A Deep Dive into Marcus Holman's Stellar Season | Freeze It Right Here, Episode 11
A Deep Dive into Marcus Holman's Stellar Season | Freeze It Right Here, Episode 11
Video Transcript
But, but look at this.
O'Neill has carried those two defenders to the midway point and beyond.
Freeze it right there- for like an hour.
This, remember th- that looks like Ryan Boyle back in the day.
I think I saw a couple- Ryan Boyle, Boston Cannon highlights and Barrage highlights that look exactly like that.
I'm wearing the same underwear.
I'm showering in the same spot.
I'm sitting next to the same dude on the bus.
I am having the same thing for breakfast.
I'm doing it all.
Boyle, bang.
How about the save from Brian Dougherty?
And Dougherty's genius continues.
Stick score, Ryan Boyle.
Ryan Dougherty has made some wonderful stops in time.
Ryan Boyle, a hat trick.
Freeze it right here.
Freeze it right.
Freeze it right here.
Welcome back to Freeze It Right Here.
I'm Kevin Boyle from the Lacrosse Network, and as always, I'm joined by the two Hall of Famers, Ryan Boyle and Brian Dougherty.
On this episode, we're gonna dissect one of the savviest lacrosse players on the planet, Boston Cannons attackman, Marcus Holman, who stole the show this weekend with nine points, including a walk-off overtime two-pointer against the Maryland Whipsnakes in front of a packed coliseum at Harvard.
Boyle, most fans know Marcus as an outstanding shooter.
What are some of the often unnoticed aspects of Holman's game that you plan to shed some light on with this breakdown?
Yeah, I, I think h- his cutting ability and his off-ball movement i, is really kind of second to none.
The guy understands spacing so well, is always seemingly kind of in read and react mode, making the right decision.
And then the, the 35-year-old, he's, he's still got a dodge or two kind of under his belt.
So the, the minute you kind of peg him as this, like, pure off-ball finisher, he'll, he'll kind of sneak attack surprise you.
Can't wait for you to show us some of those high IQ Marcus Holman plays, and stay tuned after that because we're gonna examine the evolution of Brennan O'Neill, the passer.
The Denver Outlaws star attackman is up to 18 assists on the season after posting a career high four of them against the New York Atlas this past weekend.
Doc, is it fair that Brennan O'Neill, who can already score the ball, ball in so many mind-bending ways, is suddenly passing the ball with the ability of a Michael Sowers or Rob Pannell?
The short answer, Kev, is no, it's not fair.
Brennan O'Neill's been a generational talent since he's been about 13 years old.
I saw him on the World Series of Lacrosse on TV, and he was head and shoulders bigger than anybody else out there.
So he could always get the rock and give you a goal.
He's a prolific shooter.
He can take the ball in current situation and run by five guys if he has to because of his giant, his, his size.
But I would say, like, him, his ability to pass the ball right now, it's, it's kind of turned it into a little bit of a cheat code out there.
Yeah, and lastly, it's been a crazy year for goalies.
Multiple backup goalies from around the league have stepped up down the stretch, and there's a chance we'll see more of them in the playoffs.
A hot goalie can make all the difference in those types of games.
So to get a pulse check on the position, I'm gonna ask Doc to make the call on four different goalie situations across the league.
But first, let's level up our collective lacrosse IQ with Marcus Holman.
387, Marcus Holman now only six goals behind John Grant Jr. For the all-time record in pro lacrosse.
Wow.
And the way he's playing lately, it looks like he's gonna shatter that record.
Holman is 35 years old, and the scoring stats don't lie.
He's getting better with age, and the only way that's possible is to process the game at an elite level.
RB, you don't score 387 career goals without knowing how to get open.
Show us how Holman works off-ball and somehow sees plays unfold before they even happen.
Yeah.
He, he's really kind of the, the master o- of off-ball spacing, and, you know, th- this is kind of, this first couple clips is, is really what we've grown accustomed to seeing his entire career, is, is reacting off of his teammates and, and, and these kind of subtle movements to, to get his hands free.
So, you know, as we run this first clip, you know, we've got Mick Kelly behind the cage, kind of in an invert situation, but also does a great job of creating space.
You could see that Conlin kind of hedge.
Holman thinks he's gonna cut, then realizes, "Wait, if I back up, now I have enough time and room to step into a two-pointer."
But it, it, it's the reaction, right?
It's the setup and then the reaction.
So, you know, you see Conlin kind of off ball.
Here's, here's Holman.
He starts, he's gonna say, "Okay, look, there's a ton of space.
Obviously, Mick Kelly's gonna drive this up.
I, I'm gonna drift.
I'm gonna fade towards the middle, make Conlin in a compromising situation whether you go or not."
Right here, he's like, "Wait, am I gonna cut?"
He kind of sees Conlin start to hedge, in which case he, maybe he's gonna back door him.
Conlin recovers.
Holman then counters that by backing up.
Then Conlin finally commits, and because Holman backs up, he gets a good deep, like three to four yards above that two-point arc.
That, that enables the, the, the crow hop.
I- the, the decision to, to hedge helped two guys actually go.
Like, you can't leave this guy.
Like, of all the guys that you, that you're leaving, and Conlin, he's kind of the off-ball guy, you know, you know, for the Redwoods.
Doc, just i- i- in the, the, the Hemmen and the Hahn, do you go or do you not go?
I mean, Mick Kelly's, like, a good 12 yards a- away from the cage.
Like, I, I, I just, I didn't under- you're just creating offense, and then you're creating offense for a guy that's scored the second-most goals in pro lacrosse history.
Yeah.
I mean, we, we, or I, I have been pretty critical of a lot of the defenses out here, throughout the course o- of, of this season, but I attribute this more to Marcus Holman, right?
So the, the key part to that was when he was gonna cut down, and then he kind of stopped himself, and then- Yeah you could see his brain working.
He's like, "Well, if my guy shows, I don't want a one, I don't want a two."
So by him backing up, I feel like it, it lets that defender feel like he's got a free double team, right?
'Cause he's behind the play.
But in, in essence, it's just Holman being smart.
So he, his footwork is amazing.
He catches it four yards deep, and in one motion, he crow hops right to the line.
A lot of people would be shooting, like, a fade away there, maybe like an Uncle Roy, right?
Step back, fade away two-pointer.
Not him.
He sees it, he gets back.
He receives a nice pass.
It's all in one motion.
