Jeff Potrykus chat transcript
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Q: Cory of Austin, TX - Hey Jeff. I was wondering if you knew much about the general health of Kurt Ware. I've seen him in a few times but nothing extensive. Would he be starting at DE instead of Newkirk if fully healthy or would Newkirk still be the best option??
A: Jeff Potrykus - Evening all...First, I'm just getting to the questions now (7:01 because of work) so I'll get to what I can. Also, I'll try to summarize the same 100 questions about the defense in one answer...First to Cory's question: Kurt was the No. 1 end opposite Shaughnessy in the spring so he likely would have been starting. As for the defensive questions, we'll have a story up on the site later tonight looking at the reason for the struggles. IN short, the four new starters, including three sophs, haven't been able to replicate the level of play of the departed vets. The safeties have been plagued by bad angles/poor tackling. Hodge's learning curve has been stymied by injuries/missed practice time and the fact he isn't totally comfortable in pass coverage. Joe Monty's steady play is missed on the line, as is the potential of Cooper.
Q: Craig of Martinsville, IN - What concerns me most about this team is the penalties, especially dumb ones like false starts. UW is committing the kind of penalties that smart, disciplined teams do not commit. The only saving grace for UW on Saturday was that MSU committed the same dumb penalties in key situations. The hallmark of the great/very good Alvarez teams was that they did not beat themselves and this team has come perilously close to doing that on several occasions. What can be done to correct this?
A: Jeff Potrykus - You harp on it in practice, over and over and over. Just as they've done since camp. And for the record, only three other Big Ten teams have been flagged for FEWER penalties than UW. They are PSU, Minny and Michigan, teams with a combined record of 7-8.
Q: Kit of San Francisco - How is the health of the team holding up in mid-season. It looks like MLB Hodge was dinged up in the Michigan game, and PJ has had a lot of carries. Hubbard went down but Beckum stepped up. Do we get a bye week at all this year?
A: Jeff Potrykus - No bye week. Hodge, Casillas and Levy aren't 100%. Ditto for Chapman.
Q: Pat of Eau Claire - What is your take on the linebackers play so far this season? Is Hodge out of position as much as it appears?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Up and down for all three, which is what I wrote recently in a lengthy story. I think 2 and 11 will be fine. 52 has to get healthy and I think he might be pressing a bit.
Q: Jason of Madison - Jeff, in your opinion, which offensive lineman has played the best up to this point?
A: Jeff Potrykus - I'd go with 71, based in large part how well he handled Saint-Dic last week. Carimi gets a special award given he is the sole new face and he was replacing an All-American.
Q: Mark of Milwaukee - It has been four games, of which three have been at home. We are still getting illegal motion penalties on first and goal. This shouldn't be happening on a nationally ranked team. What does the head coach say about penalties?
A: Jeff Potrykus - That he doesn't like 'em. You might be surprised to learn where UW ranks in the Big Ten. See my answer to Craig's question.
Q: Mark of Minneapolis - Elijah Hodge made a nice play to end the game, but most of the time he really seems to struggle in pass coverage. Is he just not fast/quick/mobile enough? I thought he could be an upgrade over Zalewski, but I think I owe Zalewski a big apology.
A: Jeff Potrykus - I noted in preseason he isn't as fast as Zalewski and some people told me I was nuts. Hodge's strengths are his instincts. The injuries haven't helped and I suspect he is pressing a bit because he wants so much to be a leader. When you overrun plays you tend to be too anxious (not always, I admit).
I see losses to Illinois (Juice will shred them), Penn State and Ohio State, both of whom have more than enough defense to slow the Badgers. Indiana will put up enough points to make them nervous, the Metrodome is always a crapshoot and Michigan will not be a cake walk, although the Badgers may be able to outscore them in a track meet.
Have a great week.
A: Jeff Potrykus - I think the improvement might be tied more to the type of scheme they face. For example, I think they can handle a less mobile QB. Plus, the offense must be more efficient and keep drives alive. The best friend of any defense, especially a shaky one, is the long drive. I have not revised my prediction. No Big Ten team is unbeatable.
