PonyFans.com practice report: April 9, 2016.

[PonyPride]

Saturday's practice was open to the media. Some observations:

• Some members of #StangGang16 were in attendance, including QB Ke'Mon Freeman, WR Brandon Benson and CB Christian Davis. There might have been others — sorry to any we missed. Still getting to know players.
• Coaches and players have made no secret about their excitement over WR James Proché, who sat out the 2015 season as a redshirt. He is an electric runner in the open field who is expected to contribute (or at least compete to contribute) on both offense and on special teams, where he is getting a lot of work as a return man. Proché made several big plays Saturday, including a shovel pass he took about 65 yards for a score.
• One player who quietly had a very strong day was TE Jeremiah Gaines. In three-on-three drills, he held his own when blocking against larger defensive linemen. In the start of the scrimmage, he caught a pass over the middle and got drilled by S Darrion Richardson ... but held on to the ball. And on Proché's long touchdown, Gaines provided the escort all the way downfield, taking out two defenders along the way to give Proché a path to the end zone. Gaines also was within inches of a long touchdown, as one of the officials ruled he stepped out of bounds as he tightroped down the sideline.
• Special teams coordinator Daric Riley, as would be expected, is a big believer in the idea that special teams can determine a game's outcome as much as can the offense and defense. The kicking game was inconsistent Saturday, but Riley did get a blocked extra point from DL Zelt Minor.
• One player who has drawn attention this spring is freshman WR Austin Rolfe, who drew post-practice praise from head coach Chad Morris Saturday. Rolfe dropped a couple of catchable passes in Saturday's scrimmage, but also made a lot of catches, including one on which he turned and ran through two arm-tackles en route to the end zone.
• WR Alex Honey also drew compliments from Morris, and for the most part he had a good day. He did deflect a deep pass when he reached up with one hand — allowing CB Will Jeanlys to make an easy interception — but Honey also made several nice catches, including two on passes that were thrown well out of bounds. Honey was able to keep his toes in bounds and lean his 6-4 frame over the sideline and reach out to grab the two passes. WR Shelby Walker made a similar grab on a pass that looked like it was headed into the bench.
• Freshman RB Aphonso Thomas is improving, and looks like he can be a valuable addition to the backfield. He's not there yet — at one point, he got stuffed on back-to-back runs near the goal line (by LBs Anthony Rhone and Carlos Carroll), prompting "a strong request" from RBs coach Claude Mathis to lower his pad level — but he looks a lot better than he did a few weeks ago. He has good balance, catches the ball well out of the backfield, and when he "runs behind his pads" he has the power to run through some tackles.
• If Thomas looks better than he did a month ago, compare QB Ben Hicks to where he was at this time last season. Like all coaches, Morris acknowledges that freshmen often get lost because they're trying to absorb so much new information. (Saturday's phrase was something about "drinking out of a fire hose." Hicks is still learning, but with a year under his belt, doesn't look like the should-be-high-school-senior who was on the field last spring. His accuracy varies from erratic to pinpoint, and he looks like he is thinking less, and is getting rid of the ball much more quickly because he is playing more instinctively. In Saturday's scrimmage, Matt Davis took the first snaps at quarterback, followed by Hicks and then Darrel Colbert. Colbert had a really nice throw rolling out right and hitting a receiver 25 yards down field on the sideline, and also showed nice touch on a touchdown of about 40 yards to WR Myron Gailliard ... who sat out the last 45 minutes or so of practice with ice on his right shoulder.
• Among the players in green (limited) jerseys Saturday: OLs William Barns, Daniel McCarty and Tony Richards. Among those in yellow (out): LB Jordon Williams, DE Justin Lawler, CB Deion Sanders, OL Keaton Bates, WR Courtland Sutton, OL Travis Fister, LB Jackson Mitchell, CB Horace Richardson, LB Kyran Mitchell and S Rodney Clemons.
• RB Braeden West is listed at 166 pounds on the school's spring roster, which is four pounds less than his listed weight in last year's media guide. But he looks stronger and he runs stronger, busting through a couple of arm tackles Saturday and willingly taking on blockers. Will be interesting to watch what he becomes as he gets stronger in the years ahead.
• Without Barns, Richards, McCarty, Fister and Bates, the offensive line remains thin, but looks visibly better. Several (Pursley, Briggs, Hyder, Wilds) look either leaner or stronger or both compared to last year. Things could get interesting up front in August with the presumed return of the five injured injured players, plus the arrival of four freshmen: Kadarius Smith, Braxton Webb, Jacob Todora and Harrison Barton.
• Morris said he thinks it is possible that four of the five incoming defensive linemen will get a chance to play in the fall, citing the Mustangs' lack of depth. He mentioned the enormous potential of twins Delontae Scott and Michael Scott again, admitting that they still make mistakes that are expected from young players but said their speed and athleticism makes their futures somewhat tantalizing. Each had a sack Saturday. Michael looks a little heavier than his brother (the roster lists Michael at 248 and Delontae at 244, so the difference, if there is one, is minimal).

