Before resting on the weekend, Tulane had one more scrimmage on Friday morning at the Saints' indoor facility, although this time Willie Fritz put the kibosh on tackling because he did not want anyone to get banged up.
The practice ended 20 minutes earlier than expected, which means I caught only the final 10 minutes after being escorted to the facility. Even that little time turned out to be beneficial, though.
They were in the two-minute drills, and it went much better for Jonathan Banks and the first-team offense than yesterday's. In fact, he completed five passes in a row, making quick decisions and firing the ball on target in the hurry-up as he connected with Dontrell HIlliard outside, Terren Encalade on a square in, Darnell Mooney on a button hook, Mooney again on an out route and Sherman Badie on a dump-off when he was pressured to scramble. The streak ended when he threw behind wideout D.J. Owens, who got his hands on the ball but could not hold on.
Banks then hit Devin Glenn on a quick out and spiked the ball to stop the clock, giving the offense time for one more play around the 20-yard line. Jarrod Franklin blitzed in untouched to "sack" him, ending what had been an outstanding possession against the first-team defense.
"The two-minute was great, it was much better," Fritz said. "Obviously the offense has the advantage because we're not tackling, but the mechanics of it was so improved."
It would not be accurate to say Banks has improved steadily during preseason drills--he's had good days and bad days--but the highs are getting higher and the lows are getting higher, too.
"He's been a little up and down," Fritz said. "This is new. I'm an old JC coach and this is different. We've got coaches at every position who analyze every single practice, and there's so much going on, but he's a smart young man and really done a good job of picking up what we're doing. He's only going to get better."
While Tulane's passing game remains a work in progress and is subject to the success of the ground game, the difference between last preseason and this preseason is monstrous. As I've written before, Tulane had the worst passing attack I'd ever seen last spring and last August. Completions during 7-on-7 drills and 11-on-11 drills were few and far between. A quarterback completing five in a row during a two-minute drill? It never, ever happened.
Johnathan Brantley and the second-team offense were not as successful against the second-team defense. He bounced a throw to an open receiver on the run before almost connecting with freshman tight end Will Wallace on a nice play. Wallace made the catch but did not get a foot inbounds along the sideline. Brantley then completed a short out to Owens, scrambled for a few yards, spiked the ball to stop the clock and had Owens drop a pass he should have caught. Knowing there was only one play left, lofted a pass to the back of the end zone for Chris Johnson, who was double covered. Everyone jumped, and the ball deflected into the hands of safety P.J. Hall for an interception.
The first-team defense featured the usual suspects, with Parry Nickerson participating after being rested Thursday. The second-team defense had Jaylon Monroe and Tre Jackson at cornerback, Hall and Chase Kuerschen at safety and Monty Montgomery and Lawrence Graham at linebacker. I didn't get the numbers of the defensive line this time.
Fritz, who praised Graham profusely in an interview with Tulane's sports info department two days ago, doubled down when I asked him about Graham today.
"He's real tough and competitive," Fritz said. "He's a 225-pound guy who runs very well. He's a big-time thumper. I've tinkered with the idea of trying to play him both ways because he was a great fullback in high school, too. Right now he's got an opportunity to be a starter for us."
So there you have it. The guy I said earlier in the week had not made an impression on me has made enough of an impression on someone who matters that he's thinking about playing him both ways. It's interesting because Fritz never had mentioned his name in a post-practice interview with reporters through the first 16 practices.
Graham is backing up Luke Jackson at WLB while Zach Harris continues to rest a troublesome knee, but the competition is very close. Harris' return date is uncertain.
"We're hoping (to get Harris back) at least game week," Fritz said. "Hopefully sooner."
Sophomore second-string offensive tackle Tyler Johnson, who left Thursday's scrimmage with an ankle injury after getting caught in a mass of bodies, practiced today.. Cornerback Thakarius Keyes is still wearing a boot on his injured ankle, and his return does not appear imminent.
Tulane will come back Monday and have two more hard practices before beginning serious preparation for Grambling on Wednesday. Fritz said Monday and Tuesday would be good for the young guys on the depth to gain some more reps before the focus changes. In the meantime, he believes the weekend of rest will be beneficial.
"It's good time off," Fritz said. "Hopefully everybody uses it to their advantage and gets rested. It's good for the coaches, too."
BENSONS THERE
Before reporters were allowed into practice, Tom Benson and his wife showed up at the indoor facility and watched the workout before addressing the team. Fritz, who said yesterday the Bensons invited him to meet them soon after he took the Tulane job, has not made no secret of his fondness for them and the Saints.
"It was neat to be tweeting that out (about Tom Benson at practice)," Fritz said. "We were just really honored they would come out and watch practice. Like I told our guys, if you are rooting for the NFL, it's the Saints, the Saints, the Saints and nobody else but the Saints. It's great of them to let us come out here and use this great facility."
