Practice Report

[emoinwinter]

I know that practice was closed today, but I didn't know if some people were allowed in at all to give a report. Anybody hear anything? Thanks!

[emoinwinter]

Nevermind. Rivals posted something. What are the rules of posting that stuff over here for the guys that don't have a subscription?

[picasso]

I'm betting our coach wasn't dressed as cool as oSu's coach.

[olevetonahill]

Nevermind. Rivals posted something. What are the rules of posting that stuff over here for the guys that don't have a subscription?
Post it ,hell if they sue ya we will all chip in !:cool:

[emoinwinter]

Post it ,hell if they sue ya we will all chip in !:cool:

I tried to paraphrase it, but it took too much effort...



The Oklahoma Sooner football team took the field for their first day of spring practices inside the Everest Training Facility. The Sooners pushed back their first day of spring practices after heavy rain in the area over the weekend.

The Sooners took their first practice inside the Everest Training Facility on Tuesday
But inside the OU training facility, Oklahoma finally started putting together the pieces of their 2006 team.

"It was good, about what you'd expect – rusty, rough, but guys worked pretty hard and I liked their attitude," said Sooners Head Coach Bob Stoops. "It was a normal practice. It was a little sloppy. There was a lot of correcting going on but it's not unlike what we've had virtually every spring. We always start out throwing a lot at them right off the bat."

The days practice was highlighted by several moves across the roster. Lendy Holmes wore his usual No. 11 jersey but this spring it's a white jersey signifying his new position as a defensive cornerback.

"We're looking at Lendy some at corner and seeing if that fits him. It's looked really good to this point," said Stoops.

The Sooners are noticeably thin in several areas this spring. The cornerback position is thinner than usual with offseason surgeries to Marcus Walker and Brian Jackson. Walker is recovering from his second shoulder surgery while Jackson is recovering from a torn meniscus in his knee.

"We expected that," said Stoops of missing Jackson this spring. "Brian had a cartilage injury and those usually heal up pretty good. We're expecting him to be back. I loved what he did in the fall and I think Brian's going to be a really good football player."

With Jackson and Walker sidelined, Reggie Smith appears to be switching to cornerback full-time, at least for the time being.

"Reggie looked good, which isn't surprising to anyone," said Stoops.

But Stoops' most glowing review on the day was saved for redshirt freshman safety Keenan Clayton.

"Keenan looks good," boasted Stoops. "His test results through the out of season are just incredible. He's going to get a good strong look and we anticipate him being a factor in there."

The other main area of concentration this spring will be the offensive line. The Sooners are hurting at the center position as Stoops says last year's late-season starter Jon Cooper will miss the entire spring along with J.D. Quinn.

Those injuries leave the Sooners with few options at center.

"Ben Barresi did a pretty good job in there today and early on too," said Stoops who also mentioned Chad Roark as the other young center taking snaps on day one. "I think the pace is new to them as much as anything else. The speed of everything is so much different."

The Sooners will also look at Sherrone Moore as a center according to Kevin Wilson.

But the problems with the offensive line heading into the 2005 season aren't expected to be repeated. Following today's practice, Stoops couldn't stop raving about the job his offensive line has been doing throughout the offseason.

"During several of our winter conditioning workouts, those guys have had a really good attitude and in fact, have been singled out by the coaching staff – Coach Schmidt and myself at times – as the best group we've had. And I mean the best of the whole team," said Stoops.

Another notable addition in today's spring practice was the introduction of Joey Halzle as the backup quarterback to Rhett Bomar. Halzle displayed a strong arm throughout the evening practice and even had one exceptional deep ball to Malcolm Kelly early in the late practice scrimmage sessions.

"I thought Joey did a nice job the first time out there. He was a little bit rusty. We were just trying to get a feel for everything. I thought he handled it really good," said Stoops.

The Sooners are also paper thin at the running back position as Jacob Gutierrez is sitting out the spring after he suffered torn ligaments in his knee late in the regular season. At times, Matt Clapp took on the role as the No. 3 tailback behind Adrian Peterson and Allen Patrick.

"We're a little thin at running back without Jacob," said Stoops. "Matt Clapp is still in at fullback but occasionally in our one-back sets, they spell those other guys."

