Preseason Scrimmage

 

Traveled to Milan, TN to watch the Cards battle the Milan Bulldogs who are a preseaon #2 in Class 3A or 4A behind Alcoa (TN class system is confusing) and a semi finalist from last year. Mayfield looked great in a easy win in the varsity portion which was run just as a real game less kickoffs and all punts had to be fair caught. Offense looked similar to last year and defense looked great. The qb position, a big worry of mine, looked great. The Cards defense also shinned

I thought Jonathan Jackson looked great. Looks like he's bulked up quite abit this year and hit the weights in offseason. Looked quicker, as well. I thought all 3 QBs did a good job. Jake Guhy is definately the passer of the group, but, Hughes threw a couple of nice balls and he's definately the better athlete, has good size and can run the ball well. I also thought Reed showed great quickness and running ability. The OL is still a question mark, imo. They have 2 or 3 with pretty good size, but, looked a little small overall and Milans DL was able to get some pressure on the QB, something teams just didn;t do last year. If there's a weakness, I say that would be it, but, I do think they'll be okay there with a few games under there belts. The receiving corp with Higginson, Brown, Ross and a couple of other new kids look to be a strong suit. I don't think they lose a beat there. Dondre Jackson and Stuart Mills look like they'll be solid RBs to compliment Jonathan. Once again, speed will be excellent overall and they'll have numerous playmakers.

 

On the defensive side, I think they're gonna be as strong as last year. The LB corp is the heart and soul and probably stronger than last year and Higginson looks like a real strong shutdown corner. The DEs are both about 6'4 to 6'5 and over 200 and have good quickness and will give OLs fits this year. The DL is a little on the smallish side and the other DBs, albeit athletic and quick, has some work to do. Milan was able to blow the DL off the ball at times and the other CBs need some work in pass coverage, but, I think they'll improve as the year goes on. Overall, they're all good tacklers and pursue left and right really well, and that'll make up for alot.

 

I thought Wynstra looked really solid on his PATs and punts, so, the kicking game shouldn't miss a beat. IMO, Guhy will ultimately get the majority of snaps at QB, as he seems to be the best fit for the type offense they run, but, Hughes is a really good looking athlete, so, I hope they can find a place for him somewhere on the field, possibly at RB or WR or at S on defense. He needs to be somewhere on the field, if not behind center. Once again, there roster is pretty large, especially for a 1a team, as they dress 50-55 kids. They aren't quite as good as last year, at least at this point, but, they definately have a ton of athleticism and potential and it'll still take one a heck of a team to knock them off there perch. There's alot to look forward too in Cardinal land.

We are fast and Milan was strong, we had no problem out fasting their muscle. Teams with equal or better speed will be a problem for us. Power doesnt worrry me much. Luckly for us I dont think anyone in 1A will be as fast as us

Awesome! Thanks for the report.

Edited August 6, 201115 yr by threetimelover
Rule 13

Sounds like a good report card for the early season, looking forward to the season, no way they will be anywhere near as good as last year but how many teams will EVER be that good!!

Edited August 6, 201115 yr by threetimelover
Rule 13

You might be surprised

Congrats to the Cardinals on starting their run to a repeat in style. Mayfield doesn't rebuild, they reload. As I have been saying all along, they are #1 till someone proves otherwise on the field.

Thanks for the detailed report guys. Add me to the group that thanks Mayfield is #1.

 

I have to ask Toothpick and UK Fball Fan, how does this group compare to the group last year after the first scrimmage?

Guru, they have just as many playmakers as last year, maybe more. Luke Guhy was such a big piece of Mayfields success last year and that will be hard to replace, but, little brother Jake looks and plays just like him, so, I dont think they lose as much there as I originally thought. A dropoff, yes, just not a big dropoff. The defense will be on par with last year as will special teams. The biggest difference from 2010 is in the line play. They have some work to do there. Not alot of size and could struggle early on. Last yr, they were a sr dominated unit, this year they're playing several sophs and jrs and that area is the big question mark. They will be okay there, i think, after a few games, but, sure cant afford anyone to get hurt.

Thanks UK fball fan.

 

1A looks like a two horse race, too bad both horses are in the west (I wanted to say wild wild west).

Certainly thought Mayfield was solid last night, few mistakes and everyone seems to know their role which is crucial to getting out of the gate fast against much larger schools, Greenwood wk 0 - Evansville Harrison wk 1. Both quarterbacks bring something to the table and I'm sure the coaching staff likes having the option of 2 skilled play callers. One with a nice arm, which will only get stronger through the year, and another who seems to have a great pair of wheels and can motor down the field when receivers are covered.

 

Little disappointed in the Milan performance. While they have a nice team, as always, they don't seem to be quite as strong as in previous years. Anyone who follows TN football should know those Bulldogs are always in the mix deep into the playoffs though.

Who's Next, don't be fooled by Milan. They'll be fine, as always. They have an outstanding line with very good size and they have a deep roster. They also have several very solid skilled players. Mayfield took advantage of a few early Milan turnovers and relyed on several big plays. We didn't exactly take the ball and drive it down there throats. It did seem as the game wore on, the Cardinals were able to withstand the heat a little better, which is a good sign and a little surprising, considering the difference in roster numbers, but, Milans a good ball club. Just appeared Mayfield got the momentum after the 3rd or 4th series and seized it. Thats what championship caliber teams do. Give the Cardinals some credit for going to there place and playing as well as they did. The Cardinals, for some reason, seem to play with that edge and swagger and I credit last years success and good coaching for that. They just feel like they should win everytime they hit the field and thats a great attribute to have and can make up for alot of the youth they have. These kids may not have started last year, but, they tasted success just the same and have the desire to go back and do it again. Success breeds success.

Thanks for the detailed report guys. Add me to the group that thanks Mayfield is #1.

 

I have to ask Toothpick and UK Fball Fan, how does this group compare to the group last year after the first scrimmage?

 

UK Fball Fan echos alot of my thoughts. Jake Guhy will be a name that all of 1A will remeber before he graduates in a few years. Guhy will struggle with the long ball where his brother did not his last couple of years and our offensive and defensive lines are not as good. Jake Guhy doesnt mind a moving pocket and that may turn out to be a good thing. Now that is not to say the line is horrible, they are not but the Cards line the last 2 years have been topnotch for any class and in class A they were the gold standard. I believe we have better team speed than a year ago but not as much as we had in 2009 but still a very quick group. Our defensive strength is our linebackers who to the man are pretty special and will make up for some of the weaknesses up front I hope. The secondary I also believe will prove to be a very good group though there is still some work to be done there. The offense has 2 major concerns this year, first the qb, and that appears to be working out far better than anyone could have ever imagined. Secondly, the line and that is still a concern but in the Milan scrimmage we were getting beat up front so we went to some quick sets that quickly changed the game and Milan's approach.

 

The Milan win by a large margin is confusing at best. In past years when Mayfield has won this scrimmage they have gone on to have monster years and in the years they hav lost this scrimmage they have had mediocure seasons. Milan returns alot and was highly ranked so Mayfield giving them a beating like this is hard to figure and may or may not be meaningful.