mat1992

One thing I forgot to mention was that I was impressed with the play of Tristan Harris, the fourth-string quarterback. I loved his play-fakes and ability to run, even though he's coming off knee surgery and is now listed at 6-2, 220. Really not sure who the backup quarterback is right now, ok Stover, but Harris might be third-string. I like Jeff Miller but he just doesn't fit this offense at all. He's a big pocket passer in a world of dual-thread spread, read-option athletic qbs. Next year, if he's the starter, they'll have to go back to a more traditional offense.

RA after the scrimmage: "We got the work we needed to get in. Everybody we needed to evaluate got evaluated. Thank God it was hot, we needed this so bad. We needed to grind through this. We're somewhere between 120- and 150 reps right now, which is what we needed. Hopefully, we escaped healthy." Defensively "We were ready to play but not ready to play through the entire game. We're not in the entire game shape. That will change. On secondary "We didn't let Tom run at all. We're forcing our guys to cover routes and forcing them to get open. That's what we need to be. That's an obvious level of improvement (covering receivers). On third corner "Going into it, it was Robert Javier. He is still the third corner. He should be back next week." On offensive line at center Cole can, Cassels can, Brown can. It will be one of those three and the other will be right guard. On scrimmage next week We need to be sharper. We're playing everybody, everywhere. Still throwing stuff against the wall and seeing if it sticks. By the time we get to next week, we'll do at lot less, but we need to be very sharp. On Jabari Rolled his foot on Friday. Nothing serious. Didn't need to play. On Daniel Thompson The way he's playing, his knowledge and skills, he hasn't even been here for less than a year. D'Ago Huter He's quicker than he's fast but he's fast enough. We spread the ball out to everybody. On DeBerry, Christian Dixon and Robert Heyward Dixon has had a great camp. Those three have had great camps. On Quashon Alexander The last four days, he's coming on. The stuff that he knows, he's coming along fast but has been slowly coming along.

Before I get to the quotes from RA, just a few observations about Saturday's scrimmage. Some concerns about RT Darian Bryant (knee). Was on the sidelines limping. Also didn't see Jesus Gibbs, the 290-pound DT transfer from South Carolina. I think Bryant's injury is a bit more serious. Either way, Rob was not going to tell me specifics about either injury. Don't assume season-ending but not sure when. The good news is that DeMarcus Gilmore appears to be a solid huge 360-pound right tackle. Grzymkowski is almost back at left guard. Alex Desire has done a nice job in his place. He'll probably be the backup at left tackle and left guard. At center/right guard, it appears to be a competition between Brendan Cassells (6-3, 300), Brown Tuiasosopo (6-2, 315) and Cole Cheripko (6-4, 300). Brown was playing mainly center. They used him on the first team when they were in the red zone. They got down to the five and unfortunately, same ole crap. Two runs (Shane got dinged up on one), a third run to left from AP (Platt) and then Flacco was hurried on fourth down. Not sure what to say other than disappointed in the inside the 5 lack of being able to run the ball from the shotgun. No I-Formation. Some use of fullback (Luke Hamilton), but we are going to have to continue to work on running the ball inside. Not having a big back hurts though Yeedee was held out. He should be back for the regular season. Flacco wasn't running so that also took away the effectiveness of the running game in the red zoen. It's kind of like the Ravens when they play vanilla preseason offense and run the ball with defenses knowing Lamar isn't going to run (at least not on designed plays). Not saying Flacco is Lamar Jackson, but his running ability keys this spread offense. Take that away and well, you make him a pocket passer, where he's not bad but he's not as effective. Good news is that the defense has gotten a lot better. There are not as many open receivers running around as they did last year. No Jabari Allen (slight injury) but still, there should have been more open receivers. Good jobs by Gillette and Shuman. Robert Topps appears to be playing safety and cornerback, though Robert Javier (inj.) is expected to return next week as the third corner. I'm extremely high on him as some may have noticed. Steven Brown, the juco transfer safety, looked very good at strong safety. Sure tackler. Jamal Gay starts at one safety and either Topps or Brown at the other. Up front, with Gibbs out, looks like they will be rotation of Bryce Carter, Tibo, Gyeni, Vinny Shafer, Marcus Bowman and Q. Alexander. Was impressed with Bryce Lauer (6-3, 275), who has put on about 30 pounds in the offseason. I think what we lack is a dominant defensive tackle and that could be Gibbs if he can get on the field. But overall, impressed with the defense early on but they probably tired at the end as the heat (90+) was getting to them. Nice to see Ricky DeBerry flying around at inside linebacker. He and Robert Heyward should be one of the top inside duos in the league. Not quite as sure about Malik Tyne and Keon Paye at outside linebacker. Tyne (6-3, 250) is big and athletic but has never really done it consistently. New DC Daniels still trying to find the right combination. At receiver, Daniel Thompson is pushing for that third spot. Had a nice touchdown catch late in the scrimmage where he beat Topps in the corner. I ike Ryan Rutkowski but more as a fourth or fifth receiver and I did love the kid two years ago. Has to be more aggressive at going after the ball and not just letting it come to him. Either said than done, but he's a possession guy. Has to catch the short passes. Sort of like Gallahan, who eventually grew into his role. Thompson has a chance to be special. Darian Street has more explosiveness. Just haven't seen him make enough plays. D'Ago Hunter makes at least one big play every time he steps on the field. It's Leatherbur, Jabari Allen and Thompson/Street IMO. After that, Rutkowski, Hunter, Caleb Smith. J'Alen Elliott. Oh and the true freshman Charles Murphy is wearing Chris Greaves' number 10. He's going to be a lot better assuming he stays healthy and that was Greaves' big issue. Murphy's frame (6-2, 175) is the biggest worry right now. I think you play him four games and if he's ready to go physically and mentally, he needs to play in the rotation. If not, redshirt him and bulk him about 15 pounds. He's another special talent.

