David Earl
8/10/2006, 09:13 AM
Backfield
QUARTERBACK
We know Paul Thompson is a good, strong, fast runner. We know passing is not his forte, though he is capable of better than what we saw against TCU last year. Here are the reasons for optimism. The team likes and respects him. It is hard to quantify the value of this leadership element. He is a mature, good young man. He works hard. Wilson’s style is suited to some of Thompson’s strengths. I don’t see Thompson lighting the skies up this fall, but if he can just complete 50-60% of his passes while not making too many foolish mistakes, we should be able to move the ball and score.
I keep hearing whispers that maybe we (coaches AND fans) didn’t give Paul enough of a chance at QB. I’ll be honest; I thought they should have moved him to WR his freshman year after giving him a stab at QB. It would have been good for the team and it would have given him a fair shot at pro ball. 20/20 Hindsight says if that had been done we’d be talking about Tommy Grady right now. But water under the bridge is just that, gone and out of reach. I’ll step up to the plate and say I’m happy for Paul to get another shot. He’s a team player and he’s earned our respect. I appreciate the sacrifices he’s made and he’s making. I believe he’ll be rusty at first, but I’ve got some hope he’ll be a solid QB a few weeks into the season.
Will we have a viable backup here? I hear Bradford has good potential, but it’s asking a lot of a true freshman to come in and backup. Surely he’ll redshirt. Halzle (pronounced Halzle :D ) showed streaks of promise in the spring, but struggled in the spring game. I’ve heard his attitude is good. Coach Heupel (I like the sound of that!) can take a guy a long way if that guy has good attitude. So I’m sure Halzle will come along. Some early blowouts to get him game reps would be nice. But don’t hold your breath. First, Paul needs the reps. Second, early blowouts are hard to come by.
12 Paul Thompson 6'4", 210 Senior RS
11 Joey Halzle 6'4", 215 Sophomore
14 Sam Bradford 6'4", 200 Freshman
RUNNING BACK
We all know what we’re expecting from Peterson. Word is Patrick will get plenty of PT. Some are insisting he is stronger than last year and is the real deal. Gute is supposedly recovered from his knee surgery and cutting like his old self. I hope Wilson plans to work him into the game plan. I think we’ll see all three of these catching the ball out of the backfield. Peterson and Patrick will obviously be the big-back type players, running out of the I-formation. As Wilson and company tweak the offensive scheme I suppose they’ll use Gute similar to how we used Q, with sprint draws and shovel passes. He brings something unique to the table that none of our other backs bring.
We hear all kinds of good about Murray, Madu and Brown. Will one of them spell Peterson/Patrick? I’m guessing all three of these guys are the stand-up type runners we need in the I-formation. Somebody’s got to redshirt and ride the pine. I have no idea who it will be.
28 Adrian Peterson 6'2", 220 Junior
23 Allen Patrick 6'1", 205 Junior RS
21 Jacob Gutierrez 5'6", 185 Junior RS
3 Demarco Murray 6'0", 190 Freshman
13 Mossis Madu 6'1", 190 Freshman
24 Chris Brown 5'10", 195 Freshman
FULLBACK
Have we heard of either of these guys separating himself as the better? My guess is we’ll see more two back sets and two TE’s than FB. Stoops and company want to get the best players on the field. It’s easy to imagine them putting Finley and Gresham on the field at the same time, which may cut into FB playing time. That’s not to say neither of these guys can be good, however. They have the unfortunate circumstance of following JD’s steps, BIG shoes to fill.
40 Dane Zaslaw 6'1", 240 Junior RS
34 Matt Clapp 6'2", 240 Sophomore
Receivers
I probably don’t have these placed just right, but maybe it’s close. I think we’ll see more of Kelly, Iglesias and Johnson, probably in that order, than the others. Those three guys are coming of age and promise to be really good. Besides them I’m guessing Cheney is the next most likely to play.
How well these guys do depends on Thompson. But how well Thompson does depends on these guys too. If Paul can get his timing and decisions down we have reason to think these guys will at least have a chance to shine. Whether or not they do is up to them.
