Get a good look...
Because, if things go as planned, this space will look a whole lot different next Monday.
No, I'm not leaving (sorry to get your hopes up), but this board in its current form is. The long-anticipated board upgrade is imminent, and is scheduled to take effect next Monday morning. If you want a look at how it'll be, check out the Main Board (LOOK, DON'T POST) starting Wednesday. Rob and I have seen the upgraded version, and it's really cool. It smokes anything you'll find on other sites, and is a ton more user-friendly than this system (I realize that's not saying much, but still). If it works the way it's supposed to, fingers crossed, I think you'll really like it. One thing some of you may not like: shields will be going away.
Why Howard Houston? Why not?
The Aggies, as most of you know by now, hosted JUCO DT Howard Houston over the weekend. A late qualifier with three to play two, he's becoming an increasingly popular guy with teams who have scholarships to burn. The Aggies fit that bill, and have a potential grade issue in Kingsley Keke. Even if they didn't, they still have four scholarships to use and you can never have enough defensive tackles. Looking at his film, he looks quick -- even if his competition is questionable. And that's fine; the Aggies won't need him to be out there more than a few downs at a time, and if he's not ready now, he has a redshirt year.
Last year, the Aggies took a flyer on Darrell Jackson from Blinn, and I like his chances of eventually developing into a real player. He's tall and strong, even if he's still raw and filling out some. Jackson could end up being a quality compliment to Myles Garrett his last two seasons on campus (if Garrett is here for four seasons, which doesn't seem likely). In any event, I think Jackson, in time, will be more than worth the flyer. If Houston even does what Jackson did last year -- produce in limited snaps -- I think the Ags would be happy with that. If he plugs in and gives the Aggies another big body who can push upfield in John Chavis' system, they'll be thrilled.
A simple way to explain the difference in defensive scheme
This may be the best way I can put it: If you're on the line, you're heading upfield. And in most cases, someone from somewhere else will be joining you. Chavis likes to attack the backfield and he likes to do it in numbers. In Mark Snyder's system, one (if not both) of the defensive tackles was supposed to contain, or take on double teams at the line to allow other linemen or a blitzer to get up the field untouched. The problem in A&M's case was that the other linemen (minus Garrett) weren't getting into the backfield and the blitzers were ineffective, if he blitzed at all. If you play with the intent of having one guy take up two blockers and only two other guys rush the passer, they're not going to do much.
Chavis isn't going to play that way. He never has and he's made it clear he's not going to now.
So here's what to look for: Instead of trying to be the garbage men and taking on the double teams, Hardreck Walker and Zaycoven Henderson are going to go straight up the field, looking to get their hands on ONE guy and push him backward. That will require someone to move to double them. Alonzo Williams, who is fast at 300 pounds, should get a solo matchup. That leaves whoever is on the other side of Garrett (Julien Obioha or Qualen Cunningham, probably) and the sackman himself in one-on-one matchups. That would leave either a tight end or a back to chip or stay in to block, but that's where the fifth guy comes in. Think of someone with some speed -- Shaan Washington? A.J. Hilliard? Otaro Alaka? -- coming either off the edge or behind the nose tackle right up the gut. That eliminates the other prospect of a double team.
That leaves Garrett one-on-one. Oh dear.
In order to get still more speed on the field, Chavis has tinkered with moving Julien Obioha inside to tackle in certain situations. Obioha has told me more than once that he feels like he has a tackle's game in an end's body, so he probably is eating this up. He'll probably get teamed with Alonzo in most cases, but it sure would be nice if they could find a 330-pound DT who was strong and really fast too.
Oh, hey Daylon.
This has some serious potential.
10 plusses and 5 minuses from spring ball
Purely my opinion, of course. On the plus side:
1) Justin Evans is way better than expected. He might have been considered a placeholder for Donovan Wilson this spring, but he's the strong safety now. He has taken to the system quickly and impressed with his smarts and aggressiveness. Some people think the starters (Evans and Armani Watts) are already set. That would be a very pleasant surprise and allow for some options at safety. Justin Dunning and Larry Pryor could end up redshirting; if not, their snaps could be limited.
2) Kyle Allen looks good. This had to happen, and it looks like it has. He's certainly a big-time competitor, and nobody had a negative word to say about him this spring.
3) Jeremiah Stuckey? Really? The much-maligned JUCO came out of nowhere to perform well not only at center, but at guard as well. He may end up being a serious part of this offensive line after being largely counted out before the spring began. He deserves a ton of credit. (Keaton Sutherland and Koda Martin also should get props)
4) RSJ is much improved. He's more familiar with his job as a receiver and physically, he looks like he's got his burst back. That means the wideouts could be even more dangers.
