2004 redshirts

[WildHorse]

I was thinking about the guys (other than Chris Phillips) who redshirted last season:

Vincent Chase, Kyle Griffin, David Haynes, Jessie Henderson, La'Cori Johnson, Sean Lobo, DeMyron Martin, Andrew McKinney .... that's all I can think of at the moment. (Did the guys who played only a little, like Tony Hawkins, get to redshirt? Or did he play enough that he burned his redshirt?)

Any talk of who showed the most in practice last year, or who is expected to step in and contribute this year?

With the way the coaches (and recruits) talked this year about the staff's desire to let linemen grow into their roles, I would guess (and it is just that - a guess) that Lobo and Griffin have another year in the weight room before they're asked to play major minutes -- especially Griffin, since we graduated Melvin Williams at DE and have added Troy Therien and Clayton Cox (when he slides up from OLB), who as JUCOs are expected to play (if not start) right away, right? And the OLs, for the most part, are young, which should allow Lobo to work his way in when he's ready, rather than being thrown in immediately out of sheer necessity.

I heard that McKinney has joined Chase as a backup TE. Clearly Ryan Kennedy is the man at that spot, but Coach Burns wants to implement 2-TE sets (short-yardage, goal line, etc.) Beyond that, I don't know much about their different skill sets. I would think McKinney might be faster, as a converted RB, but I know Chase moves pretty well, too.

Henderson and Martin are supposed to be in the running (so to speak) at RB. Heard they both ran well last year with the scout team, but that's always hard to evaluate, with scout guys running the opposition's plays.

My darkhorse to make an imact: La'Cori Johnson. Basically because I don't know much about him, other than the fact that he's incredibly fast (is he healthy?)

[gostangs]

Don't we also get all three of our starting linebackers back - the ones that got hurt within the first two games, correct?... I think Rice will see us finally field a defense against them - I am so ready to see us stop their option I could choke.

[Corso]

I thought Wilton McCray was a starter from Day One, but maybe I'm mixed up about that. I was under the impression that our starting linebackers ideally would have been McCray and Lee outside, with Carrington in the middle. The Carrington blew out his pectoral muscle lifting weights, so Rico Harris got bumped up to play OLB, with D.D. Lee in the middle. Only when Lee nearly ripped his arm off did Harris then move inside.

Or was the starting supposed to be Harris, Lee and Carrington, with McCray just added to the rotation after the injuries started?

Either way, I get the impression it's going to keep Clayton Cox from cracking the starting rotation. Can't wait to see the guy play. Spring ball can't get here soon enough!

[SMUguy]

I guess the theory that the skill-position guys can play earlier applies here. I keep hearing that Haynes and Henderson could have immediate impacts, on special teams if not on defense and offense, respectively.

[giacfsp]

Personally, I'm eager to see the JUCOs play.
But I'm also pretty excited about Henderson and Johnson, to see if they're really as fast as advertised.

[mavsrage311]

I thought Wilton McCray was a starter from Day One, but maybe I'm mixed up about that. I was under the impression that our starting linebackers ideally would have been McCray and Lee outside, with Carrington in the middle. The Carrington blew out his pectoral muscle lifting weights, so Rico Harris got bumped up to play OLB, with D.D. Lee in the middle. Only when Lee nearly ripped his arm off did Harris then move inside.

Or was the starting supposed to be Harris, Lee and Carrington, with McCray just added to the rotation after the injuries started?

Either way, I get the impression it's going to keep Clayton Cox from cracking the starting rotation. Can't wait to see the guy play. Spring ball can't get here soon enough!

if i'm not mistaken, McCray was supposed to have been redshirted but got his redshirt yanked with all our linebacker injuries last year

[JasonB]

I thought Wilton McCray was a starter from Day One, but maybe I'm mixed up about that. I was under the impression that our starting linebackers ideally would have been McCray and Lee outside, with Carrington in the middle. The Carrington blew out his pectoral muscle lifting weights, so Rico Harris got bumped up to play OLB, with D.D. Lee in the middle. Only when Lee nearly ripped his arm off did Harris then move inside.

Or was the starting supposed to be Harris, Lee and Carrington, with McCray just added to the rotation after the injuries started?

Either way, I get the impression it's going to keep Clayton Cox from cracking the starting rotation. Can't wait to see the guy play. Spring ball can't get here soon enough!

if i'm not mistaken, McCray was supposed to have been redshirted but got his redshirt yanked with all our linebacker injuries last year

This is true. Rico was moved down to LB in the spring, and was slated to start with Lee and Carrington.

Alos, don't forget about getting Muse back when you talk about DEs...

[mavsrage311]

I thought Wilton McCray was a starter from Day One, but maybe I'm mixed up about that. I was under the impression that our starting linebackers ideally would have been McCray and Lee outside, with Carrington in the middle. The Carrington blew out his pectoral muscle lifting weights, so Rico Harris got bumped up to play OLB, with D.D. Lee in the middle. Only when Lee nearly ripped his arm off did Harris then move inside.

Or was the starting supposed to be Harris, Lee and Carrington, with McCray just added to the rotation after the injuries started?

Either way, I get the impression it's going to keep Clayton Cox from cracking the starting rotation. Can't wait to see the guy play. Spring ball can't get here soon enough!

shouldn't he be considered the frontrunner for a starting job if he's healthy, from what i've seen, he is a lot more talented than our other DE's.

if i'm not mistaken, McCray was supposed to have been redshirted but got his redshirt yanked with all our linebacker injuries last year

This is true. Rico was moved down to LB in the spring, and was slated to start with Lee and Carrington.

Alos, don't forget about getting Muse back when you talk about DEs...