MGB: Saturday morning scrimmage notes (updated with Mac video)

Brett Vito · August 22, 2015

MGB: Defense shines, Young continue play well, QB update (updated with Mac video)

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/08/unt-scrimmage-notes.html/

Edited August 22, 2015 by Brett Vito

greenit · August 22, 2015

Hearing that the defense got more 3 and outs is good new and bad news all rolled into one.

I hope Chico knows what he is doing with the QB depth chart. Since he was probably the one behind Greer initially last year, not too surprised to hear he is hanging in at #2.

SilverEagle · August 22, 2015

Many on here get distressed about McNulty being #1. My distress is the #2. I'm very disappointed that Means and/or Smith have not made a move. They have far more potential.

UNT90 · August 22, 2015

prepare to see 9 in the box at SMU

untlynchka1 · August 22, 2015

prepare to see 9 in the box at SMU

good, then McNulty doesn't have to throw the deep ball as far.

Edited August 23, 2015 by untlynchka1

Army of Dad · August 22, 2015

prepare to see 9 in the box at SMU

Just wait until Iowa has a couple of weeks of film on us...

greenit · August 22, 2015

prepare to see 9 in the box at SMU

Cool. Hopefully that means 1 CB to cover 2 WRs on each side.

emmitt01 · August 22, 2015

Cool. Hopefully that means 1 CB to cover 2 WRs on each side.

That's only an advantage if your QB is a threat to throw more than a screen

UNTLifer · August 22, 2015

Funny the number of opinions considering nobody has seen the practices this Fall.

Edited August 22, 2015 by UNTLifer

UNT90 · August 22, 2015

good, then McMurtry doesn't have to throw the deep ball as far.

as long as he and his band play after the game...

H-towngreen · August 22, 2015

The QB depth chart is the main reason I'm more disinterested in this season than any other in my UNT fandom

UNT90 · August 22, 2015

Funny the number of opinions considering nobody has seen the practices this Fall.

we all saw the third option at QB last year. He is starting this year.

That, along with an impossible schedule, is the crux of the lack of excitement.

DeepGreen · August 23, 2015

When you get down, season hasn't even started, without a game played, go back and watch the highlights of the 2013 season. We played some good football.

BillySee58 · August 23, 2015

Many on here get distressed about McNulty being #1. My distress is the #2. I'm very disappointed that Means and/or Smith have not made a move. They have far more potential.

Smith is pretty surprising to me. He must really be struggling picking up that playbook. As for Means, I've seen very little of him but what I do know of him screams accuracy issues. Less than 50% completion percentage in high school for an FBS commit QB, 6-15 in his second spring game, and even the videos.

https://twitter.com/meangreenfb/status/634013464143368193

I (and we) need more to accurately judge him, but I just haven't seen many good signs. Maybe the cameras haven't done a good job of showing his good moments.

greenit · August 23, 2015

UNTLifer · August 23, 2015

My point is that McNulty has another year under his belt, Greer had been in the program a couple of weeks and was thrown to the wolves, and Smith has 2 weeks of practice under his belt. None of us have witnessed practice this Fall outside of the videos posted, so let's give these young men some slack and see how they do.

BillySee58 · August 23, 2015

My point is that McNulty has another year under his belt, Greer had been in the program a couple of weeks and was thrown to the wolves, and Smith has 2 weeks of practice under his belt. None of us have witnessed practice this Fall outside of the videos posted, so let's give these young men some slack and see how they do.

Greer had been in the program longer than that. He was here in spring 2014.

greenit · August 23, 2015

Greer had 2 camps under his belt and looked completely lost. He didn't seem to have a grasp of what to do, where to move, when to audible, etc... and that was with 2 camps. With that memory being so fresh in the coach's minds it doesn't bode well for hopes of the staff throwing a guy with a few weeks experience in there. There is a bit more to the QB position than how strong your arm is (certainly helps though).

Whatever/whoever they roll out better be an improvement over last year if we are going to have any chance.

Edited August 23, 2015 by greenit

DallasGreen · August 23, 2015

Defense and special teams can give you a big boost. That is one thing I took away from attending 11 of the 13 games in the 2013 season. Also a good o line can really help a QB look greatly improved. My biggest problem with Mini Mac is his height and he isn't going to get any taller!

SilverEagle · August 23, 2015

Defense and special teams can give you a big boost. That is one thing I took away from attending 11 of the 13 games in the 2013 season. Also a good o line can really help a QB look greatly improved. My biggest problem with Mini Mac is his height and he isn't going to get any taller!

So true. There was more than one game (most notably the La Tech game) where the offense was not doing anything until special teams/defense gave them some great turnovers and field position.

UNT90 · August 23, 2015

My point is that McNulty has another year under his belt, Greer had been in the program a couple of weeks and was thrown to the wolves, and Smith has 2 weeks of practice under his belt. None of us have witnessed practice this Fall outside of the videos posted, so let's give these young men some slack and see how they do.

another year won't change an FCS (at best) arm.

When there is no threat to throw the ball vertically, you end up with 8 in the box every play, which kills the ground game.

Unless he grew a new right arm, this is going to be another disappointing year.

SilverEagle · August 23, 2015

another year won't change an FCS (at best) arm.

When there is no threat to throw the ball vertically, you end up with 8 in the box every play, which kills the ground game.

Unless he grew a new right arm, this is going to be another disappointing year.

If you are talking about his ability to regularly make 40-50+ yard throws "on a rope" then you may be right about him. I'm more concerned with his ability to make mid-range throws with "timely-to-fast" releases. I wouldn't characterize Mitch Maher as a cannon armed QB, but he rarely missed his mid-range throws, and when he had to, he could count on his TE, the great Luis Silva to bring down a "hail mary" throw from time to time.

All McNulty needs is for any of his taller WR's to develop into a Darnell Smith/Luis Silva go-after-and-fight-for-the-ball-type receiver, and the long throws will be there.

To further make my point. After watching "Johnny Football" and T. Boykin play a couple of times, I wasn't all that impressed with them. Many times on their long pass plays (especially Boykin) they just threw it up in the vicinity of their very talented WR's and let them go after it. And the same could be said for a lot of their mid-range throws (especially J. Football). Their WR's made them look REAL good.

Edited August 23, 2015 by SilverEagle

UNT90 · August 23, 2015

QB's with weaker arms are successful at the FBS level only if they have a lightening quick release to go along with lightning quick decision making abilities.

Basically, what matters is the time it takes from the very moment that the QB realizes a receiver is open to the time the ball arrives. Strong arms can make up for a lack of decision making and lack of a quick release. And a quick release and quick decision making can make up for a weaker arm (except on deep outs).

Ive seen nothing to indicate that McNulty or Greer possess any of these abilities. Hope I'm wrong.

SilverEagle · August 23, 2015

QB's with weaker arms are successful at the FBS level only if they have a lightening quick release to go along with lightning quick decision making abilities.

Basically, what matters is the time it takes from the very moment that the QB realizes a receiver is open to the time the ball arrives. Strong arms can make up for a lack of decision making and lack of a quick release. And a quick release and quick decision making can make up for a weaker arm (except on deep outs).

Ive seen nothing to indicate that McNulty or Greer possess any of these abilities. Hope I'm wrong.

The quickest releases on the team are Smith and Shanbour.