It's because of the possibility of bad weather.

Neither practice will be open to reporters or fans.

It was a hot humid day w/a slight breeze from the north.

Before the full team took the field Leglue snapped to the kickers on FG's. I watched about 10 snaps and they were all on the money w/good zip. Simms was making FG's from the 45 from both hashes.

Practice started w/Picirreli punting. He hit one for 39 and the next 49. He then kicked from 45 yards out . The first one went to the 10 where Veal caught it. His next one hit at the 20 and Lewis let it roll to the 10.

Kick-offs were next. Logan kicked to goal line and Badie returned it. Block kicked off to the 2. Breaux and Hilliard were lined up deep. Simms then took over. He kicked out of bounds. The next 2 were very deep in the end zone. Glenn and Preston were deep on those.

Field goals were next. They wer kicking from 37 out on the left hash. Dirocco missed hitting the right upright. He hit the next one. Simms then made his despite a high snap from Lizanich. Simms then missed wide right. They moved to the right hash at the same distance. Block shanked left. He then made one w/the snap behind the holder. Logan hit the next oneon a high snap. Logan finished by making another on a snap that hit the ground.

Next was 7 on 6. (Seven on the Dside). Lee to Veal for 15to the right. Lee to Scott for 5 over the middle. Lee then threw downfield 15 to Jones but it was incomplete w/good coverage by Shenall and Franklin. Lee went to Lazedrick for 5 over the middle. Breaux then ran a good route and got separation leading to a 15 yard cmpletion. Lee finished by hitting Breaux on the left for 10. All plays started at the 35.

11 on 11 started w/goal line play from the 1. The line left to right was Uzdavinis,Hanson,Sheinle,Taylor and Jacquet. Rounds stopped up the middle for no gain. A penalty was called on Marley and CJ called hi m to him and yelled at him for 30 seconds. Marley didn't play anothe rplay all day. Lee then hit Ardoin for a TD in the back of the EZ. Rounds fumbled on the next attempt. Medina for no gain. Medina then scored. Block kicked the XP and it was good despite a low snap.

They then lined up at the south 25 going north. Lee hit Ardoin for 5 in the air and Ardoin then ran for 40 more down the right sideline. Hilliard then lost 2. The 2's came out and Medina fumbled and the D recovered. Kennedy got hurt and the team moved to the 35. Kelley ran for 3. Kennedy eventually walked off on his own.

The offense then started from the north 2 going south. The D had the 2's in- Kennedy and Williams were the ends w/Redwine and Edwards in at DT. Shenall and Allen at CB. Lewis and Cooper were at safety. Franklin at the hybrid. It was the one's again. Marbley and Harris were at LB's . Jacquet was still at RT. Kelley ran for 3 and then for 2 more. Lee then threw incomplete to Thompson who was well covered by Harris. Lofton went in for Allen on D. Kelley ran for 1 from the 2. Kelley then went for 2. Lee to Jones for 23.

Lee started a new series at the 2 and hit Veal for 9 on the left. He then threw a poor screen pass to Rounds incomplete. Rounds lost one on the left. We huddled on 4th and 2. E. washington jumped offsides. On first down Lee threw a nice pass to Dace in a tight window for 11. He then threw incomplete to Glenn on a no huddle play. Wadleigh ran for 2. On a no huddle play Lee had to scramble right and hit Hicks at the 2 right in the numbers but Hicks dropped it.

The 2's came out w/Powell at the helm. The line left to right was Leglue, Brown,Diaz,Godfrey and KSM. On D Jackson and Webb were at the ends w/ Thomas and Edwards at DT. Shenall and Francis were at CB w/Lewis and Eugene at Safety. Harris and Marbley at LB. Powell hit London in stride down the right side but he dropped it. Eugene was on the coverage. Powell hit Preston for 10. Wadleigh ran for 5. Rounds went for 2. On a no huddle play Rounds caught a swing pass for 8. Wadleigh ran for 6. Under pressure Powell threw incomplete to Preston. Starting a new series He was incomplete to Glenn. He hit London for 3. Powell then threw incomplete to Glenn on a swing pass right.

Cullete came out w/the 3's. Preston caught one here as did Glenn. Cuoleette was always locked in on one WR. It ended w/an interception to Lewis b/c he over threw Ardoin.

Lee came in w/the one's on O v. the 2's on D. Lee hit Wadleigh for 4 and then pitched left for 4 to Rounds. Rounds then got 1 for a 4th and one which he picked up by going fro one agian. Under pressure Lee threw to Breaux at the 2 on the right. It was a pretty pass. From the 18 Wadleigh ran for 12. Hicks dropped one at the 6. Lee hit Wadleigh for a TD. On the XP Pic dropped the snap but Simms made it. They did the XP again and the snap was good but Simms missed right.

Jordy Joseph came in. He threw a TD to Dace. On the XP Leglue snapped it well and Block made it.

The next series had another drop by Hicks.

They went red zone going north w/the one's on O v. the 2's. Lee had to step up under pressure and threw it out the EZ . Rounds for 3. Lee then hit Breaux for a TD. Eugene and Lewis were on the coverage but Lee got it in between them. Logan made the XP despite a low snap by Leglue.

Powell came in and they went 2's v. 2's. Powell was incomplete to Glenn in the EZ. Eric Thomas then blocked a pass at eh line. Wadleigh then cuauht a 5 yarder. Cuillette came in and hit Preston for 11. He was then intercepted by Shenall. They started over and had a holding call on the O. Cuilette hit Hicks for 10. He then threw in the dirt. Rounds ran for 12. He then threw incomplete. Shenall broke one up to Hicks. He then hit London for a TD. From the right hash 33 yards out w/Lizanich snapping Block hit it and then Logan finished the day by also making one from there.

Lee looked good. He was not locking in on one receiver. He showed off his strong and accurate arm by putting some in some tight windows. The line ws allowing a lot of pressure in pass protection. Badie didn't play RB at all. Hilliard and Lazedrick only made cameo's. Preston looks like he can play this year. Hicks had at least 3 drops. Encalade was out w/ a minor injury. Ardoin is finally showing up.

The D got a lot of pressure and was very active. Shenall looked good. Nickerson didn't play.

The kicking game is a mess. I would go w/ Logan short and Simms long at this point. No sure thing no matter what.

I'm in a rush so I'll probably think of some things later. I'll add when I can.

Winwave did his usual terrific job listing what happened, so I will give my thoughts on the day's significance:

1) Other than Tanner Lee's performance, I was not impressed by what I saw. Too sloppy, too many dropped passes. Devon Breaux had a good day, but he'll have to duplicate it before I believe it's real. I got sucked into his potential last year and we all saw the results. His diving catch of the long ball was impressive, and I don't have a problem with him spinning the ball and getting a 15-yard penalty. The players knew this was not an actual game. There's zero chance of him doing something like once the season starts.

2) I was disappointed at how many starters did not play. I have no problem with the decision, but it made it a lot harder to evaluate the scrimmage. I would have liked to see the No. 1 offense have to move the ball against a defense with all of its starters. Without Darion Monroe, the back of the defense is rudderless, and without Royce LaFrance, the pass rush is not as effective. With the top three running backs sitting out, we got a steady does of Marshall Wadleigh and Josh Rounds. Wadleigh will not play other than on special teams (although if his skill set translated to WR, he'd be a starter; he just happens to be a good walk-on at by far the deepest, most talented spot on the team). Rounds drew CJ's ire for his performance, both for his fumble and his inability to make the most of his running room. I doubt he'll be in the rotation at this point unless he can split out wide effectively. He's definitely a better receiver than runner out of the backfield.

3) Todd Jacquet has earned the starting spot at right tackle over Kenneth Santa Marina. CJ said after the scrimmage that Jacquet might have played the best of all the linemen in camp. That's interesting. Santa Marina has not lived up to his hype coming out of high school. Jacquet, who started three games as a blocking tight end in 2012 and two games on the line in 2013 before being redshirted with injury problems last season, has some proving to do.

4) I may be in the minority, but I don't expect much out of Rickey Preston and Andrew Hicks this year. Pretty much the first time I noticed Hicks all camp was his dropped touchdown today. Preston can get open, but he has shaky hands and can't be trusted yet on his routes. Of the two, he has a better chance of contributing. Getting open is no small thing.

5) Junior Diaz lined up as the fullback in a goal line play and made the pivotal block on a Segio Medina touchdown run. That's an interesting wrinkle.

