There has been mostly good news coming out of the Yale football camp this week in terms of injuries as offensive tackle Roy Collins, receiver Chris Smith and running back Alex Thomas returned to practice. But the news was not all positive. Starting left tackle Wes Gavin will need surgery on his injured ankle and will miss the rest of the season.
"The ankle is going to require some surgery and he is not going to be able to make it back," Williams said. "They want to do it ASAP so pretty soon so it is just a matter of clearing out his schedule and getting it done."
Freshman Ben Carbery has played well in Gavin's absence so he will become the starter at left tackle for the rest of the season.
Of the previously-mentioned trio, Collins has been in there the most at practice this week although all three should be able to play against Brown on Saturday.
"Smith is good to go, Thomas is good to go although he is still gimpy but he practiced a little bit today and Roy Collins is good to go," Williams said.
Collins should move back into his starting right tackle spot. While it's no guarantee that Smith and Thomas will start, look for them in the game. That won't make the Brown coaches happy since Smith and Thomas played starring roles in Yale's 27-24 win over Brown last year. Smith returned kickoffs 79 and 83 yards for touchdowns in a span of 2:23 in the second quarter and also caught a team-high six passes. Thomas ran for 121 yards including a 27-yard TD.
One change in the starting lineup I have neglected to mention is that Brian Leffler has moved ahead of Wes Moyer at linebacker.
"We gave him an opportunity to start (against Columbia), he played well last week against Columbia so he is going to get that start this week against Brown. "He is stouter and against a team like Brown that really likes to establish the run game, he is a better match for what they do. With the competition that he was have at that position, we feel like he has played better than Wes at this point so we gave him an opportunity last week and he held serve so he gets the nod again this week. We will still play multiple guys but he will be the first guy out."
When Williams addressed the team after Thursday's practice, he told the team he thought it was a good week of practice. He also emphasized that the Bears are in the same situation as Yale in terms of being able to win the Ivy League title by winning out. That is not entirely accurate. Yale would earn at least a share of the title by winning its last three games since the Bulldogs would have to beat first-place Harvard (the only Ivy League team unbeaten in conference play). Brown would need to win and have Harvard lose a game in order to claim a portion of the title. Still, Saturday's game has the feel of an elimination game. It certainly makes it easy to get motivated for the early-morning practices at this time of the year.
"I think it changes the energy level," Williams said. "I think our guys come out with energy anyway but certainly when you have something to play for and you are back in the hunt, it makes it more enjoyable with a goal in mind. You have something you can touch out there. We were in the same situation last year playing Brown at Brown, we have some experience from last year. I like playing at home this year. We haven't been at home in a long time so this will be great, it should be a great game."
Practice ended on Thursday will Williams having senior defensive end Austin Pulsipher address the team. Pulsipher is the only Yale player to have an Ivy League championship ring. He was a reserve on the 2006 Yale team before taking a two-year Mormon mission.
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Kamis, 03 November 2011
Selasa, 01 November 2011
Collins, Smith and Thomas back at practice
It's looking like Yale's offense is getting closer to being at full strength.
Offensive tackle Roy Collins, receiver Chris Smith and running back Alex Thomas took part in Tuesday's practice in varying degrees. All three players were injured in the loss to Penn. They were all held out of practice last week and missed Saturday's game against Columbia.
Collins, who injured his ankle, saw the most action on Tuesday. In the time I was there, he saw most of the time at right tackle with the starters. Thomas, who suffered a knee injury against the Quakers, was in the backfield for a handful of snaps. Smith, who has missed two games with a tender hamstring, did not take part in an team drills but did some individual workouts.
"(Thomas) is still a little tender but he got a few reps in today," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "Roy was back and pretty close to full speed and Chris was back. He didn't go through everything but he did go through individual (drills) and tomorrow we are going to try to get him some team reps and just kind of slowly ramp him up. I think we are getting closer to where we need to be health wise. They should be available for Saturday. Obviously the next couple of days will be important for Chris and Alex to get full-speed reps but they are on their way. The plan today is try to ease them into it and tomorrow and Thursday get them ready for game speed."
