Wednesday practice -- points of interest (video) UPDATES ONLY

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

Same rules as yesterday... see here. Please do not post comments in this thread, only relevant updates.

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Video 2 from cstv and utsports

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

Lots of updates posted by tennessee391.

Ericvol2096 · Aug 5, 2009

"Three freshman are really shining David Oku, Bryce Brown and Marsalis Teague, they are putting in the extra time learning the offense" Paraphrase of Kiffin Quote.

Also said that Oku has been most impressive of freshman!

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

From UT Sports

Kiffin said junior defensive back Eric Berry accounted for four or five turnovers, and junior defensive end Chris Walker -- named most improved player during spring practice -- has continued to be a solid pass rusher.

Kiffin added that multitalented players like Jackson, who is fast enough to play the cornerback position, give him versatile options for the secondary.

"We have a unique secondary with so many guys that can cover and play safety," Kiffin said. "We have to figure out pretty soon who's going to play where and make sure we get the other guys into position to play."

Vols' Secondary Shines on Day 2 - TENNESSEE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

VolsFanRJ · Aug 5, 2009

This doesn't sound good.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin says he and his coaching staff are having a hard time getting wide receiver Brandon Warren through an entire practice.

Warren says he suffered a foot injury early in the summer and has been dealing with occasional pain in the first two fall practices.

Kiffin said Wednesday he feels like it’s “always something” with Warren, and that coaches are having a hard time getting 30 minutes of practice time with him.

Coaches are trying to convert the 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior from Alcoa from tight end to wide receiver to put his size and natural catching ability to use.

Warren says he’s trying to play through the pain because of how thin the receiving corps is. Denarius Moore is sidelined as he recovers from foot surgery, and Austin Rogers is out for the season to recover from knee surgery.

Kiffin: Brandon Warren struggling with practice GoVolsXtra

checkerboard_charly · Aug 5, 2009

Kiffin talks about QBs: "We've got to continue to get better there," said Kiffin. "We have made some decisions that we'd like to take back. We have to continue to give them the same plays and we continue to install and put a lot on them. Eventually we'll slow down, but I like their grasp of the offense. We've just got to make better decisions at times."

checkerboard_charly · Aug 5, 2009

Kiffin talks about the RBs cathing the ball:"It all depends on who you're playing and what they try to take away," Kiffin said of utilizing tailbacks in the passing game. "We happen to have a group of running backs that really all four of them catch the ball extremely well, especially the two freshmen. They have a unique ability to catch it.

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

The quarterbacks and note the pural meaning all of them struggled. They struggled to complete passes. They really in team work 11 on 11 made one play down the field.

The quarterback play must and I mean must get better. In the secondary, Art Evans had a pick, and their coverage overall was really good.

from this thread: http://www.volnation.com/forum/tenn...4-we-may-trouble-post2554506.html#post2554506

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

Today's update from Chip Kain on Sports Talk. (my best summary)

The team came ready to practice. Kiffin was really happy with the effort and intensity level.

The goal of the defense is to try and strip the ball from running backs or receivers. It's really brutal, guys just throwing arms and clinched fists trying to knock the ball loose. It's very physical -- guys diving after balls with no shoulder pads or football pads -- just diving into the sidelines. It's very physical out there. Kiffin feels like they have already had 4 practices because of the intensity with the morning walk-throughs.

The defense has been able to create turnover situations thus far -- both Crompton and Stephens threw multiple interceptions today. It's a combination of bad offensive choices and good defense, according to Kiffin. At one point, the defensive coaches were screaming out to the defense 'they can't complete a pass on you in man coverage'. Prentiss Waggner had a great interception today and Eric Berry has 4-5 picks to this point (I assume that includes yesterday).

David Oku was mentioned specifically by Kiffin after practice today. Oku has put together two really solid practices back to back. Freshman aren't supposed to have that kind of consistency, but Oku did. Bryce Brown was sucking wind at times during drills.

Chris Walker has looked really good. Kiffin mentioned him after practice. He's been a really good pash rusher.

Kiffin likes Rogan at Safety and he went on to talk about Janzen Jackson. Jackson is not a real big guy, but he's tall with a big frame. He only weighs 184 lbs so if he puts on more weight he could play a more physical position on the defensive side of the football.

Kiffin likes what he has at corner. May be one reason for Rogan, Myles and Jackson at safety. If they need to move Rogan back to corner, they already know he can play there. Kiffin has said, one of the priorities is finding who will play safety along side of Berry.

The offensive staff is doing a good job of working in the running backs. They are throwing to them out of the backfield, more than the last staff. Kiffin said we will see more of that as the fall progresses.

Montori Hughes is a big, big guy who is going to be a real asset to this team defensively. At one point, he was screaming and going wild, yelling at his defensive backs to go pick the ball off. He was getting very vocal. Eric Berry said he was impressed with Hughes.

Marsalis Teague looked very comfortable at receiver. Teague is a small guy, but Nukeese Richardson is tiny. It's hard for a defender to get a good hit on him.

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

After two days of working out in shorts, the Volunteers will add shoulder pads to Thursday’s practice. The first day of full pads will be Saturday and the players will attend Media Day on Sunday.

..

