James Collier
Nice try mother nature, but you lose again. Hat tip to Scott Morehouse as he got the team moved into the indoor prior to the storm. Another hat tip to Marshall Equipment for another solid transition from outside to the indoor.
It was a day of who wants it more on the field was a few guys dropping the boom and others simply getting outworked. The one thing I will point out about which team certain players are working out with is do not read too much into it. At this point in camp, players are banged up and dealing with many issues. What may seem to one thing may be something totally different.
Doc Talk
Holliday spoke highly of Howard; joking about him getting beat deep might have been ok if he was a linebacker.
“He’s a really talented player,” Holliday said. “He’s tough. He’s like his dad was. His dad was a tough guy and played for me years ago.”
Howard’s father is Antonio Brown, former WVU player under Holliday and NFL receiver.
Holliday complimented Howard’s physical nature and style of play.
“He’s physical and isn’t afraid to hit you,” Holliday said. “He’s not afraid to put his face in there. Football is a tough game and that’s where it starts.”
Holliday compared Howard’s speed to that of his father, saying after Brown left the league, he beat Devin Hester in a race at the park.
Speed and Power
When Antonio Howard arrived at Marshall, he was quickly tabbed the nickname “Speedy” after showing off his skills. He might be called “Hit Stick” after some of his thunderous hits today. Howard leveled Nick Mathews on the back end of a flag route that Gunnar Holcombe took too long to throw. Mathews ran a perfect route and had the step, but the delay allowed Howard to make up the lost ground, meeting Mathews at the catch. The crack of the shoulder pads echoed through the indoor as Mathews went down hard. The freshman held on for what appeared to be a catch before the ball trickled out as he went to his knees. Mathews would continue after taking a couple plays off.
Raylen Elzy had another tie up with Howard, struggling to get free from the more physical play of Howard. Elzy was trying to get over Howard but never made it to his intended mark. This coming after Elzy beat Howard on an inside to get position up the seam. Elzy made a diving catch to complete the play then followed with a 23-yd grab on a jet route. These two have been in each other since the first day of camp.
One or Two
A.J Leggett returned to the field today after sitting out the past three days with an injury. Leggett ran with the ones in the first 11x11, nearly picking off Michael Birdsong for the fourth time in week. Leggett’s read on the ball often puts him in position to make a better play on the ball than the intended receiver. Later in the session, Leggett ran with the twos. Tiquan Lang ran with the ones in Leggett’s place. Lang made a nice read on a run, taking away the edge on a sweep for no gain.
Taj Letman remains an anchor at safety, often looking like a mirror image of Leggett. With Lang finally healthy, Heater has three options to roll in the back end, with Leggett being at the front of the class Sept. 6.
Just Do What I Do
Steve Dillon and Jarquez Samuel are playing with chips on their shoulders this season, and anyone lined up opposite of them have been feeling their message. Dillon exploded through the “A-Gap” to get the running back in the backfield, only to have Samuel following his lead the very next play. Coach Cronin said today that Dillon has yet to have a bad practice. For the Herd’s defensive front, this needs to continue into the season.
Frankie Hernandez has obviously been watching D.J. Hunter and seems to be a quick learner. Hernandez lit up the running back in the backfield after blasting through the line on a blitz. Hernandez has a knack for the ball while bring a physical quality to the linebacker room. Expect to see him on the field contributing this season.
Guess Who’s Back
After missing much of last week’s sessions, Devon Johnson is back. Johnson’s carries today were midseason form, hitting the hole with bad intensions for the person on the other side. That is if someone was even there. Johnson, along with the other backs, have been getting gaping wholes to run through.
Keion Davis appears to be back on track catching a case of the fumbles early this week. Davis is competing with Tony Pittman for the third string back, and with enough positives by the end of camp, could offer a 2A with Remi Watson being the two. Davis is a combo of Johnson and Watson and will give the Herd plenty of production this season.
Final Notes
If Hyleck Foster was in the doghouse after yesterday’s practice, he may have at least made his way back to the doormat today. Foster made back-to-back catches, shaking Antavis Rowe with a double move over the middle. Coach Furrey raced to Foster to celebrate with his talented receiver. Foster is an amazing talent, but he must balance his level of cockiness and confidence with the emphasis being on the first.
Clint Van Horn went down early in practice but bounced back with a vengeance. Van Horn basically slammed Damien Dozier into the turf during the line drills. Van Horn has quickly taken over this team as a leader and sets the example every day. Before practice began this afternoon, Van Horn was the first position player on the field to work in individuals.
Birdsong continues to progress while showing he can make a quick read. Once again, the JMU transfer looked his best in the hurry-up offense. Twice he found Foster wide open in zone coverage to move the chains. He has a cannon for an arm, but can be as gentle as a feather when needed. If he can control the desire to want to hit the homerun ball on every throw, defenses are going to be tired of trying to slow him down by halftime.
Josh Knight’s progress continues, as it appears he is in a dead heat with Mathews for the number two slot. Knight has a golden opportunity and his hands have been nothing less than perfect at times during camp. However, while he makes the highlight reel catches, he has been known to drop the wide-open balls, something that Furrey will not tolerate.
Holliday placed the ball about two-feet shy of the first down marker, telling the teams they both had one final play. Birdsong tried to draw the defense off sides but they would not flinch. Today, the offense made the play, a Davis off guard run for a gain of four. Emanuel Beal let Hunter hear all about it after taking Hunter’s best from the sideline a few plays prior.
The Herd will work out at 6:05 a.m. (yes I said a.m.) tomorrow and 5:30 p.m. Friday as the open portion of practice will come to a close. The team will scrimmage Saturday afternoon, with members of the Big Green and Marshall students permitted to attend.
