Fort Drum Scrimmage Report (TexanMark and Tomcat)

[Toga]

Sounds like they need to put Womack in motion so he can get off the line.

 

[TheCusian]

I hear you...express back calls for someone who can run the ball on a sweep and that isn't what you think of when you think of Ben Lewis. But I think with the new offense (and this is only a thought now, I am not real familiar with it), on passing plays, the express back is going to fill the role of the slot receiver. The XB is going to be asked to over the middle, find seams in the zone and make tough catches in traffic. Similar to what Alec Lemon did for us most of his career. And I think the express back plays a big role in blocking on running plays. In those areas, Lewis excels. He is probably our most physical receiver, our toughest and I think he is our best blocker there too.

Agree. I think I saw a quote where Shafer or Lester was saying he wasn't sure Lewis would be okay with all the roles of the XB. But then saw him run - always makes a guy miss and is tough kid to get down.

I got the impression we wouldn't see it a lot - but that he can do it in a pinch.

 

[oldpinepoint]

Damn I would have liked one of those coins

 

[FAL]

I will post some stuff here...have to work so I will update it from time to time during the day. But here is my take...

TexanMark, northacuse and I had planned to meet in Watertown at 4:30 pm. Got a call from Mark at about 10:30 telling me CuseLegacy had just texted him that the scrimmage had been moved to 11:30 AM due to the bad forecast for the afternoon. Could I possibly make it? About 10 minutes later, I was on the highway heading north.

It is pretty cool being on a military base, seeing the PX, the living quarters for the troops, etc. Things are at a heightened state of alert right now (Bravo, I think), so there was more security at the checkpoint entering the base and at other points as well.

When we arrived, there was almost no one at the field where practice was being held. Talked to a few kids and a few curious troopers who stopped by. One of the kids was sporting a high fade and said he played RB for Indian River. We pointed out Floyd Little to him. They had a nice conversation and Floyd posed for a picture with him, which thrilled him to no end.

But let's talk about the scrimmage.

There was a strong wind blowing downfield. The coached elected to have all drives head with the wind. The defense was on one side of the field and the offense on the other. One glaring change was that the players on offense were a lot more spirited and vocal than they have been in recent years. The players on defense have shown a lot of spirit and togetherness since Scott Shafer arrived but the players on offense...not so much. It is a little thing but I think worth noting.

Will try and break down what I saw unit by unit...

Special teams

Riley is as expected far better than anyone else at punter. He is wearing cut off football pants (they end about halfway up his thighs) and uber low socks, which gives him the air of one of those Italian bicyclists from Breaking Away. All that is missing is the little hat with the turned up brim and maybe a Cinzano umbrella. But he is kicking the crap out of the ball, getting the best hang time I have ever seen and it looks like he has gotten quite a bit stronger. Sterling appears to be the backup. Can't get the ball to spiral or turnover, doesn't release the ball properly before punting it and needs a lot of work on his flexibility if he wants to be decent in the future. Looks better suited to be a placekicker at this point.

Speaking of placekickers, Cole Murphy and Ryan Norton are continuing their knock-down, drag-out fight for the starting job here (Sterling does not appear to be involved). I thought Norton kicked it better, got it higher and hit it more solidly than Cole. Norton had a 52 yarder, that would have been good from 55, but missed a 48 yarder short as well. Remember, he was kicking with a really strong wind. Cole was okay, just want to see him get the ball higher so he doesn't get any more kicks blocked in 2015. Both worked with the first team at times, but Cole had more snaps there. I think both made something in the range of 5 of 6.

Keith M-long Japanese name and Matt Keller are also in a battle for the snapper jobs. Both worked with the first team at times. I think Keith M might have had a better day; Keller had at least one bad snap.

Looks like Dixon is going to be the holder. Mahoney is the backup.

Brisly spent by far the most time catching punts. Ishmael was out though so that might change when Steve starts practicing again. He looked solid on a day when judging punts was not a trivial task.

They didn't practice kickoffs. Don't know what is going on on that front.

