Second scrimmage update

[mat1992 2,259]

http://towsontigers.com/news/2017/8/19/football-tigers-hold-second-scrimmage-of-preseason.aspx
General Comments from RA on scrimmage
"They did better in the heat. We pushed them harder, much harder. Fifty plus plays. They responded ok as a group."

On Mahalak
"Was inconsistent. We're rotating everybody in at wide out so they lack cosnistency. This guy is a little off here,
guy is a little off there. That contributed some.."

On Toomey
"It's a lot easier to kick a ball in a warm weather than 30 degrees. I like to see a little more out of his kickoffs.

On what made him mad
"There were a couple of instances where something goes wrong and instead of accepting responsibility, they give excuses. It has to be my responsibility and we work from there."

On CJ and Shane
They were fine. Once Kobe knows where he is going, he'll be something. We are going to be alright. (held Platt out at RB).

On Defense
"Diondre (Wallace) played really well again. He's playing like a D-1 linebacker. CJ (Clifton Jones) and Zain are playing awesome.Back then, they never took care of their bodies and didn't sleep right, eat right. Now they are doing the right things. They just keep on going. They wore down two years ago.

On Freshmen playing in the secondary
That was ok. We tried to play everybody today. But after today, we're going to cut the depth chart. We're going to
fine tune everything. Some could play this season.

On next week
Monday and Tuesday will be a bit of the grind. Then we start slowly but surely building to Morgan. Sunday is straight
Mogran prep.

[mat1992 2,259]

Ok, a lot of guys were held out in the scrimmage, some due to being banged up or legit injuries. Lyrics Klugh was held out but should be fine for next week. They got to see JPD and McDade line up at corner and McDade was pretty darn good. Had a pick early (I believe of Morgan) and was steady. JPD is the bigger guy, more of a hitter. I wonder if he wins up at safety at some point. Also continue to like Jamal Watson and the freshmen played a lot at DB due to more injuries. Brandon Sheppard was out and Mitch Boals was playing with a red jersey, so he was limited. Got to see a lot of Brion Seagraves and Coby Tippett at safety. Tippett had a pick. It will be interesting to see if any of those guys will stick or redshirt.

I also like Nygill Johnson, the speedy LB from Virginia, who was supposed to go to Nevada. I think he weighs more than his listed 200 pounds at 6-3 but I guess he'll redshirt along with Dymelle Parker, who has been out with an injury. Christian Dixon is also impressive but I think you'll see guys like Tedder, Konate and Christian Johnson back up Wallace, Heyward and Paye, who appear to be the starters in the 4-3 look. I think the competition for OLB spot is  Tyne and Bryce Carter. Shane Simpson ran over the left DE spot where Tyne was supposed to be for a 55-yard TD. CJ Williams also had a 50-yard run on the same side. That's something that Lyndon Johnson can't be thrilled with. Both backs complement each other well. Nice to see Shane back in there.

However, there were at least 12-13 guys out. That included WRs Dorsey, Greaves, Jabari Allen, Tsimis, Scroggins and Kilgore. I think Scroggins in the most serious and might not be ready for the opener. Tsimis is expected to finally return on Monday. I think he'll help big time along with Greenwood, Richardson, Leatherbury, and Jabari Allen if he's healthy. Love Richardson's toughness. Also Gallahan is playing better and they need to find a role for Rutkowski and his hands. But we need playmakers. Leatherbury is the burner and while he will frustrate you with occasional drops, he also makes plays downfield. And he's not just a fast guy. He can create some YAC. Still, would like to see that group healthy and in practice because it certainly confuses the qbs.

For example, I thought Mahalak had a pretty good scrimmage. But he underthrew Greenwood on a play where he clearly beat his man but he didn't put enough air under it. At this point, Greenwood appeared to be an intermediate weapon. Maybe Morgan didn't know he had that extra gear. I think it's just a different type of group of receivers where you know that you could throw it up in the air and Summers or Dessenburg could catch it. Getting Kilgore out there is a must because I think they were developing a chemistry. At least there are options but they need to be on the field to develop chemistry. Same thing with Stover, who I didn't think was as sharp as last week. Well, he's throwing to Nick Grey, Rutkowski, Noah Staub, etc. A little different than some of the guys that were hurt or Greenwood. Tristan Harris is pretty good out of the pocket but was all over the place in the pocket. He has a lot of work to do because, well, next season Jason Epps will be eligible and the big kid from Cali is coming.

