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Scrimmage highlights

Cribby said:
He played well and has played as good as any wr on the roster in the spring Yet you’re crapping on him for having a great day. Nobody crowned him, just propped him up for a good day. He also left some guys in his dust who wasn’t Ragone and Carter.
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I’m not crapping on him, nor crowning him. He beat Avante in the one clip. People have certainly started crowning him or using his progress to further their side of the mope/slurp ****fest. Like you, I have no favorites, I didn’t coach any of them, am not related to them. Just want wins. I also am not inherently anti Manny.

I’d say I’m pro Manny being successful because that means Miami is successful
 
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Rellyrell said:
I have to respectfully disagree w/ u, Lance. The hit was hard, absolutely; but Pope actually was not in control of this pass & the ball was coming out, prior to the hit. I’m attaching a freeze by freeze frame & u’ll see Pope didn’t have security on this, and b/c of this, as he’s bracing for the hit, the ball is already coming out.

It could be a lack of concentration, overthinking he was going to be popped; w/e the case, he bobbled this, which is y this is incomplete, not the hit.

But the reason y he’s everyone’s whipping boy is b/c he’s our highest rated WR & he continues to have, in yr 4, concentration issues, issues that weren’t present in HS. So not sure if it’s a confidence issue or what; but w/e the case is, it X or Key Smith is proving to be better than him, then Pope needs to be regulated to rotational duties, not starting slot duties.
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Fair enough.

Pope deserves a lot of ish, no doubt. He wouldn't be on the team anymore if I were in charge, frankly, I just think the guy has shown quite a bit of grit to still be here. Most of us wouldn't be. It's probably the father in me, but I respect the fact he keeps putting himself in the position and not quitting. It would've been easy to transfer to an FIU and be beloved as a "5-star transfer" instead of hearing all the time how much he sucks here.
 
Lance Roffers said:
Pope held onto the ball. He's still cradling it as he bounces.

It's fun to crap all over our favorite whipping boys, but how many of the people on this board have the mental toughness to still be here after all that kid has gone through (some of it self-inflicted for sure)? Then, the kid makes a nice catch, takes a stick that would break many of the posters on here in half, and people still think it's fun to continue piling on the kid.

Everyone is free to post what they want within the rules, but sheesh, you'd think the kid would be getting applause for that one and not more sh*t.
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That's the way here. It's a faux d*ck-swinging contest. I'm sure there are a few who still want Harley benched for his meaningless drops vs Louisville.
 
Things I saw in that vid:

Bad - Knighton poor ball security on one play and poor wide zone footwork on another. Recall I wanted a zone scheme back in 2020 and we finally got one with Cody Brown. Pope poor hand positioning and concentration going across the middle, which is nothing new and I outlined that as a concern for him playing slot.

Good - Restrepo, Harley, Chaney running well. Harley catching the ball effortlessly at full speed crossing the field is an underrated skill.
 
I see Donaldson and Rivers starting on the OL, which means our offensive line will be significantly more talented when they match up against Alabama and other major opponents. It appears that Chaney is getting some significant first team reps, and maybe splitting time with Cam. X appears to have gotten some burn. I was a little surprised to see Scaife getting first team reps over Williams, but I think Scaife graded higher at RT in 2019 than Williams did last season. I trust Justice to make the right decision on who to start at RT
 
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JD08 said:
If Pope dropped/fumbled, it would be understandable with that hit. As a receiver, there's not really a lot to do in that position. If you're focused on the ball, you can get caught completely unaware.
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My concern is that Pope will take a lot more hits like that considering that he will be playing the slot next year. Now that is why we have practice and scrimmages and hopefully by the fall he will be ready to absorb harder hits playing inside than outside.
 
Lance Roffers said:
Fair enough.

Pope deserves a lot of ish, no doubt. He wouldn't be on the team anymore if I were in charge, frankly, I just think the guy has shown quite a bit of grit to still be here. Most of us wouldn't be. It's probably the father in me, but I respect the fact he keeps putting himself in the position and not quitting. It would've been easy to transfer to an FIU and be beloved as a "5-star transfer" instead of hearing all the time how much he sucks here.
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This I can agree w/. But if u’ve seen my posts on here, I’m more pro player than anything. What frustrates me about the state of this program is we are constantly getting 4 star players, and every now and then some 5 stars....and for quite some time now, the bill is not being lived up to. It can’t just be work ethic, b/c we constantly here how (insert name here) is looking good, game slowing down, flying, becoming a leader, etc. etc., but come Saturdays & a Thursday, we don’t see the build up.

So when I speak coaching & development, taking this play for instance; are the WRs being taught to catch, secure, and brace for impact? I’ve seen Harley, Wiggins, Cager, that CC dude that came through for a couple yrs whose name escapes me (I’m lying; Dayall Harris), etc. all drop these types of passes, and the commonality is either they get alligator arms or they don’t secure the ball before bracing for impact.

U can hit the jugs all day, but if u r afraid of contact, then U’re toast. Pope appears to be fine on quick screens, catching the ball, but when the first sign of contact comes, he folds nicely like a lawn chair after the 4th of July. Why is this not being addressed by Likens? Does he need to feel more contact in practice or being jammed at the LOS w/ a 3-5 sec window v. a 35 sec window in 7 on 7 action?