Offense

Hunt worked with the first team offense against the second team defense. I would say he looked similar to how he looked at FanFest. Made the routine throws, struggled some on longer throws with his accuracy, struggled some with his accuracy in general. Again it was really windy, which didn't help matters. The best thing about his performance at FanFest was that he didn't throw the ball into coverage once, and his avoided this mortal sin yesterday, except for one throw to the left flat where Dowels anticipated the pattern, jumped the route and made a great play for a pick six. Hunt runs the option better than the other QBs but is not particularly good at it. The refs were extremely aggressive with early whistles when a defender got near a QB, so that handicapped Hunt running the ball, as he is more than capable of breaking tackles or evading defenders with a good late move. Anyway, like Mark said, Hunt is Hunt. Doesn't look like he is going to mutate into Dan Fouts out there but he looked like the good Hunt we have seen in the past, not the bad one.

Wilson didn't get a ton of snaps, wasn't very effective when he was in. Confidence might be an issue. His biggest problem continues to be bad decision making. Loves to try and force the ball into coverage, which is a really bad trait for a QB for a team that has a lot of WRs who struggle to get open.

Mahoney got about the same PT as Wilson. Was more effective, had a few nice passes. Doesn't have a big arm or a lot of athletic ability but made good choices.

Dungey might have gotten the most reps of any QB, which was a big change from FanFest. Looked visibly more confident, made some really nice throws. Showed a strong arm and unual poise in the pocket for a true frosh. More than any QB, he was hurt by the quick whistle as he had a number of instances when he held the ball until the last minute to allow the WR to finish his route and got called for a sack when he actually got rid of the ball just in time (and made a good throw). He showed his quickness and agility some too. This kid has a high ceiling and it is hard not to be excited about him. Should note though that he played mostly with the 3rd team offense and mostly against the third team defense, which is not nearly as good as the other defensive units. He did do some damage against the 2nd team though.

With Ishmael and Avant sitting things out, the other WRs had a great chance to show off their skills with the extra playing time. Wasn't wowed with them very much.

Estime had a good day and scored a couple of TDs. Philips is probably the best athlete on the team and does something good every time the ball is thrown his way. Lewis, wearing wearing jersey #5 for some reason, looked solid. Stronger, probably our toughest and most physical WR right now. Custis barely touched the ball. Looks great in his uniform but no production yet. He would do well to study the way Lewis plays. Adly Enoicy had a bad drop but made a nice catch and move for a TD. AC was basically a no show. Don't remember his touching the ball. I see no evidence he is going to be a factor this season. He could really help himself if he could get stronger. Womack gets open and has good hands but if he gets bumped, he is out of the play. Strickland has some strength and speed and I think it is only a matter of time before he cracks the two deep.

At TE, Parris and MacPherson got almost all the PT. Both made good receptions, neither looks like they will ever get more than 1 or 2 YAC. but they can block and catch the ball. Dunk had a nice grab in limited minutes. He can clearly run and has to have the highest ceiling of the bunch. I assume he needs to know the playbook better and improve his blocking to get more playing time.

At RB, as already noted, McFarland sat practice out. He was fully dressed though and showed no signs of injury. Morris got a lot of PT and did well, running with more urgency and power than I have seen from him in the past. He had a couple long TD runs on sweeps. Strickland appears to be working exclusively with the express backs, so he is out of the picture too. They left Fredericks and Hill to split the carries. Hill looked good when he ran to the outside but did little running between the tackles. Fredericks did damage a lot, looks like he has a nice blend of speed and power. Also cuts really well and was successful running inside and outside. Surprised by his power, he is clearly our strongest runner as a true frosh. McFarland and Morris better watch out, this kid has some talent.

