Hokies Camp 2015: First Day of Practice Notes, Quotes and Observations

Editor's Note: Throughout the season Kevin Weiss will contribute practice and game reports to TKP. Kevin hosts The Drive with Kevin Weiss on ESPN Blacksburg 1430 AM / 94.1 FM. — Joe

On Friday, I attended the Hokies' first practice (or the portion media was able to see anyway). I jotted down as many notes and observations as I could before the buzzer rang and us media folks were escorted out of the Beamer Barn.

Without further ado...

Observations and Other Nuggets

There was a lot of energy, passion and enthusiasm from the players and coaches even when they were going through basic stretching and warm-ups. There was definitely a sense of urgency all around. Speaking of urgency, linebackers coach Cornell Brown was CONSTANTLY calling out Whip/ROLB Ronny Vandyke during warm-ups.

Before practice began, Michael Vick (who was decked in Tech gear from head to toe) made a fantastic speech to the team and sent a great message.

He pointed out to the team that playing football and getting a free education is an opportunity of a lifetime and to not take it for granted. Vick also talked about the importance of being disciplined and having the fortitude to listen to coaches.

I spent a considerable amount of time watching the quarterbacks and the offense in general. Here were some things I noticed:

• Freshman QB Dwayne Lawson is a GROWN-MAN. He looks like a 28-year-old man in that No.2 non-contact jersey. Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler was critical of his exchanges to the RBs, saying Lawson was taking too many steps before making the handoff.
• On a couple of run-throughs on offense, J.C. Coleman was aligned as a wide receiver, with Travon McMillian or Trey Edmunds in at running back.
• The QBs worked on throwing quick hitches and post routes to the tight ends inside the 20-yard line. All of the quarterbacks overthrew their target at multiple times on the post routes in the end zone. They fared much better on the hitches.

I was able to sneak a few peaks of the scrimmage. One play that stood out in my mind was a beautiful completion by QB Michael Brewer to WR Cam Phillips down the field. Brewer eluded pressure, stepped up in the pocket and soared a pass right on the money to Phillips between the hash marks for what would have been a 40-yard completion.

Punter A.J. Hughes was ABSOLUTELY CRUSHING punts outdoors. The height and hang time was considerable and should bode well for the coverage teams in being able to get downfield make plays.

Player Quotes

DT COREY MARSHALL

ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE:

"We're just working on getting back to basics. Coach (Bud) Foster wanted to stress the fundamentals and that's what we're trying to get after. Nothing too complex. Just getting the young guys involved and getting a lot of reps.

ON THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A TALENTED DEFENSIVE LINE

"I think it's a great thing to have. Schematically, (opponents) can't double anybody on the line. You take a lot of your offense away when you start bringing in tight ends and running back to block. So, it really kind of nutmegs them down and gives us free range to attack."

ON THE NEWCOMERS ON DEFENSE AND IF ANYBODY STOOD OUT:

"I think Tim Settle had a good day. He's got a great first step. He's got a good counter-move and swings his hands through pretty good. Just starting off, their heads are spinning. The biggest thing is not to let the playbook tie up your feet and they're doing a good job of that. They're catching everything a lot faster than I did at that age, so that's a good sign. They just got to keep plugging along.

DT Luther Maddy

ON GETTING BACK TO PRACTICES:

"I'm real eager. It's been eight months since I put on pads, so it was real fun being out there with my teammates. I had a good time with it."

ON HOW GOOD THE DEFENSE CAN BE THIS SEASON:

"Today (Friday) was one of the best first practices I've seen since I've been here. Usually first days start off pretty slow, but both sides of the ball were playing fast. We picked up where we left off in the spring, so everybody was playing fast today. It was a great first day."

ON THE POTENTIAL OF THE DEFENSIVE LINE AND HOW GOOD IT CAN BE:

"We're good, but we can be better. That's how we look at it. We're not satisfied. Coach (Charley) Wiles is making sure that we're not just sitting around and being satisfied with where we're at. We're taking every rep we can, every technique and every coaching point from coach Wiles seriously and trying to apply it to our game."

