PRACTICE REPORT for April 7, 2015 (updated)

[younghog]

Uncle did you see any new Plays? i.e. totally not seen from a Chaney Offense?

pre-thanks

GO HOGS

[JackJohnson]

Uncle did you see any new Plays? i.e. totally not seen from a Chaney Offense?

pre-thanks

GO HOGS

from what I have heard they are making a better effort at getting fast guys the ball in space.  I.E. we are throwing the ball underneath to wide open guys like Hawkins and letting him run free rather than the long hail mary downfield pass that nutt and chaney considered "opening up the offense" that NEVER worked and is hands down the most low % pass play there is.  Think how teams like Oregon, AU, etc get the ball in space to guys that always seem open for a ton of yards

[Großer Kriegschwein]

Merrick has not been moved permanently to guard. He is a true freshman who can play more easily at guard right now. Just like Arkansas started two guards in 2013 who are tackles in 2015, Merrick can be in the two-deep at guard now vs. perhaps being third-string at left tackle.

I can handle having a player with his abilities as a 3rd string LT. Our line sounds like probably one of the best in the conference this year. Imagine the line we'll have in another year. Seriously. Will be great year to be newly retired from the military in Arkansas.

[Ugly Uncle]

I'm trying my best to like you, but right now not so much. It was cold and damp in Chitown. And I have this nagging cough. While you speak of enjoying the day watching the Hogs!

I'm so eaten up with envy, so could you throw me a bone and at least say you got sunburned or the wind blew something in your eye. 

Love the reports - makes me miss home.

LOL.  Once I left my allergies kicked in and I rubbed my eyes all the way home.  Some eye drops knocked it out, but I was miserable on the 20 mile journey out to my place. 

[Ugly Uncle]

I think the zip on the ball for Storey will come with confidence and experience. He's probably thinking a lot out there. Just like how thinking will slow you down in running, it will do the same for velocity.

I think that is a real possibility.  I also don't think he ever had to throw the ball hard in High School to do what he needed to do.

[Ugly Uncle]

D.Wise must have had hiw wheaties.

They were running that drill a few times so I bet it didn't happen more than once.  The Olinemen don't know which D Lineman is going to go so they all have to be ready.  He got under Denver's pads though and was able to push him back.

I only brought that up because someone said that Kirkland wasn't happy with his practice today.  That was the only thing I saw for sure that might have upset him.

[Ugly Uncle]

Who did Merrick replace for RG for the 2's (edit- I'm guessing Danenhauer)? Looks like we may need a few OTs in this class.

No, Danehauer moved to LG and I didn't see Josh Allen out there today. (Yesterday)

[Ugly Uncle]

How are the WR's screwing up their splits?  Not far enough from the line?  Too far? 

Yes, both of those.  It was the most detail oriented practice I have seen for the WR since BP was here.  Lots of work on spacing during route running as well.

[Ugly Uncle]

Uncle did you see any new Plays? i.e. totally not seen from a Chaney Offense?

pre-thanks

GO HOGS

from what I have heard they are making a better effort at getting fast guys the ball in space.  I.E. we are throwing the ball underneath to wide open guys like Hawkins and letting him run free rather than the long hail mary downfield pass that nutt and chaney considered "opening up the offense" that NEVER worked and is hands down the most low % pass play there is.  Think how teams like Oregon, AU, etc get the ball in space to guys that always seem open for a ton of yards

I'm always a little careful to talk about new plays that I have seen during a practice that is closed to the public.  If you've noticed in my reports I've been (probably overly) cautious about even talking about formations and player personnel that are in there together.  Everyone knows we are going to run many sets with 2 TE and at times have a FB in there on certain plays, but I just want to be careful to not accidentally give away too much.  If you remember I wouldn't even confirm that we were working on screen plays until someone posted a video that the UofA shot with them working on it.

But JackJohnson is correct.  This offense does seem to be very concerned with proper spacing.  Getting guys open in the middle of the field and not just a pass out to the sidelines.  It won't just be our TEs catching the ball in the middle of the field either.  We will also have more than one guy on a deep route.  This will require all of our QBs to be very good with their eyes and we hear that preached a lot out there.  Really working on making them go through their progressions.

It is hard for me to say that we will be a lot better at passing this year.  Chaney has been known to develop a pretty good passing game.  It just didn't happen here for whatever reason.  WR or QB or formations, whatever it was it just never seemed to get off the ground.  I AM encouraged by what I see our QBs doing and on the precision of our routes that we are running.

