PonyFans.com

• Playin' the hits: The Ponies made their first appearance in shoulder pads Wednesday, although they still were in shorts, so drills were not technically "full" contact. But there definitely was more hitting than on the first two days. The linemen and linebackers, in particular, cracked the pads for the first time, while the skill-position guys pretty much stuck to throwing and catching (on offense) and defending the pass for the secondary.

• Do the Twist: One of the stranger-looking drills implemented by the new coaching staff was performed by the secondary. New coach Derrick Odum had his guys start in a normal crouched defensive stance, and at the snap of the ball, they started backpedaling. Rather than the traditional backpedal, however, they had to get in four steps as quickly as possible, then turn their hips so their feet were pointed out to one side for four quick steps, then back forward for four steps, then turn to the other side, etc. The whole time, their shoulders remained square to the line of scrimmage and their eyes on Odum. The drill, designed to increase foot speed and hip flexibility (so they can turn and accelerate out of a backpedal as quickly as possible when chasing a receiver), really looked almost like a dance class. Hard to say who backpedaled and quick-stepped the fastest, but two who looked exceptionally fast were Chris Banjo and Seth Sloan.

• Drop and cover: Adrian Dizer is, if nothing else, very athletic. An exceptional basketball player, Dizer is very fast for a guy his size (6-6, 250). One wrinkle his athleticism allows was on display Wednesday, when he lined up at right defensive end, and when he wasn't rushing the passer, he dropped off the line, where he could run with a tight end or sit down in a seam in the defense, using his quickness, leaping ability and long arms to knock down passes. For a big guy who normally rushes the passer and has had injury issues in recent years, Dizer looked very smooth when backpedaling.

• Stars come out: Among those taking in practice Wednesday were former All-America running back Reggie Dupard, linebackers D.D. Lee and Corey Riley, former Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray and some guys named Troy Aikman and Daryl Johnston.

• Movin' on up? On just his third day of practicing with the team, transfer Alex Odiari moved up to the second-team linebackers group ... and moved inside to the middle. He ran with the third-team unit Monday and Tuesday, playing on the strong side. The first-teamers remained the same: Justin Smart in the middle, between Jason Jackson and Will Bonilla.

• Flip-flop: Chase Smith, who has battled back from past shoulder injuries, worked with the second-team offensive line at left tackle, bolstering the line's depth by allowing Vincent Chase to work at right tackle. At one point, Chase got up under tackle Zach Boyd - who was emulating a rushing defensive end in the drill - and burst out of his crouch, lifting Boyd all the way off the ground.

• Runaway train: Coach Jones has said he'll employ a series of short passes - screens, shovel passes, etc. - and wide pitches as part of the "running game." The running backs will get their touches, but in this system, they'll already be in open space when they get the ball. The impact of this element of his offense was evident Wednesday when the quarterback flipped a short shovel pass to senior Andrew McKinney, who already had his 6-4, 250-plus frame barreling upfield at full speed. The Ponies were in full pads, but a couple of defenders actually got out of the way for fear of being run over.

• Concentration pays off: Probably the interception of the day came when the secondary was working in skeleton drills with some of their own players mimicking the offensive players. Secondary coach Derrick Odum - who played defensive back at Utah but also was an outfielder on the Utes' baseball team - fired a pass down the right sideline, which sophomore Tim Crosby got up to deflect. As Crosby sailed out of bounds, the ball fell behind him, and safety Tyler Jones - already on the ground - twisted around and reached out, pulling in the deflected pass with one hand.

• Stick with it: The linebackers and defensive backs joined forces in one drill, with Odum again playing quarterback. At one point, he threw toward "receiver" Tim Crosby, only to see redshirt freshman linebacker Julian Herron step in front and make the interception. As he ran downfield, Herron dropped the ball, but he stayed with it, and pounced on the ball again before any of his teammates could get to it.

Nice to see Odiari moving up, and at the same time, it is interesting that he was in the middle. I would think that with pads on, it will be much easier for the coaches to get a read on different players at their positions.

How did the QBs and WRs look today?

Honestly, I didn't pay a lot of attention to them today, as I watched them yesterday and spent most of the day today watching the linebackers and linemen. I'll get an update on them tomorrow.

Aikman and Moose!! Love to see the increased attention we are already getting in the area! Less than 23 days to RICE!!!!

PonyPride wrote: ...and some guys named Troy Aikman and Daryl Johnston.

Who?

PonyPride wrote:...Andrew McKinney, who already had his 6-4, 250-plus frame barreling upfield at full speed. The Ponies were in full pads, but a couple of defenders actually got out of the way for fear of being run over.

I hope that McKinney statement is not indicative of how our defense will react when other large RBs come toward them this year.

I've been concerned that what we had in Odiari and Smart is really two big MLBs for one starting spot and not much at OLB. Need to try and get our best players on the field if possible.

Stallion wrote: Need to try and get our best players on the field if possible.

Wow that is insight right there

mrydel wrote:I hope that McKinney statement is not indicative of how our defense will react when other large RBs come toward them this year.

I wouldn't worry about that. PonyPride said they weren't in full pads, so there's no reason for the smaller guys to risk getting pulverized. Based on what has been written about the defensive coaches in their PF.com profiles, it sounds like they're creating a real culture of aggressiveness - I can't imagine them backing down from anyone.

Stallion wrote:I've been concerned that what we had in Odiari and Smart is really two big MLBs for one starting spot and not much at OLB. Need to try and get our best players on the field if possible.

Not too concerned about having two big MLBs as it seems we may have some legitimate depth at the position (See '07: Reggie Carrington). I have a feeling these two will see the field a lot and keep our run defense fresh with an undersized DL.

Would love to see some 3-4 zone blitz packages. That would put Smart and Odiari side by side backing up the D-line and suddenly our D-line doesn't look so small and w/o depth.

Is DeGroat doing anything at DL?

OC Mustang wrote:Is DeGroat doing anything at DL?

Second-team DT today with Chris Parham. That's a pretty stout pair.

I like quality depth with the big men. DL or OL...depth is key.

These reports rule! Thanks,

[quote="mrydel"]I hope that McKinney statement is not indicative of how our defense will react when other large RBs come toward them this year.[/quote]................Well, with McKinney at 6' 4" 260, we probably don't have to worry about our DB's running into too many RB's his size. On the other hand, I sure like the idea of McKinney getting outside on a screen or a pitch where he has room to get his 4.5 speed going. With his size in that situation, he sure won't be alot of fun to bring down.