While driving home yesterday, Beamer came on Sirius XM channel 91 for an interview on how spring practice was going. I didn't expect anything more than some coach speak, however, I found a few things he said interesting.
The first big question was about replacing Logan Thomas. He immediately started raving about Motley and how impressed he has been this spring. He also praised Motleys speed (4.6 40). He also has some good things to say about Ford but surprisingly never mentioned Leal.
The topic of running backs came up and Beamer flat out said we have too many. He said he plans to identify a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stringer, then look to see what positions he can move the others to. If I had to guess a top 3 it would be Edmunds, Coleman, and Juice. Assuming Shai Mckenzie redshirts, this leave Caleb and Mangus as potential candidates for new positions. French recently linked and article by Mike Barber about the progress of Caleb which you can see here.
As much as Caleb has improved I still see him getting buried on the depth chart. I could see how the idea of moving him could be entertained...but asking someone to learn a new position after having already done so is a tall order. What are everyone's thoughts?
Comments
Obligatory Tight End comment.
Joel Caleb, Free Safety.
Joel Caleb could maybe get whip position if van Dyke doesn't work out... or am I dreaming
The whole Caleb situation frustrates me. He was highly touted coming into VT and the coaches said he's so dynamic that they just need to get him on the field. Yet he has yet to crack the depth chart at two different positions. I still don't understand why if he is so dynamic they haven't at least tried him out at returning punts and kicks. With Williams impressing early and McKenzie waiting in the wings I don't see him busting through the depth chart at RB this year either unless he unseats Coleman. I expect Edmunds and Williams to be the 1 and 2 backs with Coleman coming in in certain packages. Coleman still hasn't proved to be an everydown back. I hope they can find a spot for Caleb where he excels but perhaps he never pans out.
It's frustrating, but not unusual. There's a huge difference between high school and college football. There are a lot of players that are extremely athletic or dynamic that don't pan out because they can't adjust or grasp everything at this level. Receiver didn't work out and now RB is probably too crowded for him. Maybe it's talent mismanagement or maybe it's just him and some extremely bad luck.
I see Caleb as a DJ Coles-type player, from a position standpoint and talent standpoint. He won't be THE guy, but needs to be on the field.
Unfortunately that is all up to him. The coaches have given him opportunities and scenarios in which to plead his case.
This is what happens when you recruit high school QBs and try to shove them into a new position. This isn't NCAA '14. The skills don't just transfer over seamlessly when you switch positions. He may have been a top 100 player, but the old coaching staff took a huge risk signing him, as he was a complete unknown at any position he could reasonably be expected to play in college. It was almost the same with Hodges. Anyone who knew what they were looking at knew he would be a project (admittedly a very talented one) as a college QB. Happily, it looks like he's taking quite well to the TE position, so no harm done. Does that mean Caleb will never be a solid-to-outstanding college football player? Not at all. However, he wasn't put in a position to succeed from the second he signed his LOI.
Fast forward to this past recruiting class. What do you see? Our WRs played WR in high school, our OL played OL in high school, our RBs played RB, and our QBs were exceptional high school QBs. This staff knows how to recruit talented football players, not just athletes. I think we'll see much less of this problem in future seasons, simply because we're gonna recruit guys we know can play the position they're being recruited to play.
this is the tiits! exactly what our problem has been except for this years recruiting class.
The only thing left is to put the nipple on the end and we're good to go.
To be fair, our offense has probably a 50/50 success rate when they ask a player to change positions. Without taking a snap, we already know Hodges has crazy good potential while Caleb probably won't see the field barring injury attrition. You can see similar success with Greg Boone, Duane Brown, Ed Wang, and Logan Thomas (jk). On Defense, VT has had great success at getting players to switch positions and succeed. How many great DEs have succeeded at DT, corners at safety, corners at whip, safeties to corner, etc.
