Post by Banana Cat on Mar 2, 2012 16:19:30 GMT -5
www.reporterherald.com/sports/colorado-ice/ci_20083071
Ice work on cleaning up mistakes
IFL squad hosts Wyoming at home Sunday
By Mike Brohard Sports Editor
03/01/2012
Win or lose, first games are always telling. Sunday's 46-39 loss to expansion New Mexico didn't sit well with the Colorado Ice, namely because the group felt it didn't take advantage of certain opportunities.
It was tough to watch the game film for coach Heron O'Neal, because he relived receivers dropping what he said was five of the first passes thrown by quarterback David Knighton. Through the game, Ice wideouts dropped what O'Neal figured were three touchdown passes.
The drops didn't stop there. A defense that was rather opportunistic in 2011 let a couple of sure interceptions fall to the ground as the unit didn't force a turnover by the Stars all game. The Ice only had one, but a fumble by running back Andre Harris wiped out what was shaping up to be a game-tying drive.
And while it was good that kicker Aric Goodman was perfect on all three of his field-goal attempts, the downside was the Ice were kicking field goals.
"I knew we were going to struggle on offense the first two or three games, because it's a new offense," O'Neal said. "The thing I did like about it is we never gave up, and midway through the third quarter, the offense started to pick up except for the fumble in the fourth quarter.
"It was a big play, but if we would have played better in the first three quarters, it wouldn't have even been a factor."
So every aspect in the game was broken down in Tuesday's film session. O'Neal thought it was a much better teaching tool to show the Ice where mistakes were made -- as he said, "the eye in the sky don't lie" -- and the players feel there is a better understanding moving forward into Sunday's home opener with Wyoming (3 p.m.) at the Budweiser Events Center.
"Coach made a lot of emphasis on the things we need to correct, and he reiterated it before practice, and I felt everybody worked on what they needed to work on," defensive tackle Chris Bradwell said after Wednesday's session. "D-line, we worked on compression of the pocket, and receivers and DBs worked on jams and getting off the jams. I think we had a good practice."
What O'Neal did like was the fight he witnessed from his team, and the fact the offensive picked up the pace in the second half, sans the fumble. He felt Knighton played a strong game, and if he and the receivers get more in synch, he'll get what he wants.
"We finished the way we wanted to finish except for that one crucial mistake at the end," O'Neal said. "I want more turnovers. I want more points. It was a great starting point to know what we're doing to kind of get everything going from there."
Bradwell feels the same way. He said the team figures it is a game the Ice should not have lost, and if tasks are cleaned up and each side of the fall falls into synch, the results will be much different down the road.
"I think we're pretty good," Bradwell said. "I think if everybody gets healthy and know their assignments and play like they can play, we're going to be pretty good."
IFL squad hosts Wyoming at home Sunday
By Mike Brohard Sports Editor
03/01/2012
Win or lose, first games are always telling. Sunday's 46-39 loss to expansion New Mexico didn't sit well with the Colorado Ice, namely because the group felt it didn't take advantage of certain opportunities.
It was tough to watch the game film for coach Heron O'Neal, because he relived receivers dropping what he said was five of the first passes thrown by quarterback David Knighton. Through the game, Ice wideouts dropped what O'Neal figured were three touchdown passes.
The drops didn't stop there. A defense that was rather opportunistic in 2011 let a couple of sure interceptions fall to the ground as the unit didn't force a turnover by the Stars all game. The Ice only had one, but a fumble by running back Andre Harris wiped out what was shaping up to be a game-tying drive.
And while it was good that kicker Aric Goodman was perfect on all three of his field-goal attempts, the downside was the Ice were kicking field goals.
"I knew we were going to struggle on offense the first two or three games, because it's a new offense," O'Neal said. "The thing I did like about it is we never gave up, and midway through the third quarter, the offense started to pick up except for the fumble in the fourth quarter.
"It was a big play, but if we would have played better in the first three quarters, it wouldn't have even been a factor."
So every aspect in the game was broken down in Tuesday's film session. O'Neal thought it was a much better teaching tool to show the Ice where mistakes were made -- as he said, "the eye in the sky don't lie" -- and the players feel there is a better understanding moving forward into Sunday's home opener with Wyoming (3 p.m.) at the Budweiser Events Center.
"Coach made a lot of emphasis on the things we need to correct, and he reiterated it before practice, and I felt everybody worked on what they needed to work on," defensive tackle Chris Bradwell said after Wednesday's session. "D-line, we worked on compression of the pocket, and receivers and DBs worked on jams and getting off the jams. I think we had a good practice."
What O'Neal did like was the fight he witnessed from his team, and the fact the offensive picked up the pace in the second half, sans the fumble. He felt Knighton played a strong game, and if he and the receivers get more in synch, he'll get what he wants.
"We finished the way we wanted to finish except for that one crucial mistake at the end," O'Neal said. "I want more turnovers. I want more points. It was a great starting point to know what we're doing to kind of get everything going from there."
Bradwell feels the same way. He said the team figures it is a game the Ice should not have lost, and if tasks are cleaned up and each side of the fall falls into synch, the results will be much different down the road.
"I think we're pretty good," Bradwell said. "I think if everybody gets healthy and know their assignments and play like they can play, we're going to be pretty good."