Starting left tackle Wes Gavin is still unable to practice because of an ankle injury and seems unlikely to be back for Saturday's game against Brown.
SEMONES HOLDING STEADY
I didn't get a complete sense of the quality of the hold on Philippe Panico's 38-yard field goal under white-out conditions on Saturday until I replayed the tape of the game.
The snap on the kick was low and slightly wide but sophomore Jake Semones calmly snared the snap and was able to get it down in time for Panico to make the kick for the first points in Yale's 16-13 win.
"I couldn't see it on the field because his back was to me and also because of the snow," Williams said. "That ball was about this low off the ground (holding his hands about an inch or two apart) and to the side. He picked it and got it back in place with no problem at all. That is why he is so valuable.
"His holds have been like that all year and Philippe has great confidence in him. That is what made a difference in the kick, the fact that Philippe did not have to break stride at all. It was the difference in the game. I thought three points might be enough to win it and it ended up being the difference. It was a great hold, unbelievable but he has been like that all year. I think I was watching the TV copy and the guys said that the holder never gets any attention unless he drops the ball. That has been great because Jake has been good the whole year."
Offensive tackle Roy Collins, receiver Chris Smith and running back Alex Thomas took part in Tuesday's practice in varying degrees. All three players were injured in the loss to Penn. They were all held out of practice last week and missed Saturday's game against Columbia.
Collins, who injured his ankle, saw the most action on Tuesday. In the time I was there, he saw most of the time at right tackle with the starters. Thomas, who suffered a knee injury against the Quakers, was in the backfield for a handful of snaps. Smith, who has missed two games with a tender hamstring, did not take part in an team drills but did some individual workouts.
"(Thomas) is still a little tender but he got a few reps in today," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "Roy was back and pretty close to full speed and Chris was back. He didn't go through everything but he did go through individual (drills) and tomorrow we are going to try to get him some team reps and just kind of slowly ramp him up. I think we are getting closer to where we need to be health wise. They should be available for Saturday. Obviously the next couple of days will be important for Chris and Alex to get full-speed reps but they are on their way. The plan today is try to ease them into it and tomorrow and Thursday get them ready for game speed."
Starting left tackle Wes Gavin is still unable to practice because of an ankle injury and seems unlikely to be back for Saturday's game against Brown.
SEMONES HOLDING STEADY
I didn't get a complete sense of the quality of the hold on Philippe Panico's 38-yard field goal under white-out conditions on Saturday until I replayed the tape of the game.
The snap on the kick was low and slightly wide but sophomore Jake Semones calmly snared the snap and was able to get it down in time for Panico to make the kick for the first points in Yale's 16-13 win.
"I couldn't see it on the field because his back was to me and also because of the snow," Williams said. "That ball was about this low off the ground (holding his hands about an inch or two apart) and to the side. He picked it and got it back in place with no problem at all. That is why he is so valuable.
"His holds have been like that all year and Philippe has great confidence in him. That is what made a difference in the kick, the fact that Philippe did not have to break stride at all. It was the difference in the game. I thought three points might be enough to win it and it ended up being the difference. It was a great hold, unbelievable but he has been like that all year. I think I was watching the TV copy and the guys said that the holder never gets any attention unless he drops the ball. That has been great because Jake has been good the whole year."
Selasa, 18 Oktober 2011
Emotions riding high at Tuesday's practice
The first practice of the week did not lack for intensity but after seeing a few scuffles between teammates and some chirping back and forth did not sit well with Yale coach Tom Williams.
Williams began his post-practice address by challenging his players to talk the talk only if they can walk the walk, something that did not happen enough in Saturday's loss at Lafayette.