SLOT
6 Manuel Johnson 5'11", 180 Sophomore
8 Brandon Caleb 6'1", 195 Freshman
WIDE RECEIVER
9 Juaquin Iglesias 6'1", 200 Sophomore
17 Eric Huggins 6'3", 200 Redshirt Freshman
81 Fred Strong 6'1", 200 Sophomore RS
WIDE RECEIVER
2 Malcolm Kelly 6'4", 215 Sophomore
84 Quentin Chaney 6'5", 210 Sophomore RS
80 Adron Tennell 6'5", 200 Freshman
Finley’s pretty good and was getting even better by year’s end last season. He’s got enough size he should be able to block okay. How well is his blocking coming along? From what we’re hearing, it sounds like Gresham will get a lot of playing time. I’m sure we’ll have some two-TE sets. He may sub for Finley some as well. Whispers of him grabbing flying eels out of the air (that’s a metaphor for catching high passes you people) give me hope that if Paul can just get the ball up over Gresham’s head, Gresham will haul it in.
TIGHT END
19 Joe Jon Finley 6'6", 250 Junior RS
2 Jermaine Gresham 6'6", 250 Freshman
83 Brody Eldridge 6'5", 255 Redshirt Freshman
87 Aaron Cummings 6'4", 240 Redshirt Freshman
88 Erik Mensik 6'5", 245 Freshman
O-Line
This group looks young, very young. And thin, very thin. But outside of that it looks like we might could be as good as year end last year and maybe finish a little better. I guess that’s an optimistic appraisal, but I’m hopeful. If Cooper and White stay healthy at center that will help tremendously. With that we’d have Messner and Duke on the left side, and Walker and Braxton on the right side. That means four of the five starters should have significant experience.
Duke can backup at tackle and I think Walker can as well. I’m not sure what Moore’s injury status is, but I heard he was doing well so he might provide a little depth at guard. What’s the latest on Simmons? If he is a workable backup then we might be able to redshirt all the freshmen.
I’m by nature an optimistic guy. That fact certainly colors my assessment of the o-line this season. I really think our line will be okay, maybe even pretty good. The guys should struggle a little at first, until they jell. That might take some time, but I think this group will be okay.
LEFT TACKLE
79 Chris Messner 6'6", 290 Senior RS
72 George Robinson 6'5", 330 Sophomore
70 Cory Brandon 6'6", 275 Freshman
LEFT GUARD
72 George Robinson 6'5", 330 Sophomore
77 Sherrone Moore 6'4", 300 Junior
65 Ben Barresi 6'5", 310 Redshirt Freshman
CENTER
50 Jon Cooper 6'2", 280 Sophomore
66 Jesse White 6'0", 290 Redshirt Freshman
75 Chase Beeler 6'4", 275 Freshman
RIGHT GUARD
73 Brandon Walker 6'3", 305 Junior
74 Brian Simmons 6-5, 285, 5.00 Redshirt Freshman
RIGHT TACKLE
76 Branndon Braxton 6'6", 320 Sophomore (Youngstown, Ohio)
64 Trent Williams 6'5", 310 Freshman (Longview, Texas)
60 Curtis Bailey 6'7", 315 Freshman
Offensive Summary
Of course opposing defenses will stack the box and dare Thompson to pass. Because we’ve seen Paul struggle in the passing game we can easily imagine our offense running a bunch and getting stuffed, then having third and medium passes hit receivers at their feet. But that is probably our imagination run wild.
Paul can throw a little. Wilson can scheme to our strengths. And defenses stacking the box may hurt our run, but it will also yield some long runs. What happens when AD gets through that first line of nine defenders? It won’t happen every drive, but it will happen some. Between that fact, Wilson’s scheming, and the fact Paul can throw some, our offense should at least be decent.
Speaking of Wilson’s scheming, I’m really eager to see the chess match between Wilson and Chizik in October. We all know Chizik is the real deal and UT’s defense should be very good. Hopefully our offense will be finding its stride by that time. I don’t expect OU to score a lot against UT. But I believe Wilson has the ability (and the players) to create just enough havoc to win the game. However, there’s a lot of ball to be played prior to the Horn game. Can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.
