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Miami Hurricanes Football Insider: 8/12
"Another beautiful day,” head coach Mark Richt said after the morning practice. “Today we worked hard on our short yardage offense and defense, red zone offense and defense, installation down there, which went well Teaching, learning, still competing. Short yardage, it's hard to say, but offense probably got the nod on that, at least the ones [first string] did. That may not be true - it was about a dead heat on the short yardage. Defense won the red zone today, and overall, the defense won the day again. I know it's getting frustrating for the offensive guys, but we have to keep competing, keep executing. A lot of it is execution issues. A lot of it is getting beat physically. I'll take my share of the blame as well for not putting them in the best position, at times. When you install, you're kind of calling plays that you're installing that day. We haven't really started gameplanning anybody yet. That's about how the day went."
Richt admitted there has been some frustration from him with the offense’s performance during the fall.
"At times. It's a process, I know that,” Richt said. “It takes time. You're working ones, twos [second string] and threes [third string], so it's hard to get continuity right off the get-go, with that many groups. But if all I did was watch our ones, everytime our ones were in there, I'd feel pretty good...our twos are going against the number one defense, and they're swarming them pretty good. If you just went our offensive ones, on every tape from there, I would say the offense was winning the majority of the days. Defensive ones have been winning, but they've been winning by a larger margin, if that makes sense. And that's why that's been a difference most of the time."
NEWS & NOTES
•Former Hurricane great Edgerrin James was at practice. James spent time watching his nephew, freshman safety Jeff James.
• WR Stacy Coley is “always on top of his game,” says Redwine. “He’s probably one of the best receivers in the country.” Mark Richt has been pleased with Coley and his attempt to stay healthy: "I see a guy who is in shape. I see a guy who is focused. I see a guy who wants to be great. I see a guy who came back for a purpose. He wants to help the team win, but he also wants to be in as good of shape as he can with his future as a football player, which I think he has. He has done all the things we've asked him to do. He's always had a little soft tissue stuff - hamstring, whatever it is. He did an unbelievable job all summer. I'm not going to sit here and say he can never pull a muscle, but he really hasn't been bothered by it so far because of how hard he has worked all summer long."
• TE Standish Dobard (right ankle) did not practice and was in a walking boot. Dobard, a senior, has been third among tight ends on the depth chart behind junior Chris Herndon and sophomore David Njoku.
• LB Michael Pinckney (quadriceps) was limited again in practice working with the trainers during the media viewing period.
• DE Al-Quadin Muhammad returned to practice after missing Thursday’s practice due to personal reasons according to Richt.
• Quarterbacks coach Jon Richt has been impressed with Brad Kaaya’s progress. “The crazy thing is—we did all of this in the spring and did all of the installs in the spring and once over the summer—Brad has mastered it. Brad does have control. He does have confidence. That’s where he’s leaps and bounds over everybody else. He goes out there with confidence every play and knows where he’s supposed to go with the ball and does what we ask. His footwork is on point now. He’s doing what we want.”
• Jon Richt on the back-up quarterback spot: “We don’t (know). That’s kind of where it’s at. All of those guys are competing, they’re working hard, trying to get better every day, but right now there’s no clear No. 2 or No. 3. We’ve got to figure out who those guys are and once we figure it out, we’ll hopefully let you know.”
• Jon Richt discussed each of the three candidates for the back-up spot including Malik Rosier, Evan Shirreffs, and Jack Allison:
• Jon Richt on why Rosier hasn’t ahold of the job after having it last year: “Some of it is him getting used to our system and it’s a completely different feel and a completely different and a completely different way to go. He’s doing a good job right now of coming up. He’s got to be more consistent—that’s our big thing with him. He’s got to come in play in and play out like all of our quarterbacks, they’ve got to know what to do and what not to do.”
• Jon Richt on Shirreffs: “Evan’s done a good job. Evan in the spring was one of the smartest guys we’ve got first all. He probably picked it up faster than everybody else and he’s doing a good job. He’s a steady Eddie. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do every play and we know what we’re going to get out of Evan. He’s a very trustworthy guy.”
• Jon Richt on Allison: “Jack’s got a great arm and a great release. One of the things that Jack has done is in the spring he was a high schooler that should have been at prom and it looked like it out there--he was a little over his head. Jack did an awesome job coming to work over the summer, learning exactly what to do, gaining confidence, and now you can tell he’s supposed to be out there and he’s supposed to be a guy that will compete. It’s really awesome to see a guy like that take control of what he’s doing and learn to love it, be confidence, and know what to do.”
