TUESDAY MORNING PRACTICE notes ... OFFENSE
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:20 pm• Stop and go: Coaches often talk about how there's so much more information needed to measure a player's value than merely his height, weight and 40-yard dash time. In addition to top-end speed, coaches are enamored (especially for skill-position guys) with acceleration and the ability to stop and change direction quickly. On consecutive players in the morning workout, a pair of newcomers proved the theory. Winston Gamso threw a quick out route to B.J. Lee, who caught the ball at the sideline, was able to stop a couple of inches in bounds and turn upfield. On the very next play, transfer William Webb did the exact same thing. Both players kept their feet no more than a couple of inches from the sideline, but maintained their balance and shot up the sideline.
Continual-Lee...: During the 11-on-11 pseudo-scrimmage, Lee caught a short crossing route, juked a couple of defenders to a standstill and then bolted for the far sideline. He caught up and passed three defensive backs - Tim Crosby, Rock Dennis and Tyler Jones - on his way to the far sideline before turning upfield.
• New uniforms unveiled! OK, that's a lie - they weren't in the new adidas uniforms. But on the first day on which the Ponies took the field in full pads, it looked like the white jerseys the offense wore - and definitely the white towels hanging from their belts - had been washed with someone's red shorts, as many had a very un-SMU pink hue to them.
• The rotation continues: When the offense and scout team defense broke off into seven-on-seven drills, redshirt freshman Logan Turner was working with the first-team receivers: Aldrick Robinson and Zach Zimmerman outside, and Emmanuel Sanders and Josh Bryant in the slot positions. But when the first-team offense went against the first-team offense (details forthcoming), Justin Willis was running with the first team.
• Stop the presses! Secondary coach Derrick Odum has said the Ponies' defensive backs will be more aggressive and physical than what he saw on game tape from last year, including more press coverage at the line of scrimmage, which means receivers will have to figure out different ways to beat the press coverage. Some run around defenders, some engage in hand-to-hand combat at the line of scrimmage. Sophomore Phillip Burley took another approach: when he lined up across from La'Cori Johnson, who was pressing tight at the line of scrimmage, Burley charged straight forward at the snap of the ball. He got his hands under Johnson's shoulder pads and shoved him straight back before running literally over him to go get Winston Gamso's pass.
• Crossing the lines: The offensive line remains a group that appears fairly well set in the starting five, but the coaches are still trying new combinations with the second group: the first line consisted of left tackle Kelvin Beachum, Jr., left guard Sean Lobo, center Mitch Enright, right guard Bryce Tennison and right tackle Vincent Chase; the second line featured left tackle Kelly Turner, left guard Josh LeRibeus, center Blake McJunkin, right guard Tommy Poynter and right tackle J.T. Brooks.
• Cole breeze: When he was being recruited, the analysis surrounding former Aledo quarterback Cole Loftin suggested that he'd make a smooth transition to his college position at least in part because while might not be the fastest pure sprinter (although he has more than adequate speed), he has an innate ability to make defenders miss when he gets the ball in the open field. Loftin showed off his ability in the Tuesday morning session, catching a crossing route and freezing linebacker Michael Morse with a subtle shoulder fake before heading upfield.
• A little of everything: Everyone knows that receivers in the June Jones offense need to be able to run and need to be able to catch, and they need to be able to read the defense the same way the quarterback does so they make the same route adjustments. But make no mistake, the receivers are expected to block downfield for each other, too. Aldrick Robinson showed he's more than just a speed guy when he saw Quincey Whittington catch a pass in the flat behind him. Robinson turned around and sealed off two defenders with a single block, allowing Whittington to sail by him up the sideline.
• 11-on-11: When the first-team offense and defense squared off, Justin Willis lined up in the backfield with running backs DeMyron Martin and Andrew McKinney, behind the starting line of Beachum, Lobo, Enright, Tennison and Chase. The first-team receivers varied slightly from their alignment in the seven-on-seven skeleton drills earlier in the day: in the 11-on-11 session, Zimmerman was joined outside by Sanders, while Robinson moved into the slot receiver spot across from Bryant.
• Play to your strengths: Robinson's two-fer block (above) was impressive, but he hasn't forgotten what makes him effective. Early in the 11-on-11 drill, he caught a pass on a post pattern, split Tyler Jones and Tim Crosby and pulled away from the back for what would have been an easy touchdown.
• Not to split hairs: Braden Smith threw a short dump-off pass to Chris Butler that the starting defense wrapped up immediately ... apparently unaware that Adrian Dizer jumped offside by an hour and a half and would have been flagged by every official in the country.