QUARTERBACK
We know Paul Thompson is a good, strong, fast runner. We know passing is not his forte, though he is capable of better than what we saw against TCU last year. Here are the reasons for optimism. The team likes and respects him. It is hard to quantify the value of this leadership element. He is a mature, good young man. He works hard. Wilson’s style is suited to some of Thompson’s strengths. I don’t see Thompson lighting the skies up this fall, but if he can just complete 50-60% of his passes while not making too many foolish mistakes, we should be able to move the ball and score.
I keep hearing whispers that maybe we (coaches AND fans) didn’t give Paul enough of a chance at QB. I’ll be honest; I thought they should have moved him to WR his freshman year after giving him a stab at QB. It would have been good for the team and it would have given him a fair shot at pro ball. 20/20 Hindsight says if that had been done we’d be talking about Tommy Grady right now. But water under the bridge is just that, gone and out of reach. I’ll step up to the plate and say I’m happy for Paul to get another shot. He’s a team player and he’s earned our respect. I appreciate the sacrifices he’s made and he’s making. I believe he’ll be rusty at first, but I’ve got some hope he’ll be a solid QB a few weeks into the season.
Will we have a viable backup here? I hear Bradford has good potential, but it’s asking a lot of a true freshman to come in and backup. Surely he’ll redshirt. Halzle (pronounced Halzle :D ) showed streaks of promise in the spring, but struggled in the spring game. I’ve heard his attitude is good. Coach Heupel (I like the sound of that!) can take a guy a long way if that guy has good attitude. So I’m sure Halzle will come along. Some early blowouts to get him game reps would be nice. But don’t hold your breath. First, Paul needs the reps. Second, early blowouts are hard to come by.
12 Paul Thompson 6'4", 210 Senior RS
11 Joey Halzle 6'4", 215 Sophomore
14 Sam Bradford 6'4", 200 Freshman
RUNNING BACK
We all know what we’re expecting from Peterson. Word is Patrick will get plenty of PT. Some are insisting he is stronger than last year and is the real deal. Gute is supposedly recovered from his knee surgery and cutting like his old self. I hope Wilson plans to work him into the game plan. I think we’ll see all three of these catching the ball out of the backfield. Peterson and Patrick will obviously be the big-back type players, running out of the I-formation. As Wilson and company tweak the offensive scheme I suppose they’ll use Gute similar to how we used Q, with sprint draws and shovel passes. He brings something unique to the table that none of our other backs bring.
We hear all kinds of good about Murray, Madu and Brown. Will one of them spell Peterson/Patrick? I’m guessing all three of these guys are the stand-up type runners we need in the I-formation. Somebody’s got to redshirt and ride the pine. I have no idea who it will be.
28 Adrian Peterson 6'2", 220 Junior
23 Allen Patrick 6'1", 205 Junior RS
21 Jacob Gutierrez 5'6", 185 Junior RS
3 Demarco Murray 6'0", 190 Freshman
13 Mossis Madu 6'1", 190 Freshman
24 Chris Brown 5'10", 195 Freshman
FULLBACK
Have we heard of either of these guys separating himself as the better? My guess is we’ll see more two back sets and two TE’s than FB. Stoops and company want to get the best players on the field. It’s easy to imagine them putting Finley and Gresham on the field at the same time, which may cut into FB playing time. That’s not to say neither of these guys can be good, however. They have the unfortunate circumstance of following JD’s steps, BIG shoes to fill.
40 Dane Zaslaw 6'1", 240 Junior RS
34 Matt Clapp 6'2", 240 Sophomore
Receivers
I probably don’t have these placed just right, but maybe it’s close. I think we’ll see more of Kelly, Iglesias and Johnson, probably in that order, than the others. Those three guys are coming of age and promise to be really good. Besides them I’m guessing Cheney is the next most likely to play.
How well these guys do depends on Thompson. But how well Thompson does depends on these guys too. If Paul can get his timing and decisions down we have reason to think these guys will at least have a chance to shine. Whether or not they do is up to them.
