Spring football

[H-towngreen]

Spring ball is only 2 weeks away. Here are 10 major questions which need answering going into it.

1) DD said that he is going to open up the offense more this year. He talked of implementing some shotgun and zone read into the playbook because of Woody. Will this finally be the year he follows through?

2) Is Woody Wilson the man now? Meager and Phillips are both young still and need time to develop.

3) J-MO's health? He added an extra 25 lbs last year and had a down year. Has he trimmed down at all or he is now getting used to carrying the extra weight. We need him to return to freshman form.

4) O-line. Who will step up? We have 1 great one in Lineberry and possibly another in Stanley. But who else is going to step up. Is Rose the man at center or will Stanley move there. If so does Rose stay a starter. Could we possibly see Banks, Venegas, or even the freshman Drake in there against UT.

5) D-END. Once again who will step up. I believe that we have some decent ones with Chapman, Ransom and Gilmore. But we need another body in the rotation. Possibly one of the many freshman.

6) D-tackle. Is ther a chance that T.J. will be back? How about the health of Ike Thomas? Will Pruitt be 100% this year. Some freshman will have to step up.

7) LB- Who is starting? We lots of depth here but who is going to be the leader? Who will step up and be the punishing hitter that we missed last year?

8) CB- Lots of talent, but we all know that it doesn't mean squat till your on the field? We signed alot of athletes last year for these 2 spots.

9) Can Truman do it all in the kicking game?

10) Every spring there is at least 1 player who comes out and takes away an incumbents starting spot. Who will it be this year?

What are some of yall thought/opinions going into spring?

Sorry for the PMG length post. I guess that what happens when stuck at home sick and drugged up on a friday night.

[IslandEagle]

Spring ball is only 2 weeks away. Here are 10 major questions which need answering going into it.

1) DD said that he is going to open up the offense more this year. He talked of implementing some shotgun and zone read into the playbook because of Woody. Will this finally be the year he follows through?

2) Is Woody Wilson the man now? Meager and Phillips are both young still and need time to develop.

3) J-MO's health? He added an extra 25 lbs last year and had a down year. Has he trimmed down at all or he is now getting used to carrying the extra weight. We need him to return to freshman form.

4) O-line. Who will step up? We have 1 great one in Lineberry and possibly another in Stanley. But who else is going to step up. Is Rose the man at center or will Stanley move there. If so does Rose stay a starter. Could we possibly see Banks, Venegas, or even the freshman Drake in there against UT.

5) D-END. Once again who will step up. I believe that we have some decent ones with Chapman, Ransom and Gilmore. But we need another body in the rotation. Possibly one of the many freshman.

6) D-tackle. Is ther a chance that T.J. will be back? How about the health of Ike Thomas? Will Pruitt be 100% this year. Some freshman will have to step up.

7) LB- Who is starting? We lots of depth here but who is going to be the leader? Who will step up and be the punishing hitter that we missed last year?

8) CB- Lots of talent, but we all know that it doesn't mean squat till your on the field? We signed alot of athletes last year for these 2 spots.

9) Can Truman do it all in the kicking game?

10) Every spring there is at least 1 player who comes out and takes away an incumbents starting spot. Who will it be this year?

What are some of yall thought/opinions going into spring?

Sorry for the PMG length post. I guess that what happens when stuck at home sick and drugged up on a friday night.

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The good thing about the early Spring practice is that we will begin to see early on if some of our recruits look any good. Certainly, we should begin to get an idea if Wilson can push Meager and Phillips and what role Trent Stanley and Coffman can play in the offensive line schemes.

Also, we redshirted a lot of folks last year. Now will be their chance to show what, if anything, they can contribute to the team. Let's face it. If some of them don't make noise this Spring, then we probably had a real bust in recruiting last year.

And, it will be very interesting to see if Robertson can look as good at RB this spring as he did the few times we got to see him in practice last year.

[Travis]

Spring ball is only 2 weeks away. Here are 10 major questions which need answering going into it.

1) DD said that he is going to open up the offense more this year. He talked of implementing some shotgun and zone read into the playbook because of Woody. Will this finally be the year he follows through?

