Fw*tele Dodge Looking For Help (re Spring Training)

[OldTimer]

Dodge looking for help

By TROY PHILLIPSStar-Telegram Staff Writer

DENTON -- With several players missing, spring football at North Texas might determine little in the way of starting jobs.

Coach Todd Dodge's second spring at UNT is more likely one of depth-chart surfing, where players hope to make an impression that lingers into fall camp in August.

Weather permitting, the first of 15 workouts is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today, culminating in the April 12 spring game at Fouts Field. All practices except the spring game (2 p.m.) are at 3:30.

"In a perfect world, you want to have all your guys there," said Dodge, who will see several newcomers get extended work. "This gives us a chance to see what some other guys have."

Among the injured/infirmed are starting center Kelvin Drake (ankle surgery) and defensive tackle Isaac Thomas, recovering from a blood clot in his leg that required hospitalization last month. Drake won't run until July, and Thomas hasn't been cleared for physical activity.

Drake's backup, Chad Rose, was sidelined by shoulder surgery, putting redshirt freshman J.J. Johnson on the clock.

"He'll get a ton of reps that he really needs," Dodge said of Johnson.

At quarterback, senior Daniel Meager and sophomore Nathan Tune will battle for No. 2 behind starter Giovanni Vizza.

At linebacker, UNT is deep but inexperienced. Sophomore Craig Robertson is the most tested returnee, but A.J. Penson, Steve Warren (redshirted last season), Colt Mahan, Marquese Davis, Justin Padron, Bron Hager and Tobe Nwigwe will fight it out.

Nwigwe, who could start at middle linebacker, is down to his last chance with Dodge and UNT after serving jail time during the 2007 season for violating probation on a 2006 criminal trespass charge. While on probation, Nwigwe was charged with misdemeanor theft.

Dodge called the spring receiver battle alongside honorable mention All-American Casey Fitzgerald "a big-time competition," but it might not include Rice transfer Evan Fentriss (knee), who is eligible to play in 2008.

By August, at least 10 returning receivers and several freshmen are expected to compete for three starting spots opposite Fitzgerald and four backup jobs.

ONLINE: meangreensports.com

Three questions

1. How will two transfer defensive backs look? More newcomers arrive in August, but safety Kylee Hill and cornerback Adryan Adams are enrolled at UNT now. In the secondary, one of UNT's weakest areas, both can get a head start impressing new defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach.

2. Despite injuries in both lines, can progress be made? Offensively, UNT has help coming from massive transfers Gabe Hollivay and Nate Jenkins. The defensive line is thin with Eddrick Gilmore, Ryan Davenport, Joseph Miller and Jonathan Stewart the only veterans. Evaluating and tinkering are main spring objectives.

3. Can place-kicking problems be solved? Transfer Jeremy Knott was signed to fix this after walk-ons didn't cut it in 2007. Knott could win the job well before August.

Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760

tphillips@star-telegram.com

[flyeater]

Call me a hard-ass, but I would have preferred that UNT and TN just part ways. Maybe there are extenuating circumstances to his "offenses", I don't know...with all the good students/athletes out there who need a hand, why does this kid get to be UNT's latest charity case?

Before anyone sez this is off-limits subject matter, remember his actions are a matter of public record.

If he graduated, I'd consider altering my opinion.

[KBJ]

Dodge looking for help

By TROY PHILLIPSStar-Telegram Staff Writer

At quarterback, senior Daniel Meager and sophomore Nathan Tune will battle for No. 2 behind starter Giovanni Vizza.

At linebacker, UNT is deep but inexperienced. Sophomore Craig Robertson is the most tested returnee, but A.J. Penson, Steve Warren (redshirted last season), Colt Mahan, Marquese Davis, Justin Padron, Bron Hager and Tobe Nwigwe will fight it out.

Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760

tphillips@star-telegram.com

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

[flyeater]

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

Step away from your crack dealer.

[GreenAlums]

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

Hmmmm....with a seemingly serious comment like that, I hope you exist on the board long enough for your 132nd post.

[UNTLifer]

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

You've said it all when you stated that the two QB's listed above are the best on the roster. No offense to these two young men, but Vizza is the best on the roster and will be challenged when Rodge arrives. Plus, Mahan's speed will be fine in the middle. Speed at every position is a good thing.