• QB Brad Kaaya was not pleased with the way the offense started the scrimmage on Wednesday. “We have to take better care of the ball,” Kaaya said. “There was too many turnovers. We have to start better. The first play of the scrimmage, there was a fumble off of a quick flat. Starting any game that way, it is hard to get that momentum back.”
• Kaaya feels like the tempo of this Mark Richt offense is going to be quicker than the first two seasons. “It seems like we are going at a much faster tempo. It is not so much being a shotgun heavy, spread team. It is more being able to be in pro sets and having a fast tempo. I feel like our tempo has increased and at the same time that can be attributed to our conditioning level as well. I feel like guys are in better shape. The offensive line can get set a lot faster. They are getting set on their own. The conditioning overall has improved.”
• WR Stacy Coley has impressed Kaaya with his approach this season. “You see that from seniors all the time, when they know it is coming to the end of their time, they start to take things a lot more seriously and go about their business differently than a young kid would. Stacy is definitely taking that business-like approach. He just shows up and gets to work. He has changed a lot since I first got here. I was a junior in high school when I first met Stacy. It is a night and day difference comparing who he was and who he is now and how much he has matured.”
• DT Kendrick Norton has dropped 10 pounds and six percent body fat since last season. He feels much quicker now and he can tell his pass rushing moves have improved. “Coach Kuligowski has taught me a lot of pass rushing moves and moves off of moves,” Norton said.
• DT Anthony Moten has high praise for the way young defensive tackles RJ McIntosh and Kendrick Norton have improved this year. McIntosh and Norton have been working with the first team defense during camp. “Kendrick and RJ are a lot better,” Moten said. “They are both dominant up there. They have taught me some stuff. Kendrick’s get-off and hands are really good. I tell them that they bring juice for me every day.”
• The Miami coaching staff likes WR Malcolm Lewis because of the versatility that he brings to the offense. He is currently seeing time with the first team offense at all three wide receiver positions.
• LB Charles Perry (6-1, 230) has been a third-team linebacker during the fall, but plans to stay at linebacker as opposed to try playing on offense where he could try his hand at fullback after running for over 800 yards his senior year at Royal Palm Beach High School. “I’d rather be a linebacker than anything,” Perry said. “I love the position. I love to be physical. I played running back in high school, but I don’t too much fall back on that. I’m here to play linebacker so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
• MLB Mike Smith has quietly had a solid fall as a second-teamer. “He’s looking real good out there and making big strides since last year,” cornerback Sheldrick Redwine said. “Not a lot of people talk about him, but I’ve been noticing him. He’s been getting better. He’s hitting the hole crazy. Every time something comes towards his hole he blasts through the hole and makes hard hits every day.”
• Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz would like the cornerbacks to play more press coverage, which is something the corners welcome according to Redwine: “It’s an opportunity to show it’s me and the man across from me who is going to be better? Who is going to step up more?”
• WR Dayall Harris still has an edge over Ahmmon Richards and Sam Bruce among the newcomers according to Mark Richt: "Dayall [Harris] is farther ahead. Ahmmon [Richards] is in pretty decent shape, and there's Sam [Bruce], by virtue of the fact that he got here later than everybody else...we have some first-year tight ends too that have a ways to go, just learning what to do. There's so much to master as a tight end in this system. They're struggling a little bit mentally. When you're not sure, it's hard to be physical. The young guys in general are struggling, but Dayall and Ahmmon are a little bit further ahead at receiver."
• Neither Joseph Yearby or Mark Walton is expected to carry the load this season according to Mark Richt, who plans on utilizing both. "There won't be just one featured back. We'll figure out who the starter and see what kind of shape he's in. But I feel very comfortable with more than just one or two tailbacks right now. We'll be fine, we keep them fresh and keep them healthy."
• S Robert Knowles (finger) missed practice.
• CB Ryan Mayes has an edge as the team’s No. 4 cornerback and has had a solid fall although he is behind the top three.” He's the kind of guy that, like anybody else, you have to do things on a consistent basis,” Mark Richt said. “Even sometimes when you're getting an interception here and there, it's exciting, but also you have to make sure you're in position to make a play if somebody decided to make a double move or something like that. You can't be reckless, but his picks have been pretty calculated. Very good breaks on the ball. A couple of times the quarterback threw the ball behind the receiver, which gave him that opportunity, as far as the picks. But overall, I think he's having a really good camp."
