Jerry the Jacket
Jolly Good Fellow
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2002
- Messages
- 1,641
I enjoyed attending practice yesterday. On the way up to the Stadium it started raining like crazy and I thought for sure it was going to be a wet day and not such an enjoyable experience. But just as I started walking toward the East stands to go in, it stopped raining and after a few more minutes the weather kind of stabilized and there were even a few moments of sunshine. The weather was cool and a little windy so it felt like football weather. The usual suspects were in attendance although the crowd seemed a bit smaller than what I have observed at other practices. Maybe the threat of rain kept a few away. There were a lot of prospects on the sidelines and it is evident that our recruiting efforts are in high gear.
The guys went through a few drills and then the scrimmage started. The first play was a B Back dive into the line featuring Dwyer. He was rudely met by D. Richard and JD had to sit out the next 15 minutes or so. Man that was a real collision. Booker was leading what appeared to be the number ones on offense but had little success against the D. He was sacked unmercifully by, Walker, MJ, Jefferson, Barnes and Cedric Griffin. He made a few good reads and pitched the ball OK when he could get rid of it. It was evident the middle of our offensive line struggles to protect the QB and open holes. They had their moments but for the most part the day belonged to the D. I have to say that in my opinion, Brice Dykes took a major step forward yesterday. In fact as the practice progressed it was Dykes and not Booker that was running the plays with the first group. Dykes is a tough little dude and he actually executes the triple option better than Booker. Nesbitt was held out of live contact as I think that groin injury is still bothering him.
Dykes was the star of the offense in my opinion. He made several nifty plays including some tough runs, one of which he had his helmet knocked off but continued to grind forward and fight for yardage. He also broke wide open and made a 60 yard or so run for a touchdown. He is not lightning fast but he has enough speed to get it done. The other standouts on offense were Dwyer and Jones. JD was a man on a mission when he got back in there. He was running down hill with authority and broke several nice runs. He finished off a couple by punishing the tacklers. Anyone worried about Dwyer can worry about something else, JD is the man. Cox made some good tough runs and Kelly did not get as many opportunities. Roddy Jones showed he can break off some nice toss sweeps and get some tough yards also. J. Evans looked better and was making some nice blocks as well as some decent runs.
The receivers were not prominently featured though Earls and Cone made some nice grabs. Be Be sat this one out with a tweaked hamstring. In the drills Nesbitt made some really nice throws and Melton, Cone, Clyburn and Fisher all made some nice grabs. Nesbitt appears to be a much better passer than I had originally thought.
The offensive line is still learning the new blocking techniques and there really does not appear to be a dominant offensive lineman emerging. Gardner even got beat by MJ a couple of times. Michael Johnson is an imposing looking force out there and he will make a lot of offensive tackles look bad this coming season. I think the coaches are still very much evaluating who will start on the offensive line and of course Cord has not been in there and I think Sellers will get a good long look once he returns from rehab.
Overall, the offense continues to be a work in progress. There is progress but there is still a long way to go. You can definitely see the potential of this offense to generate big yardage and it is so deceptive and there is so much movement that as a fan you will be thoroughly entertained once it gets cranked up and working.
On Defense the front 4 are a major strength of the team. We have a very good starting group and our second team looks very capable as well. I would say we have the potential to go 10 deep in this area by the start of the 2008 season. I think the linebacking group looks good but I think the coaches are still evaluating who the ones and twos are. Jefferson, Jackson and Barnes seem to be ahead right now, but Griffin, Chambers, Braman and Tongo are all getting a serious look as well plus with have Bowen coming back this fall. Rocker and Tony Clark appear to be a bit behind right now.
The secondary appears to be shaping up pretty nicely. Burnett is a tackling machine and when he hits you, you go backwards. He made several impressive plays during the scrimmage. Tarrant, Word Daniels and Butler appear to be very capable. Reese is still out and a bit nicked up but has shown promise. Peterson, Blackwood and of special note Troy Garside are showing they can play. Garside was all over the field yesterday. He was in on several tackles and was really laying the wood to some folks. I think we might have found us a player in Mr. Garside. He is quick and has a nose for the football. He kept showing up around the ball in a bad mood. I really think Troy along with Dykes were the stars of this scrimmage.
Blair is the best kicker we have and he has a legitimate D1 college kicking leg. He may be the best punter we have as well though Crosby has shown moments of brilliance.
