Wanted to wait until today to post my thoughts from the scrimmage to let things digest a bit.
OBSERVED TWO DEEP:
QB: Shimonek, Sullins/Carter
RB: Felton, Woodward (NOTE: Both Ward and Stockton were held out)
LT: Bruffy, Adams
LG: Hines, Smith
C: Stawarz, Morales
RG: Anderson, Deaton
RT: Steele, Farrar
XWR: Willies, Shorts
HWR: Batson, Giles
YWR: Coutee, Brown
ZWR: Cantrell, Vasher
DE: Howard, Nunez
DT: Thomas, Wallace
DT: Washington, McCann
RE: Gilmore, Ko. Hill
MLB: Taylor, Hinton
WLB: Stringer, Jones
CB: Morgan, Smith
CB: Polite-Bray, Lane
NB: Parker, Coleman
S: Johnson, Hendrix
S: Allen, Dorsey
SCRIMMAGE STANDOUTS: Nic Shimonek, DeMarcus Felton, KeKe Coutee, Dylan Cantrell, TJ Vasher, Travis Bruffy, Terence Steele, Lonzell Gilmore, Broderick Washington, Christian Taylor, Octavious Morgan, JahShawn Johnson, Joe Wallace, Jamile Johnson, D'Vonta Hinton, Vaughnte Dorsey
*Again, at this point in the spring, we've seen essentially a couple of overarching themes play out: Receivers are still really good, Secondary looks much improved, defensive line making plays, O-line has a ways to go. Overall, got confirmation of that again on Saturday night.
*However, I will say that the first string O-line has gotten progressively better in each scrimmage. I think Saturday night was their best showing, and they took a positive step forward in run blocking, as DeMarcus Felton was able to get off several solid runs in the scrimmage. The second string O-line is a different story, however. That group has a loooooong way to go.
*Lonzell Gilmore just continues to impress me every time we see him this spring. He looks like a different play than in years past. In fact, he started at rush end over Kolin Hill on Saturday night in the scrimmage, and I think his play has deserved that from what we've seen and heard. I'd guess he's your top pass rusher this fall. Hope this light bulb stays on and isn't just a spring flicker, cause Tech really needs a guy like this to step up to take that next step defensively.
*Christian Taylor is another guy that just looks like a different player. The extra reps he got this spring with Brooks out may end up being a blessing in disguise for the linebacker depth of this unit.
*David Gibbs really seems to be opening up the playbook more than in years past from what we've seen this spring. He's really gotten into some different and more exotic blitz looks, coverages, and the rest. I think a lot of this has to do with it being year three and having a roster mostly made up of guys now that have been in the system at least two whole years.
*Speaking of that, Gibbs' showed some radar/amoeba/psycho/whatever you want to call it, packages in the fall. If you aren't familiar with this concept, it's a front look with no down linemen built to confuse opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks because you don't set and lineup in a specified spot or gap. Instead you line up in a general area of where your assignment is and move around pre-snap to disguise assignments. It's become a very popular concept in the last half decade, and as I mentioned, Gibbs began using it some last year at times. To do this, you go with a smaller front because you want more athletes on the field that can move around and cause confusion. Gibbs has shown this look A LOT this spring, and in it, he's using six players for the front in a sort of faux 3-3-5 look I guess you would say. In this defense, the starters are interesting: Gilmore and Hill as the ends, Zach Barnes as the DT, and then three linebackers: Stringer, Taylor, and.... Vaughnte Dorsey. Yup, they move Dorsey down from safety into a linebacker spot in the box for this package, which I love, because it really fits him. Barnes is also a guy that's strong and quick enough that they can move him around as a DT in this type of package. This group has been really effective at causing havoc and breaking up plays. I'm really excited to see what GIbbs cooks up with more looks and older players at his disposal this fall.
*And speaking of Barnes, he's taken on a really interesting jack-of-all-trades role in this defense. He'll line up at end, rush, or defensive tackle at any time based on whatever package GIbbs wants to roll with. Some will get frustrated seeing Barnes at DT, but Gibbs and Jamison clearly like something about how he uses his speed and power together against bigger, slower guards. He's gotten pressure and even handled some double teams well at times this spring, too. I'll be very intrigued to see if Barnes carves out a role as an interior pass-rush specialist for this team.