(PonyFan "JasonB" contributed to this report)

[Donnell88]

Great info, thank you.

[JasonB]

I was just watching from the stands with my Dad, but I wanted to share some other thoughts as well...

* Matt Davis looked to me like the guy from the second half of last year. I love his leadership and athletic ability, but he threw off of the back foot several times, especially under pressure. I want to see the guy who took charge last spring and played so well the first half of the season - not afraid to take a hit, taking control of the team, and putting passes in spots where his players make plays. Throwing off the back foot kills his deep ball, and sends it OOB where his WR can't even make a play. Its in there somewhere, he just needs to get it back.
* Hicks has a ton of arm talent. You can see the potential. The concern with where he is at right now is that when he misses, it is all over the place - sometimes high, sometimes behind, sometimes ahead. He had a really bad INT to the sideline early in practice, and another bad one late in the flat. You can see the skill and the promise, but the consistency isn't quite there yet.
* Colbert, IMHO, was the best QB out there yesterday. Here is what I like about Colbert - he does just enough to get the job done, and then lets his players make plays. On a roster where the number of playmakers is growing, I kind of want that over a QB who is going to make some amazing plays with their arm or legs but also make horrible mistakes. His throw on the rollout to the sideline was fantastic, as was his TD pass to Gailliard. That TD pass was in a window between a corner and a safety, and had the perfect combo of touch and accuracy. Morris has been around the players more and had a lot of positives to say about Hicks yesterday, but I really liked what I saw from Colbert. Steps into passes under pressure as well.
* I think we are 8 deep at WR right now. Thomas, Castille, and Sutton didn't play, but Proche and Gailliard can make plays and Malone and Walker are solid.
* While watching Honey, the player that came to mind was Holman from a few years back. Holman had all these physical gifts and then put things together as a Senior and exploded. Honey is kind of like that right now - he has physical gifts, but his hands aren't naturally soft. He had a couple of balls bounce off for deflections or just drops. He came on at the end of practice. He made a really nice catch late on the sideline under pressure, which was nice to see. I think all the tools are there, he just needs a little time to develop first. I'm not sure I would be comfortable counting on him as a starter just yet.
* Proche is being set up for a big year. WR, Punt Returner, Jet Sweeps, Wildcat. I'm not sure that he has "plus" top end speed, but he certainly has plus athleticism and quickness.
* I'm still not sure why Gaines doesn't have 6 for 100 every game.
* OL had 9 in the rotation. LG was Hyder and he played every down. The OL is way, way ahead of where it was last spring. No jail breaks except under max blitz (Colbert had a talking to for not switching the blocking or checking down after a max blitz). Last year during the spring, they looked like a turnstile. Definitely not like that now, and they actually look the part a bit. Don't get me wrong - I didn't see anyone dominate players like we saw in the past from LeRebius and Beach. But we are certainly better than last season
* DL Scott brothers have nice athleticism. I'd like to see them push ahead into the 1's. Pruitt and Horton started at DE... I was kind of impressed by Horton's movement, but he is small. Lawler, The Scotts, and a Frosh would be a nice rotation I think if we can get a Frosh to excel right off the bat.
* DT Green and Minor are fighting to start. Gentry is the other. Biggers is athletic, but still looks skinny. He will get there eventually, but not sure he is ready yet. I think that Gentry, Green, Minor and a newbie is a good rotation, but we need that newbie to come in ready to fight for a starting spot.
* Watching practice, it was obvious the defense was playing a 4-3, and not the 4-2-5. Really interesting. That was reinforced in the interview video where Rhone says they are playing a 4-3. Part of that may be that K Mitchell and J Williams are out, and they would be the star. And it could be that our secondary isn't deep enough yet to play the 4-2-5. Or the DL isn't good enough yet. But, the 4-3 is something to keep your eye on. That might be in play until we have a powerhouse DL and enough speed in the secondary.
* Secondary is already much deeper than it was before. I didn't spend a lot of focus on it, but it looks like Montgomery has really stepped his game up to another level. Much better at CB and Safety than we saw last year.
* Several forced fumbles. That is a good sign because the DL and LB are starting to make plays instead of just working to keep up with the action. Might be the sign of something turning a corner.
* Depth at LB isn't where we want it to be just yet, but Carroll made some really nice plays. He started to show up at the end of last season, and it loks like that progression has continued. He was the LB who stood out the most.
* Thomas at RB looks good. Real depth at RB. Paden is someone to keep your eye one - small back, quick and made some plays

[Donnell88]

Great stuff, thanks for posting.