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

“I can tell you they know how to practice. I think 70 percent of coaches don’t know what you can get out of full-speed coaching on the practice field. I strongly believe that they know how to practice and are doing a lot of good teaching and have a lot of energy.”

Johnny Majors likes way Vols practice under Kiffin | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

Dave Hooker reports that Prentiss Waggner may have the inside track to being Berry's running mate at safety. He added...

Need an extra defender to play the run? Call Berry. How about a deep safety playing the pass? Berry's the man.

"Our disguises are crazy," Waggner said. "You'll think he's in this place and he winds up in the next place. I'm out there roaming, too."

"Most of the time he's the guy that always rocks down," Waggner said. "Most of the time I'm just roaming free and just doing the dirty work back there."

Is there another safety valve? Waggner working with Berry GoVolsXtra

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

John Adams wasn't blown away by Bryce Brown.

That's what watching too many YouTube highlights will do for you. I was prepared to see a encore of Reggie Bush's game against Fresno State his junior season. All I saw was a running back with size, cutting ability and speed who looked surprisingly comfortable in a college offense and got better as the practice progressed after a comparatively slow start.

Brown's performance wasn't without an Arian Foster moment. A defensive back punched the ball out of Brown's arms as the running back broke into the open field.

Adams: Freshmen make fast start real possibility GoVolsXtra

Freak · Aug 5, 2009

Through the first two days of practice, the first team working with projected starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton seems to be stable. It consists of Chris Scott at left tackle, Vladimir Richard at left guard, Josh McNeil at center, Jacques McClendon at right guard, and Jarrod Shaw at right tackle. Jeff Cottam and Luke Stocker are co-starters at tight end on the current depth chart

Wes Brown

Brown, who has struggled with knee problems throughout his UT career, made it through Wednesday’s second day of preseason practice without any major problems.

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/aug/05/kiffin-wants-to-see-more-from-warren/?partner=RSS

checkerboard_charly · Aug 5, 2009

Day 2

Freak · Aug 6, 2009

Frank Wilson, first-year coach of UT's receivers, admits that the Vols need a lot of work on beating press coverage.

"We don't have the biggest receiving corps," he said. "When people come up to press us and try to play physical, we as a staff have to equip them with an arsenal so they can get away from it. Their hands are vital to that. You can get off press by your hands, by your feet or both. That's something we try to teach these guys."

Scout.com: Beat the press

Freak · Aug 6, 2009

Mike Rozier

An older young man that has the experience of playing professional baseball. His maturity shows in his poise in the pocket and the touch he puts on the football. He has good arm strength and is a lefty. It will be interesting to see how he picks up the offense.

If he progresses well, it will be interesting to see if the Vols will use Rozier as the No. 3 guy and allow Lamaison to be red-shirted. It’s way too early for that decision to be made.

Scout.com: An early look at the Vol's options at QB

Freak · Aug 6, 2009

Freak · Aug 6, 2009

Freak · Aug 6, 2009

Berry -- a unanimous All-American last season as sophomore who is on pace to smash several UT, Southeastern Conference and NCAA records -- said both freshmen safeties are more ready to play than he was his first year.

"As soon as (Jackson and Myles) learn the playbook, I feel like they're going to be incredible," Berry said after Wednesday's three-hour practice. "Y'all look at me now and think of me as this guy, but they came in here with a lot more natural ability. Seeing how they get to the ball and some of the plays they make, it's pretty incredible."

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Stacked secondary Freshman DBs battling to start for Vols

PowerT83 · Aug 6, 2009

This is about Tuesday's practice

The intensity and pace of Tennessee's first day of practice was an eye-opener for some observers, http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange/2009/08/football_practice_day_one.html

I don't know how many games Tennessee is going to win this year but when they lose, it won't be from lack of intensity. The first day of fall football camp was an eye-opener (to me anyway) about the kind of tempo and physicality Lane Kiffin and his staff demand. I observed very little of spring practice, only the scrimmages and orange and white game. The most notable aspect of Tuesday's practice was the amount of contact in a "no pads" format. There wasn't any tackling per se, but there was plenty of bumping, shoving and grabbing. I was just looking at the practice video we have and trust me, it doesn't portray the actual intensity and physicality once practice got rolling.

I've noticed that whenever one of my colleagues in the national media (both TV and print) comes out to a USC practice, their first reaction is they've never seen a team practice at such a tempo. The only place I'd seen that trumped it with an even faster pace, more hitting and more intensity was Ole Miss when Ed Orgeron, another ex-USC guy, was running the show. Then again, given the Rebels' track record of winning the opener and then hitting a lull for the next month or so, you could assert (as one of Orgeron's former assistants did to me after he was let go), that they often went TOO hard and TOO fast at practice and lost their legs before their bodies recovered near midseason. I'm curious to see if there is a similar effect at Tennessee.

I hope we don't lose our legs half way through

The Dude · Aug 6, 2009

Kiffin said none of the five offensive line starting spots were settled yet, but he was pleased with the first unit's run-blocking.

Several players struggled to catch punts and kickoffs Wednesday. At least six consecutive kicks were muffed at one point.

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Brown battling through pain

HitemHardVols · Aug 6, 2009

so does this mean Janzen is going to play Safety?

Wednesday practice -- points of interest (video) UPDATES ONLY

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