Q: Tom Burke of Minnetonka, Minnesota - It is my guess the Illini will spread the Badger defense out and challenge them with speed. This should expose a weak linebacker corps when it comes to pass defense. What can the UW defense do to be effective against a spread offense with impressive athletes like the Illini?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Tom, that's what the Illini run -- the spread. Probably the first counter is to play less base and more 3-3-5 with Levy as a rush end. The problem with that is that Mendenhall is a load at TB and he could run wild against 5 dbs...
Q: Dave of Des Moines - On MSU's final play it appeared to me that someone finally covered the back (or end) in the flat and thus the QB had to go to Ringer. Badgers had trouble with screen pass in flat all day (until last play) - how do they defense that better?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Dave, the back in the flat WAS Ringer. He was the primary receiver -- hell, the only receiver -- Hoyer looked at. It was Hodge who made the play.
Q: Bob of Beloit - Hello Jeff, I asked about this a couple of weeks ago. That is the defense's propensity to bite on motion. The defense still seems very suseptible to motion. Especially Hodge. I counted at least three times Hodge took himself out of the play following motion vs honoring his assigned area. Each time a big gain ensued, giving Mich. St. new life. Is it bad coaching or just bad assignment execution?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Why are you assuming he vacated his assigned area? I can't remember every play off the top of my head but MSU's last play Ringer went to the flat and Hodge vacated the middle. His guy was Ringer.
Q: BadgerBackerTom of Wilmette IL - MSU killed our defense with quick swing passes and pitches to their running backs to get outside. Any chance UW could add more of that to the playbook? Quick swing passes to a shifty speedster like Gilreath, especially if the corners are giving a cushion could be very effective, and pitches to PJ could get him into the secondary quicker. Also, were you surprised they didn't have TD sneak on the "second chance" 3rd and goal in the 4th?
A: Jeff Potrykus - First, not having quick swing passes to Gilreath and/or Hill is the absolute last worry of the offense right now. Chryst has his system/package and lining up a WR as a TB, as some teams do, isn't part of it. I wouldn't have TD sneak unless I needed a 1/4 inch.
Q: Tom of Menomonee Falls - Jeff - How important is Ikegwuonu to the overall success of the defense? In the three games that he did not leave early due to injury/sickness, they have given up 21, 13, and 13 points. In the two he left early, it has been 31 and 34. I realize the tackling has been lacking by the LBs and safeties but losing your shut down corner can have an overall negative effect on your defense.
A: Jeff Potrykus - It's a trickle-down effect. Ike goes out and the third corner (Henry) covers the No. 1 or No. 2 receiver. That means Strickland becomes the third corner and God love Ben for his attitude, hustle and tenacity but he is behind Henry on the depth and teams can find the most vulnerable area of the secondary and attack. He did get beat for a big third-down play Saturday, though not surprisingly he had a huge PBU on the final drive, too.
Q: Chris of New Richmond - With a loss by LSU, we are all but guaranteed a spot in the BCS Championship Game if we win out. Unfortunately, we don't have the defense to win out. After five weeks of watching the defense, I can't find any words to rationalize its poor performance. Then the head coach talks about not being "pretty", but still getting the win. What's going on? Why hasn't a fire been lit under the defense's collective @ss? I think the head coach should pull a "Herb Brooks" after one of these sloppy wins (right in the 5th quarter)!...Not really, but I'm frustrated. Please make my "half empty" glass "half full" with any ray of hope!
A: Jeff Potrykus - Chris, this defense could be very good NEXT year. How much progress some of these guys can make over the next two months, I really don't know.
Q: Dennis 33 of England - The only thing driving me more crazy than the Badgers inconsistency is the polls. I agree that UW hasn't exactly looked like a legit top ten team. But who has? Nobody in the Top 10 has a knock em' out victory over a great team. What do you make of all this Jeff? Where do the Badgers 'really' deserve to be ranked now? At the end of the day, who cares how the Badgers win or what pants they wear?