[DiamondM75]

Thanks for all the work and information you provide.

[PonySnob]

Does Kevin Thomas' suspension include the spring game?

[Stallion]

There are no healthy players on the entire team right now who were recruited to play the Star in the 4-2-5 which is probably why they ain't running it much, Next season there will be plenty of options there of players who were specifically recruited based on projecting them to the Star

[JasonB]

There are no healthy players on the entire team right now who were recruited to play the Star in the 4-2-5 which is probably why they ain't running it much, Next season there will be plenty of options there of players who were specifically recruited based on projecting them to the Star

Very well could be, that is why I mentioned that in my notes. Rhone's comment that they were learning all of the LB positions might indicate that as well.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Morris made a point to Van Malone that the D needs to perform. Period. They need two things to effectively run the 4-2-5:

1) The Star needs to be a Star. It can't just be a guy. Has to be able to run, cover, blitz, make plays all over the field. Think Tank Carter. Even if the current guys are healthy and we have guys coming in for the Fall, are we going to have players who are ready to be a Star, right now?

2) DEs need to be able to both rush the passer and stop the run. Dominate. Think Jerry Hughes. Lawler is raw to do both. Scott twins are still a little small to be really stout against the run, they are better pass rushers. When you have someone who can dominate and do both, I can run a Star behind them to fly around and make plays. Without that player, Carroll might be a better option to be physical. Is that player here or are the Frosh ready to be that stud on day one? Not sure.

I could easily see a situation where for this Fall we play a base 4-3 so that we aren't obliterated against the run and go to the 4-2-5 in nickel packages. Then, next year, transition full time to the 4-2-5 when the Star players and DEs are more mature and ready to stand out.

[Stallion]

Tank Carder never played the Star position-he was an Inside LB his entire career at TCU. You continue to fail to understand what a Star is

[Stallion]

Here's Tank Carder highlites from Rose Bowl against Wisconsin in the 4-2-5 defense-notice him lining up as one of 2 Inside LBs generally inside the Tackle slot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBQTw7zBv1k

[ALEX LIFESON]

Tank Carder never played the Star position-he was an Inside LB his entire career at TCU. You continue to fail to understand what a Star is

I mentioned that to someone Saturday, we need a Tank Carter at inside LB, 6'2 or 6'3 235....mean sob run stuffer, that can go sideline to sideline.

[Stallion]

This is the base look of the TCU 4-2-5 Defense- $ is the Star position. Most of TCU's All-American candidates at DE-there's been about 3-4 I can think of-have all been in the 255 pound range

http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4633143/ ... medium.jpg

[mtrout]

It ain't about the Xs and Os. It's bout the Jimmy's and Joe's

[blackoutpony]

This is the kind of irresponsible sunshine and rainbows practice report from PP that made everyone think 2014 was going to be awesome. You literally cannot say anything bad.

Props to Jason B for actually giving some observations from both sides of the aisle

[JasonB]

This is the kind of irresponsible sunshine and rainbows practice report from PP that made everyone think 2014 was going to be awesome. You literally cannot say anything bad.

Props to Jason B for actually giving some observations from both sides of the aisle

Thanks, but please, please, please understand that the University has certain ground rules that have to be followed if you are to be provided with a press pass and allowed on the field. A lot of topics are off-limits. It has been that way for years.

PonyPride, I believe, makes a conscious choice to follow those rules to the letter, and err on the side of being more conservative out of respect to the school, which is a quality I personally admire rather than denigrate. And as you can tell from the recruiting roundups, he knows the players and their families, which I am sure he is sensitive to.

Other sites skirt those rules a bit more. A lot of times, they don't get in trouble. Sometimes they do (EJ got banned by June a few years ago).

I attended the practice on Saturday simply as a fan, which allows me more liberty to post as a fan. I just wanted to provide more information to those who are fans and couldn't make it. But I don't think it is justified to rip on PonyPride for how he covers the proceedings. He volunteers his time and I think does the best job he can while following the rules.