"I made that point after practice that the line is drawn when the play on Saturday is not a result," Williams said. "When you can talk the game on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and not play that way on Saturday, it is just talk. They have to make sure they back it up. That is my whole point. If you want to be a tough guy, you have to be a tough guy on Saturday. Don't be a tough guy Tuesday-Thursday, be a tough guy on Saturday. I am anxious to see if we can do that."
It was a pretty productive practice other than the stuff after the whistle. Chris Smith, whose 174 receiving yards against Lafayette was the 11th best performance in Yale football history and most since Peter Balsam's 181 yards against Brown in 2008, made some impressive catches including a sweet grab of an underthrown ball which resulted in an enthusiastic greeting from his position coach Kefense Hynson. His fellow receivers were not having as much luck holding onto the ball.
Defensively, Jake Stoller (who has 3 1/2 sacks in the last two games) and Jordan Haynes came away with turnovers with Stoller bringing a fumble back about 50 yards for a score.
Wes Gavin, who started the first four games of the season at left tackle, remains on crutches with his injured left ankle protected by a walking boot. It doesn't look promising for Gavin to be back for Saturday's game against Penn. Freshman defensive back Nick LaTesta, a special teams standout, missed Tuesday's practice with a shoulder injury but Williams is hopeful LaTesta will be ready for Saturday's game.
Williams began his post-practice address by challenging his players to talk the talk only if they can walk the walk, something that did not happen enough in Saturday's loss at Lafayette.
"I made that point after practice that the line is drawn when the play on Saturday is not a result," Williams said. "When you can talk the game on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and not play that way on Saturday, it is just talk. They have to make sure they back it up. That is my whole point. If you want to be a tough guy, you have to be a tough guy on Saturday. Don't be a tough guy Tuesday-Thursday, be a tough guy on Saturday. I am anxious to see if we can do that."
It was a pretty productive practice other than the stuff after the whistle. Chris Smith, whose 174 receiving yards against Lafayette was the 11th best performance in Yale football history and most since Peter Balsam's 181 yards against Brown in 2008, made some impressive catches including a sweet grab of an underthrown ball which resulted in an enthusiastic greeting from his position coach Kefense Hynson. His fellow receivers were not having as much luck holding onto the ball.
Defensively, Jake Stoller (who has 3 1/2 sacks in the last two games) and Jordan Haynes came away with turnovers with Stoller bringing a fumble back about 50 yards for a score.
Wes Gavin, who started the first four games of the season at left tackle, remains on crutches with his injured left ankle protected by a walking boot. It doesn't look promising for Gavin to be back for Saturday's game against Penn. Freshman defensive back Nick LaTesta, a special teams standout, missed Tuesday's practice with a shoulder injury but Williams is hopeful LaTesta will be ready for Saturday's game.
Selasa, 11 Oktober 2011
Injury update; the loss of a legend
Starting left offensive tackle Wes Gavin was on a crutches with his injured left ankle in a walking boot while holder Jake Semones had his arm in a sling at this morning's practice. Obviously, neither of them took part in practice although according to Yale coach Tom Williams there is a chance both could play Saturday at Lafayette.
"Gavin's got an ankle, we don't know how severe it is but we have it is the walking boot just to make sure," Williams said. "We are going to keep him out today and will reevaluate him this afternoon to see how he feels. The MRI came back negative so there is no ligament damage or anything like that so it is just an ankle sprain. Semones shoulder contusion so I think today he is going to be in the sling, tomorrow he is going to get out of the sling and Thursday he'll be ready to practice.
"Wes' (injury) on tape looked like it could have been a lot worse. He was able to pull his foot out at the last minute but it looked like it could have been bad. With Jake's, he just have to fall better. He just didn't know how to take that shot and got hit right on the point of the shoulder."
If there are any questions about Gavin's injured ankle, Yale is likely to err on the side of caution to make sure he is good to go for the remainder of the Ivy League schedule. If Gavin can't go, freshman Ben Carbery would likely get the start at left tackle.