On the OL, Foy and Roberts kind of stand out with the notable changes to their bodies. Both look great and are moving well out there. Palmer is struggling a little at RT, and Robinson and Trudo look good. It is strange to see Trudo moving around without a limp, in a good way. He opened some holes. Snapped the shotgun snaps decently but had a couple bad ones. The backups at OL are LT McGloster, LT Hayes, C Emerich, RG Mixed Cast and RT Lasker. Of the true frosh, looks to me like Evan Adams, Duerig and Conway might have a leg up. That group of frosh OL is impressive looking.

Will get the defense later.

Like Bud say: "Another whammy-jammer report!"

 

[JeremyCuse]

I hear you...express back calls for someone who can run the ball on a sweep and that isn't what you think of when you think of Ben Lewis.

But I think with the new offense (and this is only a thought now, I am not real familiar with it), on passing plays, the express back is going to fill the role of the slot receiver. The XB is going to be asked to over the middle, find seams in the zone and make tough catches in traffic. Similar to what Alec Lemon did for us most of his career.

And I think the express back plays a big role in blocking on running plays.

In those areas, Lewis excels. He is probably our most physical receiver, our toughest and I think he is our best blocker there too.

Good posts Tom. Agree on Lewis he shouldn't be taking handoffs or doing anything with the ball in the backfield. I anticipate that in must pass situations we will go 4 wide and Lewis will simply be a slot WR.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Speaking of - with questionable depth at WR, and seemingly a lot of young talent at express...would Ben Lewis be moved back to WR? It seems like a logical move to me, anyway, assuming Strickland or Perkins emerges.

I think he will surely play much more of a traditional WR role. One thing to remeber is that SU is going to have to play a good amount of passing situations straight up with 4 Wr's lined up like normal. In those instanes the Express back or whatever we are calling them become regular WR's then. Lewis could/should make his biggest impact in that regard vs the gadget stuff that Erv, Stricland, Womack might do.

 

[Trueblue25]

Dying to hear about Slayton, Pickard, Clarke, Ealey, Shepperd etc.

 

[tep624]

Like Bud say: "Another whammy-jammer report!"

Whiz Bang Shaboom!

 

[sutomcat]

Defense

It has already been noted that Raymon and Sugar Bear (Thompson) did not play. Thompson was without crutches and participated in stretching exercises. Looks like he is improving some. Raymon drank a vast amount of water.

Clark looks like a man among boys out there. Impressive on the field too, more than held his own and played a big role in shutting down attempts to run into the tackles. Rony Charles again showed an ability to get past his man to get TFLs. Has to lose some weight but has some ability. Samuels looks like he added some bad weight, is probably the fattest scholarship athlete on the team and didn't appear to be a big factor. I was kind of disappointed, was expecting more from him.

Slayton occupied space well but I didn't notice him getting pressure or making tackles. Guidice looked okay out there, pretty mature for a frosh. Cross looked physically ready but neither is quite as advanced as Clark. The incoming frosh are going to be a force in another year or two.

Simmons has really jacked arms and looks like our best pass rushing threat with Sugar Bear out. He played quite well but isn't at Sugar Bear's level. Arciniega is a little banged up but has a nice blend of speed and power. Should be a lock to be part of the two deep. Sheppard and Ealey are ahead of Pickard and Carter right now, with Ealey a little ahead of Sheppard and Pickard ahead of Carter (based on playing time with the North and South units). Really like the frosh DEs too. It looks like we are well positioned for the future at these positions. I thought Sheppard played a little better than Ealey. Looks a little bigger and stronger. Ealey is probably a little quicker now.

At LB, Zaire was kind of quiet at the MILE but flashed ability on some plays. Didn't dominate like I was hoping he would. Hodge looks solid, he is finally over 220 pounds and holds up at the point of attack better now. Bennett played with the North unit at the SAM position all practice and looks to have that position battle won. Really good blitzing on passing downs. Vigille is working at the MIKE with the South unit and looks good. Cullen is working at the WILL unit and looks really good, very quick, strong and showed good instincts. Some guys just get it. He is one of them, I think. Thomas continues to show signs of being excellent but is really inconsistent. Looks like Taylor is overtaking him for the backup role at the SAM. He is quick and just seems to make a lot of plays. Troy Henderson is working with the third team at MIKE right now. Looks good but he has some experience in front of him.