5) Christian Kirk is legit. If it's possible to be a 5-star and underrated, he may be the guy who's it. He's extremely impressive.
6) Zaycoven Henderson, wrecking ball. He played really well at the end of last season, and he's healthier and stronger now. He may be very dangerous in the new system.
7) Welcome back Noel Ellis. Coach Sumlin finally said what we'd been hinting at for a long while (we couldn't say it outright for a bunch of reasons) -- Ellis is a Type-I diabetic who wasn't diagnosed until he got really sick last summer, hence the redshirt. He's now healthy and has bounced back to take charge at the nickel. That means Devonta Burns is on his way back to safety (and is part of the equation in #1).
8) James White, strong like bull. The sophomore is huge now, and his performance this spring drew the praise of the coaching staff.
9) Brandon Williams, new and improved. Williams is not only bigger, but looks more serious and motivated this year. He looks like he's intent on taking advantage of his last shot on making a name for himself.
10) Myles Garrett, still really good. Still not 100% as he recovers from ligament surgery on his hand, he was still unstoppable all spring.
Now, the five minuses:
1) Not having healthy linebackers really hurt. These were reps they all needed, and now they have to wait and hope everyone's healthy in the summer. Richard Moore drew praise for his work, but he's still in need of more size. You didn't hear much about Claude George.
2) Nobody stepped up to take the corner job. Maybe this isn't a surprise, but it would have been nice to see either Nick Harvey or Victor Davis at least nose a little bit ahead in order to at least light a fire under the other. Instead, it doesn't look like either did enough to make a move.
3) Uncertainty at guard. Jermaine Eluemunor and Joe Cheek started the spring as starting guards, but they didn't do enough to leave the spring without their jobs in peril. Sutherland, Martin, Stuckey and maybe even Tank Davis are now in the discussion to take those jobs. It says good things about the others, but it's not ideal at all.
4) Lack of competition at QB hurts. Yeah, Allen did fine, but you can tell Jake Spavital is awaiting Kyler's arrival if for no other reason but to have someone pushing the incumbent. As it was, he was pretty much competing against himself this spring.
5) Not what you want from Speedy. I don't care where you come down on this issue, because it really doesn't matter. What does matter is you don't want a guy who can emerge as a real weapon getting suspended for two weeks in the spring when he should be on the football field.
Because, if things go as planned, this space will look a whole lot different next Monday.
No, I'm not leaving (sorry to get your hopes up), but this board in its current form is. The long-anticipated board upgrade is imminent, and is scheduled to take effect next Monday morning. If you want a look at how it'll be, check out the Main Board (LOOK, DON'T POST) starting Wednesday. Rob and I have seen the upgraded version, and it's really cool. It smokes anything you'll find on other sites, and is a ton more user-friendly than this system (I realize that's not saying much, but still). If it works the way it's supposed to, fingers crossed, I think you'll really like it. One thing some of you may not like: shields will be going away.
Why Howard Houston? Why not?
The Aggies, as most of you know by now, hosted JUCO DT Howard Houston over the weekend. A late qualifier with three to play two, he's becoming an increasingly popular guy with teams who have scholarships to burn. The Aggies fit that bill, and have a potential grade issue in Kingsley Keke. Even if they didn't, they still have four scholarships to use and you can never have enough defensive tackles. Looking at his film, he looks quick -- even if his competition is questionable. And that's fine; the Aggies won't need him to be out there more than a few downs at a time, and if he's not ready now, he has a redshirt year.
Last year, the Aggies took a flyer on Darrell Jackson from Blinn, and I like his chances of eventually developing into a real player. He's tall and strong, even if he's still raw and filling out some. Jackson could end up being a quality compliment to Myles Garrett his last two seasons on campus (if Garrett is here for four seasons, which doesn't seem likely). In any event, I think Jackson, in time, will be more than worth the flyer. If Houston even does what Jackson did last year -- produce in limited snaps -- I think the Ags would be happy with that. If he plugs in and gives the Aggies another big body who can push upfield in John Chavis' system, they'll be thrilled.
A simple way to explain the difference in defensive scheme
This may be the best way I can put it: If you're on the line, you're heading upfield. And in most cases, someone from somewhere else will be joining you. Chavis likes to attack the backfield and he likes to do it in numbers. In Mark Snyder's system, one (if not both) of the defensive tackles was supposed to contain, or take on double teams at the line to allow other linemen or a blitzer to get up the field untouched. The problem in A&M's case was that the other linemen (minus Garrett) weren't getting into the backfield and the blitzers were ineffective, if he blitzed at all. If you play with the intent of having one guy take up two blockers and only two other guys rush the passer, they're not going to do much.