Carbery got the call after Gavin went down with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Although he was whistled for a holding penalty (which was declined) on his first play, Carbery drew raves from his coaches for his performance.
"He came in and played very well when Wes went down," Williams said. "We have been trying to get him into the game the last couple of weeks. He has played some spot duty but he is ready and we are ready to give him an opportunity. If he is pressed into action, I have no doubt that he will be ready to go."
The kicking game is always a popular topic when I receive e-mails from readers. With Philippe Panico's extra point being blocked after the Bulldogs' second touchdown, this week is no different. After watching the tape, Williams said the block was a result of a protection breakdown and not because Panico's kick was too low.
:That was a missed protection, a protection issue," Williams said. "It was the first time we had a protection issue. It was my own fault. Nick Schneider had gotten hit and we weren't sure what his status was but he ran out there and just kind of blanked out. That's (on) me, we should have made sure he was on the sidelines By the time we looked out there, he was already lined up in the huddle. We wanted to see if he could do it and he couldn't. (Matt) Battaglia is his backup and he came in and did a nice job the rest of the game.
WILLIAMS REFLECTS ON PASSING OF AL DAVIS
Just moments before Saturday's game against Dartmouth, Williams was stunned to hear of the death of NFL icon Al Davis.
Although Williams served two years on the staff of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, his dealings with Davis actually dated back to his days at Stanford when Davis would occasionally stop by to meet up with good friend Bill Walsh.
After Tuesday's practice, I asked Williams to reflect on the legacy of Davis, who died on Saturday at the age of 82.
"I got to know him through Bill Walsh, those guys were really good friends," Williams said. "He would come by the Stanford facility every now and then to say hi to Coach Walsh so that was how I was introduced to him. He was very nice, a very genuine guy, a real football guy. You tell that, his passion for the game and obviously he has been an innovator for a long time in the NFL. He will be sorely missed, he is kind of the last of the old guard."
Like so many others, Williams admits it wouldn't take long for him to mention Davis' name when rattling off the most influential figures in NFL history.
"I think he is going to be up there, certainly in terms of hiring" Williams said. "(He) hired one of the first black coaches in the NFL, a woman administrator, first lLatino coach in Tom Flores so as far as I am concerned, he ranks pretty high in terms of being an innovator. I know Coach Walsh spoke very highly of him as somebody who was very instrumental in the development of the league. I would say he is going to be in the top five of all of those guys in terms of his effect on the game.
While he did not know Davis as well as he did Walsh, who was one of Williams' mentors, Williams admitted he flashed back to his emotions after Walsh's death in 2007 when he heard the news of Davis' passing.
"Right after the national anthem I put my head set on. Coach (Kefense) Hynson was up in the press box and he said that Al Davis had died so right before kickoff. I thought of Coach Walsh actually because I remember my first year in Jacksonville, we were on the practice field and I had found out that he had passed away. That was obviously a crushing blow for me. I thought of some of the old guard, some of the guys who have been leading the league for a long time are starting to die. It is sad, obviously. Those guys have made their impact and hopefully the younger generation can keep it going."
Williams believed it was fitting that the Raiders honored Davis the best way they knew how, with a 25-20 win over Houston.
"(Raiders head coach) Hue Jackson is a friend of mine and I saw the emotion he let go after the game," Williams said. "I know he and Al were very close. I know that Al loves his players. If you play for the Raiders and you are part of that organization, he takes care of his people. I know those guys wanted him to go out with a victory. I think that is going to propel them on for the rest of the season, I really do."
"Gavin's got an ankle, we don't know how severe it is but we have it is the walking boot just to make sure," Williams said. "We are going to keep him out today and will reevaluate him this afternoon to see how he feels. The MRI came back negative so there is no ligament damage or anything like that so it is just an ankle sprain. Semones shoulder contusion so I think today he is going to be in the sling, tomorrow he is going to get out of the sling and Thursday he'll be ready to practice.