[younghog]

Thanks JackJohnson and Uncle

GREAT INFO

GO HOGS

[wholehog92]

Thanks for the report UU.  Great detail.

[Tusks]

you know I never thought chaney wasn't a smart guy, just not a good OC for the hogs.  but with a guy that smart, why wouldn't he do what enos, who i love, is doing and get guys open over the middle and out in space.

[ChitownHawg]

LOL.  Once I left my allergies kicked in and I rubbed my eyes all the way home.  Some eye drops knocked it out, but I was miserable on the 20 mile journey out to my place. 

Thanks I needed that. 

[LRHawg]

You may have mentioned this in a previous practice report, but who are you seeing emerge as a leader on defense?

[Bad News Boar]

Also, how has the Danish Demon looked? .......weak.......

[Ugly Uncle]

you know I never thought chaney wasn't a smart guy, just not a good OC for the hogs.  but with a guy that smart, why wouldn't he do what enos, who i love, is doing and get guys open over the middle and out in space.

I've been thinking about that.  I'm not sure.  Maybe he just had better receivers that could rely on talent and speed to get open.  Maybe having to call plays out of a two TE set only allowed him to have one vertical guy.  I'm just not sure.

[Ugly Uncle]

You may have mentioned this in a previous practice report, but who are you seeing emerge as a leader on defense?

In the secondary it is clearly DJ Dean.  LB'ers it is Ellis, though he isn't as vocal as we've seen in the past.  On the DL, they all rotate so much I'm not sure who is the real leader there. 

[DeltaBoy]

I'm always a little careful to talk about new plays that I have seen during a practice that is closed to the public.  If you've noticed in my reports I've been (probably overly) cautious about even talking about formations and player personnel that are in there together.  Everyone knows we are going to run many sets with 2 TE and at times have a FB in there on certain plays, but I just want to be careful to not accidentally give away too much.  If you remember I wouldn't even confirm that we were working on screen plays until someone posted a video that the UofA shot with them working on it.

But JackJohnson is correct.  This offense does seem to be very concerned with proper spacing.  Getting guys open in the middle of the field and not just a pass out to the sidelines.  It won't just be our TEs catching the ball in the middle of the field either.  We will also have more than one guy on a deep route.  This will require all of our QBs to be very good with their eyes and we hear that preached a lot out there.  Really working on making them go through their progressions.

It is hard for me to say that we will be a lot better at passing this year.  Chaney has been known to develop a pretty good passing game.  It just didn't happen here for whatever reason.  WR or QB or formations, whatever it was it just never seemed to get off the ground.  I AM encouraged by what I see our QBs doing and on the precision of our routes that we are running.

Spacing and route running was Bobby P's specialty.  It is Good to see ENOS focusing on this.

[Ugly Uncle]

Also, how has the Danish Demon looked? .......weak.......

Like a man child.  He is built like a third or fourth year guy.  He is very comfortable out there.  He looks scary until he takes his helmet off.  Then he is just a smiling blond kid with a baby face.

[Paul]

If you listened to the Defensive coach's interviews at the top of MMQB you hear a big difference between what they are saying now and what Robb Smith had to say last August.

Here is last August. Searching for answers.

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2014/aug/06/robb-smith-interview/

It is very encouraging that all of the defensive staff seems to be very positive about what they are seeing on the field.

This defensive staff seems to be comprised of teachers who encourage kids--so far I love what I'm hearing of the new additions

[Theolesnort]

Also, how has the Danish Demon looked? .......weak.......

He is not a demon, he is our own Viking Berserker without his ax blade. He doesn't need it.

[Paul]

He is not a demon, he is our own Viking Berserker without his ax blade. He doesn't need it.

I think I saw him on "Vikings" on the History Channel last week. Those who haven't seen the series should check it out. 

[Ugly Uncle]

We are talking about practice now on The Ugly Uncle Show.

You can listen live on www.1190thefan.com

[nchogg]

He is not a demon, he is our own Viking Berserker without his ax blade. He doesn't need it.

He likes to get dirty. Saw the pick on the 4 wheeler in Texas.

[Großer Kriegschwein]

He is not a demon, he is our own Viking Berserker without his ax blade. He doesn't need it.

As long as he wears a Techno Viking costume for Halloween I'm good with it.

[Sportster365]

  I think I saw him on "Vikings" on the History Channel last week. Those who haven't seen the series should check it out.