6) Luke Jackson is going to play this year. He got a lot of work with the 1s on defense because CJ was irritated at Daren Williams for getting in a pre-scrimmage tussle with Keyshawn Mcleod in a one-on-one drill (they were forced to walk around the field and hold hands for a short time), and LaFrance did not play. Anyway, Jackson appeared to be the most active of the defensive ends. I like his quick first step.

7) Steven Logan looked like the best kicker today, but he was not good at all the first time I saw him in practice. Anything would be better than the status quo at kicker, but he needs to have more than one good day to make me a believer. It will come down to him and DiRocco for anything under 40 yards. DiRocco was almost short on the 37-yarder that hit the upright. That won't cut it.

8) With so many starters out, it was hard to get an accurate look at the defense, but one concern is the number of big plays it gives up. Too many times today, receivers got behind everyone in the secondary. Last year Tulane gave up too many big plays, and the Wave cannot be successful if that trends continues. Strong safety is a huge concern. It looked like Donnie Lewis Jr, who had a nice day back there, was splitting time between nickelback and free safety rather than strong safety, the position that's wide open.

9) Braynon Edwards got a lot of reps, but I still think he's too big to help this year. Early in the scrimmage, he lifted his finger and took himself out because he was tired. I'd say he needs to lose at least 30 pounds to be effective other than on short-yardage situations near the goal line.

10) Devin Powell has gotten some love on other message boards, but he still misses too many easy throws, like the swing pass he botched today. I understand the concerns about Lee, but I don't understand how anyone could think Powell is the answer.

11) I expect Lee to improve significantly this year, so his solid day did not surprise me. I really don't feel like I know any more about how good this team is today than I did yesterday. It will win by spreading the ball to the backs and tight ends in the passing game, getting smart play by Lee and relying on a talented defense to make fewer mistakes than it did a year ago. I still have no idea whether Tulane can run on good teams or prevent opposing offenses from gaining huge chunks at a time. I just don't. And I don't know whether the Wave can make a field goal, any field goal in a game situation or get a reliable snap.

They moved it to the Saints facility, but I did talk to CJ when they got back to the Wilson Center. He said guys like Nico Marley and Darion Monroe and Lazedrick Thompson will play only a few players before sitting out the rest of Saturday morning's scrimmage, but Tanner Lee will get plenty of work since he needs the reps.

I'm not sure whether he was joking or not, but CJ said this year's kicker might not be on campus yet. The field goal kicker's accuracy has gotten worse rather than better since the start of camp, and with classes beginning Monday, Tulane might have another walk-on or two show up next week.

CJ said today he could envision Tulane using five running backs in each game. My guess is Josh Rounds might be the odd-man or get some time at wide receiver because we know last year's big three and Rob Kelley are going to play, and Devin Glenn gives them a big-play threat. But tomorrow's scrimmage could be telling.

I will be interested to watch the defensive ends. Six guys are in the mix for playing time, with Royce LaFrance, Ade Aruna and Daren Williams certainties and Peter Woullard, Robert Kennedy and Luke Jackson vying for the fourth spot in the rotation. The battle between Aruna and Williams for a starting spot bears watching, too.

CJ mentioned middle linebacker and strong safety as two more points of interest. I'm with him on the safety issue because no one is even remotely proven there, but it's hard to envision a scenario where Eric Thomas is not the starter at MLB. He started three times last year and, at least to my eyes, no one else has emerged as a contender.

I will be watching the freshman cornerbacks closely. They look the part and were impressive on the first few days of practice but have been burned a bit since then. Having the physical ability and knowing what to do on the field are two different things, so tomorrow is significant for Dedrick Shy and Taris Shenall, who appear to be the No. 3 and No.4 corners.

And, of course, the wide receivers need close attention. The question is other than Teddy Veal, can any of these guys make a play against a good defense? Look for Devon Breaux and Larry Dace to start with Veal if the Wave uses three-wide receiver sets, with freshmen Rickey Preston and Andrew Hicks rotating in. Others have been impressed with the freshman wideouts, so maybe tomorrow I will see what others have seen. I have not been impressed by Preston's hands and really have not noticed Hicks at all to this point.

One thing I'm almost certain of after watching all but one day of open practices--the tight ends and running backs will be involved heavily in the passing game. I expect the first pass to go down the seam to Trey Scott or Charles Jones, and one of the next ones to go to Dontrell Hilliard over the middle.

One of the keys to the season is how the O-line performs, but it's always hard to glean much when a team is going against itself. Tulane's D-line should be pretty darn good, so if the line struggles tomorrow, it should not be panic time. CJ said he would be looking closely at the pass protection because it needs to be a lot better than it was last year. Also watch the battle between Kenneth Santa Marina and Todd Jacquet at right tackle. The reps with the first unit there and their performance will be telling. I've seen less and less of Junior Diaz with the first-team unit at center as preseason practice has gone along. The coaches appear to have settled on Nathan Shienle as the best option at center and Colton Hanson as the best option at left guard.

I talked to Luke Jackson today for an upcoming feature. He said he weighs more and is stronger than he was before his testicular cancer scare two years ago. He thinks he is earning a spot in the playing rotation but is not certain of it yet, and he said it would be an incredible feeling if he got on the field in the opener against Duke. His best asset appears to quickness of the ball. Tulane's left tackles have let him get by them several times in practice.

I got here a little after 9.

As he had tweeted, freshman RB Nigel Anderson was at practice for the first time, having been cleared by the NCAA to enroll at Tulane. He was in shorts, a helmet and no jersey and will have to go through three practices before he is allowed to put on pads. It's hard to imagine him being a factor this year because Tulane is loaded at running back, but he can definitely help the Wave down the road. At one point during the practice, CJ yelled at a trainer to keep Anderson moving because he didn't want anyone just standing around.

At the beginning of a special teams drill, CJ lit into Teddy Veal and even moreso into Devin Glenn for going to the wrong side of the field for the wrong drill instead of listening and going back to field punts. Glenn in general has been confused a lot in practice, but he is a terrific athlete who will have a package of a few plays designed for him this fall.

The field goal kicking drill was depressing again, and may be reaching crisis stage. No matter how many times CJ says Trevor Simms is the leader, I'm not buying it because they can't trust him to make a kick from any distance despite his strong leg. DiRocco is the most accurate of the kickers but still can't be trusted to kick it long enough on anything 40 yards or longer, which is scary.

They were kicking in rapid fire fashion from each hashmark, so I didn't get all of the results, but Simms was wide right on consecutive kicks from 43 and 48 yards, and neither was close. DiRocco hit from 43 and 46 yards back to back, but the 46-yarder was a low line drive that easily could have been blocked in a game. He then was short from 48 yards and 46 yards. Zach Block hit the right upright from 37 yards and made a 46 harder. Steven Logan, promoted to the main competition last week, may deserve a demotion. He barely got a 48-yard attempt off the ground, and he was well short on another 48-yarder. Of the 13 kicks I recorded, five were good.

After special teams ended, they had their first goal-line drill of the preseason, with the offense running eight plays from 1-yard line and another from inside the 1. I've been hard on redshirt freshman Braynon Edwards for being overweight--and it's justified--but he will have a role this year as a short-yardage specialist. He played nose in a five-man front on almost all nine plays and got penetration and is ore effective in that role than Corey Redwine. With the starters and Edwards out there, the defense stuffed a running play (missed the RB) and then safety Tristan Cooper knocked down a fade pass for Charles Jones.

Rob Kelley, who looks a little better than I anticipated after missing two springs and a season consecutively, scored on the next play with backup defensive linemen in, then caught a pass from Devin Powell for an easy score. After Josh Rounds walked in for another TD, the coaches inserted the first-team DL and Edwards back in. On the first play, Edward got great penetration that forced Rounds into a 4-yard loss as the defense celebrated. The ball was put back at the 1, and Rounds was stopped short of the goal line. The offense had a false start on the next one, and on the final attempt, from inside the 1, Kelley got stuffed thanks to penetration by Redwine, who was in for Edwards.

The upshot: the first-team D looked really good, with a big dropoff to the backups. Nothing unusual about that.

And maybe I was just too generous to Edwards because when I asked CJ about him after practice, he said what I'd been thinking every day until today.

"He weighs too much and he definitely has to shed some," CJ said. "He's good for one play, and then he's scheduled for a heart attack."

That sounds about right.