"Wes' (injury) on tape looked like it could have been a lot worse. He was able to pull his foot out at the last minute but it looked like it could have been bad. With Jake's, he just have to fall better. He just didn't know how to take that shot and got hit right on the point of the shoulder."
If there are any questions about Gavin's injured ankle, Yale is likely to err on the side of caution to make sure he is good to go for the remainder of the Ivy League schedule. If Gavin can't go, freshman Ben Carbery would likely get the start at left tackle.
Carbery got the call after Gavin went down with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Although he was whistled for a holding penalty (which was declined) on his first play, Carbery drew raves from his coaches for his performance.
"He came in and played very well when Wes went down," Williams said. "We have been trying to get him into the game the last couple of weeks. He has played some spot duty but he is ready and we are ready to give him an opportunity. If he is pressed into action, I have no doubt that he will be ready to go."
The kicking game is always a popular topic when I receive e-mails from readers. With Philippe Panico's extra point being blocked after the Bulldogs' second touchdown, this week is no different. After watching the tape, Williams said the block was a result of a protection breakdown and not because Panico's kick was too low.
:That was a missed protection, a protection issue," Williams said. "It was the first time we had a protection issue. It was my own fault. Nick Schneider had gotten hit and we weren't sure what his status was but he ran out there and just kind of blanked out. That's (on) me, we should have made sure he was on the sidelines By the time we looked out there, he was already lined up in the huddle. We wanted to see if he could do it and he couldn't. (Matt) Battaglia is his backup and he came in and did a nice job the rest of the game.
WILLIAMS REFLECTS ON PASSING OF AL DAVIS
Just moments before Saturday's game against Dartmouth, Williams was stunned to hear of the death of NFL icon Al Davis.
Although Williams served two years on the staff of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, his dealings with Davis actually dated back to his days at Stanford when Davis would occasionally stop by to meet up with good friend Bill Walsh.
After Tuesday's practice, I asked Williams to reflect on the legacy of Davis, who died on Saturday at the age of 82.
"I got to know him through Bill Walsh, those guys were really good friends," Williams said. "He would come by the Stanford facility every now and then to say hi to Coach Walsh so that was how I was introduced to him. He was very nice, a very genuine guy, a real football guy. You tell that, his passion for the game and obviously he has been an innovator for a long time in the NFL. He will be sorely missed, he is kind of the last of the old guard."
Like so many others, Williams admits it wouldn't take long for him to mention Davis' name when rattling off the most influential figures in NFL history.
"I think he is going to be up there, certainly in terms of hiring" Williams said. "(He) hired one of the first black coaches in the NFL, a woman administrator, first lLatino coach in Tom Flores so as far as I am concerned, he ranks pretty high in terms of being an innovator. I know Coach Walsh spoke very highly of him as somebody who was very instrumental in the development of the league. I would say he is going to be in the top five of all of those guys in terms of his effect on the game.
While he did not know Davis as well as he did Walsh, who was one of Williams' mentors, Williams admitted he flashed back to his emotions after Walsh's death in 2007 when he heard the news of Davis' passing.
"Right after the national anthem I put my head set on. Coach (Kefense) Hynson was up in the press box and he said that Al Davis had died so right before kickoff. I thought of Coach Walsh actually because I remember my first year in Jacksonville, we were on the practice field and I had found out that he had passed away. That was obviously a crushing blow for me. I thought of some of the old guard, some of the guys who have been leading the league for a long time are starting to die. It is sad, obviously. Those guys have made their impact and hopefully the younger generation can keep it going."
Williams believed it was fitting that the Raiders honored Davis the best way they knew how, with a 25-20 win over Houston.
"(Raiders head coach) Hue Jackson is a friend of mine and I saw the emotion he let go after the game," Williams said. "I know he and Al were very close. I know that Al loves his players. If you play for the Raiders and you are part of that organization, he takes care of his people. I know those guys wanted him to go out with a victory. I think that is going to propel them on for the rest of the season, I really do."
