The football team returned to the practice fields today after a four-day break, and the media were allowed to watch the first 30 minutes. Some interesting developments we picked up:
-- Got to see the Paw Drill for the first time this spring, and those are always entertaining because there's nowhere to hide and it's usually easy to distinguish the winner and loser. This particular version, featuring a running back trying to get past three levels of defenders who are trying to get off blocks, was separated into two separate segments so the coaches could pack the most evaluation into a short amount of time. Once one side was done with one play, the coaches would turn around and they'd snap it on the other side, and so on.
-- I thought Albert Huggins looked really good. It hasn't been the easiest of springs for him, and that shouldn't be a surprise for an early-enrolled freshman regardless of how good he was in high school. He's still at end, and a big guy in that much space has to learn to use his hands. That's been the biggest issue with him. But he's really athletic, and today he showed that while more than holding his own against Maverick Morris.
-- Another guy who stood out to me was Richard Yeargin. We haven't heard a whole lot about him thus far during the spring, but to me he showed glimpses of what the Tigers are going to need at end. He demonstrated some real quickness and athleticism, getting off blocks and using those long arms to bring down ball-carriers. One one particular play, he got off a block by Mitch Hyatt and used his ranginess to make a play. On another, he appeared to beat Isaiah Battle.
-- Ebenezer Ogundeko also showed up during the Paw Drill. He was matched up against Eric Mac Lain and Jake Fruhmorgen and had the upper hand against both.
-- Joe Gore was matched up against Kevin Dodd and did well in all three opportunities.
-- Not that this is a huge news flash, but Shaq Lawson looks like a terror out there with that combination of size and athleticism. He's just a rare dude, and if he continues to put it all together it's going to be a big year for that kid.
-- I kept seeing No. 41 making plays at the second level and had to look up his number. It's T.J. Burrell, and he's not afraid to mix it up.
-- Neither, of course, is B.J. Goodson. The phrase "bad intentions" comes to mind when he's bearing down on a ballcarrier.
-- On offense, they're really working hard on the zone-read stuff with the quarterbacks. Remember, making the correct decisions in game-like situations has been an issue for these guys. And today they were drilling it, with Brandon Streeter mimicking a defensive end who either crashed or stayed home.
-- Artavis Scott and Germone Hopper were on punt returns today. Hopper bobbled his first try but looked good thereafter. Another thing Jeff Scott was working on with these two was when to fair catch and when to run it, depending on the hang time of punts that are already in opposing territory.
-- Travis Blanks seems to be running well. He's still not practicing, and he still has a big brace on his left knee, but he seems to be moving around OK.
-- Former Tigers spotted at today's practice: Tajh Boyd, Corey Crawford, Reggie Merriweather.
We'll have plenty more coming from post-practice interviews, so stay tuned. Hope everyone out there is doing well!
This post was edited on 4/6 5:27 PM by Larry_Williams
-- Got to see the Paw Drill for the first time this spring, and those are always entertaining because there's nowhere to hide and it's usually easy to distinguish the winner and loser. This particular version, featuring a running back trying to get past three levels of defenders who are trying to get off blocks, was separated into two separate segments so the coaches could pack the most evaluation into a short amount of time. Once one side was done with one play, the coaches would turn around and they'd snap it on the other side, and so on.
-- I thought Albert Huggins looked really good. It hasn't been the easiest of springs for him, and that shouldn't be a surprise for an early-enrolled freshman regardless of how good he was in high school. He's still at end, and a big guy in that much space has to learn to use his hands. That's been the biggest issue with him. But he's really athletic, and today he showed that while more than holding his own against Maverick Morris.
-- Another guy who stood out to me was Richard Yeargin. We haven't heard a whole lot about him thus far during the spring, but to me he showed glimpses of what the Tigers are going to need at end. He demonstrated some real quickness and athleticism, getting off blocks and using those long arms to bring down ball-carriers. One one particular play, he got off a block by Mitch Hyatt and used his ranginess to make a play. On another, he appeared to beat Isaiah Battle.
-- Ebenezer Ogundeko also showed up during the Paw Drill. He was matched up against Eric Mac Lain and Jake Fruhmorgen and had the upper hand against both.
-- Joe Gore was matched up against Kevin Dodd and did well in all three opportunities.
-- Not that this is a huge news flash, but Shaq Lawson looks like a terror out there with that combination of size and athleticism. He's just a rare dude, and if he continues to put it all together it's going to be a big year for that kid.
-- I kept seeing No. 41 making plays at the second level and had to look up his number. It's T.J. Burrell, and he's not afraid to mix it up.
-- Neither, of course, is B.J. Goodson. The phrase "bad intentions" comes to mind when he's bearing down on a ballcarrier.
-- On offense, they're really working hard on the zone-read stuff with the quarterbacks. Remember, making the correct decisions in game-like situations has been an issue for these guys. And today they were drilling it, with Brandon Streeter mimicking a defensive end who either crashed or stayed home.
-- Artavis Scott and Germone Hopper were on punt returns today. Hopper bobbled his first try but looked good thereafter. Another thing Jeff Scott was working on with these two was when to fair catch and when to run it, depending on the hang time of punts that are already in opposing territory.
-- Travis Blanks seems to be running well. He's still not practicing, and he still has a big brace on his left knee, but he seems to be moving around OK.
-- Former Tigers spotted at today's practice: Tajh Boyd, Corey Crawford, Reggie Merriweather.
We'll have plenty more coming from post-practice interviews, so stay tuned. Hope everyone out there is doing well!
This post was edited on 4/6 5:27 PM by Larry_Williams