I've caught some of it before. Noticed some bad accents. I was hoping for an all European cast. But hopefully it comes on Netflix so that I can catch from the beginning w/o the commercials.

[BearsBisonsBoars]

Sorry if this has already been covered. I tried to check the thread and didn't see it.

How is BA with his progressions? That seemed to be a weakness in the past. I'm curious if working with Enos has helped.

[hview]

Is Josh Liddell doing ok at Safety? I'm not reading much about him.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

Spacing and route running was Bobby P's specialty.  It is Good to see ENOS focusing on this.

Combine effective spacing, precise route running and CBBs power running game...We'll be pretty good.

" GO HOGS "

[Hawgzinbowlz]

...This offense does seem to be very concerned with proper spacing.  Getting guys open in the middle of the field and not just a pass out to the sidelines.  It won't just be our TEs catching the ball in the middle of the field either.  We will also have more than one guy on a deep route...

We may see Duwop emerge as both a deep threat and an excellent receiver who can be effective across the middle.

" GO HOGS "

[Rocky Mountain Living]

Yes.  He was working with the second team.  Bijhon and Taiwan are running with the first team.  He is in the rotation.  I honestly think our DLine will have a full rotation and it won't really matter who starts because they will all get lots of snaps.

Thanks for your time. 

Is Hjalte running 2nd Line?

Who is running 3rd line DT?  Marks?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

This defensive staff seems to be comprised of teachers who encourage kids--so far I love what I'm hearing of the new additions

Beyond that you don't hear them speaking as if they are concerned about quality depth at any position. The two deep and maybe even three deep across the front four seem to be impressing the staff. Not necessarily any one player standing out repeatedly, but several players "flashing' from time to time and work being accomplished "by committee" across the board instead of having to depend on just one or two players.

Hargreaves sounds confident in the LB'ers but if there is a question mark, it is the guys that they are waiting on to report to provide the added depth at those positions. It sounds as if Hackett has impressed sufficiently that they are trying to see at how many positions he can contribute given the offensive sets they face.

I am not surprised to hear that they are trying Ledbetter at DE some. He has the size, quickness and speed to present some real match-ups problems for opposing offenses.

As for the secondary, Robb Smith sounds like he is really optimistic about the strides that this group has made and he sounds confident of their ability to compete at a high level in the SEC, perhaps better than last year. Wouldn't that be awesome?

As I mentioned above, I am really impressed with how positive the defensive staff seems to be about the "D" and not anywhere close to the question marks that they had last year at this time or even in August.

[Ugly Uncle]

Sorry if this has already been covered. I tried to check the thread and didn't see it.

How is BA with his progressions? That seemed to be a weakness in the past. I'm curious if working with Enos has helped.

They are working on it a lot.  Eyes, progression, etc.  They were working on a drill yesterday where they had receivers running full routes, and the QB looking at all three of them, then dropping it down to a guy out of the backfield.  They had about half a period devoted to just that.

[Ugly Uncle]

Is Josh Liddell doing ok at Safety? I'm not reading much about him.

You probably haven't heard much about him because he is the clear starter and looks good out there.  I've focused more on watching Coley and Gaines to see what was happening on that side.

Liddell knows the defense.  You will see him directing traffic a lot back there, getting people in the right defense or calling a shift with the safeties.  He and Gaines talk really well when they are out there.  Liddell has great cover skills and not a lot of balls are thrown in his direction.

I'll watch more for him on Saturday and see how he is doing against the run.

[Bacon_Bitz]

You probably haven't heard much about him because he is the clear starter and looks good out there.  I've focused more on watching Coley and Gaines to see what was happening on that side.

Liddell knows the defense.  You will see him directing traffic a lot back there, getting people in the right defense or calling a shift with the safeties.  He and Gaines talk really well when they are out there.  Liddell has great cover skills and not a lot of balls are thrown in his direction.

I'll watch more for him on Saturday and see how he is doing against the run.

Great to hear an 870 kid is doing so well.

[urkillnmesmalls]

You probably haven't heard much about him because he is the clear starter and looks good out there.  I've focused more on watching Coley and Gaines to see what was happening on that side.

Liddell knows the defense.  You will see him directing traffic a lot back there, getting people in the right defense or calling a shift with the safeties.  He and Gaines talk really well when they are out there.  Liddell has great cover skills and not a lot of balls are thrown in his direction.

I'll watch more for him on Saturday and see how he is doing against the run.

Plus, any dude with a sledgehammer for a right hand and beer gut is always good to have on your side.   

