You probably read the Sunday feature piece on Kicker David Abdul. The series of events good — birth of his son — quickly changed to bad — apartment fire leaving him without a place to live and most of his possessions — to tragic — watching his roommate and friend fall to his death while they were drunkenly crawling around a church crawl space — to frustrating — a horrible on the field season that led to his benching — to life threatening — car accident that left his kicking leg broken in three places. All of this within a 12 month period. Hopefully he can complete the comeback.
There’s this story on Pitt players making use of the digital video technology to improve their game.
“We break down each game play by play,” Bogard said. “There might be 70 plays of offense and 80 plays of defense and 30 plays in a game for special teams, so there’s anywhere from 180-200 plays per game. And each play gets broken down by sideline or end zone shots.”
During Pitt’s practice sessions, Bogard noted that four cameras shoot footage at the two UPMC fields. The offense and defense get two cameras each, on the sidelines and in the end zones.
The software allows coaches to spotlight a player and even zoom in on a certain area like an offensive lineman’s footwork or a kicker’s plant foot.
“It helps a lot with our footwork, because you don’t realize what you’re doing wrong all the time,” McGlynn said. “The coaches can tell you, but it’s easier when you get in the meeting room and see it on the screen.”
This has been very common in pro sports, and has been seeping into the college level for a couple of years. The usage has picked up in part because of widespread adoption of instant replay with digital technology. Schools already have to buy the equipment and software for instant replay, they can easily adopt it for other purposes.
Finally, Paul Zeise’s Q&A from this weekend. Questions about the lines, the running game and returning punts are discussed.
Q: What returning players do you think are ready to have a breakout season?
Zeise: I will be shocked if linebacker Clint Session doesn’t have a huge year. He looks and is playing like a completely different player out there so far. It appears as if his “light” went on and he understands this is it — his final season. He is playing under control while making big plays. I think C.J. Davis has clearly become this team’s best offensive lineman so I’d expect a big year from him. I would also look for wide receiver Oderick Turner to be a big part of whatever is going on. He is getting better every day from what I can tell. One other name to keep in the back of your mind is Mick Williams. He hasn’t always stayed healthy, but right now he is the best option at defensive tackle. He’s explosive and makes things happen behind the line of scrimmage when he gets in there.
Session playing in control is the biggest thing. He’s got the aggression and speed, but in 2004 his biggest problem was he would overpursue and completely miss the play by being out of position.
