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Couple of interesting notes:

Linebackers running with the first unit: Justin Smart was in the middle, and Will Bonilla on the weakside, neither of which was a surprise. Running with the first unit on the strongside: Jason Jackson (6-0, 220), the sophomore from Little Rock, Ark. who emerged from a fairly anonymous 2007 season with a strong spring and solid offseason in the weight room.

Alex Odiari ran with the third-team defense Monday, but again, Monday's session was little more than a teaching session, almost a walk-through. He didn't have the benefit of spring workouts, so he's on the early end of his learning curve. Stay tuned — this one's worth watching.

At least on some drills, Mario Walker was running pass routes with the wide receivers.

Think these coaches value pass protection? Running backs coach Wes Suan and his troops spent a good part of practice working with offensive line coach Dennis McKnight and the offensive line.

At one point, it looked like the Mustangs had three secondary coaches. While Derrick Odum put his pupils through drills, elder statesmen Bryan McCann and Rock Dennis grabbed some of their young teammates and talked to them about technique, footwork, etc.

Jason Jackson has a real shot at starting. I know he works hard too, not being a scholarship player, so it's good to see him making big moves.

JJ seemed a little irritated in his radio interview about some players being out of shape. A couple of posters commented on Odari looking a little heavy. Do you think Odari is being served notice of his condition?

pony warrior wrote:JJ seemed a little irritated in his radio interview about some players being out of shape. A couple of posters commented on Odari looking a little heavy. Do you think Odari is being served notice of his condition?

What does Odiari look like? I had no idea who to look for in those pictures MM65 posted.

pony warrior wrote:JJ seemed a little irritated in his radio interview about some players being out of shape. A couple of posters commented on Odari looking a little heavy. Do you think Odari is being served notice of his condition?

I doubt it. He is brand new to the system, and they're probably just making him work his way up.

George S. Patton wrote:

pony warrior wrote:JJ seemed a little irritated in his radio interview about some players being out of shape. A couple of posters commented on Odari looking a little heavy. Do you think Odari is being served notice of his condition?

What does Odiari look like? I had no idea who to look for in those pictures MM65 posted.

Number 13. Red jersey.

In response to his dimensions he claimed he was 6-1 0r 6-2, 248 and James at PonyStampede said something like yeah you're not on high heels. I'd bet more like 6-0.5 and if he's streatching on his height probably 255-260. That's one big OLB. Should be below 240

If he can still move well at that weight, could he potentially move inside and Smart slides to OLB?

GeorgiaMustang wrote:If he can still move well at that weight, could he potentially move inside and Smart slides to OLB?

I don't think you want to do that. That's Smart's bread and butter position. I want someone in the middle with agility and great lateral movement. OCMustang swears by him and his ability.

pony warrior wrote:JJ seemed a little irritated in his radio interview about some players being out of shape. A couple of posters commented on Odari looking a little heavy. Do you think Odari is being served notice of his condition?

Odiari said in an interview that he had been working out hard over the summer and made his times. He is going to be a good player for us. He also said that he squatted 700lbs.

Stallion wrote:In response to his dimensions he claimed he was 6-1 0r 6-2, 248 and James at PonyStampede said something like yeah you're not on high heels. I'd bet more like 6-0.5 and if he's streatching on his height probably 255-260. That's one big OLB. Should be below 240

London Fletcher - Washington Redskins MLB - 5'10 245 lbs

Zach Thomas - Dallas Cowboys MLB - 5'11 242 lbs

Not the same talent level, but there are players playing linebacker at his size. These guys are actually shorter.

But he is not scheduled to play MLB. Zach Thomas is listed at 5-11, 228 on the Dallas Cowboys Roster.

George S. Patton wrote:

GeorgiaMustang wrote:If he can still move well at that weight, could he potentially move inside and Smart slides to OLB?

I don't think you want to do that. That's Smart's bread and butter position. I want someone in the middle with agility and great lateral movement. OCMustang swears by him and his ability.

To wit, I think Smart could play OLB easily, but it is rather late in the game (no pun intended) to begin to acclimate someone to the spot on more than a one-off basis (special ad-hoc defensive package because of a specific opposing player or weakness).

If the defensive line gets even a little push, Smart is capable of putting hits on running backs and qbs that will have blood-bubbles coming from their noses. He's an intelligent player, and if he makes a mistake, he has the physical tools to mitigate it right then and there.

LaVar Arrington played OLB at nearly 260 and played it well. Let's defer to the coaches on this, shall we, rather than getting too wound up in heights and weights and 40 times?

So .... he claimed to be 6-1 or 6-2 and based off an audio interview with a guy you haven't met face-to-face, you're going to guess 6-0.5 .... you're guessing about a half an inch based on an interview with a guy who already is establishing himself as someone who talks constantly?

Tell me if I missed a step in your logic there. If not, it sounds like a guess.

actually I think when he was being recruited as a 6-2 kid he was never measured above 5-11.5. SMU lists him smaller than me at 6-0. The PonyStampede guy was the one who thought he was embellishing by stating he was 6-1 or 6-2. Why don't you worry about what you want to worry about-I'll do the same. The game has changed-Odiari's a great athlete but he's not going to be as effective as he could be at OLB in CUSA carrying a tire around his midsection.