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DADI NICOLAS FROM HIS FRESHMAN YEAR TO SENIOR YEAR:

"It's crazy. I've seen his growth every year and he's gotten better every year since I've seen him in his senior year in high school. It's crazy. It's great on his part to be able to take coaching and evolve like that. It's not easy to not play football (Nicolas played one year of high school football) and come in and do the things he's doing. It really shows his character and dedication to the game too."

RB J.C. COLEMAN

ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE:

"It was very exciting. Guys are really fired up and amped up. It's just exciting to be out there."

ON BUILDING OFF THE END OF LAST SEASON:

"It's probably the most excited I've been in my entire life heading into a football season. I'm just ready to step off right where I landed last year and keep going forward."

ON PROVING THE COACHES THAT HE CAN BE AN EVERY-DOWN BACK:

"I might be smaller and weight a little bit less, but I think I'm one of the strongest people pound-for-pound on the team. That's something I take pride in and I can take the beating. I don't take a lot of hard hits because I'm real shifty and everything."

ON THE RUNNING BACK ROTATION OVERALL:

"I think the coaches have talked about having two and maybe a third guy. I think that's the way to go when you start talking about running backs. Guys have got to get into a groove and get going."

ON THE RETURN OF SHAI MCKENZIE AND IF HE'S READY TO BE BACK IN THE MIX:

"Right now, he's got to get his stamina back. He was a little tired out there. As far as running the ball, he has that natural ability with his cuts. He's a powerful guy and when he gets the pads on, he's going to cause some problems. He looked good out there."

WR ISAIAH FORD

ON HOW THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE WENT OVERALL:

"It went pretty well. We're just getting back used to it, so we're going to have some mishaps, but overall I think we had a really good first day."

ON HAVING THE CONSISTENCY OF A RETURNING QB IN MICHAEL BREWER:

"Me and Brewer have probably spent every day this summer together either watching film or running routes. Me and (Brewer's) chemistry went through the roof compared to last year, so I think it's going to look like night and day."

ON WHAT HE WORKED ON IN THE OFFSEASON TO IMPROVE HIS GAME:

"I worked on putting on muscle. Last year, I played at 174 (pounds). I really wanted to take it serious and get in the weight room and get bigger and stronger and faster. I'm up to 190 now and I think I'm down to four percent body fat. I feel faster than I ever have, so I'm pretty excited about that."

ON IF ADDING EXTRA WEIGHT WILL HELP HIM IN BLOCKING:

"I think it's going to help me in every aspect of playing the receiver position. Blocking is a big part of it, so I think it's going to help a lot. And when I get bumped, I'm going to be able to fight with my hands, take the bumps and dish some out as well."

OL WYATT TELLER

ON LINEMAN IN THE NFL THAT HE WATCHES:

"Obviously, the main guys. Jake Long and all those guys. We watch a lot of NFL game film. Basically, we just watch a lot of NFL offensive lines. Like the Dallas' (Cowboys) tenacity. Same with the (New England) Patriots. They're a mean offensive line and we like that. We watch film of them and we try to idolize them."

ON IF THE OFFENSIVE LINE HAS ADDED A SENSE OF TOUGHNESS AND TENACITY:

"Well, we used to go downhill running and then we got to this wide-zone and mid-zone kind of stuff. That kind of changed up how our mentality was, I guess. Now, we're back to downhill running and moving the rock, I think that's a huge part of why we have that new discovered toughness and meanness about us."

ON THE COHESIVENESS OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE AND HOW HE FEELS ABOUT THIS YEAR'S UNIT:

"Every day, we've got to get better. Right now, we're subpar and we need to be great. Each day if we gain that two percent, then by game day it's going to be a good offensive line and I'm excited about it."