Spring Practice Press Conference Notes
Just renewed my season tickets and parking pass today which got me started thinking about the upcoming year. So, I checked out scartletknights.com and caught Schiano’s spring press conference. You can watch the press conference by logging onto the site or clicking here:
http://www.scarletknights.com/vision/football/2008/spring1.html
As with any spring preview not much in the way of insightful information came out of the press conference. Not many jobs are up for grabs in the spring, but coach was able to give an update on some guys who could prove to be a key to the next season.
For starters, there have been a lot of changes on the coaching staff. I won’t go into the names, but there are five new coaches on the staff. I can understand some people feeling that the number of new coaches could translate into a slow start to the season. I don’t buy it, though. Since John McNulty is back as offensive coordinator and Schiano is once again pulling double duty as defensive coordinator, there should still be continuity. I’d be concerned if there was a change in coordinator, but since there hasn’t been, I’m sure the other coaches will just fall in line with the current schemes. Of course, the special teams coordinator has changed, and even though I liked Coach Rizzi, admittedly the special teams struggled last year, so maybe a change in philosophy will be a good thing.
No real frontrunner in battle to replace Ray Rice as of yet. Kordell Young would have to be considered the favorite based on his past experience, but coming off of knee surgery he’s no lock to win the spot. According to Coach, Kordell will be “easing back into things,” and is still building confidence as far as what he can do with the knee. If healthy, I believe Kordell can be a game breaker, so I’m hoping he can come back at full speed. So, as far as the spring goes, it seems Mason Robinson and Jourdan Brooks will get the bulk of the carries. I thought Robinson played well in the situations he was placed in last year. But I think his value this year might lay in the return game. Once Robinson was put in the punt returner/kick returner spot, things became much less adventuress back there. Coach also alluded to the fact that because of his size Jourdan Brooks is likely to at least be the first option in short-yardage situations.
There were a lot of questions regarding the fullback position. I think some of the reporters are still wondering why Jack Corcoran doesn’t get more carries or more touches. I felt the same way watching the games last year, since he seemed to pick up good yardage every time he touched the ball in garbage time two years ago. But I guess the knock on him early last year was his blocking, which opened the door for Andres Morales to wrestle the starting job from him. Yet it seems Corcoran has improved to the point where he and Morales are currently listed as co-starters on the depth chart. Personally, I like the way this is playing out. I think both guys are talented backs and if both are used correctly it can add a dangerous element to the offense. I especially would like to see a greater emphasis on the fullback screen pass this year.
The tight end position has been more or less secured by Kevin Brock, who really came on strong once given the opportunity to start last year. He had an exceptional all-around game against South Florida last year, and I think he’ll have a big year if the ball goes his way. Personally, I’m also hoping that Shamar Graves rebounds from the tough games he had last year. Graves has a lot of talent and I hope he keeps his head up and gets himself back into the mix.
Coach Schiano expressed the need to get Kenny Britt 8 to 10 touches per game. It seems that with Rice gone, Britt is the new stud and the obvious difference maker on offense. Combined with Tiquan Underwood and Tim Brown, I think the receiving corps is arguably the best in the nation.
Britt may be the top skill player, but Mike Teel is the key to the offense. His thumb is totally healthy, and I’m looking for him to have a huge senior year. He really grew up and became the man last year. Had he not hurt his thumb, I believe RU would have won at least 2 more games. Teel may have the starting job completely locked up, but Coach said there would be a healthy competition among the backups. Lovelace has proven to be a nice player, but he hasn’t had the kind of breakout game or half that he needs to prove he’s the answer once Teel’s career is over.
Much is also being made of the need to replace three starters on the offensive line. I’m sure there’ll be a little drop-off, at least early in the season, but overall if everyone’s healthy I don’t consider it to be an area of too much concern. Anthony Davis will move to left tackle. He was a Freshman All-America who will only get better. Kevin Haslam lost his job to Davis last year. No shame in that. He was beat out by arguably the best O-line recruit in the country. And I believe he’s only a junior. Mike Gilmartin is likely to move to right tackle, and he’s proven he can play.
The defensive unit has lost three excellent players in Eric Foster, Ron Girault, and Brandon Renkart. The first two were among the best at their positions in school history, and Renkart was a walk-on who made himself into a team captain and starting linebacker on a team that has won consecutive bowl games. Replacing them will be a tall order. And linebacker in my mind the greatest question mark on defense.
According to Coach, Ryan D’Imperio has had great improvement and has completely recovered from his injuries, but Damaso Munoz can’t practice because he’s not yet back from surgery. Schiano also expects a “big jump” from Alex Silvestro, but because he’s gaining size and muscle mass, he may be a linebacker but could also be a down lineman. He’s currently listed on the roster as a defensive end. Coach mentioned the defensive line has taken a hit because Defensive Tackle Justin Francis will be suspended from the team while his legal problems run their course. Francis was arrested last week, although no details of the arrest are currently available. Francis played in seven games as a freshman last year, mostly giving Peter Tverdov much-needed breathers.
As you can see from this long post, I’m excited about the season already. I’m looking to see if I can get to the Gridiron Bash on April 18, or at least the Scarlet/White game. Having the newborn at home makes that a little difficult, but if I can’t go I’m hoping someone will comment and let me know how it turns out.
