Spring Practice 2017
- Thread starter Godz40Acrez
- Start date
More attention to special teams
We don’t know for sure if the special teams have really improved (though it would be hard not too after last season), however, one good sign is how much time Herman and his staff are spending with the group.
The Longhorns have spent a significant amount of time working on punting, kick returns, kickoffs, pretty much everything through the first nine practices this spring. That’s a sign of Herman’s commitment to detail, making sure everything is covered and covered right. Add on top of that the addition of kicker Josh Rowland, who was the first commitment at Texas under Herman, and the Longhorns have put an emphasis on creating a big improvement on special teams.
Texas, of course, is coming off a season that saw five kicks blocked and no deep returns on either kickoffs or punts. The last time Texas returned a kickoff for a touchdown was on a D.J. Monroe run in September 2012. A punt return for a touchdown came slightly more recent in September 2015.
[More @ 247]
We don’t know for sure if the special teams have really improved (though it would be hard not too after last season), however, one good sign is how much time Herman and his staff are spending with the group.
The Longhorns have spent a significant amount of time working on punting, kick returns, kickoffs, pretty much everything through the first nine practices this spring. That’s a sign of Herman’s commitment to detail, making sure everything is covered and covered right. Add on top of that the addition of kicker Josh Rowland, who was the first commitment at Texas under Herman, and the Longhorns have put an emphasis on creating a big improvement on special teams.
Texas, of course, is coming off a season that saw five kicks blocked and no deep returns on either kickoffs or punts. The last time Texas returned a kickoff for a touchdown was on a D.J. Monroe run in September 2012. A punt return for a touchdown came slightly more recent in September 2015.
[More @ 247]
Godz posting at 3am, dude you can't sleep or what? lol
TFB Saturday Scrimmage Notes (4-8-17)
Buechele continues to play like the guy with more experience and is more consistent. The offense changes some when Ehlinger is in, as a lot more QB roll-outs as that fits his skillset. Both had solid days but nothing showstopping, as they were under a lot of pressure from Todd Orlando’s defense.
[Another source says that] Buechele seems more hesitant in the pocket because of the pressure. According to a source he, “looks at the pass rush a little too much instead of down the field.” The overall sense from my source is that he looks like the same quarterback he was last year.
Sources take on Ehlinger, “Has a strong arm and wasn’t afraid of the rush. Scrambles really well. He’d take off after a four seconds of nothing being there. Makes some really great throws and stands tall in the pocket. Still has a ways to go but his demeanor and the way he leads; he’s a winner.”
RB Kyle Porter... had a really nice day.
The defense dominated early, which has been how much of the scrimmages have gone this Spring as the offense has been without Warren and Zach Shackelford and Brandon Hodges. But once Buechele/Ehlinger got some rhythm going, the offense moved the ball.
Tristen Nickelson is still currently taking more reps with the starters at RT than Denzel Okafor.
There were a lot of TX HS coaches in attendance, and I talked with a good amount of them. The main guys that were consistantly mentioned on offense were Collin Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Kyle Porter. On defense it was Jeffrey McCulloch and Poona Ford.
On Naashon Hughes my source said, “Hughes is a freak. His mind has caught up to his athletic ability and size. He knows where to line up, knows where to drop in coverage and has the ability to tell the coach what he saw and why he did something…looks like a high draft pick coming off the edge.”
Buechele continues to play like the guy with more experience and is more consistent. The offense changes some when Ehlinger is in, as a lot more QB roll-outs as that fits his skillset. Both had solid days but nothing showstopping, as they were under a lot of pressure from Todd Orlando’s defense.
[Another source says that] Buechele seems more hesitant in the pocket because of the pressure. According to a source he, “looks at the pass rush a little too much instead of down the field.” The overall sense from my source is that he looks like the same quarterback he was last year.
Sources take on Ehlinger, “Has a strong arm and wasn’t afraid of the rush. Scrambles really well. He’d take off after a four seconds of nothing being there. Makes some really great throws and stands tall in the pocket. Still has a ways to go but his demeanor and the way he leads; he’s a winner.”
RB Kyle Porter... had a really nice day.
The defense dominated early, which has been how much of the scrimmages have gone this Spring as the offense has been without Warren and Zach Shackelford and Brandon Hodges. But once Buechele/Ehlinger got some rhythm going, the offense moved the ball.
Tristen Nickelson is still currently taking more reps with the starters at RT than Denzel Okafor.
There were a lot of TX HS coaches in attendance, and I talked with a good amount of them. The main guys that were consistantly mentioned on offense were Collin Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Kyle Porter. On defense it was Jeffrey McCulloch and Poona Ford.
