[Bernini]

Buckner is an Illinois commit, so it would be bizarre if he was actually in attendance.

I concur on Nzegwu. In spite of being a running back at Platteville, he looked very natural as a defensive end for the Badgers. Very quick off the ball, long arms, great strength. Any contributions next year from him as a redshirt frosh would be gravy. He has a future as a starting defensive end.

I don't agree on Oglesby. His performance was a bit uneven. As we had heard when he was a recruit his run blocking is superior to his pass blocking. He pushed the pile for Clay, and those two will make a great duo eventually, but his lateral quickness wasn't there when he was attempting to fend off oncoming pass rushing DE's. Strength will never be an issue for him, but footwork might.

Overall, I'm not overly concerned with our pass defense in 2008. Decremer, Schofield, and Levy are all pretty quick off the line of scrimmage. I was very pleased with the way Levy fought the offensive line to make a few tackles today. He'll spend even more time at rush DE this season because of the attrition, namely Shaughnessy. I may be in the minority, but the cornerback position is a strength. Goins anticipates well and has good hips. I don't know if Merrill will be a major factor this year, but I love his potential more than just about any player in the spring game. Very fluid hips, quick feet, recovery speed. I was even impressed on the pass interference call when he stayed stride for stride with Gilreath, after David juked him pretty well. The call was very borderline. He just needs to work on strength and ball skills a little. Either Henry or Langford should return. Nettles is solid. Cromartie looks like an advanced corner from our recruiting class. And maybe most importantly, Valai is an enormous upgrade at SS against the pass over Aubrey Pleasant. He is ultra quick, and in addition to lighting players up at the line of scrimmage, he was always lurking behind receivers. The adjustment he made on the tipped interception was amazing. He was a stud. Maragos is a ballhawk, reading the QB's eyes for a couple INT's. We'll be solid against the pass next season.

The DT's remain the most pressing question. The replacements for Newkirk, Chapman, and Shaughnessy; were bullied by the interior O-Lineman. We couldn't make tackles in the open field. Converting a big body from the offensive line, allowing our quick linebackers to make plays, might be beneficial.

Offensively, we aren't lacking in weaponry. The only question is how do the coaches utilize these guys and can we get them the ball? I disagree w/ your opinion on Daven Jones. He looks the most natural at receiver. Great athlete and understands how to run routes. Give him a decent QB to work with for once. Gilreath's game was a pleasant surprise. He made a vast improvement in running routes. He still tends to be a guy who runs straight up the field though. You're not going to get away with that against Big Ten corners. And he doesn't really have the strength to beat the jam. Ike Anderson is intriguing. He's built like a spread-option running back. We weren't even able to see Jefferson and Toon. We're loaded at receiving....

and we're loaded at running back too. Zaccheus Brown is the most consistent runner and has the best power/speed/quickness combination. Hill, Smith, and Clay are all similar level running backs. Smith is the most unique, so you know he'll be employed in some fashion. He made huge strides from the previous spring game, where I criticized him, to today. He squared his shoulders finally and lowered the boom. He wasn't giving up yardage on the field anymore. And the wiggle is still present.

Phillips staked his claim as the quarterback of the future. He threw some extremely pretty balls out there. He plays well beyond his years. As far as the established QB's go, I was pretty disappointed. Evridge is still erratic and fires the ball too hard in close range to thrive in the red zone. Footwork was better, so a positive sign there. Stallons is a skeleton, and his footwork is lacking. Sherer....meh.

The offensive line are still a bunch of maulers, who struggle a bit against quicker defenders.

Outside of an individual player here and there....THEY ARE WHO I THOUGHT THEY WERE.