So it- it's like his brain and his feet And, and again, 35, you- if you are physically healthy at this, at this stage of your career, you're dangerous because y- you're so smart, right?
He's so smart.
He catches it backing up.
He flows into the shot, and then he's just a great shooter.
I mean, he shoots this around the two guys in the crease, right to the offside hip, of Dylan Ward.
It's just I, I give that to Marcus Holman right there.
Yeah, it's, it's the discipline to, to have that plant foot right above the two-point arc.
We'd see so many guys kind of be- So many long ones one- Right?
Long ones.
Yeah, exactly.
Worst shot in lacrosse, a long one.
Exactly.
A- and so y- you saw the anticipation there on the first clip and, and this next clip is really a, a, a continuation of that.
So a- as we kind of get into this, you know, Boston kind of clearing the ball, they get to Regnery.
This kid's going immediately.
He doesn't care who's covering him.
He's got Billy Dwan, so he's got a pull on him.
Muller's the adjacent Ah, I don't know.
Like, is this more about Holman, or is this about an unnecessary hedge?
You know, so you, you get Muller's hedge in here.
He, he's going away from the cage.
Oh, that's a ter- no, that's a terrible slide right there.
That is, that is very un-Tim Muller and Maryland defensive sliding right there.
Dunn rotates up.
I, I, I think the, the Muller hedge caught Dunn a little bit by surprise, and then now this little hitch by Holman, right?
And this little hitch gets Emmett Carroll a little bit off his line.
Dwan recovers, Dunn rotates up, a- a- and now you've got not one screen, you've got two guys, right?
So he's just shooting over this wall of humanity.
You know, good luck.
Like, look, that little hitch to kind of get that stick a little bit of an adjustment, like, "You're in my lane.
Let me hitch, freeze everybody, and then I'm gonna use not one, but both of you to, to, to, to add a layer of deception."
Yeah, really tough for the goalie to pick up.
You actually have no chance, especially with that, that hitch like you talked about.
But all right, so the last one we said we, we were gonna be nice to Like, that's just a terrible slide by And that's not a hedge by Muller.
Like, he fully went to him.
So- Yeah you know, you, you just left, you know, maybe the second all-time leading scorer in pro lacrosse history, you know, wide open on his favorite spot on the field, right?
That righty elbow.
How many of his 387 goals- have been scored from this exact spot, the righty elbow?
And then, you know, he just shows what he's really good at.
He's always been a really good shooter, arguably top five shooter of all time, right?
He gets it here.
He gives the little pump fake.
Kind of, I used to call it the Westberg.
Really made this, popular, where you kind of make it look like you're shooting, you stop, right?
You get everybody's momentum, all the defendimen- defenders are selling out to try to dive and stop the ball, right?
The goalie is already moving right now, so he's helpless.
He's a- Like, once you start moving, you're, you're done.
It's either you get hit, or it's a goal.
So it's just a, it's just a really smart shot.
He shoots it over him.
You know, that's what he's been doing.
Like, that's his little righty elbow right there.
And, and it's a subtle thing, but when Muller goes, right, Holman doesn't stay where he is.
He, he, he gets up field, right?
He And it's not like this is- Follows the slide He follows the slide, right?
He f- That's, that's the name of the game.
You follow that slide, you step into that vacated area, and it doesn't look like a lot, but that, like, three to four yards i- is- Ah significant.
It's significant.
Even, like, l- like so the guys, so even, like, this much is huge from that thing.
That's a, that's a difference of, like, scoring 35% of the time to, like, 60% of the time.
It's like, like, that, that's all a yard is on those little angles just due to pure math, right?
B- just the surface area and how much goal you have to shoot from.
So when you can increase your angle by a yard, a yard and a half, two yards, right, that is, that's going from, like, 10% to 25% to 45%, you know, the closer you get to the middle.
So really smart play.
Follow the slide, youngsters.
Follow the slide.
Doc, as you mentioned, we've seen that catch and shoot a million times from Marcus Holman throughout his career, but I've been waiting to see these high IQ plays.
Boyle, break down this one off the faceoff.
Yeah, we, we, we see his off-ball prowess and, and really what jumps off when you watch him kind of game in, game out is his situational awareness and, and in particular in, in transition, in that kind of gray area, you know, what's happening.
So o- off this faceoff win, you know, McMeeken, who's been, you know, fantastic, lights out, inserted himself in the Rookie of the Year com- contest, you know, he gets it to Holman.
Holman gets triple-teamed.
Let me get out of, let me get a dodge here, right?
Let me get out of here.
Gets the ball to the perimeter, and this is where Boston's just kind of working the ball around, right?
And but with snakes, right, given that little mini break, we've got to match up.
So Zapitello's like, "Hey, wait a second.
Nobody's covering this guy in the perimeter.
I, I gotta go out and cover McMeeken."
Meanwhile, Petey LaSalla is actually on Holman.
LaSalla goes, "Wait, McMeeken's going off.
L- let me, let me kind of hitch my ride."
Zapitello's like, "Wait a second, I was gonna match up with that guy.
He's now going off.
What's my faceoff guy doing?
Oh, crap."
Oh, this is an o- this is the oh crap moment.
And Holman's like, "Oh, that's Yeah, I know oh crap.
No one's covering me, and I'm gonna immediately dive the crease and then just go airborne."
Ah.
Ah.
Just the 35-year-old going airborne and- Putting it in the loaf.
And what it- that does is two things.
Number one is it increases your shooting angle, right?
You're allowed to kind of reach around the goalie.
The other thing it does is it makes it really difficult for a defender for, to land any sort of trail check, right?
So if, if this is just a casual carry across, you expose your stick, maybe Zapitello can get a trail check.
By going airborne and getting horizontal, this is so hard to tee up for Zapitello.
Yeah, so it, this is I just could look at that, freeze that for, like, freeze it right there- for, like, an hour.
I could sit there and just look at that.
I might make that a sticker on my phone.
But, like, the biggest, the biggest thing, right, is, is the backdoor.
He notices this.
The two guys only take a half a step.
Yep.
Right?
The, like, like, Zapitello and LaSalla- LaSalla are just sitting there like, okay.
And it's just, it's just like a, a brain fart, right?
Mm-hmm.
Like a brain fart for a quarter of a second, and he sees it.
Like, right now he's like, "All right, if Zapatella goes, I'm going."
And then all of a sudden he sees it.