They moved the 1-on-1 offensive lineman v defensive lineman drill to the middle of the field today. Ade Aruna beat Todd Jacquet, Kenneth Santa Marina blocked Luke Jackson, Junior Diaz blocked Brian Webb, Leeward Brown blocked Eric Bell, John Leglue blocked Peter Woullard, Leglue held his own against Aruna, Sean Wilson blew by Brown, Diaz blocked Tanzel Smart although he was pushed backward a bit, Brandon Godfrey held off John Washington, Santa Marina took Eldrick Washington to the ground legally (knowing AAC officials, though, it might have been flagged), Travis Carroll ran around Devon Johnson, Keeyon Smart held off Eric Bell, Aruna got inside Jason Stewart, Keyshawn McLeod and Robert Kennedy had a standoff, Tanzel Smart got the better of Stewart, John Washngton beat Bob Bradley, Sean Wilson bounced off Keeyon Smart, Daren Williams ran around Johnson, Santa Marina held off Bell, Kennedy exploded past Keeyon Smart, Peter Woullard beat McLeod, McLeod held off Williams, Brown held off Bell, Godfrey stoned Webb, Aruna ran around Santa Marina, Santa Marina dominated Carroll, Godfrey blocked Woullard. Diaz blocked John Washington, Brown took Redwine to the ground (not sure if it was legal), Leglue and Williams had a standoff and Brown got the best of Redwine.

From what I've seen, four starting OL spots are locks-Uzdavinis, Hanson, Shienle and Taylor, with Santa Marina and Jacquet battling at right tackle. The backups they are looking at are Godfrey and Brown at guard (Brown is the class of the three freshmen), Diaz at center and Leglue at tackle. Brown appears to be the odd man out, but things could change considerably after Saturday's scrimmage.

In an 11-on-11 drill, Tanner Lee hit Charles Jones for a good gain over the middle, and it might have gone for a TD if it had been totally alive because Tristan Cooper made a weak tackle attempt. The whistle blew as Jones kept running, but if I had to pick my No. 1 concern on defense, it's strong safety. Sam Scofield got exploited a few times last year for his lack of speed, but he was a heck of a player who never missed tackles like that. Cooper, Donnie Lewis, Malik Eugene and Roderic Teamer have essentially zero experience. Monroe said as much when I talked to him after practice the other day, stating the defense would be terrific if they "found another Scofield."

Not that I'm picking on Rickey Preston, but he dropped another pass today in an 11-on-11 drill. The throw from Powell was behind him, but he should have held on to it.

I'd say Aruna has a slight edge on Daren Williams as the starting DE opposite Royce LaFrance. Again, though, they haven't even scrimmaged yet. Nine defensive starters are certain--Smart and Wilson at DT, LaFrance at DE, Marley and Eric Thomas at LB, Jarrod Franklin at nickelback, Parry Nickerson and Richard Allen at CB and Monroe at free safety. They still have to find the right corner for the dime package, with the versatile Franklin giving the Wave a bigger look there this year than last, when Tulane went with three corners in all passing situations.

Practice ended at 10:30, about 20 minutes earlier than any other day. They will practice again this afternoon at the Saints facility in a workout closed to reporters and the public.

With the conclusion of the Cape Cod League playoffs last night, summer college baseball is essentially completed. Though they’ve made a few mistakes, the official site has done a good job providing weekly updates on the Tulane players competing in various summer leagues. Now that the summer season is over, however, I’d like to make a few additional observations before returning to football issues for the next few months.

With the exception of the Cape Cod League, people should recognize that the competition in the summer is not nearly as good as what Tulane will face in the upcoming year. A quick look at the various team’s rosters shows many junior college players and players from non-scholarship Division III teams, Division 2 teams, and a large number of lesser Division 1 programs. There are very few players overall from the "elite" teams. That said, it is certainly possible (even likely) that some of these guys could be great players, but as a group they don’t compare to the day-to-day competition in the AAC or our out of conference schedule. The pitching isn’t as good and the hitting isn’t either. Regardless, Tulane players during the summer hit a combined .278 with 23 HR’s in 971 at bats. Pitchers threw 213.2 innings, allowed 188 hits, 69 earned runs, 71 walks, and struck out 175. Their combined ERA was 2.91, very good!!

Several of the players we are counting on next year including Alex Massey, Corey Merrill, and the injured J.P. France did not participate this summer. Neither did the much-heralded JC transfer, Jarrett DeHart, or the injured Grant Brown. I’m sure a lot of the incoming freshmen played in some kind of organized ball but I didn’t find much on that score.

Jake Willsey only played in one game on the Cape, going 0 for 3, before retiring for the summer. I have no idea why. Stephen Alemais also played only briefly on the Cape before calling it a summer. Again, I don’t know why. Alemais was 6 for 14 at bat (.429) in eight games (several of which he only played an inning or two in the field). He made two errors in those brief appearances, so, regardless, he still needs to “tighten up” his defense.

Most Tulane fans have already heard or read about the exploits of Emerson Gibbs and Tim Yandel in the Cal Ripkin League. They were the aces of their respective staffs, started against each other in the All-Star game, and their teams faced each other in the Championship series. Through the regular season, All-Star game, and post season, Gibbs threw 56.2 innings, won 7 and lost 1, allowed 7 earned runs, 40 hits, walked 4, and struck out 39. His ERA was 1.11. Yandel threw 55 innings, won 4 and lost 1, allowed 9 earned runs, 42 hits, walked 11, and struck out 41. His ERA was 1.47. During the “regular season,” the two tied for third in the league in wins, with Yandel finishing 4th in strikeouts and Gibbs 20th. Gibbs was 3rd in ERA and Yandel was 4th. Neither was over-powering based on their strike out totals, but their performance augers well for the upcoming season. As an aside, Yandel also played 1st base when he wasn’t pitching and hit .245 with 3 HR’s in 98 at bats. While not great, that’s a far cry from the .185 batting average he’s posted at Tulane over the past three years.

Dan Rankin also made his league’s all-star team, but he pitched very little, throwing 9 innings for an ERA of 1.00. He only allowed 5 hits and 4 walks in that time, while striking out 16, so he was pretty much unhittable in his brief stints. Patrick Duester and Jordan Gross played on the same team with Duester appearing mostly in relief, registering a 4-2 record in 22 innings. He allowed 25 hits and 9 walks, while striking out 23, for an ERA of 4.50. Gross, surprisingly, was used exclusively as a starter, throwing 52.2 innings in ten starts, and allowing 51 hits and 19 earned runs for an ERA of 3.25. The primary down side is that he walked 24. But, after the way he concluded the Tulane season, his summer’s work is encouraging.

Two guys who looked good in brief appearances for the Wave last season, Sam Bjorngjeld and Troy Ward, had rough summers. Sam had an ERA of 5.02 in 28.2 innings while allowing 29 hits and 16 walks. And Troy was “lit up” regularly, allowing 23 hits in 13.1 innings with an ERA of 8.78. Chris Oakley, the Florida transfer by way of junior college, played on the same team as Emerson Gibbs, but didn’t fare as well. Though he improved through the summer, he eventually only pitched 14.1 innings, while walking 11. His ERA was a respectable 3.77. Following a disastrous JC year in which he walked 35 in 37 innings, this is still encouraging. Finally, our kicker/pitcher, Trevor Simms threw 18 innings this summer allowing 9 earned runs for an ERA of 4.50. He allowed 16 hits and walked 11 and, based on that, doesn’t appear to be a major threat for many innings in the coming season.

All three catchers, Rogers, Burns, and Montalbano, made their respective all-star teams this summer, though Burns continued his lack of hitting (6 for 41, for a .146 average). When the all-star team was selected, Rogers was in a deep slump and on July 15 was hitting .191 (9 for 47). Since then he was 15 for 52 (.288) to finish at .258, with 3 HR’s in 93 at bats. For the Cape League, where the overall batting average was about .244, that’s pretty good. Montalbano had a good summer in the California Collegiate League, hitting .296 while finishing second in the league with 7 HR’s in 162 at bats. Whether it’s at catcher, DH, or somewhere else, that suggests he will probably see a lot of playing time this year.

First base could be very interesting this season. I’ve heard rumors that Hunter Williams, who hit .280 last year, second best on the team, might not return. Whether that’s true or not, he had a very up and down summer, going on hitting streaks, then slumps, then streaking again. In the end, he hit .289 with 3 HR’s in 115 at bats. Surprisingly (shocklingly?) he led his team with 16 stolen bases, while being caught only once. He must be a lot faster than I realized.