Demarcus Granger also passes the eyeball test quite nicely. He's trimmed down considerably since arriving to campus last year. He appears to be in the best shape of his life. It seems Granger has made a strong commitment to making an early impact.

"He's done a lot of really good work and changed his body and developed it better and I think he's in a really good position to make a big contribution," said Stoops.

The Sooners will be back on the practice fields tomorrow. Stay tuned to SoonerScoop.com and we'll let you know if the Sooners remain indoors and whether or not the practices will re-open to the public.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Several Sooners have changed numbers or new numbers have been assigned after day one. The following is a list of changes we noticed in practice today.

Joey Halzle – 11
Sherrone Moore – 77
Joe Jon Finley – 19
Reggie Smith – 3
Keenan Clayton – 3
Brian Jackson (on crutches) – 2
Quentin Chaney – 84
Malcolm Kelly – 4
Brett Bowers – 26

[NickZeppelin]

James Hale on the Sports Animal

They have to go in shorts and shirts and helmets. We got to see about an hour of it. They did team drills. They looked athletic, looked pretty good.

They had 7 offensive linemen practice because Jesse White is hurt. But they had the tight ends fill in at tackle. The tight ends have to learn how to block anyway and it's an oprotunity for Patton and Wilson to give guys a break. You have to be creative in spring.

Another thing they are doing is allowing Matt Clapp to spell Adrian Peterson and Allen Patrick when they go to 1 back sets.

In the secondary with Brian Jackson out. Reggie Smith was at the field corner, the boundry corner was DJ Wolfe. Reggie and DJ looked great. Jason Carter and Darien Williams were first team safeties with Kennan Clayton and Nic Harris behind them. BJW are high on those 2 safety prospects.

DeMario Pleasant and Ryan Reynolds are battling at sam linebacker. Ryan got more work with the first unit. Brent may just alternate days with those 2. Curtis Lofton was the first team LB with Lamont Robinson backing him. Rufus Alexander looks great. He's put on weight. Lewis Baker is backing him as a full time LB.

Larry Birdine was back for a full time practice.

Quentin Chaney is wearing number 84.

Lendy Holmes is at corner now. It's too early to tell if he'll be there full time.

Brett Bowers is now a backup corner also.

Joey Halzle throws a good ball. Heupel is working on fundamentals but Halzle looks good.

Bomar is now 216 lbs. He was asked about his off season. Just said he made a mistake. He has to be more responsible.

In the fall the depth at corner won't be a problem. Because we get Walker and Jackson coming in and the 3 highly touted freshmen corners. Reggie may end up moving back to safety. If Harris and Clayton don't get what BJW wants out of them Reggie could always move back.

When you see scrimmages Matt Clapp and Patrick will get a few carries but you can't see the tailbacks get hit much. They just don't have the depth there. But they will be solved in the fall. You get 3 running backs from recruiting and Jacob Gutierrez will be back sometime in the fall.

In the fall you get Jon Cooper and JD Quinn back. And 5 freshman and maybe Jessie White gets healty and you suddenly have depth at OLine. Moore looks pretty good. He has a chance to be a starter at right guard. Barresi looks completely different. Looks like he's put on 20 pounds of good weight.

[KC//CRIMSON]

I tried to paraphrase it, but it took too much effort...



The Oklahoma Sooner football team took the field for their first day of spring practices inside the Everest Training Facility. The Sooners pushed back their first day of spring practices after heavy rain in the area over the weekend.

The Sooners took their first practice inside the Everest Training Facility on Tuesday
But inside the OU training facility, Oklahoma finally started putting together the pieces of their 2006 team.

"It was good, about what you'd expect – rusty, rough, but guys worked pretty hard and I liked their attitude," said Sooners Head Coach Bob Stoops. "It was a normal practice. It was a little sloppy. There was a lot of correcting going on but it's not unlike what we've had virtually every spring. We always start out throwing a lot at them right off the bat."

The days practice was highlighted by several moves across the roster. Lendy Holmes wore his usual No. 11 jersey but this spring it's a white jersey signifying his new position as a defensive cornerback.

"We're looking at Lendy some at corner and seeing if that fits him. It's looked really good to this point," said Stoops.