Senin, 29 Agustus 2011
Whitelaw running the show; Stars from scrimmage
There's plenty of stuff to report off Monday's practice (the last afternoon practice for quite some time).
First, I went over to get a sense of how the hurricane/tropical storm impacted Yale's practice schedule. Here is the story I filed for the paper.
In the time I was at practice, I noticed that John Whitelaw saw most of snaps at quarterback and starter Patrick Witt wasn't in there at all. Turns out the Witt strained a groin and with the field a little slick thanks to the large rainfall in the area over the week, the Yale coaching staff decided to play it safe.
"It wasn't anything bad but the grass was slick," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "He planted and his foot slid. It was mostly as a precaution. Johnny (was able to get) as many reps as he could stand. Pat got some reps but we didn't give him a lot. We didn't give him any pass reps. We gave him some handoffs so we didn't have to stretch his groin. We've give him tomorrow off and we are hoping Wednesday morning and be back to as close as 100 percent as he can be."
Whitelaw looked extremely sharp running the first-team offense. He is ahead of Witt in two noticeable areas - the screen game and the ability to make plays with his feet.
"It is not only beneficial to John to prove that he can do it but it is beneficial for the rest of the offense, the rest of the team to see John to be out there and be able to operation because now we know we are definitely two-deep at quarterback with John Whitelaw," Williams said. "The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he is going to get. We went through our two deep after the scrimmage on Saturday as a staff and we feel like we are two deep at every position and 2 1/2 deep at some and that has never been there before. It is exciting for us. He has a great feel for the screen and the other thing that he gives you that Pat can do but hasn't shown it is that John can scramble and get you 10-12 yards. About four or five times a game he can get you a first down which puts pressure on the defense. He is very similar to (former Cheshire and current Penn quarterback) Billy Ragone in that regard that if it breaks down, he can run and if you turn your back on him, he can go a long ways."
Williams referred to the scrimmage. Yale had originally planned to have an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday but had a change of plans because of the unstable weather. So the team scrimmaged on Saturday.
Here are his thoughts on which players stood out.
"The guys were expected to be players for us did what they expected us to do. Some guys who showed up where (defensive lineman) Charles Holmes who has been out for a couple of years in injury, I thought he had a really good scrimmage. (Freshman running back) Kahlil Keys was a guy that we wanted to see how he would do against varsity defense. Practice is one thing but games are different. He showed up. (freshman linebacker) Will Vaughan, looks like he is a guy who can help us. (Defensive back) Charles Cook, another freshman who showed up. Offensive line wise, Ben Carbery and William Chism, those guys look like they will be able to help us this year. In the secondary, probably the emerging starter for us at corner is Dawson Halliday. It is a great competition with Collin Bibb. I think Dawson has proven in camp that he has been more consistent and Collin has been nicked up injury wise. That has given him the edge. Nick Okano is being pushed by John Powers. I think that thing is going to go down to the wire. By the time we play Dean (in a scrimmage on Sept. 10), I think we will have a better idea. (Linebacker) Wes Moyer has had a good camp. He is a guy who has been a backup linebacker for us but is pushing to be a starter."
I followed up with Williams on Carbery and Chism to see if they are pushing for starting roles.
"Those freshmen offensive linemen were a pleasant surprise," Williams said. "I just wasn't sure if they were going to be up with the tempo. Athletically they can do it. Without a doubt. They are pushing guys who are up front right now. (They are) potential starters. I would say that they are both where Wes Gavin was a year ago which is 'we think he is good enough but we have to put him out there in the game and see.'"
Carbery is a tackle while Chism is making a push at center and guard.
Yale is taking Tuesday off because it is hectic day for students at Yale getting ready for the start of the fall semester. Yale will shift to morning practices beginning on Wednesday with the Bulldogs going 7:30-9:30 a.m. from now on with the exception of the scrimmage against Dean Junior College on Sept. 10.