2) Is Woody Wilson the man now? Meager and Phillips are both young still and need time to develop.

3) J-MO's health? He added an extra 25 lbs last year and had a down year. Has he trimmed down at all or he is now getting used to carrying the extra weight. We need him to return to freshman form.

4) O-line. Who will step up? We have 1 great one in Lineberry and possibly another in Stanley. But who else is going to step up. Is Rose the man at center or will Stanley move there. If so does Rose stay a starter. Could we possibly see Banks, Venegas, or even the freshman Drake in there against UT.

5) D-END. Once again who will step up. I believe that we have some decent ones with Chapman, Ransom and Gilmore. But we need another body in the rotation. Possibly one of the many freshman.

6) D-tackle. Is ther a chance that T.J. will be back? How about the health of Ike Thomas? Will Pruitt be 100% this year. Some freshman will have to step up.

7) LB- Who is starting? We lots of depth here but who is going to be the leader? Who will step up and be the punishing hitter that we missed last year?

8) CB- Lots of talent, but we all know that it doesn't mean squat till your on the field? We signed alot of athletes last year for these 2 spots.

9) Can Truman do it all in the kicking game?

10) Every spring there is at least 1 player who comes out and takes away an incumbents starting spot. Who will it be this year?

What are some of yall thought/opinions going into spring?

Sorry for the PMG length post. I guess that what happens when stuck at home sick and drugged up on a friday night.

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Is it just me, or did it seem that every question Island Eagle was asking was essentially the same question. Instead of 1-10 you probably just needed 1.

1. Who will step up?

Seriously though, looking back last year... it didn't seem that anybody "stepped up" and took matters into their own hands. A few stood out more than others, but the degree of that still seems to be lacking compared to years past. I thought Holman did good at LB. And based on the first game at MTSU I thought CB Covington was going to do good things for us, but that didn't last long... at all. Hopefully someone on the team will be a leader and show others how to get 'er done.

[Harry]

Spring will be a good chance to look at some of the younger players. I am hearing Lineberry, Burris, Early, Chapman, Pruitt, Ransom and several others will be out due to injuries or rehab....

I am interested to see how defensive tackle Senaca Collins fares.

Here's the list of redshirts who will get their chance to make a statement:

Safety Kartey Agbottah

OL Ajani Banks

Corner Antoine Bush

DB Desmond Chatman

OL Jack Crumes

DT Jon Stewart

OL Bryan Glass

LB Tobe Nwigwe

OL Robert Peachy

DB Arthur Stubblefield

WR Korey Washington

Also interested to see how WR Brock Stickler and Roy Covington fare

Will they move Pistole to defensive end?

[SilverEagle]

Spring ball is only 2 weeks away. Here are 10 major questions which need answering going into it.

1) DD said that he is going to open up the offense more this year. He talked of implementing some shotgun and zone read into the playbook because of Woody. Will this finally be the year he follows through?

They always try out new stuff in the spring. They used the "gun" a lot last fall, but that was mainly because they wanted to give inexperienced QB's a little more time. If they use the "gun" most of the time in the spring, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are radically changing the offense.

2) Is Woody Wilson the man now? Meager and Phillips are both young still and need time to develop.

We don't know what sort of offense he was used to running at Coffeyville, so there will be a learning curve for him. Of course, if they put in a LOT of new stuff this spring, then all of them will be starting from the same place, and we can then assess the raw (or natural) ability of each of the QB's.

3) J-MO's health? He added an extra 25 lbs last year and had a down year. Has he trimmed down at all or he is now getting used to carrying the extra weight. We need him to return to freshman form.

This "weight" issue seems a bit strange to me regarding J-Mo. Most of the time when RB's put some weight on, it doesn't affect their game at all. In fact, many add a little speed when they add muscle to their frames. (He's not a RB, but Johnny Quinn comes to mind with this example). Besides, J-Mo had "hammy" problems during his record-setting freshman year, when he was operating from his most comfortable weight.

Therefore, I think that the hamstring itself needs to be addressed more than the weight.