And then, you know, everybody's looking to your captain, so obviously, I don't know, I think it's Kelly with the ball.
Yep.
He's looking at Mar- Marcus is the alpha male, right?
So you always got a quarter and I on the alpha male out there.
He sees it, he catches it, and then, you know, after that, this thing is just 35 years old, still being able to do this.
Remember though, that looks like Ryan Boyle back in the day.
I think I saw a couple- Ryan Boyle, Boston Cannon highlights and Barrage highlights that look exactly like that.
And then, yes, as a righty goalie, you dive across, you shoot it across.
It's impossible to save unless you go fully down the line and bring your stick under, which- He throws a little- Carroll does he throws a little near side fake in there too- Yeah as he goes.
That's athletic right there, man.
Like, I'm, I'm mesmerized.
I can't stop watching that.
Hey, if you like that athleticism, how about a little bit more.
Boyle show us some of his dodging abilities he's still got in those 35-year-old feet.
Yeah, a- and this is where I, I love that he still has no problems kind of going one-on-one.
Like, it, it, again, if you peg him only as a softball guy, as this, this guy that can, can't create his own shot, he is totally willing to take matters into his own hands, whether it's late in the shot clock or if he senses a certain matchup.
Because you, you look at the, the last couple games and it's, it's no surprise.
Like, they're gonna put the off ball kind of air traffic controller kind of guy on him, and so Holman's like, "Okay, let, let me, let me just test the waters here."
So you got a two-man game.
You know, Pilling i- is covering, the short stick or the midfielder, right?
Tim Mueller's kind of gonna go around this, right?
So there's just a ton of space.
And then right here, this is the moment where I think Mueller thinks Holman's trying to get underneath.
You can see that sliver of space.
Holman puts on the brakes, goes to the rollback, and just gets this off before Pilling can kind of recover back.
You know, he was on Mick Kelly, kind of that original picker.
But I, I, I love Holman just like, "Let me test the waters here," right?
You can see the hard underneath move.
Like, so every, everything that he's showing is I'm going underneath and I'm going to that dive, right?
He, he's had that dodge previously this, this summer, right?
And so as Mueller goes over the top, I don't blame Mueller for going under this, right?
Try to keep your match up, makes total sense.
But in doing so, he's kind of right here.
He has to play a little bit of catch up and that's where he, he just overruns this just like- Yes the slightest bit, right?
You can see his footwork, right, as Holman goes to roll Mueller plants, and he's just a hair late on that reaction.
Yeah, so a combination.
Again, great, great move by Marcus, not taking one bit away.
Defensively, you know, that's why we're here.
You know, you do the offense, I'm kind of looking at the defense.
And, and again, not blaming Tim Mo at all, but if you He doesn't get any contact on the roll.
Yep.
So if you get, if you let somebody roll and you don't get your hands pushing him off of his line, it's kind of over.
And I think it just kind of caught Mueller off guard, right?
We're, we're not used to Marcus Holman dodging a ton of the time.
There's still 14 seconds on the shot clock.
It's a simple two-man game back there.
It's not like there's two seconds left and he has to go to the goal, right?
He just makes a great move.
He's, he thinks he's going behind for either the dive or continue the carry X, and then that might have been another, oh crap, moment right there.
Ooh.
All right?
Where, where he turns and he's like, "Oh, I just, I just over-skated it," right?
"I over-skated it by a little bit."
He turned.
I couldn't get my hands on him, right?
Right.
If he gets his hands on him and pushes him towards the D mid, we might be talking about something different right now.
Right.
But, you know, again, little things, little tiny things.
You know, I'm not hating on Tim Mueller by any means, but j- just a great savvy play by Marcus Holman, doing it all.
Shooting the right way, moving the right way, diving, seeing two guys leaving, coming up, taking guys off guard.
You know, he should, all attack men should dodge their guy once a quarter, right?
You know, to your point of, like, that was the two-man game, this is, this next one is just straight one-on-one, like, old school.
To your point, Doc, like, I'm gonna challenge my guy once, once a quarter.
Like, I, I gotta just s- see what happens.
So, ag- again, he's kind of picked up by Conlin, and it's just like, pick up the ball and go.
Like, there is no messing around.
There is no, like, fancy, nope.
Just, like, it, this is almost a Ned Crotty move, where he'd pick up the ball- Ah at the end line and get a running start, and they actually try to outlaw this or kind of a, a referee against this.
But Holman just picks it up.
N- nothing fancy, just I'm gonna go straight- Ah underneath, full speed dodge.
Ah.
And again, he goes to the dive shot, fake near pipe, goes airborne.
Incredible athleticism at, that near side, right, that gets Ward to react.
But this is just pick it up and I'm going.
Like, I, I don't, I don't care what happens.
This is, you know, I kind of joke on the broadcast, like Leroy Jenkins, right?
This is- Holman has, like, a Leroy Jenkins moment, like, every few games.
A- and but that unpredictability, right, is what makes him special.
Like, you know you're getting the off ball stuff.
You know you're getting the savvy IQ.
This is, like, I, I don't care.
I'm sacrificing my body.
I'm going one-on-one.
I might get embarrassed, right?
I, I, this might blow up in my face, but I, I don't care.
I don't care.
I, I've gotta challenge this.
I gotta keep my defender honest.
And it just, it speaks to me about how he, he is feeling good right now because- Yeah listen, RB, we were both, played, I know I played until I was 36.
I forget how long you played till, but- Not that long probably right around there.
Probably right around.
Not that long.
But this is, this is game two, right?
Back to back, right?
Within 24 hours, you're diving all over the place, playing two pro lacrosse games within 24 hours as a 35-year-old man, right?
It's, it's not as easy as, as it sounds.
And to be able to just kind of grab this in a random second quarter, right?
Like, he's feeling good about himself.
It's just a great move, right?
He's, he's continuing to be unpredictable.
And in any sport, I think that makes you dangerous, right?
If you always shoot the three and then you start driving, and then you're always driving and now I'm kicking it.
Like, when people don't know what you're about to do, it, it makes you unpredictable and dangerous, especially on the offense end.
He is one of the most unpredictable guys, and I think his quick restart ability, he might be the king of it, 'cause he knows what to do in a fraction of a second, and we just saw that on that one dodge.
But of course, we're gonna talk about that overtime winner, but I think we should flash back a few weeks.
Boyle, take us back to that end of half two-pointer, from Fairfield.