Sorry for the rant, but I know we get on Pope, but imo, Pope is a microcosm. There’s a reason we’ve only had 1 WR, in the last 16 yrs, drafted in the 1st round (and that was due to a combine 40 time), 4 WRs drafted in the 1st three-rounds, and 9 WRs, OVERALL, drafted. In 16 YEARS??! When we were the 1st WRU??
 
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Rellyrell said:
I have to respectfully disagree w/ u, Lance. The hit was hard, absolutely; but Pope actually was not in control of this pass & the ball was coming out, prior to the hit. I’m attaching a freeze by freeze frame & u’ll see Pope didn’t have security on this, and b/c of this, as he’s bracing for the hit, the ball is already coming out.

It could be a lack of concentration, overthinking he was going to be popped; w/e the case, he bobbled this, which is y this is incomplete, not the hit.

But the reason y he’s everyone’s whipping boy is b/c he’s our highest rated WR & he continues to have, in yr 4, concentration issues, issues that weren’t present in HS. So not sure if it’s a confidence issue or what; but w/e the case is, it X or Key Smith is proving to be better than him, then Pope needs to be regulated to rotational duties, not starting slot duties.
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Not present in HS? Him and Wiggins barely touched the ball in HS.
 
Rellyrell said:
This I can agree w/. But if u’ve seen my posts on here, I’m more pro player than anything. What frustrates me about the state of this program is we are constantly getting 4 star players, and every now and then some 5 stars....and for quite some time now, the bill is not being lived up to. It can’t just be work ethic, b/c we constantly here how (insert name here) is looking good, game slowing down, flying, becoming a leader, etc. etc., but come Saturdays & a Thursday, we don’t see the build up.

So when I speak coaching & development, taking this play for instance; are the WRs being taught to catch, secure, and brace for impact? I’ve seen Harley, Wiggins, Cager, that CC dude that came through for a couple yrs whose name escapes me (I’m lying; Dayall Harris), etc. all drop these types of passes, and the commonality is either they get alligator arms or they don’t secure the ball before bracing for impact.

U can hit the jugs all day, but if u r afraid of contact, then U’re toast. Pope appears to be fine on quick screens, catching the ball, but when the first sign of contact comes, he folds nicely like a lawn chair after the 4th of July. Why is this not being addressed by Likens? Does he need to feel more contact in practice or being jammed at the LOS w/ a 3-5 sec window v. a 35 sec window in 7 on 7 action?

Sorry for the rant, but I know we get on Pope, but imo, Pope is a microcosm. There’s a reason we’ve only had 1 WR, in the last 16 yrs, drafted in the 1st round (and that was due to a combine 40 time), 4 WRs drafted in the 1st three-rounds, and 9 WRs, OVERALL, drafted. In 16 YEARS??! When we were the 1st WRU??
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It's a mindset my man. You look at Pope's frame and instantly think, there's no way this guy will hold up for a whole season. I imagine Likens coaches much the same as most wide receiver coaches and at that point, it's up to the player.

Think of guys like Sinorice Moss and Roscoe Parrish. They aren't big at all, but they had a different mindset. They get hit hard, it's going to hurt and the game was different then in that there were still a lot of real head hunters back then.

I can tell you there were mornings after game I could barely get out of bed. Entire body beat to ****, but what's the alternative? Quit? Not give it your all and give up on a play and still get beat to ****? Nah, that's part of the game, you're going to get hurt and hurt, so might as well make the play.

Pope just doesn't have that mindset in my humble opinion. Most don't if we're being real.
 
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Lance Roffers said:
Pope held onto the ball. He's still cradling it as he bounces.

It's fun to crap all over our favorite whipping boys, but how many of the people on this board have the mental toughness to still be here after all that kid has gone through (some of it self-inflicted for sure)? Then, the kid makes a nice catch, takes a stick that would break many of the posters on here in half, and people still think it's fun to continue piling on the kid.

Everyone is free to post what they want within the rules, but sheesh, you'd think the kid would be getting applause for that one and not more sh*t.
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It got old for me a week after the szn ended. At this point it’s wack
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
I know Pope gets blasted on this site and will continue to, as deserved. He’s been dreadful. But idk, I think the staff is really gonna have a hard time quitting him because he HAS talent. He gets open. He runs good routes. He just can’t catch. And yeah, that’s the majority of the equation, of course. I don’t care how great you are at the other things, if you can’t catch, you can’t play. But it’s gotta be so frustrating for the staff because it’s so much easier to give up on a kid who doesn’t have the talent to make the plays. Who can’t run, who doesn’t have body control, who can’t get in and out of breaks. Pope has all that. I would bet my life that Likens and Lashlee sit in meetings and watch practice film and say things like, “Jesus Christ if we can just get this kid the confidence and ability to catch the football he can be a real weapon.”

I know he can. But doing it is a whole different story. Moral of all this is just to say, I think he’s absolutely gonna get another shot to prove he can or can’t get the job done. Don’t freak out when you see him probably starting against Bama. But you have to think the leash is extremely short now. We’ll see.
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Calling Mark Duper! Calling Mark Duper!
 
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