The Sooners are noticeably thin in several areas this spring. The cornerback position is thinner than usual with offseason surgeries to Marcus Walker and Brian Jackson. Walker is recovering from his second shoulder surgery while Jackson is recovering from a torn meniscus in his knee.

"We expected that," said Stoops of missing Jackson this spring. "Brian had a cartilage injury and those usually heal up pretty good. We're expecting him to be back. I loved what he did in the fall and I think Brian's going to be a really good football player."

With Jackson and Walker sidelined, Reggie Smith appears to be switching to cornerback full-time, at least for the time being.

"Reggie looked good, which isn't surprising to anyone," said Stoops.

But Stoops' most glowing review on the day was saved for redshirt freshman safety Keenan Clayton.

"Keenan looks good," boasted Stoops. "His test results through the out of season are just incredible. He's going to get a good strong look and we anticipate him being a factor in there."

The other main area of concentration this spring will be the offensive line. The Sooners are hurting at the center position as Stoops says last year's late-season starter Jon Cooper will miss the entire spring along with J.D. Quinn.

Those injuries leave the Sooners with few options at center.

"Ben Barresi did a pretty good job in there today and early on too," said Stoops who also mentioned Chad Roark as the other young center taking snaps on day one. "I think the pace is new to them as much as anything else. The speed of everything is so much different."

The Sooners will also look at Sherrone Moore as a center according to Kevin Wilson.

But the problems with the offensive line heading into the 2005 season aren't expected to be repeated. Following today's practice, Stoops couldn't stop raving about the job his offensive line has been doing throughout the offseason.

"During several of our winter conditioning workouts, those guys have had a really good attitude and in fact, have been singled out by the coaching staff – Coach Schmidt and myself at times – as the best group we've had. And I mean the best of the whole team," said Stoops.

Another notable addition in today's spring practice was the introduction of Joey Halzle as the backup quarterback to Rhett Bomar. Halzle displayed a strong arm throughout the evening practice and even had one exceptional deep ball to Malcolm Kelly early in the late practice scrimmage sessions.

"I thought Joey did a nice job the first time out there. He was a little bit rusty. We were just trying to get a feel for everything. I thought he handled it really good," said Stoops.

The Sooners are also paper thin at the running back position as Jacob Gutierrez is sitting out the spring after he suffered torn ligaments in his knee late in the regular season. At times, Matt Clapp took on the role as the No. 3 tailback behind Adrian Peterson and Allen Patrick.

"We're a little thin at running back without Jacob," said Stoops. "Matt Clapp is still in at fullback but occasionally in our one-back sets, they spell those other guys."

Demarcus Granger also passes the eyeball test quite nicely. He's trimmed down considerably since arriving to campus last year. He appears to be in the best shape of his life. It seems Granger has made a strong commitment to making an early impact.

"He's done a lot of really good work and changed his body and developed it better and I think he's in a really good position to make a big contribution," said Stoops.

The Sooners will be back on the practice fields tomorrow. Stay tuned to SoonerScoop.com and we'll let you know if the Sooners remain indoors and whether or not the practices will re-open to the public.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Several Sooners have changed numbers or new numbers have been assigned after day one. The following is a list of changes we noticed in practice today.

Joey Halzle – 11
Sherrone Moore – 77
Joe Jon Finley – 19
Reggie Smith – 3
Keenan Clayton – 3
Brian Jackson (on crutches) – 2
Quentin Chaney – 84
Malcolm Kelly – 4
Brett Bowers – 26

nice. thanks.

[goingoneight]

I'd like to see more than just a damn video of DeMarco Murray. I know they're running shy on tailbacks, but this has been eating at me. He looked mediocre in the All-Army game, but phenominal in the high school video on TV. Hopefully Las Vegas had decent competition, and he's not a bust. I'd love to see him run up on ***** and bust a TD run by changing directions like he did in that video...

[jccouger]

I dont see how reggie smith and keenan clayton are both going to wear #3. Is Reggie gonna go back to #1?

[Egeo]

thanks for the info

so latimer wasnt the starting mlb?

[Collier11]

Latimer is out I believe with a injury but dont quote me on that

[william_brasky]

thin at OL and DB. that scares me a little. not much depth at this time. hopefully some guys will heal up well over the spring and summer.

