Tulane had what might turn out to be its first significant injury of the spring near the end of a chilly, windy practice No. 9 this morning when a defender whose number I did not catch ran up the back of Corey Dauphine as he looked for a hole and ended up falling on his right leg and pinning it. I cringed when I saw the play developing but did not expect it to turn out that bad. Dauphine was in obvious pain as trainers flexed his right knee on the ground, and practice moved to the other end of the field while they administered to him. He got up and walked gingerly to the training table and was eventually taken to the training room.
It is unclear whether the injury is serious or minor at this point. I could see it going either way. He did not need any assistance as he walked off the field, but that can be misleading depending on the injury.
"Hopefully he's OK," said coach Willie Fritz, who had nothing more to offer since he was busy conducting the rest of practice.
Wide receiver Jacob Robertson remains out with an injury along with offensive tackle Tyler Johnson and and defensive end Peter Woullard. Fritz said he expected them to be back before the end of spring but All three of them were at practice and walking unencumbered but were not dressed out.
Fritz was a little disappointed Robertson, who started twice as a true freshman and caught 11 passes, has not been able to return after getting a week off for spring break.
"We were hoping he'd be back," he said. "We've got to figure out a way to keep him healthy. We've had a tough time keeping him healthy for long stints."
Practice began about 30 minutes late due to rain but ended at the usual 10:30 time. When I arrived, it was so windy a medicine ball was rolling back and forth on the road next to the auxilary practice field outside the stadium.
"We had to adapt and improvise a little bit because of the conditions, so it was a little bit different," Willie Fritz said. "But overall we got some good work in."
Tulane's experimentation in the secondary this spring appears to have produced a positive combination with Rod Teamer moving to free safety and P.J. Hall playing strong safety. At least that's the impression defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jack Curtis gave after Wednesday's workout.
The move is all about getting more speed and more coverage ability on the field to match the modern game. Chase Kuerschen was a solid tackler last year but Tulane's lack of speed at the back end was exposed, particularly with Teamer playing on basically one leg after getting hurt in the Navy game. Hall (5-11, 190) does not look like a traditional strong safety, but the game is changing. He finished his true sophomore year with 18 tackles.
"P.J.'s probably our most versatile player back there," Curtis said. "He's a utility guy. P.J. can play corner, nickel, strong, free. He can play them all, and he's extremely intelligent in our defense and knows what everybody's doing. He's had an excellent spring. He's going to be real hard to get out of that strong safety position. He's having a fantastic spring."
Memphis and SMU in particular exposed Tulane's secondary last year, combining for 673 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Hall actually started at strong safety against Memphis and struggled in his new role, but he has gained experience since then and just about every team came up empty trying to stop the Tigers' prolific offense.
The reason Hall earned his only start against Memphis still stands.
"He has more of the corner movements and skill set," Curtis said. "Some of the things that we're doing put that strong safety on the slot receiver in man-to-man type of scheme. He's done real well. I don't want to say he's been a surprise, but I'm real pleased with where he's at."
Fritz praised Hall, too.
"He's really smart," he said. "He has good instincts. You throw these guys into the fire as freshmen, but he seems to be getting better every day. I told him before practice he's really looking good."
Catching runners once they reached the open field proved to be as big or an even bigger issue for the safeties as covering receivers. That's another reason to get more speed in the back end.
"If we have someone that pops a run, we have to have some more erasers back there, somebody with some speed that can make that open-field tackle and not let an 8-to 10-yard play turn into a 30- or 40-yard gain," Curtis said. "It's a big emphasis to get more speed out there and not give up the longer runs."
Teamer missed two games with his leg injury a year ago, finishing with 48 tackles, 10 fewer than he had as a sophomore. He returned a fumble for a touchdown against Navy but did not have the same explosion after getting hurt in the same game. That was never more evident than on SMU's go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter, when he appeared frozen in the end zone after Trey Quinn made a sharp cut and could only watch him make an easy grab.
Teamer has started 22 times at strong safety under Willie Fritz, but free safety could be a better spot for him because it does not require one-one-one coverage skills, which are not his forte. He likes to hit, as he did today in practice with a hard shot to running back Darius Bradwell that was a little uncalled for (they weren't in full pads) but sent a message.
"He's playing well," Curtis said. "It's a more natural position for him. He will be a little more involved in getting into the box and playing closer to the ball at times. He's doing real well. He can play a couple of positions as well, too, but he's really feeling at home at that free safety position."