A: Jeff Potrykus - The polls haven't been inconsistent. UW dropped -- and others rose -- because other teams had more impressive victories and folks re-evaluate the pre-season numbers. Then when half the top 10 lost and UW found a way to remain unbeaten, the voters took note.
Q: Aloha Jim of Kona, Hawaii - Finally got to see the Badgers for the first time this year. The ABC games are regionalized and we always get the west coast game. But somehow the MSU game was on ESPN. So, after watching MSU gash UW's defense up the middle I began to focus entirely on the LB's, especially 52. I was shocked at how poorly he was playing and how slow and out of synch he was. After his big play to end the game I learned 52 had a bruised knee. Do you know if he played the entire game on a bad knee. I hope so. That would explain a lot. Who's the backup MLB?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Bielema clarified that today. He missed two days of practice last week and they weren't sure how much, or if, he would play until very late.
Q: Mike of Strongsville, OH - Don't you think wisconsin would have a better running game if they deployed something similar to Michigan State where they used Smith more often as the quicker back and Hill as the bruiser on short yardage? I like Hill but I feel Smith has a greater potential to consistantly break long runs.
A: Jeff Potrykus - UW is fourth in the Big Ten at 205 per game and Hill is up to sixth nationally at 133.4 per game. I don't think the running game is high on their list of concerns right now.
Q: Jack Arnett of Sioux Falls, SD - Jeff, With Illionis & Indiana winning and of course Ohio St & now Michigan playing better, seems to me this is a 5-6 team race - any of which could win the Big Ten. Your thoughts?
A: Jeff Potrykus - I still say the top three are OSU, UW, Michigan. Illinois cracks the top three if it upsets UW. Indiana? Ah, no.
Q: Min of Chicago - Through 5-games, UW has never been ahead at the end of the 1st Quarter yet this season. To some UW fans, it seems like UW takes a 'wait and see what they will do' defensive approach and before you know it, we are in another tight game. Everyone wants to point at the inconsisitencies of the defense, but the offense has not been in sync either on a consistent basis. Outside of tackling fundamentals, is there anything you are looking for from the UW side to change it up against ILL as we hit the road?
A: Jeff Potrykus - You need to focus on improving the leverage, tackling, etc., for every foe, not just the Illini. You might see more 3-3-5 vs. the spread. But they need their safeties to take better pursuit angles. They need to get off blocks better and make plays near the LOS. That will work against any offense.
Q: SuperDave of Sussex - Jeff, it is very frustrating watching the Badgers (especially the defense) with some very poor coaching. As you pointed out on Sunday, one of the long MSU runs was a direct result of a late defensive personnel change that left the Badger players scrambling to get into position at the snap. Also, there seems to be too many alignment problems between the safeties and LB's. Finally, on the Badgers last punt, clinging to a 3 pt. lead and time running down, why is the ball snapped with 11 seconds remaining on the play clock. Luckily, that extra time didn't become a factor. Does the coaching staff get quizzed on their miscues by the media? I would think there should be some tough questions for them to answer?
A: Jeff Potrykus - All but the 11 seconds on the play clock. You don't always get to ask every question in a post-game presser. Some guys ask really important questions like: How does it feel to be approaching Fielding Yost? Arrrgh.
Q: SuperDave of Sussex - While there still is a long way to go towards playing an all-round clean and good game, this team seems to have one very important characteristic - Nobody flinches! Barry Alverez must love that. And it seems to be one thing that was passed down from the former coach to Coach B. Would you agree?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Well, they're 5-0. So, yes.
Q: Ron Jeremy Morse of Malibu, CA - I'm a little fuzzy on why UW didn't get a first down on the defensive holding call in the end zone on their last FG drive. I thought defensive holding was an automatic FD. Was it enforced that way since Donovan ran for positive yardage? If so, UW was penalized for TD's making something out of nothing. I would think that UW should have had the choice of Automatic first down and half the distance from the previous spot (which I think would have put them on the 3) vs. what they received (third and goal from the one).
A: Jeff Potrykus - Only if a pass is thrown.