So, while I do agree many great athletes will never truly succeed at their new position, VT shouldn't completely disregard a player because they're an athlete, but we don't necessarily know what position they will excel at. Otherwise, VT would have no Carlis Parker, Bucky Hodges, Kalvin Cline, Corey Marshal, Kyshoen Jarrett, Ronny VanDyke, and Sam Rogers on this roster. You can probably throw Motley on this list too, since he wasn't considered more of an athlete and not a QB by all recruiting gurus...
good point
Just thinking out loud...I think part of this is based on old ideals that a quarterback in high school is generally the most talented/athletic player on the football team. In a small town in southwest Virginia, this makes sense right? Put your most talented/athletic person in control of the football decisions on the field. For the most part, I would say the old recruiting staff followed this idea in conjunction with their 'coach-em-up' methodology. And up until the last half decade, that has been fine to allow VT football to be successful because high school kids were not nearly as prepared by 18. But as we entered the technology age, we see kids becoming much more competitive in high school and much more specialized at their position. (Look at how much faster kids access information these days via twitter/the facebooks.) With endless amounts of film study and review for coaches and players, the crop of kids coming out of high school that actually know how to play their position has increased exponentially. College recruiting in many ways, is now just as defined and specific as the NFL draft, IE go out and get that Wide Receiver to fill a void. And with how competitive recruiting has come, a college program can't continue to have success just recruiting "athletes" and expecting to teach them new positions every year. We have started to see that shift in recruiting already from the new staff and all I'll say is thank goodness we're joining other big schools that have been doing this for a long time. Obviously, most 18 year olds still have a lot of learning to do when they get on campus, but you get what I'm saying, hopefully. Just my .02 pesos.
Were there other D1 schools that would have allowed him to stay at QB?
He ultimately chose VT.
I don't put this one on VT coaches/recruiters at all. Were they not supposed to pursue one of the top prospects in the state of VA because he wasn't going to be in the plans at QB? (Btw, Caleb was also a first team all district DB.)
It is more than just a trend now to put the best athlete on the team at QB in HS. Perhaps some of the blame needs to fall on the HS/prep coaches for not looking out for the best interests of the player during a very critical period in their football development. Or maybe some of the blame needs to fall to the player (whether it be injuries, mental, work ethic) and they just haven't adjusted as well at the next level as the scouts anticipated.
Sorry I'm just not buying our new coaches recruit postions/players not just athletes anymore.
I hope our new coaches wouldn't overlook a Kam Chancellor or a Duane Brown because they don't see a spot for them at their better HS positions.
If a player similar to Caleb is interested us in the 2015 class, these new coaches will recruit him just as heavily at the old ones.
There is no harm done taking the best player in the state. Good football programs can always use good athletes.
I would agree with about 98% of your point here. However, the bigger issue is creating your entire team around players like that. When you're banking on 80% or so of your players to adapt to a new position and hope for the best simply because they're good athletes, you're playing with fire. We've seen recently how skill players with limited experience at a certain position can struggle to develop: DJ Coles, Marcus Davis, Demitri Knowles, and Dyrell Roberts come to mind. Contrast that with lower-rated guys like Danny Coale or Jarrett Boykin who played their position in high school and were thus able to transition to the college game a little quicker. So no, I don't think we should pass on a kid just because he plays QB in high school, but he looks like an outstanding athlete (a la Carlis Parker or Logan Thomas). However, I would hope that the current staff would continue their trend of recruiting football players who repeatedly demonstrate the particular skill set they're looking for, and supplement that group with an athlete or two.
Well, lets be fair with Danny Coale.....He played WR, DB, PR, KR, PK and Punter!! He had a lot of options at positions that he had 'played before'!!
Oh, and he was OPEN the entire time!
You forgot to mention that Danny caught that ball.