I think the O-line is settling in a bit with Gryzmkowski at left guard. Eventually, D'Mitri Francis either takes his job or moves in to another position if somebody else gets hurt. They also have Andrew Garnett backing up Antonio Harris at left tackle. I assume the plan there is to ease Garnett in and get him playing time before they start him.

RA loved the performance of Clifton Jones (CJ) and Harps-Upshur. They are the steady guys and Cummings (still hurt) can play inside or out. Good to see Kanyia Anderson back in there. He looks bigger (around 275) and should help against the run on the edge. Hopefully get to the qb some. Unfortunately the depth still bothers me. Big Reece is still hurt (in a boot). Tommy Danagogo is the backup NG. Cox is injured again. Cummings and Carter appear to be the guys in the rotation and maybe Niquekko Cook if he can stay healthy. They have to figure out what to do with Tibo D., the athletic DT/DE, who is just a freshman. But the line is still my biggest worry.

As far as Platt, he was back on the field today but only taking kicks and punts and I doubt he's going to play just to perform on special teams. Kobe Young was back at RB and this kid has a special talent. His head must be spinning after playing corner early in camp.

[TUTigers 119]

As usual thanks for all the updates!

[Ironman42 4]

Team didn't look bad little rough around the edges.this team is going to be ok the offense is ahead of the defense in my opinion we will be able to score but can we stop people that will be the big????? No mention of James scott 

[mat1992 2,259]

3 minutes ago, Ironman42 said:

Team didn't look bad little rough around the edges.this team is going to be ok the offense is ahead of the defense in my opinion we will be able to score but can we stop people that will be the big????? No mention of James scott 

Why would I mention someone who is injured or who didn't play? Any relation?

[Ironman42 4]

Nope but I have been coaching football for along time.and I know talent when I see it I had to coach against his high school and he was a beast . 

[mat1992 2,259]

Well, every time I'm out there, he's not playing. What can I say. I'm sure if he's healthy, he can help in goal line situations and short-yardage. Shane can be a star. CJ is a nice backup who runs North-South.

But as far as the offense being more explosive, yes. They'll have to be. Too many questions on D. New scheme. New DC. Shaky D-line. I did like Diondre Wallace today covering Leatherbury down the field and was near a guy that runs a 4.4. That shows he's getting better in coverage.

[Ironman42 4]

Hope that answer your question.when I go to coaching clinics we often talk about wasting talent.you should use as many players as you can how can you develop a winning program without developing players.towson has a lot of talent but you gotta use it

[mat1992 2,259]

Just now, Ironman42 said:

Hope that answer your question.when I go to coaching clinics we often talk about wasting talent.you should use as many players as you can how can you develop a winning program without developing players.towson has a lot of talent but you gotta use it

Well it didn't really answer my question. We haven't had many issues at running back. It's the O-line and QB. If a guy is injured, how can he play more? If he's healthy, I'm sure they would have used him today instead of Bryant and freshman fullback Eric Magnifico.

[mat1992 2,259]

Anyways, I'm not really feeling this team right now. I'm not going to get overhyped and say this is a championship team. Not FCS or CAA. But I know we got better at QB and at RB with the addition of Williams. I know we have more speed at WR with Leatherbury, but will they play Dorsey? Will Greaves ever get on the field? Will Jabari Greenwood and Jabari Allen get on the field at the same time? Two lanky guys named Jabari who can really play. Can Morgan limit the mistakes and become more accurate this season? Will he be more of a running threat (probably)? Can the defense get pressure on the QB w/o blitzing? Can they stop the run up the middle? Do they have the right combo at the OLine with Harris at LT?

A lot of questions. Not saying 4-7 again but not saying 7-4 either. That's probably the max right now due to improved QB play and more speed on both sides of the ball. I don't what the identity of this team is and will be. One thing is certain-I don't think this will be a boring team.