Wednesday August 05, 2009

First Day; New Staff

First Practice Thoughts
I had a chance to go to practice last night and they let us stay for an hour instead of the planned thirty minutes. They were obviously in shorts but I did notice the following things:

*The quarterbacks drew a lot of attention from the few fans and the media there. It is obvious Kyle Parker has a rocket arm but his delivery looked low and he side armed some of the shorter passes. Willy Korn’s release improved but his arm strength is noticeably behind Parker’s. Tajh Boyd looked like a true freshman in his first day of practice but he has a nice skill set. Michael Wade struggled even on the simplest of throws.

*The running backs were obviously led by C.J. Spiller but shorts don’t tell you a lot at this position. I will say Jamie Harper looked in good shape. The guy that always seems to catch my eye is Andre Ellington. He catches the ball very well and accelerates out of his cuts. I see big things for this red-shirt freshman. Rod McDowell is small but he has good feet.

*I did not get a chance to watch the wide outs that much but was discouraged to see Jacoby Ford tweak his hamstring on a punt return. Jaron Brown and Brandon Ford looked like they were bigger since I last watched them. Bryce McNeal looks like a true freshman.

*I did watch the tight ends a lot. Dwayne Allen has the best skill set. He looks like an NFL-type prospect but he has to continue to develop. Michael Palmer is solid but Allen has a big upside. Durrell Barry looks in good condition and is a threat downfield.

*I was impressed with Chad Diehl. He does thing right. He does the little things well. I like the way he caught the ball yesterday and he pays attention to detail. Rendrick Taylor is huge. He might be 270-pounds but still moves OK.

*Shorts mean more skill player stuff but I did get a chance to watch about five minutes of the O-line. I was disappointed to see J.K. Jay in a yellow jersey. The medical staff said they were not going to rush to any decisions on him and backs are always a delicate issue. The short time I watched the linemen I was really impressed with offensive tackles and tight end coach, Danny Pearman. He is very detail oriented. Pearman came across as a terrific teacher and communicator. I only watched a few minutes but I was impressed with the way he was teaching and the way he communicated.

*I saw very little of the defense but Ricky Sapp appeared to moving around OK. The time I spent with the defense there was a lot of teaching going on but from what I saw, Sapp did not show any signs of limitations.

*I did watch the punters and kickers and saw a lot of inconsistency. Both punters looked like Ray Guy one minute and just any guy the next.

*The practice itself was different than most because of a couple of things. They started with a walk through. Dabo explained this was just a meeting on the field. They walked through certain situations and the staff was teaching before they stretched. Speaking of stretching, it is still hard to get used to hearing music over the loud speakers as the team stretches. Yesterday it was Bruce Springsteen and some country songs. Apparently players and coaches can make requests during the week and they get played during this period. I was not sure I would like it but it is a little relaxing time before they start and seems to be a pretty good idea.

The New Staff
Yesterday, I spent time watching the staff. The more I am around this staff, the more I like it. I was talking to a staff member about Charlie Harbison yesterday and he was raving about the new secondary coach. He said Harbison really impressed him during the bowl week.

Harbison had a difficult task for the bowl game because he was coaching a couple of seniors at safety that were successful. It could have been a difficult transition but Harbison learned the terminology and still get the most out of some seniors but the players loved him. Other coaches say he relates to the players well and is a good teacher.

I have not spent any time with Dan Brooks but I have talked to several trusted sources who say he is the best in the business. Brooks is very experienced but has the enthusiasm of a first-year coach.

One of the surprising things about Brooks and new defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, is they have been in the game for so long but still enjoy recruiting. Often times you see guys break into the field and recruit well early but as they have families and gain status, they don’t work as hard on the recruiting trail. Some have called recruiting, “a young man’s game.” But Steele and Brooks are very competitive coaches and they still have a fire to compete on the recruiting trail.

One thing about this defensive staff that fans should have little concern about is experience. There are times in a drive or a game or even a season when things go wrong and sometimes experience is needed to fix it. This defensive staff has experience in national title games and championship seasons. They have experience in fixing what is wrong and will not panic in the face of adversity.

The offensive staff lacks that kind of experience but they do have a resource in Woody McCorvey. He has been through championship seasons and can lend a hand to the offense when adversity strikes. Pearman has that kind of championship experience. Brad Scott does as well. But McCorvey can be a big asset to a young head coach and offensive coordinator.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family.