mat1992

Barkley was around 235 and Shane is 200. That's my worry about Shane. He was hurt in camp. He's been hurt every year but last season. He's not a big dude but he is our best playmaker. Again, rather have him on punts than kickoffs but sure, maybe you wait until the CAA because a long kickoff return could be the difference in the game. Don't use him on returns against NC Central, Bucknell, Florida and The Citadel, but I doubt that happens. This kid D'Ago Hunter (5-7, 160), who is even smaller, could be a tremendous return man. But just a redshirt freshman.

Remember that Miami has two freshmen offensive tackles and a freshman quarterback that held the ball too long. Despite all that, they were lucky to win. Wasn't that impressed with the Gators, though obviously that's going to be an incredibly difficult task to just compete because they have so many athletes and a huge quarterback that is tough to sack

Gilmore is the juco. Gibbs is injured. I don't know the extent. They won't talk about it. Bryant, the Temple transfer, has a knee injury. It's serious so I don't expect him to play anytime soon if at all. If Gilmore wasn't here, that would be a huge injury. I still wonder what Bryant (330) and Gilmore (360) playing on the right side might have been. But Cheripko is good either at guard or center. He's not huge (300) but athletic with good feet. We do have legit depth on the O-line, even with Bryant out. Desire, Tuaisasopo, and even Mullins can play. Then we have the two very large Euros. Not sure they are ready for this level yet but they are huge and athletic. Alexander, the Nebraska transfer, has been ok. I don't see him as much of a factor early on. A lot of these new guys just got here and they are learning a new defense. He's basically never really played even at Nebraska, save for the Spring Game, when he led them in tackles. I'd use him strictly as a pass rusher. He's 6-3, 255 and not that big for a 3/4 DE. I thought they'd play him as an OLB. Like I said, I wish we had Gibbs right away. Supposedly, Ambrose has something up his sleeve. But like I said weeks ago, why the eff did we not move a huge OL to DL? I agree that using Simpson is a risk in the return game, though he's an All-American in that respect. I would not use him as a kick returner but yes as a punt returner. He's smart and makes wise decisions. They have Platt, Kobe and Yeedee so Shane is not going to get 20 carries or even 20 touches a game. Yes, Ambrose mentioned that McDonough, the Marshall transfer, has struggled with directional punting but he does have a huge leg.

Impressive though Colgate lost a ton from last season.

On last scrimmage "Decent, not great. Good energy. Good focus. Things that have to be tweaked." On D-line "If you ask me that question at 5pm tomorrow, I can tell you, but it's close. You know me, I've got something going on." On O-line "Cassells should be ok. I'm please about how he went about camp. Tuiasosopo is in the mix, but he's not there yet. We're hoping to see his growth. We're seeing flashes that he's potentially going to be the starter to noway in hell. At center, you have more consistency to be in the conversation." Gilmore looks good. His size is a benefit and his athleticism is incredible. You're not supposed to be close to 400 pounds and move like him and he's a smart kid. He's actually shown me he can throw the football and catch the football. I might find something interesting to do with him before he graduates." On safeties "Topps plays corner and safety. His versatility really helps. Tippett, Brown, Gay are in the mix." On corners "Shuman and Gillette are carrying the load. I saw more out of Love today. He's had days where he's been very very hot and other days where he's been meh. Troy Vincent has had a great camp and has doubled as the Sam (LB) in nickel and can play corner. We're going to keep doing that. The more versatile we are, the better we'll be in the long run." On outside linebacker "Malik has been down for a good bit and we're looking forward to having him back. Ricky (DeBerry) moving inside was a good move for us. I'm really confident about that. I thought Lambert had a great camp. He's grown. When he started, he was just a guy." On other quarterbacks "They were pretty sharp. It's difficult. We limited what we were going to do offensively. I was disappointed in the first series but after that, thought the quarterbacks played really well. Will sit down and talk about backup job. It might be situationally-based." On Yeedee "First live work he's gotten in awhile. Had the conversation about how hard we were going to let him go. I haven't had anybody run as hard as him since Darrius (Victor). He does hurt people so we needed him to be really careful." On WR corps "I've coached Mark Orlando, Jamal White. Mike Deal. These guys can all catch and run. Some are quicker than others. It's a talented group." On RB Last year we had three. Now we have four with Platt back. We have so many good backs and wideouts, but we have just one ball." Special teams "Simpson will be the return man again. How do you tell the other guys you are playing over an All-American? Shane McDonough will be the punter and kickoff guy. He has a different leg than Toomey and the others in the past. His directional stuff needs work."

https://towsontigers.com/news/2019/8/23/general-introducing-the-new-towson-roarwards-app.aspx

