Tuesday Practice Notes

[govols105]

Notes from Tennessee's Tuesday practice | Nooga.com

Injury update:

• Out: WR Ryan Jenkins, DT Trevarris Saulsberry, TE Brendan Downs, TE A.J. Branisel, S Brian Randolph, WR Drae Bowles, WR Jacob Carter

• Limited: DT Jason Carr (large cast on hand), WR Jason Croom, DB Devaun Swafford, DB Max Arnold, OL Austin Sanders

Other notes/observations:

• The punt returners worked on fielding punts while holding tennis balls in their hands (pictured above). The point was to emphasize getting their arms under the ball and cradling it while trying to catch the punt.

• The starting kickoff return team got some live action with Devrin Young and Jaron Toney getting the first shot as the deep returners. The rest of the return unit consisted of Alden Hill, LaDarrell McNeil, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Lemond Johnson, Ethan Wolf, Colton Jumper, LaTroy Lewis, Kenny Bynum and Daniel Helm.

• In a few live 11-on-11 plays, the offense had a couple nice plays. Young took a handoff around the left end for approximately 15 yards and quarterback Riley Ferguson, working with the second team, made a nice throw to Helm for a first down.

• One new defensive wrinkle was working DE Jordan Williams as a defensive tackle in some pass-rushing situations. Curt Maggitt continues to play a hybrid role. He took some snaps with his hand in the dirt and on others he started the play as a walked-up outside linebacker. Regardless of how he lines up, the Vols are clearly looking for ways to let him utilize his natural pass-rushing skills.

• The defense was back in orange practice uniforms after getting the upper hand in Saturday's scrimmage.

 

[24/7vol]

Thanks for the info..I've been searching all day for something as practice times aren't listed.

 

[JRVFL]

VQ Quick HiTs: Vols hold maximizing Tuesday: https://tennessee.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1629455

It was a fundamental, technique, correction day for the Vols in what was called maximize Tuesday as they opened the final week of spring practice with the first of four workouts this week, which includes Saturday's Orange and White game.

For the receivers, it was a bounce back day after suffering a bout with the drops on Saturday. Head coach Butch Jones routinely challenged that group to not let the ball hit the ground. He also challenged their attention to detail in route running, noting that anyone can run a take off or a go pattern.

It was another day of special teams work with the Vols going through a live rep of kickoff return. Devrin Young handled that duty while walk-on Derrick Brodus handled the kicking. Brodus' first kick was a poor kick resulting in a do-over and the only time Jones tells his players to walk.

After the poor kick Jones quickly hit the microphone telling the coverage team to walk back for the re-kick and not to run noting that it's important they walk and not jog so that they can catch their breath and be at an optimum level for the re-kick.

In addition to the live kick, the team also worked individual special teams drills on blocking included in that drill work were almost all the newcomers like running back Jalen Hurd. Hurd by the way was not sporting the elbow brace on Tuesday.

Jones also put his team through a team 11-on-11 period which was clearly designed to stretch the defense and get them to swarm the ball and to get the next call as the offense tried to go really fast and most of the plays were sweeps or wide running plays. Marquez North, Josh Malone and Von Pearson all got opportunities with the jet sweeps with the first team. Jonathan Johnson had the most productive carry going about 15 yards on the second unit. Freshman Daniel Helm did have a nice 15-yard catch from quarterback Riley Ferguson over the middle taking a solid collision which prompted praise for Helm from the head coach. The two new tight ends continue to be very productive this spring.

 

[JRVFL]

Tuesday's Practice Notes 4/8 - Tennessee Sports Radio - Tennessee Sports Radio

Tennessee’s practice on Tuesday began with a Butch Jones throwback to last summer when he introduced the three man weave…yes, the three man weave…to the football field. Butch yelled to his team that this drill was not a joke and not time to be “jacking around” but that it was for them to focus on pitch work and hand-eye coordination. Anyone throwing bad pitches or putting balls on the ground would almost certainly catch the wrath of Butch over the microphone. However, I’m not sure how you can expect 18-22 year old kids to take a drill seriously with this song (Harlem Globetrotter's theme song) echoing over the PA, but I digress…On with the notes:

Offense Wears White: Coming off a less than stellar performance in the scrimmage on Saturday, including and 0 for 8 showing in Red Zone game winning situations, the offense was back in the white uniforms for practice. It would appear that the defense’s win in Saturday’s scrimmage has given them the orange jerseys for the remainder of spring practice, including the Orange and White game on Saturday at 3:00pm.