I think the Wildcat was somewhat necessary last season, early in the year. Two years ago, he used oft-injured CJ Williams in that role and he got injured in the first drive against Morgan State. Last year, we struggled in short yardage and it wasn't the worst idea to use a 6-4, 220-pound backup quarterback in those situations. We didn't have a suitable fullback and our offensive line was not physical. Now, we have Luke Hamilton back and a bigger, stronger line. Wish we had a big back though other than 220-pound Yeedee, coming off surgery.

On playing baseball "The mechanics of throwing and hitting a baseball, they correlate to throwing a football. My hips are in great shape right now. My arm is in great shape. It was great working on a different craft other than football, which I haven't done in five years. I'm pumped up to get back to football." On playing baseball and spring football "I was busy. I only missed 1-2 practices. Luckily, I'm close to getting my masters so I'm not too overwhelmed with my classes." How different is this summer compared to the last "It's just different where I just know everybody now. Everybody was meeting me last year. They welcomed me with open arms. This year, it's easier to get guys out to throw. They know what we're capable of. They know what we're working towards. Last year, there just a few guys out there. This year, there are more guys willing to work." On expectations "I really don't care. We're not happy with how the last season ended. That's going to be a good thing for us because we're hungry and it's aggravating. We have that chip on our shoulder." On what to work on offensively "Just have to get better in the red zone. Last year, we got the ball past the 50 a lot and got to the 30 and kind of stalled out. We have a great kicker in Aidan O'Neill but I don't want him to get as many kicks as he did last year. Hopefully, we're getting the ball in the end zone." On feeling of team "Everyone is excited. The offense, they are on their shit. They are doing well. We're getting better every day. The defense wants to show what they're capable of. They are itching to get out there." On new WRs They are going to be able to help us this year. Darrian Street can help. Daniel Thompson and Charles Murphy can help us have an even more dynamic offense.: On Rob being the OC It's different because he's running practice and wants the offense to do well. I joke with the defensive guys that it's their goal to get him pissed off and made after practice. During the season, it's going to be a little weird because he's on the sideline and last year, the OC was in the box. We'll see how that goes. We make adjustments because we had to and we had go grow and get better.

https://caasports.com/news/2019/8/14/mens-basketball-caahoops-summer-school-towson.aspx

More on Tom https://www.wmar2news.com/sports/local-sports/a-football-flacco-remains-in-baltimore

I have one that ends Dec. 21. The quality is fine but I haven't really watched any other stuff on it other than Towson. Not sure if you can share passwords/username. I'm not flying the pom-poms for FloSports but if you like watching Towson on the road, buy it. It's worth the $12.50 a month or $96 a year or whatever it costs.

