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VanOchten: Kitna enjoying freedom within offense
by The Grand Rapids Press
Monday August 18, 2008, 10:00 PM
Detroit's Jon Kitna has a perfect passer rating through the Lions' first two preseason games. Brian VanOchten says Kitna has earned the trust of offensive coordinator Jim Colletto:
Grand Rapids Press columnist Brian VanOchten joined Brett Muller on "The Huge Show" on Monday to talk about the Detroit Lions' preseason victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night.
"What I like about (Lions offensive coordinator Jim) Colletto is everything isn't strictly scripted the way (Mike) Martz had almost every play of the game, it seemed, scripted," VanOchten said. "Kitna has a little bit of freedom. That's something he never had under Martz. He's made some good decisions in the preseason."
Listen to the full interview below:
we shouldve drafted mike hart, he's like 24K but way more powerful and he's a wolverine!!!! cmon guys!!!!!
we shouldve drafted mike hart, he's like 24K but way more powerful and he's a wolverine!!!! cmon guys!!!!!
Um, no.
He is not like Kevin Smith. Smith will be a started week 1. Hart hopes someone will pick him up when he is cut because Indy has too many RBs.
Not saying Hart hasn't looked good preseason. But running in a system in Indy which is similar to what he had in Michigan and behind that Line does not mean he will produce the same results else where.
Best of luck to Hart where ever he may go, but he is not anywhere comparable to Smith.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
Except in the case of Hart.
In his case it's a burnt out wasteland.
I am a die hard Wolverine fan but I would not like Hart on the lions roster, UofM RB's generally don't perform better than average in the pros. Maybe Mike Hart will be an exception to that rule.
Hart would have been a great fit for the Lions, but so is Smith. Hart might not make indys roster but they're much deeper than the Lions at that position.
I am a Smith fan, but this discussion doesnt look quite balanced. Hart has something like 8 carries of more than 12 yards each for Indy and has caught some passes as well. some of which came with first teamers on defense. his blocking was acknowledged when he saved his QB from a sure sack.
Its plain silly to say Smith is so much better than Hart before he has even had a chance to show it on the field. Hart will be the third, not fifth, RB in Indy on starting day. Dungy likes him.
hart will be #3, and will be fine. Smith will be #1, and be fine. If anyone would have expected hart to slip until the middle of the 6th... I'm sure other teams would have nabbed him. Either way I really like the way smith runs, the shape of this team is finally, after 2 years, starting to show. Just think of what it'll be like in 3 years with CJ, RoyBoy (if resigned), smith, and a defense that the tampa 2 is really based on will be like.
Ugg... there I go being optimistic again, please refrain from my opinions until week 12 :)
more comments about BVO's hair and less about the Lions, please. Try to remain topical.
I am a state fan but I will say Michigan is "usually" good because the team itself is good, not because of individuals. From what I have notice is the offensive line is usually pretty tight which makes their running game look good. That is why Hart always "looked" better than ave. Hart would get hurt in a heart beat in a game in the NFL. He was always hurt some how in college. No offense but do you think that will change with bigger and quicker guys in the NFL. We should talk about someone else please, if we want to talk diff running backs.
"Any running back gains value just by playing in the Colts' offensive system, and Hart has a good chance to beat out Kenton Keith to be Joseph Addai's backup right away. A tough kid with good receiving hands and good blocking ability, Hart could be a deep sleeper as a third-down back, especially in point-per-reception leagues. He's not fast and doesn't break tackles, but he's a shifty player who'll get you solid and consistent yardage when he's in space."
- This is what ESPN has to say about Mike Hart. I wouldn't count on him getting cut.
As for you State fans, just shut the f**k up about Mike Hart. Mike Hart is ten times better than any garbage running back that your university has produced in the last ten years.
Ask Dantonio about Mike Hart. Maybe that buffoon can bust out a third grade insult about Hart being short. Very witty, Mr. Personality.
