BYU Football 2012

[bigb]

I think Hoffman is NFL caliber, but probably wasn't noticed as much due to the worst QB in BYU history. I still he'd be drafted this year, but will benefit from a better QB next year, boosting his numbers.

 

[colton]

Very long article on Ansah, on front page of Yahoo news today.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--...uperathletic-de-to-make-waves--200203777.html

The pass-rush project: Ezekiel 'Ziggy' Ansah is the latest 'raw' superathletic DE to make waves

Is the answer to the NFL's present trend of run-option quarterbacks a guy with almost no football past?

That is the daunting question revolving around BYU defensive lineman Ezekial "Ziggy" Ansah. In so many ways, Ansah is the latest version of Jason Pierre-Paul, a tall, fast and uber-athletic defensive end who didn't have much experience with the game. The difference is that Ansah not only has even less football experience than Pierre-Paul, but also Ansah has less experience with this country as a native of Ghana.

Ezekiel Ansah has the size and speed NFL teams crave. (Getty Images)"It is crazy, to go from where I was a year ago to how much people are paying attention to me," Ansah said in his slightly halting English that reverberates through his kettle-drum voice. Ansah is viewed much like Pierre-Paul in 2010, a mid-first-round pick (Pierre, from South Florida, went No. 15 overall to the New York Giants) with high upside and lots of risk.

To hear Senior Bowl executive director and former longtime NFL scout and executive Phil Savage talk about Ansah, the top 10 appears to be a sure thing heading into the NFL scouting combine, which starts this week in Indianapolis.

"I'm thinking that maybe even the top five with the way that teams are so desperate to adjust what they're doing for all these read-option quarterbacks," said Savage, who watched Ansah take over the Senior Bowl last month as if he were already a level better than the competition. "You're going to need guys on the defensive line who can chase those guys down. Ansah is that guy."

Ansah finished the Senior Bowl with seven tackles, including 3 ½ for losses (1 ½ were sacks), and forced a fumble from Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib. Savage and many other observers said he was clearly the best player in the game.

(much, much more)

 

[CONAN]

Was just at a clinic with a bunch of BYU and football coaches. Didn't get to see them all. Kafusi was meh. Tuja is the man. Erickson was very dissappointing.

 

[Duck Rodgers]

Tuja is the man.

That's good to hear. The O-Line was clearly the emphasis in recruiting this year and also in the hiring. Safe bet there will be marked improvement in that area this year, which means BYU should be a lot better overall too.

 

[CONAN]

Interesting visit the other day down there.

Met with Anae for an hour or so and he came across as pretty dull. Then talking to other coaches they said wait til practice. He was totally different in practice. Very intense and very plugged in to what they are trying to do. The offense was brutal but they are currently missing a ton of guys. Taysom looks great even at 80%. Everyone gave him the greenlight to sit out the spring but he was determined to play apparently. Hope that doesn't burn him. Williams is insanely good. They are deep at RB with Alisa and Hine and some walk-on from Dixie who actually looked pretty good.

They better get healthy quick and those stupid juco line transfers better catch up or else a bowl game is not within reach with that schedule.

 

[Jazz Spazz]

Another Ansah article
https://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/story/_/id/9172873/2013-nfl-draft-how-ezekiel-ansah-became-draft-top-defensive-end-espn-magazine

Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech right guard
"As complicated as people think our offense option is, the goal is really simple: All of us on the offensive line just look across to see who we're facing and say, 'Okay, that's the guy I have to beat on this play.' We're constantly sizing players up, and it takes a lot to surprise me. I'm 6'3", 300 pounds -- not a giant, but not small either. Well, we lined up against BYU [on Oct. 27, 2012] and I saw this 6'5" guy standing in. I thought, Whoa! I looked over at [left guard] Shaquille Mason and was like, 'Good luck, dude.' Ansah killed us. He was all over the place all day. But the crazy thing was, the whole time he was smiling and very polite, like, 'This is fun; thank you for playing with us today.' You don't want to like a guy who is beating up on you, but you couldn't help it with him."