[GDC]

OU Questions
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
3/22/2006

Five questions heading into spring football

1. Can the offensive line be rebuilt in time to lead a talented group of skill position players?
Next fall, protecting QB Rhett Bomar and opening running lanes for RB Adrian Peterson can win the Sooners a lot of games. Not doing so consistently could mean defeat. Replacing four senior starters up front won't be easy, but it has to start now, not next fall. Chris Messner is the only full-time starter back. He'll be surrounded by game-tested sophomores and raw newcomers. How quickly JC tackle Sherrone Moore catches on could be huge.

2. How important to the offense were TE Bubba Moses and FB J.D. Runnels?
Moses was a devastating blocker at the point of attack. Runnels was Adrian Peterson's bodyguard -- athletic, powerful and relentless. They and departed OL Davin Joseph authored several chapters in the A.D. Record Book. Joe Jon Finley's role as a blocker will grow, so redshirt freshman Aaron Cummings or true freshmen Erik Mensik or Jermaine Gresham will take Moses' place as the second TE. Sophomore Matt Clapp or junior Dane Zaslaw will compete for Runnels' job.

3. Will Joey Halzle win the backup QB job

and push starter Rhett Bomar?
As of March 1, Paul Thompson's roster position was still quarterback. His transition to receiver last year was a difficult one, and the Sooners seem to be stacked at the position. So Halzle's signing from JC does not automatically anoint him as Bomar's backup. Don't forget: Thompson narrowly beat out Bomar last summer. Halzle does have a powerful arm and a lot of confidence, and that in itself will make Bomar better this spring.

4. How do the punt and kick returns improve without full-speed drills?
They don't. Blocking units running three-quarter speed against walk-ons won't make anyone better, but that's the way special teams work these days. The threat of injuries to key players wisely keeps coaches from working too much on special teams. Only two things will make OU better at returning kicks: better effort and execution on gameday and a more natural, breakaway threat carrying the football. In sophomore Reggie Smith, OU might have the latter.

5. Who will replace strongside LB Clint Ingram?
Sophomore Curtis Lofton may be better suited for the middle, so sophomore Ryan Reynolds could be Ingram's successor. Reynolds is strong enough and fast enough, but he's inexperienced. What will probably happen is OU's defense will return to more of the nickel alignment, with a defensive back replacing Reynolds in passing situations. Ingram was so savvy and accomplished in coverage, he became OU's first reliable strongside LB in years and led the team in INTs..

[NickZeppelin]

Latimer is out I believe with a injury but dont quote me on that

Shoulder injury that get had most of last year but really reaggrivated against Oregon.

[GDC]

Building blockers
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
3/22/2006

OU's spring focus turns toward its offensive line
NORMAN -- Last spring, Chris Messner was a backup. This spring, he is a bell cow.

"That's quite a switch," said Messner.

Messner, a left tackle who wasn't starting until Akim Millington quit the Oklahoma football team three days before the 2005 season opener, began spring practice on Tuesday as the Sooners' only experienced offensive lineman.

Messner will be a senior next fall, and he'll be OU's lead blocker in more ways than one. Four seniors from '05 are gone, and two key players in last year's late-season surge are injured this spring. Tuesday, a first-year freshman -- Ada's Chad Roark, who enrolled in January -- delivered center snaps.

"We've got a lot of work to do," said junior Sherrone Moore, a junior college transfer who is No. 1 at right guard.

Indeed, offensive line is OU's primary focus this spring, in summer workouts, and this fall. The Sooners have a big-time running back (Adrian Peterson), have found their quarterback (Rhett Bomar) and have a young, talented receiver corps (Malcolm Kelly, Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson).

All they need is someone to block.

"The challenge is

in what the line can do or can't do," said offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who coached linemen previously but now has the tight ends and fullbacks. "Every spring, as an offense, is (about) what your quarterback can learn and handle and what your line can handle. As we went through last year, we didn't get some questions answered at quarterback until we got through the season. We need to get some things answered in the offensive line through the spring and summer and preseason so we can be productive, or we'll struggle like we did this past year."