Edited March 6, 2008 by UNTLifer

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Remember, we have a new linebackers coach. DeLoach will sort out who can do the best job at a position and move the players accordingly.

Except for Seidle and Akpunku, all linebackers who might play this fall will participate in spring drills. Coach DeLoach will get a chance to test all but the two missing and I'm much more confident about his decisions than that of his predecessor.

Mahan will be fine. He has more experience than any of the others to go along with his good speed. He has played under this more traditional system and is likely more comfortable with it. I think that he might start ahead of Penson if the heavier LBs are placed in the middle (Davis, Nwigwe, Seidle).

[GreenBat]

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

Serious question for you KBJ. How long have you coached? At what level did you coach? Pee Wee, Middle School, High School, intermurals or College? As knowledgeable as you are about football I'm sure you were a head coach. It sounds like your specialty is judging talent, so how many games did you win as a coach?

Please enlighten all us stupid people why Meager and Tune are better quarterbacks than Vizza.

Colt Mahan has more tackles than any other linebacker because he has played for three seasons, the other linebackers have not. Last year a Redshirt freshman Craig Robertson had 48 tackles, 23 solo, in 12 games. In eight games, Colt had 15 tackles, 9 solo. I love Mahan as a player, and believe his speed will be a benefit at Mike, especially since Robertson and A.J. Penson, who I believe will be the other two starters, are faster. Colt is listed at 220, but I expect he is closer to 240, which is not under weight for the inside.

[Censored by Laurie]

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

You are half right....Colt needs to be on field.

The QB comment is just lunacy

[NT80]

He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second

Actually, they are probably battling for third behind Vizza and Riley.

[greenminer]

I think someone is just trying to get a rise out of yall.

[GreenBat]

I think someone is just trying to get a rise out of yall.

No, I think someone is just STUPID and doesn't do research before typing a foolish post.

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

This coach is a joke. He has the best two quarterbacks battling for second and Mahan has more tackles then any linebacker on the roster more speed but they moved him to mike so his speed will be of no use and he will be under weight for the inside

even daddy wouldn't say something this stupid. Took balls to say it but its all wrong.

[KBJ]

Colt Mahan has more tackles than any other linebacker because he has played for three seasons, the other linebackers have not. Last year a Redshirt freshman Craig Robertson had 48 tackles, 23 solo, in 12 games. In eight games, Colt had 15 tackles, 9 solo. I love Mahan as a player, and believe his speed will be a benefit at Mike, especially since Robertson and A.J. Penson, who I believe will be the other two starters, are faster. Colt is listed at 220, but I expect he is closer to 240, which is not under weight for the inside.

No, I think someone is just STUPID and doesn't do research before typing a foolish post.

Colt and Dawson both had over 50 tackles in 2006 when they got to play. Robertson and Penson are not even close to the speed that Mahan has he still runs around a 4.5 and he currently as of 03/04/2008 is at 218. Get some facts before making statements about stupidity

Edited March 6, 2008 by KBJ

[GreenBat]

Colt and Dawson both had over 50 tackles in 2006 when they got to play. Robertson and Penson are not even close to the speed that Mahan has he still runs around a 4.5 and he currently as of 03/04/2008 is at 218. Get some facts before making statements about stupidity

You are correct Colt Mahan and Germaine Dawson both had more than 50 tackles in 2006. Mahan had 53 tackles and Dawson had 54. Both played 12 games. Robertson's 2006 total was 6 less tackles than Dawson's 2005 and 7 less than Mahan's 2005 total. He also had 5 interceptions, where he would have made the tackle is he had not caused a turnover, which is better than a tackle. Robertson also had 3.5 Tackles for loss, while Dawson and Mahan combined for a career total of 6 tackles for loss.

Robertson's Rivals.com 40 time when he was recruited in 4.6. I could not find a 40 time for Penson, but I'm willing to bet he runs close to a 4.6.

Colt's Rivals.com 40 time when he was recruited in 4.5. I believe, if I remember correctly, had an knee injury in 2006. I hope he regained all of his speed. Robertson and Penson have good speed for outside LBs.

I'm not even sure why I'm taking time to explain my situation to you, when you prove my point with every post you make. I won't respond until you answer my question's so everyone knows your credentials.

How long have you coached? At what level did you coach? Pee Wee, Middle School, High School, intermurals or College? As knowledgeable as you are about football I'm sure you were a head coach. It sounds like your specialty is judging talent, so how many games did you win as a coach?