The next surprise was that Lex Kaplan played first base all summer. With three returning left-handed hitters in our outfield (Johnson, Carthon, and Kaplan), and several more coming in this fall, coach is probably trying to find a spot to get one of them into the lineup when not playing outfield or DH. Kaplan could be that guy. He had a great summer, hitting .337 with 3 HR’s in 86 at bats. Hunter Hope, our primary 3rd baseman the past two years also played 1st base all summer. He continued his problems at the plate, however, hitting only .195 with 2 HR’s in 77 at bats. Contact remains a major problem for Hope as he fanned 27 times (35%), a very high number. Anyway, along with Yandel and maybe others, several guys are potentially vying for the 1st base job.

Matt Rowland played on the same team with Hope so a comparison of their batting statistics may be instructive. Rowland, after playing 1st base all season in junior college, played 3rd for most of the summer. He only played part of the summer, but hit .310 with 1 HR in 29 at bats. But, at least in this instance, came out far ahead of his team mate. Despite several incoming freshman capable of playing 3rd, Rowland may be the leader at this time for that position.

The outfield will be very crowded in the fall with the hoped-for return of Grant Brown and several newcomers who could contribute immediately. But the returning guys don’t seem willing to “give away” their positions right away. Richard Carthon started the summer late and left early for football practice, but had some solid statistics. He hit .289 in 76 at bats with two triples and stole 8 bases, being caught 3 times. As the fastest guy on the baseball team, he should be a terror on the base paths, but it hasn’t happened yet. Jackson Johnson, who started in left field much of the last half of the season in 2015, excelled in summer ball. He hit .345 in 84 at bats, made his league’s All Star game, and stole 17 bases in 19 attempts. Even against “weak” competition, that’s pretty solid.

Again, summer ball isn’t “top class” NCAA Division 1 baseball, but several of our guys posted good numbers, tried out “new” positions, and generally acquitted themselves well. Only one or two of our “key” players had disappointing summers, but that can be expected. Also, by my count, if everyone returned from last year, we could have over 40 guys on the roster. That must be trimmed by several players and I have seen limited, and possibly incorrect, information on that subject. The fall roster will be interesting but next spring should be fun.

Roll Wave!!!

I arrived at 9 but had some transcribing of quotes to do from Media Day, so I haven't kept a close watch until after the water break at 9:45. They are in full pads after doing their heat-related slow buildup with no helmets or jerseys for the first hour.

The first fight of the preseason happened, at least that I've witnessed. In one on one pass rushing drills, center Junior Diaz continued blocking Brian Webb after Webb fell to the ground. Webb shoved him after getting up, Diaz shoved him back, they exchanged words, then Diaz threw a punch and ripped Webb's helmet off. They ended up on the ground before being separated by teammates. It's been so hot, I'm surprised it took that long for tempers to flat. Diaz looked pretty good as a fighter, by the way.

Ade Aruna is playing with tremendous energy in camp. He is a beast to handle on the pass rush, and yesterday he told me was much more comfortable with his assignments. He beat John Leglue, who is lining up at left tackle, and Leeward Brown, who is lining up at left guard, on consecutive plays.

"It feels really better than last year," Aruna said. "Last year I was kind of I don’t really know much about what I’m doing on defense. But when the spring time came, my knowledge got better of knowing my assignment. The coaching staff did a great job of coaching me every day and showing me what to do."

You know who might become a factor? Luke Jackson. More than a year after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and receiving treatment, he looks much better than he did in the spring. He ran around Todd Jacquet today in a 1 on 1 and no longer looks overmatched. He lost so much weight during chemo treatments, he was moved to linebacker last year before returning to end this spring. He bears watching and has been getting plenty of reps with the second-team defense.

"He's going to play," CJ said. "I think he's going to play. He's having a phenomenal camp. He and Peter Woullard are doing a great job. They are splitting reps. One day it's Luke, one day it's Peter, but I see both of those kids playing."

This is quite the story, and I will talk to Jackson later this week. People hear cancer with a guy that young and think about his life rather than football, assuming his career is over. But he told me in the past he never thought about quitting and he knew he would recover because the cancer was caught early. His hard work is paying off now, with him emerging as one of the top six defensive ends. The starters are Royce LaFrance and either Daren Williams or Ade Aruna, with Jackson, Woullard and Robert Kennedy getting reps with the second unit.

"He (Jackson) never complained and he's just a great kid," CJ said. "It's a great kid and a great family."

For a change, the offense scored touchdowns in the two-minute drill at the end of practice on each of its first two possessions, with Tanner Lee and then Devin Powell leading crisp 65-yard drives. The catch is CJ pulled almost all of his starters after the first two plays in Lee's series and none of them were on the field for Powell's possession. Lee faced a defensive backfield of three true freshmen (Taris Shenall, Dedrick Shy and Roderic Teamer along with redshirt freshman Donnie Lewis) and a front four of Luke Johnson, John Washington, Tanzel Smart (the lone first teamer) and I think Robert Kennedy (maybe Woullard).

Still, the offense looked good. Lee threw a 7-yard completion to Dontrell Hilliard before Hilliard broke off a 14-yard gain, running through Shenall. Rob Kelley gained 7 yards but looked tentative with a nice hole on a misdirection play, but there was nothing tentative about his next run, a 15-yard power gain up the middle to the 8. Two plays later, Hillard scored easily from the 6.

Powell entered for the new series, going against pretty much the same crew, and he and the second-team offensive line (John Leglue, Leeward Brown, Diaz, Brandon Godfrey and lone starter Kenneth Santa Marina) had their way. Teddy Veal caught a quick out on the first play and broke two tackles for an 18-yard gain. Back-to-back offside penalties on Braynon Edwards and William Townsend gave the offense 10 yards before Powell threw a bullet to tight end Kendall Ardoin down the hash for 22 yards. Powell has struggled all preseason with simple throws, but this was a laser into a small window. Two plays later Powell rolled to his left on a designed play, then lofted the ball to Sydie London in the back of the end zone. He should have put more zip on that one because a DB tipped it, but it still reached London.

Leeward Brown is in the mix at guard, well ahead of his fellow freshmen and Jason Stewart. He won't start ahead of Chris Taylor or Colton Hanson but he is a second teamer.

Tulane practiced kickoffs, with Breaux, Veal, Preston and Badie taking turns catching them. Breaux muffed one that was short and near the sideline, but in general, good hands are not as important on kickoff returns as they are on punt returns. I like Preston in that role much more than a possible role as punt returner, although they have not gone live on kickoff returns yet.

Practice ended about 10:40, the earliest of the fall but still longer than most of the practices in CJ's first three years. That's by design because of the intense heat. A heat advisory was in effect again today until p.m. with the temperature around 90 degrees by the end of the workout and the heat index above 100 degrees.

"We actually are going a little bit long because we're really taking our time," CJ said. "We're not doing much running until the end of practice, so we're getting a lot of work done. We're just being smart."

Tulane will practice again this afternoon at the Saints indoor facility, but that workout will be closed to reporters and the public.

They are going swimming as a surprise reward after seven straight days of work in the intense heat.

They will be back on the practice field tomorrow morning.

I arrived just after 9:30, and they are in shorts. This report may be shorter than the others because it's a light practice and Media Day is coming up at 12:30. I will try to get an update on injuries from CJ at the end of practice. I'll never intentionally skip the morning Media Day practice again after doing it a few years ago and missing Reynaldo Thomas' collapse. I was sitting in the room right before the start of Media Day when someone asked me about it, and I had to go to Nola.com to find out what they heck they were talking about. Tammy had been out at practice, and I missed it.

Tulane has been doing some situation work like breaking up a Hail Mary in the end zone, teaching guys to knock the ball straight down. There were about five college games last year that ended with long touchdowns on the final play (UCF v. ECU, Ariz St v. USC and Arizona v. California come to mind), so it's worth taking the time to practice.

The field goal drill featured the backups again today. Not much worth reporting there, but little-known walk-on Jeremy Kaplan from Roslyn Heights, N.Y. drilled a 42-yarder straight down the middle on the final attempt.

They are taking their long water break at 10:05, meaning they are about 10 minutes behind their normal schedule.