At safety, we have 3 guys fighting for PT: Williams, Cordy and Scissum. I think all are going to play a lot, looks like Williams is going to be the Okie this season and we will probably play that more than the base 3-4. Williams continues to make good plays, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Probably our quickest safety. Cordy is a big hitter, good against the run, not so good against the pass. Scissum is a little less decisive but is a big dude who hits hard. Looks like he has the ability to cover TEs too. There is PT to be had for a fourth safety. The three frosh, Ellison, Whitner and Frederick are in a big battle here. It looks really close to me. All can run and hit. I thought Frederick probably had the best practice but I liked all of them.

At corner, Morgan and Whigham played with the North unit all practice. They look okay but I am not expecting All ACC honors for either of them. Hudson and Dowels worked with the South unit. I thought Dowels had a really good practice at FanFest and IMHO he was the best CB on the field yesterday too. Had a great break on a ball to get a pick 6. Is just more aggressive and physical than the other CBs. I think Whigham is probably better than Morgan right now. Ellison played some CB at FanFest but I only saw him at safety yesterday.

I think our secondary is okay and will get better as the season progresses but for our defense to be solid, we have to get pressure on the ball without blitzing. Thompson has to get better soon and Simmons needs to be able to help him out. The LBs are talented. have quickness but are a little undersized. I think if the DTs stay healthy, they are big enough to provide enough problems that the LBs can be successful stopping the run. Am more worried about stopping playing passes. Hope we can stay healthy. There is enough talent here to be a serviceable defense but if we get hit with a lot of injuries, it could be a long season.

The offense should be improved both running the ball and passing it. We are even thinner on offense and have to stay healthy here. But I like the young skilled players. Should get better here as the season progresses.

Our special teams feature experience at punter and placekicker and the skilled players rounding out the units should be much better athletically than in recent years. Should be much better with our coverage and return units and I think Gregory is going to really help us here. Worried about our KO unit, which I didn't see yet. Hope we have found someone who can consistently get the ball into the endzone on KOs.

Thanks again to Mark for getting me on the base. It was fun. I won't talk about the plays that were run but it was less vanilla than we saw at FanFest and some interesting things were shown...

 

[FAL]

Defense

It has already been noted that Raymon and Sugar Bear (Thompson) did not play. Thompson was without crutches and participated in stretching exercises. Looks like he is improving some. Raymon drank a vast amount of water.

Clark looks like a man among boys out there. Impressive on the field too, more than held his own and played a big role in shutting down attempts to run into the tackles. Rony Charles again showed an ability to get past his man to get TFLs. Has to lose some weight but has some ability. Samuels looks like he added some bad weight, is probably the fattest scholarship athlete on the team and didn't appear to be a big factor. I was kind of disappointed, was expecting more from him.

Slayton occupied space well but I didn't notice him getting pressure or making tackles. Guidice looked okay out there, pretty mature for a frosh. Cross looked physically ready but neither is quite as advanced as Clark. The incoming frosh are going to be a force in another year or two.

Simmons has really jacked arms and looks like our best pass rushing threat with Sugar Bear out. He played quite well but isn't at Sugar Bear's level. Arciniega is a little banged up but has a nice blend of speed and power. Should be a lock to be part of the two deep. Sheppard and Ealey are ahead of Pickard and Carter right now, with Ealey a little ahead of Sheppard and Pickard ahead of Carter (based on playing time with the North and South units). Really like the frosh DEs too. It looks like we are well positioned for the future at these positions. I thought Sheppard played a little better than Ealey. Looks a little bigger and stronger. Ealey is probably a little quicker now.