Everybody has been hatin' on Mike Hart since he came to Michigan (too small, too slow, etc.). All the fricking kid does is hit holes, make people miss with his great feet, and FIGHT.
If the Spartans had two or three players with Mike Hart's HEART, maybe they wouldn't pis* themselves every single year when facing the mighty Maize and Blue.
Mike Hart is a good back, but not as good as all you Michigan fans make him seem. Yes good in high school. Yes good in college but dont make any assumptions about how good he is in the pros when he wont see anything significant for at least this season. Hart does have talent but think about what he would have done had you put him on a team with much less talent like NW or Indiana. Not the same back now is he. Just like with all ball players you have to have talent and then be lucky enough to get on a team that you jell with and that also has tons of talent also. by the way stickety i didnt see too many people in this forum talking about how much hart sucks. In fact most people have said, i am a state but hart....Read through first bro!
Wow. Stickety, I admit I don't often agree with your standpoints, but I used to read most of what you had to say with a non-critical eye. After that flaming piece of retardness masquerading as a post...
And for the record, I am a fan of both U of M and State.
Stickety, Do you have a man crush on Hart? I don't see why you are so abusive in your post. Although I like both UM and MSU I do think that Hart will never approach the minimal success enjoyed by Sparty's TJ Duckett and he has been in the NFL less than 10 years.
Lionsunblock,
I don't get it, I am a Florida State fan/alum and there is no way in hell that I would also be a Florida fan.
It's great to be a Florida Hater!
Go Lions!!!!
Nodinkdonk,
Being from Michigan and never attending either school - but with quite a few relatives who attended one or the other - I can tell you that I'm in the same boat as lionsunblock. I follow Michigan a little more but I'll root for State also.
Of course when you're an alum you've taken on that rivalry mentality.
Stickety, FYI..if Hart is "10 times better" as you say above then he will need to rush for 3,350 yards his rookie year to get there since Duckett ran for 335 yards last season. Don't worry I won't hold you to 10 times better per carry since Duckett averaged 5.2 YPC I doubt that Hart will average 52 YPC this season.
nodinkdonk-
I'm a homer, plain and simple. If the team is from the state of Michigan, I'll root for them. Now, if U of M and MSU play, I'm a Spartan all the way. But why would I not want UofM to stomp all over a team from another state (ie the Buckeyes?) It only makes the state of Michigan look better as a whole.
I used to live in Maine, and in Tennessee, so if I'm watching a game with the Titans or the Pats, typically I'll pull for them b/c I have an affiliation.
Go Green! Go Blue!
Go Wings! Go Pistons! Go Tigers! Go LIONS!
I like Kevin Smith and think he will be very productive as a lion.
I think Mike Hart will be a serviceable pro. Kinda like a Michael Turner but not that fast. He does have shifty footwork and isn't afraid to take a hit or give one. I think one area that will seperate him and a fact that Dungy has mentioned is how well he blocks which is very important. I agree with above posters this year he'll be the 3rd back and next year back up.
As for the poster who mentioned TJ Duckett. Yes he's been in the league for awhile but he hasn't really done anything on a consistent basis. He's the Dale Davis of the NFL! Journeyman at best.
Go lions.
Gentlemen (& ladies),
This debate is purely academic. Without going into any pro or anti Michigan or Michigan State, just remember that there were 32 coaches, 32 GMs and countless scouts that evaluated all the talent that was out there and Mike Hart wasn't drafted until late into day two.
alright, have you noticed that BOV has that chit-eating grin on his face? that's because he knows your looking at his chest hair strategically placed over his eye-brows.
handsopen,
You make a blanket statement which has no basis in fact and don't back it up with anything. Just looking for an arguement or just ignorant about football?
alright, have you noticed that BOV has that chit-eating grin on his face? that's because he knows your looking at his chest hair strategically placed over his eye-brows.
What the heck? I thought thios article was about kitna? Sorry to say i don't think the lions are going to pick up Hart wasn't he injury prone like KJ?