Yeah, ob- obviously, the moment of the weekend for, for him and for Boston was the walk-off game winner, and it's like, okay, well, well, let's, let's kind of like, Marcus, Marcus Holman, super high IQ, win the whistle.
Where have we seen this before, right?
So to the unpredictability, like no, no, no, this guy understands situational lacrosse.
A- and when we flash back, right, this is back, against New York a few weeks prior.
You get this loose ball hold.
Oh, it's one second, you know, nothing's gonna happen.
Holman like, "No, no.
Puck's on net.
Like, let's just get something.
W- who knows what could happen, but I, I'm going to, to win the whistle.
I'm gonna pick this up with a restart, and I'm just gonna get something on cage," right?
So if the goalie makes a save, you know, who cares?
Like, but let's at least challenge the goalie, right?
Let's just make sure that we exhaust every single opportunity within a game possible.
So y- you see that play, and then as we fast-forward now to the, to overtime, right, so you get this loose ball play, right?
Emmett Carroll picks it up.
Moving pick.
Great sell, by the way, by Holman there.
Great sell.
Right?
Great sell.
Great sell.
A- and then what, what I notice here is, look, look at his head.
He does a quick glance.
Wait a second.
Okay.
Is anybody off ball in cage?
Where are the defenders, right?
Where's Emmett Carroll?
Like, he knows as soon as he picks this up, I, I, this is, there is no hesitation.
No hesitation.
A- and then the aftermath, this is what y- you know, we talked about, Doc, just the Boston crowd, just absolutely, what a moment, right?
This was the, the moment of the weekend by a large, large stretch.
Just, just incredible for, for Marcus and incredible for the Cannons.
I mean, so like we've been saying it all segment, right?
His, his ability to kind of see things a little bit, a second or two before it happens, it's, it's what all the great players do, right?
They just see it a little bit faster and a little bit more clear than everybody else.
So it starts with the sell, right?
He barely gets touched right there.
Oh.
I'm, oh, you go.
Now he knows, right now, right now- Yep all right, on the 12 yard line, he knows exactly what he's going to do.
All right?
He knows exactly.
He's like, "Give me the ball.
Get out of my way, Kelly.
I'm picking the ball up."
Then he takes a peek, and then he's like, "Oh, Carroll, you're about to lose the game for yourself," and then fires it right on there, and then it's celly time.
But again, going back to the Atlas game, that, that gave, that changed everything.
I, I watched- Yes I was watching that game.
They were down by five goals right before that.
He hits that two at the buzzer r- at halftime.
Now they're only down by three goals.
They make a big run in the third quarter.
They come back and win, all because of that one smart play.
So, you know, what else can you say?
And the crowd is awesome.
I think we both agreed we love playing at Boston, and, and he's definitely a, a Boston kind of a player, a do-it-all, gritty.
He gets his own.
He rides, right?
He, he, he passes when he has to.
He finishes shots.
He's a leader on the team.
You know, he's just, he's a, he's a phenomenal player out there.
Yeah.
And for, and for any young players watching this, what, what you noticed in both those clips, right, I've got the ball.
I'm just showing the official, right?
Yes.
I'm showing the referee, I have this, and I'm ready to go.
Like, blow the whistle, blow the whistle.
Like, let's- And my feet are stopped, right?
All these guys, sometimes they put the thing up, and they're, they're running, they're running a little bit, and the ref's like, "No, no, no.
Come on back here."
Yeah.
And then that gives everybody time to set up.
So just knowing what to do, both situations, is amazing.
Both of those clips, clutch moments, in comebacks for the Cannons, and Marcus Holman had zero points at halftime of that Whipsnakes game and then absolutely exploded in the second half.
So, CJ Kirst is gonna break Marcus's record for goals in a PLL season this weekend, but when you factor in Holman's six two-pointers this year, he actually still leads Kirst and all other players in the league with 34 scoring points on the season.
I think Marcus Holman belongs in the conversation for MVP.
Will, will he be a finalist, though?
I, that remains to be seen.
Holman ripping twine is a tale as old as time.
Let's dive into something much more recent, Brennan O'Neill's emergence as a passer.
Coming into the league as the number one pick in 2024, the scouting report on Brennan O'Neill was big lefty attack man who dodges the score and does so with a powerful and deceptive windup.
Now, in 2026, O'Neill is forcing us to rewrite the scout.
He's got at least one assist in every game so far, adding up to a career high 18 on the season, which trails only two players, Michael Sauers at 20 and Rob Pannell at 19.
In other words- It's bonkers O'Neill- It's bonkers.
Yeah.
It's bon- it's bonkers He's passing at an elite level this season.
Yeah.
And, and that's good news for Denver because his shooting is down this year, just 16.7%.
So the influx- That's bonkers of assists have kept O'Neill among the top five point producers in the league and, quite frankly, the Denver Outlaws afloat.
This was clear last weekend when he dropped four assists in a 14 to nine win over the Atlas.
Boyle, when you turned on O'Neill's tape from that game, what did you see?
I, I, I saw a player that is really starting to understand how to counter defenses that are paying more attention to him.
So, you know, especially with, with Pat Kavanagh out, you know, the, the team is in desperate need o- of passing and, and a guy that's gonna get other, other players in- involved.
And, and also just fro- from the time he was drafted to, to now, right, he's seen double teams, he's seen slides, he's seen shutoffs.
He's seen all these different coverages, a- a- and just he's evolving a- a- as a play, player and, and more importantly as a playmaker.
So now I'm not gonna try to do it all myself.
Like, let me trust my teammates.
Let me unlock that part of the game, and that's gonna make my life easier than as a dodger and than as a shooter.
So a- a- as we tee up this first clip, you know, so much of their, their action is, is within the two-man game, the big littles.
You got Kremsky, off-ball, right?
You get Rexrode on-ball, kind of this back and forth.
And then while all that back and forth is going on, you get this little two-man game inside.
So you're gonna get this kind of up pick by Dalton Young, and then Taylor goes across, right?
Both of the Atlas defenders go to Dalton Young, and meanwhile, you can see Brennan O'Neill, right, because he got the switch on the short stick, there's no pressure.
'Cause Krepski's not on his hands, right?
He's worried obviously as, a, as a, as a f- O'Neill's a dodger, so he doesn't wanna like go out and get crazy, get on his hands.
So O'Neill can just sit back, survey.
