Tuesday August 04, 2009

Practice No. 1

Practice No. 1
Football practice starts tonight at 6:00 PM. How long have you waited for this day?

Dabo has closed most practices but some of you get on the list to get in for the full practices and the media will be let in for the first 30 minutes tonight. Also Dabo will open a couple of practices to the public at some point in this camp.

Tonight the Tigers will practice in shorts so if you go, here are 10 things you can watch, even in shorts:

The Tempo and Energy
Bowden had these long practices that some players tried to just survive at times but Dabo has shorter, more up tempo practices. Players run to their next station and there is a sense of urgency with every rep. Attention spans are not the issue under Dabo. Everyone is excited the first day and there have been few bad practices on the first day but you will still see some enthusiasm from the program tonight.

The Quarterbacks
Throwing motions may change a little with pads on and live rushes and pressure tend to change things but tonight is the first practice in this race. The quarterbacks will be able to showcase leadership in every practice and this is an important aspect of camp. Kyle Parker took some time off to rest after baseball season and Willy Korn has revamped his throwing motion, so you will be able to see how each reacts starting tonight.

The Receivers
So much of a wide out’s role is based upon blocking, yards after the catch and other physical aspects of the game but in shorts you can see their speed, route running, hands and athleticism.

Conditioning
The big linemen are evaluated much closer with pads on and we are never sure of assignments and footwork technique but even the average fan can tell about conditioning of the big boys.

Speed on Defense
The overall athleticism and the speed of the defense can be seen in shorts. Tonight might be the fastest the defense can look because they are in shorts and few are sore from the dog days of August camp.

The Freshmen
Perhaps the best part of the first practice is watching the freshmen. How is Boyd’s knee? How does McNeal move and is he big enough? What is up with Jay’s back? How did the big bodies look? Has Goodman continued to improve his body? Which of the three freshmen linebackers looked the most athletic? How does Meeks compare to the red-shirt freshmen?

The Red-Shirts
Clemson was able to red-shirt some talented players a year ago and some fans will get their first peak at those guys tonight. Can Parker win the job? How does Ellington compare to Spiller at this stage? Which red-shirt wide out (Brown or Ford) is farther along? Is Allen as good as advertised at tight end? Is Willard ready at linebacker? How is Adams’ knee? Did Hall and Lewis continue to improve in the off-season?

The Medical Guys
Ricky Sapp is coming off of surgery and his recovery is a big part of the plans on defense heading into the season. Korn’s shoulder was an issue in the spring. Several guys (David Smith, Jamie Cumbie, Jamie Harper, Rendrick Taylor, etc) were injured much of last year and it will be interesting to see their status. Some guys had minor off-season surgeries and we will take notice of their recovery as well.

The Staff
If you did not make it to a spring practice you will enjoy watching this staff for the first time. Dan Brooks coaches hard. He is intense and lets his players understand the sense of urgency. Kevin Steele is another on that is fun to watch because he coaches hard. Danny Pearman is that guy on offense now. This staff has a lot of energy and it will show tonight.

The Position Changes
Where will Ricky Sapp and Kevin Alexander lineup? Will Marcus Gilchrist get time at safety? Position changes sometimes happen without much off-season publicity.

Games are not won or lost in shorts but tonight is the first in a series of important practices. The Tigers open their season in 32 days and there is little time to waste.

As the camp moves on, the storylines will change. As the pads go on, the lines of scrimmages will dominate the news. Scrimmages will give us more information about the depth chart. The coaches will give quotes on player development and guys will go in the dog house or the penthouse from day to day. Some freshmen will get overwhelmed with the scheme and the speed of the game and maybe, just maybe, one of the quarterbacks will move ahead of the others. However, the single most important piece of news that will come from this camp is injuries.

Cross your fingers that the Tigers can stay away from major injuries in this pre-season. They cannot afford injuries at some positions more so than others though. For example, we saw what happened last year when Chris Hairston went down. I would put Jacoby Ford on that “do not get injured list” also. While we are at it, add Brandon Maye, DeAndre McDaniel, Da’Quan Bowers, Kavell Conner and Thomas Austin.

It is here!

Now, the next countdown starts. Only 32 more days until the Tigers touch the Rock and run down the Hill!

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family.