Broncos in the draft

In the wake of the epic Fiesta Bowl win, BSU sent a record 6 players to the NFL combine...those players were: QB Jared Zabransky, TE Derek Schouman, WR Drisan James, S Gerald Alexander, WR Jerard Rabb and WR Legadu Naanee. Noticeably absent from the combine was all-everything linebacker and WAC defensive player-of-the-year Korey Hall. Hall did work out for scouts at the Caven-WIlliams sports complex during BSU's pro day and was joined by other notable seniors Colt Brooks, Brad Lau and others. Ideally, BSU would have all of these guys drafted—all combine invitees performed very well and all led their group in at least one test...however, I realistically see 3 or possibly 4 getting drafted, with others settling for Free Agent contracts. The most "draftable" Broncos are probably Alexander, Zabransky, Schouman (who is being projected as a possible fullback) and Naanee. I truly believe that these guys are going to get a shot and have an even stronger belief that the others will land free agent contracts and work their ways onto rosters.

Zabransky is the most intriguing draftee of the bunch. Considered a draft longshot a few months back...he now has several teams interested in his services and may be taken relatively early (4-6th round). Z's appearance as the cover boy of NCAA 08 has surely helped his notoriety, but showing his athleticism and speed at the combine has no doubt turned some heads as well. Zabransky had one of the top shuttle times at the combine out of EVERY position, ran among the fastest 40s and was very accurate with his throws. I believe that Z will be a steal if he is drafted because of his intelligence (top 10 Wonderlic score), escapability and "S" cape ability (remember the 85 yard scamper against Hawaii in '04)

It will be an interesting draft day and by the end, will probably have the most Broncos taken ever. These guys know how to win and are hard-workers...every one of them could make a GM very happy. Good luck to all outgoing seniors...make us proud in the NFL!

Spring Scrimmage number 2

As you can see from the above video—the offense has caught up to the defense a bit after the second scrimmage of the spring. Taylor Tharp bounced back from a poor showing at the first scrimmage to lead all Bronco QBs. Tharp went 9 of 11 for 122 yards and 2 passing TDs, one to Freshman RB Jeremy Avery and another to Tanyon Bissell. Bush Hamdan kept pace having another solid outing going 5 of 7. Sophomore Nick Lomax showed that he isn't giving up on the job just yet going a very respectable 3 for 3 and not turning the ball over once. Freshman QB Mike Coughlin fell back to earth a bit hitting 50 percent of his passes, however, he also threw two interceptions—one to LB Tim Brady and another to safety Marty Tadman.

Tanyon Bissell led all Bronco receivers with 2 grabs for 50 yards and a TD. Sophomore Jeremy Childs was close behind with 49 yards on two receptions. RB Jeremy Avery showed that he can catch as well as run as he contributed 32 receiving yards and a TD to go along with his 10 rushing yards. Sophomore Aiona Key notched 29 yards on a reverse and brought in one pass for 12 yards.

The Bronco D continued to look strong contributing 2 INT with a 3rd coming during redzone drills as Marty Tadman took a Bush Hamdan pass 94 yards the other way for a score. The most spectacular turnover took place when Tadman robbed high-jump-specialist Aiona Key of a high Mike Coughlin throw, landing flat on his back with the pigskin.

Updated QB odds:
1. Hamdan
2. Tharp
3. Coughlin
4. Lomax

Spring Scrimmage #2 picture album. Courtesy of statueleftblog

Spring Scrimmage #2

Hard hittin' Broncos

Boise State's reputation for offensive fireworks is well deserved, but BSU can play "D" too. From Quintin Mikell to Colt Brooks...The Broncos have had players over the years that can lay the wood. Here are two big time hits from the 2006 season. I will be looking for more videos to show the how the Broncos roll on D. If anyone has Colt Brooks demolition of the Vandals' QB in 2005, please send me a link or a vid.

Dynamite comes in small, Austin Smith-sized packages.

"GA" nearly decapitates Utah's RB

Any more nominees?

Boise State Movie Poster Contest

As most of you know, Boise State has granted film rights to the story of the 2006 Bronco football season to Iron Circle Pictures. The documentary film, which is tentatively titled Out of the Blue: A Film About Life and Football will have Boise State grad and accomplished Hollywood director Michael Hoffman at the helm and is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2007. Here's the deal: Design a movie poster for the film and send it to me...I will post them all on this site and when I choose a winner, that person will get a lovely 8 x 10 Bronco Football photo for their wall, den, bathroom or whatever. You game? Send 'em in!