You've got two defenders on ball that are accounted for, so now I'm just backing up and I'm just reading this kind of off-ball action.
And, and I love what Denver did here in the crease, and this is the recent pickup.
You know, Taylor, give him a role.
Give him something to do, right?
Love this action.
And, and O'Neill, he throws him open, Doc, right?
He- this is, he's like getting open.
He's not open, open just yet.
Yeah, so a couple things.
So it, throwing it open i- is, is like he sees it right there.
Yep.
He throws it into that open space.
Brilliant feed.
He's so tall.
Your point was great o- right spot on.
When you have the short stick on, you have no pressure.
He's 6'6" or whatever he is, so he's up there, right?
He's just surveying like an eagle on top of, top of its perch.
But it- a couple things go out to me.
Number one, that extra pretend like I'm going to X to really set up the pick to create the switch right there.
Brilliant.
All right?
And number two, J- that's just, you know, again, bad, bad switching by r- I think that's Ross, number six right there.
It- that's an easy switch right there.
Inside it's a two-man game.
It's Jake Taylor and somebody else, right?
I don't even know who it is.
So y- you're not worried about match-ups, right?
That's, that's an easy switch there.
So you know, setting this player up to create the short stick, and then, you know, I would think old Brendan O'Neill, right, would continue to take that ball- Yes up to the two-point line.
Yes.
They would slide like four guys on him.
They would all beat the hell out of him, and then he would either make like an unbelievable shot or he'd miss the goal by 17 feet, right?
And the new Brendan O'Neill is now just, just like, "Okay, you're gonna do that instead of me doing all the work," right?
"I'm just gonna let these other guys do some stuff.
I'm gonna sit up there, shop and shop and shop, and boom, throw a guy open," and you know, he's a, he's a phenomenal talent, right?
He's just, like you said, I think he tries to do too much, and if he can, if he can let the game come to you.
But that's the hardest thing to tell at any sport, right?
To tell these players, "Hey, let the game come to you."
You're so used to taking the game over, right?
And, and forcing everything and taking the ball and doing all this.
And letting the game come to you is not as easy as, as people say it is.
"Oh, just let the game come to you."
Like, it's, it's, it's, it's much harder to do.
So.
He, oh, to your point, old-school Brendan O'Neill doesn't make that pass.
He does not make that pass.
He looks to go one-on-one against the short- One-on-one.
He gets the short stick and he's- Yep gonna go sweeping hard lefty across the top.
They're gonna send three guys on him, and he might stick one.
He, it wouldn't shock me if he throws a high bouncer and it rips the net in half and, and goes up and explodes the scoreboard, but, you know, nine times out of 10 he's also gonna probably miss the goal or turn it over, so.
The, the other thing he's doing more of this year is he's dodging to his right.
Right?
So we just saw him always live on kind of that left side, that left wing to high wing kind of situation, and like some sweeps across.
You know, this year we're seeing him a little bit more operate from X a- and go towards his right.
So a- as we get to this next action, right, this is a, a very easy read, but like just to set it up, again, we got the, the big little and th- in this case Denver has no problems having 91 involved in the pick, right?
So y- y- you know, maybe if you think back to past years, like anybody but 91.
They didn't care.
They're not afraid to go at Danny Logan.
So Wisniewski gets the switch, and then he gets out of there to the high crease.
So creates a ton of space.
He gets involved in the two-man game, sets this little pick off-ball, right?
An off-ball action.
Atlas blow that coverage.
They switch it and then the slide guy changes, right?
O'Neill dodges to his right.
Slide comes.
Very simple.
Wisniewski just follows the slide, exactly what you're taught to be, and then look at these three Atlas defenders just all hovering way up.
You could see the reaction of like, "Huh?"
Like, "What?"
Like, "Were you going?
Was I going?"
Like, I, I, I think this initial slide just got, got caught them totally by, by surprise here, Doc, in terms of just the decision to go.
Yeah.
That's a, that's a terrible slide right there.
Again, I think that's, Ross again, as, as the lefty pole.
I, I get it, right?
You got Brendan O'Neill behind the goal.
First of all, like I think we could get through that pick and we don't need to switch.
Again, we wa- we, we'll beat that up, and now we get the invert.
He gets out of the way, right?
And now we're just sitting here going early, but if you're gonna go there's no communication.
Those three guys have to be covering down low, right?
And leaving the farthest guys away open, right?
So you have three guys sitting up here.
We have a, a, a, an, a slide that doesn't need to happen.
Great job by Logan following the slide.
Great job by Brendan going to his right.
But you know, i- if the, the first three weeks it was the Cannons.
The last five weeks it's been the, it's been the, Atlas.
Their defense has just been, just been bad.
So it's great opportunity for them, taking, taking advantage of that, but that's bad defense.
O'Neill not harassed, no ball pressure, right?
He's not, he's just probing, right?
He's not going hard.
He's just kind of probing there.
So a- again, I, I, I like though when he gets these short sticks, Doc, this is- Not trying, not trying to kamikaze to the goal.
Exactly.
He's, it's, it's, it's a lot, it's just, it looks a lot cleaner from him offensively.
Doc, you gave us the visual of old Brendan Ne- O'Neill versus new Brendan O'Neill.
This might be the closest thing to a mix because we see a big lefty sweep, which we've seen end in a big shot before, but he passes back out of it, right, Boyle?
Yeah, a- and what I love about this next clip is he carries the double team, right?
So you wanna Kinda two schools of thought.
When you get the double team, you like get the body or stick right away and kinda move it to try to exploit the defense, kinda before they, they can rotate.
The other is to carry the double team.
A- a- and we saw this time and time again this weekend.
So we've got Trevor Baptiste trapped in the field.
He's actually covering the long pole, Pacino.
Here is, to your point, the heavy Brendan O's sweep, Brendan O'Neill sweep across.
But in this instance what it does is it's taken these two players all the way across the field.
I mean, look at this.
Y- you, you look at New York, five of their six defenders are basically on the right side of the field.
Pacino is all by himself, and then inside Taylor does a great job of- Great job for Taylor, yeah sealing, sealing Kelleher o- on a potential rotation.
Now he eventually kinda g- gives it up because he doesn't wanna get called for a moving pick.
But, but look at this.
O'Neill has carried those two defenders to the midway point and beyond.
So, so by doing so, now it really puts Atlas in a compromised spot for the rotation where even if Kelle- Kelleher had gotten there on the rotation and not sealed, Taylor would've been wide open, right?
