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It seems Michael Brown is getting a raw deal here. It's great that John Hampton had such a great spring and appears to hold a lot of promise for the future. And it's nice the coaches realized that Steve O'Neill is so fast, has such good hands and appears to be a tremendous overall athlete.

But all Michael Brown has done since he got to SMU is produce. He has good hands, decent speed and blocks exceptionally well. They're not writing him off yet, are they?

Don't worry, they are not writing him off. With Kueck's new offense, we are going to have so many double tight end sets and complex formations, that having three great TE's is a huge bonus. Hampton(if he performs like he did in the Spring) might be the #1 guy, and O'Neill will not be playing true tight end, he is set back a little. Brown is the best blocker out of the groups. I say look for him to get a lot of PT, but maybe not the big TE plays.

Finishing up, SMU is very lucky to have so much depth at TE, because when you have an awesome WR squad and great RB's, the TE's are what catches the other team off guard for huge plays. If our O-line and QB play consistently, SMU's offense is going to be very hard to stop. Look for a lot of points on the board!

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

I agree with SMUPonyfan... it was obvious very early on that TE was going to be one of the most crucial, if not the most crucial, positions in this new offense, and all FOUR tight ends (you guys are forgetting about Mean linebacker-convert #43) are going to need to be ready.

The nice thing about the new coaches is that they have really given some of the new guys more chances to prove themselves, and they certainly have. Hampton and Brown are both highly intelligent people that understand their positions really well... it will just come down to who gets open more often, who creates plays, and who makes the most of the passes thrown their way. But it's obvious Brown did a lot more blocking as a FB in high school while Hampton was running a lot more passing routes, because that seems to be their strengths. O'Neill is just an athlete that people have a hard time finding a position for, but will be out there doing something. Ellen, well, I spent a few minutes near him on the streets of N'awlins last year after Tulane and he's just an animal no matter what the environment.

But they will all get plenty of playing time, and that excites me because it's one of the most pure positions in football to watch.

God Jettison, I have agreed with you on everything today. #43 is a player...Plain and simple. He can do great things, so don't ever count him out. You would not if you saw him play in hs. There is a reason Tennessee offered him. He is a player!

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"Show me a happy and gracious loser, and I'll show you a failure."- Knute Rockne

Why was he converted from LB to TE in the first place?

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe he did not exactly fit into Coach Belins plans at that position. I guess they just figured he would work better at TE. I think he would have been a stud LB. I also think I remember it was he that asked to switch postitions...

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"Show me a happy and gracious loser, and I'll show you a failure."- Knute Rockne

David Ellen has a lot of potential, he is fast and would be a tough guy to bring down IF he caught the ball. That is his problem, catching the ball.

Let's not forget, Will McKinney was also playing tight end during the Spring. I wonder if they will keep him there? He would be a strong blocking TE.

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

I thought the McKinney guy looked a little soft. Tall, but not completely filled out and his hands were pretty horrible. It was just hard to watch him after watching the scholarship players do their thing.

If I recall, the complaint about Ellen as a LB was that he's too slow. Nobody doubts that he is a crushing hitter, but if he doesn't have the wheels to play MLB, can he move well enough to run a pass route? If my memory is indeed accurate, then I would think he'd be a blocking TE only.

Is Will M. a walk-on? I think you are right about being soft, he needs to work on bulking up...I think that is why they red-shirted him last season. I wonder if he can still deep snap?

SMUguy, I believe Ellen is a blocking TE, his hands are not too good.

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U