[Ugly Uncle]

Thanks for your time. 

Is Hjalte running 2nd Line?

Who is running 3rd line DT?  Marks?

Yes he is.  I haven't really seen Marks out there much.  They have mostly just been running the rotation of the ones you have heard talked about.  Beanum, Winston, Wise and Hall at DE.  Jackson, Johnson, Froholdt, Ledbetter, Hodge in the middle.

[OnTheHillHogFan]

Is there a new SID now? If so, who is it?  I know Chris Freet and Elvis Moyà are pretty involved on Twitter. Just wondering if one of them was promoted.

Freet and Moya are already higher than the SID's. Freet is head guy for Marketing, Media Relations, etc and Moya is the #2 guy for Marketing behind Freet.

Brett Brecheisen and David Beal are the two SID's for football.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Jo Jo is an unbelievable athlete.  Where he is behind is in knowing his splits and where to line up.  Again, it is Spring and a new OC that likes things done a little bit different than what he is probably used to.  Once he gets that down he will be electrifying.  Still, he had to be corrected 3 or 4 times today on his splits.

Just curious was Enos moving him in, or out on his splits..? My guess would be in, so as to maker it harder for the defense to determine run vs pass.

Am I right or wrong as per usual..?

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

As long as he wears a Techno Viking costume for Halloween I'm good with it.

When that costume has a freaking blonde afro I want apologies from all of you... 

[Ugly Uncle]

Just curious was Enos moving him in, or out on his splits..? My guess would be in, so as to maker it harder for the defense to determine run vs pass.

Am I right or wrong as per usual..?

No, you are right.  The times I saw were in.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

No, you are right.  The times I saw were in.

Somebody write this down..!! I guess even a blind squirrell finds a nut every once in a while...


  One more question. Where you able to say Enos, Peavey and Story 5 times really fast w/out saying pen is, envy and story..? Be honest...

[Ugly Uncle]

Somebody write this down..!! I guess even a blind squirrell finds a nut every once in a while...


  One more question. Where you able to say Enos, Peavey and Story 5 times really fast w/out saying pen is, envy and story..? Be honest...

LOL.  I messed it up on the first one I tried.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

LOL.  I messed it up on the first one I tried.

Right twice in one day... 4/9/15 shall always be remembered as OneTuskOverTheLineSweetJesus day..!

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

LOL.  Once I left my allergies kicked in and I rubbed my eyes all the way home.  Some eye drops knocked it out, but I was miserable on the 20 mile journey out to my place. 

I was in Columbia, MO some years back working for a roofing company and one of my customers turned me onto this stuff when I was in week 2 of a debilitating allergy attack... She gave me 4 of those pills and the next day I was fine... I did not have a single allergy symptom for two years after that. Now I take 4 pills every spring and have been Claritin-D free since 06...

I spent nearly two full years of my first 6 in a humidifier tent, so when I say attack I know what I mean. I do not sell Advocare, nor do I get anything from my telling you about this product other than the satisfaction that you will pull this thread up and let me know I was right when you try it...

[Ugly Uncle]

I was in Columbia, MO some years back working for a roofing company and one of my customers turned me onto this stuff when I was in week 2 of a debilitating allergy attack... She gave me 4 of those pills and the next day I was fine... I did not have a single allergy symptom for two years after that. Now I take 4 pills every spring and have been Claritin-D free since 06...

I spent nearly two full years of my first 6 in a humidifier tent, so when I say attack I know what I mean. I do not sell Advocare, nor do I get anything from my telling you about this product other than the satisfaction that you will pull this thread up and let me know I was right when you try it...

Are you serious?  I'll try it, but I don't know if you are kidding.  Right now I'm pretty shut down due to the allergies. 

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Plus, any dude with a sledgehammer for a right hand and beer gut is always good to have on your side.   

Good golly man!! Where have you been..? I miss the old days with you, me and wildhog slamming the howling hog calling pukes..!

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Are you serious?  I'll try it, but I don't know if you are kidding.  Right now I'm pretty shut down due to the allergies. 

Not kidding a bit.. I guess I should have PM'd you, but I thought that maybe someone else had the same issues we do.. I do still require eye drops occasionally, but other than that I shart you not...

[Hey Super]

Thank you!

[intelligence]

Not kidding a bit.. I guess I should have PM'd you, but I thought that maybe someone else had the same issues we do.. I do still require eye drops occasionally, but other than that I shart you not...

I have the same issues. i'm gonna try that stuff