Q: Andy Shovers of Atlanta - Jeff: I do not want to appear negative, because I am thrilled with the record and ranking. My question relates to the defense. The players and BB continue to say that the problems are "easily correctible", and that it is just a matter of better"leverage", and "technique". I am not an x and o's guy, and don't know what those words mean. But is it not more likely that after five games this is the way our defense will be playing the rest of the year? That the middle LB, and safeties have not been adequately replaced? Thanks. Andy
A: Jeff Potrykus - Yep. Andy, see our story later tonight.
Q: MarineBadger of Wausau - Ok Jeff, this will probably be the 50th question about the poor defensive play, but how much of it do you think can be attributed to MSUs playcalling. I was under the impression than MSU was a power running team now, but they played closer to a spread offense style from what I saw. 4 receiver setswith alot of trips, runs up the middle while we were spread out. Did MSU change its stripes for this game??
A: Jeff Potrykus - I didn't study all MSU's games but I think they tinkered with their plan after seeing UW's struggles in previous games.
Q: Geno of Spooner - What ever happened to the coffin corner? Is it due to punters failing to being able to locate it, or coaches that have abandoned the use of the 12th man, the sidelines? The gunners are still coming down each sideline and fighting to get to the goal line prior to the ball either bouncing in or sailing over. Why not lessen their duty by bringing the coffin corner back into the game?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Because they feel it is easier for a punter, particularly a college punter, to hang it up in the middle and have one of the two outside guys down it.
Q: SuperDave of Sussex - Jeff, was everybody in the press box too busy watching the replays of Nehemiah Warrick's hit on Kyle Jefferson to see what happened next? I haven't seen it reported anywhere. In a flashback to the days of John L. Smith's Spartan teams, Mr. Nehemiah (and I use that term very loosely) made his way to the center of the field and stomped on the Motion W. The studen section all booed, but I don't think anybody else saw it. What's up?
A: Jeff Potrykus - Yes, I saw it. Didn't see the need to comment on it.
Q: Bill Pfeiffer of Columbus, Ohio - Hi Jeff. Great job as always with these chats. I am sure you will address the Badgers' poor tackling on numerous occasions tonight, but I want to talk about free safety Shane Carter in particular. While he deserves credit for chasing down Javon Ringer to momentarily save a touchdown, he missed numerous other tackles on Saturday, many of which led to big plays including Devin Thomas' 80-yard score on a screen pass. Any chance the coaches may make a switch in the back end to a more sure tackler? While Carter has displayed his athleticism several times already this season, you need more consistency from your last line of defense to win consistently in the Big Ten.
A: Jeff Potrykus - Royston looked solid in the spring and in camp but he still was behind Carter. I'd be surprised to see a change this week.
Q: Raindog of Chicago - Jeff, you wrote a nice article on Lance Smith's change of pace to PJ Hill. As Lance is unavailable for road games, is the coaching staff confident that Zach Brown will be able to be effective in Champaign? Thank you.
A: Jeff Potrykus - It will be Z. Brown or Landingham as the No. 2 this week. I'm sure Hill will get the bulk of the carries. Even if they had reservations, they would not say so.
Q: CaryNCBadger of Cary, NC - You gave the linebackers a 'B'?? What game did you watch? I saw Levy and Casillas & Co. overrun plays, take bad angles, leave cutback lanes unfilled, and not wrap up all day long. Coupled with the DB's doing the same thing, and we got gashed! Play after play the line did their job by making the MSU runners stop and cut back from the hole, but nobody was there to fill the cutback. The touchdown saving tackle was fine, but it shouldn't have been needed had we executed at the point of attack. I wish I had you as a Prof back in the day...maybe I would have cracked the Dean's list.
A: Jeff Potrykus - Last question of the night. First, my grading philosophy has been explained several times over the years. Second, you ask about the linebacker grade and then spend much of your time criticizing the line and secondary. Not sure what that has to do with the LBs. They graded a letter higher because of three huge plays. I gave those more weight. End of story and end of chat until next week.
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