The big mystery remains who will win the cornerback spot opposite Donnie Lewis. Lewis will replace Parry Nickerson on the boundary, but the field corner race remains wide open. Sophomore Jaylon Monroe, who played in nine games a year ago primarily on special teams, has gotten the most reps with the first unit because Thakarius Keyes has been double-trained at safety, but no one is the clear frontrunner. True freshman Chris Joyce, an early enrollee, missed most of the first two weeks of spring drills while recovering from a hamstring injury. Redshirt freshman Willie Langham, another possibility, has spent time at safety, too. I haven't heard much about senior career reserve Stephon Lofton since the first week, when he made some plays. Freshman Damien Tate will join the mix when he arrives this summer.
"Parry was so good, and we've got to find somebody to replace him," Curtis said. "We have some young guys that are going to come in (during the summer). We have a number of guys who are going to be able to play. I don't know if one can lock it down. I don't see one person taking over the position yet, but a lot are going to get a chance to play.
"Donnie is being more disciplined. He's made some great plays through his career and has seen a lot of football. We're expecting a lot of big things out of him."
Tirise Barge has gotten just about all the reps with the first-team defense at nickelback. Barring someone changing positions, he's a near certainty to begin the year as a starter.
"Tirise loves football," Curtis said. "He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the field. He's really one of our more physical tacklers. He's a lot more comfortable in understanding the scheme and feels more confident in what he's doing."
OTHER PRACTICE NOTES
Fritz was unhappy with the defense for allowing a short completion from Dane Ledford to Jaetavian Toles during a down-and-distance situational drill. "You have to know the down and disdtance before the play, not after the play," he yelled.
Christian Daniels dropped a shotgun snap, then threw a panicky duck on one play, but he showed enough savvy later to get two defenders to jump offside with a hard count. He's definitely quick, but at this point, he still has to work on every other part of his game.
Corey Dublin was the center with the first-team offense at the end of practice for every rep, with Dominique Briggs replacing him at left guard. I prefer that combo, but we'll see how it develops.
For the second straight practice, Jeffery Johnson was neutralized on most of his reps. He has the physical ability but also looks like a guy who still could be in high school. De'Andre Williams was more active when he got in there, chasing Ledford while applying good pressure on one play.
During the 11-on-11 work, a high percentage of plays were runs, which helps the team prepare but does nothing for me when they are not tackling drills.
It is unclear whether the injury is serious or minor at this point. I could see it going either way. He did not need any assistance as he walked off the field, but that can be misleading depending on the injury.
"Hopefully he's OK," said coach Willie Fritz, who had nothing more to offer since he was busy conducting the rest of practice.
Wide receiver Jacob Robertson remains out with an injury along with offensive tackle Tyler Johnson and and defensive end Peter Woullard. Fritz said he expected them to be back before the end of spring but All three of them were at practice and walking unencumbered but were not dressed out.
Fritz was a little disappointed Robertson, who started twice as a true freshman and caught 11 passes, has not been able to return after getting a week off for spring break.
"We were hoping he'd be back," he said. "We've got to figure out a way to keep him healthy. We've had a tough time keeping him healthy for long stints."
Practice began about 30 minutes late due to rain but ended at the usual 10:30 time. When I arrived, it was so windy a medicine ball was rolling back and forth on the road next to the auxilary practice field outside the stadium.
"We had to adapt and improvise a little bit because of the conditions, so it was a little bit different," Willie Fritz said. "But overall we got some good work in."
Tulane's experimentation in the secondary this spring appears to have produced a positive combination with Rod Teamer moving to free safety and P.J. Hall playing strong safety. At least that's the impression defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jack Curtis gave after Wednesday's workout.
The move is all about getting more speed and more coverage ability on the field to match the modern game. Chase Kuerschen was a solid tackler last year but Tulane's lack of speed at the back end was exposed, particularly with Teamer playing on basically one leg after getting hurt in the Navy game. Hall (5-11, 190) does not look like a traditional strong safety, but the game is changing. He finished his true sophomore year with 18 tackles.
"P.J.'s probably our most versatile player back there," Curtis said. "He's a utility guy. P.J. can play corner, nickel, strong, free. He can play them all, and he's extremely intelligent in our defense and knows what everybody's doing. He's had an excellent spring. He's going to be real hard to get out of that strong safety position. He's having a fantastic spring."
