to have the straight line speed that Blake did, but it looks like he has better footwork and is more elusive than is brother was. Colby Bowles I don’t think will see the field as a QB. I think that if he stays (which I really hope that he does) he will be converted to another position. True Freshman Kyle Zimmerman was quite the stud in HS, it will be interesting to see what his future looks like at NW.

RB: NW loses a 4 year starter in Jordan Simmons – who is an absolute gammer and all around impact player not only at RB, but also in the slot, and in Special Teams. I would not be surprised if JF3 does not return to Northwest next year – whether that be because of grades, dropping out to pursue his musical career, or any other excuse. Whatever it is – I don’t plan on him being a Bearcat next year. What’s NW going to do? The dynamic duo is gone! Don’t worry – there is potentially an even more dynamic duo brewing in the ‘ville. Last year, NW brought in Robert Burton III as a JuCo transfer and redshirted him, from what I’ve seen him play – he reminds me (and others) a lot of LC. Also, true freshman Phil Jackson II is rumored to might be the next XO. So it is possible that RB3 and PJ2 could be the 1-2 punch to take NW back to Florence.

WR: Losing Shaw is going to hurt. But NW has lost WR’s in the past and somebody is always there to step up. There are a lot of young WR’s on the team, they just need to step up. I was rather disappointed this year in the WR corp, that none of those younger guys – other than Young, stepped up. So next year Young will be the leading returning WR. After that it’s a big drop off in production. I had really big hopes for Clint Utter this year, hopefully he will really shine his senior year. We’ve seen it done before. As for the younger guys, Jozaites, Cairney, Wilkins, and Flint all saw game time this year. Maybe one of them will really step it up in Spring Ball and will be the next Jake Soy.  Looking at the roster, there are a lot of true freshman that have some good size to them. Hopefully they have some speed and have good hands. Because if Brady is anything like his brother, he is going to be throwing lasers to those receivers. It would not surprise me if the coaches bring in a WR as a transfer for an immediate impact player.

TE: Vincent Defeo graduates this year. Not really sure who is going to take his place – Joel Gantz did okay last year but nothing spectacular. This is where I would like to see Colby Bowles be moved to.  He’s a big kid 6’5” 230lbs who isn’t afraid to hit people – he was a QB and linebacker in HS. I don’t know if he can catch the ball though – at NW, the TE needs to be able to catch.

OL: I mentioned earlier that the 2012 version of offensive line was not up to the standards of Northwest. It needs to get there. 2013 will bring CJ Keeney back from his medical issues, and the rest of the Oline sans Rod Williams returns. Other than Cole Chevalier that doesn’t really enthuse me. It just means that the same guys are just a year older. I would not be surprised and I would love it if the coaches are able to get an impact transfer to come to NW. Somebody like Callaway who came from Lindenwood for the 2009 season. He wasn’t great at any one position, but he was pretty darn good at all the different positions – you could plug him in anywhere. Somebody like that would be great to have. But those types of guys are very difficult to find.

DL: Like the OL, the defensive line was not quite what we have come to expect at Northwest. That was due to mainly having to work with the players that they had. Mel’s last couple of years, the Dline was not high on his priority list when it came to recruiting. The result is that you end up with guys the size of DE’s playing on the interior line. But I think that that is starting to change. Brandon Yost is the first redshirt freshman to see significant playing time in quite some time – he was pretty good and will only get better. Matt Longacre was also very good at DE and he was just a Sophmore, so he too will only get better. That leaves finding a NT and another DE. I’m sorry but Bailey just doesn’t cut it for me. He isn’t capable of sealing off the edge – and in the last three games where did the vast majority of the rushing yards come from? The edge on his side. If the opposing coaches can see this on film, and I can see it in the stands – I know that Rich Wright can see it too – after  all he has forgotten more about the Dline than I will ever know. I have heard some speculation of maybe moving Colby Bowles to DE. I think it could work – the kid is definitely big enough and smart enough. An effective DE needs to know what everyone on the D is doing and how they fit in that scheme. Could he pick up the position in only one off season? If there is one coach in the nation that could teach him I would say that it is Rich Wright. That man KNOWS his Dline. Here again I would not be surprised to see an impact transfer. But I do not think that it would be a JuCo kid. NW has been burnt too many times the past few seasons – I think that they have finally learned their lesson. Maybe Mel was right after all – and the 4 year kids are the way to go! I think with all the coaching changes the new coaches wanted to try it, since Mel never would. And now they know why. For every Josh Baker, there is 50 Moe Dampeers. Now Josh Baker is a legit D1 talent, and I think that that is what they will go after when it comes to transfers when they do get them in – D1 and not so much JuCo.

LB: Northwest loses Collin DeBuysere and Matt Massey – both have been very good LB’s. With DeBuysere probably being one of the most underrated LB’s in the nation. But Northwest hasn’t picked up the reputation of LBU for nothing. There are a ton of talented kids in the program and I’m sure that Chad Bostwick won’t let this LB corps degrade. I’m excited to see what Brock Sherman can bring to the table. This offseason will be huge for DJ Gnader. Hopefully he can get himself to Omaha and the rehab experts can work their magic and get his hip back in working order.

CB: Since the addition of the Dixon Brothers, the cornerback position has gone from a weakness to a strength for the Bearcats. But its not just the Dixons – Tyshaan Alleyne and Tim Martinez are pretty darn good on their own, in fact Alleyne started at the beginning of 2012 if you remember.

Safeties: I will be honest with you, Nate DeJong ended up being a MUCH better safety than I ever thought that he would be. The same could be said for Clark Snodgrass. Manning did a great job filling in for him, and will do a great job next year as well. 2013 should see the return of Bryce Enyard to the Bearcat squad. The 2010 MIAA Freshman of the Year will be a great addition to the secondary.

Kickers: Losing Todd Adolf is quite a hit. I never thought I would say that four years ago. I remember when they pulled his redshirt and put him in to kick. He was aweful in game time situation. In practice and warmups he would hit them from quite some distance, but in the real life game situation – that ole sphincter muscle would seize up and throw off his mechanics. That all changed in 2010 at the UCM game when he hit the game winning FG as time expired. Ever since then, the kid has the confidence that the position requires. Adolf is currently up for the Fred Mitchel Award which is awarded to the best kicker in non-FBS football. Not sure who will take his place but there are currently two kickers on the roster so there will be a competition. As for punting – Goodburn is one of the best in the nation and will only be getting better.

Coaching: Adam Dorrel has got to give up calling plays from the field. He gets to into the game to be able to be rational about his abilities. He has an offensive coordinator – let him do his job. Charlie Flohr is a talented man – let him earn his paycheck. It is a completely different perspective from 40 feet above the field and 6 feet. As a Head Coach, you have to be a manager and not bog yourself down with the details. Trust the people you’ve surrounded yourself with. Mel often attributed much of his success to those around him. Seriously – how many successful coaches call their own plays? I have no problem if AD wants to do like Mel and let his OC call the plays, but he has the final say to override the play. I understand why in 2011 they went with AD calling the plays, but I thought 2012 was supposed to be Flohr’s chance. I firmly believe that AD has to give up the play calling duties for NW to get to the next level.

Northwest has the potential to have a VERY good team in 2013. But in order to do that they need to maximize the talent that is on the team. If they do that, they should be able to make a very deep run in the PO's and possibly be playing in Florence next year.