November 8th, 2009 at 8:36 AM ^
I like what I see about this young man. He catches with his hands and he blocks with some authority. He also seems devoted to ball security, especially after dropping it at the goal line in Champaign (ruled post-down), as on his TD v Purdue he held onto it until he could give it to an official. Best not to count on the zebras to say it isn't a fumble; don't let go in the first place.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:22 PM ^
Do you think the way he has played the last two weeks may have an impact on Odoms PT the rest of the year and the near future?
November 8th, 2009 at 9:05 AM ^
it seems that a different slot ninja, split or RB has a breakout game. What are the chances that we peel one or two of them off and send them to the defensive side of the ball next year? I'm sure most, if not all, played two ways in high school.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:24 AM ^
a) I don't think as many of them played defense as you think.
b) These slots are offense-only. I don't think there's any chance that Odoms, Grady, Roundtree, Gallon, etc. switch to defense.
c) I do think Austin White could be a decent safety, but I doubt it will happen.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:31 AM ^
I could see Grady on D. I think he has the speed and athleticism. He doesn't seem to have the hands to be a top WR, but that's not an issue on defense.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:42 AM ^
Do you really want to take a guy who played basketball for two years, came back to football and played WR for a year, and then switch him to defense where he has to learn not only new schemes but new fundamentals?
November 8th, 2009 at 12:05 PM ^
I don't know if he can make the transition, but looking at the depth chart, we're going to have a surplus of slots next year and still not too many DBs. It's worth a shot. We've got to do something to add speed on the defensive side of the ball.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:13 PM ^
Yeah, we'll have an influx of slots, and we'll also have an influx of defensive backs (if recruiting shapes up the way that it's expected). I don't know that Grady at CB would be much of an upgrade, if any, over guys like Turner and Teric Jones and Cullen Christian and Terrence Talbott and Courtney Avery...
November 8th, 2009 at 2:15 PM ^
Did you ever see Grady play defense on the basketball court?
November 8th, 2009 at 9:08 AM ^
It's funny that Roundtree was committed to Purdue until signing day, and then he has his break-out game against the Boilermakers.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:43 AM ^
But certainly not a coincidence!
November 8th, 2009 at 9:34 AM ^
He played great today yes, but he also made one crucial mistake. At the tail end of the game when Greg Matthews pitched him that ball it was with the soul purpose of Roundtree getting out of bounds (which was a heady play by the senior). Instead he ran around and pitched it again and we had to try to get another play off with about 0.5 seconds left.
I'm the last person that wants to jump off a cliff after yesterday, that's why I stopped posting in the liveblog, but his great game is almost negated by that mistake.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:12 AM ^
are you effin serious...
November 8th, 2009 at 10:44 AM ^
Sadly i think he is.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:56 AM ^
Right. I also blame the random O-lineman who had the ball on the last play of the game and got tackled.
Really, what was the chance that we would have made the play work?
November 8th, 2009 at 9:43 AM ^
i like the possibility that tate's developing a comfort level w/ Roy. we desperately need something like that going forward. a guy who might just make defenses adjust their coverage to watch out for him, allowing other guys to break free. but, as has been the par this season, watch Roundtree not get a single look next week or something. shrug...
also, holy Darryl Stonum... 30 KO returns for 800+ yards??? that yardage total really popped out at me.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:23 AM ^
I still love odoms, but Roundtree has won me over. I think he made up for getting walked down last week.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:11 AM ^
I don't know why they have to be mutually exclusive. Put both of them out there at the same time.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:47 AM ^
I think his performances in the last two games should earn him a perminent starting role.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:13 AM ^
When Odoms come back it will be a great thing to have a couple good receivers in the slot. Depth is a great thing, too bad we don't have it in the secondary.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:30 AM ^
I was at the game and watched as Roundtree laid a huge block on a Purdue DB towards the end of Minor's first TD run as he was trying to chase down Minor. With Roundtree as small as he is it's nice to see him do well blocking, especially since I think that is one of the biggest forgotten elements of Odoms play.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:30 AM ^
Roundtree was a lone bright spot in an otherwise dark afternoon. He is nice hybrid between a WR and a slot receiver and should be good on quick routes. Having quick, easy routes for Roundtree, Odoms and Koger is vitally important now because Forcier simply does not have the time to throw downfield with the poor pass protection. I also don't trust Forcier downfield at this point. Given that there is no run option now, a nice complement of short throws will keep defenses off balance and allow the offense to be more creative and not stall as much.
November 8th, 2009 at 1:02 PM ^
Can Roundtree be the elusive go-to WR? I like spreading the ball around, but I think our offense has suffered from not having a guy that Tate can feel fully comfortable will make a key catch when needed. We have nine players who have recorded at least 100 receiving yards on the season, but no one has recorded 300. We also have nine players that have caught a TD pass, but no one has caught more than two. That's a very unusual situation.
I wish we could get Minor involved in the passing game, too. He has only one catch on the season. I know we often need him to stay in and protect, but getting him the ball in space, with a full head of steam, could be lethal.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:34 PM ^
roundtree more than odoms just from a fan vantage point. maybe the UFR shows that odoms still catches more, blocks better, etc but roundtree seems like twice the offensive threat. maybe it was just that purdue was bad but roundtree had the game-tier vs MSU, a good game vs. illinois and a pretty great game against purdue.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:15 PM ^
I thought Roundtree did a nice job, and I'd like to
see a lot more of that next two weeks. That is the
most I've seen the Offense throw down field with
success.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:11 PM ^
I really hope he can make an impact on our offense in the coming years. Looked great yesterday.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:43 AM ^
obviously, Odoms leads the team in receptions... he'll get back on the field. as someone said, put them BOTH in there... make the D blanket both guys. but i definitely want to see them continue going to the hot hand. you don't just suddenly catch 10 balls (out of 24 total pass attempts) if there's not a chemistry/trust building between tate and roy. with Odoms back in there, awesome, another guy the defense has to account for. this is what has been sorely missing throughout the season.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:15 AM ^
Personally I agree with Magnus. Why do Roundtree and Odoms have to be exclusive? Clearly they are the two most reliable athletes and receivers on the field. I saw flashes of ability from Roundtree that would let him play on the outside instead of always in the slot. Consistency has been a constant problem throughout the season so why not get your top performers out on the field at the same time?