Chavis isn't going to play that way. He never has and he's made it clear he's not going to now.
So here's what to look for: Instead of trying to be the garbage men and taking on the double teams, Hardreck Walker and Zaycoven Henderson are going to go straight up the field, looking to get their hands on ONE guy and push him backward. That will require someone to move to double them. Alonzo Williams, who is fast at 300 pounds, should get a solo matchup. That leaves whoever is on the other side of Garrett (Julien Obioha or Qualen Cunningham, probably) and the sackman himself in one-on-one matchups. That would leave either a tight end or a back to chip or stay in to block, but that's where the fifth guy comes in. Think of someone with some speed -- Shaan Washington? A.J. Hilliard? Otaro Alaka? -- coming either off the edge or behind the nose tackle right up the gut. That eliminates the other prospect of a double team.
That leaves Garrett one-on-one. Oh dear.
In order to get still more speed on the field, Chavis has tinkered with moving Julien Obioha inside to tackle in certain situations. Obioha has told me more than once that he feels like he has a tackle's game in an end's body, so he probably is eating this up. He'll probably get teamed with Alonzo in most cases, but it sure would be nice if they could find a 330-pound DT who was strong and really fast too.
Oh, hey Daylon.
This has some serious potential.
10 plusses and 5 minuses from spring ball
Purely my opinion, of course. On the plus side:
1) Justin Evans is way better than expected. He might have been considered a placeholder for Donovan Wilson this spring, but he's the strong safety now. He has taken to the system quickly and impressed with his smarts and aggressiveness. Some people think the starters (Evans and Armani Watts) are already set. That would be a very pleasant surprise and allow for some options at safety. Justin Dunning and Larry Pryor could end up redshirting; if not, their snaps could be limited.
2) Kyle Allen looks good. This had to happen, and it looks like it has. He's certainly a big-time competitor, and nobody had a negative word to say about him this spring.
3) Jeremiah Stuckey? Really? The much-maligned JUCO came out of nowhere to perform well not only at center, but at guard as well. He may end up being a serious part of this offensive line after being largely counted out before the spring began. He deserves a ton of credit. (Keaton Sutherland and Koda Martin also should get props)
4) RSJ is much improved. He's more familiar with his job as a receiver and physically, he looks like he's got his burst back. That means the wideouts could be even more dangers.
5) Christian Kirk is legit. If it's possible to be a 5-star and underrated, he may be the guy who's it. He's extremely impressive.
6) Zaycoven Henderson, wrecking ball. He played really well at the end of last season, and he's healthier and stronger now. He may be very dangerous in the new system.
7) Welcome back Noel Ellis. Coach Sumlin finally said what we'd been hinting at for a long while (we couldn't say it outright for a bunch of reasons) -- Ellis is a Type-I diabetic who wasn't diagnosed until he got really sick last summer, hence the redshirt. He's now healthy and has bounced back to take charge at the nickel. That means Devonta Burns is on his way back to safety (and is part of the equation in #1).
8) James White, strong like bull. The sophomore is huge now, and his performance this spring drew the praise of the coaching staff.
9) Brandon Williams, new and improved. Williams is not only bigger, but looks more serious and motivated this year. He looks like he's intent on taking advantage of his last shot on making a name for himself.
10) Myles Garrett, still really good. Still not 100% as he recovers from ligament surgery on his hand, he was still unstoppable all spring.
Now, the five minuses:
1) Not having healthy linebackers really hurt. These were reps they all needed, and now they have to wait and hope everyone's healthy in the summer. Richard Moore drew praise for his work, but he's still in need of more size. You didn't hear much about Claude George.
2) Nobody stepped up to take the corner job. Maybe this isn't a surprise, but it would have been nice to see either Nick Harvey or Victor Davis at least nose a little bit ahead in order to at least light a fire under the other. Instead, it doesn't look like either did enough to make a move.
3) Uncertainty at guard. Jermaine Eluemunor and Joe Cheek started the spring as starting guards, but they didn't do enough to leave the spring without their jobs in peril. Sutherland, Martin, Stuckey and maybe even Tank Davis are now in the discussion to take those jobs. It says good things about the others, but it's not ideal at all.
4) Lack of competition at QB hurts. Yeah, Allen did fine, but you can tell Jake Spavital is awaiting Kyler's arrival if for no other reason but to have someone pushing the incumbent. As it was, he was pretty much competing against himself this spring.
5) Not what you want from Speedy. I don't care where you come down on this issue, because it really doesn't matter. What does matter is you don't want a guy who can emerge as a real weapon getting suspended for two weeks in the spring when he should be on the football field.