McKenzie is the latest in the line of broken backs entering the program. Go back to Elan Lewis, George Bell and RW. What happens to a kid who has a major injury in HS, how he rehabs, how much he listens to doctors etc. gives a real good idea of the potential future issues. Out of 12 potential years for those three can't miss guys we got 1 extraordinary year and one OK out of RW and nothing out of the others. Everyone seems to think that RW sat out his first yr because of pass protection. Maybe, but it may be after 2 season ending injuries out of 3 in HS on his legendary right leg we had the good sense to keep him on the sidelines. I hope that McKenzie can contribute in the next couple of yrs but until then I'd keep Caleb at RB, just in case it takes longer for Edmunds to return or someone else gets hurt and I don't think JC is the every down answer. We don't have a great track record for keeping RB on the field, especially the ones who wer injured in HS.
Our stables were depleted the last few years. McKenzie was a risk worth taking because he could have a major impact on both our present game and future recruiting if he pans out. If we didn't have that 1 great year with RMFW that you mentioned, we would be even farther removed from the great backs that preceded him (ie KJ). Nobody remembers the busts except us as a fanbase, but start removing the booms...and the perception of our program and the appeal to stud recruits really suffers.
Let's not discount the fact that Tech had 3 great running backs stacked back to back that all decided to leave early for the NFL - not a situation the staff had ever really worried about or prepared for. Logan should have had 2 more years with Evans and / or Wilson who both were stud RB following up from RMFW and Evans.
Point taken, but don't forget that in 2013 our plan would still largely have been to hope for the best with Trey at RB versus LB. Admittedly that plan would have worked very well without nagging injuries.
I see your point, but Bell tore multiple ligaments, Lewis gained a ton of weight after his injury, and I don't remember RW being injured when he entered the program (obviously I could be wrong, but all I can find is him missing 3 games his senior year and 6 games his sophomore year).
I think it's unfair at this point to group McKenzie in with the three of them injury-wise. Everyone responds to knee issues differently, and it will depend on how hard he works during his rehab. When he plays in 2015 (I'm assuming he redshirts 2014), he'll be almost 2 full years past his injury, so I would be surprised if he's not ready to roll by then.
Not lumping. Just saying that knee and leg injuies for skill players are tough to recover from especially if you aren't Adrian Petersen. One great thing about SM is that he early enrolled and has a world class rehab facility, not a local Golds Gym. As far as hard work, sometimes that doesn't cut it. Look at VanDyke. A post operative infection and he still can't play. I am sure he worked hard. When skill players lose a step or the ability to cut on a dime they aren't the same as before. Look at Suggs and Jones. I think both worked real hard, but after injuies not as elite. As far as season ending injuies go, RW had 2 bad leg injuies in HS (2 more in college and 1 in the pros). Looking back at Edmunds 5 years from now you won't know he was injured last yr becuse he started 12 games. If he got hurt the next play after his TD run against UA he would have missed the rest of the season and would have been an asterisk in the media guide book, not the hands down starter.
Just because McKenzie had a knee injury does not mean he'll be the next G. Bell or E. Lewis. He can rehab and be good to go his R-F year. I'm sure he won't play this fall with the guys that we currently have.
G. Bell was extremely unlucky with injuries. R. Williams is just a guy that is always injured. Hamstring in college and shoulder issues in the NFL. Unfortunately, he just can't get healthy.
I really wanted Bell to work out...I used to get so excited when he came in for mop-up 4th quarter duties all fresh and looked like he was ready to break out...but alas....
Caleb, Mangus, and Jerome Wright. I think Wright is no longer a FB, is he?
Add to this the two freshmen, Marshawn and Shai.
I actually think we'd be better off moving JC. I've been on the Mangus bandwagon since I first saw him play, and I think Wright did well in spot duty last year.
We're so thin at LB, I want Trey there, despite the fact that everyone and their moms tell me that will never happen due to the fact that he's halfway through his college career and he would have to start over, learning a new position. A fact I don't deny, but the depth issues we have (and the hit he laid on some guy in the
Sun Bowl[Hokiegrass, below, points out this is incorrect]) make me want to move him yesterday.There doesn't appear to be much space at WR anymore, given the deluge of people coming in to the position.