"Another beautiful day,” head coach Mark Richt said after the morning practice. “Today we worked hard on our short yardage offense and defense, red zone offense and defense, installation down there, which went well Teaching, learning, still competing. Short yardage, it's hard to say, but offense probably got the nod on that, at least the ones [first string] did. That may not be true - it was about a dead heat on the short yardage. Defense won the red zone today, and overall, the defense won the day again. I know it's getting frustrating for the offensive guys, but we have to keep competing, keep executing. A lot of it is execution issues. A lot of it is getting beat physically. I'll take my share of the blame as well for not putting them in the best position, at times. When you install, you're kind of calling plays that you're installing that day. We haven't really started gameplanning anybody yet. That's about how the day went."
Richt admitted there has been some frustration from him with the offense’s performance during the fall.
"At times. It's a process, I know that,” Richt said. “It takes time. You're working ones, twos [second string] and threes [third string], so it's hard to get continuity right off the get-go, with that many groups. But if all I did was watch our ones, everytime our ones were in there, I'd feel pretty good...our twos are going against the number one defense, and they're swarming them pretty good. If you just went our offensive ones, on every tape from there, I would say the offense was winning the majority of the days. Defensive ones have been winning, but they've been winning by a larger margin, if that makes sense. And that's why that's been a difference most of the time."
NEWS & NOTES
•Former Hurricane great Edgerrin James was at practice. James spent time watching his nephew, freshman safety Jeff James.
• WR Stacy Coley is “always on top of his game,” says Redwine. “He’s probably one of the best receivers in the country.” Mark Richt has been pleased with Coley and his attempt to stay healthy: "I see a guy who is in shape. I see a guy who is focused. I see a guy who wants to be great. I see a guy who came back for a purpose. He wants to help the team win, but he also wants to be in as good of shape as he can with his future as a football player, which I think he has. He has done all the things we've asked him to do. He's always had a little soft tissue stuff - hamstring, whatever it is. He did an unbelievable job all summer. I'm not going to sit here and say he can never pull a muscle, but he really hasn't been bothered by it so far because of how hard he has worked all summer long."
• TE Standish Dobard (right ankle) did not practice and was in a walking boot. Dobard, a senior, has been third among tight ends on the depth chart behind junior Chris Herndon and sophomore David Njoku.
• LB Michael Pinckney (quadriceps) was limited again in practice working with the trainers during the media viewing period.
• DE Al-Quadin Muhammad returned to practice after missing Thursday’s practice due to personal reasons according to Richt.
• Quarterbacks coach Jon Richt has been impressed with Brad Kaaya’s progress. “The crazy thing is—we did all of this in the spring and did all of the installs in the spring and once over the summer—Brad has mastered it. Brad does have control. He does have confidence. That’s where he’s leaps and bounds over everybody else. He goes out there with confidence every play and knows where he’s supposed to go with the ball and does what we ask. His footwork is on point now. He’s doing what we want.”
• Jon Richt on the back-up quarterback spot: “We don’t (know). That’s kind of where it’s at. All of those guys are competing, they’re working hard, trying to get better every day, but right now there’s no clear No. 2 or No. 3. We’ve got to figure out who those guys are and once we figure it out, we’ll hopefully let you know.”
• Jon Richt discussed each of the three candidates for the back-up spot including Malik Rosier, Evan Shirreffs, and Jack Allison:
• Jon Richt on why Rosier hasn’t ahold of the job after having it last year: “Some of it is him getting used to our system and it’s a completely different feel and a completely different and a completely different way to go. He’s doing a good job right now of coming up. He’s got to be more consistent—that’s our big thing with him. He’s got to come in play in and play out like all of our quarterbacks, they’ve got to know what to do and what not to do.”
• Jon Richt on Shirreffs: “Evan’s done a good job. Evan in the spring was one of the smartest guys we’ve got first all. He probably picked it up faster than everybody else and he’s doing a good job. He’s a steady Eddie. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do every play and we know what we’re going to get out of Evan. He’s a very trustworthy guy.”
• Jon Richt on Allison: “Jack’s got a great arm and a great release. One of the things that Jack has done is in the spring he was a high schooler that should have been at prom and it looked like it out there--he was a little over his head. Jack did an awesome job coming to work over the summer, learning exactly what to do, gaining confidence, and now you can tell he’s supposed to be out there and he’s supposed to be a guy that will compete. It’s really awesome to see a guy like that take control of what he’s doing and learn to love it, be confidence, and know what to do.”