Yeah, I agreed with most of it. Not throwing the ball away can be his worst detriment. I think he's better with the deep ball and I think playing baseball helped some. Made some strides in his mechanics and he gained some size. But didn't really see him throw any deep balls Saturday. For college, that's fine but for the pros, he definitely needs a bit more arm strength. Reminiscent of Trace McSorley, likely to be a career backup at best.

The offensive issue is certainly doable even without that prestigious 225-pound back. The defensive part is going to be tougher with new players and a new scheme. It might take a few games to get adjusted. Now that's why I want to see Gibbs, Bowman and Alexander on the field at the same time, at least during passing situations. That could be scary. Don't think you'll need them against The Citadel.

McDonough is probably going to be the punter. He's from Marshall. I wasn't overly impressed with him but I know they like his hangtime and potential.

With Flacco and both Shanes, we won't be boring. It's about doing the little things. Stopping teams on third downs and converting more TDs in the red zone and less FGs. In 2011-13, we had a once-in-a-lifetime type of running back. He was worth watching each and every game because you didn't know if he'd have 100 yards or 300. Flacco could be that guy at quarterback. He's special. Let's have fun watching that offense and hopefully the team not just meets excpectations; they exceed them.

Look, I think you can read most of the prognostications from the national media and they have us pretty high in the national rankings. I'm not quite drinking the kool-aid just yet. I think this should be a playoff team but is this 2013? Not sure. In 2012, we were absolutely screwed but knew we had a loaded team back the following year minus Dangerfield. Only major question was at quarterback, where Peter Athens wasn't Grant Enders, but he didn't need to be. He was an efficient passer and manged the offense well. The defense wasn't great in that year. They just needed to be adequate. That's what this defense needs to be-adequate. Was I thrilled seeing our same cornerback combination as last year in the first scrimmage? No, but new DC Eric Daniels must see something. Hopefully an improvement from last season and better safety play with Gay and Topps or Tippett. Faster linebackers who can cover. Nothing against Diondre Wallace because he was a solid tackler but he wasn't great in coverage and Monty Fenner did not have a great senior season. It starts up front on both sides of the ball. If we are healthy and that's a big if on the D-line, we could be special. Again, didn't see Gibbs out there (nursing injury), DeBerry (ankle) and Alexander. All are 4 star Power 5 athletes. More speed at linebacker. A healthy Tibo up front. D2 transfer Vinny Schafer (a monster on the scout team last year) hopefully plugging the holes at nose guard. Marcus Bowman looking like a more athletic Bryce Carter. There is hope that Daniels can be creative with that 3-4 scheme and utilize all his weapons. Find a way to stop the run first and get some pressure. The offensive line is impressive-looking. Can they play? I like the potential that Gilmore gives you at guard or tackle. He might need to drop 10 or so pounds but he's an agile big dude for 360. Add Bryant (6-5, 320), the Temple transfer and you might have your right side the next two seasons. Or Brown Tuiasosopo (6-3, 315) could be in the mix. He basically just go here due to becoming eligible with all the formalities of coming over from a junior college. Where is he going to play? He played left guard in juco. Could play either guard or center. Maybe nose guard? Rob said he isn't moving anybody so you have a super strong Samoan kid (maybe strongest on the team), who can start or come off the bench. That's why I'm going next week again to see what this team might look like with everybody back on the field (or most). The potential of this team is intriguing. Nobody liked the way it ended. That's why they got bigger up front on both sides. The overall lack of consistency on defense during the season brought changes at DC and CB coach. Is that enough to beat JMU and Maine on the road? Or just getting back to the playoffs with a tough schedule?

Just had the third NFL team to send scouts out to watch practice. New York Jets, San Francisco and Jacksonville have come so far (that I've seen) and season hasn't started yet. Probably watching kicker Aidan O'Neill.