re: ***Official WE TALKIN' BOUT PRACTICE Thread***

quote:

---

A-Day Observations:
The safest way to judge any spring game is the truth is usually in the middle. Fans want to see offensive fireworks and the scoreboard lite up, but in reality if you see that happen then you are in trouble on defense.

Going into spring practice we identified the special teams, OL, corner, inside LB and QB as areas of concern for the 2014 team. Lets take a look at each area and if there was improvement made.

Special Teams-If anything I think this area went backwards during the spring. You cant evaluate the return game due to no contact, but this is a huge issue heading into fall camp. Backup QB Alec Morris did a decent job as the punter this spring, but he is not being looked at as the solution at punter. Kicker Adam Griffin was so bad at times, even the ESPN crew was making fun of him during the Aday broadcast. In a year when a great kicking game might be needed to win some close games, it will take a miracle by incoming TRF JK Scott for this to be a team strength.
Grade: This group went backwards

Offensive Line-While I still dont see a dominant ground and pound running game in this group, its obvious that improvement was made. Early enrollee true freshman Cam Robinson came along way in 4 weeks. He went from looking lost and out-classed in week one to winning the starting job at left tackle by A-Day. Some solid depth was developed by 2nd year OL coach Mario Christobal with guys like Grant Hill, Brandon Greene and Alphonse Taylor all spending time with the 1st team and proving they can play multiple positions. Another guy to watch is redshirt freshman Bradley Bozeman.
Grade: Improved

Corner-A unit that was a huge question mark, suffered a huge blow by the loss of Eddie Jackson to a torn ACL. Bradley Sylve showed he can compete and survive at the SEC level. True freshman early enrollee Tony Brown flashed at times but suffered a shoulder injury that slowed his progress. Brown did have a strong showing in the A-Day game. The passing game was so inconsistent yesterday, that the weak link all spring, Cyrus Jones was never really tested. One young player that caught my eye yesterday was redshirt freshman Anthony Averett. He was competing hard.
Grade: To be determined this summer

Inside LB-The 2014 defense went into spring with one proven player at inside linebacker in Trey DePreist. What was supposed to be a great battle for the other spot between Reggie Ragland and Reuben Foster never materialized due to Foster’s constant neck and head injuries. Ragland went on to have a solid spring and Foster’s absence allowed early enrollee true freshman Shaun Dion Hamilton time to prove to the staff that he is SEC ready to play early and often. Depth is still a concern but should improve this summer with the arrival of the rest of the 2014 class.
Grade: Improved

QB’s-Much has been made of the sluggish performance by all the UA QB’s yesterday. That being said the coaching staff will make their evaluations off of each players whole body of work this spring, not just a staged scrimmage for an ESPN audience. Simply put both Blake Sims and Cooper Bateman both got better throughout the course of spring practice. Bateman was way down the depth chart prior to practice beginning and showed he is on track for the first time since he arrived in Tuscaloosa. While some will look at Sims failure to wow in front of an A-Day crowd as a failure, I saw plenty of improvement from him in private settings that were positive. I will go into more detail on Sims in the team notes section.
Grade: Improved


A-Day Bright Spots

DJ Pettway-Showed he is ready to be an every down DE in the SEC. Made big plays all spring both for TFL and sacks. He finished off a great spring with an MVP award and a pick 6 during A-day.

Tim Williams-He was unblockable at times during the spring and made a statement to the UA staff yesterday that screams “find a place to play me” with elite pass-rushing ability.

Tony Brown-Thought he battled back from giving up a long pass to Robert Foster with a couple of pass breakups and and INT. Showed great closing speed and looks to be the guy that might replace Cyrus Jones in the fall when he is 100%.

Kenyon Drake-Displayed his game-changing ability several times yesterday both in the run game and catching passes out of the backfield. Needs a larger role in the offense, but must protect the football as he fumbled again yesterday.

Robert Foster-Thought he had a great game yesterday. Has the length and speed to cause match up problems for DB’s. Looks very comfortable and fluid right now.

Jon Allen-We reported earlier that Allen was working his way through an injury and he flashed his elite ability at times yesterday. He will have a say in who starts at DE for the WVU game.

Anthony Averett-Thought he competed hard during the game and flashed some solid closing speed at times. A youngster at a position of need to keep and eye on.

Blake Sims
Team Notes:
Blake Sims-After having an outstanding first 3 weeks of spring, Blake went backwards this past week in practice and the Aday game. The Tide staff tried to expand the playbook and he did not repsond the way they had hoped.

Cam Robinson-Sources indicate that CamRob was coasting the first part of spring and did not realize how competitive practice would be. He was caught trying to “brother-in-law” it a few times by some older DL and was told “you better come out here and try and get yours, because I am going to embarrass you till you do.” Funny thing is it sounds like they wish they had kept quiet now. Cam is now considered one of the toughest OL to get a win on in pass pro. He answered the call in a big way since spring break.

DL-Bo Davis really likes the first two groupings of Pettway, Ivory, Reed, Robinson, Tomlinson and Allen. This group stood out in the spring, but there is still some concern that it might be more of a by-product of the suspect OL vs elite DL play. The season will answer alot of questions.

Reuben Foster-In what is becoming a disturbing trend, Reuben once again failed to finish a scrimmage due to injury. Prior to getting hurt he had flashed his disruptive style of play and was headed towards a huge day. It is becoming the norm to see him being helped to the lockeroom looking punch drunk and its a huge cause for concern both for his career and depth at the ILB position for 2014.

Adam Griffith-His poor performance this spring has become a distraction on the team and the staff have said aloud that they hope JK Scott is the answer. How a program like UA continues to struggle to put a polished kicker on the field is unreal imo.

Final Spring Thoughts:
I said early on that I did not see a championship caliber team in the 2014 unit and I still feel that way after seeing all of spring and speaking with several sources on the staff. Still looks like a 2 loss team based on the issues that still remain.

---

quote:

---

Agreed

---