|
Here's my take on the upcoming season.
Before jumping into 2005, it's probably worthwhile reviewing what went wrong in 2004. In any analysis of Hart, one usually
starts with the quarterback. On the various boards, the blame for a less than stellar season has been dumped consistently
on Tyler Lyon, the quarterback. The opprobrium heaped on Lyon is misplaced. Granted, most of Tyler's predecessors in recent
years have looked better statistically but the circumstances under which they labored where vastly different.
On offense last season, Hart's biggest problem -- by far -- was the offensive line. There were two main problems. First,
the line was a sieve. According to a recent newspaper article, Lyon got hit on about 80% of the plays in almost every game.
That's a heckuva beating. Only one other Hart quarterback has had a similar, season-long experience, David Neill in 1997.
While I don't know the exact stats, I suspect Neill held the Hart record for being sacked until 2004. A couple of other quarterbacks
have had some bad stretches. Kyle Matter in his senior year took a lot of shots in the first five games, including a single
game record of 11 or 12 sacks against Westlake but nothing comparable to the magnitude of last year. Only Neill's and Lyon's
stats through 12 games in 1997 and 2004 are very comparable:
PC-----PA----Yds---TD---INT----%----YPC----Run----Yds
181---315---2925--28---17----.575---16.2---117-----245
213---364---3108--27---20----.585---14.6---93------(6)
There was a second major problem on the offensive line: bad snaps. Throughout the season, not only did the center launch
several snaps over Lyon's head (a major feat given that Lyon was almost 6'6" last season) but, a half dozen or more times
each game, he came very close to putting the ball in orbit and it was only Lyon's height and leaping ability that prevented
that from happening. Every one of those high snaps damaged the timing of the play and destroyed any running plays or passing
plays with hot routes. More importantly, Lyon's ability to focus on the defense on any play in which he was in the shotgun
was greatly diminished. When he should have been looking downfield, he was instead worrying -- justifiably -- where the snap
would go.
Lyon was not without his shortcomings, most notably interceptions. But even there, it's not fair to place all the burden
on him. He had 12 interceptions in the losses to St. Bonnie, Birmingham, Valencia and MV (3 in each game), most of which came
after the team fell behind, often substantially, when he was forced to pass on almost every play.
Another problem area that impacted the offense was the inconsistency of the receivers. Wolfe and Yudin generally were
sure-handed. The same cannot be said of the others who dropped too many passes. When the quarterback is having a tough day
to begin with, the receivers have to help him out. Too often they didn't. I also felt -- but don't know because I rarely know
what play may have been called -- that some of the receivers were not running the correct routes, primarily because they failed
to break off routes to adjust for the blitz. In particular, in one game where Lyon was getting absolutely pummelled -- and
the blitzes were very predictable -- all four receivers would repeatedly head straight down field when it was perfectly obvious
that Lyon was not going to have the time to set and throw a long route and needed help on a hot route.
The third significant problem on offense last season was plain, pedantic, predictable play-calling. Historically, Hart
always is full of surprises. Last year, more often than not, one could sit in the stands and not only call the play but the
precise receiver who was the primary target. If I can do that in the stands, imagine what a DB or LB could do after watching
film all week: interceptions, knockdowns and tackles for no gain become a lot more common when the defense knows what's coming.
Then there was the defense. Defense, along with the porous O-line was the other big culprit as far as I'm concerned. The
2004 defense gave up a ton of points. In fact, they tied the all-time Hart record of 270 points set in 1950 (although that
was in fewer games).
Certainly the offense was down last season, but Hart won a championship in 2000 with considerably less offense, and quite
frankly with less talent at the receiver and back spots (not a college scholarship among 'em). The difference was that in
2000, the defense gave up only 123 points through the first 12 games. The 2004 group gave up 270! I don't think it was a talent
issue. It was largely mental. I've heard more than one person -- in the know -- suggest that the 2004 group was possibly the
dumbest group of defenders in the last 20 years. These kids were not intellectually deficient in any way. They were, however,
consistently capable of multiple dunderhead plays, almost always stemming from a mental blunder such as a blown coverage.
Michael Herrick over at Valencia has been hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread -- and indeed, he's almost a
lock to own the California career yardage record by the end of this season -- with the clear implication that the Valencia
offense was vastly superior to Hart's. But if you look at Herrick's 2003 and 2004 numbers alongside of Lyon's through 12 games
(so its an "apples and apples" comparison) a much different picture emerges: the offensive stats from Herrick's
first and second years at the helm and Lyon's first year as the Hart QB are not markedly different.
PC-----PA-----Yds----TD----INT----%----YPC----Run----Yds
213---364----3108---27-----20----.585---14.6---93---- (6)
241---386----3459---29-----18----.624---14.4---89---- 49
292---452----3171---21-----12----.646---10.9---91---- 38
Now look at the defenses through 12 games: Valencia 2003 gave up 264 points and finished 8-4; Hart 2004 gave up 270 points
and finished 7-5. Valencia 2004 gave up only 144 points in 12 games, finished 12-2 and made it to the championship game.
That's a stunning difference! Is there any question that defense was the key for Valencia's success last season? Had Hart
showed any kind of defensive prowess akin to the Vikings, 2004 would have been a totally different season.
Finally, there apparently was a fair amount of divisiveness between the seniors and the younger players last season. I
really don't know why nor can I see any legitimate reason for it but it seemed to manifest itself in some lackadaisical play
by some kids.
