Saturday practice 4/1

[RV]

I will be attending practice tomorrow and will be posting some notes tomorrow evening. I'llstill be wearing a nametag (I am RV) so don't be shy and introduce yourself if you see me.First practice in pads - can't wait!See ya there.

[Lost Highway]

RV wrote: I will be attending practice tomorrow and will be posting some notes tomorrow evening. I'llstill be wearing a nametag (I am RV) so don't be shy and introduce yourself if you see me.First practice in pads - can't wait!See ya there.
Outstanding. I can't wait for this.:thumbup

[baldcat]

I'd really appreciate yourobservations and opinionsof Grinter at SS, RV.

And reports of Pulley's development would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks.

[Sam K.]

Hope to see you there RV.

Note: On the UK website they're now saying that practice is at Nutter, not Commonwealth Stadium.

[RV]

There were some posters that had the courage to say Hi and I enjoyed conversing with you. Looking forward to seeing you again in the future. I was also able to talk to some player’s parents and was encouraged by the positive things they had to say about the staff, facilities and program. I’m not going to mention any names but you know who you are. Thank you for sharing with me and it was a pleasure to meet you.



I’d like to make this general comment. The schools that we want to emulate and aspire to don’t have to play Frosh and Soph’s like we’ve had to. Their young guys don’t usually see the field until they’re 4th year Juniors so keep that in mind when you watch our young colts growing to maturity. Don’t be so hasty to formulate a bad opinion or write a kid off. Remember, the mistakes you see or the flaws you perceive are right there in front of you instead of being handled and fixed on the practice field like some of the more highly ranked programs can do before these youngsters have to play a significant role.



Now for the players themselves:



The kicking game was better today and the kickers showed better accuracy while Masthay was getting good distance and hang time.



It was a spirited practice with lots of woofin’ going on between the offense and defense when the two groups interacted.



While it was no surprise to see Jarrell Williams with his arm in a sling, it was surprising to see Ricky Abren under the same circumstances. Heard he tweeked the shoulder Friday and hopefully it’s not serious.



Coach Sanders will be a big asset to our staff and is working diligently with our QB’s to make them better although this wasn’t one of our better days accuracy-wise. During the short scrimmage, we didn’t throw the ball that well and when we did throw accurately, the receivers had the dropsies. Oh well. We’re not a machine yet.



Our three-headed monster at Tailback is very exciting to see. All have good vision and speed.



Hennis and Miller worked at both tackle spots. Good to see Alexander out in pads.




Christian Johnson is just plain nasty, and I mean that in a good way.



Joe Joe Brown is a work in progress but I’m encouraged by what I see of him. He’s catching the ball well at this time and pulled in a nice 20+ yarder in the skellies from Woodson.



All our LB’s are very active and were flying around. I really like this group. I like to watch the O and D-lines in their one on one drills and LB W. Woodyard came over and took a turn or two as a pass rusher.



NAO (Nii Adjei Oninku) is very active at the weakside DE. Has a very good motor and doesn’t quit on a play. Would like to see him gain another 10 or 15 but he’s still just a Soph.



With more experience, Soph DT’s Jenkins (needs another 15-20 lbs) and Pryor are going to be something special.



Our safety position is thin this spring but looks like Grinter has movedup with the second group. Has loads of potential and I was impressed with his play when I focused in on him today. Marcus McClinton is a solid playerat FSas well.



While David Jones is not participating in contact drills, he is noticeably thicker.



We have 16 guys not participating that would be on the two deep depth chart and we still have many more ‘players’ this spring than the previous few springs.

[WarrenSCPA]

Thanks RV! The updates are really appreciated.

Your "general comment", IMO, is the most important. Even though it appears that our numbers and talent are "up", they are still VERY young. I hope the fans keep in mind that young players sometimes make dumb mistakes due to the youth. Also, it is important to remember that young players have fragile egos. They need to be encouraged through their mistakes and not immediately criticized.

A lot of people are taking a bowl game for granted. I do not think it will happen this year due to the youth. It is possible and I expect a lot of improvement, but in the end we just miss out. This team should be really good in two years. Patience is still needed.

[Lost Highway]

Thanks RV. I always enjoy football comments. :thumbup

[ukbob]

Really good report.

I just cannot envision Grinter at safety. Is he fast enough with his size? What a monster though.

[jwade]

I don't either, Bob. This staff's philosophy is to let a player compete for a position if he wants to, and I think that's what's happening with Grinter. I maintain he will eventually move to LB but even then, he could stand to get down to 240 or so. He's playing a lot right now because S is one of our need positions. That will change somewhat when the freshmen report in August. IMO.

Jim

[I. Melvin]

Thanks, RV! Your discerning eye means a lot to us out-of-towners.

Have we ever had a spring where so many players who are expected to contribute are (for whatever reason) not participating? Makes it hard to judge this squad.

And, as others have said, why is Grinter at safety and Woodyard at LB? I suspect Wesley will play safety in the NFL for ten years ...

[poodoo]

Great report, RV. Thanks a million.

Again, my main concern, position-wise, is at wide receiver. Let's hope some guys clearly emerge to the front there as spring practice continues, especially in consistently catching the ball, AND that both Burton and Ford are ready to go in August. By the way, I really enjoy hearing about the defense, too.

[T75]

jwade wrote: I don't either, Bob. This staff's philosophy is to let a player compete for a position if he wants to, and I think that's what's happening with Grinter. I maintain he will eventually move to LB but even then, he could stand to get down to 240 or so. He's playing a lot right now because S is one of our need positions. That will change somewhat when the freshmen report in August. IMO.

Jim


Grinter says he is at about 240 right now; not the 252 that Brooks spoke of. We certainly need some depth in the DB group but I'd sure like to see some LB's with his speed.

When Archer couldn't get the 3 - 4 defensive alignment to work, lack of speed at LB was one of the major reasons, along with DTs that just weren't strong enough.