*While I've noted the defensive two-deep for the defense, I don't know that it really matters that much what it is, as Gibbs is now rotating guys in and out all over both the 1st and 2nd string group. Some guys who don't even show up in the first drive for the 1s and 2s might come out with the 1s the second go around, and a guy who was in the initial starting group might end up in the twos at some point. It's all very fluid, and while I think there clearly will be guys who start and play more than everybody else at each position, I think there's finally enough depth across the board that we're seeing two or three guys rotate in and out of real live games at each of the 11 positions at times this fall. We saw the rotation like that with the defensive line last year, and it made sense because it was the deepest position group at the time. And honestly, I thought the defensive line got better as Tech got further into games last year because of that depth, and I think it's a big reason why in a number of contests last year the defense would get a handful of late stops out of nowhere. I'm not saying this defense is going to be a world beater or anything special. I'm just saying that it's encouraging that the rotations seem to be much more fluid and varying than in the past. It could mean something legitimate for the unit late in games.
*Sure, Shimonek threw a pick in the scrimmage, but it was the only one he's thrown in any of the scrimmages this spring, and overall he's gotten better as we've seen him each time. He gets sharper, makes better decisions, and continues to develop as the vocal leader of this team. He wanted his first-team offense to come out hot, and they did much more so than any other scrimmage this spring. The first string offense actually did some things I really liked, and I think a lot of that has to do with Shimonek.
*KeKe Coutee is going to be your leading receiver in 2017. I have zero doubts about that at this point. He's been a consistently solid to at times stellar playmaker this spring, and he's really benefited from the move from H to Y as the new feature player in this system. I'm really excited to see what he can do as the go-to guy on offense now.
*As for the guy that was that a year ago, Jonathan Giles has gone quiet this spring. He hasn't made very many plays, and he hasn't caught very many balls. We'll see when the real fur starts flying, but it's been noticeable just how few of plays he made when we've seen the team this spring.
*Dylan Cantrell is a guy that's found another gear. I've seen enough this spring to fully believe that. Adding speed was the one thing he needed to take his game to the next level, and it looks like he's done it. I thought he was quietly the most reliable receiver on this team a year ago, as he always had a knack for making big catches when one was needed. If he really has added the speed it appears, he could be a fantastic consistent vertical threat this offense has needed on the outside.
*The biggest difference I really have seen from this defense this spring is the attitude and emotion they seem to play with at all time. They're always fired up, always barking, and always getting after it, whether on the field or sidelines. That hasn't been the case to nearly this degree in the past. I hope that's something that means real progress has been made when the fall comes around and isn't just a false hope.
OBSERVED TWO DEEP:
QB: Shimonek, Sullins/Carter
RB: Felton, Woodward (NOTE: Both Ward and Stockton were held out)
LT: Bruffy, Adams
LG: Hines, Smith
C: Stawarz, Morales
RG: Anderson, Deaton
RT: Steele, Farrar
XWR: Willies, Shorts
HWR: Batson, Giles
YWR: Coutee, Brown
ZWR: Cantrell, Vasher
DE: Howard, Nunez
DT: Thomas, Wallace
DT: Washington, McCann
RE: Gilmore, Ko. Hill
MLB: Taylor, Hinton
WLB: Stringer, Jones
CB: Morgan, Smith
CB: Polite-Bray, Lane
NB: Parker, Coleman
S: Johnson, Hendrix
S: Allen, Dorsey
SCRIMMAGE STANDOUTS: Nic Shimonek, DeMarcus Felton, KeKe Coutee, Dylan Cantrell, TJ Vasher, Travis Bruffy, Terence Steele, Lonzell Gilmore, Broderick Washington, Christian Taylor, Octavious Morgan, JahShawn Johnson, Joe Wallace, Jamile Johnson, D'Vonta Hinton, Vaughnte Dorsey
*Again, at this point in the spring, we've seen essentially a couple of overarching themes play out: Receivers are still really good, Secondary looks much improved, defensive line making plays, O-line has a ways to go. Overall, got confirmation of that again on Saturday night.
*However, I will say that the first string O-line has gotten progressively better in each scrimmage. I think Saturday night was their best showing, and they took a positive step forward in run blocking, as DeMarcus Felton was able to get off several solid runs in the scrimmage. The second string O-line is a different story, however. That group has a loooooong way to go.
*Lonzell Gilmore just continues to impress me every time we see him this spring. He looks like a different play than in years past. In fact, he started at rush end over Kolin Hill on Saturday night in the scrimmage, and I think his play has deserved that from what we've seen and heard. I'd guess he's your top pass rusher this fall. Hope this light bulb stays on and isn't just a spring flicker, cause Tech really needs a guy like this to step up to take that next step defensively.
*Christian Taylor is another guy that just looks like a different player. The extra reps he got this spring with Brooks out may end up being a blessing in disguise for the linebacker depth of this unit.