When on earth did we get too much at the skill positions?
Jerome Wright was listed back at FB on the latest depth chart. No clue if it's permanent or not, but you've got to figure he deserves a few carries here and there regardless of his position.
Actually on the one updated 4/15 he's back listed only as a tailback
You're right. I heard somewhere recently that he had been moved back but maybe that was the first depth chart. Or a figment of my brain. Quite possibly the latter.
What hit did Trey lay on some dude in the Sun Bowl? He didnt play in the Sun Bowl. I may be totally spacing it, but I think he got injured vs Uva.
It would have been nice if we had the luxury of starting Trey out at LB. Unfortunately, we were so thin at RB, we couldn't. Who would have played RB last year with Trey's power, if he wasn't there (JC and Mangus are scat backs, and Caleb is who knows)... Realistically, with Trey being injured, it would be difficult to move him and not totally waste a year of his eligibility.
You're 100% correct. He laid the hit immediately after a late-game interception, so I figured it must have been the Sun Bowl. Now, thinking back, I think it was Duke.
I can't find the video, though.
I would have thought that his being injured (assuming medical redshirt, which I'm not sure if he's eligible for) would have been better for him switching positions.
I've never been sold on Trey being a RB. He doesn't carry himself like a running back, neither does Coleman, in my opinion. Mangus and Wright both do.
I'm sure not too many people want to see this highlight film, but what you are referring to is around the 3:20 mark. I'm not sure how to set up the timing so it only shows that clip. It is a nice hit.
gratuitous d-vote
look how wide open stanford is when he throws the pick at 2:36. If that's an accurate throw he is gone for a TD. Just sums up that game.. ohh and their kicker made a 51 and 53 yarder while we didn't make a kick longer than 35 all year <-- don't know if that's true but sure seemed like it
Yikes. Not only was that an insane overthrow, Stanford got absolutely laid out on that play too.
Yes! This is the one. It didn't occur to me to look for Duke football videos. Or that such a thing would exist.
something tells me its a recent development
That was painful to watch again.
The part that really hurts here is that despite Duke turnovers +4, the D kept them to 13 pts. We handed them the game and the D kept us in but we could not get another 3 points.
I had an interesting conversation with Wright's high school coach this past weekend. He said he was adamant in telling Tech's coaches that Jerome is a tailback, not a fullback. Of course, he said this right after Jerome busted a big run during team work in practice, so that wasn't surprising. Still, I think Wright should and will be given the opportunity to carry the ball a few times this year. He's a solid, if unspectacular, running back who will go in and get tough yards. After the struggles this past year, that's no bad thing. Will he unseat Trey or Williams (or Rogers, for that matter)? Unlikely. Still, I think he has a roll to play this year, and that will be with the ball in his hands.
Sounds like a Josh Oglesby to me. Our biggest problem when we have this many options is spreading it thin and not feeding the carries to the person who is performing. We break up their flow and distribute them just so everyone feels included. Hopefully we can change that a little. I don't mind seeing other guys in there once we get a lead. I don't care if our RB breaks 1,000 yards or not. I just want to win games.
It's a tough spot right now, until Edmunds shows he is back to where he was pre-injury I wouldn't do a whole lot of moving, Juice hasn't played his first college down yet so I would be hesitant to assume he is going to be 'the guy' yet and JC, to me just has never looked like more than a 3rd down back .... Not even sure where to put the other backs.. seems to be some depth at WR at this point, I'm not sure the current RBs would be any closer to seeing the field at WR
If Caleb switches positions, he'll never crack the 2-deep anywhere. He'll take this year to learn a new position, then have two seasons to make an impact. Safety? That's Holland Fisher's future, not to mention Chuck Clarke coming along. WHIP? RVD is the starter for the next two years.
