Day 8: In-depth Defense Report
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:20 pm
The defense continued its strong play on Monday afternoon. The defensive line continues to look better after every practice, but the secondary once again stood out above the rest.
Defensive line-
SDE-Justin Trattou, Carlos Dunlap, Jaye Howard
DT-Troy Epps, Lawrence Marsh
DT-Terron Sanders, John Brown
WDE- Duke Lemmens, Earl Okine, Matt Patchan
What I liked: Going away from active players first, Brandon Antwine has been at every practice this spring and always has a great attitude. He is always smacking helmets and encouraging his teammates for good work, but also coaching them up when they struggle. Carlos Dunlap is still all over the place. He broke into the backfield chasing Rainey, who was trying to get outside, and wrapped him up not letting him get anywhere. Defensive line coach Dan McCarney rushed out to the other defensive linemen and asked them if anyone other than Carlos could make a play for the defense. McCarney said after Saturday’s practice that if Dunlap goes hard on every play, he will be very tough to stop. He showed signs of that Monday. A surprise to me was the play of Matt Patchan. He went one-on-one with Carl Johnson and held his own with the big offensive tackle. During the running back drills, Patchan burst inside the tackle and wrapped Kestahn Moore up for an impressive tackle. Troy Epps keeps improving his ability to eat space. He’s improving his ability to shed blocks and will absolutely be in the defensive line rotation in the fall. I’m not sure if it was by design or not, but Earl Okine was given every opportunity to succeed Monday. He looks like a freshman at times by being out of place or getting mauled by an offensive lineman, but he’s going to be a really good one. His frame is just impressive.
What I didn’t like: Jermaine Cunningham became absent around the halfway point of practice. He was seen near the trainer’s part of the practice field and looked like he was out with an injury. The defensive line, especially the interior, just can’t make plays against the first team offensive line. The defensive line was dominated during the run drills, but it’s tough to imagine any team having success against Jim Tartt and the two Pounceys.
Linebackers-
OLB-Dustin Doe, Chris Pintado
MLB- Brandon Spikes, Lorenzo Edwards, Brendan Beal
OLB- Brandon Hicks, Jerimy Finch
What I liked: Jerimy Finch needs to be at linebacker, and I think the move was cemented with the play of Ahmad Black and Jamar Hornsby. He looked good on Monday, especially during passing drills where his experience at safety benefits him. He had a pass deflection today that looked similar to the interception he made against Tennessee last year, but was unable to come up with the catch. One-on-one tackling drills allowed Finch to make an impressive showing after hitting two ball carriers and driving them solidly to the ground. He wraps up well on his tackles. I’m just guessing, but it looks like Finch, Brandon Hicks and AJ Jones could be battling for that linebacker spot this year. Brandon Spikes is probably the only constant performer in the linebacker group right now, and his energy levels are always through the roof. Lorenzo Edwards has to get on the field some way this season. He is another guy who is showing good speed this spring, and the only knock I’ve seen on him is that he doesn’t wrap up all the time. The coaches have been reminding him of it and he has gotten better.
What I didn’t like: Pass coverage wasn’t as impressive as it has been earlier in spring. Some of the more intermediate routes the offense ran were used with more success, and I don’t recall seeing as many passes batted down by linebackers as there were earlier in the spring. Another guy that gets yelled at by the coaches quite a bit is Brandon Hicks. He has all the athletic ability in the world but seems to be out of position or make wrong reads often. Coach Strong is always on him for being out of position before the play starts.
Secondary-
CB- Wondy Pierre-Louis, Janoris Jenkins,
CB- Jacques Rickerson, Moses Jenkins, Markihe Anderson
S- Dorian Munroe, Jamar Hornsby, Ahmad Black
S- Major Wright, John Curtis, Bryan Thomas
What I liked: Dorian Munroe has stepped up quite a bit this spring, and it’s evident on every level. He even looks outstanding during field goal blocking drills. He’s getting a lot more comfortable in pass coverage and doesn’t have any hesitation getting into the backfield and blowing up a running back. Tebow ran an option with Kestahn Moore and Munroe flew into the backfield to pound Moore into the ground right when he caught the football. He’s becoming a leader for the defense and has no problem jawing with some of the offensive players. Janoris Jenkins had a good day in the secondary. He was very physical with Justin Williams off the line, allowed a three yard catch, and then wrapped Williams up to not let him gain any yards. He was also solid on the deep ball, where he deflected John Brantley’s deep ball away from Williams. Jeremy Brown was matched up with Riley Cooper a lot today and made a few nice plays despite the height differential. He broke up a deep throw from Tebow and looked impressive for the most part. Wondy Pierre-Louis continues to look extremely improved over last season.
What I didn’t like: Joe Haden was out with an injury. I couldn’t tell what was hurt, but he was with the cornerbacks throughout practice and looked to be in good spirits. Jeremy Brown and Janoris Jenkins, as good as they were in coverage, had serious issues in the one-on-one tackling drills. Multiple receivers ran through their arms or just through them. They obviously need to add some strength as soon as possible before they are ready to compete on the field at a high level. Major Wright was taken out on the first possession of the scrimmage when he went for a big hit on Aaron Hernandez, who made a move and went past a helpless Wright. Coach Heater went crazy and took him out for the rest of the scrimmage.