So where is Hart in 2005
Quarterback: Lyon is back. He has a season under his belt. He's taller, stronger, faster and most importantly far more
confident. His progress was plainly evident to anyone who saw him this summer. As he got used to the new receivers and vice
versa, he really blossomed. (Keep in mind, he missed all of the spring because of an elbow injury sustained in the first baseball
game). There is one of area where I think he can improve and very easily. He needs to be more animated. Lyon seems to be one
of those kids whose countenance doesn't change a whole lot regardless of the situation, good or bad. He may have to force
himself to be more expressive. Exuberance is very contagious (think Pete Carroll!). When Lyon throws a TD pass(or any good
pass), it ought to be a race to the endzone to congratulate the receiver. And he ought to win the race. Enthusiasm rubs off
among high school players. There are always technical areas in which to improve and he's made huge strides. His reads and
accuracy are much improved. He's well-coached and a hard worker so that will continue.
Running back: Delano Howell probably is the fastest Hart back since 2001 (Tim Gregory) and quicker than either of his
older brothers. He's going to be very good. Plus there's Robbie Casselberry as well. I do have a couple of concerns with the
Hart running game. First, in short yardage situations Hart definitely suffered last season. A few times the Indians tried
to run out of the shotgun in those situations and generally not very successful. Historically, Hart has used some big guy
for the short yardage bulldozing job. Pat Norton comes to mind. Last season they used Casselberry, a nimble but small back.
He just did not have the sheer beef to plow through a stacked defensive line and I doubt if Howell does either. How about
J. T. Hartmire (300+ pounds and very agile) or DE Steve Burton as the RB in the double tackle formation? Second problem: running
with any consistency out of the shotgun. It can be effective against certain teams and requires some very precise timing.
If the center makes a lousy snap, any running play out of the shotgun is toast. The play starts so far behind the line of
scrimmage and from a static position that everyone on the defense has a lot of time to adjust. Anything which slows down the
initiation of the play such as a bad snap extends the defensive's adjustment time and is fatal. And if a team has fast, well-schooled
linebackers, it's almost impossible to run out of the shotgun unless the blockers are very quick and there are lots of traps
and misdirection and sheer over-powering play going on in the line. Hart's run-blocking certainly did not meet those criteria
last season. Hart started running a lot out of the shotgun in 2001 with Matt Moore as QB. It worked because Moore was exceptionally
quick and fast and there were some really quick and powerful linemen out there (Chris Frome) who could get out in front fast
enough to take out a linebacker on the sweep play or nail the MLB on that QB draw. Whether Hart has improved in this area
remains to be seen as one gets no chance to assess the running game in the summer.
Receivers: Troy Yudin is a stud. He can run by defenses and is not afraid of going over the middle. (Hope the ankle is
fully healed and stays that way.) Robbie Casselberry will be a very effective, after the catch, slot receiver. He has running
back instincts and very good hands. I've noted a number of times before a common phenomenon: first year varsity receivers
tend to be satisfied merely catching the ball through the first several games. After all, in practice, that's what they work
on, running the route and catching the ball. They spend little time on what happens after the catch. Typically, about the
seventh or eighth game, the better receivers catch on to the idea that the play doesn't end with the catch and they start
to run with it. Yards after the catch go up markedly. Yudin's already past that stage. Casselberry, though a first year receiver,
spent all last season on the field as a running back. He'll turn a lot of short passes into very big gains. Tyler Embry is
a first-year varsity receiver. He is deceptively fast because of a long loping, stride and has some very good technique (could
it be because his dad is the TE coach at UCLA?). As the season progresses watch out for a big jump in "after the catch"
yards by him. It looks like James Wheeler will also be in there as a slot and he too has the potential to break things. He
has a lot of ball-carrying experience as a kick returner. Expect the yards after catch.
Offense line: this will be a massively improved group. The coaches realized that last season they had let certain aspect
of line play slide and spent the winter working on agility. It shows. The linemen are very big but, as a group, far more agile
than last year, including those who are returning. Jackson Smith will start at center. The high snaps are a thing of the past.
Ricky Vitallo who started at right tackle last year is moving to the left tackle spot. When I last checked, Jeremy Neff was
one of the guards and Brandon Takata was the other tackle. J.T. Hartmire was one of the guards but hurt his ankle and may
miss the first game. A sophomore (Derek Bickford?) may fill that slot. As a group, these guys look to be several steps ahead
of last season in size, strength and quickness. Will they play smart? We'll see.
Kicking: kick offs and field goals should be good with Paul Weinstein returning. Kick returning ought to be exciting.
James Wheeler was within a hair's breadth of returning several kickoffs for touchdowns. Another year's improvement in strength
and speed and he may do it. Punting and punt returning are perpetual weaknesses at Hart. Who knows what will happen there.
Defensive line: Steve Burton returns for his third year as a starter at defensive end. Adam Best is apparently at the
other end spot and Wilford Aka is one of the tackles. I'm not sure who will be in the other tackle spot: the sophomore, Hartmire,
Jim Auten and/or Michael Fruchtman (?) seem to all be possibilities and there may be some interchange.
Linebackers: Pat Sarkissian, Griffin Cannon and Patrick Larrimore. Larrimore is the middle LB and huge for a soph and
surprisingly agile for his size. Sarkissian started last year and will start at left LB. He's the leading returning tackler
from last season. Cannon blew out a knee toward the end of his sophomore season where he excelled as both a receiver and a
DB. He missed the remainder of that season and much of 2004 because of knee surgery. He's quick and plays very smart at the
right LB spot.
Defensive Back: There were a lot of different kids out there this summer in a lot of different spots. Robbie Casselberry
will be out there for sure. James Wheeler, Troy Yudin, Anthony Luna and Adam Reyes (?) seem to be in the mix. A couple of
these guys are pretty tiny but that has not been a hinderance to some fine play in the past (Micky Mercado!).
On defense these kids have the necessary physical gifts. The key is going to be heady, smart play. If they get out of
last year's dunderhead syndrome, they will be tough to handle.
|
