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Spring Practice Notes
Posted on 3/25/15 at 12:23 pm
Posted on 3/25/15 at 12:23 pm
Offense
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Quarterback: I thought Joshua Dobbs (who was wearing a GoPro Camera on his helmet) largely picked up where he left off last season. You can tell he’s bulked up a touch and he’s clearly the No. 1 guy out there – taking all the first reps and leading the group. There were some missed throws, but plenty of passes that looked like they were coming from a high-level SEC starter as well. It’ll be interesting to track his consistency throughout the spring.
I was impressed by Quinten Dormady. He can sling it. He has a somewhat interesting 3/4 release and a compact throwing motion, but it seems to work for him. He was taking the No. 2 reps in most of the QB drills behind Dobbs and when those two threw it, they looked like a No. 1 and 2 SEC quarterback duo working. He’s big too. He’s listed at 6-4, 200, and he’s filled out and looks like every bit of that.
Jauan Jennings, as Butch Jones alluded to yesterday, is a bit behind in terms of his quarterback mechanics. Don’t get me wrong – he threw some passes that were impressive, but there were a lot of inaccurate wobblers as well that showed that he’s a bit behind the others right now. There’s no doubt he’s fast though. In one drill he handed off to Alvin Kamara out of the shotgun and almost beat him to line while carrying out his fake.
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Receivers/tight ends: Marquez North (shoulder) was back out there in a green, non-contact jersey going through the receiver drills. At least in drills, Pig Howard and Von Pearson (who is sporting some crazy yellow/orangish dreads) were generally the first two to go. Josh Smith, who looked a touch rusty, is back with his ankle taped up and Cody Blanc returned from a year-long absence with no noticeable wraps or braces.
Josh Malone, who generally worked with the second group in drills, had an up-and-down day. At one point in the third period he had to re-run a route after dropping a pass. But he also had some good routes and catches that drew praise from the coaches.
Ethan Wolf is the clear-cut No. 1 tight end and got the first reps there in drills I saw. It’s a mixed bag behind him. Joe Stocstill, Neiko Creamer and A.J. Branisel all got reps at No. 2. Creamer looked like he has added some weight over the offseason.
This post was edited on 3/25/15 at 12:26 pm
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Posted on 3/25/15 at 12:28 pm to NorthGAVol
Defense
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Initial reactions: Right off the bat, you can tell that this side of the ball isn’t short on leadership. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Cam Sutton and Brian Randolph were all encouraging their teammates during drills and coaching them on technique and fundamentals when a drill wasn’t done perfectly. We’ve heard Butch Jones mention since his arrival at Tennessee that the goal is for his teams to be player-coached and player-led, as opposed to the coaches doing all of the talking and correcting during practice. The coaches were still very involved – especially defensive line coach Steve Stripling, whose group has been thinned out due to injuries – but it was mostly the voices of the players that one heard booming across the practice field this evening.
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Defensive backs: Junior Cam Sutton is clearly the player that makes this group go. He does every drill perfectly and never has to be corrected by a coach or a graduate assistant for lack of effort or improper technique. His teammates at corner and safety really seem to feed off of his energy and approach, which bodes well for the group as spring practice progresses. Sutton is just a pro and a coach’s dream…there really isn’t a better way to describe him.
Outside of Sutton, Brian Randolph and Todd Kelly Jr. stood out as guys who also attack each rep with a purpose. Kelly look absolutely huge The good kind), but still moved well during drills. Emmanuel Moseley still looks like a milk shake or two should be part of his daily routine, but his speed and quickness is undeniable. Newcomer Stephen Griffin is bigger and quicker than I expected but still has a long way to go, as is to be expected for a guy who arrived in December. Rashaan Gaulden looked fluid and much more confident than he did at any time in the fall, and easily won the award for most arm/wrist/leg bands worn by any player on the day. Congrats, Rashaan. Evan Berry took all of his reps at safety today after spending some time at running back during bowl practice.
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Linebackers: It comes as no surprise, but Jalen-Reeves Maybin looked really good in his new #21 jersey. He actually got in some private work with John Jancek and the safeties before individual drills began and more than held his own from a speed and quickness standpoint. Dillon Bates was a full-go today and got in a few reps at both inside and outside linebacker. Cortez McDowell also got in a few reps at both positions, but without any full-contact work, it’s really difficult to gauge much from this group.
