TUESDAY MORNING PRACTICE notes ... DEFENSE
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:05 pm• CLOSED: Just a reminder that Tuesday afternoon's practice is closed to all media and fans.
• Fill in your own Monkees joke: Working with the first team at one of the inside spots was sophomore Mickey Dollens, who has resumed full workouts with the team after shoulder surgery to repair a damaged labrum, a procedure which kept him out of spring drills. Dollens said he feels "as strong as ever" after his intense rehabilitation. He hasn't maxed out in the weight room, but has done a lot of repetitions at lower weights and said the entire joint feels strong. He also said he is now up to 280 pounds.
• Battling for position: As they get more comfortable, the defensive backs are starting to be more physical in their coverage. Case in point: transfer slot receiver William Webb lined up in a one-on-one drill across from transfer cornerback Deyon McElroy, and the two waged war for about 10 yards, jockyeing for position. The 5-8 Webb is four inches shorter than McElroy, but only about eight pounds lighter, so the confrontation was fairly even. McElroy held his ground, though and kept his balance when the two collided. Webb stumbled, allowing McElroy to step forward for an easy interception.
• Hit of the day? One of the best collisions of the day - the Ponies' first day in full pads - came when running back Ben Goldthorpe (a converted defensive tackle) got the ball in a seven-on-seven skeleton drill. The 6-2, 2323-pound Goldthorpe headed up the middle, where he met 6-1, 223-pound DE Youri Yenga in one of the loudest collisions of the day. The coaches don't have the players bringing each other all the way to the ground, but Goldthorpe stopped in his tracks.
• Speed covers everything: He has a lot of learning to do, but it's becoming clearer every day that redshirt freshman linebacker Julian Herron has the speed to cover just about anyone. He needs to polish up his coverage technique, but the guy can flat-out fly. He also comes off the edge pretty fast on blitzes, so he could end up being an effective pass rusher, as well.
• Hand to hand: How often are coaches heard imploring their defensive players to "wrap up" tackles? Constantly. Some players can make a play without wrapping up completely, but it's not often. Defensive end Anthony Sowe did just that in the 11-on-11 drill between the first-team offense and the first-team defense when he shot through the line and brought down running back DeMyron Martin from behind by grabbing a fistful of jersey. Martin is a big guy, though, and apparently decided not to let it happen again: a couple of plays later, linebacker Pete Fleps - one of the strongest players on the team - reached out to make a similar one-handed tackle, and Martin ran right through it.
• Opportunity knocks: Near the very end of the 11-on-11 drill, quarterback Logan Turner pitched a shovel pass to DeMyron Martin. But as the offense continues to work out the kinks of its new system, the ball clanged off Martin's facemask and popped straight up in the air. Sophomore defensive end Youri Yenga pounced on the ball before most of his teammates seemed able to even locate it.
• Fill in your own Monkees joke: Working with the first team at one of the inside spots was sophomore Mickey Dollens, who has resumed full workouts with the team after shoulder surgery to repair a damaged labrum, a procedure which kept him out of spring drills. Dollens said he feels "as strong as ever" after his intense rehabilitation. He hasn't maxed out in the weight room, but has done a lot of repetitions at lower weights and said the entire joint feels strong. He also said he is now up to 280 pounds.
• Battling for position: As they get more comfortable, the defensive backs are starting to be more physical in their coverage. Case in point: transfer slot receiver William Webb lined up in a one-on-one drill across from transfer cornerback Deyon McElroy, and the two waged war for about 10 yards, jockyeing for position. The 5-8 Webb is four inches shorter than McElroy, but only about eight pounds lighter, so the confrontation was fairly even. McElroy held his ground, though and kept his balance when the two collided. Webb stumbled, allowing McElroy to step forward for an easy interception.
• Hit of the day? One of the best collisions of the day - the Ponies' first day in full pads - came when running back Ben Goldthorpe (a converted defensive tackle) got the ball in a seven-on-seven skeleton drill. The 6-2, 2323-pound Goldthorpe headed up the middle, where he met 6-1, 223-pound DE Youri Yenga in one of the loudest collisions of the day. The coaches don't have the players bringing each other all the way to the ground, but Goldthorpe stopped in his tracks.
• Speed covers everything: He has a lot of learning to do, but it's becoming clearer every day that redshirt freshman linebacker Julian Herron has the speed to cover just about anyone. He needs to polish up his coverage technique, but the guy can flat-out fly. He also comes off the edge pretty fast on blitzes, so he could end up being an effective pass rusher, as well.
• Hand to hand: How often are coaches heard imploring their defensive players to "wrap up" tackles? Constantly. Some players can make a play without wrapping up completely, but it's not often. Defensive end Anthony Sowe did just that in the 11-on-11 drill between the first-team offense and the first-team defense when he shot through the line and brought down running back DeMyron Martin from behind by grabbing a fistful of jersey. Martin is a big guy, though, and apparently decided not to let it happen again: a couple of plays later, linebacker Pete Fleps - one of the strongest players on the team - reached out to make a similar one-handed tackle, and Martin ran right through it.
• Opportunity knocks: Near the very end of the 11-on-11 drill, quarterback Logan Turner pitched a shovel pass to DeMyron Martin. But as the offense continues to work out the kinks of its new system, the ball clanged off Martin's facemask and popped straight up in the air. Sophomore defensive end Youri Yenga pounced on the ball before most of his teammates seemed able to even locate it.