In an 11-on-11 drill they've rotated some young linemen in to get reps with the first unit. Eric Bell and Braynon Edwards were in at tackle. Luke Jackson got some downs at end, and now Brian Webb is getting some downs at tackle, too. Shenall and Shy continue to be the No. 2 CBs, with Donnie Lewis Jr. and Roderic Teamer playing safety and Stephon Lofton playing nickel. Eric Bowie and William Townsend are the linebackers.

Devin Powell almost connected deep with Devon Breaux. The pass was nice, but Lofton broke it up just as it arrived. Would have been nice to see Breaux make the spectacular play there. The wide receivers need some confidence boosters. Rickey Preston just dropped another pass in the open.

Devon Johnson is lining up at right guard. He's another guy who needs to lose some weight. He's not in the Jason Stewart/Braynon Edwards category, but after showing promise in camp last season, he won't take the next step until he gets in better shape. At least that's my opinion.

Devin Glenn continues to impress. When he takes little shovel passes or short passes, he's hard to spot because of his height, and his acceleration is outstanding. I may have to amend my statement from yesterday that four of the five best receivers are running backs and tight ends. It could be five out of the top six.

Tanner Lee just threw behind Badie, who was open on a slant. Darion Monroe then broke up a long sideline pass for Andrew Hicks. The ball needed less loft, which is unusual for Lee, who likes to thrown those passes on a line normally.

Powell's biggest throwing problem, and it's a huge one, is inaccuracy on short throws. He just misfired badly on a 5-yard pass to the inside. He tends to throw low. He also just threw wide on a 15-yard sideline route that he can hit and right on cue, he misfired on a swing pass to a wide open Josh Rounds, leading him too far and throwing it too hard. This has been an ugly session all around for the offense. Powell just threw an accurate pass over the middle to Trey Scott, but he could not hold on in a collision with two defenders. Would have been a very tough catch. He wasn't open.

Finally some completions, but they belong to Glen Cuillette working against the third-team D with guys like Sam Davis and Trey Camissa playing. And that's a wrap.

To close here is a Q&A I conducted with special teams coordinator Doug Lichtenberger yesterday after by far the worst (and that's saying something) exhibition of field goal kicking I've seen this preseason.

How's the field goal competition going?

"It's extremely close right now. A guy hasn't distanced himself yet. Next week is really going to kind of put them in positions that one of them is going to step into the forefront."

Steven Logan was added to the mix with DiRocco, Simms and Block today. What has he done to earn that promotion?

"Whenever you throw him in there, he's making his field goals. We had the three guys going, and then he was doing a nicer job than the others, so we decided to give him a look and he's continued to do well, so he'll continue to get a look."

So it's a legitimate four-person competition right now?

"Right now, but it's going to get trimmed very soon."

Simms has the huge leg but is still working on his consistency. When he doesn't kick it right, what's going on?

"It's consistency. The biggest thing with kickers is your routine, the steps and doing the same thing every time. There's too much experimentation with him right now. He's just got to find his routine and stick to it."

DiRocco kicked a little better in the second half of last year. Where is he now?

"He did. I would say he's probably in about the same spot he was in the second half of last year. He's accurate from close in, but the further you get out, the tougher it is for him."

You have seven guys fielding punts in practice. Is that as wide open a competition as it looks?

"The biggest thing is just putting the best players out on the field in those positions. As we've evolved as a team, there's just a lot more able bodies than there's ever been since CJ's been here."

A lot of those guys like Darion Monroe are key starters. Do you worry about the injury possibility?

"Well, you do have to be smart. A key starter probably can't play on all four special teams, but Darion being a great example, there's going to be one or two things that he can do on special teams for us that he'll do that's not going to take away anything on defense."

Devin Glenn looks the part but has dropped a couple of punts in practice. Does that concern you?

"Obviously it does. We're going to see more live situations as we get on in camp, but he has flashed with his speed and he's got a little something to him. He definitely is going to need a look."

Picerelli had his worst year as a junior. What does he need to improve?

"He's really had a great summer. He's worked really hard, and he's hitting it much better. His hang time is a lot better. His steps and his footwork have gotten cleaned up. He's realized that he needs to be a strong performer for us, and he's done a lot of work in this offseason for that to happen."

How much fun is it for you to be back out coaching after a three-year absence?

"It's been great. It's good to get back out there. I was kind of in a spectator's role for the last couple of years. It feels the same as it did before, but you do value how hard it is to get in these positions, not only for us but for the players, and they should really appreciate where they are and make the most of where they are."

I will miss practice today because my son is having a birthday party. But check out the Q&A on the front page with Eric Price.

Scott Kushner will be there today for The Advocate and should be tweeting updates.

I will be there for the 1st practice in full pads tomorrow.

My Sherman Badie story ran only in the New Orleans edition, but they put it on the top of the front page of the sports section above the Saints story.

http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/beaucoup/13137913-31/back-from-injuries-sherman-badie

Today was the first day in full pads, but there was only about a 10-minute segment with live tackling. It also was shockingly comfortable weather-wise for a day with a heat advisory thanks to constant cloud cover and a steady breeze. I was there for the entire thing and regretted it immediately because they did not put on jerseys or helmets for the first hour as part of CJ's plan to avoid cramping and overheating issues.

First, here's the breakdown of the practice schedule today:

8-8:30: individual position coaching
8:30 to 8:35: stretching
8:40 to 9:15: more position work
9:15: first-contact drill, a pass protection drill for RBs
9:20: 8 on 8 work with live tackling
9:30: 11 on 11 work with no tackling
9:35 to 9:55: special teams
9:55 to 10:00: 11 on 11 with no tackling
10:00 to 10:05: water break
10:08 to 10:20: position work, plus OL/DL 1-on-1 battles
10:20: 11 on 11 with live tackling
10:33: 11 on 11 with no tackling
10:45: practice ends

In the 11-on-11 live tackling portion, Tanner Lee threw two short passes that made it third-and-2 in a battle of 1s v. 1s. On the second play, a quick screen to Devon Breaux, Terren Encalade missed his block and hurt his left arm, holding it as he went off the field in some pain. I forgot to ask CJ about Encalade's status after practice.

Darion Monroe jumped offside to give the offense a first down. Two running plays netted two yards (Dontrell Hilliard on the first, Sherman Badie on the second) before tight end Charles Jones caught a pass and was cut down by CB Parry Nickerson. I thought it was short of the first down, but they ended up giving Jones 10 yards. Badie then got stuffed for a 2-yard loss, Lee threw wide of tight end Sydie London for what would have been a negligible gain and hit tight end Trey Scott for two yards, ending the series.

Devin Powell and the second units came in, and Powell threw three consecutive incomplete passes. The first was almost intercepted by freshman CB Dedrick Shy. The next was a throwaway and the third landed near the ankles of the intended receiver. On the next snap, Rob Kelly had a decent gain but lost a fumble as he tried to give second effort. CJ stopped him and yelled at him as he went off the field. Breaux then gained about five yards on a reverse before the live portion ended uneventfully.

Freshmen on the second units were Malik Eugene at strong safety, Shy and Taris Shenall at CB and John Washington at DT next to Corey Redwine. The first-team units had all the usual suspects on both sides of the ball, but the offense continuous had tight ends (Scott) and running backs (usually Badie) lining up as receivers.

On the first play after they called off tackling, Lee connected with Hilliard on a slant that might have gone for a 50-yard TD if had been live. I think Hilliard is the Wave's best player on offense. He is the full package.

That said, for the offense to be successful, they absolutely, positively have to use the tight ends and running backs heavily in the passing game. Very heavily. To my eyes, Tulane has one functional wide receiver in Teddy Veal. The rest are projects. Maybe Breaux will get it together this year, but he showed no ball awareness or ability to run good routes last season. During one non-live drill, Rickey Preston dropped a pass that bounced off his chest. The word on him was unreliable hands coming in, and letting the ball hit your body is a fundamental mistake he cannot afford. Encalade has to prove he can get separation, and so does Larry Dace, the most polished receiver on the roster. Still, all the polish in the world won't matter if he can't get away from defensive backs.

Charles Jones, Trey Scott, Hilliard and Badie (although the numbers did not show it last year) are all among Tulane's five best receivers.

Kelley is rusty, and he is not as good a runner as Badie, Hilliard or Lazedrick Thompson, but he can provide a physical presence in the backfield. In the pass protection drill, he leveled linebacker Eric Thomas.

