Sandman and I checked out the boys today. Lots of energy, very intense practice. Great Tennessee drill. I think the O-line got the better of the D-line overall, but Walter Fisher and Andre Mathis had some great plays in the Tennessee drill. The team is in great shape and even after a nearly 3 hour practice in the heat they looked good without a lot of dropoff in effort at the end.
On the offense side, I was most impressed by Gerald Jones. He has adapted well to the receiver position and looks very poised. Of the other new guys Moore and Paige looked good; Vinson was not quite as impressive as I hoped but still looks like a player. O'Neill was dressed but didn't run any plays or sprints; it looked like they were holding him out for something minor.
On the defensive side Berry and Willingham were both impressive at the corner. Mckinzie looked good as well; I think it wil be a battle between him and Parrish to start next to Hefney. Mayo is ready big time in the middle.
I like the defensive line as well. Between Mapu, Bolden, Williams and Fisher we will be fine up the middle. Brimfield and Langley will be really good players in the future, but probably aren't quite ready to play. I think we need a playmaker at defensive end. X. Mitch is solid, who will step it up between Reynolds, Ayers, Wes Brown or even Ben Martin?
At one point the defense had Brimfield, Langley at tackles, Martin at end, and Frazier, Donald and Walker at linebackers. Maples and Anderson were at safety with Rogan on the corner. I feel like I saw the future of Tennessee football on the field for the first time together. The young guys fit in well and didn't look intimidated at all.
Oh, and by the way, they practiced special teams for the entire first hour.