Stickety: Ringer is better than Hart. Who is the last RB that Michigan produced that was even close to decent in the NFL? Got any yet? No, didn't think so. Although never the main guy due to circumstance, Duckett is the best RB product to come out of either of the schools in quite some time. As for Hart, he's looked good, but he's not a premier NFL back. You Michigan boys might get mad at us for knocking Hart but you all knock Stanton and he has far far more potential than Hart ever will so get over it!
It appears that Colletto plays more to the strengths of the Lions' players instead of trying to pigeon`-hole his players into doing things that fit his system but didn't allow improvising. Stanton reminds me a little of Greg Landry with his running ability, but he's going to get hurt really bad one game if he tries to run alot in real games. It's inevitable. It has happened to almost all running QBs to a certain extent, except maybe Steve Young (maybe him too).
After reading some of these post, I thought I was on a MSU or State blog...What difference does it make if Hart is better than Smith..or if Smith is better than Hart..The only thing that should matter here is if Smith can carry the load as a full time back in the NFL..And I think he has the tools to do it..1000+ yeah...
http://goallineblitz.com/game/signup.pl?ref=8776178
play for free..
Rawdogg:
Kevin Smith's nickname was 24k in college "DUDE" He wanted the number 24 so he could keep the nickname but Greg Blue already has the # and a veteran (I believe dwight smith) is in line to have it next. Blue offered to "Sell it" to smith for around $50k. Kevin Smith declined the offer probably knowing that blue will most likely get cut and D. Smith already has his #26 that he's been playing with for sometime now. Hopefully that clears up some confusion "dude" no ones talking about shawn bryson when they say 24k.
Kitna seems to be thriving in this system so far, and that can only be good. He has much better pocket presence better in the pocket than DanO.
24k or 34k, he will make our team better by bringing down the extra DB, leaving one of our WR's in single coverage.
It's that simple.
I, too, have relatives who attended MSU, and some who attended UM.
I cheer my heart out for both teams, and when they play each other, I root for the highest ranked team. Nothing like a little national exposure for our schools!
Tyrone Wheatley I would have to say his 11 yr career has been OK but he is the best Rb out of this state not spectacular but solid.
Rushing Stats
YEAR TEAM G ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LOST
1995 NYG 13 78 245 3.1 19 3 14 2 1
1996 NYG 14 112 400 3.6 37 1 21 5 1
1997 NYG 14 152 583 3.8 38 4 32 3 0
1998 NYG 5 14 52 3.7 15 0 2 0 0
1999 OAK 16 242 936 3.9 30 8 38 3 3
2000 OAK 14 232 1046 4.5 80 9 50 4 3
2001 OAK 12 88 276 3.1 22 5 21 2 1
2002 OAK 14 108 419 3.9 36 2 26 1 0
2003 OAK 15 159 678 4.3 41 4 31 2 2
2004 OAK 8 85 327 3.8 60 4 25 0 0
Career 125 1270 4962 3.9
cant say that about Duckett
YEAR TEAM G ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LOST
2002 ATL 12 130 507 3.9 33 4 28 0 0
2003 ATL 16 197 779 4.0 55 11 39 3 2
2004 ATL 13 104 509 4.9 35 8 30 2 2
2005 ATL 14 121 380 3.1 25 8 24 2 2
2006 WAS 10 38 132 3.5 19 2 9 1 0
2007 DET 12 65 335 5.2 53 3 16 1 0
Career 77 655 2642 4.0 55 36
Mike Hart was the man in college.
But, as far as making it at the next level, I can't help but to think of Mike Hart the same way I think of Brian Calhoun. Amazing Big 10 running back, maybe not an above-average NFL talent.
Granted, it might not be a fair comparison...it's something that stuck in my head during the combine/draft. He has looked good in pre-season play for Indy. Would the Colts drop him before the season starts? Dunno, could be their guy behind Addai.
As a Michigan citizen, would I love to see Mike Hart run for the Lions, taking hand-offs from Drew Stanton? You bet your sweet bippy.
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