• Catch of the day: There were several, but one particularly impressive grab was turned in by redshirt freshman Bradley Haynes. Braden Smith fired a deep pass about 40 yards down the right side of the field toward Haynes, who rose up and reached over Deyon McElroy to pull the pass in. Without his size and leaping ability and long arms, there's no way Haynes makes that catch.
Continual-Lee...: During the 11-on-11 pseudo-scrimmage, Lee caught a short crossing route, juked a couple of defenders to a standstill and then bolted for the far sideline. He caught up and passed three defensive backs - Tim Crosby, Rock Dennis and Tyler Jones - on his way to the far sideline before turning upfield.
• New uniforms unveiled! OK, that's a lie - they weren't in the new adidas uniforms. But on the first day on which the Ponies took the field in full pads, it looked like the white jerseys the offense wore - and definitely the white towels hanging from their belts - had been washed with someone's red shorts, as many had a very un-SMU pink hue to them.
• The rotation continues: When the offense and scout team defense broke off into seven-on-seven drills, redshirt freshman Logan Turner was working with the first-team receivers: Aldrick Robinson and Zach Zimmerman outside, and Emmanuel Sanders and Josh Bryant in the slot positions. But when the first-team offense went against the first-team offense (details forthcoming), Justin Willis was running with the first team.
• Stop the presses! Secondary coach Derrick Odum has said the Ponies' defensive backs will be more aggressive and physical than what he saw on game tape from last year, including more press coverage at the line of scrimmage, which means receivers will have to figure out different ways to beat the press coverage. Some run around defenders, some engage in hand-to-hand combat at the line of scrimmage. Sophomore Phillip Burley took another approach: when he lined up across from La'Cori Johnson, who was pressing tight at the line of scrimmage, Burley charged straight forward at the snap of the ball. He got his hands under Johnson's shoulder pads and shoved him straight back before running literally over him to go get Winston Gamso's pass.
• Crossing the lines: The offensive line remains a group that appears fairly well set in the starting five, but the coaches are still trying new combinations with the second group: the first line consisted of left tackle Kelvin Beachum, Jr., left guard Sean Lobo, center Mitch Enright, right guard Bryce Tennison and right tackle Vincent Chase; the second line featured left tackle Kelly Turner, left guard Josh LeRibeus, center Blake McJunkin, right guard Tommy Poynter and right tackle J.T. Brooks.
• Cole breeze: When he was being recruited, the analysis surrounding former Aledo quarterback Cole Loftin suggested that he'd make a smooth transition to his college position at least in part because while might not be the fastest pure sprinter (although he has more than adequate speed), he has an innate ability to make defenders miss when he gets the ball in the open field. Loftin showed off his ability in the Tuesday morning session, catching a crossing route and freezing linebacker Michael Morse with a subtle shoulder fake before heading upfield.
• A little of everything: Everyone knows that receivers in the June Jones offense need to be able to run and need to be able to catch, and they need to be able to read the defense the same way the quarterback does so they make the same route adjustments. But make no mistake, the receivers are expected to block downfield for each other, too. Aldrick Robinson showed he's more than just a speed guy when he saw Quincey Whittington catch a pass in the flat behind him. Robinson turned around and sealed off two defenders with a single block, allowing Whittington to sail by him up the sideline.
• 11-on-11: When the first-team offense and defense squared off, Justin Willis lined up in the backfield with running backs DeMyron Martin and Andrew McKinney, behind the starting line of Beachum, Lobo, Enright, Tennison and Chase. The first-team receivers varied slightly from their alignment in the seven-on-seven skeleton drills earlier in the day: in the 11-on-11 session, Zimmerman was joined outside by Sanders, while Robinson moved into the slot receiver spot across from Bryant.
• Play to your strengths: Robinson's two-fer block (above) was impressive, but he hasn't forgotten what makes him effective. Early in the 11-on-11 drill, he caught a pass on a post pattern, split Tyler Jones and Tim Crosby and pulled away from the back for what would have been an easy touchdown.
• Not to split hairs: Braden Smith threw a short dump-off pass to Chris Butler that the starting defense wrapped up immediately ... apparently unaware that Adrian Dizer jumped offside by an hour and a half and would have been flagged by every official in the country.
• Catch of the day: There were several, but one particularly impressive grab was turned in by redshirt freshman Bradley Haynes. Braden Smith fired a deep pass about 40 yards down the right side of the field toward Haynes, who rose up and reached over Deyon McElroy to pull the pass in. Without his size and leaping ability and long arms, there's no way Haynes makes that catch.