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Defensive line: The fact that so many talented players from this group are currently sidelined gave onlookers a chance to see what newcomers Andrew Butcher and Shy Tuttle could do. Butcher is much quicker, and perhaps a bit leaner than anticipated, but clearly has the speed to get around offensive tackles and disrupt the quarterback. Tuttle has the size and strength to play early at this level, but still has a long way to go from a conditioning standpoint. His good reps were usually sandwiched between two fatigued efforts. Those two actually looked a little bit better than I expected them to today, so credit their teammates and the coaching staff for having them as prepared as they were. There were still a couple of instances where Steve Stripling had to stop and explain technique, drill purpose, fundamentals…etc. but it really was a minimal concern considering it was their first practice.
Posted on 3/25/15 at 12:41 pm to NorthGAVol
Posted on 3/25/15 at 12:48 pm to Serraneaux
Todd Kelly looks like a damn linebacker standing next to Berry and Griffin.
Posted on 3/25/15 at 2:22 pm to NorthGAVol
From the video I saw (DAY 1) Jennings is very untrained in terms of these throws. His HS didn't really prep him for the different types of throws at all by the looks of it. He'd throw some picture perfect passes and then he'd throw some that were just wtf? like he really had no training at the type of throw he was trying to make. He has an arm and talent and depending on how quickly he can get these knew throwing types down we're going to have a nice situation at no. 2. I can understand why he's at the QB spot -- loads of potential.
Dormady looked good but a little slower getting his passes away than he will be next year. You could tell he was a true freshman in terms of speed. Most go through that. He does not look like a true freshmen tho both him and Jennings are no scrawny froshies. He was faster running than I expected and Jennings is downright blazing.
Dormady looked good but a little slower getting his passes away than he will be next year. You could tell he was a true freshman in terms of speed. Most go through that. He does not look like a true freshmen tho both him and Jennings are no scrawny froshies. He was faster running than I expected and Jennings is downright blazing.
Posted on 3/26/15 at 9:43 pm to NorthGAVol
Good lord, I can't wait for football this year.
Posted on 3/26/15 at 11:03 pm to NorthGAVol
Debord on the tempo of practice up to this point
Damn, this is going to be an exciting year boys
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“Without a doubt, the tempo of practice here is the fastest I’ve ever been around,” DeBord said. “In the NFL, the coaches I worked for, they were big into tempo and going fast and all that, but nothing like what Butch has. And at Michigan we practiced fast, but nothing like this.
Damn, this is going to be an exciting year boys
This post was edited on 3/26/15 at 11:04 pm
Posted on 4/2/15 at 7:20 pm to NorthGAVol
From 247 on today's practice report.
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Azzanni: Josh Malone is improving every day. He's coming out with a mentality to improve, and he's not banged and bruised. "It's night and day, his approach right now."
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Azzanni: I'd love to tell you Josh Smith has picked right up where he left off, but he hasn't. He's knocking off a lot of rust. When the conditioning gets back, he'll get back.
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Jancek: We've moved Chris Weatherd to DEnd. We'll see what he's got there.
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DeBord: I think Coach Mahoney is doing a great job of moving guys around on the offensive line.
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Gillespie: Jalen Hurd understands presnap reads now, and he understands what the offensive line is doing in front of him. He's up to 232 or 233 pounds, and he wants to work on keeping his pad level down so he can run with more power
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Jancek: Our guys are starting to make some plays now that you have to be fast to make. That’s a great sign.
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Stripling: I love having Weatherd in that Maggitt role. His attitude has been great.
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Martinez: Evan Berry is coming along. Talented kid, very fast, working on being more physical, because when he does that he's a real playmaker.
This post was edited on 4/2/15 at 7:46 pm
Posted on 4/2/15 at 7:46 pm to TRUERockyTop
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Mike DeBord says Jauan Jennings is staying at quarterback. Nick Sheridan working with him "from ground zero" and building up from there.
Posted on 4/4/15 at 4:10 pm to TRUERockyTop
From today's scrimmage. V&S is really gonna love this. Someone met a Berry coming over the middle
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Evan Berry stands out: We’ve said that this spring is a big opportunity for Evan Berry in terms of taking that next step on defense, and he appeared to take advantage of his opportunity on Saturday.
Working with the second-team defense, Berry had a monster hit that blew up a short pass to Johnathon Johnson, causing the whole defensive sideline to erupt. He followed that up with a nice leaping interception of Quinten Dormady on the next play that ended the second-team offense’s drive.
