By now I am sure many of you have read the glowing 7 on 7 summer practice reports that have been popping up in various corner of the internets. Before taking any stock in how our players are doing against powerhouse teams such as Compton Community College, I think we all'd be well advised to read this poignant observation wrt off season 7 on 7s:
7 on 7s are a poor way of evaluating our offense.
Literally you should complete 95% of your passes in a 7 on 7. With out a rush, playing catch is meaningless.
What people don't understand that w/out pressure most college level QBs can make any throw they want. You need pressure and a limited time in which DBs are forced to guard their players that give some clue as to what you have.
The most you can get from a 7 on 7 is to see what type of pure athleticism we have in our recievers/DBs and what the basic mechanics of the QB are though mechanics of a QB completely change once they are rushed so even the info you get in terms of mechanics is limited.
The only times you'll get a hint of what you possibly will have for next season is when you see our 1st team offense play against our 1st team defense. Otherwise, the elements which divide a good offense from a bad one just isn't there.
Now as noted in that thread these scimmages do have some values, From the same thread in which the observation appeared (in Bruinzone):
Literally you should complete 95% of your passes in a 7 on 7. With out a rush, playing catch is meaningless.
What people don't understand that w/out pressure most college level QBs can make any throw they want. You need pressure and a limited time in which DBs are forced to guard their players that give some clue as to what you have.
The most you can get from a 7 on 7 is to see what type of pure athleticism we have in our recievers/DBs and what the basic mechanics of the QB are though mechanics of a QB completely change once they are rushed so even the info you get in terms of mechanics is limited.
The only times you'll get a hint of what you possibly will have for next season is when you see our 1st team offense play against our 1st team defense. Otherwise, the elements which divide a good offense from a bad one just isn't there.
7/7's are done because they are OUTSIDE of the NCAA practice regulations, which strictly limit the number of sessions that teams can practice both with and without pads.
7/7's can help players learn schemes, and develop timing. But for meaningful evaluation purposes they are limited.
That is really it. And from the latest Dohn post it becomes pretty obvious how much these 7 on 7 reports mean in the greater scheme of things:
7/7's can help players learn schemes, and develop timing. But for meaningful evaluation purposes they are limited.
I was down watching UCLA go through throwing drills today, and to be honest, it was not pretty. The quarterbacks all struggled, although Ben Olson threw a gorgeous touchdown to Marcus Everett, and the defense dominated. Of course, it's not a big deal on many levels, the biggest being it was the first time all summer the throwing drills were done 11-on-11.
So don't blame us for rolling our eyes when next time we read stuff like a converted WR (3rd string QB) is looking "uncoverable" during summer practices.I think it is also worth noting that over the years we have seen phenomenon every summer. Every summer we have been reading glowing scimmage reports, accounts of how our guys are looking faster and stronger, and how they have a whole new sense of team chemistry. Yet every time we have been burned with subsequent underachieving seasons full of underwhelming performances and results on the field.
So pardon the Bruin Nation for being a little jaded and cynical about all these flowery summer 7 on 7 reports. We are a little tired of them. We will get excited them about next summer should Dorrell and his crew live up the expectations on Fall Saturdays (not summer 7 on 7s) this coming season.
GO BRUINS.