out here in AZ. Don Nelson! He said he played in 64 or 65 and either 63 or 66. Forgot which. He said he was played next to a guy named Powell. He was fun to talk too. He was a great deal like other former players I have met. Their coach was the best. In his case Onofrio. As a DC he may have been. However some things he said and added to Gabes 3-2-1 made me realize how much todays game is different.
1) He said he played at 6-2 207 on the DL. Quite small by todays standards. 2) He also commented on how much today's game is different.
3) Gabe said in his paragraph about Witter joining a good group of MU backs, "He passed Bob Steuber, Tommie Stowers and Derrick Washington last week. Next up are Kendial Lawrence and Joe Moore. He needs only 156 yards to move pass both of them and move into number eleven all-time. To make it to number six all-time Witter needs 518 yards in three games. If he can accomplish that he would pass Russell Hansbrough, James Wilder, Corby Jones, Tony Temple and Darrell Wallace. To get into the top five he would need an additional 164 yards. Even if Witter can't get to the top five only Henry Josey, Devin West, Brock Olivo, Zack Abron and Brad Smith would be ahead of him. Not bad company at all."
Ish has definitely shown great improvement over years one and two. Yet, in two years has or will caught some of our best. Wilder was in an era that was on the verge of leaving the "student body right, student body left time where we were heavy on the ground game and no 90+ offensive plays in a game. Qtrs were the same back then. An hour of clock time for game like today. Yet when we look at those stats from yesteryear, we find in the pass happy offenses of the spread offenses Ish is going to join those guys where many of our huge runners have offensive numbers that they got in offenses that were not as single minded with the run game as they were before the West Coast offensive came in and it didn't put up the numbers the spread does with its wide open pass happy numbers.
It supports something I have known for a long time. The changes that offensive minded coaches have made over the last 25 years or so are pretty imaginative. And still the defensive coaches find ways to adjust. Perhaps the biggest difference today, from Mr. Nelson's days are the "match up" thinking that goes on!
1) He said he played at 6-2 207 on the DL. Quite small by todays standards. 2) He also commented on how much today's game is different.
3) Gabe said in his paragraph about Witter joining a good group of MU backs, "He passed Bob Steuber, Tommie Stowers and Derrick Washington last week. Next up are Kendial Lawrence and Joe Moore. He needs only 156 yards to move pass both of them and move into number eleven all-time. To make it to number six all-time Witter needs 518 yards in three games. If he can accomplish that he would pass Russell Hansbrough, James Wilder, Corby Jones, Tony Temple and Darrell Wallace. To get into the top five he would need an additional 164 yards. Even if Witter can't get to the top five only Henry Josey, Devin West, Brock Olivo, Zack Abron and Brad Smith would be ahead of him. Not bad company at all."
Ish has definitely shown great improvement over years one and two. Yet, in two years has or will caught some of our best. Wilder was in an era that was on the verge of leaving the "student body right, student body left time where we were heavy on the ground game and no 90+ offensive plays in a game. Qtrs were the same back then. An hour of clock time for game like today. Yet when we look at those stats from yesteryear, we find in the pass happy offenses of the spread offenses Ish is going to join those guys where many of our huge runners have offensive numbers that they got in offenses that were not as single minded with the run game as they were before the West Coast offensive came in and it didn't put up the numbers the spread does with its wide open pass happy numbers.
It supports something I have known for a long time. The changes that offensive minded coaches have made over the last 25 years or so are pretty imaginative. And still the defensive coaches find ways to adjust. Perhaps the biggest difference today, from Mr. Nelson's days are the "match up" thinking that goes on!