4) O-line. Who will step up? We have 1 great one in Lineberry and possibly another in Stanley. But who else is going to step up. Is Rose the man at center or will Stanley move there. If so does Rose stay a starter. Could we possibly see Banks, Venegas, or even the freshman Drake in there against UT.

The returning players look like J. Alexander, J. Brown, Lineberry, Rose,

Foster, and Venegas. Everyone expects Banks to be a starter, so I'll go along with that and add him to the mix. Everyone also thinks that Stanley will be "automatic". Right now, that gives us a pretty solid line.

My questions would be 1. what was up with Brown getting benched for some of the games last year? 2. Venegas showed up in the best shape of all the OL in the fall, but he didn't start....what's up with that? 3. Is Bryan Glass (from Paris #73 on your program) going to be a viable candidate? 4. Is Drew DuBose still on the team? Is he still in the 244 lb range?

5) D-END. Once again who will step up. I believe that we have some decent ones with Chapman, Ransom and Gilmore. But we need another body in the rotation. Possibly one of the many freshman.

I notice that David Collins (6'4"X 210 from Kennedale) still gets mentioned from time to time. Is he still developing? Does he look like a viable candidate?

What about Tye Rexrode (6'3" X 200). Is he a DE or LB? He's light for one, and extremely light for the other.

How is Burriss's broken arm healing? Will he be back in the mix?

Are they moving Chase Pistole to DE in the spring?

6) D-tackle. Is ther a chance that T.J. will be back? How about the health of Ike Thomas? Will Pruitt be 100% this year. Some freshman will have to step up.

I would be shocked (but pleasantly) if T.J. was back. Ike Thomas' health is the most pressing question that I have as well.

If S. Pruitt was operated on after the season, then I doubt that he will be practicing in the spring.

My main questions are about two freshmen and a walk-on/transfer. Are Jonathan Stewart (6'2" X 260 on last years program) and Robert Peachy (6'5" X 270 on last years program) going to be viable candidates for the DL? Is Sennica(sp?) Collins (reported to be 6'4" X 280), who transfered from Tulsa, going to be out there? How many years of eligibility does he have?

7) LB- Who is starting? We lots of depth here but who is going to be the leader? Who will step up and be the punishing hitter that we missed last year?

I'm hoping that Tobe Nwigwe steps forward and takes a leadership (as well as hit-man) role. But don't forget that Shawn Early (#46 on your program) is coming back......and I'm told bigger and meaner than ever.

8) CB- Lots of talent, but we all know that it doesn't mean squat till your on the field? We signed alot of athletes last year for these 2 spots.

I'm more concerned about their coach leaving than anything else. Regardless of the raw talent we have out there, there is going to be a drop-off in development as a result. I'm very concerned about this area.

9) Can Truman do it all in the kicking game?

Probably.

10) Every spring there is at least 1 player who comes out and takes away an incumbents starting spot. Who will it be this year?

I predict that if Sennica Collins is more than "potential", then he will take Sky Pruitt's job. I would hate that, because Sky really showed his character last year by playing hurt the WHOLE YEAR. Just imagine how bad it would have been for us if he couldn't have found the fortitude to play hurt last year in the DL.

[buff64]

Spring will be a good chance to look at some of the younger players.  I am hearing Lineberry, Burris, Early, Chapman, Pruitt, Ransom and several others will be out due to injuries or rehab....

I am interested to see how defensive tackle Senaca Collins fares.

Here's the list of redshirts who will get their chance to make a statement:

Safety Kartey Agbottah

OL Ajani Banks

Corner Antoine Bush

DB Desmond Chatman

OL Jack Crumes

DT Jon Stewart

OL Bryan Glass

LB Tobe Nwigwe

OL Robert Peachy

DB Arthur Stubblefield

WR Korey Washington

Also interested to see how WR Brock Stickler and  Roy Covington fare

Will they move Pistole to defensive end?

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Not to mention Evan Robertson . Interested ,also , in seeing how much progess Joseph Miller will make this spring, I think he has a lot of potential, as someone mentioned earlier he was a baseball player in High School and had very little weight training.I sort of wish spring ball was a little later , maybe some of the aforementioned bumps and bruises would have time to heal and some of the infured players could participate.