DHD
http://www.scarletknights.com/vision/football/2008/spring1.html
As with any spring preview not much in the way of insightful information came out of the press conference. Not many jobs are up for grabs in the spring, but coach was able to give an update on some guys who could prove to be a key to the next season.
For starters, there have been a lot of changes on the coaching staff. I won’t go into the names, but there are five new coaches on the staff. I can understand some people feeling that the number of new coaches could translate into a slow start to the season. I don’t buy it, though. Since John McNulty is back as offensive coordinator and Schiano is once again pulling double duty as defensive coordinator, there should still be continuity. I’d be concerned if there was a change in coordinator, but since there hasn’t been, I’m sure the other coaches will just fall in line with the current schemes. Of course, the special teams coordinator has changed, and even though I liked Coach Rizzi, admittedly the special teams struggled last year, so maybe a change in philosophy will be a good thing.
No real frontrunner in battle to replace Ray Rice as of yet. Kordell Young would have to be considered the favorite based on his past experience, but coming off of knee surgery he’s no lock to win the spot. According to Coach, Kordell will be “easing back into things,” and is still building confidence as far as what he can do with the knee. If healthy, I believe Kordell can be a game breaker, so I’m hoping he can come back at full speed. So, as far as the spring goes, it seems Mason Robinson and Jourdan Brooks will get the bulk of the carries. I thought Robinson played well in the situations he was placed in last year. But I think his value this year might lay in the return game. Once Robinson was put in the punt returner/kick returner spot, things became much less adventuress back there. Coach also alluded to the fact that because of his size Jourdan Brooks is likely to at least be the first option in short-yardage situations.
There were a lot of questions regarding the fullback position. I think some of the reporters are still wondering why Jack Corcoran doesn’t get more carries or more touches. I felt the same way watching the games last year, since he seemed to pick up good yardage every time he touched the ball in garbage time two years ago. But I guess the knock on him early last year was his blocking, which opened the door for Andres Morales to wrestle the starting job from him. Yet it seems Corcoran has improved to the point where he and Morales are currently listed as co-starters on the depth chart. Personally, I like the way this is playing out. I think both guys are talented backs and if both are used correctly it can add a dangerous element to the offense. I especially would like to see a greater emphasis on the fullback screen pass this year.
The tight end position has been more or less secured by Kevin Brock, who really came on strong once given the opportunity to start last year. He had an exceptional all-around game against South Florida last year, and I think he’ll have a big year if the ball goes his way. Personally, I’m also hoping that Shamar Graves rebounds from the tough games he had last year. Graves has a lot of talent and I hope he keeps his head up and gets himself back into the mix.
Coach Schiano expressed the need to get Kenny Britt 8 to 10 touches per game. It seems that with Rice gone, Britt is the new stud and the obvious difference maker on offense. Combined with Tiquan Underwood and Tim Brown, I think the receiving corps is arguably the best in the nation.
Britt may be the top skill player, but Mike Teel is the key to the offense. His thumb is totally healthy, and I’m looking for him to have a huge senior year. He really grew up and became the man last year. Had he not hurt his thumb, I believe RU would have won at least 2 more games. Teel may have the starting job completely locked up, but Coach said there would be a healthy competition among the backups. Lovelace has proven to be a nice player, but he hasn’t had the kind of breakout game or half that he needs to prove he’s the answer once Teel’s career is over.
Much is also being made of the need to replace three starters on the offensive line. I’m sure there’ll be a little drop-off, at least early in the season, but overall if everyone’s healthy I don’t consider it to be an area of too much concern. Anthony Davis will move to left tackle. He was a Freshman All-America who will only get better. Kevin Haslam lost his job to Davis last year. No shame in that. He was beat out by arguably the best O-line recruit in the country. And I believe he’s only a junior. Mike Gilmartin is likely to move to right tackle, and he’s proven he can play.
The defensive unit has lost three excellent players in Eric Foster, Ron Girault, and Brandon Renkart. The first two were among the best at their positions in school history, and Renkart was a walk-on who made himself into a team captain and starting linebacker on a team that has won consecutive bowl games. Replacing them will be a tall order. And linebacker in my mind the greatest question mark on defense.
According to Coach, Ryan D’Imperio has had great improvement and has completely recovered from his injuries, but Damaso Munoz can’t practice because he’s not yet back from surgery. Schiano also expects a “big jump” from Alex Silvestro, but because he’s gaining size and muscle mass, he may be a linebacker but could also be a down lineman. He’s currently listed on the roster as a defensive end. Coach mentioned the defensive line has taken a hit because Defensive Tackle Justin Francis will be suspended from the team while his legal problems run their course. Francis was arrested last week, although no details of the arrest are currently available. Francis played in seven games as a freshman last year, mostly giving Peter Tverdov much-needed breathers.
As you can see from this long post, I’m excited about the season already. I’m looking to see if I can get to the Gridiron Bash on April 18, or at least the Scarlet/White game. Having the newborn at home makes that a little difficult, but if I can’t go I’m hoping someone will comment and let me know how it turns out.
DHD
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