My credentials are more than 20 years covering High School, college and professional sports. I was the head coach of my intermural dorm flag football team as a freshman at Southwest Texas, which finished first in the league. I have covered College combines for the last 10 years. I also have many close friends in the coaching profession that call me on a regular bases to discuss football.

[stick82]

Serious question for you KBJ. How long have you coached? At what level did you coach? Pee Wee, Middle School, High School, intermurals or College? As knowledgeable as you are about football I'm sure you were a head coach. It sounds like your specialty is judging talent, so how many games did you win as a coach?

Please enlighten all us stupid people why Meager and Tune are better quarterbacks than Vizza.

Colt Mahan has more tackles than any other linebacker because he has played for three seasons, the other linebackers have not. Last year a Redshirt freshman Craig Robertson had 48 tackles, 23 solo, in 12 games. In eight games, Colt had 15 tackles, 9 solo. I love Mahan as a player, and believe his speed will be a benefit at Mike, especially since Robertson and A.J. Penson, who I believe will be the other two starters, are faster. Colt is listed at 220, but I expect he is closer to 240, which is not under weight for the inside.

i will agree that the whole qb comment was dumb vizza is clearly better than meager and tune. colt is coming off a shoulder injury not a knee injury he had surgery after the troy game in 2007. if colt is not the fastest he is in the top 3 out of all the line backers also colt is no where close to 240 he's not even close to being 220 if i can remember correctly i think he told me he was 208 a few weeks ago. so if you think someone that is 208 can play middle line backer in a D 1 program you have problems. another thing colt just got released to play from his doctor yesterday so depending on how his shoulder feels he might not be hitting that much this spring anyways.

[moffat]

i will agree that the whole qb comment was dumb vizza is clearly better than meager and tune. colt is coming off a shoulder injury not a knee injury he had surgery after the troy game in 2007. if colt is not the fastest he is in the top 3 out of all the line backers also colt is no where close to 240 he's not even close to being 220 if i can remember correctly i think he told me he was 208 a few weeks ago. so if you think someone that is 208 can play middle line backer in a D 1 program you have problems. another thing colt just got released to play from his doctor yesterday so depending on how his shoulder feels he might not be hitting that much this spring anyways.

Hey Stick82, I beleive that Mahan started 3 games in 06 that he led the team in tackles, 2 of those 3 weeks, he was defensive player of the week at 210lbs... I beleive that's D1 football. Colts speed allows him to play sideline to sideline.

[stick82]

Hey Stick82, I beleive that Mahan started 3 games in 06 that he led the team in tackles, 2 of those 3 weeks, he was defensive player of the week at 210lbs... I beleive that's D1 football. Colts speed allows him to play sideline to sideline.

i said nothing about colt not being a good linebacker Mr. Green Bat doesnt know his shit and thinks that he is 240 when hes 210 and he thinks 210 is a good weight for middle linebacker. When your a middle linebacker you have to take on blocks and when you dont have the size thats not a good position to be in. colt is an outside linebacker thats all i was trying to say.

[GreenBat]

i said nothing about colt not being a good linebacker Mr. Green Bat doesnt know his shit and thinks that he is 240 when hes 210 and he thinks 210 is a good weight for middle linebacker. When your a middle linebacker you have to take on blocks and when you dont have the size thats not a good position to be in. colt is an outside linebacker thats all i was trying to say.

You're right, Stick82, I don't know shit. I knew Brock Stickler was a classy player, who I was proud to have representing my University. I DON"T KNOW SHIT!

I never said a 210-pound linebacker was big enough to play the middle. Please, re-read my post one-word at a time, if that's not asking too much for a smart man like yourself.

I never said that Colt was a middle linebacker. But I do know one thing, Brock Stickler was one of my favorite players and I thought was one of the good guys that fans could be proud to cheer for, but as you say I don't know my shit. So have a good season.

[stick82]

You're right, Stick82, I don't know shit. I knew Brock Stickler was a classy player, who I was proud to have representing my University. I DON"T KNOW SHIT!

I never said a 210-pound linebacker was big enough to play the middle. Please, re-read my post one-word at a time, if that's not asking too much for a smart man like yourself.