In summation it was a good day overall. I think the defense is still a bit ahead of the offense which is to be expected. We might have a better defense this year than last year as a matter of fact. Our offense is a work in progress and we really need for one of the QB’s to step forward and take the job and be the trigger man this offense requires. Our line is coming around but it will be this fall and perhaps a bit into the season until we really jell in that area. Special teams probably will not be as good as last year unless we find a real threat to return kicks and our kickers equal the level of performance of what we had last year. I continue to be very impressed with the organization, execution and high energy level that this coaching staff has set as the standard for the program. Coach Johnson and his men have a plan and they are hard at work implementing it.
Go Jackets!
The guys went through a few drills and then the scrimmage started. The first play was a B Back dive into the line featuring Dwyer. He was rudely met by D. Richard and JD had to sit out the next 15 minutes or so. Man that was a real collision. Booker was leading what appeared to be the number ones on offense but had little success against the D. He was sacked unmercifully by, Walker, MJ, Jefferson, Barnes and Cedric Griffin. He made a few good reads and pitched the ball OK when he could get rid of it. It was evident the middle of our offensive line struggles to protect the QB and open holes. They had their moments but for the most part the day belonged to the D. I have to say that in my opinion, Brice Dykes took a major step forward yesterday. In fact as the practice progressed it was Dykes and not Booker that was running the plays with the first group. Dykes is a tough little dude and he actually executes the triple option better than Booker. Nesbitt was held out of live contact as I think that groin injury is still bothering him.
Dykes was the star of the offense in my opinion. He made several nifty plays including some tough runs, one of which he had his helmet knocked off but continued to grind forward and fight for yardage. He also broke wide open and made a 60 yard or so run for a touchdown. He is not lightning fast but he has enough speed to get it done. The other standouts on offense were Dwyer and Jones. JD was a man on a mission when he got back in there. He was running down hill with authority and broke several nice runs. He finished off a couple by punishing the tacklers. Anyone worried about Dwyer can worry about something else, JD is the man. Cox made some good tough runs and Kelly did not get as many opportunities. Roddy Jones showed he can break off some nice toss sweeps and get some tough yards also. J. Evans looked better and was making some nice blocks as well as some decent runs.
The receivers were not prominently featured though Earls and Cone made some nice grabs. Be Be sat this one out with a tweaked hamstring. In the drills Nesbitt made some really nice throws and Melton, Cone, Clyburn and Fisher all made some nice grabs. Nesbitt appears to be a much better passer than I had originally thought.
The offensive line is still learning the new blocking techniques and there really does not appear to be a dominant offensive lineman emerging. Gardner even got beat by MJ a couple of times. Michael Johnson is an imposing looking force out there and he will make a lot of offensive tackles look bad this coming season. I think the coaches are still very much evaluating who will start on the offensive line and of course Cord has not been in there and I think Sellers will get a good long look once he returns from rehab.
Overall, the offense continues to be a work in progress. There is progress but there is still a long way to go. You can definitely see the potential of this offense to generate big yardage and it is so deceptive and there is so much movement that as a fan you will be thoroughly entertained once it gets cranked up and working.
On Defense the front 4 are a major strength of the team. We have a very good starting group and our second team looks very capable as well. I would say we have the potential to go 10 deep in this area by the start of the 2008 season. I think the linebacking group looks good but I think the coaches are still evaluating who the ones and twos are. Jefferson, Jackson and Barnes seem to be ahead right now, but Griffin, Chambers, Braman and Tongo are all getting a serious look as well plus with have Bowen coming back this fall. Rocker and Tony Clark appear to be a bit behind right now.
The secondary appears to be shaping up pretty nicely. Burnett is a tackling machine and when he hits you, you go backwards. He made several impressive plays during the scrimmage. Tarrant, Word Daniels and Butler appear to be very capable. Reese is still out and a bit nicked up but has shown promise. Peterson, Blackwood and of special note Troy Garside are showing they can play. Garside was all over the field yesterday. He was in on several tackles and was really laying the wood to some folks. I think we might have found us a player in Mr. Garside. He is quick and has a nose for the football. He kept showing up around the ball in a bad mood. I really think Troy along with Dykes were the stars of this scrimmage.
Blair is the best kicker we have and he has a legitimate D1 college kicking leg. He may be the best punter we have as well though Crosby has shown moments of brilliance.
In summation it was a good day overall. I think the defense is still a bit ahead of the offense which is to be expected. We might have a better defense this year than last year as a matter of fact. Our offense is a work in progress and we really need for one of the QB’s to step forward and take the job and be the trigger man this offense requires. Our line is coming around but it will be this fall and perhaps a bit into the season until we really jell in that area. Special teams probably will not be as good as last year unless we find a real threat to return kicks and our kickers equal the level of performance of what we had last year. I continue to be very impressed with the organization, execution and high energy level that this coaching staff has set as the standard for the program. Coach Johnson and his men have a plan and they are hard at work implementing it.
Go Jackets!