When Tulane practiced punts, seven guys took turns catching them --Monroe, Encalade, Devin Glenn (he dropped one), Badie, Veal, Nickerson and Preston. If what I heard about Preston's hands is correct, he will not be a viable option, and Glenn has dropped two that I've seen in the first week even though the drills aren't live. Encalade has the wrong body type and doesn't have the moves of a typical punt returner. The other guys are key starters who need to be real threats to justify the extra chance of injury, although simply catching the ball would be an improvement on what happened last season and might by itself justify using one of them.

The field goal drill was an abject disaster for the first time this week. Most of the kicks were from 42 yards on the hash marks, and very few went through the uprights. It is now a four-way competition among Trevor Simms, Andrew DiRocco, Zach Block and Steven Logan, who has earned a promotion to the main derby. Sitting in the press box, I had a bad angle, but I know Block was short and wide right on a 45-yarder and Logan was short and wide right on a 48-yarder. Simms had his worst day, consistently kicking wide right. DiRocco appeared to be the least inaccurate (no one was accurate). If I had to handicap the race right now, I'd have DiRocco as the extra point kicker and field goal kicker from 40 yards and in, with Simms as the long-range kicker, and I'd have zero confidence in either one of them. But there's still three weeks of practice left. Logan apparently has been the most accurate from short range on the outside practice field, but he did not show it today.

The offensive linemen dominated a large portion of the 1-on-1 pass rushing drill on the side of the field. Quinlan Carroll ran around Arturo Uzdavinis but was too far upfield to be a factor. Consecutively, Colton Hanson won his battle with Eric Bell, Nathan Shienle stoned Braynon Edwards, Chris Taylor blocked Eldrick Washington, Todd Jacquet handled Luke Jackson, Kenneth Santa Marina blocked Ade Aruna (who looks active and sharp to my eyes) and Junior Diaz blocked Brian Webb.

The tables turned a bit from there. Leeward Brown held John Washington and John Leglue held Daren Williams. Bell ran around Brown, who then was given a second chance and blocked him, Tanzel Smart got by Diaz, Royce LaFrance abused Brandon Godfrey, Peter Woullard beat Brown, Keeyon Keeyon Smart blocked Carroll, Devon Johnson and Bell battled evenly, Woullard beat Bob Bradley, Woullard spun past Jason Stewart, Aruna ran around Keyshawn Mcleod, LaFrance spun inside Mcleod (a great move if he doesn't overuse it), Stewart neutralized Tanzel Smart, Bradley tackled John Washington, Robert Kennedy beat Johnson, Sean Wilson beat Keeyon Smart, Todd Jacquet blocked Aruna, Chris Taylor handled Woullard and Shienle and Edwards fought evenly.

Anthony Taylor was the only lineman not participating. He has been out with an injury the last three day, but I have not gotten word on his issue.

Malik Eugene (5-10, 170) is small, but he likes to hit. He knocked Jones to the ground after a catch in a drill that did not appear to be live. Eugene is the most likely true freshman starter on the team because he is behind the almost equally unproven Tristan Cooper at strong safety.

And we had the first Eric Thomas unnecessary tackle sighting. He drew CJ's ire and was thrown out of practice a couple of times last year for tackling when he was not supposed to, and he appeared to do it again when he threw Glenn to the ground today. No one got on his case, though, so maybe this one was OK.

I talked to Sherman Badie today for a short feature I'm working on. He should play a huge role in the running and passing game this year, but the most surprising statistic on the entire team a year ago was his putrid 4.5-yard average on 20 receptions. I don't think I've ever seen a per-catch average that low, especially for a guy as good as he is in the open field.

Here's the deal. He was a non-factor in the second half of 2014 because of ankle injuries. He probably should not have played at all, but he wanted to show toughness and kept saying he could go. He gained 154 yards on 47 carries (3.3 average) in the last six games, adding nine catches for 25 yards. That's a half-season of uselessness. Anyway, he is 100-percent healthy now, and the key is staying that way. I don't love his upright running style, which makes him vulnerable, but he can be breath-taking when he shakes loose. After getting thrown for a lot of losses last year, he needs to get better at making the first man miss if there's penetration. He already has proven he can make the second, third and fourth man miss.

Monday figures to be a relatively light day of practice (it's Media Day) before the first two-a-day session on Tuesday.

I got here a little after 9 today.

At least three Tulane players are not practicing: linebacker Zach Harris, who suffered a season-ending injury against Rutgers last year, Richard Carthon and offensive tackle Anthony Taylor, who is pedaling the exercise bike. I will get an update on Harris from CJ today. Carthon and Taylor are pretty much non-factors.

Check that on Harris. He is in uniform but did not practice with the linebackers during individual drills. I'll see what the deal is as practice continues.

Stephon Lofton, who was listed as a second-team cornerback at the end of the spring, moved to safety for preseason practice because of the talent level of freshmen Taris Shenall and Dedrick Shy. Today, five CBs are practicing in individual position work, and all of them will play this year--Shenall, Shy, Donnie Lewis Jr. and starters Richard Allen and Parry Nickerson. If the freshmen look as good in full pads as they have in shorts, Tulane will be in terrific shape at cornerback. Another freshman, Jeremie Francis, is practicing at safety rather than cornerback. Darion Monroe obviously is a lock at free safety, but strong safety is wide open with the announcement that Leonard Davis will not play this year. The candidates includee Tristan Cooper, Lofton and freshmen Malike Eugene, Roderic Teamer and Francis.

Kenneth Santa Marina just got a few reps at right guard in a running drill (no-contact), with John Leglue playing right tackle.

Tulane is shagging kickoffs. Taking their turns are Devon Breaux, Parry Nickerson, Dontrell Hilliard, Devin Glenn, Sherman Badie and Josh Rounds. Glenn dropped one.

CJ said everyone would get a chance to try out for field goals, and he just proved it in a 33-yard field goal drill where the four guys kicking were Casey Spinelli, Steven Logan, Jeremy Kaplan and Brandon Purcell. Spinelli made attempts from the right and left hash before getting one blocked by Richard Allen, who ran right around tight end Charles Jones. Logan made his first two before sending one wide right. Kaplan made his first and was wide right on his second. Purcell missed wide left, then had one blocked by Allen right before Allen blocked Spinelli's kick. CJ went over to Allen after the first block and slapped his hand. After the second block, special teams coach Doug Lichtenberger worked with Jones on positioning.

The three real kicking candidates--Trevor Simms, Andrew DiRocco and Zach Block--did not participate.

Early on, I am just not impressed with Tulane's receivers. They are running a seven-on-seven drill. Josh Rounds just dropped a swing pass. Other guys aren't getting open consistently. Jarrod Franklin is having a good practice. He's breaking up every pass thrown in his direction and had a pick in the end zone. Andrew Hicks is working with the backups and Devin Powell on one side of the field. Rickey Preston is working with Tanner Lee and the candidates for starting jobs.

Now they are in an 11-on-11 no-contact drills. Finally, a nice play by Devon Breaux on a 25-yard sideline pass from Powell, locating the ball before CB Dedrick Shy and meeting it at its high point. I saw that from Breaux a lot when he was a redshirting freshman and never last year when he was playing. The running backs are getting good holes, but I don't take no-contact running plays seriously. When Lee was in, he completed some short passes, but his one deep ball was defended well by Richard Allen on Larry Dace.

Lee, back in, just overthrow a wide open Teddy Veal for what would have been a touchdown. The timing still isn't right between Lee and the young receivers.

The first day in full pads will be Sunday.

I missed the first hour if they started on time, but the first thing I've noticed is Shienle practicing at first-team center with Chris Taylor back. No surprise there. They want a good look at Junior Diaz, but the first-time line is Santa Marina, Taylor, Shienle, Colton Hanson and Arturo Uzdavinis.

Edward Williams, who will redshirt this year, is practicing in an 8 on 8 drill with the third unit, working along side Malik Eugene, Roderic Teamer and a line of Peter Woullard, Calvin Thomas, Braynon Edwards and Luke Jackson. I've always had my doubts about Williams dating from the time his parents forced him to sign with Tulane over Texas Tech and he showed up to watch a spring practice looking like he wanted to be any other place in the world, was monosyllabic in an interview and said he would dominate at this level. But if he sticks out this redshirt year, he still has a chance to be a heck of a player in his final two years. We all know the ability is there, and he showed flashes last year.

Every time I watch Edwards run, I can't envision him ever being a factor at Tulane, but maybe I'm being too harsh. I have a bias against players who cannot shed weight. He has good feet, but you have to be able to move, even at defensive tackle.

