Put down your Tang and Frosted Strudel Pop-Tart and read this: 10 things from my notebook after spring practice No. 2.
1. I can't say it often enough: Elijah Sindelar has a cannon. I have seen many Boilermaker QBs over the years, and I can't recall many--if any--who had a stronger arm than the strapping Kentuckian. No. 2 was firing the ball on Wednesday. It was beautiful.
2. "Leo" Derrick Barnes met with the media after practice. He looks in game shape coming off a left thumb injury sustained during the 2018 season that required surgery and a hamstring owie sustained while prepping for spring drills. The thumb is OK. It's the hammy that has kept him out of the first two spring sessions. He vows to be back soon. Perhaps before the team breaks for spring break the week of March 11.
3. The lack of running backs this spring can't be overemphasized. The staff has four: Tario Fuller, Zander Horvath, Evan Anderson and Alfred Armour, a walk-on. That's it. Richie Worship is being handled with care coming off a 2017 knee injury. You have to think incoming freshmen King Doerue and Da'Joun Hewitt will have good opportunities to help this fall.
4. O-line coach Dale Williams has a large volume of players to work with. Lots of mixing and matching of personnel on Wednesday. Three more linemen will join the fray in June: Cam Craig, Kyle Jornigan and Dave Monnot. Hard to envision any of those three impacting. So, Williams essentially is working with players now he'll have in fall camp. My personnel breakdown from observations.
Tackles: Grant Hermanns, Matt McCann, Mark Stickford, Eric Miller, Sam Loebig, Marc Roland
Guards: Jimmy McKenna, Will Bramel, Alex Criddle, DJ Washington, Sam Garvin, Ryan Flaherty
Center: Viktor Beach, Sam Garvin, Spencer Holstege, Bryce Brown
5. DC Nick Holt on DE George Karlaftis: "George has been with the 'ones' the last two days. George will continue to be with the 'ones.' He doesn't look out of place. In fact, right now, George looks to me like one of our better guys, quite honestly, in just what we’ve done. And that’s what we have expected. After two little practices, George is doing just fine. In time, he is gonna be a really good player for us. And he is coming along very nicley."
6. In case you were wondering, co-OC/WR coach JaMarcus Shephard is in midseason form. He could be seen running and jawing at players time and again. Few can match his energy and passion. Shephard chortled at one of his wideouts: "When you know what you are doing, you can be OK."
7. After missing the first spring session, WR Rondale Moore and TE Brycen Hopkins were full-go on Wednesday. And, yes, both looked outstanding. On one pattern, Moore was mugged by a defender ... and still made the grab. Just a spectacular talent.
8. Speaking of Moore, he was interviewed post-practice by Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports. Pat Forde, Thamel's colleague at Yahoo!, also was at practice. The writing duo stopped by from the NFL Combine. Jeff Brohm spent quality time with both.
9. After two practices running around in "underwear," as DC Nick Holt likes to put it, the squad will have on "shells," helmets and shoulder pads, for Practice No. 3 on Friday. Amen to that.
10. Derrick Barnes was asked if the 63-14 score from the Music City Bowl was posted in the locker room to serve as motivation. "I hope not. That would be embarrassing. You have to move on and just know what you need to work on. The game was not us. We just focus on being better.
Now we know where we need to be. Coach knows it’s gonna take more than we had the past two years.
"Everything has been different around here. The effort has been different and the coaches have been more honest about things. I don’t think we look back at that game, but we have that sense in our mind, this is what happened, and this is what we need to do for that not to happen again."
1. I can't say it often enough: Elijah Sindelar has a cannon. I have seen many Boilermaker QBs over the years, and I can't recall many--if any--who had a stronger arm than the strapping Kentuckian. No. 2 was firing the ball on Wednesday. It was beautiful.
2. "Leo" Derrick Barnes met with the media after practice. He looks in game shape coming off a left thumb injury sustained during the 2018 season that required surgery and a hamstring owie sustained while prepping for spring drills. The thumb is OK. It's the hammy that has kept him out of the first two spring sessions. He vows to be back soon. Perhaps before the team breaks for spring break the week of March 11.
3. The lack of running backs this spring can't be overemphasized. The staff has four: Tario Fuller, Zander Horvath, Evan Anderson and Alfred Armour, a walk-on. That's it. Richie Worship is being handled with care coming off a 2017 knee injury. You have to think incoming freshmen King Doerue and Da'Joun Hewitt will have good opportunities to help this fall.
4. O-line coach Dale Williams has a large volume of players to work with. Lots of mixing and matching of personnel on Wednesday. Three more linemen will join the fray in June: Cam Craig, Kyle Jornigan and Dave Monnot. Hard to envision any of those three impacting. So, Williams essentially is working with players now he'll have in fall camp. My personnel breakdown from observations.
Tackles: Grant Hermanns, Matt McCann, Mark Stickford, Eric Miller, Sam Loebig, Marc Roland
Guards: Jimmy McKenna, Will Bramel, Alex Criddle, DJ Washington, Sam Garvin, Ryan Flaherty
Center: Viktor Beach, Sam Garvin, Spencer Holstege, Bryce Brown
5. DC Nick Holt on DE George Karlaftis: "George has been with the 'ones' the last two days. George will continue to be with the 'ones.' He doesn't look out of place. In fact, right now, George looks to me like one of our better guys, quite honestly, in just what we’ve done. And that’s what we have expected. After two little practices, George is doing just fine. In time, he is gonna be a really good player for us. And he is coming along very nicley."
6. In case you were wondering, co-OC/WR coach JaMarcus Shephard is in midseason form. He could be seen running and jawing at players time and again. Few can match his energy and passion. Shephard chortled at one of his wideouts: "When you know what you are doing, you can be OK."
7. After missing the first spring session, WR Rondale Moore and TE Brycen Hopkins were full-go on Wednesday. And, yes, both looked outstanding. On one pattern, Moore was mugged by a defender ... and still made the grab. Just a spectacular talent.
8. Speaking of Moore, he was interviewed post-practice by Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports. Pat Forde, Thamel's colleague at Yahoo!, also was at practice. The writing duo stopped by from the NFL Combine. Jeff Brohm spent quality time with both.
9. After two practices running around in "underwear," as DC Nick Holt likes to put it, the squad will have on "shells," helmets and shoulder pads, for Practice No. 3 on Friday. Amen to that.
10. Derrick Barnes was asked if the 63-14 score from the Music City Bowl was posted in the locker room to serve as motivation. "I hope not. That would be embarrassing. You have to move on and just know what you need to work on. The game was not us. We just focus on being better.
Now we know where we need to be. Coach knows it’s gonna take more than we had the past two years.
"Everything has been different around here. The effort has been different and the coaches have been more honest about things. I don’t think we look back at that game, but we have that sense in our mind, this is what happened, and this is what we need to do for that not to happen again."
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