SLOT
6 Manuel Johnson 5'11", 180 Sophomore
8 Brandon Caleb 6'1", 195 Freshman
WIDE RECEIVER
9 Juaquin Iglesias 6'1", 200 Sophomore
17 Eric Huggins 6'3", 200 Redshirt Freshman
81 Fred Strong 6'1", 200 Sophomore RS
WIDE RECEIVER
2 Malcolm Kelly 6'4", 215 Sophomore
84 Quentin Chaney 6'5", 210 Sophomore RS
80 Adron Tennell 6'5", 200 Freshman
Finley’s pretty good and was getting even better by year’s end last season. He’s got enough size he should be able to block okay. How well is his blocking coming along? From what we’re hearing, it sounds like Gresham will get a lot of playing time. I’m sure we’ll have some two-TE sets. He may sub for Finley some as well. Whispers of him grabbing flying eels out of the air (that’s a metaphor for catching high passes you people) give me hope that if Paul can just get the ball up over Gresham’s head, Gresham will haul it in.
TIGHT END
19 Joe Jon Finley 6'6", 250 Junior RS
2 Jermaine Gresham 6'6", 250 Freshman
83 Brody Eldridge 6'5", 255 Redshirt Freshman
87 Aaron Cummings 6'4", 240 Redshirt Freshman
88 Erik Mensik 6'5", 245 Freshman
O-Line
This group looks young, very young. And thin, very thin. But outside of that it looks like we might could be as good as year end last year and maybe finish a little better. I guess that’s an optimistic appraisal, but I’m hopeful. If Cooper and White stay healthy at center that will help tremendously. With that we’d have Messner and Duke on the left side, and Walker and Braxton on the right side. That means four of the five starters should have significant experience.
Duke can backup at tackle and I think Walker can as well. I’m not sure what Moore’s injury status is, but I heard he was doing well so he might provide a little depth at guard. What’s the latest on Simmons? If he is a workable backup then we might be able to redshirt all the freshmen.
I’m by nature an optimistic guy. That fact certainly colors my assessment of the o-line this season. I really think our line will be okay, maybe even pretty good. The guys should struggle a little at first, until they jell. That might take some time, but I think this group will be okay.
LEFT TACKLE
79 Chris Messner 6'6", 290 Senior RS
72 George Robinson 6'5", 330 Sophomore
70 Cory Brandon 6'6", 275 Freshman
LEFT GUARD
72 George Robinson 6'5", 330 Sophomore
77 Sherrone Moore 6'4", 300 Junior
65 Ben Barresi 6'5", 310 Redshirt Freshman
CENTER
50 Jon Cooper 6'2", 280 Sophomore
66 Jesse White 6'0", 290 Redshirt Freshman
75 Chase Beeler 6'4", 275 Freshman
RIGHT GUARD
73 Brandon Walker 6'3", 305 Junior
74 Brian Simmons 6-5, 285, 5.00 Redshirt Freshman
RIGHT TACKLE
76 Branndon Braxton 6'6", 320 Sophomore (Youngstown, Ohio)
64 Trent Williams 6'5", 310 Freshman (Longview, Texas)
60 Curtis Bailey 6'7", 315 Freshman
Offensive Summary
Of course opposing defenses will stack the box and dare Thompson to pass. Because we’ve seen Paul struggle in the passing game we can easily imagine our offense running a bunch and getting stuffed, then having third and medium passes hit receivers at their feet. But that is probably our imagination run wild.
Paul can throw a little. Wilson can scheme to our strengths. And defenses stacking the box may hurt our run, but it will also yield some long runs. What happens when AD gets through that first line of nine defenders? It won’t happen every drive, but it will happen some. Between that fact, Wilson’s scheming, and the fact Paul can throw some, our offense should at least be decent.
Speaking of Wilson’s scheming, I’m really eager to see the chess match between Wilson and Chizik in October. We all know Chizik is the real deal and UT’s defense should be very good. Hopefully our offense will be finding its stride by that time. I don’t expect OU to score a lot against UT. But I believe Wilson has the ability (and the players) to create just enough havoc to win the game. However, there’s a lot of ball to be played prior to the Horn game. Can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.