After a water break where the entire team went under the concourse, seven players are shagging punts: Parry Nickerson, Terren Encalade, Devin Glenn, Teddy Veal, Donnie Lewis, Darion Monroe and Sherman Badie. Veal dropped one. I'd like them to take a long look at Glenn. If he's reliable, I bet he could be dangerous, and unless Nickerson or Monroe or Veal or Badie prove they are difference makers (no evidence of that last year on returns), they are too valuable to risk injury.

A field goal drill was a mixed bag. All of them made some and missed some. My concern about Simms is his inconsistency. One of his misses, a 41-yarder from the left hash, was a low hook that barely got above helmet level. He was wide right with plenty of distance from 50 yards but made one from 47 yards and hit the upright on another. DiRocco hit one from 47 yards and was short on a 50-yarder. Block is running third at the moment, but he hit a 42-yarder after the other two missed it. He was short and right on a 47-yarder. It's far too early to call this race.

Watched the 1-on-1 blocking drills again. Here's a rundown.

Diaz and Smart had a standoff
LaFrance beat Leeward Brown easily
Jacquet handled Carroll
Bradley held off Webb
Edwards got past Diaz
Wilson beat Stewart with quickness
Bell got inside McLeod
LaFrance ovepowered McLeod
Aruna got inside Stewart
Godfrey neutralized Webb
Bradley neutralized Washington
Keeyon Smart took down Cammisa (walk-on)
Santa Marina dominated Kennedy
Taylor and Smart had a standoff
Hanson blocked Redwine

Practice went nearly three hours, with several players cramping up at the end on another hot day, although it was not as brutal as yesterday's afternoon workout. With the temperature supposed to hit 98 the next three days, those morning practices are a necessity rather than an option.

I didn't glean much from the 11 on 11 at the end of practice. Devin Powell consistently throws low on simple swing passes. He also threw a beauty to Devon Breaux on a 20-yard out pattern. Tanner Lee threw a lot of short passes, and his favorite target appeared to be Larry Dace, who was awarded a scholarship two weeks ago. Dace and CJ confirmed he does have two years of eligibility left. Although he was not redshirted as a freshman walk-on, they can apply retroactively and will do so, and it will be granted.

The twisted ankle Taris Shenall sustained Tuesday did not keep him out of any reps today. He practices from start to finish.

The divide between kickers and the rest of the team is always played up as huge, and there's some truth to that, but I watched Eric Bell walk over to get some water right next to where Simms, DiRocco and walk-on Casey Spinelli were standing near a stadium wall. He slapped hands with all three of them, then engaged in an animated friendly conversation for about a minute before returning to the sideline.

Walk-on QB Dylan Richman will not participate in practice until the semester starts. Now you know this is a full-coverage site. The Wave has five QBs for the moment.

Tulane will practice in the morning tomorrow, against without pads by NCAA rule. That restriction ends Saturday for the fourth practice, but CJ was not sure whether they would pads on that soon or not.

I was there for the entire practice today. The first thing I saw, which I tweeted, was Andrew DiRocco making a 50-yard kick on the practice field as I walked around it to enter Yulman Stadium. It was not a field goal because there was no snap, but he nailed the kick from a ball-holder.

The biggest news was CJ saying after practice that Leonard Davis and Edward Williams will be redshirted at his behest because they are not on pace to graduate. Davis was a projected starter at strong safety although he had a rough sophomore season as a backup. The move with Williams could hurt even more because he is a heck of a talent who started eight games last year, but it is not a huge surprise since the coaches left him off the depth chart at the end of spring. That made no sense unless they were unhappy with him. Eric Thomas, who practiced ahead of all spring, got all the reps with the first team today, and maybe Rae Juan Marbley will re-emerge.

Tristan Cooper, who had two tackles while playing sparingly last year, replaced Davis (who did not practice and did conditioning work with a trainer along with Richard Carthon) on the first team, and all of the backups are true freshmen.

Four freshmen from the 17-man signing class are not on campus, although CJ thinks three of them will be cleared academically by the NCAA. The list is WR Darius Williams, RB Nigel Anderson and DBs Darius Black and Doug Henry. CJ did not even mention Henry, so he's probably gone, but he said he expects the other three to be eligible before the season. Of course, with the NCAA there's no telling.

In positional warm-ups, DT Braynon Edward was held out at the start to work with a trainer. He still needs to shed some pounds, but he eventually was cleared to warm up with the other linemen. They lined up as four units during that period, with Royce LaFrance, Tanzel Smart, Sean Wilson and Daren Williams in front, Quinlan Carroll, Corey Redwine, Brian Webb and Robert Kennedy behind them, Eric Bell, Calvin Thomas, John Washington and Peter Woullard third and Ade Aruna, Edwards, Eldrick Washington and Luke Jackson fourth.

I'm not reading anything into Aruna being fourth because he did some good things in one-on-one drills later in the practice, but I'll check tomorrow to make sure it's not some type of disciplinary thing. By the same token, Webb begin second was a surprise and may not be significant either.

William Townsend, who practiced as a linebacker in the spring but was listed as a safety on the preseason roster, worked with the LBs today, so there's no change there. Since he got his only start and played well against option-based Ga Tech last year, he figures to play a bigger role this season with three option teams on the schedule.

Jeremie Francis, listed as a cornerback, practiced with the safeties, as did Malik Eugene, listed as an athlete when he signed.

QB Devin Powell, TE Sydie London and guard Chris Taylor missed practice (Taylor was actually there for warm-ups) because of summer classes. Powell showed up near the end of the practice but was told to leave because he was not allowed on the field without being in uniform. Four quarterbacks took all the reps--Tanner Lee, Glen Cuillette, Jordy Joseph and Desmond McGovern, a walk-on from St. Martin's in Metairie. Another walk-on, Dylan Richman, was not there, too.

None of the freshmen or holdover players has been moved to wide receiver, so Tulane has five scholarship players at the position plus impressive walk-on Larry Dace, who probably had the best day of any of the wideouts. When he burned Francis for an early TD, one of the veterans on the sideline said that would be a bad matchup for Francis all day long. I talked to someone toddy who said the problem with freshman Rickey Preston in high school was his hands. He dropped too many passes, including a crucial one in a playoff lost.

It's unbelievable how loaded Tulane is at RB. With Rob Kelley returning and Devin Glenn looking very good today, the Wave has seven guys who can play, and that's without Anderson.

The freshman DBs all look like football players. It's an impressive group, with Dedrick Shy and company all having the build to compete for playing time this year. Obviously it could be a different story when the pads go on, but I'm just talking about look, and CJ agreed with me.

With Chris Taylor absent, Nathan Shienle shifted to guard and Junior Diaz got all the reps at first-team center. It will be interesting to see what happens when Taylor is back tomorrow, but the coaches clearly consider Diaz a viable option to start at center and want to get him reps with the No. 1 unit.

The kickers were unimpressive in a drill from the left and right hashes at varying distances. Trevor Simms fared the best, and Zach Block the worst, but they'll all need to do better down the road. Simms clearly has by far the best leg, but I'm not convinced he has learned to control it yet. We'll see.

Taris Shenall had issues with the heat early and twisted his right ankle later, ending his day.

Brandon Godfrey got reps at second-team guard.

In a sideline drill between the defensive and offensive linemen where they all lined up and the coaches called out two names for one-on-one battles (remember, this practice was in shorts), Diaz legally took down Webb on one rep, totally dominating him. Aruna then ran over freshman Keyshawn McLeod and celebrated by pounding the railing on the side of the field in excitement. He had a lot of energy today.

The receivers had a rough time in an 11-on-11 drill in the latter part of practice. Devon Breaux got open on a slant and dropped the ball. Later, he appeared to cramp up but gamely stayed out there on what was a brutally hot day most of the time but got nicer when the clouds covered the sun for the last part. Veal caught a quick hitch and then had the ball stripped from him. Andrew Hicks was sidelined for a while by cramps.

Tanner Lee looked OK, but he threw a god-awful pass right to Carroll. CJ said a freshman receiver ran the wrong route, which I'll buy because it was hard to see who the target was. Donnie Lewis outran Veal to intercept a deep ball, prompting a coach to yell at Veal to prevent the interception if he could not make the catch.

The practice went from 3 to 5:45, with a five-minute water break where the entire team went to the concourse to get out of the sun and drink water.