On Naashon Hughes my source said, “Hughes is a freak. His mind has caught up to his athletic ability and size. He knows where to line up, knows where to drop in coverage and has the ability to tell the coach what he saw and why he did something…looks like a high draft pick coming off the edge.”
Ugh....... so, ya'll ain't gonna be happy with what I've seen but-- I will break it down for you tomorrow at some point.
Give it to us straight.... Need some reality from all this kool-aid I've been drinking.
So here's the deal:
We are either of REALLY good on D or our offense is worse than charlie's first year. Remember that spring scrimmage year one? Remember how you just wanted to puke all over your shoes after that spring game? Ya...... sort of like that. Beuchele is just not progressing. He hasn't gotten a lick stronger and still can't throw the out worth a crap. He gets a little happy feet if he lingers in the pocket and his throws lack zip. He probably had 10 balls tipped or knocked down by LBs and DBs. Ehlinger or however you spell it likes to use his feet. He's quick, but runs pretty high and though he has escapability, I'm curious if he has learned how to slide yet. He will get his head taken off if he does that on Saturdays. Ehlinger also seems kind of like a........... bit of a goofball..... just dorky, I guess. Maybe it's the Westlake coddling in him.... I'm not sure. His arm is better than Shane and so are his legs, but he hasn't started to click with the offense yet.
The DBs look better but I think it's because the wrs are still subpar. Our 2001 wr core would butt rape these guys. They look to be running crisper routes but I can tell some of them are getting frustrated with balls being over/under thrown and balls being batted away. They are crisp at first but as play goes on they are easily frustrated and it shows up in their route running. We just aren't very mentally tough at our skill positions.
OL-- that conner kid is a 1st round tackle. Period. He's the best tackle I have seen since Blake Brockermeyer. He kick step is unreal, he gets his butt down in his rocker, his punch will stone you cold in your tracks, he's got feet the size of canoes but moves like a ballet dancer. He has all the tools. After this season he will be NFL starter ready. Man child.
Running backs..... meh..... I will hold off until the fall to rule on them. Too many factors to get an accurate judgment.
Dline is average. Decent push, we are better on the edge but we need more ass in the middle. Ford CAN be a player but he needs more tools in his tool box. He reminds me of Thomas Baskin. Lbs are our strength, we move laterally with anybody. It's not the lateral I am worried about, it's the forward and back. It's like we are still learning how to fill gaps and who has what gap responsibility. There's constant chatter between the lbs and the dline, when the offense comes to the line. Either it's confusion or masked distraction of the O. Not sure yet which.
Dbs.......... its a toss up. I didn't see anybody really get off page like I have in the past with GDDH, that guy could fvck up any coverage, but these guys seem to be on the same page. I think it's because we've simplified our coverages a bit. Without seeing the film I am spit balling here but it doesn't look like we are doing a lot of "cover 2 man under", instead, it looks more like straight zone or straight man.
There's a vibe I got though, one of organization. Guys just seem to be more "on the same page" than they have been the last 3 years. Everyone, for the most part, knows where they are supposed to be ---- getting there is still being improved--- but they seem to KNOW where to be.
The jury is really still out until fall, but I wouldn't look to see a sparkling spring game, but I don't think it will be the disaster that charlie's first and second year were.
I guess we will see soon.
We are either of REALLY good on D or our offense is worse than charlie's first year. Remember that spring scrimmage year one? Remember how you just wanted to puke all over your shoes after that spring game? Ya...... sort of like that. Beuchele is just not progressing. He hasn't gotten a lick stronger and still can't throw the out worth a crap. He gets a little happy feet if he lingers in the pocket and his throws lack zip. He probably had 10 balls tipped or knocked down by LBs and DBs. Ehlinger or however you spell it likes to use his feet. He's quick, but runs pretty high and though he has escapability, I'm curious if he has learned how to slide yet. He will get his head taken off if he does that on Saturdays. Ehlinger also seems kind of like a........... bit of a goofball..... just dorky, I guess. Maybe it's the Westlake coddling in him.... I'm not sure. His arm is better than Shane and so are his legs, but he hasn't started to click with the offense yet.
The DBs look better but I think it's because the wrs are still subpar. Our 2001 wr core would butt rape these guys. They look to be running crisper routes but I can tell some of them are getting frustrated with balls being over/under thrown and balls being batted away. They are crisp at first but as play goes on they are easily frustrated and it shows up in their route running. We just aren't very mentally tough at our skill positions.