Added Degree of Difficulty: From a distance, during punt fielding work, it appeared as if the return men were all wearing some new neon green gloves. Upon closer inspection, however, it wasn’t the gloves that were green but rather the tennis balls that they were holding in each hand as they fielded punts. The balls are held to minimize dexterity of the hands and force players like Emmanuel Moseley, Cam Sutton, and Devrin Young to focus on cradling the ball into their arms without relying strictly on their grip to make a catch. I hadn’t seen this drill used before by this staff and all the players fielding punts had no trouble adjusting to the challenge as no punts were muffed during the drill.

Darr’s Transformation: Last summer during practice Matt Darr was the most inconsistent punter on the roster. He struggled fielding the snap, he struggled with his release time, and his punts were mostly shanks. Flat out, he did not look like a college level punter, let alone a guy you could rely on in the SEC. That being said, whatever he did in the offseason and whatever Butch Jones and his position coaches have changed about his form is working in spades. Matt Darr is punting faster and more consistently than he ever has. Tonight he was consistently hitting 55-yard punts in the air with solid hang time and he was getting them off quickly. If Darr continues to improve at this rate, he could compete for some punter awards this season.

 

[JRVFL]

Coach Fulmer in the house today! A :hi: from CBJ.

 

[Biopsyman]

Toney= Toast

 

[FLVOL_79]

That tennis ball drill is brilliant.

 

[JRVFL]

#VolReport: Butch Jones Media Session: (4/8/14)
https://www.youtube.com/v/KQMMAKsIdDo&feature=youtu.be

Highlights:

- O&W game weekend now called Big Orange Weekend
- VFL Classic Flag Football game MVP will take home a trophy that is 13 FEET 9 INCHES
- Al Wilson is already talking "junk"
- Al Wilson Leadership Award will be given to individual on football team at halftime that has displayed the most leadership throughout the course of the off-season
- It's a tremendous recruiting opportunity for the football program
- Critical that fans show up and create a great environment
- Utah State game moved to Sunday

 

[Freak]

Instagram

 

[Freak]

Jones: I really liked our mental effort and intensity today. We maximized our potential. The players really competed.

Jones: We have named it Big Orange Weekend, starting with lettermans golf outing and continuing with VFL banquet on Friday night.

Jones: We will have a new award, the Al Wilson Leadership Award, will announce at the Orange & White Game.

Fortenberry: Butch says there's a new award being handed out this weekend called the 'Al Wilson Award.' Goes to player that showed the most leadership.

Jones: We are excited to play on Sunday. It's a great day for the city and the state.

 

[Freak]

Martinez: We have been giving Coleman more reps at the nickel. @EMoseley_4 has been able to play with energy and enthusiasm.

Daniel Lewis: Don Mahoney singles out Kyler Kerbyson as one of the guys having a great spring.

Jancek: @Dmixon52 is not the size we need right now, but he is continuing to get bigger and will help us down the road.

Jancek: @CurtMaggitt gives us an element we haven't had with his play and his leadership. We will stand him up and move him around.

Bajakian: Tight ends allow for multiplicity, the freshmen TEs have surprised me. They have played at a level of physicality that pleases me

Bajakian: we are making too many mistakes and missing too many open receivers. It would be ideal to have a clear cut starter at QB

 

[Freak]

Tennessee football practice report: Phillip Fulmer visits practice | Mobile TFP

 

[Rockytoptalker]

Sounds like Young, Darr and Moseley might surprise some people this year.

 

[Freak]

Bajakian: North from Day 1 has had a mature approach. He works really hard and wants to be great. He is developing consistency.

Bajakian: I love the consistency that @ClamCrowder57 has shown at center.

Bajakian: We have moved Malone around. He is growing and developing at the level we need in this offense.

Bajakian: it's 4-6 plays in a game that make the difference between winning and losing.

Bajakian: @YoungDevrin has had a very good spring. He brings agility and speed we desire. We will did ways to get him the ball.


Azzanni: Von Pearson doesn't let anything get to him. He has been through a lot in football and life and he's always up.

Azzanni: I was really happy for @JoshSmith_25 He's playing with confidence and swagger. He loves to play and he's tough.

Azzanni: @Numero8_thebest's next step is understanding the nuances of playing receiver.

 

[Freak]

Embedded video posted above.

[Youtube]http://youtube.com/embed/KQMMAKsIdDo[/youtube]

 

[FalcoVol]

Thanks for the wealth of info guys! :good!: :hi:

 

[Freak]

Patrick Brown: #Vols WR coach Zach Azzanni said Von Pearson was 'awful' in scrimmage 1, 'less awful' in scrimmage 2 & 'a little bit less awful' on Saturday

Azzanni on Pearson: 'He's got so much energy and juice, it's hard to stay angry at him for more than about 10 seconds. He's gonna be fine.'