The depth chart looked the same as at the end of spring other than the players who were not practicing and Shienle working at guard.

CJ said the first practice in pads would be next Tuesday, but then he admitted it might be this weekend and he was only tinkling about tomorrow's workout. By rule, the pads can't go on until after the third practice, which means SAturday is the first possibility.

I talked to Monroe briefly on the phone last week for my Advocate story while I was in Denver. Here's what he said.

On low outside expectations

"I try not to look at that stuff this year. I just want to take a new look on the season this year, but I am going to hear a lot when I go to Rhode Island this week. I plan on hearing it a lot, but right now I’m just not looking at those things. I really don’t care right now."

Talented guys on defense

"I think we’ll be much better. We lost some guys, but we also brought back a lot of guys. A lot of guys who could have played last year are playing this year, so we are going to have a lot of depth at different positions."

Do people understand how good Tanzel Smart is?

"They are going to understand this year. That guy’s an animal, but not too many people know how good he is."

On Parry Nickerson

"He’s going to get even better with his coverages and with his eyes. He’s going to be even better this year because he’s going to do the little things better."

Same number of returning starters as 2013 with 16

"Yeah, I could see that as the same as my sophomore year. The same things are happening, and it looks like it’s going to be a better year than that."

How good do you feel about the team overall?

“Much better than I’ve ever felt. Our athleticism has really increased. I don’t know if we’re ready to win every game, but just the experience from last year with everybody having 12 games under their belt, I’m just excited about competing in training camp and playing the games.”

Good articles in the Advocate, Guerry. Be interesting to see how your guess on the "two deep" turns out. There are always surprises, both good and bad, and anyone can have an opinion at this point. Yours is probably as good as any one's.

Roll Wave!!!

I have 79, six under the limit.

QB (3)

1) Lee
2) Powell
3) Cuillette

RB (8)

4) Badie
5) Thompson
6) Hilliard
7) Rounds
8) Kelley
9) Medina
10) Glenn
11) Anderson

WR (5)

12) Encalade
13) Breaux
14) Veal
15) Preston
16) Hicks

TE (4)

17) Jones
18) Scott
19) London
20) Ardoin

OL (16)

21) Shienle
22) Diaz
23) Godfrey
24)Hanson
25) C. Taylor
26) Stewart
27) Jacquet
28) Bradley
29) Uzdavinis
30) Santa Marina
31) Johnson
32) Leglue
33) A. Taylor
34) K. Smart
35) Brown
36) McLeod

DT (9)

37) T. Smart
38) Wilson
39) Redwine
40) C. Thomas
41) J. Washington
42) E. Washington
43) Bell
44) Edwards
45) Webb

DE (7)

46) LaFrance
47) D. Williams
48) Aruna
49) Kennedy
50) Carroll
51) Woullard
52) Jackson

LB (7)

53) Marley
54) E. Thomas
55) E. Williams
56) Fleury
57) Marbley
58) Harris
59) Bowie

CB (7)

60) Nickerson
61) Allen
62) Lewis
63) Lofton
64) Shy
65) Shenall
66) Francis

S (9)

67) Monroe
68) Davis
69) Franklin
70) Townsend
71) Cooper
72) Carthon
73) Teamer
74) Eugene
75) Black

ST (4)

76) Picerelli
77) DiRocco
78) Block
79) Lizanich

I'm not impressed. Obviously playing at North Carolina is good, and I believe Tulane should play UNO and USM every year even though the Privateers weigh down the RPI.

But there are still too many bottom feeders on the schedule. Play Prairie View or Liberty, not both. Tulane will have a hard time even making the NIT if it has a good team because the RPI number likely won't be high enough.

I got this link off the GoTula message board.

The update on Gibbs is he earned a save by pitching the 15th inning of game 1 in the championship series and won game 2 as a starter to give his team the Cal Ripken League title. He had not walked a batter for the entire summer entering the championship series.

Yandel pitched like he did in his first few starts for Tulane--not overpowering, but very precise. He lost the plot for most of the year with the Wave but can be a reliable starter if he continues his summer form.

http://www.d1baseball.com/the-buzz/ripken-league-focus-loaded-redbirds/

The answer is short and not sweet.

An impeccable source tells me he punched a girl who broke a chain of his. Violence toward women, regardless of the events leading up to it, are usually a no-tolerance offense.

He won't be back.

Several Tulane players have gone from 6-0 in the spring to 5-11 in the fall.

Also, Jarrod Franklin officially is wearing Doss' No. 6 instead of his old No. 34.

Devin Powell has put on quite a bit of weight, and Jason Stewart has not lost any.

With Hill and Price in the fold, Tulane has 17 commitments.

When I talked to CJ in June, he said Tulane would have anywhere from 17 to 20 players in the signing class, depending on attrition. Obviously one or two of these guys may defect, but there aren't many spots left in the class.

What do you guys think of the class? It's not very star-sy according to Rivals, but other factors are a lot more important. What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this group to this point?

Obviously, we won’t get answers to the “real” questions until the season is well underway; things like can our WR’s get separation? Can the QB manage the game better? Can the offensive line open holes and keep the defense off the QB? Can we establish a quality rotation at DE and DT? Can we find quality replacements in the defensive backfield for Doss, Schofield, Nixon and Lebeau? Can our special teams rise to mediocrity?

But, some important things should be apparent early.

Who shows up? What’s the story on the two starters (one on each side of the ball) who CJ said were question marks academically? Are they cleared to play? Even though he won’t play, is Leondra James in school? Did he make progress during the summer? What about injuries? Anyone leave school that we don’t know about? Who is the defensive back JJstock mentioned is not on the team? We know that at least 4-5 non-senior scholarship guys have to leave the team before next year to open spots for incoming freshmen. Will CJ or the fall roster give a hint as to who?

How do some of our “fat” guys look? Are Jason Stewart, Devon Johnson, Braynon Edwards, and the incoming freshman, Leeward Brown (among others) arriving in “football” shape to contribute? In my opinion, we haven’t had a well-conditioned team in ten or more years, maybe since 1998. That needs to improve.

How’s our field goal mechanics? I know we won’t have a definitive answer until game time (I’m a lot better on the driving range than the first tee), but are we getting the snap, placement, and follow-through down? Is the new kid, Block, working on both punting and kicking? How’s he look? What’s Simms story? He left summer baseball early; was it to practice kicking? I’d think a pitcher and place kicker could find time for both fall baseball and football, but he didn’t last year. What about Ade Aruna? He kicked off a few times. Is that still a possibility?

With only Breaux, Encalade, and Veal returning at wide receiver, the new guys should get plenty of opportunities in pre-season. They are going to have to play this year; how do they look? For that matter, how do the returning guys look? If they don’t look really good in practice, they probably won’t in the games.

Since we presumably know our starting line (Uz, Hanson, Shienle, Taylor, and Santa Marina), is there anyone “pressing” them? Who will be first off the bench? Second? Counting three freshmen and three redshirt freshmen, we have a total of nine offensive linemen who have hardly played a down in college. Two others (Jacquet and Stewart) haven’t played much either.

I’m sure Coach CJ will tell us each day that all the QB’s “looked good, real good.” And we won’t know until they face “real” opponents, but who backs up Lee? Any indications in camp?

How about our defensive line? Are the key guys healthy? Who’s backing up LaFrance? Is someone pulling away from the crowd for the other end position? What about Thomas? Is he able to take his snaps in the rotation? Wilson and Smart can’t play every down. Thomas and Redwine, or someone else needs to be ready to contribute. Who’s taking snaps and who is wandering the sidelines?

How’s the defensive backfield shaping up? We’ve only got two guys with significant experience back there and we have seven true freshmen and three redshirt freshmen who haven’t played a down. Counting our nickel (or hybrid) position, we’ve needed up to six guys we can really count on. Allen, Davis, Franklin, Townsend, Cooper, Lewis, and others, to include several incoming freshmen, appear to have the athletic capability. Who is “grabbing a position by the throat” and making it theirs?

There are dozens of question marks on this team and pre-season will only give indications of the eventual answers. But, I, for one, am starting to get excited.

Roll Wave!!!

It will take place Aug. 4 in Newport, Rhode Island.

Tulane is sending Tanner Lee, Darion Monroe, Nico Marley and Arturo Uzdavinis along with CJ.

No surprises on that list. Uzdavinis is the lone senior starter on offense. Marley and Monroe are the leaders of the defense.