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I'm a little surprised we haven't had more discussion about the conclusion of Spring Practice. Where have we found answers-where are we still vulnerable. I would nominate the following for MVP of Spring Practice. I think easily the best player was Matt Rushbrook who had about 329 yards on 19 catches with 3 TDs. I'm not sure SMU has ever had a kid learning a new position who had a better spring. I have no concerns with Rushbrook at all and he has definitely solidified that position. I was impressed with Johnie Fitzgerald-I never got to see him play before spring ball. The problem is Bennett has publicly stated that he likes to play one TB and not substitute often. I think this would be a mistake-I'm more in the Pony Express and Pony Express II camp-pound them with a couple of good backs who will each be more rested in the 4th Q. Other nominees include Bartel(most impressed with the strength and zip on his passes which has improved considerably). Clay Gloczin appears to be making strides, Stansberry, Hrncir has eased some concerns at TE, Adami is solid. Taylor is making more big plays but I feel he is still too inconsistent and drops passes. A kid I kinda like is FB Derron Brown who will put a lick on someone as a blocking back but also appears to be an excellent receiver out of the backfield. I wish he was a little bigger but I don't doubt his effort. I'm probably more concerned now about our secondary than I was before Spring Practice-Barnett is learning but has a long way to go. Didn't see anything spectacular out of Gilmore although he's recovering from serious injury. Maybe Moodley was better in scrimmagges I didn't see because I was surprised to see that Bennett thought his move to CB was successful. I though the secondary was porous. Its hard to evaluate the offensive line because a touch is considered a sack-I think we are getting bigger and stronger but I still think its a weakness that will be exposed this fall.

[This message has been edited by Stallion (edited 04-16-2003).]

I'd say the best player was Bartel, by a mile. He looked so much more comfortable than last year, and he's clearly stronger and in better shape than last year.

Rushbrook was a pleasant surprise, but I wouldn't call him the MVP until he does it in a game. He looked very good, but it was against our second-team defense, so I'd say we should withhold judgement until we see him in games.

Kincade is the starter, and will get the majority of the carries. Fitzgerald should get 10-15 carries a game, but Kincade is still the horse.

I agree with you, Stallion, that Glockzin looked vastly improved. But again, he played mostly against second-team blockers. So like Rushbrook, I want to see him play in games before getting too excited. If nothing else, he should be a capable fill-in.

Taylor is the one I'm most excited about on your list. Maybe this is the year he becomes the receiver we thought we had when he signed. He was so thin when he got to SMU it looked like he might get snapped in half with any tackle. He's clearly been working hard with Coach Faucette and growing into his frame. Now, if he can just play with an aggressive attitude, as if he has some predetermined right to any ball that gets thrown up there, he could have a breakout year.

Derron Brown is a very capable receiver. But I wonder how much he'll play. If the coaches stick to their pledge to go with more 3-WR and 4-WR sets, that will remove the fullback from the lineup more often. I see him as an occasional receiver out of the backfield and a special teams guy.

Is Hrncir really your top option at tight end? I thought Ryan Kennedy opened a lot of eyes. With his added size, it looked like he's lost a step, but he has huge hands and seems to be a good receiver, and even with slightly diminished speed, he would cause major headaches for defenses who have to figure out how to bring down a 270-pound horse rumbling through the secondary. And if you leave him in to block, he's so big it's almost like an extra offensive lineman. I'd say Kennedy is the top tight end.

Gilmore is healthy, but I'd guess he's probably a year away from really contributing. Still, the size and potential are there for a stellar CB if he comes all the way back.

I hope Rushbrook becomes everything we hope he will. But I agree with Dement-ed that he needs to do it in games.

Personally, I think Trey Griffin will have a bigger year.

Rushbrook reminded me a lot of Cody Cardwell except maybe faster. Hope he has as good of a season next fall as Cardwell had last year.

He's also a whole lot stronger than Cardwell.

I really like the idea of Francis and Griffin returning punts. They're both fast enough to break a long one at any time.

I thought Rushbrook looked real good in the scrimmage. He should be a major part of the passing game this year. He looks real comfortable on offense.

personally I really don't see what some of you people see in either Taylor or Griffin. Despite playing WR all their careers, last year they had 4 catches for 41 yards and 13 catches for 122 yards respectively with 8 of Griffin's catches coming against a shabby Rice secondary. Ten yards a catch-Wow. Didn't each catch come in the 2nd half after Rice had taken a big lead on a wet field. Looks to me like he caught a series of catches underneath the Rice prevent defense. Taylor couldn't get open against Division 1 talent in either his freshman or sophmore years. Talk about guys who need to show something in a REAL game. Vinson is another that needs to step it up. Rushbrook EASILY DOUBLED their output in the 3 Spring practices and appears to have great hands and gets open very often ans scores TDs and makes other big plays. I think the consistency of Rushbrook in the spring ---at least 5 catches and at least 109 yards in each scrimmage showed that he's ready to contribute not just one Saturday a year but each Saturday like a Cody Cardwell.

[This message has been edited by Stallion (edited 04-16-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Stallion (edited 04-16-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Stallion (edited 04-16-2003).]

as for the TE competition there wasn't much during the spring scrimmages I saw-Hrncir caught 9 catches for an excellent 119 yards while Kennedy caught only 2 for 25 yards. Hrncir has the experience of playing and playing well in a two tight end offense. I'm sure Kennedy will be a nice blocker in that 2 TE offense this year but I don't think Kennedy has exactly won that starting job yet. Hrncir production I thought was important because its a significant increase over the ONE catch and TWO yards he produced during the entire last season. Therefore, his production is a pleasant relief-we actually know he can catch a pass if called upon.

[This message has been edited by Stallion (edited 04-16-2003).]

"I'm sure Kennedy will be a nice blocker in that 2 TE offense this year..."

Since when are we going to a 2-TE offense? I thought they were loading up the receivers in 3-WR and 4-WR sets.

Rushbrook is the real deal, trust me. He's relatively new to the position, that's true. But Griffin is essentially a track star learning to play football. At least he has better hands than Freeman. But Rushbrook is an all-around football player who will do great at receiver.

every team I've ever seen that had TEs uses two a majority of the time in Short Yardage situations. Bennett used 2 TEs last year on numerous ocassions and I'm sure he will again this year in short yardage. Now Rossley may not of but that was because we didn't have any TEs on the team.

Good point. Wasn't thinking short-yardage.

Can't remember a short-yardage package under Rossley. Did we even have one?

Yeah, lineup in a shotgun with 5-wides and run QB draw to Flannigan .

Ah yes, the days of eating up at least 7 minutes of the game clock - per game!

Two years ago, Robert Gilmore blew up his knee so bad some people thought he might never run again, much less play football. The mere fact that he was out there this spring, taking part in all drills and scrimmages, merits some MVP votes, in my mind.

Do you guys think Ashton Nixon will be able to contribute next year? I really like his athletic ability. We need a guy that can move around in the pocket a little bit. His arm looked real strong in the Red/Blue game. I wish they would have given him some more reps. In my opinion, he has a real bright upside. Should be a battle for the #2 spot between Nixon and Wallis.