So but this again speaks to O'Neill in terms of his evolution.
Normally, we'd see him try to barrel through Baptiste and then go right down, right to the cage, and then you'd get a slide right from Carpenter and Maicar.
Like all those guys would collapse.
He would, he would try to go right through that opening right there.
Right?
If you can pause it and, and rewind it a little bit to As he's kinda Right there.
He's, he's gonna try to Old Brendan O'Neill would try to go right down through that big- Yep opening right there, and that's where you would get Maicar coming.
You get Ross coming.
You get five guys coming.
Right now he continues to carry A- and to, to your point, right?
You see the double team and you wanna throw it right away.
That's your initial reaction.
But what happens a lot is you're getting double teamed, so you, you make terrible passes when you do that.
You throw at guy's feet.
It gets checked.
Sometimes it gets nuggeted.
By taking those four more extra steps, it's just, it's showing that he has more confidence in his game.
Things are coming to him a little bit.
He's not forcing it, right?
He's not shooting down through that, that open gap that looks open but it's really not open.
And, and then I don't know.
I'm curious your thoughts.
Do you think Pacino should've, should've shot a two there or, you know- I'd always- What, what would you have done there?
I, I, I would've liked him shoot a two.
I mean, I'm, I'm kind of all for like, why Like the long one, just take the two.
Just like- Like you had plenty of space.
I mean- Right.
He, he coulda had a cup of coffee, maybe smoked a cigarette.
You know what I mean?
And hung out and played a, played a nice game of checkers by the time somebody got to him.
Um- He, he also coulda dodged like right to the crease.
I mean, there was no one really there.
I mean, so yeah.
I mean, would I have liked him to take the two?
Sure, but like yeah, I, I'm not gonna be super nitpicky there.
Just, just, you know, the ball into the back of the net because- All right.
I was curious to your thoughts on that one.
Yeah.
We've got one more O'Neill clip to break down, and this is a man up play.
And honestly, what really stood out to me about Brendan O'Neill's evolution as a passer is he's playing the point, which is something that Pat Kavanagh pretty much does for the Denver Outlaws.
But even going back to Duke, I look back at some of his old games, I didn't really see a lot of examples of him playing the point on man up, even in college.
Yeah.
No, that, that's exactly right, Kev.
A- and I think on top of that, it's not only him playing the point, but, but when he catches this ball off a skip pass, and it was a great skip pass by Dalton Young, he catches this pass already knowing that he's going to make the one more.
A- and, and that's why I think this clip is, is so special, is because it's the anticipation of N- O'Neill and the change in mindset.
So just to tee this up, we got a 3-3.
They're gonna throw to Dalton Young.
He's gonna carry back, and this ends up into a 1-4-1 with a double crease, right?
So you're gonna get this kind of nice hard cut by Taylor down.
And in doing so, this is gonna unlock this, this huge skip lane for, for Dalton Young.
You can see it.
A- and, and when he unlocks that skip, you got this 2-1-1 on the backside between Logan Wisniewskas and O'Neill, and then this one unfortunate defender for, for, for Atlas there.
So on this skip, O'Neill, he catches it and he knows Ross is rotating, right?
He knows he has the 2-1-1, and so as soon as he senses Ross, right, so O'Neill, old school O'Neill, would catch that and maybe shoot a two, right?
But Ross, he senses that rotation.
He knows he had the 2-1-1, and he knows he's got the one more.
He's catching this already knowing where the ball is going before he's even secured it.
How many years has Brendan O'Neill been in the league?
Is this his fourth year?
This is his third year.
Third year, so he's still kind of a, a puppy a little bit, you know?
Like he's got all this attention and he's been a great player, since like, like he was 13 years old, but he's still learning all these little tricks that Marcus Holman has, right?
He's got them in his bag and, and Brendan has all the physical abilities, and now you start having like these, these little unselfish moments and, and seeing the game a step ahead.
I think it's, it's one thing to say, "Oh, he's got a career You know, it, it's his career high in assists," right?
Like that's kind of one statement to, to show him evolving as a player.
I think the more important one was what Kev said earlier.
He trails only Sauers and Pannell, right?
So it's like he It's his, yes, it's his career high.
He's the third-best passer in the league from a statistical standpoint.
That, that to me speaks volumes about kinda where he is.
But let me ask you this, okay?
So I'm gonna go a little devil's advocate 'cause I, I love how you I know that you love this.
I do love devil's advocate.
The fact that he is shooting 16.7%, which I don't know the casual listener, that doesn't mean a whole lot, that is terrible, right?
If you're only scoring 16% of your shots.
Because he is struggling so much with his shooting, do you think that's- Maybe like, hey, I wanna pass a little bit more because maybe, my shot's not going in, or my stick's bagged out, or I'm having, I don't have a ton of confidence in my shooting right now, so I'm just- Yeah gonna become a passer.
I, I, I'd wanna look at his splits.
I, I, I think he struggled early on.
He was in a little bit of a slump.
It, it seems like he's been pretty hot and cold is kind of what I'm, what I'm driving at, and I, and I think that part of that is also, you know, in and out of the lineup with some different personnel.
I mean, th- they, they haven't had a consistent lineup, throughout the course of the season, so I, I think that there's some challenges, there.
I That also might just be making an excuse for him.
Does the passing now, will that unlock more, a, a, a, a kind of higher quality shots moving forward for him?
That, that, that is, remains to be seen.
I, I think the Outlaws are not the super team they were last season.
They're six and five heading into the final week.
But Brendan O'Neill deserves more credit for the way he's carrying his team down the stretch, especially with guys like Pat Cavanaugh, Jared Bernhardt banged up out of the lineup.
Denver only had one game where the floor completely fell out for them this year, and that was against the Waterdogs a few weeks ago when O'Neill didn't play.
Since his return, O'Neill has 11 points in two straight wins.
The fact that he's developing into a really solid feeder should scare the rest of the league, because if he finds his shot and marries those two aspects of his game, he's gonna be- Look out impossible to stop, just like this show as we roll into our final segment.
Let's talk about goalies.
Doc, you know a thing or two about the position.
I want you to make the call on four different situations around the league, and let's keep it in Denver.
Logan McNaney versus Owen McElroy.
McNaney has been dealing with a medical issue over the past few weeks and has been shaky when in the lineup.
