Our latest report on what happened at practice on the offense in detail:
Quarterbacks- Tim Tebow, Cameron Newton, John Brantley
What I liked: Cameron Newton looks comfortable in the pocket. He doesn’t get happy feet very often, looks poised while scanning the field and throws to the best option almost all of the time. He’s a very smart player. All three of the quarterbacks have shown good knowledge of when to tuck the ball and run. Most of the interceptions thrown have been through the hands of receivers and not completely the quarterbacks fault.
What I didn’t like: The quarterbacks didn’t look crisp and really haven’t all spring. The practices haven’t had a great rhythm to them, and the quarterbacks are having a rough time finding their touch. Tebow overthrew Justin Williams at least once on a deep route and his throws are usually not the most accurate. The receivers didn’t help them out by dropping plenty of passes, but the quarterback play has to pick up as the spring continues.
Running backs- Kestahn Moore, Brandon James, Chris Rainey, Mon Williams, Emmanuel Moody.
What I liked: Ball security. I can remember two fumbles on the day, both by Moody. One was on an option he dropped and the other one a goal line carry. Moore continues to be the best back at practice, partially because Moody seems to be getting limited reps since he is near the bottom of the depth chart. Moore, James and Rainey look like they’re running with the ball a lot closer to their body. Hopefully ball security has sunk in as a necessity. Rainey is running the ball hard this spring. He got in a head-to-head collision with Spikes, didn’t look fazed, and continued the run for a touchdown. Rainey also embarrassed Brendan Beal in one-on-one tackling drills by faking right and spinning back to his left, leaving Beal holding only Rainey’s towel in his hands. He also took a few runs and made the defense think he was going outside the tackles, only to spin back through the line. His change of the direction is unreal. Kestahn Moore hasn’t gotten a ton of publicity this spring, but he’s doing everything he’s been asked. His fumbles have been cut down, and he is running the ball well.
What I didn’t like: Moore is the only running back who looks like he has a clue when it comes to blocking in the backfield. Rainey and James just don’t have the size to stop a blitzing Brandon Spikes through the middle. Moody got yelled at a few times for being either on the wrong side of the quarterback or out of position to block. Besides that, the running backs had a solid day.
Wide receivers- Louis Murphy, Carl Moore, Deonte Thompson, Justin Willams, David Nelson
Tight ends- Cornelius Ingram, Aaron Hernandez, Tate Casey
What I liked: Lots of athleticism to go around even when the most electric player in the nation, Percy Harvin, is out. Louis Murphy looks like our solid go-to receiver and a good one at that. He’s a guy that they can run any play with, be it a receiver screen or a deep throw. Carl Moore got most of his reps with the first team offense. The firs team was juggled around a bit, with Deonte Thompson and Justin Williams also trading off time as the second receiver in a two receiver set. That same set they worked out of for a good portion of practice featured two tight ends, Hernandez and Ingram most of the time. It was a dangerous package, one that allowed Ingram to do whatever he wanted. He ran a fly pattern from his tight end position and caught a perfect lob from Tebow over the linebacker. That’s the danger of having him there, as opposing defenses have to pick their poison when covering him with a linebacker or safety. Hernandez has the body of a playmaker. He looks a little trimmed down from last season and made some impressive catches, going up in the air to make some plays.
What I didn’t like: The amount of dropped passes was ridiculous. Thompson, Nelson and Hernandez each had at least one drop that I saw. The passes aren’t perfect, but they are ones that need to be caught in the fall. That’s the only thing this group is struggling with right now. They just need to catch the football.
Offensive line-
Tackles- Jason Watkins, Phil Trautwein, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert
Guards- Jim Tartt, Mike Pouncey, James Wilson, Jim Barrie
Center- Maurkice Pouncey, Corey Hobbs
What I liked: The interior line wasn’t even fair today. Tartt and the two Pounceys came out in the offensive line vs. defensive line running drills and threw the defensive tackles around. The best sign to me was James Wilson getting in on the drills. He came in and threw John Brown backwards from the snap. He then started jumping around with his teammates who were supporting him. Phil Trautwein also looked good. He opened up a few holes on the outside by pushing the defensive end inside and taking him out of the play. He being back with the starting line should only develop more chemistry for the fall. Backups Carl Johnson and Marcus Gilbert have had good springs as well, developing some sort of depth at the tackle position that will be very necessary for the 2009 season. The offensive line was called out by Meyer after Wednesday’s practice to make more plays, and I thought they did just that. The line opened up holes for the running backs and gave them gaping holes to walk through into the end zone.
What I didn’t like: Not much depth on the inside past the starters. The Pounceys have cemented themselves into the right guard and center position, and the left guard of Tartt and Wilson will create havoc this season and longer. This just showed me how bad Maurice Hurt needs to get healthy.
Player of the Day: Chris Rainey. He looks completely different in only a year. He runs with a purpose and has just embarrassed people trying to tackle him. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen is going to have a hard time keeping the ball out of his hands.
