Tuesday (6/28/11) voluntary workout notes

[PonyPride]

• Channel 11 (CBS) was out at Gerald J. Ford Stadium today, watching the Ponies work out. Steve Dennis said the piece will air later this week, maybe on Thursday's news.

• There were 38 players on the field (linemen remained inside, lifting and working on agility drills). Four of the players were former SMU players: Two Washington Redskins, RB Shawnbrey McNeal and WR Aldrick Robinson, plus LB Youri Yenga and CB Sterling Moore.

• One player who got open several times Tuesday was WR Chayse Joubert. Joubert, who will be a sophomore in the fall, managed create separation, whether on a crossing route to snag a pass on the sideline and get a foot down inbounds or outrunning DBs on deep routes, thanks to speed that might make observers forget the fact that Joubert sat out the team's spring workouts while recovering from knee surgery.

• Defensive players do tip drills all the time. The Ponies went through an impromptu tip drill when a a pass by QB Kyle Padron was tipped by two players (one defensive and one offensive) before being snagged out of the air by DB Clay McMillian.

• If McMillian had the interception of the day, the runner-up for the award was turned in by CB Richard Crawford, who chased WR Keenan Holman into the back corner of the end zone, turned and leaped to snag a high pass.

• Sometimes the best plays are the ones that aren't planned: on one play, QB J.J. McDermott looked toward WR Der'Rikk Thompson, but when CB Sterling Moore started to close on Thompson, McDermott turned to the far side of the field where he fired a quick out route to WR Jeremy Johnson, who made the catch and beat Crawford to the sideline before turning upfield and reaching the end zone.

• The catch of the day was turned in by WR Keenan Holman, who raced toward the back corner of the end zone, turned over his inside shoulder and then twisted his body around to grab a McDermott pass before it sailed out of bounds.

• QB Steve Kaiser threaded a needle when he found WR Jeremy Johnson in heavy traffic over the middle for a pass of about 25 yards. If it happened in a real game, he might have gotten Johnson crushed as safeties McMillian and Chris Banjo closed in quickly, but since the players were without pads and therefore weren't doing any hitting, Johnson emerged unscathed.

• It seemed like the former SMU players really enjoyed being out on the field, despite the ridiculous heat. McNeal laughed with former teammates while running from them, Moore engaged in constant chatter with players on the field and on the sideline, and Yenga almost caught a one-handed touchdown on a pass that was tipped by LB Taylor Reed ... while sneaking a few reps at wide receiver.

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Caught up after practice with RT J.T. Brooks, who emerged from the trainers' room with ice strapped to his shoulder. Brooks said he was not experiencing any discomfort; the ice, he said, was a precautionary measure to take care of the shoulder he had surgically repaired in May. Like defensive ends Margus Hunt and Taylor Thompson, Brooks had a partial labrum tear repaired.

"It was different from theirs, because mine was more in the back of the labrum," Brooks said. "I had to wait on the surgery, though, because I also had a bad sprain of the AC joint, and I had to wait for that to heal — there's nothing you can do about that surgically."

Brooks said he initially injured his shoulder during spring workouts when he was blocking DE Beau Barnes. "We were locked up, and someone else ran into me, which kind of collapsed my arm inward, and my arm kind of went limp." An MRI revealed the labrum tear.

The injury, Brooks said, forces him to focus his workout effort on his lower body, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"I have always had a pretty strong upper body," he said. "After I had surgery, I worked on my legs, focusing on getting better balance in my body."

Brooks has resumed lifting, but said he is easing back into his routine.

"I'm not lifting heavy yet," he said. "I'm starting slow. I benched 225 pounds 15 pounds and just stopped, but I can't lift heavy yet.

"I'll be good for two-a-days. My goal is to be back to lifting normally in about two more weeks."

[GiddyUp]

good to hear former players hanging out. I guess McNeal and AR have no choice for a while.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Thanks double P!

[cutter]

more great stuff.
thanks.

[ponyscott]

Great stuff and good to see former greats coming back working out with our Mustangs!!

[davidpaul123]

I'm looking forward to a big year from Keenan Holeman!

[RedRiverPony]

ponyscott is right about having the former players hang around. When the alums started hanging out around USC and Miami, recruits noticed, they talked about it. If we can get guys like Morstead and Sanders and McCann and Robinson (love the fact our list of NFL alums is growing!) to come back and work out at SMU, recruits will notice that, too.

And davidpaul123: you and me both. HUGE breakout year coming up for Holman!

[One Trick Pony]

I'm looking forward to a big year from Keenan Holeman!

What about the WORM?

[SMUFan]

Both, although I guess Holman is more expected, since he really started to come on at the end of last season. But a lot of people have talked about how hard Worm has worked. Hope it pans out.