I wasn't to surprised about the Wade move. From what I hear, he hasn't been very good at QB.. Ask Brent. Who knows, he may have a better shot at playing time at safety than QB. Maybe the coaches are that confident in the other QBs. It's a wait and see..
Now for my report on the practice yesterday. I was expecting for only about 500 fans to show yesterday but there was at least 2,000 people there. Spurrier said it was the most fans that he's ever seen at a non-scrimmaging practice.
Overall this team looks way ahead of last years team. You can tell that these guys have been in the weight room over the Winter and Summer as reported. It's crazy how much bigger a lot of them are compared to last year when I went to practice. The freshmen were very impressive looking as well. Here's a breakdown of each position:
Quarterback
Blake Mitchell: Yes he was busy running sprints during the practice, but you can tell he's spent some time in the weight room. His upper body was noticeably bigger. He was also the first one to finish the sprints (out of about 5 more people) on several different occasions when I would glance over at them. Running sprints for 3 hours can only help with his mobility. I always look on the bright side :)
Stephen Garcia: This kid had by far the most impressive practice. He shocked me really, with how far along he already is in his first D1 practice. He has the strongest arm I've seen in person. A freaking cannon. He made some pinpoint passes and showed his ability to scramble a couple of times. This kid is going to be something big under Spurrier one day, write that down.
Chris Smelley: He looked very good as well. He had a couple of passes that were over thrown but he didn't make any dumb decisions. He has the prettiest pass out of the three that I watched but ya'll have heard me say that before about him.
Tommy Beecher: Beecher looked a lot like Smelley. He had a couple of great passes and a couple of over thrown ones but over all he, like Smelley, had a very productive practice. Again, no stupid mistakes from Beecher either.
Overall I was very impressed with this group. Garcia especially because he is only a true freshman. I will say this about Smelley, Garcia, and Beecher; this is a quote from Spurrier's media conference today:
"It's certainly interesting. Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley, it's sort of
amazing watching them from one year to the next. Both those guys could go play,
I think play very well right now." Spurrier said. "Stephen Garcia, for the first night, he looked pretty good also.
Later in the conference he had this to say about Smelley and Beecher:
"We had a chance tonight to see those other three QBs throw it around. He (Blake) will come back as the starter and if he plays like the starter, he'll continue being the starter." Spurrier said. "The other 2 players are better prepared than they ever were, Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher. They actually have a pretty good idea where the WRs are going now."
You heard that from the horses mouth. I have said all along that our backups weren't getting the credit they deserved and the practice yesterday only gave more proof to my opinion. If Steve Spurrier can't judge a QB, no one can.
Offensive Line
The O-line was on the other side of the practice fields throughout the whole practice so I didn't get to see them. It probably wouldn't have mattered much if I would have because this practice was in shorts and helmets. I wouldn't have gotten to see them block. I can say this. Watching the players leave at the end of practice, I got to see each one of them up close. We have got some huge, tall, built linemen. As I said about all of the players, you can tell that they have spent a lot of time in the weight room. It was evident after the group we have now compared to last year. Q. Richardson is back on the team and he definitely looks the part.. Very big kid.
Running Back
Cory Boyd: Cory was Cory.. Fast, big, physical, and great hands. He will prove to be one of the better backs in the SEC this year.
Mike Davis: Mike looked like he may have shed a couple of lbs but it may of been because he wasn't in pads. I will say this, he has gained a step. He was blazing around the field on every play. He looked faster than Cory at times. He showed good hands in the passing drills as did all of the RBs. Mike is due for a big season and I think this season may be it.
Brian Maddox: I'm going to tell you guys right now, Spurrier is going to find it hard to redshirt Maddox this year. He is very fast, very fast. He was a little smaller than I remember but that want matter if he plays like he did last night. He had a couple of really good catches and showed a great ability to get open. It's going to be interesting to see him with pads on.
Wide Receiver
Probably the most impressive group of the night was the WRs. The freshmen were outstanding for their first D1 practice. Each showed good hands and seemed to know what they were doing for the most part.
Kenny McKinley: Don't look for anyone to beat this guy out of his starting roll. He is ready to play and was a huge vocal leader for the freshmen yesterday. He got on them after a busted play and he was the first one over to give them props after a big play. Kenny is going to be ready to show all the people that left him off of their All-SEC pre-season teams why they were wrong.
Freddy Brown: Showed signs of being a great possession WR. A good 3rd down guy. He has a knack for catching the ball but had trouble getting open last season. He has improved in that aspect and I hope it continues on into the season because if he's open and the ball comes his way, he ain't dropping it.
Chris Culliver: Chris is definitely as fast as advertised, but seemed smaller than advertised. He reminds me a lot of Jacoby Ford with his speed, quickness, and size. He had a slow start catching the ball but began to pick it up. He looked pretty good catching punts, I didn't see him drop one of those but also didn't get to see him return one. He showed his blazing speed however on a reverse. The kid is very very fast.
Jason Barnes: Jason Has some big Sydney qualities about him. He's tall with long arms and legs. He can jump up get get a pass that a lot of WRs out there can not. He proved that a couple of times last night. He along with Joe Hills were probably the two most productive WRs out of this great WR class. They showed why they were the two most likely out of the group to see playing time this season.
Joe Hills: As I said, Hills is on track to get some playing time this season. He also reminds me a lot of Sydney. He looked taller than advertised but also not as heavy but he really doesn't need to put on any weight. He can jump very high and came down with every pass that came his way. He also had a outstanding TD catch in the back of the endzone and ended up in the bushes. He got up and walked a way from it but come to find out he had a minor sprain in his knee. He is expected to be back in a week or so. Barring another injury, watch for Joe on Saturdays this season. I know now why he got that UGA offer.
Dion Lecorn and Matt Clements: These two didn't get the ball thrown at them as much as the other guys did and it seemed like when they did, it was one of the overthrown passes. If they got a good ball thrown there way I didn't see them drop one. Dion practice catching punts and he didn't drop one.
Moe Brown and Larry Freeman: Didn't see these two as much either. The one pass that I did see thrown Brown's way was dropped. From what I saw of Freeman was an improvement from the Spring game showing.
Tight End
Andy Boyd: Didn't see him at practice and I haven't heard any reason as to why he was not there.
Jared Cook: Cook has put on some weight and it looks like it was all muscle. I didn't see him drop a pass. He is up for a big season as long as he can catch the ball. He is 6-foot-5, 236 lbs. (he has to weight more now) and he runs a 4.37 forty. That is Calvin Johnson measurables. If he can catch the ball like he did in practice, he will be unstoppable.
Nick Prochak: This kid has hands like a magnet. He caught every ball that was thrown to him and there was a couple that he shouldn't have caught. Look to see Prochak in the mix this season.
Weslye Saunders: In his first practice he really lived up to the hype. He made maybe the catch of the night on a TD pass from Smelley. He showed great speed for a 6-foot-5, 283 lb. guy. Very physical as well. We haven't seen him block yet but I'm pretty sure he will be good there with his size.
Well fellas, I hope this give you some pretty good insight. I know this post is extremely Garnet colored but as I said this was a very productive practice and by far the best showing that I have seen since I have been attending them. The freshmen were truly incredible and showed on the first night why they were ranked as the 6th class in the nation.
I have not forgot about the defense and I thought I would post about them tonight as well but it is just too much to write about in one sitting. I think I have developed carpal tunnel.. lol. I will write about the defense tomorrow hopefully. If not tomorrow, soon. I have a lot to cover there as well, especially on the D-Line. Brad Lawing is one awesome coach! That will have to wait for another thread though.
Hope you guys enjoyed it!
26 Days Left!!!