At LB, Zaire was kind of quiet at the MILE but flashed ability on some plays. Didn't dominate like I was hoping he would. Hodge looks solid, he is finally over 220 pounds and holds up at the point of attack better now. Bennett played with the North unit at the SAM position all practice and looks to have that position battle won. Really good blitzing on passing downs. Vigille is working at the MIKE with the South unit and looks good. Cullen is working at the WILL unit and looks really good, very quick, strong and showed good instincts. Some guys just get it. He is one of them, I think. Thomas continues to show signs of being excellent but is really inconsistent. Looks like Taylor is overtaking him for the backup role at the SAM. He is quick and just seems to make a lot of plays. Troy Henderson is working with the third team at MIKE right now. Looks good but he has some experience in front of him.

At safety, we have 3 guys fighting for PT: Williams, Cordy and Scissum. I think all are going to play a lot, looks like Williams is going to be the Okie this season and we will probably play that more than the base 3-4. Williams continues to make good plays, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Probably our quickest safety. Cordy is a big hitter, good against the run, not so good against the pass. Scissum is a little less decisive but is a big dude who hits hard. Looks like he has the ability to cover TEs too. There is PT to be had for a fourth safety. The three frosh, Ellison, Whitner and Frederick are in a big battle here. It looks really close to me. All can run and hit. I thought Frederick probably had the best practice but I liked all of them.

At corner, Morgan and Whigham played with the North unit all practice. They look okay but I am not expecting All ACC honors for either of them. Hudson and Dowels worked with the South unit. I thought Dowels had a really good practice at FanFest and IMHO he was the best CB on the field yesterday too. Had a great break on a ball to get a pick 6. Is just more aggressive and physical than the other CBs. I think Whigham is probably better than Morgan right now. Ellison played some CB at FanFest but I only saw him at safety yesterday.

I think our secondary is okay and will get better as the season progresses but for our defense to be solid, we have to get pressure on the ball without blitzing. Thompson has to get better soon and Simmons needs to be able to help him out. The LBs are talented. have quickness but are a little undersized. I think if the DTs stay healthy, they are big enough to provide enough problems that the LBs can be successful stopping the run. Am more worried about stopping playing passes. Hope we can stay healthy. There is enough talent here to be a serviceable defense but if we get hit with a lot of injuries, it could be a long season.

The offense should be improved both running the ball and passing it. We are even thinner on offense and have to stay healthy here. But I like the young skilled players. Should get better here as the season progresses.

Our special teams feature experience at punter and placekicker and the skilled players rounding out the units should be much better athletically than in recent years. Should be much better with our coverage and return units and I think Gregory is going to really help us here. Worried about our KO unit, which I didn't see yet. Hope we have found someone who can consistently get the ball into the endzone on KOs.

Thanks again to Mark for getting me on the base. It was fun. I won't talk about the plays that were run but it was less vanilla than we saw at FanFest and some interesting things were shown...

Don't be fooled: Tomcat has a staff of 10 with eyes on the ground and has 3 stealth drones with cameras overhead at all times. It's the only way such reporting can be explained.

 

[weedsportwarriors]

I can't believe I missed out on the coin. Mark me down for one in the next round.

 

[OburgOrange]

Don't be fooled: Tomcat has a staff of 10 with eyes on the ground and has 3 stealth drones with cameras overhead at all times. It's the only way such reporting can be explained.

I can't remember 30 seconds ago. And, I can't remember 30 seconds ago

 

[anomander]