I really, REALLY like JC Coleman. As a person. Just an awesome guy. But I've never seen much of a future for him on the field. He didn't show too much improvement from his freshman to sophomore year, and now with Juice in town, he could get passed for the #2 spot on the chart. I say if Caleb shows enough at RB, why not have him pass JC? We as fans honestly haven't seen enough from Caleb to make an accurate judgement call, so we have really have no idea what he's capable of. I just think coaches are being too loyal to JC despite his lack of production.
Caleb can play other positions. I have no idea where Coleman could play besides running back. Mangus could be used at wide receiver, but I agree with the comment that Mangus looked more effective than Coleman last season.
I happen to agree re JC. He's just not explosive enough to move the pile, not fast enough to avoid it and not quick enough navigate through it. He does everything well enough, but not well enough to trouble a top 25 defense. To me he's an above average second stringer.
I've also never been sold on Edmunds as an elite starting RB, I feel like he's a slightly lesser Darren Evans.
I think by season's end we see MW getting about 55%-60% of the carries, Edmunds getting 30%, and the remainder being split by the other backs. I do expect to see Mangus/Coleman/Wright used on Sweeps, screens and whatnot.
This is a good problem to have. Especially given our QB situation.
We have to remember that we've only see Trey play football for one season. He has three left to develop and become even better. For a freshman campaign, he had a pretty darn good one.
That is true. DE/RW/DW set a gold standard for backs, I suppose I should keep it in perspective.
Agreed on Coleman & Edmunds. I also think Williams will get the bulk of the carries. Your numbers are pretty smack on, historically. We usually have our feature guy average 20+ carries, his backup average 10 or so, the QB average 6-8, and a situational guy or two with 5 more carries a game. That is what we've normally done. Always exceptions to the rule, but those tend to be the numbers.
Eh 45+ carries is a bit much for VT per game.
*not in NCAA14
I disagree with you on Edmunds, but the injury he had is nothing to mess around with.
Joel Caleb reminds me of a taller version Percy Harvin . I wouldnt overlook him. But Juice and Edmunds are the top two running backs.
Joel Caleb on jet sweeps possibly?
Carlis on Jet sweeps.
Surprisingly candid response by Beamer. Wow. Turkey leg to him for not using a cliche to non-respond. To me, that signals that they must be sold on MWilliams. The other guys need to realize that they're going to be fighting for backup slots and should consider alternate positions. Now, if I'm totally wrong in reading those tea leaves, what Beamer says still makes sense. RB is a position we SHOULD always recruit well. That means even if we have a guy go pro early, we should have a couple of studs added to the pipeline every year. Early each season, it should shake out pretty clearly. One guy is the man, getting 20 carries a game, then a backup to get 10 carries as a change of pace/rest the starter, and a situational guy. That should be the case annually, and usually has been in the past. Where we stand now, we have some players - like Caleb - that have hopefully been told frankly that they will only get playing time at RB if two other RBs get hurt. That if they want to play, they need to accept another slot. Nick Sorensen, back in the day, adjusted his ego for the sake of the team. It helped him make a decade long NFL career, and even a coaching position for the Super Bowl champs.
In addition to my previous comment I'd like to add that we have about 15 carries a game from Logan Thomas to replace, that could be a lot of touches for these guys that were fighting to get carries last year.. at this point a lot still depends on who wins the QB competition because we could see anything from a repeat of last year if Durkin is the starter, more option if Motley wins, and probable very little designed QB runs if Brewer wins
I'd say until VT runs for better than 3.2 yards a carry, it doesn't have too many of anything in the running game.
Facts have a way of being hilarious and sad at the same time. well played Mr Bitter
FACT.
Actually 'deciding' on a RB is a rare proposition for Frank,
The elite/workhorse back has either emerged or was highly recruited.
He hasn't really had to 'choose' one until recently.
GO HOKIES!
This is in part what happens when you have a lot of talent on the field.