Nothing really new, but interesting anyways.
There were more articles on him on Insider, maybe someone has an interesting bit here and there they want to post?

 

[Jazz Spazz]

It's going to be cool to see him drafted so early, but I'm still saying he is not worth that high of a pick.

He is if NFL teams need fast ends that can run down fast run oriented Quarterbacks these days. The athletic QB's have increased the defensive need for faster ends, and he is that. This is why teams are salivating over him regardless of the fact that he has not played very long.

He is worth is to plenty of teams.

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

He is if NFL teams need fast ends that can run down fast run oriented Quarterbacks these days. The athletic QB's have increased the defensive need for faster ends, and he is that. This is why teams are salivating over him regardless of the fact that he has not played very long.

He is worth is to plenty of teams.

All BYU hate aside, I'd like to se Ansah do well. Seem's like a great kid with a great story.

Once the NFL book is written on Ansah, I don't think you'll see too much middle ground. He is either going to set the league on fire (in a couple of years), or be the type of pick that gets a GM fired. Obviously, his measurables and up side are off the charts and warrant a high pick. It's hard for me to talk about his potential down side because I didn't watch a lot of BYU football, but when I did, I don't remember him ever really sticking out as a dominating player. Also, for a guy that's going to get drafted for his pass rushing ability, it seems like his stat's are rather pedestrian.

 

[TroutBum]

All BYU hate aside, I'd like to se Ansah do well. Seem's like a great kid with a great story.

Once the NFL book is written on Ansah, I don't think you'll see too much middle ground. He is either going to set the league on fire (in a couple of years), or be the type of pick that gets a GM fired. Obviously, his measurables and up side are off the charts and warrant a high pick. It's hard for me to talk about his potential down side because I didn't watch a lot of BYU football, but when I did, I don't remember him ever really sticking out as a dominating player. Also, for a guy that's going to get drafted for his pass rushing ability, it seems like his stat's are rather pedestrian.

You're rather pedestrian!

 

[Jazz Spazz]

All BYU hate aside, I'd like to se Ansah do well. Seem's like a great kid with a great story.

Once the NFL book is written on Ansah, I don't think you'll see too much middle ground. He is either going to set the league on fire (in a couple of years), or be the type of pick that gets a GM fired. Obviously, his measurables and up side are off the charts and warrant a high pick. It's hard for me to talk about his potential down side because I didn't watch a lot of BYU football, but when I did, I don't remember him ever really sticking out as a dominating player. Also, for a guy that's going to get drafted for his pass rushing ability, it seems like his stat's are rather pedestrian.

Easily half of the "rewind and watch that again" moments from BYU football last year were from Ziggy, probably even closer to 3/4 of them. Many of his plays did not show up in a box score. You would see him on the other side of a play shedding a blocker and running down a rb or qb from behind and the other side of the field, jumping over fullbacks to make a stop, getting in the face of qb's and rushing them so they throw an incomplete pass and are running for their lives..... no box score for some of that, but definitely affected the plays.

Also let me get this straight:

Pedestrian: (Ziggy)
62 tackles - 13 tfl - 4.5 sacks - 1 int - 9 pass breakups - 6 qbh - 1 ff

Awesome (Star)
42 tackles - 10 tfl - 5.0 sacks - 0 int - 4 pass breakubs - 1 qbh - 3 ff

hmmmmmmm...

I do realize they play slightly different positions on the line, but both are very very good at what they do.

 

[Hartsock]

He was also basically playing out of position as a DE in a 3-4. If he was in a 4-3 I bet his #'s would look a lot better.

 

[CONAN]

LOL some people don't know football. Ansah will be a good pro. This draft is deep at 3-4 OLBs but Ansah is still near the top whether in a 3-4 or a 4-3. I could even see him being used as a pass-rushing DT (ala Kruger).