--Transfer update. Ja’Quay Hubbard is here and practicing, Zack Dobson is here and currently practicing, and Tony Fields is here but going through COVID-19 protocols. They are waiting for him to go through that process before he can start practicing.
--A stomach bug is going around so they are down some guys but are still doing split squad. Wednesday is a team, situational practice and Saturday is going into the stadium to make it game like.
--Safety Sean Mahone did well today and had a nice pick. Cornerback Daryl Porter has had three consecutive days where he has performed well. Linebacker Dylan Tonkery has made some nice plays two consecutive days in a row and fits well. Defensive end Akheem Mesidor is a guy that will help this year and has done well. Offensively Sam James had a slow start, but he bounced back and performed well. Offensive linemen Chase Behrndt and John Hughes are playing well, the latter is at right tackle. Tony Mathis had a good day today and is getting a better feel for things. Wide receiver Bryce Wheaton has had seven positive practices and it would be good for the team if he can continue this.
--Recovery day tomorrow, normal practice Friday and Saturday will be game-like, and they are exploring whether they will do a scrimmage.
--With the way the year is going to be structured, Brown believes that they are going to play more freshmen and young people than ever.
--All the team is going to be taking online classes. Brown likes to push his players to do in-person classes but this year in a lot of ways is going to be unique. Some graduate student kids will be in person because of special classes, but almost all the rest will be online.
--Brown said they are taking every scenario with the roster week-to-week and plan on expanding the roster with walk-ons as they continue to do things well. If they continue to stay relatively virus free, they will add more people to their roster.
--Players must make mature decisions and you try to coach them and get the veterans to understand why it’s important to make those choices. The players police themselves because they want to play. There will be some issues in this age group but there are ways to monitor as best as they can.
--Going into this, Brown’s initial plan was to stay in the split squad for two weeks and next week is when they get in the physical portion that needs to get done. Procedures are working so far and it’s important to learn lessons from college and NFL teams that made mistakes and were able to learn from it. Next week is when they must get physical to prepare for tackling.
--Dobson is dynamic with the ball in his hands but with the limited opportunities he had he made the most of it. Once he made his decision, one of his mentors in the coaching profession is Tony Franklin, who is the offensive coordinator there. He didn’t want to leave, but Franklin believes he was special and can add a lot in the receiving game as well as the return game.
--True evaluations really won’t start until they start practicing with the whole team.
--Quarterbacks some good and some bad. They must do a better job starting fast. Garrett Greene has a lot of energy and it’s contagious. Situational football, he is pleased with both Jarret Doege and Austin Kendall.
--Older group and a younger group with the offensive line and working with split squads. The offensive line is getting a ton of work, but they give so many fronts, but it logs a lot of reps for the line. We’re really trying to get a lot of front looks that they’ll see throughout the fall.
--Quay Mays will play behind Darius Stills at the nose and he really fought through today. He is strong when he is in shape and he plays with really low pad level and he can get some vertical push.
--A stomach bug is going around so they are down some guys but are still doing split squad. Wednesday is a team, situational practice and Saturday is going into the stadium to make it game like.
--Safety Sean Mahone did well today and had a nice pick. Cornerback Daryl Porter has had three consecutive days where he has performed well. Linebacker Dylan Tonkery has made some nice plays two consecutive days in a row and fits well. Defensive end Akheem Mesidor is a guy that will help this year and has done well. Offensively Sam James had a slow start, but he bounced back and performed well. Offensive linemen Chase Behrndt and John Hughes are playing well, the latter is at right tackle. Tony Mathis had a good day today and is getting a better feel for things. Wide receiver Bryce Wheaton has had seven positive practices and it would be good for the team if he can continue this.
--Recovery day tomorrow, normal practice Friday and Saturday will be game-like, and they are exploring whether they will do a scrimmage.
--With the way the year is going to be structured, Brown believes that they are going to play more freshmen and young people than ever.
--All the team is going to be taking online classes. Brown likes to push his players to do in-person classes but this year in a lot of ways is going to be unique. Some graduate student kids will be in person because of special classes, but almost all the rest will be online.
--Brown said they are taking every scenario with the roster week-to-week and plan on expanding the roster with walk-ons as they continue to do things well. If they continue to stay relatively virus free, they will add more people to their roster.
--Players must make mature decisions and you try to coach them and get the veterans to understand why it’s important to make those choices. The players police themselves because they want to play. There will be some issues in this age group but there are ways to monitor as best as they can.
--Going into this, Brown’s initial plan was to stay in the split squad for two weeks and next week is when they get in the physical portion that needs to get done. Procedures are working so far and it’s important to learn lessons from college and NFL teams that made mistakes and were able to learn from it. Next week is when they must get physical to prepare for tackling.
--Dobson is dynamic with the ball in his hands but with the limited opportunities he had he made the most of it. Once he made his decision, one of his mentors in the coaching profession is Tony Franklin, who is the offensive coordinator there. He didn’t want to leave, but Franklin believes he was special and can add a lot in the receiving game as well as the return game.
--True evaluations really won’t start until they start practicing with the whole team.
--Quarterbacks some good and some bad. They must do a better job starting fast. Garrett Greene has a lot of energy and it’s contagious. Situational football, he is pleased with both Jarret Doege and Austin Kendall.
--Older group and a younger group with the offensive line and working with split squads. The offensive line is getting a ton of work, but they give so many fronts, but it logs a lot of reps for the line. We’re really trying to get a lot of front looks that they’ll see throughout the fall.
--Quay Mays will play behind Darius Stills at the nose and he really fought through today. He is strong when he is in shape and he plays with really low pad level and he can get some vertical push.
