You miss a day, and stuff happens.
When I was let into the Saints indoor facility for the last 30 minutes of practice, there were a few new players outs with injuries, including offensive tackle Keyshawn McLeod. His absence caused the coaches to experiment with all sorts of combinations, with the makeup of the line changing by the snap because Tulane has only two known quantities at tackle--John Leglue, a two-year starter, and McLeod, a redshirt sophomore who played in only two games a year ago but has drawn praise from the coaches since the start of spring drills.
On one snap, it was Leglue at left tackle, John Washington at left guard, Junior Diaz at center, Corey Dublin at right guard and Dominique Briggs at right tackle, moving from his normal guard spot.
On the next snap, it was Devon Johnson at left tackle (now that's a rare sight), Dublin at left guard, Diaz at center, Leglue at right guard and Briggs at right tackle.
On the next snap, Leeward Brown replaced Leglue at right guard while the others remained the same.
On the next snap, Leglue was back at left tackle, with Cameron Jackel at left guard, Washington at right guard and Briggs at right tackle.
That's just a four-play snapshot, but you get the picture. With McLeod out (coach Willie Fritz said he expected him to return next week) and Hunter Knighton still recovering from a knee sprain (Fritz said he hoped to return next week, too), Tulane is trying different things to find the best five linemen and three more guys who can play. If McLeod's injury turns out to be more significant, the logical candidate to start at right tackle would be Tyler Johnson, who wasn't practicing when I was watching. Briggs appears out of place on the outside with his body type (a squat-looking 6-3, 295-pounds), and he got whipped by Quinlan Carroll on a running play. Freshman Joey Claybrook is not ready. Actually, I'm not sure Claybrook practiced today, which would explain how Devon Johnson got some first-team reps for maybe the first time in the redshirt junior's career.
Days at the Saints facility are scrambles for interviews because they want to get on the team bus and get back to campus for post-practice meetings ASAP, but I will look at it more closely after tomorrow's practice at Yulman Stadium, when they likely will divide into offensive and defensive scout teams for the first time this preseason.
If McLeod comes back for Grambling week, the starting O-line is likely set with Leglue at LT, Dublin at LG,Diaz at C, Briggs at RG and McLeod at RT, with Brown the first guard off the bench and Tyler Johnson the first tackle off the bench if healthy.
In the two-minute drill at the end of practice, Jonathan Banks heeded Fritz' advice and ran often. When he decides to tuck it and run, he has good acceleration and is a load to tackle in the open field. A practice observer praised his speed as he turned the corner on one play. Still, since he is not allowed to be heat, it is tough to gauge how far he would have gotten in a live drill. The coaches clearly believe he will be tough to bring down, adding another key element to the offense.
Johnathan Brantley ran quite a bit, too, in his series, but twice it appeared he should have pitched on the option when he elected to keep it. To me, the pecking order is clear, with Banks No. 1 and clearly ahead of Brantley, but all that goes out the window once the season starts. Banks will have to perform well to keep his job because Brantley has looked good for most of preseason camp, too.
Other players out with injuries today were running back Corey Dauphine, who appears to have a sprained knee and will miss the next two weeks (since he has to sit out the year anyway, it won't affect the depth chart), wide receiver Brian Newman (leg), and freshman cornerback Jaylon Monroe (ankle).
I heard Dane Ledford got some reps at wide receiver yesterday. Fritz said it was not a permanent move and that he had not decided on a No. 3 QB, but Khalil McClain clearly has a leg up there.
Fritz had machine-generated crowd noise echoing through the indoor facility during practice. It definitely sounds louder indoors than when they use it at Yulman.
The best catch of the day came from a female trainer, who backhanded a wadded up towel another trainer tossed to her from about 15 yards away. He threw a bullet and she caught it with ease. On the field, the best play I saw came when Brantley connected with walk-on Rocky Ferony in the back of the end zone against the No. 1 defense. Earlier, McClain threw a strike to D.J. Owens on an in route.
With the focus of practice shifting tomorrow, here's my best guess at a two-deep depth chart (and sometimes more):
OFFENSE
QB
1) Banks
2) Brantley
3) McClain
RB
1) Hilliard
2) Badie
3) Huderson
4) Bradwell
WR
1) Encalade, Mooney and Clewis
2) Owens, Glenn and Robertson
3) Johnson, Toles and LeDee
LT
1) Leglue
2) Claybrook
LG
1) Dublin
2) Washington
C
1) Diaz
2) Leglue
RG
1) Briggs
2) Brown
RT
1) McLeod
2) Tyler Johnson
DEFENSE
LE (rush end)
1) Carroll
2) Bryant
LT
1) Eldrick Washington
2) Williams
NG
1) Wilson
2) Edwards
RE
1) Aruna
2) Woullard
MLB
1) Marbley
2) Montgomery
WLB
1) Jackson
2) Graham
**I'm skeptical about Harris being ready to play, although that's pure speculation. He's a sure starter when healthy.
NB
1) Franklin
2) P.J. Hall
CB
1) Nickerson
2) T. Jackson
CB
1) Lewis
2) Langham
SS
1) Teamer
2) Hall
FS
1) Shenall
2) Kuerschen
When I was let into the Saints indoor facility for the last 30 minutes of practice, there were a few new players outs with injuries, including offensive tackle Keyshawn McLeod. His absence caused the coaches to experiment with all sorts of combinations, with the makeup of the line changing by the snap because Tulane has only two known quantities at tackle--John Leglue, a two-year starter, and McLeod, a redshirt sophomore who played in only two games a year ago but has drawn praise from the coaches since the start of spring drills.
On one snap, it was Leglue at left tackle, John Washington at left guard, Junior Diaz at center, Corey Dublin at right guard and Dominique Briggs at right tackle, moving from his normal guard spot.
On the next snap, it was Devon Johnson at left tackle (now that's a rare sight), Dublin at left guard, Diaz at center, Leglue at right guard and Briggs at right tackle.
On the next snap, Leeward Brown replaced Leglue at right guard while the others remained the same.
On the next snap, Leglue was back at left tackle, with Cameron Jackel at left guard, Washington at right guard and Briggs at right tackle.
That's just a four-play snapshot, but you get the picture. With McLeod out (coach Willie Fritz said he expected him to return next week) and Hunter Knighton still recovering from a knee sprain (Fritz said he hoped to return next week, too), Tulane is trying different things to find the best five linemen and three more guys who can play. If McLeod's injury turns out to be more significant, the logical candidate to start at right tackle would be Tyler Johnson, who wasn't practicing when I was watching. Briggs appears out of place on the outside with his body type (a squat-looking 6-3, 295-pounds), and he got whipped by Quinlan Carroll on a running play. Freshman Joey Claybrook is not ready. Actually, I'm not sure Claybrook practiced today, which would explain how Devon Johnson got some first-team reps for maybe the first time in the redshirt junior's career.
Days at the Saints facility are scrambles for interviews because they want to get on the team bus and get back to campus for post-practice meetings ASAP, but I will look at it more closely after tomorrow's practice at Yulman Stadium, when they likely will divide into offensive and defensive scout teams for the first time this preseason.
If McLeod comes back for Grambling week, the starting O-line is likely set with Leglue at LT, Dublin at LG,Diaz at C, Briggs at RG and McLeod at RT, with Brown the first guard off the bench and Tyler Johnson the first tackle off the bench if healthy.
In the two-minute drill at the end of practice, Jonathan Banks heeded Fritz' advice and ran often. When he decides to tuck it and run, he has good acceleration and is a load to tackle in the open field. A practice observer praised his speed as he turned the corner on one play. Still, since he is not allowed to be heat, it is tough to gauge how far he would have gotten in a live drill. The coaches clearly believe he will be tough to bring down, adding another key element to the offense.
Johnathan Brantley ran quite a bit, too, in his series, but twice it appeared he should have pitched on the option when he elected to keep it. To me, the pecking order is clear, with Banks No. 1 and clearly ahead of Brantley, but all that goes out the window once the season starts. Banks will have to perform well to keep his job because Brantley has looked good for most of preseason camp, too.
Other players out with injuries today were running back Corey Dauphine, who appears to have a sprained knee and will miss the next two weeks (since he has to sit out the year anyway, it won't affect the depth chart), wide receiver Brian Newman (leg), and freshman cornerback Jaylon Monroe (ankle).
I heard Dane Ledford got some reps at wide receiver yesterday. Fritz said it was not a permanent move and that he had not decided on a No. 3 QB, but Khalil McClain clearly has a leg up there.
Fritz had machine-generated crowd noise echoing through the indoor facility during practice. It definitely sounds louder indoors than when they use it at Yulman.
The best catch of the day came from a female trainer, who backhanded a wadded up towel another trainer tossed to her from about 15 yards away. He threw a bullet and she caught it with ease. On the field, the best play I saw came when Brantley connected with walk-on Rocky Ferony in the back of the end zone against the No. 1 defense. Earlier, McClain threw a strike to D.J. Owens on an in route.
With the focus of practice shifting tomorrow, here's my best guess at a two-deep depth chart (and sometimes more):
OFFENSE
QB
1) Banks
2) Brantley
3) McClain
RB
1) Hilliard
2) Badie
3) Huderson
4) Bradwell
WR
1) Encalade, Mooney and Clewis
2) Owens, Glenn and Robertson
3) Johnson, Toles and LeDee
LT
1) Leglue
2) Claybrook
LG
1) Dublin
2) Washington
C
1) Diaz
2) Leglue
RG
1) Briggs
2) Brown
RT
1) McLeod
2) Tyler Johnson
DEFENSE
LE (rush end)
1) Carroll
2) Bryant
LT
1) Eldrick Washington
2) Williams
NG
1) Wilson
2) Edwards
RE
1) Aruna
2) Woullard
MLB
1) Marbley
2) Montgomery
WLB
1) Jackson
2) Graham
**I'm skeptical about Harris being ready to play, although that's pure speculation. He's a sure starter when healthy.
NB
1) Franklin
2) P.J. Hall
CB
1) Nickerson
2) T. Jackson
CB
1) Lewis
2) Langham
SS
1) Teamer
2) Hall
FS
1) Shenall
2) Kuerschen
