kearly":26w7b0ja said:
I saw things just a little differently with Michael. The run blocking wasn't really there in the first half, and I'd need to watch again to be sure but I don't remember him missing any running lanes in the first team offense. I do remember him misreading one rush up the middle in the 2nd half though, picking up 5 yards when making the more obvious cut could have gone 20+. The broadcast had a closeup on Michael after that play and he looked a little upset with himself.
The blocking was better in the 2nd half but I thought Michael also looked more like himself in the latter stages of the game. In the first half it looked like Michael was just trying to ensure positive yardage, in the 2nd half he showed more aggressiveness and did more damage.
Overall, Michael showed some significant difference from his A&M days. He didn't explode through holes as often as he did in college, but he improved substantially at maximizing yardage when the blocking wasn't there and he never fumbled. He dialed down the sexiness but dialed up the steadiness. That's probably not by accident. And overall he was still very good despite those changes.
Agreed completely on Bradford/Lotulelei. I think you summed them up better than I did. The broadcasters were slobbering over Lotulelei but I thought Bradford clearly had the best night of our LBs, and his measurables are very similar to Lotulelei's, too.
It's possible that the missed lanes I saw were with the 2's. It's hard to tell who the 1's and 2's are in preseason, with a couple starters out, and all you have to go with is the series. And OL usually play longer than the skill position players, but yea, Michael could've just had sucky blocking with the 1's. I did see some dancing and a couple missed cutbacks, but dancing could've been no blocking.
As for the LBer commentary, I played LBer so that's nearer to my heart and I get it a bit better. Our LB coach in high school called us his evil RB's, as you read the hole and diagnose it much the same way a RB does to get through. I thought Bradford looked Zach Thomas-ish....he has the exact same build and seems to play very well. Commentators will call 5'11" and 235 a lighweight for a LB, but with a center of gravity that low, you really shed blocks well, and you can scrape off the ass end of a pulling guard like hell on wheels if you're quick.
Once again, the most encouraging thing for me was the no injuries. What did you think of Powell Kearly? Personally, I thought he played really well at the los, but didn't show much of a counter move or repetoire of pass rush moves, but was hell against the run.