I never said that Colt was a middle linebacker. But I do know one thing, Brock Stickler was one of my favorite players and I thought was one of the good guys that fans could be proud to cheer for, but as you say I don't know my shit. So have a good season.

well im glad you think that mr stickler is a classy guy, he is and im proud to have him as my brother and my roommate. but you did said that he was an inside backer and in a 4-3 defense that would make the inside backer the middle you also said that he is listed at 220 but you thought he was more like 240 and he's not even close to that. im sorry that i offended you in anyway colt is a good friend of my brother and of mine. Maybe saying that you dont know shit was the wrong choice of words you just dont have your facts right.

[FirefightnRick]

At linebacker, UNT is deep but inexperienced. Sophomore Craig Robertson is the most tested returnee, but A.J. Penson, Steve Warren (redshirted last season), Colt Mahan, Marquese Davis, Justin Padron, Bron Hager and Tobe Nwigwe will fight it out.

First off, if Nwigwe makes it all the way back into the starting lineup, that will give us Robertson, Nwigwe(middle) and Mahan as our starting three. I see this as an EXPERIENCED starting LB corp, not INEXPERIENCED, with Mahan as the most "tested" of the three. Second, if he is able to come all the way back Mahan won't be fighting anything out, he'll start at one of the outside LB's which is where he's always played as far as I remember? I wished he had his surgery earlier last season. That way he would have had an extra month to heal for Spring. I'm looking forward to seeing him play this spring as long as he's not rushed too quickly.

Rick

[eulessismore]

First off, if Nwigwe makes it all the way back into the starting lineup, that will give us Robertson, Nwigwe(middle) and Mahan as our starting three. I see this as an EXPERIENCED starting LB corp, not INEXPERIENCED, with Mahan as the most "tested" of the three. Second, if he is able to come all the way back Mahan won't be fighting anything out, he'll start at one of the outside LB's which is where he's always played as far as I remember? I wished he had his surgery earlier last season. That way he would have had an extra month to heal for Spring. I'm looking forward to seeing him play this spring as long as he's not rushed too quickly.

Rick

It would seem that the key to the above, concerning Mahan is that he is not rushed too quickly. After following this thread (and the college careers of the above mentioned), I'm thinking that Robertson, Nwigwe (I'm skipping the off field issues), and Mahan have the least to prove to the coaches in terms of abilities. And unless Mahan is back to 100%, it seems like the bulk of reps for spring could go to the other two, and those with less or no playing time (Davis, Padron, Warren, Hager, Penson) who are also healthy. Of course, Penson has been praised by Dodge recently, but would he really start over a completely healthy Mahan based on what happens in spring practice? In other words, I'm seeing spring practice as having the greatest importance for those who have played the least and need further evaluation, and the least importance for those who are proven players and are recovering from injuries.

Edited March 7, 2008 by eulessismore

[UNTLifer]

You're right, Stick82, I don't know shit. I knew Brock Stickler was a classy player, who I was proud to have representing my University. I DON"T KNOW SHIT!

I never said a 210-pound linebacker was big enough to play the middle. Please, re-read my post one-word at a time, if that's not asking too much for a smart man like yourself.

I never said that Colt was a middle linebacker. But I do know one thing, Brock Stickler was one of my favorite players and I thought was one of the good guys that fans could be proud to cheer for, but as you say I don't know my shit. So have a good season.

You always this bitter, or are you just depressed since Jay Dub said his good-byes?

[flyeater]

Nice job KBJ. You just picked a fight with people for no reason. From reading this, Dodge never said anything other than pointing out Robertson as a high-impact guy from last year, which is completely accurate. Nowhere does it say Colt Mahan is out of the mix as a starter or backup. It's not a depth-chart recitation, just an illustration of UNT's depth/inexperience at all the LB spots. You always read into stuff this badly?

As for the coaching being a "joke", look in the mirror, sir.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Nice job KBJ. You just picked a fight with people for no reason. From reading this, Dodge never said anything other than pointing out Robertson as a high-impact guy from last year, which is completely accurate. Nowhere does it say Colt Mahan is out of the mix as a starter or backup. It's not a depth-chart recitation, just an illustration of UNT's depth/inexperience at all the LB spots. You always read into stuff this badly?

As for the coaching being a "joke", look in the mirror, sir.

And just to add one more thing....DeLoach will pick who starts at linebacker; not Dodge.