The defense is making a statement this spring. The group you saw last fall is gone, and the new defense is making its presence felt this spring.
Defensive Line-
SDE- Justin Trattou, Carlos Dunlap
DT- Terron Sanders, Lawrence Marsh, Torrey Davis
DT- Troy Epps, John Brown
WDE- Jermaine Cunningham, Duke Lemmens, Matt Patchan
What I liked: Terron Sanders was with the first team for the second day in a row and for good reason. On plays he doesn’t get into the backfield, he’s taking up a few offensive linemen and eating up space. Carlos Dunlap is the definition of a playmaker on the defensive line. In Wednesday’s scrimmage, he jumped up to tip a pass from Tebow, and ended up scooping it off the ground for an interception. He shows great discipline when the quarterbacks run the option at him. The defensive line did a good job of stuffing the run inside, but gave up a couple long gains on runs that went outside. Lawrence Marsh had his best day that I’ve seen this spring. He stayed disciplined on the line and didn’t jump offside at all, which he had done multiple times earlier in the spring.
What I didn’t like: Torrey Davis got kicked out of practice today. Coach Meyer mentioned after practice that he didn’t live up to expectations they have for him during practice, but multiple people saw him getting into a fight at practice. He spent at least 30 minutes talking to Terry Jackson before leaving the practice field. On the field, the defensive line had a very impressive day. They didn’t give much of anything up during the running drills and controlled the line of scrimmage during today’s practice.
Linebackers-
OLB- Dustin Doe, Jerimy Finch
MLB- Brandon Spikes, Lorenzo Edwards, Brendan Beal
OLB- Brandon Hicks, John Jones
What I liked: AJ Jones participated in half of practice without the yellow jersey, which indicates an injury. His right hand is still wrapped heavily however. The thing that has impressed me the most about the linebackers this spring is their athletic ability contributing to excellent pass coverage. Guys like Hicks and Finch have the bodies and athleticism to potentially play safety and it shows when you see them defend the pass. That’s why I think the quarterbacks haven’t looked excellent this spring. They simply aren’t used to seeing linebackers who can make plays like this group. Every day I see Lorenzo Edwards it becomes more certain I my mind that this guy has to see the field during meaningful snaps this fall. I have talked to many people who think he is the second best linebacker in this group behind Brandon Spikes. What I love about Spikes is the intensity he brings to practice every day. As much as coaches are yelling and screaming during practice, Spikes may talk even more than all of them. You’d be hard pressed to find a play he isn’t running his mouth at the offense, and I’ve seen how his swagger on the field is becoming contagious with not only the linebackers, but the defense as a whole. Hicks also looks improved. I mentioned Monday how he is always getting yelled at by coaches, but the screams on Wednesday were for all the positive plays he was making. Finch also looked good in one-on-one tackling drills. He went up against Rainey a few times and never fell for all of Rainey’s head and body fakes. Finch was the only one who was able to get a solid hit on Rainey in the one-on-ones.
What I didn’t like: Dustin Doe didn’t have an impressive day. He went at least 0-5 during the one-on-one tackling drills, including being juked by Kestahn Moore who isn’t exactly Percy Harvin when it comes to juke moves. Then Moore decided to run him over on the last play for good measure. Doe does a lot of good things on the field, but he might be fighting for his job once fall practices roll around. Also, AJ Jones and Ryan Stamper need to get healthy before they get passed up by younger players.
Secondary:
CB- Wondy Pierre-Louis, Moses Jenkins, Janoris Jenkins
CB- Jacques Rickerson, Markihe Anderson, Jeremy Brown
S- Major Wright, John Curtis, Ahmad Black
S- Dorian Munroe, Jamar Hornsby, Bryan Thomas
What I liked: The cornerbacks were lined up at the line of scrimmage in the face of receivers for most of the practice. Pierre-Louis started a play with a few inches between him and Louis Murphy, and Murphy struggled to get off the line of scrimmage. Major Wright is a guy that hasn’t gotten much publicity this spring, and it’s because the solid play he’s showing is expected from him now. He locked up a receiver running a post in the middle of the field and batted down a forced pass. In the middle of the field, he’s making an effort to make solid tackles instead of always going for the big hit. His safety counterpart, Dorian Munroe, also looks good. Watching Munroe and Wright walk out of practice field today made a few of us laugh because they look like physical twins. They look almost identical in size and even similar in the face. John Curtis is showing himself as a viable backup. He cut off a lob to Cooper for an interception today, and also blew up a wide receiver screen to Carl Moore.
What I didn’t like: The cornerbacks were in good position today, and should have intercepted a few balls. The coverage this spring hasn’t been an issue, but the next step for these cornerbacks is to start making interceptions. Coach Bedford has taken some of the same drills the team used last year and added throwing footballs to the corners to improve their hands. After the way the secondary looked at the end of last season, it’s a small area for me to pick on, but that just shows how good this group has been so far.
Player of the day:
Carlos Dunlap. He’s evolving into the playmaker this group needs. The penetration he’s gotten off the edge this spring has shown he’s here to stay.
