33jacket
Dodd-Like
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2002
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As we approach that time of the year where some people will seperate themselves into a starting role and others bury themselves, things I will keep an eye on initially; and items to watch for.
1. Tony Clark, has been a position journeymen up to now, but going into his senior year I would look at him in one fashion. The Rover. He has a classic rover build, too big to be a S, to small to be a true 4-3 OLB, has better than LB covg skills and speed. Will Wommack ditch our classic 4-3 for a 4-3 with AT, Chamber/jefferson/griffin, and Clark???? With Bowen out....this could happen.
2. The WRs. Yes....this is obvious, but specifically G. Smith, JJ, and Earls stand to be classic A-back/WR hybrids. We have all said it and seen in G Smith is as slippery and elusive as they get, and in the A-back role taking a pitch or a swing pass just may be his niche!!! This could be a nice development. Earls and JJ both seem to have the bodies to play the hybrid A as well; half WR/half RB. Will they? PJ will look for good blocking bodies at the outs, so expect to see bebe there, and JJ has blocked well in the past. Tyler Melton apparently has been catching everything on the field, albeit in skells, but how will he fit in? Split wide....only if he can block.
3. OL. Cord Howard is out. He was slotted to be competition at a gaurd and possibly tackle as well. How does this line develop. More weight on the hands, lower stance and alot of scoop blocking and drive blocking. Right now, I see left to right Gardner, Voss, Dunmon, Gilbert/Yandell, Smith/Yandell potentials as 1st team competition. Voss has been taking looks at Center behind Trey as well. Do guys like Dave Brown, Jason Hill and Nick Claytor make a splash with the new style???? 2nd team line I see Claytor, Gilbert, Voss, Brown, Hill; potentially Yandell instead of Hill or Claytor if he doesn't make first team. Personally, I would LOVE to see a starting line of Gardner, Voss, Dunmon, AJ, Yandell. or Howard, AJ/Yandell battle winner.
4. DL backups. Big ?. We have Anyaibe, but how does Peters, Egbuniwe factor in? Who wins the other starting DE spot? Morgan, Hall, Peters? I like the chances of either Hall or Morgan. I like Peters potentially moving inside. The second team DL is a big ? with both youth and unproven depth. We need to shore up a good 3-4 DT rotation and 3 DE rotation (Hall, Morgan, MJ most likely)
5. The secondary hurts me so much I don't know where to begin. We have 2 guys with playing experience. Thats it. One is a Sr and one is a true Soph. Pencil in those two as starters. The other 3 spots (two starters and one nickel) is so unknown maybe I will get PT? Nah....the cast of characters is a cast of people who essentially have not taken one live snap at their position in NCAA football to date....OUCH. And they are young. Competing for one CB spot is Tarrant, Reese, Butler, Peterson. 3 of those have yet to see the field, and IMO we burned a RS with Butler if RW.com is correct in listing him as a true soph (need clarity here). The upside is apparently there is good potential with Butler and Tarrant. Peterson is more of an unknown, but will have a shot. Reese has been here a while, and last year looked more the part than in the past, he plays rather physical for a converted offensive guys, the question with him is the P. Clark syndrome...top end speed and getting burnt. Can he hold coverage long enough? Butler is super athletic; and if he hits his potential I put my money on him starting. Tarrant, personally i thought he would be a safety from the day I saw him....interesting to see how he plays and I have received conflicting info on him. Some say he is a CB, RW.com lists him at S. I personally think he should be a S....Want to see how this plays out. Then we get to the other S spot, a spot where anyone who could earn it is in their 3rd and 4th year, yet has never seen the field at that position! That is scary....either the guys in front of you were that good....or you just haven't shown anything to date. Its a combination of both. Lewis and Jones at the time were better than any of our backup options; and at the same time the backup options have yet to show much to date. Of the competitors, Blackwood, Frierson, Jasper, and I will add in Tarrant and White, Blackwood is the only one to see any time. The rest, warmed the pine. Calling a black cat what it is, I don't see Jake or Martin earning the starting job based on past performance...with the new staff who knows...Jasper looks the part, and athelitically looks the part, but to date hasn't shown that grit and toughness I think you need to be a starting S in the NCAA. If the new staff can give him a new approach...I like the possibility there, but again he is inexperienced. I don't see White earning the starting berth this year. Tarrant, if he is at S, is who my money would be on opposite Burnett. Inexperienced, yes, but I think he may be our best option. Wommack has gone on record as saying he doesn't like big bulking S back there, and both Burnett and Tarrant fit that mold, as does Deron. Frierson has had the challenges a guy who played WR all his life would, when moving to S....but you know what, anyone that can jump in and make a case to start right off the bat; I don't care who you are I'll take it. We are perilously inexperienced at two secondary spots and frankly this will be a weakness we will have to solve somewhat with scheme initially.....I think the defense will be one you see improve from day 1 to day 12 over the year as they gain more experience and knowledge. Athletically it appears we have options....
6. Finally there is QB....I dont' think I need to go into much here, but the bottom line is this...EXECUTION. This isn't a terribly hard offense to learn. It is a terribly hard offense to execute, make the quick reads on the fly and pre-snap, it takes repititions, toughness and ability to master. The winner in execution will be the winner of the spot.
7. Coaching. The new style of PJ just may be the best of this yet. I expect an interactive, intense style that pushes his team to run, do things quick with vigor. I expect shorter practices and more hands on from the head man. I expect a Coach.
