jmuroller
April 16th, 2006, 02:53 PM
From http://coachmatthews.com/corner.php?id=10
2006-04-15
Second scrimmage
Today we held our second scrimmage of Spring Practice. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and we took full advantage of it. It has rained hard the past 48 hours so we moved our practice to the turf instead of the grass fields. We only have one more week left until the spring game on April the 22nd.
***
Offense
Right now we are hampered because our top three receivers (D.D. Boxley, L.C. Baker, and Ardon Bransford) all have various muscle pulls and can not participate in drills right now. Also on top of that we are reluctant to allow Corey Davis, Alvin Banks, and Maurice Fenner to practice when we go full contact. With all those returning starters not scrimmaging, our offense production is not what it needs to be.
With that being said, Justin Rascati is having a great spring. His leadership and maturity is showing with his excellent decision making, specifically his audibles at the line and his overall command of our offense. Right now it’s the best it’s ever been.
We have a good mix of experienced older lineman with a few young ones showing improvement everyday. They continue to get better everyday with their new coach Phil Ratliff.
Spring Surprises
Redshirt freshman Raymond Brown is taking full advantage of the opportunity presented to him because of injuries. He is making excellent play after play, and his improvement is dramatic each day. During the scrimmage today he made a catch over the middle and broke several tackles to score. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he is a big target for our quarterbacks.
At left guard redshirt freshman Vernon Eason is doing a lot of good things. He is showing a lot of physical toughness and tenacity that is necessary to be a good offensive lineman.
Scrimmage
Inconsistency was the word of the day for us. We practiced very well as an offense during last night’s practice both running and throwing. Today we blew several protections and dropped several passes that negated an excellent effort by our offense players. Justin Rascati and Rodney Landers threw the ball well when they were given time. I thought Mike Caussin and Marvin Brown played well at tight end. Once again Scott Lemm practiced very well at the center position. With all of our injuries and hold-outs we just couldn’t get any momentum going.
***
Defense
Our defensive efforts have been solid all spring. Tony Lezotte is not practicing because of a groin problem which hurts us. Akeem Jordan and Kevin Winston are playing very well although I hold them out of full contact scrimmages. We moved Sam Daniels to defensive tackle and he improves everyday. Evan McCollough and Derrieus Ramsey are both developing into outstanding corners.
Spring Surprises
Hassan Abdul-Wahid is having an excellent spring at defensive end. His strength gains in the weight room are paying dividends in his performance on the field. He is making play after play—the spirited competition between Hassan and Corey Davis is fun to watch every day.
Isaiah Dottin-Carter is playing exceptional at inside linebacker. He is a much more physical player than a year ago and is really pushing Justin Barnes for the starting Mike linebacker job.
Trae Kenney’s move to defensive end is very encouraging. He can become a dominating player there. He is very physical and really exhibits great quickness at the position. I am truly excited when I watch him play.
Scrimmage
During the scrimmage, the defense dominated for most of the afternoon. We forced several turnovers, created havoc for the offensive line, and played very hand. We did not allow but one big play and overall I thought our play was very solid. In our scrimmages on Wednesday and Friday the offensive held the upper hand. Today the defensive turned the tables and controlled the action the whole time.
***
Next week we finish up our spring practices. Three more practices and our annual spring game next Saturday at 12 o’clock. Please come and enjoy the afternoon in Harrisonburg. After the game our players and coaches will stick around to visit with everyone. See you there!
2006-04-15
Second scrimmage
Today we held our second scrimmage of Spring Practice. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and we took full advantage of it. It has rained hard the past 48 hours so we moved our practice to the turf instead of the grass fields. We only have one more week left until the spring game on April the 22nd.
***
Offense
Right now we are hampered because our top three receivers (D.D. Boxley, L.C. Baker, and Ardon Bransford) all have various muscle pulls and can not participate in drills right now. Also on top of that we are reluctant to allow Corey Davis, Alvin Banks, and Maurice Fenner to practice when we go full contact. With all those returning starters not scrimmaging, our offense production is not what it needs to be.
With that being said, Justin Rascati is having a great spring. His leadership and maturity is showing with his excellent decision making, specifically his audibles at the line and his overall command of our offense. Right now it’s the best it’s ever been.
We have a good mix of experienced older lineman with a few young ones showing improvement everyday. They continue to get better everyday with their new coach Phil Ratliff.
Spring Surprises
Redshirt freshman Raymond Brown is taking full advantage of the opportunity presented to him because of injuries. He is making excellent play after play, and his improvement is dramatic each day. During the scrimmage today he made a catch over the middle and broke several tackles to score. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he is a big target for our quarterbacks.
At left guard redshirt freshman Vernon Eason is doing a lot of good things. He is showing a lot of physical toughness and tenacity that is necessary to be a good offensive lineman.
Scrimmage
Inconsistency was the word of the day for us. We practiced very well as an offense during last night’s practice both running and throwing. Today we blew several protections and dropped several passes that negated an excellent effort by our offense players. Justin Rascati and Rodney Landers threw the ball well when they were given time. I thought Mike Caussin and Marvin Brown played well at tight end. Once again Scott Lemm practiced very well at the center position. With all of our injuries and hold-outs we just couldn’t get any momentum going.
***
Defense
Our defensive efforts have been solid all spring. Tony Lezotte is not practicing because of a groin problem which hurts us. Akeem Jordan and Kevin Winston are playing very well although I hold them out of full contact scrimmages. We moved Sam Daniels to defensive tackle and he improves everyday. Evan McCollough and Derrieus Ramsey are both developing into outstanding corners.
Spring Surprises
Hassan Abdul-Wahid is having an excellent spring at defensive end. His strength gains in the weight room are paying dividends in his performance on the field. He is making play after play—the spirited competition between Hassan and Corey Davis is fun to watch every day.
Isaiah Dottin-Carter is playing exceptional at inside linebacker. He is a much more physical player than a year ago and is really pushing Justin Barnes for the starting Mike linebacker job.
Trae Kenney’s move to defensive end is very encouraging. He can become a dominating player there. He is very physical and really exhibits great quickness at the position. I am truly excited when I watch him play.
Scrimmage
During the scrimmage, the defense dominated for most of the afternoon. We forced several turnovers, created havoc for the offensive line, and played very hand. We did not allow but one big play and overall I thought our play was very solid. In our scrimmages on Wednesday and Friday the offensive held the upper hand. Today the defensive turned the tables and controlled the action the whole time.
***
Next week we finish up our spring practices. Three more practices and our annual spring game next Saturday at 12 o’clock. Please come and enjoy the afternoon in Harrisonburg. After the game our players and coaches will stick around to visit with everyone. See you there!