First, I went over to get a sense of how the hurricane/tropical storm impacted Yale's practice schedule. Here is the story I filed for the paper.
In the time I was at practice, I noticed that John Whitelaw saw most of snaps at quarterback and starter Patrick Witt wasn't in there at all. Turns out the Witt strained a groin and with the field a little slick thanks to the large rainfall in the area over the week, the Yale coaching staff decided to play it safe.
"It wasn't anything bad but the grass was slick," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "He planted and his foot slid. It was mostly as a precaution. Johnny (was able to get) as many reps as he could stand. Pat got some reps but we didn't give him a lot. We didn't give him any pass reps. We gave him some handoffs so we didn't have to stretch his groin. We've give him tomorrow off and we are hoping Wednesday morning and be back to as close as 100 percent as he can be."
Whitelaw looked extremely sharp running the first-team offense. He is ahead of Witt in two noticeable areas - the screen game and the ability to make plays with his feet.
"It is not only beneficial to John to prove that he can do it but it is beneficial for the rest of the offense, the rest of the team to see John to be out there and be able to operation because now we know we are definitely two-deep at quarterback with John Whitelaw," Williams said. "The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he is going to get. We went through our two deep after the scrimmage on Saturday as a staff and we feel like we are two deep at every position and 2 1/2 deep at some and that has never been there before. It is exciting for us. He has a great feel for the screen and the other thing that he gives you that Pat can do but hasn't shown it is that John can scramble and get you 10-12 yards. About four or five times a game he can get you a first down which puts pressure on the defense. He is very similar to (former Cheshire and current Penn quarterback) Billy Ragone in that regard that if it breaks down, he can run and if you turn your back on him, he can go a long ways."
Williams referred to the scrimmage. Yale had originally planned to have an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday but had a change of plans because of the unstable weather. So the team scrimmaged on Saturday.
Here are his thoughts on which players stood out.
"The guys were expected to be players for us did what they expected us to do. Some guys who showed up where (defensive lineman) Charles Holmes who has been out for a couple of years in injury, I thought he had a really good scrimmage. (Freshman running back) Kahlil Keys was a guy that we wanted to see how he would do against varsity defense. Practice is one thing but games are different. He showed up. (freshman linebacker) Will Vaughan, looks like he is a guy who can help us. (Defensive back) Charles Cook, another freshman who showed up. Offensive line wise, Ben Carbery and William Chism, those guys look like they will be able to help us this year. In the secondary, probably the emerging starter for us at corner is Dawson Halliday. It is a great competition with Collin Bibb. I think Dawson has proven in camp that he has been more consistent and Collin has been nicked up injury wise. That has given him the edge. Nick Okano is being pushed by John Powers. I think that thing is going to go down to the wire. By the time we play Dean (in a scrimmage on Sept. 10), I think we will have a better idea. (Linebacker) Wes Moyer has had a good camp. He is a guy who has been a backup linebacker for us but is pushing to be a starter."
I followed up with Williams on Carbery and Chism to see if they are pushing for starting roles.
"Those freshmen offensive linemen were a pleasant surprise," Williams said. "I just wasn't sure if they were going to be up with the tempo. Athletically they can do it. Without a doubt. They are pushing guys who are up front right now. (They are) potential starters. I would say that they are both where Wes Gavin was a year ago which is 'we think he is good enough but we have to put him out there in the game and see.'"
Carbery is a tackle while Chism is making a push at center and guard.
Yale is taking Tuesday off because it is hectic day for students at Yale getting ready for the start of the fall semester. Yale will shift to morning practices beginning on Wednesday with the Bulldogs going 7:30-9:30 a.m. from now on with the exception of the scrimmage against Dean Junior College on Sept. 10.
Selasa, 12 April 2011
Tight ends/H-backs progressing well in spring camp
Of all the positional battles during Yale's spring practice, none might be more intriguing than the h-back/tight end situation simply because of the inexperienced group of candidates.
