Good:
- The run game. When UL couldn't stack the box, ND ran at will and dominated up front. The OL was excellent and Jones/Smith were absolute battering rams. Hopefully Jafar's injury isn't serious.
- Tommy Tremble is going to be a weapon. Big body with that kind of speed and catching ability.
- Impressed with the defensive tackles, especially MTA. He was in the backfield quite often. A reason why UL wasn't even touching the interior was because he was winning up front consistently.
- Kyle Hamilton...more of him please.
- Special Teams. Yeah, hard to believe Special Teams was the most consistent phase of the game.
Meh:
- Wide Receivers. Where were they for most of the game? I don't recall anybody getting open deep whenever a replay occurred.
- Defensive ends. Was disappointed with Okwara especially. A lot of great play from the defensive tackles was nullified by ridiculously sloppy and undisciplined football from him and Kareem for much of the 1st half. You two are captains and upperclassmen vying for early round picks. PLAY LIKE IT.
- Elliott, Pride and Gilman. Speaking of captains who didn't play like it. It's not as if they were bad. Gilman started out poorly but came around to have a decent game, but you have to set the tone. Elliott was just...there it seemed like. Pride needs to be more physical, period.
Bad:
- Ian Book. Where was all that progress made over the offseason to maintain composure in the pocket? Where was it? Because it damn sure wasn't on the field. It was like watching one of those cheap bail bonds commercials that they play during re-runs of Maury. "BAIL-OUT! BAIL-OUT! BAIL-OUT!!!" A part of me wanted to nail his cleats to the ground so he would stop leaving the goddamn pocket. It was infuriating. And it's not like the pressure was ridiculous. The pass protection was solid for the most part, but he just continued to bail for no reason.
- Chris Finke. Paging Mr Finke. Mr Finke, you're presence is requested at Cardinal Stadium. Yet another captain who did not step up when his team needed a jolt. I'm just flabbergasted by the near universal lack of urgency and initiative from the leaders on this team.
- Asmar Bilal. No player on that field last night had anywhere close to a worse game than Asmar Bilal. I take no pleasure in typing that he was beyond atrocious every time he stepped on the field. I really cannot recall a LB being so horrible. Sure, there's been bad LB groups, but Bilal single-handedly brought down the level of play of the LB corp when he was in. Sure, the other guys like White, Owusu and Simon didn't have great games, and they missed their fair share of assignments or tackles, but they also made up for it by improving as the game went on and making plays. Bilal did not. He would go in, commence being glued to blockers, making incorrect read, or whiffing on a simple tackle, then come out, return and do the same exact thing. I think it's safe to say Bilal should not see the field again outside of garbage time. He was a complete disaster.