Not only is it spring, but it's early in spring. What's for sure is that sophomores J.D. Quinn and Jon Cooper are hurt and won't participate. Still unknown is what kind of chemistry this group can produce in 15 spring practices and how that relates to what happens this summer. A handful of players who aren't here yet could win jobs after reporting for two-a-days or during the season.

Even Messner, who started 12 games at right tackle last season, is a newbie at his position, now left tackle. Elsewhere, Tuesday's front line was composed of mostly sophomore Duke Robinson at left guard, redshirt freshman Ben Barresi at center, Moore at guard and sophomore Branndon Braxton at right tackle. Roark also got time at center, Barresi at right guard and sophomore Cameron Schacht at left tackle.

"Yeah, we're going to be shuffling those guys all spring," said head coach Bob Stoops. "It's too early to tell."

Stoops said after last year's season-opening loss to TCU -- in which OU's offensive line was often dominated by smaller opponents -- that he thought the team hadn't had a particularly encouraging offseason. Tuesday, Stoops singled out the offensive line for its work so far in strength training and conditioning. He said as a group, the offensive linemen have been the "best on the team."

"I'm encouraged that they've had a real good attitude and have worked hard."

Another factor is that this year's group is being led by a first-time Sooner coach, James Patton. After he was hired in Feb ruary, Patton's first order of business was getting to know his players.

"The sooner you get a chance to bond with them, you give the line a chance to gel," Patton said. "Because it's all five guys, and give guys all pulling the same way for the line to work. If one guy breaks down in that trust and that communication, then bad things can happen."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


John E. Hoover 581-8384
[email protected] .

[GDC]

OU Notebook: Getting started
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
3/22/2006

OU coach Bob Stoops said he liked the first day of spring drills, which lasted some two hours inside the Everest Training Facility.

"It was good," he said. "About what you'd expect. Rusty, rough, but pretty good. Guys worked hard. I liked their attitude."

Position switches: Stoops said a cartilage injury to cornerback Brian Jackson -- who stood out last summer but redshirted 2005 -- helped necessitate a move to cornerback for sophomore Lendy Holmes, who previously played wide receiver.

"We're expecting (Jackson) back," Stoops said. "I loved what he did during the fall. I think Brian's going to be a really good football player. For Lendy, it's getting better, and the little bit he's been out there, he's been good."

Also, redshirt freshman defensive end Brody Eldridge has moved to tight end, Reggie Smith worked Monday at cornerback and strong safety / nickel back Lewis Baker got extensive work at weakside linebacker.

Peterson's day: One school of thought suggests it would be wise to keep running back Adrian Peterson out of any extensive work this spring. But with sophomore Jacob Gutierrez recovering from knee and elbow surgery and

Kejuan Jones and Donta Hickson graduated, the Sooners don't have many options. So Peterson carried a dozen or so times during team drills.

"We're kind of short on running backs," Peterson said, "so I'm getting a lot of reps. I don't think it's going to hurt me too much."

Said Stoops: "Yeah, Adrian needs work. He can polish a lot of things up to become a better and better player, and he's aware of that. I think this can really help him. When you think about the time he has lost -- the spring last year, the two-a-days the year before -- you know, he's been playing on a lot of raw ability, and I think some of this practice time can really benefit him.".

[NickZeppelin]

Link (http://com3.runboard.com/bnickzeppsboard.fsoonerfootball.t66)

[Harry Beanbag]

I really don't like Brian Jackson missing Spring practices. :(

[GDC]

I'm betting our coach wasn't dressed as cool as oSu's coach.

not to mention the hair

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

hmm, clayton got a redshirt last year? i'll have to look over the roster again...

[sooneron]

Don't like R Smith being shuffled around back there.
Damn, we are thin at CB.

[TripleOption14]

What's crazy to me is how injuried we still are!!!! Man, it seems like over the past year players for OU have been forever injuried! Kinda sux.

[rainiersooner]

Nevermind. Rivals posted something. What are the rules of posting that stuff over here for the guys that don't have a subscription?

Bollocks to the rules.

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

I'm betting our coach wasn't dressed as cool as oSu's coach.

:les: BRING BACK THE HAIR!!!