Owen McElroy got the starting nod last weekend, made a career-high 19 saves against the Atlas.
So what's your mind frame on that goalie situation heading into their final game of the season?
So I'm gonna preface this real quick by saying I, I, I The injuries and the medical problems, I'm not privy to, so I don't know what's going on over there.
But I'm just the outsider that's watching on TV, okay?
So I'm gonna preface that in, in the DeLuca and then, and then the McNaney situations.
I'm gonna preface that.
That being said, there's no way you can put Logan McNaney in to any, in to start any more games right now.
Owen McElroy is at, 66%.
He's giving up eight goals, and more importantly, like, those three game stretches with Logan where, it was just bad, right?
It, I think he was at 20%, 25%, 30%, but more importantly, right, as an old, retired goalie and someone that's been watching the position, it was the look.
Right?
The, the deer in the headlights look, right?
When the ball goes in and you're just like You know, it's the body language.
It's the, it's the, "Oh, I thought I had it.
What just happened?
Uh..." You know?
Like- Which is, which is the- it's hard to explain to other people, but as a goalie, you can just see.
You can see it from a mile away.
It's the look.
And now I don't know if that was due to the medical problem.
I have no idea what's going on there, but his, his last two games, like, I was on TV on my couch like, "What is wrong?"
Like, I almost called him.
I was like- "What Are you okay?"
You know?
Yeah.
Because he just doesn't look right.
It's the deer in the headlights look.
I can't explain it any better, and when you have that, it's no bueno as a goalie.
Which is so atypical for McNaney, right?
Everybody, you know, a- across the, the league, it's like it's his composure.
But just to be clear, if McNaney is 100% healthy, you are going with Owen McElroy over Logan McNaney.
Yes.
The goalie of the year.
Reigning goalie of the year.
The reigning- Yes goalie of the year- Yes and the guy who the last- And he's a Terp, man.
You know I love my Terps, right?
I know.
So every year- You, you know, you know that this is this.
But hey- Every year- I like to think that I'm like a call it like you see it- Every year- no BS kinda guy.
Why would you mess with Owen McElroy?
Who- I, 'cause I think- who's been the best goalie the last three weeks?
'Cause I think he's good at I don't think I, I think he gets you to the dance.
I don't think you go home with him.
Why not?
So, like he- You, you don't go home with 66% and eight?
I'm going home with Logan McNaney.
I'm going home with I, I, if he's- No your starting goalie- I, I'm in the, I'm in the if it ain't broke, don't fix it mode.
If you have, if you have played lacrosse with Logan McNaney the last five years, you've gone to the championship.
That's just your life.
Your- Yeah your life is, if you play with him and if he's on your team, the last four plus years- No, I didn't like the look you go- I didn't like the look you go, you go to the championship.
That's just, that's your reality.
So I, if he's 100% healthy- Hey, all streaks are meant to be broken.
There's no way he can continue doing this for the next- You don't know that 15 years.
You don't know that.
Yes, I do.
You don't know that.
It's virtually impossible, all right?
So it's gonna stop, and in my opinion, it's gonna stop this year if you keep playing him.
Again- I, I- So I don't know.
I'm not messing with 66.
And, and his saves, McElroy, like, I'm watching these saves.
It's electrifying what he's doing out there.
He's making one-on-one saves.
Yeah, he's Cinderella.
He's, he's- He's Cinderella at the ball, and eventually- it's gonna become midnight, and that, that, that coach is gonna turn back into a pumpkin.
Like- I don't know like, I think he's a great backup.
I think he's done a fantastic job in terms of the half and then the game.
He Right?
That, that's what he's done.
We're talking about the reigning goal of the year, and again, the guy the last four years- Has he played two games, or how, how many games has he started, McElroy?
McElroy has started one game.
He played the second half of the game before that.
I'm going with him.
Which was a comeback against the Whips.
It, I mean, we also, on this show, maybe need to put a caveat and an asterisk against anything that comes, a take that comes with you just played the New York Atlas in your last game.
So, and, but I, my gut goes, i- is siding with Boyle, but Doc, maybe there is a look that all non-goalies can't really see, so I do trust you there.
Yes.
I did not like the look.
Let's talk to, the Waterdogs situation now.
Sean Byrne or Matt DeLuca.
Matt DeLuca is back from injury reserve, but Sean Byrne is heating up, and the Waterdogs have won three straight with him in net.
Doc, who are you rolling with?
I'll roll with Sean Byrne all day, 56.5%, 11.3 goals against.
DeLuca, I've been saying it since the beginning of the year, again, no hard feelings, but, you know, it, it, I feel bad because he was having a nice season, right?
Until he got hurt.
But this is pro lacrosse, right?
You, you're going there and somebody's coming in there.
The Water Dogs are first place.
Byrne's been hot the last couple games.
DeLuca, in my opinion, has not been the five-time reigning Goalie of the Year, played in a championship game since he was 12.
Like, Logan McNaney- hasn't missed a championship game since the Crab Fest when he was ninth- ninth, nine years old, for Sweet Lax was the last time he'd ever played in a championship game, right?
So I'll go with Sean Byrne all day.
No disrespect for DeLuca, but, hey, that's pro lacrosse for you.
Boyle, are you aligned?
I, I don't think it matters.
I, I, I think it's more about their offense.
I, I, I think you, you're riding Cursed, you're riding Sauers, and you, you hope to get enough defense.
And they've been a little bit more buttoned up a- a- as of late, but I, I don't, I don't know if it matters.
Doc, you've been riding the backups so far.
Are you also sticking with JC Higginbotham, the Bellarmine product, over Con Cursed?
It seems like the Cannons have made their decision, but are you on board with it?
So, you know, this is the one I've been going back- That's a, that's a deep sigh.
That was a deep sigh right there.
This is the one I've been going back and forth on.
Just because it's just, I, if you would've told me before the beginning of the season that some guy named JC Higginbotham, right- would be leading the Cannons in, into the last seven games of the season, but this is really if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Cursed, it, you know, has, has been having a really subpar year, under 50%, a lot of goals.
The Cannons are hot with JC in there.
I could see if you did it, but if you did it, you would just do it because his name is Cursed.
If his name was Joe Schmo, right, like, you're go- you're rolling with JC Higginbotham every single time.
So I, I'm rolling with JC.
He's, he's hot right now.
The Cannons have this little thing going on, this moxie, this I don't know what you wanna call it.