The practice ended 20 minutes earlier than expected, which means I caught only the final 10 minutes after being escorted to the facility. Even that little time turned out to be beneficial, though.
They were in the two-minute drills, and it went much better for Jonathan Banks and the first-team offense than yesterday's. In fact, he completed five passes in a row, making quick decisions and firing the ball on target in the hurry-up as he connected with Dontrell HIlliard outside, Terren Encalade on a square in, Darnell Mooney on a button hook, Mooney again on an out route and Sherman Badie on a dump-off when he was pressured to scramble. The streak ended when he threw behind wideout D.J. Owens, who got his hands on the ball but could not hold on.
Banks then hit Devin Glenn on a quick out and spiked the ball to stop the clock, giving the offense time for one more play around the 20-yard line. Jarrod Franklin blitzed in untouched to "sack" him, ending what had been an outstanding possession against the first-team defense.
"The two-minute was great, it was much better," Fritz said. "Obviously the offense has the advantage because we're not tackling, but the mechanics of it was so improved."
It would not be accurate to say Banks has improved steadily during preseason drills--he's had good days and bad days--but the highs are getting higher and the lows are getting higher, too.
"He's been a little up and down," Fritz said. "This is new. I'm an old JC coach and this is different. We've got coaches at every position who analyze every single practice, and there's so much going on, but he's a smart young man and really done a good job of picking up what we're doing. He's only going to get better."
While Tulane's passing game remains a work in progress and is subject to the success of the ground game, the difference between last preseason and this preseason is monstrous. As I've written before, Tulane had the worst passing attack I'd ever seen last spring and last August. Completions during 7-on-7 drills and 11-on-11 drills were few and far between. A quarterback completing five in a row during a two-minute drill? It never, ever happened.
Johnathan Brantley and the second-team offense were not as successful against the second-team defense. He bounced a throw to an open receiver on the run before almost connecting with freshman tight end Will Wallace on a nice play. Wallace made the catch but did not get a foot inbounds along the sideline. Brantley then completed a short out to Owens, scrambled for a few yards, spiked the ball to stop the clock and had Owens drop a pass he should have caught. Knowing there was only one play left, lofted a pass to the back of the end zone for Chris Johnson, who was double covered. Everyone jumped, and the ball deflected into the hands of safety P.J. Hall for an interception.
The first-team defense featured the usual suspects, with Parry Nickerson participating after being rested Thursday. The second-team defense had Jaylon Monroe and Tre Jackson at cornerback, Hall and Chase Kuerschen at safety and Monty Montgomery and Lawrence Graham at linebacker. I didn't get the numbers of the defensive line this time.
Fritz, who praised Graham profusely in an interview with Tulane's sports info department two days ago, doubled down when I asked him about Graham today.
"He's real tough and competitive," Fritz said. "He's a 225-pound guy who runs very well. He's a big-time thumper. I've tinkered with the idea of trying to play him both ways because he was a great fullback in high school, too. Right now he's got an opportunity to be a starter for us."
So there you have it. The guy I said earlier in the week had not made an impression on me has made enough of an impression on someone who matters that he's thinking about playing him both ways. It's interesting because Fritz never had mentioned his name in a post-practice interview with reporters through the first 16 practices.
Graham is backing up Luke Jackson at WLB while Zach Harris continues to rest a troublesome knee, but the competition is very close. Harris' return date is uncertain.
"We're hoping (to get Harris back) at least game week," Fritz said. "Hopefully sooner."
Sophomore second-string offensive tackle Tyler Johnson, who left Thursday's scrimmage with an ankle injury after getting caught in a mass of bodies, practiced today.. Cornerback Thakarius Keyes is still wearing a boot on his injured ankle, and his return does not appear imminent.
Tulane will come back Monday and have two more hard practices before beginning serious preparation for Grambling on Wednesday. Fritz said Monday and Tuesday would be good for the young guys on the depth to gain some more reps before the focus changes. In the meantime, he believes the weekend of rest will be beneficial.
"It's good time off," Fritz said. "Hopefully everybody uses it to their advantage and gets rested. It's good for the coaches, too."
BENSONS THERE
Before reporters were allowed into practice, Tom Benson and his wife showed up at the indoor facility and watched the workout before addressing the team. Fritz, who said yesterday the Bensons invited him to meet them soon after he took the Tulane job, has not made no secret of his fondness for them and the Saints.
"It was neat to be tweeting that out (about Tom Benson at practice)," Fritz said. "We were just really honored they would come out and watch practice. Like I told our guys, if you are rooting for the NFL, it's the Saints, the Saints, the Saints and nobody else but the Saints. It's great of them to let us come out here and use this great facility."