I will post some stuff here...have to work so I will update it from time to time during the day. But here is my take... TexanMark, northacuse and I had planned to meet in Watertown at 4:30 pm. Got a call from Mark at about 10:30 telling me CuseLegacy had just texted him that the scrimmage had been moved to 11:30 AM due to the bad forecast for the afternoon. Could I possibly make it? About 10 minutes later, I was on the highway heading north. It is pretty cool being on a military base, seeing the PX, the living quarters for the troops, etc. Things are at a heightened state of alert right now (Bravo, I think), so there was more security at the checkpoint entering the base and at other points as well. When we arrived, there was almost no one at the field where practice was being held. Talked to a few kids and a few curious troopers who stopped by. One of the kids was sporting a high fade and said he played RB for Indian River. We pointed out Floyd Little to him. They had a nice conversation and Floyd posed for a picture with him, which thrilled him to no end. But let's talk about the scrimmage. There was a strong wind blowing downfield. The coached elected to have all drives head with the wind. The defense was on one side of the field and the offense on the other. One glaring change was that the players on offense were a lot more spirited and vocal than they have been in recent years. The players on defense have shown a lot of spirit and togetherness since Scott Shafer arrived but the players on offense...not so much. It is a little thing but I think worth noting. Will try and break down what I saw unit by unit... Special teams Riley is as expected far better than anyone else at punter. He is wearing cut off football pants (they end about halfway up his thighs) and uber low socks, which gives him the air of one of those Italian bicyclists from Breaking Away. All that is missing is the little hat with the turned up brim and maybe a Cinzano umbrella. But he is kicking the crap out of the ball, getting the best hang time I have ever seen and it looks like he has gotten quite a bit stronger. Sterling appears to be the backup. Can't get the ball to spiral or turnover, doesn't release the ball properly before punting it and needs a lot of work on his flexibility if he wants to be decent in the future. Looks better suited to be a placekicker at this point. Speaking of placekickers, Cole Murphy and Ryan Norton are continuing their knock-down, drag-out fight for the starting job here (Sterling does not appear to be involved). I thought Norton kicked it better, got it higher and hit it more solidly than Cole. Norton had a 52 yarder, that would have been good from 55, but missed a 48 yarder short as well. Remember, he was kicking with a really strong wind. Cole was okay, just want to see him get the ball higher so he doesn't get any more kicks blocked in 2015. Both worked with the first team at times, but Cole had more snaps there. I think both made something in the range of 5 of 6. Keith M-long Japanese name and Matt Keller are also in a battle for the snapper jobs. Both worked with the first team at times. I think Keith M might have had a better day; Keller had at least one bad snap. Looks like Dixon is going to be the holder. Mahoney is the backup.

It still boggles my mind that we have 3 kickers a punter and a Long snapper on scholarship. All that I know is that Long Snapper better start for 4 years and make a perfect snap every single time. IMO Shafers roster management is an area he needs to improve greatly on. It may not seem like a big deal, but a couple extra ST scholarships here, a project here, a project there, a questionable post NSD add, etc all a sudden we have 6 or 7 "wasted" scholarships. We have to make every single roster spot count.

 

[FAL]

I can't remember 30 seconds ago. And, I can't remember 30 seconds ago

Oh--so you really are one of Tomcat's drone pilots?!? Don't be surprised if you get a knock on your door from one of those whiz-bang reporters from Syracuse.com tomorrow!

 

[Libero2]

It still boggles my mind that we have 3 kickers a punter and a Long snapper on scholarship. All that I know is that Long Snapper better start for 4 years and make a perfect snap every single time. IMO Shafers roster management is an area he needs to improve greatly on. It may not seem like a big deal, but a couple extra ST scholarships here, a project here, a project there, a questionable post NSD add, etc all a sudden we have 6 or 7 "wasted" scholarships. We have to make every single roster spot count.

I have no issue with a LS on scholly or 3 K/P as long as they are spaced out 2 seniors and a young leg for example. But 4 kickers is excessive IMO. However cole Murphy and Dixon were walkons and Norton was a disaster waiting to happen (still could be frankly) and no one will argue Dixon doesn't deserve a ship, nor the Hof for that matter. Does Murphy deserve a scholarship if he loses the camp battle to Norton? I have no idea. But that's the only slot I would argue is mis-managed right now.

If we were Alabama and could convince a top LS and specialist to play for us on their own dime that's one thing, but we can't do that right now.

Also wasn't the LS we signed (name escapes me) considered by at least one service the #1 snapper prospect in the country?

 

[TexanMark]

Yes, Matt Keller is the scholie snapper. He is pretty small but we have played with and had success with smaller LS'ers in the past. If he delivers 3-4 years of consistent snaps into the Sweet Spot then it was worth a scholie. The Kicker thing just kinda happened and came as a result of Ross Krautman having the ongoing groin muscle tear issue.