[olevetonahill]

Aw this is why I love me some SF.Com :cool:
spek to all who posted links

[olevetonahill]

.
YMSSRA
Catch you on another post my friend :)

[GDC]

Halzle has potential to compete
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
3/23/2006

Transfer QB makes an impression while he learns Sooner offense.
NORMAN -- Joey Halzle, Oklahoma's new quarterback, lobs a 50-yard rainbow right into the hands of Malcolm Kelly, as he did on the Sooners' first day of spring practice Tuesday. Or he drops a 20-yard out just over a linebacker and into the grasp of Joe Jon Finley, as he did Wednesday.

And that's when it makes sense for OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson to say, "You see him do some things and you go, 'Hey, he's not bad,' " as Wilson said Wednesday night.

And it makes sense for Halzle, a 2,077-yard passer at California's Golden West Community College last fall, to talk seriously about battling incumbent Rhett Bomar for OU's starting job.

"If you're content to be on the sidelines, you're not doing what you need to be doing," Halzle said Tuesday.

But then reality sets in. Halzle isn't just fighting Bomar, he's fighting time. He's only been on campus since January.

"I've thrown a lot at him," said quarterback coach Josh Heupel.

"His head is swimming," said Wilson. "Ultimately, it's just being in tune -- new words, new coverages, faster players. I think right now everything's a little quick. He needs to settle in and be more

comfortable.

"He's probably months from being really what you want."

That's why Halzle's spring isn't really about coming from behind to upset Bomar.

"The main thing is I want to have the offense down perfectly," he said.

So while Bomar gets the bulk of the snaps, Halzle, OU's only other full-time scholarship quarterback with Paul Thompson now at wide receiver and signee Sam Bradford still at Putnam City North, loads up on film.

He meets with Heupel as much as he can and consumes the maximum amount of his new offense.

There is tweaking along the way.

"I came in with the stereotypical West Coast thing where I'd hold the ball really high (before delivering passes)," Halzle said.

"We've moved it down, and that's helped my accuracy a lot."

There is plenty of observing, too.

Halzle knew how much faster OU's defensive backs broke on passes than the ones he faced in junior college. But it took watching Bomar to understand how much faster OU's defensive linemen get off the ball.

By all accounts, it has been a case of so far, so good.

"Joey really picks things up quickly," Heupel said. "He's got a natural feel for the game."

By all accounts, there is a long way yet to go.

"I came from junior college ball, which was a little more (intricate) than high school, but still it doesn't even compare," Halzle said. "It's not the same type of football you play here."

"You just have to go through the whole spring, get experience," said Bomar, now in spring No. 2, "and it's kind of downhill from there."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Guerin Emig 581-8355
[email protected].

[GDC]

OU practice report: Much better
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
3/23/2006

After Oklahoma completed its first spring practice Tuesday, the offense lined up at one end of the Everett Training Facility and ran a set of wind sprints.

It turns out it was more punishment than conditioning.

"The way we practiced yesterday, it looked like we were willing to be another 8-4 team," OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said.

Wednesday afternoon, the Sooners seemed to respond. "We were better today," Wilson said. "We came out and had a little zest, a little zeal and had a little fun."

Change is good: Offense wasn't the only sharp unit Wednesday.

"It's just two days (into practice), but watching D.J. Wolfe and Reggie Smith, they have a chance to be exceptional on both corners if they'll keep working," coach Bob Stoops said. "By no means are we at that point yet, but they show a lot of ability and signs that they could get there."

Wolfe will be starting his second year at cornerback. Smith moves over after starting the last nine games of 2005 at strong safety.

"I'll be fine with it," he said, "as long as I'm on the field helping."

Return man: Smith says he and fellow cornerback Lendy Holmes have been returning punts the first couple days of

practice. Stoops has said he'd like to use Smith in that role, provided he feels comfortable about Smith's reliability. "I worked a lot on it during the winter," said Smith, regarded as the state's most dynamic open-field runner at Edmond Santa Fe in 2003-04.

Don't be fooled: The Sooners ran freshman fullback Matt Clapp on several plays during practice Tuesday, not that it should be mistaken for a new offensive wrinkle.

"We're a little thin at running back," Stoops said.

Adrian Peterson and Allen Patrick are 1 and 2 at tailback. .