OL-- that conner kid is a 1st round tackle. Period. He's the best tackle I have seen since Blake Brockermeyer. He kick step is unreal, he gets his butt down in his rocker, his punch will stone you cold in your tracks, he's got feet the size of canoes but moves like a ballet dancer. He has all the tools. After this season he will be NFL starter ready. Man child.
Running backs..... meh..... I will hold off until the fall to rule on them. Too many factors to get an accurate judgment.
Dline is average. Decent push, we are better on the edge but we need more ass in the middle. Ford CAN be a player but he needs more tools in his tool box. He reminds me of Thomas Baskin. Lbs are our strength, we move laterally with anybody. It's not the lateral I am worried about, it's the forward and back. It's like we are still learning how to fill gaps and who has what gap responsibility. There's constant chatter between the lbs and the dline, when the offense comes to the line. Either it's confusion or masked distraction of the O. Not sure yet which.
Dbs.......... its a toss up. I didn't see anybody really get off page like I have in the past with GDDH, that guy could fvck up any coverage, but these guys seem to be on the same page. I think it's because we've simplified our coverages a bit. Without seeing the film I am spit balling here but it doesn't look like we are doing a lot of "cover 2 man under", instead, it looks more like straight zone or straight man.
There's a vibe I got though, one of organization. Guys just seem to be more "on the same page" than they have been the last 3 years. Everyone, for the most part, knows where they are supposed to be ---- getting there is still being improved--- but they seem to KNOW where to be.
The jury is really still out until fall, but I wouldn't look to see a sparkling spring game, but I don't think it will be the disaster that charlie's first and second year were.
I guess we will see soon.
Honestly, it's hard to take your eyes off of 55. He's so good he makes the rest of our line look like scrubs. It's like driving up A1A in South Florida and looking across the way at the Kennedy space center and seeing that building where they used to house the moon rockets and space shuttle. You can tell it's a big building from afar, but you don't have anyway of understanding how MASSIVE it is until you get up on it because there's nothing nearby it for you to judge it's actual size.... that's Connor Williams. He's SO much better than the rest of the OL that you have no perspective on everybody else. It's like Santa Claus vs the elves.
Thanks for the update. 2 questions: (a) How does S Brandon Jones look? I'll be surprised if he's not first team all conference at least by 2018. (b) Just reading through your comments - is talent level low? Obviously they are coming off a losing season, but the one positive I read about Strong was the recruiting and closing skills, and those guys are now a year older.
I like the fact that the players know what to do. Strong never could get them to know that. How was the coaching compared to what you saw with Strong? Unfortunately they are stuck with the QBs they have for now. Hopefully they can coach them.
clob isn't a fan of Herman's, but he's a big upgrade over Strong. Strong just flat out couldn't coach at Texas.
Wellper, we're down to two, dos, 2 scholly running backs for the Spring Game (Tristian Houston and EE Toneil Carter) as Kyle Porter has a sprained ankle. I'll be anxious to see Carter in action as we've heard very little about him in the practice reports, but a lot about his potential coming into the spring.
Other ouches include TE Andrew Beck - re-injured foot (will see a specialist this week) and DB Davante Davis - separated shoulder. Both will miss Saturday's game.
Other ouches include TE Andrew Beck - re-injured foot (will see a specialist this week) and DB Davante Davis - separated shoulder. Both will miss Saturday's game.
It's not that I am not a fan of Herman. It's that I question whether he is ready for this enormous test. I was adamant that Charlie would never make it here and it was obvious from day one, to the objective eye. Herman can have success here, I just wish he had a few seasons at a UCLA or an Iowa or a Virginia Tech first.
Look--- I don't see this being a 5 year rebuild for him. He's either going to show obvious improvement in the first 3 years, or he will be treated the same way Charlie was---- they have to....... and we all know why. The media double standard will bombard Texas if Herman isn't getting it done--- and he won't be given as much slack as Charlie was. 6-7 in year two will get Herman in boiling water. Year one is a throw away and everybody knows it. Barring him going 0-12, he will be back for year 2. 6-7 and a bowl loss will have him in hot water. Anything less than 8 wins in year 3 will be his death.
Can he do it? Can he get us to double digit wins by year 3? I think "maybe". There's just not enough body of work to know.
Is Herman a smart guy? I would argue he is. But he's not the smartest guy in the room in every situation. I think that he may think he is..... pride works both ways-- it can help you or be your downfall.
It comes down to Herman connecting with the players, developing the talent we have, continuing to be a witty play caller, building an offense that can compete in the big 12 and developing a D that can contain high powered big 12 offenses.
As far as our first 3 games next year are concerned, Maryland will be tougher than you think- USC will beat us like we stole their song girls, and San Jose state should be a 3 to win.