Competition is a great thing, but I don't think that we have seen it to this level and there are going to be winners and losers.
My two cents, take it or leave it:
Depth chart at TB come August:
1. Williams
2. Caleb
3. Coleman
4. Wright
Move Mangus to receiver, move Trey to LB.
I know everyone thinks the Trey-to-defense bus has left the station, but there is some validity to moving him back, and you all know the reasons. Coleman is the only player on this list that can't be inserted somewhere else.
Trey isn't moving. He was our best back last year. You don't just take our known commodity and throw him somewhere else, even with the injury.
Correct. As good as Marshawn has looked, Trey is a known quantity and is excellent in the passing game. Healthy, he has to play, if for no other reason, without Trey at RB if Marshawn is the starter and gets hurt, you are right back to Coleman-Caleb-Wright, which didn't work in the Sun Bowl.
They kinda moved Mangus to WR last season, but it didn't stick.
"Trey to LB" is very close to being met with the same disdain as "Logan to TE" was before last season.
Hehehe it may be. What can I say, though, it's the way I feel deep down inside.
It will be interesting to see who gets moved. From interviews Joel Caleb seems to be excited about RB and has said he feels as it's his natural position but it does look like MW has performed better this spring. Trey Edmunds gets the first opportunity to build off his starting freshman campaign but there are still questions of if he will be able to come back full speed from the leg injury.
I'm assuming DJ Reid, Shai McKenzie, and Tabyus Taylor (if he's slotted at RB) redshirt. Chris Mangus seems to have been passed by both Caleb and MW so I'd hope he'd go to WR where he practiced some last year.
That would leave Trey (RS-Soph), JC (JR), MW(T-FR), Caleb(RS-Soph), and Jerome Wright(RS-Soph). Based off of performance I think the only guys that could be moved would be Caleb or Wright but I believe moving both wouldn't be best for the program in case Trey doesn't come back up to speed. Jerome Wright did play LB in HS and at 6'2 224 would provide considerable size if he was moved.
I think Wright is a true sophomore, so if he were to switch positions he would at least have a redshirt year available.
I hate to be Mr. Negative and bring the o-line into this discussion, but if the hogmollies up front can't do a better job blocking than they have the last few years then it really doesn't matter who the RB's are. It all starts up front.
agree. that's a concern for the entire ACC conf. the SEC has a stranglehold on the top OL talent.
Hopefully we will see some matriculation to the ACC in the coming years.
A bad line makes a great back look mediocre and
a top notch O Line can make a good back look great.
This is kind of funny to me to be honest. We as a fan base are we getting spoiled? In my opinion just a bit. I look at Caleb just about 3 years ago he was what our fan base wanted to make our recruiting class better. He was a VA kid that decided to stay in state to play. Now, its not his fault that we got a better WR coach than what we had. But my thing is this... I understand competition and nobody's promised a spot especially when you've been outperformed. But you have to wonder what it does to our recruiting just a bit that's another highly rated VA kid that didn't pan out. I know so many of the fans will say that he was a athlete and we're trying to coach him up so that he catches up to the rest of the players that has been playing the position, but we knew that he was a Athlete coming out of school, but we still wanted him. Both of the Beamers and for the coaches that are still here knew this as well. So why is it such a surprise to our fans now when we recruit other players that has played the position we use the argument that, its because he wasn't just one position. They're all athletes. Some are better than others, and some pick things up faster.
Also, I know when we get a new recruit or commitment we look for the next best thing and forget about what we have on the team and its naturally normal to do this, but this isn't Bama or FSU or Ohio State we don't get to pick and choose who's comes to Va Tech like some of them do. Be thankful for what we got and even if its too many RB's or other positions its probably a good situation to have for once!