Nice try mother nature, but you lose again. Hat tip to Scott Morehouse as he got the team moved into the indoor prior to the storm. Another hat tip to Marshall Equipment for another solid transition from outside to the indoor.
It was a day of who wants it more on the field was a few guys dropping the boom and others simply getting outworked. The one thing I will point out about which team certain players are working out with is do not read too much into it. At this point in camp, players are banged up and dealing with many issues. What may seem to one thing may be something totally different.
Doc Talk
Holliday spoke highly of Howard; joking about him getting beat deep might have been ok if he was a linebacker.
“He’s a really talented player,” Holliday said. “He’s tough. He’s like his dad was. His dad was a tough guy and played for me years ago.”
Howard’s father is Antonio Brown, former WVU player under Holliday and NFL receiver.
Holliday complimented Howard’s physical nature and style of play.
“He’s physical and isn’t afraid to hit you,” Holliday said. “He’s not afraid to put his face in there. Football is a tough game and that’s where it starts.”
Holliday compared Howard’s speed to that of his father, saying after Brown left the league, he beat Devin Hester in a race at the park.
Speed and Power
When Antonio Howard arrived at Marshall, he was quickly tabbed the nickname “Speedy” after showing off his skills. He might be called “Hit Stick” after some of his thunderous hits today. Howard leveled Nick Mathews on the back end of a flag route that Gunnar Holcombe took too long to throw. Mathews ran a perfect route and had the step, but the delay allowed Howard to make up the lost ground, meeting Mathews at the catch. The crack of the shoulder pads echoed through the indoor as Mathews went down hard. The freshman held on for what appeared to be a catch before the ball trickled out as he went to his knees. Mathews would continue after taking a couple plays off.
Raylen Elzy had another tie up with Howard, struggling to get free from the more physical play of Howard. Elzy was trying to get over Howard but never made it to his intended mark. This coming after Elzy beat Howard on an inside to get position up the seam. Elzy made a diving catch to complete the play then followed with a 23-yd grab on a jet route. These two have been in each other since the first day of camp.
One or Two
A.J Leggett returned to the field today after sitting out the past three days with an injury. Leggett ran with the ones in the first 11x11, nearly picking off Michael Birdsong for the fourth time in week. Leggett’s read on the ball often puts him in position to make a better play on the ball than the intended receiver. Later in the session, Leggett ran with the twos. Tiquan Lang ran with the ones in Leggett’s place. Lang made a nice read on a run, taking away the edge on a sweep for no gain.
Taj Letman remains an anchor at safety, often looking like a mirror image of Leggett. With Lang finally healthy, Heater has three options to roll in the back end, with Leggett being at the front of the class Sept. 6.
Just Do What I Do
Steve Dillon and Jarquez Samuel are playing with chips on their shoulders this season, and anyone lined up opposite of them have been feeling their message. Dillon exploded through the “A-Gap” to get the running back in the backfield, only to have Samuel following his lead the very next play. Coach Cronin said today that Dillon has yet to have a bad practice. For the Herd’s defensive front, this needs to continue into the season.
Frankie Hernandez has obviously been watching D.J. Hunter and seems to be a quick learner. Hernandez lit up the running back in the backfield after blasting through the line on a blitz. Hernandez has a knack for the ball while bring a physical quality to the linebacker room. Expect to see him on the field contributing this season.
Guess Who’s Back
After missing much of last week’s sessions, Devon Johnson is back. Johnson’s carries today were midseason form, hitting the hole with bad intensions for the person on the other side. That is if someone was even there. Johnson, along with the other backs, have been getting gaping wholes to run through.
Keion Davis appears to be back on track catching a case of the fumbles early this week. Davis is competing with Tony Pittman for the third string back, and with enough positives by the end of camp, could offer a 2A with Remi Watson being the two. Davis is a combo of Johnson and Watson and will give the Herd plenty of production this season.
Final Notes
If Hyleck Foster was in the doghouse after yesterday’s practice, he may have at least made his way back to the doormat today. Foster made back-to-back catches, shaking Antavis Rowe with a double move over the middle. Coach Furrey raced to Foster to celebrate with his talented receiver. Foster is an amazing talent, but he must balance his level of cockiness and confidence with the emphasis being on the first.
Clint Van Horn went down early in practice but bounced back with a vengeance. Van Horn basically slammed Damien Dozier into the turf during the line drills. Van Horn has quickly taken over this team as a leader and sets the example every day. Before practice began this afternoon, Van Horn was the first position player on the field to work in individuals.
Birdsong continues to progress while showing he can make a quick read. Once again, the JMU transfer looked his best in the hurry-up offense. Twice he found Foster wide open in zone coverage to move the chains. He has a cannon for an arm, but can be as gentle as a feather when needed. If he can control the desire to want to hit the homerun ball on every throw, defenses are going to be tired of trying to slow him down by halftime.
Josh Knight’s progress continues, as it appears he is in a dead heat with Mathews for the number two slot. Knight has a golden opportunity and his hands have been nothing less than perfect at times during camp. However, while he makes the highlight reel catches, he has been known to drop the wide-open balls, something that Furrey will not tolerate.
Holliday placed the ball about two-feet shy of the first down marker, telling the teams they both had one final play. Birdsong tried to draw the defense off sides but they would not flinch. Today, the offense made the play, a Davis off guard run for a gain of four. Emanuel Beal let Hunter hear all about it after taking Hunter’s best from the sideline a few plays prior.
The Herd will work out at 6:05 a.m. (yes I said a.m.) tomorrow and 5:30 p.m. Friday as the open portion of practice will come to a close. The team will scrimmage Saturday afternoon, with members of the Big Green and Marshall students permitted to attend.
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