Memphis and SMU in particular exposed Tulane's secondary last year, combining for 673 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Hall actually started at strong safety against Memphis and struggled in his new role, but he has gained experience since then and just about every team came up empty trying to stop the Tigers' prolific offense.
The reason Hall earned his only start against Memphis still stands.
"He has more of the corner movements and skill set," Curtis said. "Some of the things that we're doing put that strong safety on the slot receiver in man-to-man type of scheme. He's done real well. I don't want to say he's been a surprise, but I'm real pleased with where he's at."
Fritz praised Hall, too.
"He's really smart," he said. "He has good instincts. You throw these guys into the fire as freshmen, but he seems to be getting better every day. I told him before practice he's really looking good."
Catching runners once they reached the open field proved to be as big or an even bigger issue for the safeties as covering receivers. That's another reason to get more speed in the back end.
"If we have someone that pops a run, we have to have some more erasers back there, somebody with some speed that can make that open-field tackle and not let an 8-to 10-yard play turn into a 30- or 40-yard gain," Curtis said. "It's a big emphasis to get more speed out there and not give up the longer runs."
Teamer missed two games with his leg injury a year ago, finishing with 48 tackles, 10 fewer than he had as a sophomore. He returned a fumble for a touchdown against Navy but did not have the same explosion after getting hurt in the same game. That was never more evident than on SMU's go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter, when he appeared frozen in the end zone after Trey Quinn made a sharp cut and could only watch him make an easy grab.
Teamer has started 22 times at strong safety under Willie Fritz, but free safety could be a better spot for him because it does not require one-one-one coverage skills, which are not his forte. He likes to hit, as he did today in practice with a hard shot to running back Darius Bradwell that was a little uncalled for (they weren't in full pads) but sent a message.
"He's playing well," Curtis said. "It's a more natural position for him. He will be a little more involved in getting into the box and playing closer to the ball at times. He's doing real well. He can play a couple of positions as well, too, but he's really feeling at home at that free safety position."
The big mystery remains who will win the cornerback spot opposite Donnie Lewis. Lewis will replace Parry Nickerson on the boundary, but the field corner race remains wide open. Sophomore Jaylon Monroe, who played in nine games a year ago primarily on special teams, has gotten the most reps with the first unit because Thakarius Keyes has been double-trained at safety, but no one is the clear frontrunner. True freshman Chris Joyce, an early enrollee, missed most of the first two weeks of spring drills while recovering from a hamstring injury. Redshirt freshman Willie Langham, another possibility, has spent time at safety, too. I haven't heard much about senior career reserve Stephon Lofton since the first week, when he made some plays. Freshman Damien Tate will join the mix when he arrives this summer.
"Parry was so good, and we've got to find somebody to replace him," Curtis said. "We have some young guys that are going to come in (during the summer). We have a number of guys who are going to be able to play. I don't know if one can lock it down. I don't see one person taking over the position yet, but a lot are going to get a chance to play.
"Donnie is being more disciplined. He's made some great plays through his career and has seen a lot of football. We're expecting a lot of big things out of him."
Tirise Barge has gotten just about all the reps with the first-team defense at nickelback. Barring someone changing positions, he's a near certainty to begin the year as a starter.
"Tirise loves football," Curtis said. "He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the field. He's really one of our more physical tacklers. He's a lot more comfortable in understanding the scheme and feels more confident in what he's doing."
OTHER PRACTICE NOTES
Fritz was unhappy with the defense for allowing a short completion from Dane Ledford to Jaetavian Toles during a down-and-distance situational drill. "You have to know the down and disdtance before the play, not after the play," he yelled.
Christian Daniels dropped a shotgun snap, then threw a panicky duck on one play, but he showed enough savvy later to get two defenders to jump offside with a hard count. He's definitely quick, but at this point, he still has to work on every other part of his game.
Corey Dublin was the center with the first-team offense at the end of practice for every rep, with Dominique Briggs replacing him at left guard. I prefer that combo, but we'll see how it develops.
For the second straight practice, Jeffery Johnson was neutralized on most of his reps. He has the physical ability but also looks like a guy who still could be in high school. De'Andre Williams was more active when he got in there, chasing Ledford while applying good pressure on one play.
During the 11-on-11 work, a high percentage of plays were runs, which helps the team prepare but does nothing for me when they are not tackling drills.