1. Tony Clark, has been a position journeymen up to now, but going into his senior year I would look at him in one fashion. The Rover. He has a classic rover build, too big to be a S, to small to be a true 4-3 OLB, has better than LB covg skills and speed. Will Wommack ditch our classic 4-3 for a 4-3 with AT, Chamber/jefferson/griffin, and Clark???? With Bowen out....this could happen.
2. The WRs. Yes....this is obvious, but specifically G. Smith, JJ, and Earls stand to be classic A-back/WR hybrids. We have all said it and seen in G Smith is as slippery and elusive as they get, and in the A-back role taking a pitch or a swing pass just may be his niche!!! This could be a nice development. Earls and JJ both seem to have the bodies to play the hybrid A as well; half WR/half RB. Will they? PJ will look for good blocking bodies at the outs, so expect to see bebe there, and JJ has blocked well in the past. Tyler Melton apparently has been catching everything on the field, albeit in skells, but how will he fit in? Split wide....only if he can block.
3. OL. Cord Howard is out. He was slotted to be competition at a gaurd and possibly tackle as well. How does this line develop. More weight on the hands, lower stance and alot of scoop blocking and drive blocking. Right now, I see left to right Gardner, Voss, Dunmon, Gilbert/Yandell, Smith/Yandell potentials as 1st team competition. Voss has been taking looks at Center behind Trey as well. Do guys like Dave Brown, Jason Hill and Nick Claytor make a splash with the new style???? 2nd team line I see Claytor, Gilbert, Voss, Brown, Hill; potentially Yandell instead of Hill or Claytor if he doesn't make first team. Personally, I would LOVE to see a starting line of Gardner, Voss, Dunmon, AJ, Yandell. or Howard, AJ/Yandell battle winner.
4. DL backups. Big ?. We have Anyaibe, but how does Peters, Egbuniwe factor in? Who wins the other starting DE spot? Morgan, Hall, Peters? I like the chances of either Hall or Morgan. I like Peters potentially moving inside. The second team DL is a big ? with both youth and unproven depth. We need to shore up a good 3-4 DT rotation and 3 DE rotation (Hall, Morgan, MJ most likely)
5. The secondary hurts me so much I don't know where to begin. We have 2 guys with playing experience. Thats it. One is a Sr and one is a true Soph. Pencil in those two as starters. The other 3 spots (two starters and one nickel) is so unknown maybe I will get PT? Nah....the cast of characters is a cast of people who essentially have not taken one live snap at their position in NCAA football to date....OUCH. And they are young. Competing for one CB spot is Tarrant, Reese, Butler, Peterson. 3 of those have yet to see the field, and IMO we burned a RS with Butler if RW.com is correct in listing him as a true soph (need clarity here). The upside is apparently there is good potential with Butler and Tarrant. Peterson is more of an unknown, but will have a shot. Reese has been here a while, and last year looked more the part than in the past, he plays rather physical for a converted offensive guys, the question with him is the P. Clark syndrome...top end speed and getting burnt. Can he hold coverage long enough? Butler is super athletic; and if he hits his potential I put my money on him starting. Tarrant, personally i thought he would be a safety from the day I saw him....interesting to see how he plays and I have received conflicting info on him. Some say he is a CB, RW.com lists him at S. I personally think he should be a S....Want to see how this plays out. Then we get to the other S spot, a spot where anyone who could earn it is in their 3rd and 4th year, yet has never seen the field at that position! That is scary....either the guys in front of you were that good....or you just haven't shown anything to date. Its a combination of both. Lewis and Jones at the time were better than any of our backup options; and at the same time the backup options have yet to show much to date. Of the competitors, Blackwood, Frierson, Jasper, and I will add in Tarrant and White, Blackwood is the only one to see any time. The rest, warmed the pine. Calling a black cat what it is, I don't see Jake or Martin earning the starting job based on past performance...with the new staff who knows...Jasper looks the part, and athelitically looks the part, but to date hasn't shown that grit and toughness I think you need to be a starting S in the NCAA. If the new staff can give him a new approach...I like the possibility there, but again he is inexperienced. I don't see White earning the starting berth this year. Tarrant, if he is at S, is who my money would be on opposite Burnett. Inexperienced, yes, but I think he may be our best option. Wommack has gone on record as saying he doesn't like big bulking S back there, and both Burnett and Tarrant fit that mold, as does Deron. Frierson has had the challenges a guy who played WR all his life would, when moving to S....but you know what, anyone that can jump in and make a case to start right off the bat; I don't care who you are I'll take it. We are perilously inexperienced at two secondary spots and frankly this will be a weakness we will have to solve somewhat with scheme initially.....I think the defense will be one you see improve from day 1 to day 12 over the year as they gain more experience and knowledge. Athletically it appears we have options....
6. Finally there is QB....I dont' think I need to go into much here, but the bottom line is this...EXECUTION. This isn't a terribly hard offense to learn. It is a terribly hard offense to execute, make the quick reads on the fly and pre-snap, it takes repititions, toughness and ability to master. The winner in execution will be the winner of the spot.
7. Coaching. The new style of PJ just may be the best of this yet. I expect an interactive, intense style that pushes his team to run, do things quick with vigor. I expect shorter practices and more hands on from the head man. I expect a Coach.