My bet is True Frosh Hofrichter redshirts. Norton and Murphy will do the kicks this year. Can't Murphy do punting in a pinch? This might work out going forward that Murphy can do punting duty and situational kicking. Norton is a senior...hopefully he can go out this year and play well and have fun. Didn't notice...not sure that backup punter is still around.

 

[SUalldway]

Defense

It has already been noted that Raymon and Sugar Bear (Thompson) did not play. Thompson was without crutches and participated in stretching exercises. Looks like he is improving some. Raymon drank a vast amount of water.

Clark looks like a man among boys out there. Impressive on the field too, more than held his own and played a big role in shutting down attempts to run into the tackles. Rony Charles again showed an ability to get past his man to get TFLs. Has to lose some weight but has some ability. Samuels looks like he added some bad weight, is probably the fattest scholarship athlete on the team and didn't appear to be a big factor. I was kind of disappointed, was expecting more from him.

Slayton occupied space well but I didn't notice him getting pressure or making tackles. Guidice looked okay out there, pretty mature for a frosh. Cross looked physically ready but neither is quite as advanced as Clark. The incoming frosh are going to be a force in another year or two.

Simmons has really jacked arms and looks like our best pass rushing threat with Sugar Bear out. He played quite well but isn't at Sugar Bear's level. Arciniega is a little banged up but has a nice blend of speed and power. Should be a lock to be part of the two deep. Sheppard and Ealey are ahead of Pickard and Carter right now, with Ealey a little ahead of Sheppard and Pickard ahead of Carter (based on playing time with the North and South units). Really like the frosh DEs too. It looks like we are well positioned for the future at these positions. I thought Sheppard played a little better than Ealey. Looks a little bigger and stronger. Ealey is probably a little quicker now.

At LB, Zaire was kind of quiet at the MILE but flashed ability on some plays. Didn't dominate like I was hoping he would. Hodge looks solid, he is finally over 220 pounds and holds up at the point of attack better now. Bennett played with the North unit at the SAM position all practice and looks to have that position battle won. Really good blitzing on passing downs. Vigille is working at the MIKE with the South unit and looks good. Cullen is working at the WILL unit and looks really good, very quick, strong and showed good instincts. Some guys just get it. He is one of them, I think. Thomas continues to show signs of being excellent but is really inconsistent. Looks like Taylor is overtaking him for the backup role at the SAM. He is quick and just seems to make a lot of plays. Troy Henderson is working with the third team at MIKE right now. Looks good but he has some experience in front of him.

At safety, we have 3 guys fighting for PT: Williams, Cordy and Scissum. I think all are going to play a lot, looks like Williams is going to be the Okie this season and we will probably play that more than the base 3-4. Williams continues to make good plays, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Probably our quickest safety. Cordy is a big hitter, good against the run, not so good against the pass. Scissum is a little less decisive but is a big dude who hits hard. Looks like he has the ability to cover TEs too. There is PT to be had for a fourth safety. The three frosh, Ellison, Whitner and Frederick are in a big battle here. It looks really close to me. All can run and hit. I thought Frederick probably had the best practice but I liked all of them.

At corner, Morgan and Whigham played with the North unit all practice. They look okay but I am not expecting All ACC honors for either of them. Hudson and Dowels worked with the South unit. I thought Dowels had a really good practice at FanFest and IMHO he was the best CB on the field yesterday too. Had a great break on a ball to get a pick 6. Is just more aggressive and physical than the other CBs. I think Whigham is probably better than Morgan right now. Ellison played some CB at FanFest but I only saw him at safety yesterday.

I think our secondary is okay and will get better as the season progresses but for our defense to be solid, we have to get pressure on the ball without blitzing. Thompson has to get better soon and Simmons needs to be able to help him out. The LBs are talented. have quickness but are a little undersized. I think if the DTs stay healthy, they are big enough to provide enough problems that the LBs can be successful stopping the run. Am more worried about stopping playing passes. Hope we can stay healthy. There is enough talent here to be a serviceable defense but if we get hit with a lot of injuries, it could be a long season.