Player of the Day:
We could rename this selection the Brandon Spikes award, but my choice today is Dorian Munroe. He really looks like he is coming into his own and showing great leadership in the secondary.
Defensive line-
SDE-Justin Trattou, Carlos Dunlap, Jaye Howard
DT-Troy Epps, Lawrence Marsh
DT-Terron Sanders, John Brown
WDE- Duke Lemmens, Earl Okine, Matt Patchan
What I liked: Going away from active players first, Brandon Antwine has been at every practice this spring and always has a great attitude. He is always smacking helmets and encouraging his teammates for good work, but also coaching them up when they struggle. Carlos Dunlap is still all over the place. He broke into the backfield chasing Rainey, who was trying to get outside, and wrapped him up not letting him get anywhere. Defensive line coach Dan McCarney rushed out to the other defensive linemen and asked them if anyone other than Carlos could make a play for the defense. McCarney said after Saturday’s practice that if Dunlap goes hard on every play, he will be very tough to stop. He showed signs of that Monday. A surprise to me was the play of Matt Patchan. He went one-on-one with Carl Johnson and held his own with the big offensive tackle. During the running back drills, Patchan burst inside the tackle and wrapped Kestahn Moore up for an impressive tackle. Troy Epps keeps improving his ability to eat space. He’s improving his ability to shed blocks and will absolutely be in the defensive line rotation in the fall. I’m not sure if it was by design or not, but Earl Okine was given every opportunity to succeed Monday. He looks like a freshman at times by being out of place or getting mauled by an offensive lineman, but he’s going to be a really good one. His frame is just impressive.
What I didn’t like: Jermaine Cunningham became absent around the halfway point of practice. He was seen near the trainer’s part of the practice field and looked like he was out with an injury. The defensive line, especially the interior, just can’t make plays against the first team offensive line. The defensive line was dominated during the run drills, but it’s tough to imagine any team having success against Jim Tartt and the two Pounceys.
Linebackers-
OLB-Dustin Doe, Chris Pintado
MLB- Brandon Spikes, Lorenzo Edwards, Brendan Beal
OLB- Brandon Hicks, Jerimy Finch
What I liked: Jerimy Finch needs to be at linebacker, and I think the move was cemented with the play of Ahmad Black and Jamar Hornsby. He looked good on Monday, especially during passing drills where his experience at safety benefits him. He had a pass deflection today that looked similar to the interception he made against Tennessee last year, but was unable to come up with the catch. One-on-one tackling drills allowed Finch to make an impressive showing after hitting two ball carriers and driving them solidly to the ground. He wraps up well on his tackles. I’m just guessing, but it looks like Finch, Brandon Hicks and AJ Jones could be battling for that linebacker spot this year. Brandon Spikes is probably the only constant performer in the linebacker group right now, and his energy levels are always through the roof. Lorenzo Edwards has to get on the field some way this season. He is another guy who is showing good speed this spring, and the only knock I’ve seen on him is that he doesn’t wrap up all the time. The coaches have been reminding him of it and he has gotten better.
What I didn’t like: Pass coverage wasn’t as impressive as it has been earlier in spring. Some of the more intermediate routes the offense ran were used with more success, and I don’t recall seeing as many passes batted down by linebackers as there were earlier in the spring. Another guy that gets yelled at by the coaches quite a bit is Brandon Hicks. He has all the athletic ability in the world but seems to be out of position or make wrong reads often. Coach Strong is always on him for being out of position before the play starts.
Secondary-
CB- Wondy Pierre-Louis, Janoris Jenkins,
CB- Jacques Rickerson, Moses Jenkins, Markihe Anderson
S- Dorian Munroe, Jamar Hornsby, Ahmad Black
S- Major Wright, John Curtis, Bryan Thomas
What I liked: Dorian Munroe has stepped up quite a bit this spring, and it’s evident on every level. He even looks outstanding during field goal blocking drills. He’s getting a lot more comfortable in pass coverage and doesn’t have any hesitation getting into the backfield and blowing up a running back. Tebow ran an option with Kestahn Moore and Munroe flew into the backfield to pound Moore into the ground right when he caught the football. He’s becoming a leader for the defense and has no problem jawing with some of the offensive players. Janoris Jenkins had a good day in the secondary. He was very physical with Justin Williams off the line, allowed a three yard catch, and then wrapped Williams up to not let him gain any yards. He was also solid on the deep ball, where he deflected John Brantley’s deep ball away from Williams. Jeremy Brown was matched up with Riley Cooper a lot today and made a few nice plays despite the height differential. He broke up a deep throw from Tebow and looked impressive for the most part. Wondy Pierre-Louis continues to look extremely improved over last season.
What I didn’t like: Joe Haden was out with an injury. I couldn’t tell what was hurt, but he was with the cornerbacks throughout practice and looked to be in good spirits. Jeremy Brown and Janoris Jenkins, as good as they were in coverage, had serious issues in the one-on-one tackling drills. Multiple receivers ran through their arms or just through them. They obviously need to add some strength as soon as possible before they are ready to compete on the field at a high level. Major Wright was taken out on the first possession of the scrimmage when he went for a big hit on Aaron Hernandez, who made a move and went past a helpless Wright. Coach Heater went crazy and took him out for the rest of the scrimmage.
Player of the Day:
We could rename this selection the Brandon Spikes award, but my choice today is Dorian Munroe. He really looks like he is coming into his own and showing great leadership in the secondary.