Posted on 4/4/15 at 4:11 pm to NorthGAVol
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Scrimmage notes: This was clearly a day for the first team offense to work on the ground-game, and they got things clicking very early during the scrimmage. On play number two of the opening drive (which started at midfield), Joshua Dobbs handed off to Alvin Kamara on a stretch play around the right side. Kamara appeared to be hemmed in on the play once he reached the sideline, but then he gave a glimpse of what his coaches and teammates have been raving about all spring. Kamara hit the sideline, turned up off of the outside hip of Cody Blanc’s perfect block on the cornerback, and exploded up the sideline for around a forty-yard gain which included a stutter step that left Brian Randolph grasping at air. The move on Randolph allowed other defenders to catch up to Kamara at around the eight-yard line, but Kamara was able to punch it in four plays later from the one-yard line.
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Jalen Hurd – still wearing the green jersey to limit his contact – was chomping at the bit on the sidelines once his team reached the goal line, visibly begging the offensive coaching staff to let him punch it in for the score. But Kamara would touch the ball on all six plays of the first team’s opening drive, clearly that he has what it takes to be a star at this level. It wasn’t just his speed or open-field moves that impressed me today; it was also his toughness. Kamara finished his runs by delivering hits to defenders instead of receiving them, and showed plenty of toughness and grit around the goal line to find the end zone on his forth carry from inside the 10. Senior Chris Beck took all of the reps at running back for the second team.
Posted on 4/4/15 at 4:22 pm to NorthGAVol
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Someone met a Berry coming over the middle
Is Johnson ok?
Posted on 4/4/15 at 4:54 pm to Vols&Shaft83
Kamara had another great day. Everyone on the team is praising him (Malone, Bates, Jashon Robertson, etc.) as are reporters. Coaches said he's somehow managed to exceed expectations (and we all know the expectations we've had for him have been pretty damned high). I hope he keeps it up because this is the most praise I've seen a player get in a long time.
This quote from Josh Malone says it all:
“We know anytime Alvin touches the ball that he can break it. As a group of wide receivers, we feel like if we secure the perimeter, he’s gonna have big, big days.”
This quote from Josh Malone says it all:
“We know anytime Alvin touches the ball that he can break it. As a group of wide receivers, we feel like if we secure the perimeter, he’s gonna have big, big days.”
Posted on 4/4/15 at 5:49 pm to NorthGAVol
:ThisIsSoExcitingGif:
Damn boys, it's been a while since we've had a nasty double headed monster in the the back field
Damn boys, it's been a while since we've had a nasty double headed monster in the the back field
Posted on 4/4/15 at 6:53 pm to TRUERockyTop
Posted on 4/4/15 at 6:56 pm to Prof
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This quote from Josh Malone says it all:
“We know anytime Alvin touches the ball that he can break it. As a group of wide receivers, we feel like if we secure the perimeter, he’s gonna have big, big days.”
My dick moved
Posted on 4/4/15 at 7:15 pm to Vols&Shaft83
Thunder and Lightning
Shake and Bake
Ebony and Ivory
Shake and Bake
Ebony and Ivory
Posted on 4/4/15 at 8:53 pm to NorthGAVol
Well I jizzed
Posted on 4/4/15 at 11:10 pm to NorthGAVol
OL sounds like it's making strides too. If they're solid we're going to be splitting wigs
Sanders doing a good job Of Adding Weight
Sanders doing a good job Of Adding Weight
This post was edited on 4/5/15 at 8:48 am
Posted on 4/10/15 at 6:49 am to NorthGAVol
From VQ. The guy writing these quotes was a guest at the HS coaching clinic UT put on
On DeBord
On DeBord
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My cousin is/was at the coaches clinic and this is what he said on DeBordReply
DeBord is getting this O line playing so much better. More angle blocks, pulls, double teams, etc. We watched an hour of film & it looked like they were playing with an extra man. He knows his stuff & is a much better teacher than Bajakian.
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Alvin Kamara is a Charlie Garner clone. Hes so quick. He wasn't out there long. Had bum quad. Dormandy shocked me. He looks like a 35 year old grown man. Big, hairy lumber jack, strong arm. Jennings still throws ducks. Chance Hall has the widest shoulders on the team. He's big. Shy Tuttle is massive. This is the biggest, fastest team that they've had up here in the last 10 years. It was very different even from a year ago.
This post was edited on 4/10/15 at 6:50 am
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