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

https://towsontigers.com/news/2019/8/10/football-completes-first-week-of-camp-holds-first-scrimmage.aspx So, hoping to see a lot of the newcomers out there today and many of them were out due to conditioning, injuries, etc. Grzymkowski was missing at left guard so r-freshman Alex Desire stepped in. Brown Tuiasosopo was out due to conditioning so right guard was a revolving door. Cheripko played some there along with Marshall transfer Olawle Layeni (6-3, 335), who is an absolute monster but doesn't move particularly well. Former DT John Mullins (6-5, 300) also played time there. DeMarcus Gilmore (6-4, 360) played right tackle because Temple transfer Darian Bryant (6-5, 320) was out. Gilmore is pretty athletic for his size. You get the picture. Same thing with the D-Line. Didn't get to see Jesus Gibbs, the SC transfer or Neb. transfer Quashon Alexander. We are definitely going with a 3-4 scheme and those guys will be a part of it along with Tibo Debaille (6-3, 290), Vinnie Shaffer (6-0, 310), Bryce Carter and Marcus Bowman, who looks really good. Not sure who will start but we will be quick. Ricky DeBerry was out with an ankle issue. None of these injuries to key players are serious thus far. Not that I've heard of anyhow. On offense, Flacco was as good as usual. A lot of competition at third receiver. Daniel Thompson, Darran Street and Ryan Rutkowski will all see time along with Leatherbury and Allen. Really impressed with freshman Charles Murphy (6-2, 180). Made a nice fingertip catch from Jeff Miller, who has been kind of erratic since the spring. I think Ryan Stover keeps the backup job and next spring, I'm sure they'll bring in 1-2 qb transfers. Nice catch and long run by Collin Hirschmann (6-6, 247), who is a r-freshman. Not really known for his receiving. Thompson continues to impress for a freshman and Street is another explosive receiver with good size. Kobe Young, Yeedee Thenrat (surgery) and Adrian Platt were out as well nursing minor injuries so a lot of time for Shane Simpson with the ones. Again, that's why I thought they would bring in another back. A little surprised to see Gillette and Shuman back at the starting cornerbacks. I guess that could change. Troy Vincent has been moved to linebacker and that could be a strong move to see him in coverage. Robert Topps, the transfer from Kansas, looks sensational. He was playing free safety, strong safety, might play some corner. He's 6-2, 205 and long. Here are some comments from RA after the practice: On first scrimmage "Got to evaluate a lot of young guys, who is going to be help us in the fall. Schematically some of the additions, what they can do well and what they can't do." "Today was a complete evaluation. There is going to be a lot of up and downs. Just throwing kids out here and evaluating. Throwing things up against the wall, see if it sticks. "By the time we get to Wednesday or Thursday of next week, things start to get pared down. Things get honed toward the real deal. Not just about football, but where will guys play. Probably 25% of that next Saturday of what the real is next Saturday. The Tuesday after is what will be real." On the offensive line "Ok. It's a revolving door. (Grzymkowski) not being 100% healthy, with Cassells not being 100% health, with Brown (Tuiasosopo) just getting here, we will have a lot of work to do but I like where we are going. We are bigger, stronger. Darrian Bryant is on the sideline. Should be here by Monday. Finnish kid just showed up yesterday. Needed Immigration stuff. We have some big people on the offensive line. Bryant and Gilmore are playing around at right guard, right tackle. Cheripko has played them all during camp. Brown hasn't had a chance to compete but we like what he can be. Throwing him in the mix with the guards and centers. The depth and size has gotten really good. The competition makes them better." On moving OL to DL "Don't need to. Vinny (Shaffer) is playing well. Marcus Bowman is having a tremendous camp. Bowman and Shaffer have taking it up a level and raising the play of everybody and Bryce Carter is playing well. Robert Heyward is having a great camp. Chiz was in an out. Ricky (Deberry) was playing great before he hurt his ankle. Malik (Tyne) is playing well. The group themselves seems really solid. They take a lot better than we did last season. Keon Paye had a solid and consistent day. That's a big step for him. On Robert Topps "He's long. I'd like to see him put on some poundage but he's a really smart kid. Hard working. Figured out the defense fast. The guys have taken him. Testament to the coaches and recruiting. We've adopted these guys immediately. He can play corner." Shuman is playing the right techniques. Coach Brown has done a great job on the back end. A year ago, we picked the defense apart. We covered extremely well, which is why Tom ran a lot (and ran well). We didn't throw it as much because we covered so well." On WR Charles Murphy "With the four game rule (redshirting), if they know what they are doing, they are going to play. He's on that cusp that he's going to see his four games. Then we are going to evaluate where he is and whether his body can take it." On third WR "Rutkowski is Sam (Gallahan) 2.0. He's a bit taller and thicker. (He points towards Roman Warheit at 6-7, 350, running sprints after practice). Street, Thompson and Rut, Don't sell out D'Ago Hunter. That group is deep and strong. I don't know if we've ever had this many guys that were contributors." Tight end "Good to have Chris Clark back on a regular basis. He needs some work. I'm encouraged with Jason Epps in camp. He didn't have his best day. This is the first time he's ever put his hand down that he's a tight end (was a qb). Love what he's doing. Those two will carry the load. Hamilton will play fullback."

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.

A lot of big dudes will be there. I think they are scrimmaging for the first time. Anyhow, I think we all know what Flacco can do. I'll be looking at the right side of the OL, who lines up on DL and what scheme, who lines up in the secondary, punter, backup qb competition, third WR, etc. Anything else to focus on?