 

[JRVFL]

Vol Spring Practice: Vols prepare for the Orange and White game | FootballTime.comFootballTime.com

*Former head coach Phillip Fulmer was in attendance for practice Tuesday afternoon. He’s been around the program fairly frequently since Butch Jones took the reins of the team.

*Devrin Young worked as the starting kick returner and put together a couple lengthy returns. He’s the most sure-handed player the Vols have to field kicks and punts and, at least momentarily, is the leader for those two jobs. He continues to work a ton at running back and has been one of the most dynamic playmakers on the field.

*Tennessee’s nickel defense, which you will probably see them run more than their base 4-3 look, featured Maggitt at one end and Corey Vereen on the other. That’s a disruptive combination than most teams will struggle with. Jordan Williams and Owen Williams worked at tackle in nickel sets. Justin Coleman continues to solidify himself at nickel corner with Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley at the other corner positions. The Vol secondary has been better this spring than it was at any point last year.

*Justin Worley got the only rep with the first team during the live 11-on-11 portion of practice open to the media. Riley Ferguson worked with the second team and easily drove the ball down the field on Tennessee’s reserves. He completed a pass for a first down to Daniel Helm on his lone drive. The Vols tight ends, no matter who starts, look to be much improved this season.

 

[olbemw7]

Bajakian: we are making too many mistakes and missing too many open receivers. It would be ideal to have a clear cut starter at QB

I interpret this as confirmation that the QB situation is more glass half empty than it is glass half full.

What I mean is that Bajakian's quote here indicates that the lack of separation at QB is a function of none of the 4 developing into a serviceable QB, rather than it being a function of all 4 improving and competing at a high level, as some have postulated.

Not trying to be a negavol, but this comment from Bajakian worries me.

 

[UTProf]

I interpret this as confirmation that the QB situation is more glass half empty than it is glass half full.

What I mean is that Bajakian's quote here indicates that the lack of separation at QB is a function of none of the 4 developing into a serviceable QB, rather than it being a function of all 4 improving and competing at a high level, as some have postulated.

Not trying to be a negavol, but this comment from Bajakian worries me.

It just tells me that the QB competition will go all the way til august. Not surprising really. But bad for Vol Nation's health.

 

[Freak]

[Youtube]http://youtube.com/embed/tab45MfrNTE[/youtube]

 

[Col_Cathcart]

I interpret this as confirmation that the QB situation is more glass half empty than it is glass half full.

What I mean is that Bajakian's quote here indicates that the lack of separation at QB is a function of none of the 4 developing into a serviceable QB, rather than it being a function of all 4 improving and competing at a high level, as some have postulated.

Not trying to be a negavol, but this comment from Bajakian worries me.

I would have called Worley "serviceable" last year. Unless he's significantly regressed our floor isn't nearly as low as some people seem to think. I'm much more worried about our OL.

 

[davethevol]

I interpret this as confirmation that the QB situation is more glass half empty than it is glass half full.

What I mean is that Bajakian's quote here indicates that the lack of separation at QB is a function of none of the 4 developing into a serviceable QB, rather than it being a function of all 4 improving and competing at a high level, as some have postulated.

Not trying to be a negavol, but this comment from Bajakian worries me.

Worley is clearly playing better than anyone else, which is why he is still getting the majority of the snaps with the first string. Bajakian doesn't want to say, "yeah, Worley is our guy and the others have a lot of work to do," cause if he said that then Peterman, Dobbs, and Ferguson quite possibly quit putting forth the effort and start looking at transfers.

 

[KittenMittens]

*Tennessee’s nickel defense, which you will probably see them run more than their base 4-3 look, featured Maggitt at one end and Corey Vereen on the other. That’s a disruptive combination than most teams will struggle with.

Can we talk about that statement for a second?

 

[KBVol]

I interpret this as confirmation that the QB situation is more glass half empty than it is glass half full.

What I mean is that Bajakian's quote here indicates that the lack of separation at QB is a function of none of the 4 developing into a serviceable QB, rather than it being a function of all 4 improving and competing at a high level, as some have postulated.

Not trying to be a negavol, but this comment from Bajakian worries me.

Temper that thought with Butch saying he really liked and was really encouraged by how all the QBs were progressing with their decision-making and execution of the offense last week. It's one quote from Coach Jake. I share some of your concern but I just really believe that our QB play will be much improved this year, especially given all the new skill position players. My primary concern is how quickly the OL will jell and Blair developing ASAP into the LT we desperately need.