The offense should be improved both running the ball and passing it. We are even thinner on offense and have to stay healthy here. But I like the young skilled players. Should get better here as the season progresses.

Our special teams feature experience at punter and placekicker and the skilled players rounding out the units should be much better athletically than in recent years. Should be much better with our coverage and return units and I think Gregory is going to really help us here. Worried about our KO unit, which I didn't see yet. Hope we have found someone who can consistently get the ball into the endzone on KOs.

Thanks again to Mark for getting me on the base. It was fun. I won't talk about the plays that were run but it was less vanilla than we saw at FanFest and some interesting things were shown...

Great, balanced, realistic summary - I feel caught up now! Some of the frosh D line will need to contribute before they're really ready.

 

[texascpa]

I have no issue with a LS on scholly or 3 K/P as long as they are spaced out 2 seniors and a young leg for example. But 4 kickers is excessive IMO. However cole Murphy and Dixon were walkons and Norton was a disaster waiting to happen (still could be frankly) and no one will argue Dixon doesn't deserve a ship, nor the Hof for that matter. Does Murphy deserve a scholarship if he loses the camp battle to Norton? I have no idea. But that's the only slot I would argue is mis-managed right now.

If we were Alabama and could convince a top LS and specialist to play for us on their own dime that's one thing, but we can't do that right now.

Also wasn't the LS we signed (name escapes me) considered by at least one service the #1 snapper prospect in the country?

Alabama's current 3-year starting long snapper received a scholarship like any other commit. That said, you are right, normally Alabama doesn't offer one.

 

[Consigliere]

Ok..I did a tally

I have 0 coin left. Sold Out

Tomcat did have an extra one, DCCuse grab from Tom at Rhode Island.

Borzak 5 (Stocking Stuffers)
Northacuse 1
Orangello 1
Orange79 1
OrangeHomer 2
OrangeXtreme 1
MountainCuse 1
OburgOrange 1
CuseTroop 1
Jekelish 1
Cuseregular 1
DNYR85 1
Bgdadydnk 1
JJReddawg 1
DCCuse 1

Wow! That was fast. Put me on the waiting list for 2 if anyone backs out.

 

[anomander]

I have no issue with a LS on scholly or 3 K/P as long as they are spaced out 2 seniors and a young leg for example. But 4 kickers is excessive IMO. However cole Murphy and Dixon were walkons and Norton was a disaster waiting to happen (still could be frankly) and no one will argue Dixon doesn't deserve a ship, nor the Hof for that matter. Does Murphy deserve a scholarship if he loses the camp battle to Norton? I have no idea. But that's the only slot I would argue is mis-managed right now.

If we were Alabama and could convince a top LS and specialist to play for us on their own dime that's one thing, but we can't do that right now.

Also wasn't the LS we signed (name escapes me) considered by at least one service the #1 snapper prospect in the country?

Well let's hope the scholarship LS actually starts. It would be kind of weird having a scholarship player as the 2nd string LS.

 

[Libero2]

Well let's hope the scholarship LS actually starts. It would be kind of weird having a scholarship player as the 2nd string LS.

Well if memory serves our last long snapper and team captain have graduated.

 

[JoeCollege]

Whiz Bang Shaboom!

This team will do nothing until we have more whiz-bang.

 

[TexanMark]

This team will do nothing until we have more whiz-bang.

but it has to happen in a snowy little burg nestled next to the Pompey Hills.

 

[Orangello]

but it has to happen in a snowy little burg nestled next to the Pompey Hills.

where the folks have been known to enjoy their salt, you know, as in potatoes, the kind of food those big lugs in the trenches just love to shovel down before the big tilt......

 

[SWC75]

For brevity I hereby nominate "XB" to signify Express Back. Sound good everyone?

Anything that causes visiting posters from other teams to wonder what we're talking about is a good thing.