By the way don't think it was Island that had the questions.

Is Henry Eke still with the team ?

[SilverEagle]

Is Henry Eke still with the team ?

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I know that there are a lot of "unknown" walk-on/transfers, but who is this? where is he from? What position? height and weight?

[IslandEagle]

Is it just me, or did it seem that every question Island Eagle was asking was essentially the same question.  Instead of 1-10 you probably just needed 1. 

1. Who will step up?

Seriously though, looking back last year... it didn't seem that anybody "stepped up" and took matters into their own hands.  A few stood out more than others, but the degree of that still seems to be lacking compared to years past.  I thought Holman did good at LB.  And based on the first game at MTSU I thought CB Covington was going to do good things for us, but that didn't last long... at all.  Hopefully someone on the team will be a leader and show others how to get 'er done.

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Sorry, but I didn't ask the questions.

[buff64]

I know that there are a lot of "unknown" walk-on/transfers, but who is this? where is he from? What position? height and weight?

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Henry is a redshirt freshman LB from Pflugerville. 5'11" 205lbs last fall

[SilverEagle]

Henry is a redshirt freshman LB from Pflugerville. 5'11" 205lbs last fall

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Is he a walk-on? Transfer? Did he receive any "all-district" honors while playing for Pflugerville?

[buff64]

Is he a walk-on? Transfer? Did he receive any "all-district" honors while playing for Pflugerville?

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He was a walkon last fall he was all district a couple of times, believe he was a def. back at one time.

[GrandGreen]

I kept reading that Woody Wilson will add experience to the quarterback position with Phillips and Meager being young. I am obviously missing something, Wilson played half a season at a juco. Meager started all year and Phillips got extended time at the 1a level. All will be sophomores, it seems to me that Wilson has the less experience of the three.

[IslandEagle]

I kept reading that Woody Wilson will add experience to the quarterback position with Phillips and Meager being young.  I am obviously missing something, Wilson played half a season at a juco.  Meager started all year and Phillips got extended time at the 1a level.    All will be sophomores, it seems to me that Wilson has the less experience of the three.

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Bingo. You are probably correct.

Actually, Wilson started in 7 games from what I could tell from looking at his stats at the Junior College, but didn't finish one, so technically could be said to have played 6 full games. I guess they could be referring to the fact that Wilson didn't miss any high school games whereas Meager missed half his senior season. Still, at best, I'd say they all have about the same level of experience, though I guess you could say that Wilson had a much better winning percentage in his starts compared to Meager.

[Rudy]

Also, we redshirted a lot of folks last year. Now will be their chance to show what, if anything, they can contribute to the team. Let's face it. If some of them don't make noise this Spring, then we probably had a real bust in recruiting last year.

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So, we will have another young team?

[IslandEagle]

So, we will have another young team?  

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I wouldn't say that, but what I would say is based upon last year's performance, some youngsters better step up to the plate!

[H-towngreen]

One big thing that I found out after the season was that we only had 10 seniors on the team last year. Anyone know how many seniors there will be this year?

[OldTimer]

One big thing that I found out after the season was that we only had 10 seniors on the team last year. Anyone know how many seniors there will be this year?

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I just checked the roster in the media guide, there are 18 Jrs. and Early is back for another Sr. year, and TJ was listed as a Sop and may not be back. Lineberry would be another Sr. back. so that makes 21...

If anyone knows someone I missed or who have left the team after publication of the medial guide and listed in it below Sr. status please contribute.

[Monkeypox]

Bingo. You are probably correct.

Actually, Wilson started in 7 games from what I could tell from looking at his stats at the Junior College, but didn't finish one, so technically could be said to have played 6 full games. I guess they could be referring to the fact that Wilson didn't miss any high school games whereas Meager missed half his senior season. Still, at best, I'd say they all have about the same level of experience, though I guess you could say that Wilson had a much better winning percentage in his starts compared to Meager.

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Wilson missed some time his senior season as well, and ended up having knee surgery after the season.

I've also been confused by the "experience" statements regarding Wilson.