Feel free to use your own elements or pics for this, but here are 6 images to use if you have none:

1 2 3 4 5 6

Forgot to put a deadline on this baby...Let's say have them submitted by April 21st.

Jpegs or gifs are preferred and try to keep the file size under 500k.

All photos are found in the 2007 Winter edition of FOCUS magazine and were taken by John Kelly

A Four Horse Race...

No, I didn't say "Four Horsemen"...


I said..."Four Horse Race" — And that looks to be exactly what we have shaping up for the 2007-08 season of Bronco Football. The race, of course, is to see which player is going to step up and become the starting Bronco QB.

The winner will have sizeable shoes to fill, following Fiesta Bowl hero and NCAA 08 cover boy Jared Zabransky who went 34-5 as a starter at BSU. The QB will also find himself in the shadow of other great Bronco QBs like Ryan Dinwiddie and Bart Hendricks. One thing is for sure, the Broncos have had a hot streak of quarterbacks and have recruited this position very well throughout their history.

So...who's it going to be? Coaches and fans are hoping that a front-runner will emerge as Spring turns into Fall, but at this point it is for the pundits and fans to speculate.

First off is senior Taylor Tharp, who has been an able backup for the last two years, but hasn't blown away fans with his athleticism or other intangibles. Tharp is clearly the most experienced Bronco of the 4, and should know the playbook like the back of his hand, but so far in Spring Ball has not dazzled fans or coaches. Another obstacle that Tharp may face is being a senior...would the coaches rather start an underclassmen to let them evolve or go with Tharp for his Bronco football swan song? The coaches have made it clear that the best man will see the field this year, but if Tharp even so much as "ties" in this race with an underclassman, you can bet that they will get the nod over the senior. Tharp will need to step up in the remaining scrimmages and solidify his position as the front-runner or he may see his time with the first-teamers diminish as we close in on the Weber St. opener.

Next in line is junior Bush Hamdan. Clearly the most athletic of the group and the QB most likely to remind fans of Zabransky. Hamdan does not possess the blazing speed of Zabransky, but he is mobile and has good escapability — he also has one of the stronger arms. Hamdan did very well for himself at the first Spring Scrimmage, completing 8 of 11 passes for 98 yards, but it is hard to tell at this point if the pecking order has shifted. Hamdan is the shortest of the 4 quarterbacks and has somewhat of a sidearm throwing style — this worries some that think this may be a hindrance against tall, http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giffast lineman. Hamdan did have at least one pass knocked down in the first scrimmage. Hamdan has shown really well in scrimmages the last few years, but was still been unable to snatch the backup job from Tharp, which leads many to believe that some other issues are at play. In an interview recently, coach Chris Petersen hinted that Hamdan's main obstacle right now is mental, in that he gets down on himself when he makes mistakes on the field. Hamdan gives it all on the field and I think he is going to make a very significant run at the starting job this year.

Nick Lomax is a sophomore and the tallest of the bunch. The son of former NFL quarterback Neil Lomax, Nick was the 2005 Scout Team Player of the Year and has had high expectations heaped upon him since his arrival. Lomax is virtually untested, however, and the first Spring Scrimmage was not his best outing, going only 6 of 14 with an INT to boot. Lomax seems to be the slowest of the 4 hopefuls, and does not possess great arm strength. He has a decent pocket presence — and his height is a major positive. If Lomax doesn't make a strong move, and soon, he may see his snap count fall dramatically throughout the remainder of spring and fall as the coaches try to narrow the field.

Last, but certainly not least, is Freshman Mike Coughlin. Coughlin, the 2006 Scout Team Player of the Year, has tremendous upside as he:
• is the youngest of the 4 quarterbacks
• is the second tallest at 6'5"
• possesses very good arm strength
• is familiar with the Boise State offense, perhaps beyond his years, since he ran a very similar one in high school.

Coughlin's stats in the first Spring Scrimmage were just a hair's breadth worse than top-performer Hamdan's as he went 8 of 12 for 90 yards — Very impressive for a Redshirt Frosh. If Coughlin can duplicate his great performance in the subsequent Spring scrimmages, he may be able to buy himself some valuable time with the first team. Coughlin has been the subject of intense hype, but has so far lived up to his billing. Many Bronco fans are salivating at the prospect of a four-year starter, but time will tell whether this youngster can survive the rigors of spring ball to emerge as a favorite for the spot.

If I handicap the race today, here is how my list would look:

1. Hamdan
2. Coughlin
3. Tharp
4. Lomax

I will report back on this after the next two scrimmages and give my input. Please leave your comments here on this topic.