They got it going on, and I think to disrupt that would, would be, not, not, not very smart right now.
And, and I'm gonna double down on what Doc said.
You know, i- if JC Higginbotham also had a different name and was more of a proven backup, right, i- i- if JC Higginbotham- Hey, if he- was, if he was Austin Cow, right, a- and it's like, oh, you know, he's, he's Y- you look at, at him statistically, the last, you know, three games, all north of 50%, two of those games above 60%, if he was a little bit more of a proven commodity, you'd be like, "Well, yeah, this is what you get out of this guy," right?
So I, I, I, I echo what Doc says.
I don't know how If you're Boston, I don't know, y- you're not doing anything- Yeah to change this mojo.
I'm, I'm- You're not, you're not, you're- I'm wearing the same underwear I'm showering in the same spot.
I'm sitting next to the same dude on the bus.
I am having the same thing for breakfast.
I'm doing it all if I'm the Cannons right now.
All right.
This last one I think is a little less of a situation than the rest, but interesting nonetheless.
It's the Redwoods.
Dylan Ward's been the guy all year, but there was a situation this last weekend where he got a penalty, Ryan Krodyk came in the game, and then he played the rest of the way.
They traded for Ry- Dylan Ward, but they also traded a first-round pick for Ryan Krodyk.
So, where do you stand on Dylan Ward or Ryan Krodyk?
Can I, can I, can I, can I- What do you think that was last weekend?
Can I chime in on one thing before- Sure before we hear Doc's decision?
'Cause Doc, I'm calling the game a- a- and Dylan Ward gets a penalty and gets sent out, so they gotta put Krodyk in, and I'm up in the booth a- and, and then the play continues, the penalty's done, and I'm like, "What are we doing here?
Why isn't Dylan Ward going back in?"
And so I'm, I'm, you know, I'm trying to, like, find out the, the why.
We, we finally get the reporting and, and Dylan Ward's just kind of like, "Yeah, let's just see what the kid's got."
I- I've never, I've n- could you explain that?
I, I've never- No I've never been in a situation within a game where the goalie's like, "Yeah, just let the backup kind of go for it."
I, I just- I, I don't know what to tell you there.
I, like- Yeah, yeah that, that to me, right, like, that is everything against like, "No, I want back in."
I think they secretly wanna play Krodyk, right?
Like, and I think they're trying to force, right, things that go in there.
You know, I think secretly they might, you know, want Dylan Ward to have a bad quarter, right?
They don't want him to have a bad quarter so they can get Like, just an excuse.
I, I don't think I'm explaining it or using the right words, but they, they just want an excuse, I think, that's what it seems like to me, to get Krodyk in there.
I would stick with Ward, right?
But at the same time, if you're telling me that Ward's like, "Hey, let the rookie go," now I'm Now I don't know if I wanna stick with Ward, you know what I mean?
I want, I want a- This is- I want a dog in there- this is bizarre that wants his thing, understanding that this could be, you say that, and then two seconds later, that could be the last time you ever play pro lacrosse.
You know what I mean?
Because he could just take it and run with it like- I do.
That's why I was so- some of these other guys are doing I was so confused.
I, I think part of me was like, man, he's in such a comfortable place that he's like, "Sure," like, "Let's give the kid a few minutes and see what he's got."
The other part of me's like- Maybe if it's like a meaningless game- That's- or we've already clinched the playoffs.
We haven't wrapped up the playoff yet.
Right?
Yeah.
So it's like, no.
No, no, no.
I think he's- In, in those situations, right, if I feel comfortable, yeah, let the kid see what he's got maybe, right?
But no, I'm, I'm going back into that game.
I think they should start Ward.
I think secretly the places that you and I don't want, aren't allowed to be in, that they don't wanna talk about, they secretly wanna play Krodyk out there.
Ward's performance up until that point was fine.
Like, it wa- it wasn't anything like, like, like He was making saves, he was above 50%, like, there wasn't anything performance related at all that would dictate them, them making a change.
That's really interesting context, and I appreciate you sharing that on the show.
Well, and you mentioned the Redwoods haven't locked up anything.
They do have a significant score differential advantage over the, the Chaos right now.
It's- 12 scores different.
But if the Outlaws beat them by 12 or 13 goals, then all of a sudden the Chaos are in this weekend.
Stranger things have happened.
Stranger- That is true stranger things have happened.
That is true.
We can go back to the annals of, of, of this, this league.
Go back and check out a Redwoods game in 2019 against the Chrome.
I remember that.
Could happen.
Well, we hope you enjoyed this week, w- this week's episode of Freeze It Right Here.
Marcus Holman is a legend.
Brendan O'Neill is well on his way to becoming one himself, and we have a lot of interesting PLL storylines to watch heading into the final week of the regular season and playoff time.
Speaking of which, it's a lighter weekend in Philly, just three games.
The Water Dogs have their homecoming double header.
The first game is against the New York Atlas on Saturday at 2:00 Eastern Time on ESPN, and then they play again on Sunday against the Maryland Whipsnakes at 1:00 Eastern on ABC.
Then the Outlaws and Redwoods close out the PLL regular season on Sunday at 3:30 Eastern in the ESPN app.
But the headliner of the weekend is the WLL championship game.
We've got the Maryland Charm versus the California Palms at 5:00 Eastern on ESPN.
Both teams went three and one to clinch their spot in the inaugural WLL title, and the last time they met, it was an absolute thriller.
Baltimore weekend, three back and forth goals in the final minute to send it to overtime, and then of course, the game-winning goal off the stick of Maryland's Cassidy Spillis in sudden death OT.
That was California's only loss of the season, and the Palms have a chance to avenge it this weekend.
Any final predictions from the Hall of Famers on this inaugural WLL championship?
Well, I was spending, some time this week with a member of the Palms squad, so I, I know that they have, some revenge on their mind and they're, are looking forward to the fact that it was the Charm that they would see in the championship.
So I'll just leave it, I'll leave it at that.
I'm, I'm going Maryland all day.
Oh, yeah, obviously.
I, I'm not surprised.
All right.
For the Hall of Famers- Ryan Boyle and Brian Dougherty, our producers Jake Gould and Nate Allen, and the rest of the PLL production team that helps make this show happen, I'm Kevin Boyle for the Lacrosse Network, saying thank you for watching this episode of Freeze It Right Here.
Freeze it right here.
Freeze it right.
Freeze it right here.