Edited February 4, 2006 by Monkeypox

[meangreendork]

The experience isn't really there for WW, but it's his performance in those 6 or so games that really sticks, I think. Basically said, in only 1/2 of the season, he outperformed Daniel Meager's stats for the whole season. However, WW was playing JUCO ball against JUCO teams. How this balances out, I'm not sure, though I read that WW's old JUCO team is a run-first offense.

[greensteve]

I cannot wait to see tobe nwigwe, if i remember correctly he already had a big time frame and was fast...a year to watch and learn should work out fine for him.

Also, noticed Korey Washington at WR...I thought he would be looked at as a DB?

DO we have any dates and times yet for spring ball?

[jjpfootball]

Daniel played every game his senior year.

[FirefightnRick]

It's DM's job to lose and it will be tough to unseat him now. Regardless of how WW did, that was JUCO. One of DM's best games was at Death Valley, which I have to think is a much more difficult world to succeed in than any JUCO experience could offer. We shall see soon enough.

Rick

[TeachinTodd]

Yeah - that is what I was looking for. Where would be a good place to look?

I cannot wait to see tobe nwigwe, if i remember correctly he already had a big time frame and was fast...a year to watch and learn should work out fine for him. 

Also, noticed Korey Washington at WR...I thought he would be looked at as a DB?

DO we have any dates and times yet for spring ball?

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[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I just checked the roster in the media guide, there are 18 Jrs. and Early is back for another Sr. year, and TJ was listed as a Sop and may not be back. Lineberry would be another Sr. back. so that  makes 21...

If anyone knows someone I missed or who have left the team after publication of the medial guide and listed in it below Sr. status please contribute.

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I only came up with 15; and two of those have had little or no playing time.

The fifteen seniors that I know of are

1. Tyrone Carter - Mostly special teamer and backup corner

2. Beau Davidson - Probable starting tight end with injury problems

3. Shawn Early - Starting linebacker back from knee surgery

4. Joel Foster - Underweight starting tackle

5. Phillip Graves - Our best special team player and a good linebacker

6. Robert Harmon - Backup or possible starting tight end

7. Ronald Hull - Little playing time due to injuries?

8. Dylan Lineberry - All-Conference guard

9. Cullen Mills - Little-used quarterback who left the team but was asked back

10. James Mitchell - Smallish fullback and backup running back

11. Zack Muzzy - Sometime starting wide receiver....extra year???

12. Joel Nwigwe - Speedy sometime contributor at wide receiver

13. Sky Pruitt - Probable starting nose tackle or DT

14. Johnny Quinn - Among our best wide receivers of all time

15. Willie Ransom - Likely starting defensive end

There were at least three walk-ons who were juniors last year (Ellison, Leary, Payten) but I don't remember their being there at season's end.

Did I miss anyone?

[Harry]

RESPONSES IN CAPS

1. Tyrone Carter - THOUGHT HE WAS A JUNIOR?

2. Beau Davidson - THOUGHT HE GRADUATED LAST YEAR UNLESS HE RECEIVED A MEDICAL REDSHIRT??

3. Shawn Early - Starting linebacker back from knee surgery

4. Joel Foster - Underweight starting tackle

5. Phillip Graves - Our best special team player and a good linebacker

6. Robert Harmon - Backup or possible starting tight end

7. Ronald Hull - Little playing time due to injuries? - WONDER OF HE WILL EVER PLAY AGAIN AFTER MAJOR SHOULDER PROBLEMS LAST YEAR.

8. Dylan Lineberry - All-Conference guard

9. Cullen Mills - Little-used quarterback who left the team but was asked back - I HEAR CULLEN IS GONE.

10. James Mitchell - Smallish fullback and backup running back

11. Zack Muzzy - Sometime starting wide receiver....extra year???

12. Joel Nwigwe - Speedy sometime contributor at wide receiver

13. Sky Pruitt - Probable starting nose tackle or DT

14. Johnny Quinn - Among our best wide receivers of all time

15. Willie Ransom - Likely starting defensive end

There were at least three walk-ons who were juniors last year (Ellison, Leary, Payten) but I don't remember their being there at season's end.