ACK: Positive First Week Impressions
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:03 pm
The first week of practice is one where players often look their best. They have fresh legs a lot of energy and there is not much hitting until the end of the week. Since spring practices aren’t every day, the body can recover pretty easily, too. With that said, it is still important for guys that you hope will contribute to step up and show they can help you. Several guys have made positive impressions on the Gator coaching staff already, which is good news for the fall.
Spring is also time for experimentation and while many battles are being waged on the defensive side of the ball it is apparent that Justin Trattou is going to be cross-trained. If things go well for Justin, he could become the next Ray McDonald, which is pretty high praise. McDonald was a force at defensive end but could also slide down to a tackle position in both four-down and three-down situations. To do this you must have and explosive first step and a strong upper body to handle the riggers of inside play. This experiment in the first week looks like it is going to work.
The Pouncey twins are getting a look at guard and center with Maukice getting first crack at center. He was a starting guard last season and his knowledge of the offense may give him the edge over his brother. Michael showed his toughness on the defensive front and most certainly will be tough to beat out at the other guard spot opposite Jim Tartt. These are some of the experiments that should pan out for UF this spring.
The Florida staff wanted to see something good in week one for a couple of guys because they need these guys to be players when it counts. Carl Moore can play and could be a starter, particularly with Riley Cooper splitting time with the baseball team. Emmanuel Moody is going to be the starter at running back. He has the skills and just needs to get the offense down. Kestahn Moore may be the tailback in the backfield with Tim Tebow right now but that is borrowed time in my opinion. Troy Epps looks like he can help the Gators at defensive tackle. Give him the summer with Coach Mickey Marotti and he should be an anchor at defensive tackle. It was important these guys came in and were not busts and I think the first week was very promising for all three.
THIS AND THAT: Other Guys who are off an running are Deonte Thompson at receiver, Chris Rainey at running back, Ahmad Black at safety and Brandon Spikes at linebacker ... UF is experimenting with more no huddle to give Tebow some offensive freedom. It is also there to keep him from getting bored this spring ... Lawrence Marsh is back at defensive tackle and is going to have a shot to start. He had a great spring last year then disappeared during training camp. New defensive line coach Dan McCarney likes his size and he showed up well for UF down the stretch of the 2007 season ... John Brown shows flashes of Gerard Warren, Ian Scott and other Gator greats. I believe he can play and all he needs is practice ... One thing the defensive coaches will miss out on in the spring with such a young group competing for jobs across the board is the ability to show them a lot of offensive looks.
The defense will see a bunch of open field spread offenses, but expect them to keep it simple schematically as they identify playmakers ... Florida is using a lot of the “I” formation in red zone situations and the fullbacks have performed well so far … Week two is coming up and keep an eye on these guys to make a move: Jacques Rickerson, Jerimy Finch, Mon Williams, Carl Moore and Brandon Hicks.
The No Huddle accomplishes this:
1. Generally keeps the defense from substituting which should wear them down.
2. Allows the offense to dictate what they want to do and how they want the defense to react.
3. Gives you the opportunity to run more plays and speed up the tempo of the game.
Imagine if over the course of the season the Gator offense gets 100 more plays than last season. How many points is that worth? How many more touchdowns could Tebow, Cornelius Ingram and Percy Harvin put up? Florida broke many school records this season expect most of them to fall in 2008.
Spring is also time for experimentation and while many battles are being waged on the defensive side of the ball it is apparent that Justin Trattou is going to be cross-trained. If things go well for Justin, he could become the next Ray McDonald, which is pretty high praise. McDonald was a force at defensive end but could also slide down to a tackle position in both four-down and three-down situations. To do this you must have and explosive first step and a strong upper body to handle the riggers of inside play. This experiment in the first week looks like it is going to work.
The Pouncey twins are getting a look at guard and center with Maukice getting first crack at center. He was a starting guard last season and his knowledge of the offense may give him the edge over his brother. Michael showed his toughness on the defensive front and most certainly will be tough to beat out at the other guard spot opposite Jim Tartt. These are some of the experiments that should pan out for UF this spring.
The Florida staff wanted to see something good in week one for a couple of guys because they need these guys to be players when it counts. Carl Moore can play and could be a starter, particularly with Riley Cooper splitting time with the baseball team. Emmanuel Moody is going to be the starter at running back. He has the skills and just needs to get the offense down. Kestahn Moore may be the tailback in the backfield with Tim Tebow right now but that is borrowed time in my opinion. Troy Epps looks like he can help the Gators at defensive tackle. Give him the summer with Coach Mickey Marotti and he should be an anchor at defensive tackle. It was important these guys came in and were not busts and I think the first week was very promising for all three.
THIS AND THAT: Other Guys who are off an running are Deonte Thompson at receiver, Chris Rainey at running back, Ahmad Black at safety and Brandon Spikes at linebacker ... UF is experimenting with more no huddle to give Tebow some offensive freedom. It is also there to keep him from getting bored this spring ... Lawrence Marsh is back at defensive tackle and is going to have a shot to start. He had a great spring last year then disappeared during training camp. New defensive line coach Dan McCarney likes his size and he showed up well for UF down the stretch of the 2007 season ... John Brown shows flashes of Gerard Warren, Ian Scott and other Gator greats. I believe he can play and all he needs is practice ... One thing the defensive coaches will miss out on in the spring with such a young group competing for jobs across the board is the ability to show them a lot of offensive looks.
The defense will see a bunch of open field spread offenses, but expect them to keep it simple schematically as they identify playmakers ... Florida is using a lot of the “I” formation in red zone situations and the fullbacks have performed well so far … Week two is coming up and keep an eye on these guys to make a move: Jacques Rickerson, Jerimy Finch, Mon Williams, Carl Moore and Brandon Hicks.
The No Huddle accomplishes this:
1. Generally keeps the defense from substituting which should wear them down.
2. Allows the offense to dictate what they want to do and how they want the defense to react.
3. Gives you the opportunity to run more plays and speed up the tempo of the game.
Imagine if over the course of the season the Gator offense gets 100 more plays than last season. How many points is that worth? How many more touchdowns could Tebow, Cornelius Ingram and Percy Harvin put up? Florida broke many school records this season expect most of them to fall in 2008.