• QB Brad Kaaya was not pleased with the way the offense started the scrimmage on Wednesday. “We have to take better care of the ball,” Kaaya said. “There was too many turnovers. We have to start better. The first play of the scrimmage, there was a fumble off of a quick flat. Starting any game that way, it is hard to get that momentum back.”
• Kaaya feels like the tempo of this Mark Richt offense is going to be quicker than the first two seasons. “It seems like we are going at a much faster tempo. It is not so much being a shotgun heavy, spread team. It is more being able to be in pro sets and having a fast tempo. I feel like our tempo has increased and at the same time that can be attributed to our conditioning level as well. I feel like guys are in better shape. The offensive line can get set a lot faster. They are getting set on their own. The conditioning overall has improved.”
• WR Stacy Coley has impressed Kaaya with his approach this season. “You see that from seniors all the time, when they know it is coming to the end of their time, they start to take things a lot more seriously and go about their business differently than a young kid would. Stacy is definitely taking that business-like approach. He just shows up and gets to work. He has changed a lot since I first got here. I was a junior in high school when I first met Stacy. It is a night and day difference comparing who he was and who he is now and how much he has matured.”
• DT Kendrick Norton has dropped 10 pounds and six percent body fat since last season. He feels much quicker now and he can tell his pass rushing moves have improved. “Coach Kuligowski has taught me a lot of pass rushing moves and moves off of moves,” Norton said.
• DT Anthony Moten has high praise for the way young defensive tackles RJ McIntosh and Kendrick Norton have improved this year. McIntosh and Norton have been working with the first team defense during camp. “Kendrick and RJ are a lot better,” Moten said. “They are both dominant up there. They have taught me some stuff. Kendrick’s get-off and hands are really good. I tell them that they bring juice for me every day.”
• The Miami coaching staff likes WR Malcolm Lewis because of the versatility that he brings to the offense. He is currently seeing time with the first team offense at all three wide receiver positions.
• LB Charles Perry (6-1, 230) has been a third-team linebacker during the fall, but plans to stay at linebacker as opposed to try playing on offense where he could try his hand at fullback after running for over 800 yards his senior year at Royal Palm Beach High School. “I’d rather be a linebacker than anything,” Perry said. “I love the position. I love to be physical. I played running back in high school, but I don’t too much fall back on that. I’m here to play linebacker so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
• MLB Mike Smith has quietly had a solid fall as a second-teamer. “He’s looking real good out there and making big strides since last year,” cornerback Sheldrick Redwine said. “Not a lot of people talk about him, but I’ve been noticing him. He’s been getting better. He’s hitting the hole crazy. Every time something comes towards his hole he blasts through the hole and makes hard hits every day.”
• Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz would like the cornerbacks to play more press coverage, which is something the corners welcome according to Redwine: “It’s an opportunity to show it’s me and the man across from me who is going to be better? Who is going to step up more?”
• WR Dayall Harris still has an edge over Ahmmon Richards and Sam Bruce among the newcomers according to Mark Richt: "Dayall [Harris] is farther ahead. Ahmmon [Richards] is in pretty decent shape, and there's Sam [Bruce], by virtue of the fact that he got here later than everybody else...we have some first-year tight ends too that have a ways to go, just learning what to do. There's so much to master as a tight end in this system. They're struggling a little bit mentally. When you're not sure, it's hard to be physical. The young guys in general are struggling, but Dayall and Ahmmon are a little bit further ahead at receiver."
• Neither Joseph Yearby or Mark Walton is expected to carry the load this season according to Mark Richt, who plans on utilizing both. "There won't be just one featured back. We'll figure out who the starter and see what kind of shape he's in. But I feel very comfortable with more than just one or two tailbacks right now. We'll be fine, we keep them fresh and keep them healthy."
• S Robert Knowles (finger) missed practice.
• CB Ryan Mayes has an edge as the team’s No. 4 cornerback and has had a solid fall although he is behind the top three.” He's the kind of guy that, like anybody else, you have to do things on a consistent basis,” Mark Richt said. “Even sometimes when you're getting an interception here and there, it's exciting, but also you have to make sure you're in position to make a play if somebody decided to make a double move or something like that. You can't be reckless, but his picks have been pretty calculated. Very good breaks on the ball. A couple of times the quarterback threw the ball behind the receiver, which gave him that opportunity, as far as the picks. But overall, I think he's having a really good camp."
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