*David Gibbs really seems to be opening up the playbook more than in years past from what we've seen this spring. He's really gotten into some different and more exotic blitz looks, coverages, and the rest. I think a lot of this has to do with it being year three and having a roster mostly made up of guys now that have been in the system at least two whole years.
*Speaking of that, Gibbs' showed some radar/amoeba/psycho/whatever you want to call it, packages in the fall. If you aren't familiar with this concept, it's a front look with no down linemen built to confuse opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks because you don't set and lineup in a specified spot or gap. Instead you line up in a general area of where your assignment is and move around pre-snap to disguise assignments. It's become a very popular concept in the last half decade, and as I mentioned, Gibbs began using it some last year at times. To do this, you go with a smaller front because you want more athletes on the field that can move around and cause confusion. Gibbs has shown this look A LOT this spring, and in it, he's using six players for the front in a sort of faux 3-3-5 look I guess you would say. In this defense, the starters are interesting: Gilmore and Hill as the ends, Zach Barnes as the DT, and then three linebackers: Stringer, Taylor, and.... Vaughnte Dorsey. Yup, they move Dorsey down from safety into a linebacker spot in the box for this package, which I love, because it really fits him. Barnes is also a guy that's strong and quick enough that they can move him around as a DT in this type of package. This group has been really effective at causing havoc and breaking up plays. I'm really excited to see what GIbbs cooks up with more looks and older players at his disposal this fall.
*And speaking of Barnes, he's taken on a really interesting jack-of-all-trades role in this defense. He'll line up at end, rush, or defensive tackle at any time based on whatever package GIbbs wants to roll with. Some will get frustrated seeing Barnes at DT, but Gibbs and Jamison clearly like something about how he uses his speed and power together against bigger, slower guards. He's gotten pressure and even handled some double teams well at times this spring, too. I'll be very intrigued to see if Barnes carves out a role as an interior pass-rush specialist for this team.
*While I've noted the defensive two-deep for the defense, I don't know that it really matters that much what it is, as Gibbs is now rotating guys in and out all over both the 1st and 2nd string group. Some guys who don't even show up in the first drive for the 1s and 2s might come out with the 1s the second go around, and a guy who was in the initial starting group might end up in the twos at some point. It's all very fluid, and while I think there clearly will be guys who start and play more than everybody else at each position, I think there's finally enough depth across the board that we're seeing two or three guys rotate in and out of real live games at each of the 11 positions at times this fall. We saw the rotation like that with the defensive line last year, and it made sense because it was the deepest position group at the time. And honestly, I thought the defensive line got better as Tech got further into games last year because of that depth, and I think it's a big reason why in a number of contests last year the defense would get a handful of late stops out of nowhere. I'm not saying this defense is going to be a world beater or anything special. I'm just saying that it's encouraging that the rotations seem to be much more fluid and varying than in the past. It could mean something legitimate for the unit late in games.
*Sure, Shimonek threw a pick in the scrimmage, but it was the only one he's thrown in any of the scrimmages this spring, and overall he's gotten better as we've seen him each time. He gets sharper, makes better decisions, and continues to develop as the vocal leader of this team. He wanted his first-team offense to come out hot, and they did much more so than any other scrimmage this spring. The first string offense actually did some things I really liked, and I think a lot of that has to do with Shimonek.
*KeKe Coutee is going to be your leading receiver in 2017. I have zero doubts about that at this point. He's been a consistently solid to at times stellar playmaker this spring, and he's really benefited from the move from H to Y as the new feature player in this system. I'm really excited to see what he can do as the go-to guy on offense now.
*As for the guy that was that a year ago, Jonathan Giles has gone quiet this spring. He hasn't made very many plays, and he hasn't caught very many balls. We'll see when the real fur starts flying, but it's been noticeable just how few of plays he made when we've seen the team this spring.
*Dylan Cantrell is a guy that's found another gear. I've seen enough this spring to fully believe that. Adding speed was the one thing he needed to take his game to the next level, and it looks like he's done it. I thought he was quietly the most reliable receiver on this team a year ago, as he always had a knack for making big catches when one was needed. If he really has added the speed it appears, he could be a fantastic consistent vertical threat this offense has needed on the outside.
*The biggest difference I really have seen from this defense this spring is the attitude and emotion they seem to play with at all time. They're always fired up, always barking, and always getting after it, whether on the field or sidelines. That hasn't been the case to nearly this degree in the past. I hope that's something that means real progress has been made when the fall comes around and isn't just a false hope.
