2022 Summer Camp Thread

[mat1992 2,228]

Rob Ambrose after Saturday's second scrimmage
On experimenting with Offensive Line  
"Been doing it all week. We had some live work. Need to get them all out there, seem them on film, grade them."

On freshman LT Dan Volpe
"As much as I was disappointed in some of the stuff he did, he is leaps and bounds among some freshmen. Knowledge,
footwork and even core strength."

On WR/KR Lukkas Londono
"Been here awhile. Backup kick returner. Inside receiver. Had a great spring. Wasn't here in the summer because of the 
family. With the way the scrimmage was presented, we had so much goal line and short-yadage stuff that you are not
seeing the ball in space. You saw it today. Played QB in high school. Did such a great job on the scout team that
we travelled him last season. I expect great things from him."

On Sam Reynolds
"Same thing (as Londono). He, Brady (McElhany) and Londono are fighting for that inside spot and they are all doing
a great job."

On Isaiah Perkins
"He got held so hard in the first 14 practices that he had to get a new jersey. Not bad for a freshman (on his play today)."

On Ernie Smith (backup NT)
When he plays, he plays smart and hard. Now up front, you are looking guys that can play and you are also looking at
quality depth.

On Amir Murray (juco transfer playing a lot at ILB)
He's flying around the ball. He's like S.J. (Brown), except at linebacker.

On Daniel Raymond
"He and (Jamal) Gay are competing at SAM. They are having fun and playing together."

On Cheripko returning
"Where we were a week ago, is what I expected. Where we were today, is what I expected. There had to be great improvement
from scrimmage to scrimmage especially offensively. Clearly, that happened."

On QB play
"Off the cuff, I would say Scott Smith was the most consistent. Didn't do anything to flashy, but didn't do anything
too horrible. He's got the gift. He's one of those guys, for the old heads, the true passer quarterbacks from years ago,
he's got the gift. Not saying the other guys can't throw the ball, but he's got it. The gift. The other guys have great
talent skills and tools. Just have to find a way to use it."

On Piggy
"Where we are today is different, on Wednesday was different. While they are all playing well at times, there's no one
that is standing up and being consistent. That's going to be the guy who is going to start. Clearly, they have all
the ability to do it, but they are hot-and-cold. I need somebody who can do it full time."

On RBs
"You look a Zero (Hunter) and 8 (Bangda), there's a great pitch change. Devin (Mathews) didn't practice today and he
had a great week of practice. Three or four guys are going to carry the ball this year. You go back to the good years
when Terrence (West) was here, we still had around five guys that carried the ball."

On DLine
"We put Mason (Cholewa) on offense. He was wearing No. 69. So we're experimenting. He can do both. He's old and smart."

"In a three-man front, all those guys can play all those positions. So, we really don't care. One guy had a little bit
of an Achilles' thing so we limited his reps. To be honest, when we do that, their knowledge of the overall scheme
increases 10 fold."

On M.J. Cunningham, Oregon LB transfer
"I should get him next week. Dion (Crews-Harris) back. He's only been here for 48 hours. He's played with good 
competition and experience. How are you going to mold with us coming from a P5 and a five-hour plane ride. He molded
right with us. I was a little concerned. His first day with the team was impressive. He was like guys, I just want
to help the team. He won the room over in the first 10 minutes and that was impressive."

On Special teams
"The punter thing is closer than I expected. The comment that "Riley Williams is longer jet-lagged (he's from Australia).
He hit a punt on Friday that was ridiculous. (Josh) Cupit is also doing a great job. The field goal thing bothers me greatly.
Even when we are protecting it, one guy looks like a stud one day and looks terrible the next. The very last kick was
on the kicker. The last few were on protection (talking about blocked FGs)."

On last week of practice
"We're going to compete on Tuesday. We're really going to get after it. Then after that, we will tone it back a little
bit and focus on who we play. And look at the depth charts. I got 177 reps. It was a grind day. After this, everything
gets sharper, quicker, and faster.

[mat1992 2,228]

I'm not going to overhype this team like last season. I like the pieces, but the question is whether they fit into a puzzle. It starts up front. They looked better today, but the experimenting seems fine for scrimmages. During practices, I assume they have guys at their normal spots. You also need to establish depth and with our backup center Ralph Paige out for a brief time and Germain not there, there is an issue of depth up front. I don't like seeing freshmen as the depth but keep hearing great things about Dan Volpe at left tackle and good things about Joden Nelson at guard.

Unlike last season, there are better options at quarterback. Experienced guys like Piggy and TJ3. A young, big-armed redshirt freshman in Scott Smith. Two potential dual-threat qbs down the line in Zach Jackson and Nathan Kent. Rishon Holmes also has some talent. Not sure where he fits at QB or safety. Still a bit raw. I think they have to make a decision in the spring and see how he does in practice this season. Certainly has the size at 6-1, 210 to be a safety though he was a 3* corner in HS who was offered by Md, New Mexico and Marshall to play DB.

The skill level at WR is there. I like the RBs though still think we could use a Shane Simpson-type. A shifty back with speed. You need playmakers. We have them at WR and I can  see using them in end around and reverses a little more than usual. I think will have more YAC guys as well. Guys like Thompson (6-3, 220), Jabari (6-4, 210), Perkins (6-2, 205) and Street (6-2, 200) should be able to break tackles against smaller corners. Can Piggy get them the ball downfield? I think so. He can certainly get downfield himself as a runner.

Defensively, we have to get a pass rush. I'm really not sure we have in the secondary. There is potential there, especially in Sean Tucker, the corner from ECU. But no pass rush, no pass defense. We have too many bodies in Gibbs, Faison, Haltiwanger, Makye Smith, Reece who are big and athletic. Daniel Raymond is as fast a linebacker as we've ever had. Mason Woods should be on the field somewhere. MJ Cunningham will help the LB corps. Safety? Cornerback? There's talent. Can they jell?

 

[Blounge 520]

Man I tell ya what I can’t wait to see what the team looks like this year! Lots of talent and 10+ years of experience for Rob guiding the ship. Gotta think we have a shot to surprise some people this year. Maybe not West Virginia, but go toe to toe with any body in the CAA. Hopefully they guys have had enough time together to build some chemistry.

anyone else feeling good, bad, or indifferent with two weeks left til the season starts?

[mat1992 2,228]

25 minutes ago, Blounge said:

Man I tell ya what I can’t wait to see what the team looks like this year! Lots of talent and 10+ years of experience for Rob guiding the ship. Gotta think we have a shot to surprise some people this year. Maybe not West Virginia, but go toe to toe with any body in the CAA. Hopefully they guys have had enough time together to build some chemistry.

anyone else feeling good, bad, or indifferent with two weeks left til the season starts?

I would say keep expectations moderate. Anything less than six wins with that schedule and some talent on both sides of the field is inexcusable. At least the quarterback position will be an upgrade at starter and backup. I would be surprised if Piggy is not the starter, but if Smith keeps playing lights out, what do you do? Experience or talented tall freshman?

[mat1992 2,228]

 

[TigerFan54 102]

Mat: How does the long snapper look? (It's someone new this year, yes?)

[mat1992 2,228]

14 minutes ago, TigerFan54 said:

Mat: How does the long snapper look? (It's someone new this year, yes?)

Honestly have not been paying attention. The snaps have been fine from what I’ve seen.

[TuTigers2012 1,060]

Where’s the prediction thread?!?!