OlDawg

Only because I watched BWB, and they struggled. Hard to judge BWB & BU yet, and RSS opponent wasn't much of a challenge. (Sorry Ganders.)

After Week 1, and seeing how teams played, I'm going to adjust my predictions. I'll probably wind up doing this weekly. Might be interesting. (Wish I knew the tie-breaks this year.) PAM - Clearly the front runner after an impressive performance against another solid opponent. La Porte - I'm holding them here for right now because of the opponent they played, and the skill talent. But, I wasn't aware they were going to TOTALLY change their offensive scheme in a year with less predistirct games to get accustomed. Don't get me wrong. I like the Pistol/Pro scheme much better than the Slot T for multiple reasons. Being able to both pass or run effectively instead of being so one dimensional will help in the long run, and they can use the QB's dual threat abilities. As an added bonus, it should help them learn to defend the pass better--which has been a historical weakness because they've not consistently been able to practice against the pass--which should help the D. But, the OL needs a lot of work, and I don't know about the 2 injuries now. The D actually looks like it has the potential to be a solid unit even after the blowout loss. They were in position. Fundamental tackling can be addressed, and Crawford's QB & WR were top notch talent. I think the Border Battle will be a massacre as the Deer have an impressive QB this year, and look to be a solid PO lock behind Dickinson in their district. It's going to take La Porte some time to learn the new schemes after so long running another offense. They're too busy learning right now to be able to just play. GCM - Until I see something different, I'm still going to keep them here. Lufkin - Somewhat similar boat to La Porte on O. Still learning. But, I still like their D. I can't fault them for their loss to Longview. They--and La Porte--probably played the toughest opponents of Week 1. No disrespect to the other opponents. Just the way I see it. Longview and Crawford will both advance very far in the PO's as long as the injury bug doesn't bite. (Crawford's program looked to have D1 numbers on their sideline.)

Should be able to just use spitballs & knock them out of the sky.

I'm okay with not knowing a whole lot about many of the small SETX football programs, and first time playing. It's a fun way to learn about some of the teams I know nothing about. I'm actually surprised I got 16.

LP will be fine. Tough year—with only 2 predistrict games—to totally change the offense though. Especially with a younger OL. The pistol/pro will suit these players better as they learn the new schemes. The D was actually in position most of the time. The Crawford QB was just throwing dimes, and when a little off, #3 had the size and talent to just go up and snatch it. Both had speed and elusiveness to burn. Not sure LP will see too many combos like them for awhile, and should have time to grow beforehand. LP is pretty young. I think many expected LP to still pound Simon all the time. That’s evidently not what they’re planning this year. He really didn’t get the ball that much. I assume by design, and not wanting to wear him out in games that don’t count.

Did you even watch this? All they talked about was how good Crawford was. The interview with Berneathy was pretty neutral.

Nope. The QB & WR combo of Crawford was flawless. They were fun to watch. But, exasperating from an LP view at the same time. As for LP, I can see why they changed the O to a Pistol/Pro setup. Wells is definitely like Upshaw & quicker than expected. When he finally started using his legs also, he made some big plays. He was on target on most of his passes. But, I counted at least 5-6 drops. LP’s WR’s are as advertised as far as speed & route running. The O change will be able to better use all LP weapons. But, it’s gonna take some time for them to learn since they’ve been running Slot T for so long now. The OL needs work. Losing 2 OL last night didn’t help. I don’t know their status, and won’t speculate. As for the D, they really didn’t look out of position. A lot of missed tackles on the Crawford QB during scrambles, and the WR #3. But, those players were exceptional, and known problems beforehand. I actually think the D has a chance to be better than last year even though they’re young. All in all, I think it was a good game to schedule. Now, they can work on issues they saw, and keep learning the new schemes.

I think they’ll be fine. This kind of reminds me of 2024–which is what I thought in the beginning. It’s gonna take them a few games. The retired coach that told me about their talent wasn’t wrong. You can see it. But, it looks pretty raw right now.

Crawford looked like they were playing sandlot football. But, they weren’t. You could tell they had plays called. But, the QB and WR combo looked like they had played every day together since kindergarten, and—when the QB was rushed—he could escape and scramble for big yards. They have a really explosive offense.

LP 24 Crawford 51 F

Botched PAT by Crawford run back by LP for 2. LP 24 Crawford 51 1:03 4th

Wow! Quentin Castille’s son is a soph for LP now. I suddenly feel very old. Of course, my son’s 38 with 3 kids, so…😂

#3 picks up the bouncing punt while LP stood around and ran it back for another TD. LP 22 Crawford 45 3:34 4th

LP has a LOT of work to do. Not sure about the 2 OL. But, if long-term, it will hurt. D has been in position. But, tackling is horrible. If they clean that up, I can see them being a lot better than last year. Allowing Wells to use his feet some is good. They’ll need him to play well and create more. He played pretty well tonight.

TD Crawford. #3 Mosley again. He and the QB are in lockstep. Then, if you don’t make a sure tackle, they’re both gone. Very athletic players. LP 22 Crawford 39 5:13 4th