Yale lost tight ends Chris Blohm and Caleb Smith and h-back Shane Bannon to graduation and unlike the situation when John Sheffield and A.J. Haase graduated a year ago, the potential replacements were not upperclassmen.
After Tuesday's practice, Yale coach Tom Williams praised the development of rising sophomores Michael Leunen, Kyle Wittenauer (who had a couple of key catches in the 11 on 11 portion of practice), Beau Palin and Keith Coty.
"I am excited about the young group of tight ends. I think Michael Leunen is doing a good job, Wittenauer, Beau Palin, Keith Coty, they have the potential to be a very special group," Williams said. "The one thing we weren't sure about was their ability to block bigger guys on the perimeter. They are showing that they are able to block some of our guys which is a good sign so they are progressing like we hoped they would."
They are just some of a talented group of freshmen pushing for playing time. Nick Okano is fighting with junior to be John Powers for the starting strong safety position, John Oppenheimer was shifted from defensive line to compete for the starting center position, Elijah Thomas saw a decent amount of time at fullback, Wes Gavin is a returning starter at offensive tackle. At receiver, Cameron Sandquist is making a push for a larger role in the fall. Fellow rising sophomore receiver Deon Randall missed practice on Tuesday and had his left arm in a sling but Williams said it was merely for precautionary reasons.
"He has a slight shoulder (issues), he could have practiced," Williams said. "We're just being extra careful."
Staying on the subject of the Class of 2013, John Whitelaw and Henry Furman are running neck and neck in the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot behind rising senior Patrick Witt.
Among the highlights on Tuesday was a sweet catch by rising junior Allen Harris, some nifty runs by classmate Mordecai Cargill and some impressive plays by cornerback Colin Bibb, another junior to be.
I caught up with defensive lineman Pat Moran, a starter back in 2009 who took off last season to work on his father's political campaign. Look for a story on Moran to run in the paper perhaps as early as Thursday.
Yale lost tight ends Chris Blohm and Caleb Smith and h-back Shane Bannon to graduation and unlike the situation when John Sheffield and A.J. Haase graduated a year ago, the potential replacements were not upperclassmen.
After Tuesday's practice, Yale coach Tom Williams praised the development of rising sophomores Michael Leunen, Kyle Wittenauer (who had a couple of key catches in the 11 on 11 portion of practice), Beau Palin and Keith Coty.
"I am excited about the young group of tight ends. I think Michael Leunen is doing a good job, Wittenauer, Beau Palin, Keith Coty, they have the potential to be a very special group," Williams said. "The one thing we weren't sure about was their ability to block bigger guys on the perimeter. They are showing that they are able to block some of our guys which is a good sign so they are progressing like we hoped they would."
They are just some of a talented group of freshmen pushing for playing time. Nick Okano is fighting with junior to be John Powers for the starting strong safety position, John Oppenheimer was shifted from defensive line to compete for the starting center position, Elijah Thomas saw a decent amount of time at fullback, Wes Gavin is a returning starter at offensive tackle. At receiver, Cameron Sandquist is making a push for a larger role in the fall. Fellow rising sophomore receiver Deon Randall missed practice on Tuesday and had his left arm in a sling but Williams said it was merely for precautionary reasons.
"He has a slight shoulder (issues), he could have practiced," Williams said. "We're just being extra careful."
Staying on the subject of the Class of 2013, John Whitelaw and Henry Furman are running neck and neck in the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot behind rising senior Patrick Witt.
Among the highlights on Tuesday was a sweet catch by rising junior Allen Harris, some nifty runs by classmate Mordecai Cargill and some impressive plays by cornerback Colin Bibb, another junior to be.
I caught up with defensive lineman Pat Moran, a starter back in 2009 who took off last season to work on his father's political campaign. Look for a story on Moran to run in the paper perhaps as early as Thursday.
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