A few of the important themes and insights from today's practice:
-- We've been raving about Ray-Ray McCloud since camp began, and today Jeff Scott said he's been the biggest surprise so far. The term "surprise" is probably not precise in this case, because Scott and everyone else knows what McCloud is capable of. It's just how natural and comfortable he's looked from the very beginning -- Scott and the staff definitely anticipated a bigger learning curve for a kid who was a running back and Wildcat QB in high school.
There's something cool about the unpredictability of freshmen, even highly touted ones, and how they're going to adjust to the next level. You can watch all the film you want, you can even be a seasoned coach at the highest level, and you still just don't know. The game is just slow to McCloud in a way that you seldom see for skill guys who have just arrived. In addition to that, McCloud's hands have been really good. And he's shown a willingness to stick his head in there and block also: Scott said McCloud excelled at a blocking drill today. That is a heck of a package.
-- The progression has been slower for Deon Cain. Scott said he's shown "flashes," but he's just in a different situation because of the guys he's behind (Mike Williams and Trevion Thompson) and because of the guys he's facing (Mackensie Alexander and Cordrea Tankersley).
Tomorrow's stadium scrimmage will present an opportunity for Cain to show what he can do. Mike Williams is fine after a bit of a scare with his hamstring two days ago, but he'll sit out the scrimmage as the staff gets a closer look at the young receivers. Very interested to see how Cain performs tomorrow in the stadium.
-- Another camp riser, without a doubt, has been Garrett Williams. Danny Pearman has been raving about the kid, and a big reason for that has been Williams' knack for lead blocking and pushing people off the ball in short-yardage situations. Scott echoed that praise today. If Williams can keep this up, that could be a really big boost to edge blocking that was inconsistent last year.
-- Speaking of short yardage, Scott said the two most productive running backs in those situations have been Wayne Gallman and C.J. Fuller. Ball security has been Fuller's only issue, really. Scott pointed out that Tyshon Dye did well today powering through the middle coming off the goal line.
-- Scott also confirmed what we'd picked up a few days ago: The offensive line struggled mightily in the first week but has punched back this week with favorable results. We're told it's still really tough for them to open holes in the running game, but pass protection has shown some real improvement.
-- Several guys stayed after practice at Jervey Meadows to continue working. Can't tell you how impressive it is to see Mackensie Alexander work day after day and mentor his teammates. He spent quite a bit of time after practice working with Mark Fields as Fields covered Germone Hopper on back-shoulder throws. Also hanging around afterward were Deshaun Watson and Artavis Scott. This crew is kind of like the football version of gym rats.
-- Hopper did fumble a punt on a "poison" call during some of this extra work. Dabo Swinney said he's really excited about the potential of the punt-return game with Hopper, Scott and McCloud. Said they've been working hard on protecting the football.
Hope everyone out there is doing well this Friday afternoon. Plenty more coming in a bit.
-- We've been raving about Ray-Ray McCloud since camp began, and today Jeff Scott said he's been the biggest surprise so far. The term "surprise" is probably not precise in this case, because Scott and everyone else knows what McCloud is capable of. It's just how natural and comfortable he's looked from the very beginning -- Scott and the staff definitely anticipated a bigger learning curve for a kid who was a running back and Wildcat QB in high school.
There's something cool about the unpredictability of freshmen, even highly touted ones, and how they're going to adjust to the next level. You can watch all the film you want, you can even be a seasoned coach at the highest level, and you still just don't know. The game is just slow to McCloud in a way that you seldom see for skill guys who have just arrived. In addition to that, McCloud's hands have been really good. And he's shown a willingness to stick his head in there and block also: Scott said McCloud excelled at a blocking drill today. That is a heck of a package.
-- The progression has been slower for Deon Cain. Scott said he's shown "flashes," but he's just in a different situation because of the guys he's behind (Mike Williams and Trevion Thompson) and because of the guys he's facing (Mackensie Alexander and Cordrea Tankersley).
Tomorrow's stadium scrimmage will present an opportunity for Cain to show what he can do. Mike Williams is fine after a bit of a scare with his hamstring two days ago, but he'll sit out the scrimmage as the staff gets a closer look at the young receivers. Very interested to see how Cain performs tomorrow in the stadium.
-- Another camp riser, without a doubt, has been Garrett Williams. Danny Pearman has been raving about the kid, and a big reason for that has been Williams' knack for lead blocking and pushing people off the ball in short-yardage situations. Scott echoed that praise today. If Williams can keep this up, that could be a really big boost to edge blocking that was inconsistent last year.
-- Speaking of short yardage, Scott said the two most productive running backs in those situations have been Wayne Gallman and C.J. Fuller. Ball security has been Fuller's only issue, really. Scott pointed out that Tyshon Dye did well today powering through the middle coming off the goal line.
-- Scott also confirmed what we'd picked up a few days ago: The offensive line struggled mightily in the first week but has punched back this week with favorable results. We're told it's still really tough for them to open holes in the running game, but pass protection has shown some real improvement.
-- Several guys stayed after practice at Jervey Meadows to continue working. Can't tell you how impressive it is to see Mackensie Alexander work day after day and mentor his teammates. He spent quite a bit of time after practice working with Mark Fields as Fields covered Germone Hopper on back-shoulder throws. Also hanging around afterward were Deshaun Watson and Artavis Scott. This crew is kind of like the football version of gym rats.
-- Hopper did fumble a punt on a "poison" call during some of this extra work. Dabo Swinney said he's really excited about the potential of the punt-return game with Hopper, Scott and McCloud. Said they've been working hard on protecting the football.
Hope everyone out there is doing well this Friday afternoon. Plenty more coming in a bit.
