Bullets:
- Brennen Beyer and Derrick Green have boo boos. They sound minor and are expected back as early as Saturday.
- Allen Gant's move to SAM has been confirmed.
- MGoLeadingQuestion reveals that Devin Gardner loves the pistol formation and that they are running read options out of it still.
- Wooooooo.
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Opening remarks:
"Day four, shoulder pads and helmets for the second day. Full pads tomorrow. Not doing any tackling or anything like that, but a lot of good competition. Hasn't changed much. Guys are competing, learning the system a little more, especially when you've got some guys who have only been here a year, so they're going through that process. Things happen fast, so they have to adjust. When you have to adjust on both sides, tracking the line of scrimmage as an offensive lineman, we have to do a better job of. Defensively, we have to make sure we're putting ourselves in position to feed the defense and leverage the defense. It's pretty easy against barrels when you do that, but when you start doing it with live bodies, we have to do a better job of that and not give up any big plays. I think all the guys are competing very well. It's really been physical. We'll be in full pads tomorrow. The first doubles on Saturday will be good for us."
<More after the jump>
How are your young receivers at catching the ball?
"Oh they're doing a good job. I think they're all doing a good job. Jeff [Hecklinski] does a nice job coaching them up."
Did you have to hold anyone out of practice?
"[Brennen] Beyer's got a little boo boo, but he'll be all right, and so does Derrick [Green], but they'll both be fine."
Do you anticipate them being back by Saturday?
"Yes."
Are the guys at center getting equal reps right now?
"Yes."
Joey Burzynski as well?
"Joe's playing a little of guard and center. Really it's Graham [Glasgow] and [Jack] Miller."
Do you have any idea how many freshmen you might be able to play?
"No. Not yet."
MGoQuestion: What have you seen from Maurice Hurst, Jr.?
"He's quick. He's a long way away, but he's quick."
Free safety and strong safety seem to be anachronisms in your defense. Is it more like field and boundary?
"Yeah. It's probably more of that. And then you really find out what guys do well. We used to like to have Jordan down low most of the time, even though it may have been the free safety position to be honest with you because of the way he could support. As we get closer to the season, we may do that with Thomas [Gordon] and Jarrod [Wilson]. They're both two guys who are physical guys, which helps, and not bad cover guys."
Who's playing behind Cam Gordon right now?
"Allen Gant."
[MGoAside: Beyer is the No. 1 SAM at this point, not Gordon. Brian doesn't believe me, but I've got five bucks and this piece of indirect evidence telling me it's true.]
How's he adjusting to the position?
"Good."
Fitz Toussaint and Blake Countess? Are they moving around like you expect them to?
"Oh yeah. Oh yeah. They're doing everything."
Does Fitz look the way he was before the injury?
"You know, I can't see him shying away from anything. Cutting, running, I think he looks fine."
What do you hope to get out of the first week of fall camp?
"Technique, fundamentals, assignments, speed."
How's the competition between Raymon Taylor and Courtney Avery?
"Well, it's Ray, Courtney, and Blake. I think all three of them. Hollowell had a good spring. I liked how he finished. There's some guys out there competing."
Do you like that you have five guys competing for corner?
"Well you'd hope. The more talent you have the more depth you have."
Does having so many running backs make it more difficult for a guy like Derrick Green to get reps?
"Yeah it's always more difficult. You lose reps and you know, just the experience with the terminology and everything else. Even though that's a lot of meeting work and a lot of -- if you want to call them walkthroughs or whatever, that's always important for a young guy."
Is 240 too heavy for Derrick?
"We haven't seen him enough. To be honest with you. We're not allowed to see them in the summer, so we haven't seen him run."
What were you hoping his weight would be?
"I thought it was okay. 240's fine. We have some guys who always lose weight during camp. Ondre's up a little bit. He's got to get down. I'm just using him as an example. As their bodies change and the physicalness -- it will all get better."
Are your young offensive linemen picking up their assignments well?
"Yeah I think the biggest thing is targeting. How you target the line of scrimmage. Movements, how that affects it. So I think that's the biggest thing their issues are with."
How important have these last four practices been for those guys in terms of picking up the little things?
"Well it's important for the new guys, but a guy like Taylor who's played a lot of snaps, played a lot of football, it's important to get back in the mindset of what you're doing. But for the young who are a little younger, haven't played much, it's always the fundamentals that are everything."
Do you like the leadership from the seniors?
"Yeah they've done a nice job."
Does the depth chart at QB affect how you coach Shane Morris? Would you do anything differently if you still had Russell Bellomy?
"He's probably getting more snaps than he would have if Russ were in camp."
How has he been doing? Has he shaken off the nerves yet?
"Yeah. I think he's doing well. I think he made about three or four real good throws today."
Is the passing game the area that you can see progress without pads?
"Well, it depends. You do skelly, which is everybody but the linemen. Sometimes you get a different perspective because they hold the ball maybe a little longer, and they maybe have the opportunity. We try to have a rhythm to it. Al, believe me, is the first one to say, 'You're not going to have that much time.' So the timing of routes, running of routes, footwork with the quarterback and planting it and throwing it, those are the things you get most of."
Is the No. 2 QB spot something you can take a little more time with than maybe running back because it's not a starter?
"I would say because you do know who you're expecting to start the season with, in some ways you can give a few more snaps in the competition to see who's number two."
What's the difference between Devin now and Devin at the end of last year?
"I think his overall demeanor on how he handles himself. I think how he approaches each day, even though I thought at the end of the year and through the bowl game, he was improving on that. So it's more of his demeanor as a leader on the team."
Jarrod Wilson over the last couple days?
"Yeah I think Jarrod is a guy who really does a nice job communicating. He's smart, he's got a great intelligence. And I think him and Thomas have worked real good back there together."
What about Jeremy Clark?
"He's getting better. He's making progress."
Is Shane a little ahead of the curve because he's been around this program so much?
"I would say he is. It's great to have a smart quarterback. Being a smart quarterback and being a wise quarterback under heat time with guys chasing you around and decisions that you make, those are two different things. I think that's what we'll see more of from this point on when we get full pads on?"
MGoQuestion: How many defensive linemen do you want for your rotation this season?
"Through the four positions? Probably nine, maybe 10?"
MGoFollowup: Do you feel like you have that nine or 10 at this point?
"Well, I think when you look at ... Yeah. I do."
MGoFollowup: Do you think Taco Charlton has the potential to play this season?
"He's got great potential."
MGoTryAgain: This season?
"He's got great potential."
Do you remember your early impressions of the Michigan helmet?
"I think you always have that impression. I can't tell you when it was. It was early in life."
How big of a deal from a branding standpoint is that design?
"I think it's huge. I think they have these surveys all the time, which is the best helmet? It seems like Michigan's helmet, our helmet, that winged helmet is always up there, either one or two. I think it's really important."
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O_o >.<