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.
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.
Last edited:
