The defense dominated Tulane's Saturday practice, limiting the offense's productivity from start to finish as the Green Wave tries to digest the new scheme installed by Will Hall. This will be no slight change, contradicting my original belief when Hall was hired, and it could take some for the guys to become comfortable regardless of what they are saying.
They certainly are not there yet after three weeks of spring drills, and a talented defense is part of the reason. Patrick Johnson essentially is unblockable. Today he ran by right tackle Joey Claybrook to register a "sack" (no hitting of QBs and no live tackling) like he was a turnstyle on the final play of the day, and Claybrook played pretty well in the second half of 2018 after entering the starting lineup. It looked like the offense was getting frustrated by the end of the last segment of 11-on-11 work, a two-minute drill pitting the first-team offense against the first-team defense.
In order, the last seven plays were a scramble by Justin McMillan when no one was open, another scramble by McMillan when he felt pressure, a deep pass that fell incomplete when Jalen McCleskey and walk-on Nick Toppino were in the same area (obviously someone ran the wrong route) and neither was close to the ball, an incomplete pass under pressure when McMillan threw late and hight for Stephon Huderson, a completion to Huderson that Wille Fritz blew dead and declared incomplete because McMillan took too long to get rid of the ball and surely would have been sacked in a live drill and Johnson's sack.
There were no really big completions in any of the 11-on-11 segments, which were broken up by special teams work. McMillan tried to connect deep with Jorrien Vallien, but he was not open and the pass was broken up easily. The majority of completions were to running backs, and those plays may be one of Tulane's biggest weapons in the fall after being almost nonexistent before Will Hall arrrived. Feeling pressure again, McMillan missed Vallien on a sideline route that he threw without setting his feet.
Keon Howard simply is not an accurate passer. Maybe it's the rust from sitting out a year as a redshirt, but the ball often does not go where he aims it. He threw one pass today into the stands on purpose when no one was open, bur if I had not been watching the play from the start, I would not have been sure. His only completions came within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. He is an excellent runner, though, with purpose and speed.
Defensively, the depth chart remains pretty similar to the start of spring drills, although a couple of versatile players worked at old positions today. Larry Bryant, who was moved to nickelback from outside pass rusher a year ago, got his reps as an outside pass rusher today. P.J. Hall, moved to safety last year after playing nickelback and cornerback in the past, was at nickelback, allowing him to rush the passer on blitzes a few times.
The 11 guys on defense for the first 11-on-11 drill I saw today were Johnson, DeAndre Williams, Jeffery Johnson and Cam Sample up front, Marvin Moody and Lawrence Graham at linebacker, Tirise Barge at nickel. Willie Langham and Thakarius Keyes at cornerback and Macon Clark and Larry Brooks at safety. Remember, Chase Kuerschen is being held out of a lot of the 11-on-11 work with an injury, and Hall's reps came at nickelback today.
The second-team D has Quentin Brown, who got some reps with the first unit, and Nick Anderson, at linebacker, Carlos Hatcher and Davon Wright at ends, Alfred Thomas and Jamiran James at tackle, Chris Joyce and Jaylon Mornoe at CB (although I did not write down Monroe's number today) and Sean Harper and walk-on Grant Hamel on the second unit. I have not noticed Kanyon Walker much this spring.
I did not notice any changes on the two-deep offensive line. Although I wrote down Keyshawn McLeod's No. 53 as a first-team guard, I think it actually was No. 63 Cameron Jackel. I'll double check at the next practice.
Because this is a full-service site, here are the No. 1 and No. 2 kickoff coverage teams from left to right.
1) Dane Ledford, Brooks, Barge, Keitha Jones, Marvin Moody, Sterling Stockwell, Dorian Williams, Will Harper, Langham, Jaylon Monroe, Keyes.
2) Chris Joyce, Hall, Anderson, KJ Vault., Larry Bryant, Casey Glover, Juan Monjarres, Ygenio Booker, Hamel and a number I did not catch.
Hamel, by the way, is a sophomore from the Kansas high school where Fritz's brother is the basketball coach.
Kevin LeDee is not ready for 11 on 11 work but he did run routes in individual position drills.
Jamiran James knocked down walk-on running back James Poche hard on one play. That's not supposed to happen, but I think James is trying to make up for lost time after his hand injury a year ago.
They had a full group of referees for the 11-on-11 work.
Devon Walker attended the practice along with plenty of recruits, some of whom watched from the sideline and others from the stands.
WILLIE FRITZ
You said you wanted to do a lot of good on good today. How did it go?
"It was good. The thing about it is it's not really football because we're not tackling to the ground and all those other things, but it was the closest we could simulate to live football and limiting anybody getting injured. The guys did good. There were a lot of real game-like situations. We started off backed up. We started with a lot of down and distance. Some of the guys understood down and distance and some of the guys weren't sure. The two-minute stuff was good, so I was excited about it."
Patrick Johnson had a huge year and does not appear to be resting on his laurels during the spring?
"He's a really good player. He's got great understanding of what he's doing. He's just got a knack for rushing the passer and is a very coachable guy, a student of the game. The thing I enjoy about Patrick is you watch him do drills and then he goes out and does it in the games. Sometimes guys have a tough time carrying it out through the game."
When I walked in the other day, Jeffery Johnson was running full speed to a cone in a drill. He's not the typical 300-pound plus DT, is he?
"He's got stamina. He's got great strength, a 400-plus-pound bench and a 600-pound-plus squatter, and he's really agile for a big fellow. We really feel like if he keeps progressing he has an opportunity to be an All-Conference guy for us."
Jamiran James did not play last year because of his hand injury, but what type of ability does he have?
"He's got great burst, he really does. He's got really good lateral and vertical quickness. When he starts understanding using the technique, sometimes that's good and sometimes you gotta hold the point, and he's still learning that. Unfortunately because of the injury he wasn't able to work on those things for four months, but we think he's got a bright future."
Defensive line is the position where depth is the most important, and you have to love your depth there?
"We've got some good players up there. Cam Sample and Patrick we talked about, Carlos Hatcher, Jeff Johnson, Davon Wright, Jamiran's going to be in the mix there, DeAndre Williams keeps getting better every single day. I know I'm probably missing some guys, but really good players and you're right, you need two deep because at some point in time you are going to lose a guy here and there or they get tired. For the most part those guys have pretty good stamina. With the pace of play that's happening nowawdays, you've got to be able to go for five, six, seven, eight plays in a row."
How would you assess the quarterbacks after three weeks as they learn the new offense?
"I think some good things. All of them are still learning. It's a new system entirely for each and every one of them. Justin, that was better for the quarterback than probably anybody else in the two-minute type deal because they have to understand when the game clock and the play clock's running and they have all the signals and getting everybody lined up and they have to understand the coverage. There's a lot to process, so that's good to put those guys in those stressful situations. Christian Daniels has done some really good things as well."
Dane Ledford has made some plays in practice. How is he adjusting to being a full-time receiver rather than a quarterback?
"I'm excited to see him keep progressing. He made a couple of plays in the kicking game today and he made a nice catch also during team today. He's got ability. He was a 23-foot-plus long jumper in high school. He can run fast. He's got good size, so the more he gets in there and gets repetition, the better he's going to be."
With the injuries at wide receiver, how much is it affecting what you can do with the pace in practice?
"Big time. We need wideouts. The problem you get into is what are you accenting in January and February and then you get into spring ball in March. We ran, but we didn't run like we are going to run this summer in anticipation of preseason camp, so guys are starting to play themselves into shape. I was talking to Jalen McCleskey about it today. He realizes he is a long way from being in game shape. It's good that they realize that."
Is it a bowl game or bust mentality?
"We feel like it is. Our big goal this year is to compete for a conference championship. We came close last year and that's what we want to do in conference this season."
They certainly are not there yet after three weeks of spring drills, and a talented defense is part of the reason. Patrick Johnson essentially is unblockable. Today he ran by right tackle Joey Claybrook to register a "sack" (no hitting of QBs and no live tackling) like he was a turnstyle on the final play of the day, and Claybrook played pretty well in the second half of 2018 after entering the starting lineup. It looked like the offense was getting frustrated by the end of the last segment of 11-on-11 work, a two-minute drill pitting the first-team offense against the first-team defense.
In order, the last seven plays were a scramble by Justin McMillan when no one was open, another scramble by McMillan when he felt pressure, a deep pass that fell incomplete when Jalen McCleskey and walk-on Nick Toppino were in the same area (obviously someone ran the wrong route) and neither was close to the ball, an incomplete pass under pressure when McMillan threw late and hight for Stephon Huderson, a completion to Huderson that Wille Fritz blew dead and declared incomplete because McMillan took too long to get rid of the ball and surely would have been sacked in a live drill and Johnson's sack.
There were no really big completions in any of the 11-on-11 segments, which were broken up by special teams work. McMillan tried to connect deep with Jorrien Vallien, but he was not open and the pass was broken up easily. The majority of completions were to running backs, and those plays may be one of Tulane's biggest weapons in the fall after being almost nonexistent before Will Hall arrrived. Feeling pressure again, McMillan missed Vallien on a sideline route that he threw without setting his feet.
Keon Howard simply is not an accurate passer. Maybe it's the rust from sitting out a year as a redshirt, but the ball often does not go where he aims it. He threw one pass today into the stands on purpose when no one was open, bur if I had not been watching the play from the start, I would not have been sure. His only completions came within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. He is an excellent runner, though, with purpose and speed.
Defensively, the depth chart remains pretty similar to the start of spring drills, although a couple of versatile players worked at old positions today. Larry Bryant, who was moved to nickelback from outside pass rusher a year ago, got his reps as an outside pass rusher today. P.J. Hall, moved to safety last year after playing nickelback and cornerback in the past, was at nickelback, allowing him to rush the passer on blitzes a few times.
The 11 guys on defense for the first 11-on-11 drill I saw today were Johnson, DeAndre Williams, Jeffery Johnson and Cam Sample up front, Marvin Moody and Lawrence Graham at linebacker, Tirise Barge at nickel. Willie Langham and Thakarius Keyes at cornerback and Macon Clark and Larry Brooks at safety. Remember, Chase Kuerschen is being held out of a lot of the 11-on-11 work with an injury, and Hall's reps came at nickelback today.
The second-team D has Quentin Brown, who got some reps with the first unit, and Nick Anderson, at linebacker, Carlos Hatcher and Davon Wright at ends, Alfred Thomas and Jamiran James at tackle, Chris Joyce and Jaylon Mornoe at CB (although I did not write down Monroe's number today) and Sean Harper and walk-on Grant Hamel on the second unit. I have not noticed Kanyon Walker much this spring.
I did not notice any changes on the two-deep offensive line. Although I wrote down Keyshawn McLeod's No. 53 as a first-team guard, I think it actually was No. 63 Cameron Jackel. I'll double check at the next practice.
Because this is a full-service site, here are the No. 1 and No. 2 kickoff coverage teams from left to right.
1) Dane Ledford, Brooks, Barge, Keitha Jones, Marvin Moody, Sterling Stockwell, Dorian Williams, Will Harper, Langham, Jaylon Monroe, Keyes.
2) Chris Joyce, Hall, Anderson, KJ Vault., Larry Bryant, Casey Glover, Juan Monjarres, Ygenio Booker, Hamel and a number I did not catch.
Hamel, by the way, is a sophomore from the Kansas high school where Fritz's brother is the basketball coach.
Kevin LeDee is not ready for 11 on 11 work but he did run routes in individual position drills.
Jamiran James knocked down walk-on running back James Poche hard on one play. That's not supposed to happen, but I think James is trying to make up for lost time after his hand injury a year ago.
They had a full group of referees for the 11-on-11 work.
Devon Walker attended the practice along with plenty of recruits, some of whom watched from the sideline and others from the stands.
WILLIE FRITZ
You said you wanted to do a lot of good on good today. How did it go?
"It was good. The thing about it is it's not really football because we're not tackling to the ground and all those other things, but it was the closest we could simulate to live football and limiting anybody getting injured. The guys did good. There were a lot of real game-like situations. We started off backed up. We started with a lot of down and distance. Some of the guys understood down and distance and some of the guys weren't sure. The two-minute stuff was good, so I was excited about it."
Patrick Johnson had a huge year and does not appear to be resting on his laurels during the spring?
"He's a really good player. He's got great understanding of what he's doing. He's just got a knack for rushing the passer and is a very coachable guy, a student of the game. The thing I enjoy about Patrick is you watch him do drills and then he goes out and does it in the games. Sometimes guys have a tough time carrying it out through the game."
When I walked in the other day, Jeffery Johnson was running full speed to a cone in a drill. He's not the typical 300-pound plus DT, is he?
"He's got stamina. He's got great strength, a 400-plus-pound bench and a 600-pound-plus squatter, and he's really agile for a big fellow. We really feel like if he keeps progressing he has an opportunity to be an All-Conference guy for us."
Jamiran James did not play last year because of his hand injury, but what type of ability does he have?
"He's got great burst, he really does. He's got really good lateral and vertical quickness. When he starts understanding using the technique, sometimes that's good and sometimes you gotta hold the point, and he's still learning that. Unfortunately because of the injury he wasn't able to work on those things for four months, but we think he's got a bright future."
Defensive line is the position where depth is the most important, and you have to love your depth there?
"We've got some good players up there. Cam Sample and Patrick we talked about, Carlos Hatcher, Jeff Johnson, Davon Wright, Jamiran's going to be in the mix there, DeAndre Williams keeps getting better every single day. I know I'm probably missing some guys, but really good players and you're right, you need two deep because at some point in time you are going to lose a guy here and there or they get tired. For the most part those guys have pretty good stamina. With the pace of play that's happening nowawdays, you've got to be able to go for five, six, seven, eight plays in a row."
How would you assess the quarterbacks after three weeks as they learn the new offense?
"I think some good things. All of them are still learning. It's a new system entirely for each and every one of them. Justin, that was better for the quarterback than probably anybody else in the two-minute type deal because they have to understand when the game clock and the play clock's running and they have all the signals and getting everybody lined up and they have to understand the coverage. There's a lot to process, so that's good to put those guys in those stressful situations. Christian Daniels has done some really good things as well."
Dane Ledford has made some plays in practice. How is he adjusting to being a full-time receiver rather than a quarterback?
"I'm excited to see him keep progressing. He made a couple of plays in the kicking game today and he made a nice catch also during team today. He's got ability. He was a 23-foot-plus long jumper in high school. He can run fast. He's got good size, so the more he gets in there and gets repetition, the better he's going to be."
With the injuries at wide receiver, how much is it affecting what you can do with the pace in practice?
"Big time. We need wideouts. The problem you get into is what are you accenting in January and February and then you get into spring ball in March. We ran, but we didn't run like we are going to run this summer in anticipation of preseason camp, so guys are starting to play themselves into shape. I was talking to Jalen McCleskey about it today. He realizes he is a long way from being in game shape. It's good that they realize that."
Is it a bowl game or bust mentality?
"We feel like it is. Our big goal this year is to compete for a conference championship. We came close last year and that's what we want to do in conference this season."