If Loeffler truly wants to establish a power running game, then I say go all power, all of the time. The RB depth chart that I would like to see:
Running Back:
1. Edmunds (if fully recovered, if not move everyone else up one spot)
2. Williams
3. Caleb/Wright
Scat back or flexed-out:
1. Mangus
2. Coleman
The RB depth chart that I think we will probably see at the start of the season:
Running Back:
1. Edmunds (if fully recovered)
2. Coleman
3. Williams
Scat back or flexed-out:
1. Coleman
2. Mangus
Wright is moved to fullback
Caleb is asked to move to defense or they decide to use him as a backup to Hodges in the role they thought D.J. Coles would be healthy enough to play last season.
The way I see it is that you can never have too many backs in the pipeline. Injuries occur, players leave early, players leave the team for other reasons good or bad. Alabama has stacked running backs like cord wood for a few years now and I do not see them saying, "There can be only three!" (menage a Highlander?). I am pretty sure that Beamer meant that they would establish the top three and that they would get all of the carries, meaning some guys are just going to have to wait there turn or realize that they are not good enough to start and accept their roles. I just hope that the best running backs end up the top three that see the field with the best man being the starter like we are seeing with the competitions for QB and OL. I think JC Coleman is a great kid and a wonderful ambassador for all things VT, but unfortunately for him, he is the Mark Leal of the RB competition.
This is a good point. But unlike Leal, I think Coleman will keep his spot, just as your realistic depth chart suggests.
Seems as if this is Beamer trying to control #ALLOFTHERBS this year...
This conversation is ridiculous. In our "stable" of running backs, we have:
1) A player who's coming off a broken leg
2) A freshman who is rehabbing an ACL injury
3) An undersized upperclassmen who hasn't proven he can be a 3-down back
4) A true freshman
5) Joel Caleb
Situations can change daily. The idea that we have "too many running backs" is counting your chickens before they hatch. What happens if Edmunds's injury causes him to miss the first month of the season? What happen if Shai pulls a Ken Ekanmen and isn't useful for another 2-3 years? What if Marshawn Williams can't get pass protections down? What happens if there's a freak injury in training camp like what happen to Malleck or Van Dyke?
Fucking find a solution to the running game before talking about moving guys. Like Andy said before, we averaged 3.2 yds/rush last season. Unless we find 2-3 studs who are proven in-game, I want Caleb to stay at RB.
I think 2 is a non-issue. Shai should be a red-shirt automatically and maybe even a medical red-shirt.
2 is definitely an issue. There's no guarantee that Shai gets back to 100% after rehab...I'm looking at it from a 3-year horizon as opposed to just next year.
i consider our RB's 'free range' rather than having a stable.
Our rushing statistics from last year would prove otherwise
?
Yeah that was a fail on my part, I tried to make a joke about how anemic our running game was, you couldn't call any of our running backs "free-range"...there was something there...this is how I feel right now:
This reminded me of Moon Moon.
Fumbles- Trey had zero last year. Let's wait and see how the other guys hold onto the ball. If Trey comes back full speed, which I suspect he will, he's going to be the man. Deal.
Trey should play rb and lb. For the first 3 weeks in August, Edmunds should only take reps with the linebackers. This will give the rest of the running backs more reps to determine a top 3. By the last week of summer practice, the coaching staff will be able tell which side of the ball Edmunds belongs on.
The best way to get each skill player more reps is to play a faster tempo.
The LBs play a crucial role in Bud's defense, and I doubt you can drop someone who hasn't played LB in a couple years into it and expect to get a real look at him in a few weeks. I expect he would struggle, which would further reinforce that Trey is going to play RB, and would also take away reps from the guys that have been playing LB for a long time (and who need to reps, given the turnover at the position).
Yeah, not to mention that come August, he won't have played a down at running back in almost 9 months.
... and not a down at linebacker in two years.
but he will always be a tight end bahahahaha
Obviously.
You can never have too many RB's.
Just convert the excess into TEs
I lol'ed. And voted you back up.
I like the fact the RBs did not fumble the ball at all last year, hopefully they keep it up. Fumbling hurts drives and kills momentum.