2014 Spring Practice - Day 3

[Rednilla 5,396]

interesting. Could go with a double star look. Garrett more of a linebacker, Therezie more of a safety. If Garrett can hold his own in coverage it'd keep the offense from attacking a run/pass weakness on one side of the field. Almost a hybrid 4-4-1/4-2-5 with the 4-4-1 look having better pass coverage.

That's really what the defense looks like a fair amount of the time, just with a boundary safety and "Star" safety instead of outside linebackers. They move closer to/farther from the line depending upon the defensive play call and the offensive formation, but with Derrick Moncrief, who is 6'3 and 220-225, slated to play the boundary spot, it isn't as if we won't have size to put at either of the outside safety positions.

[Dixie1860 27]

I wasn't disappointed with Carl last year in the least! His stop of Yeldon in the Iron Bowl on 4th down was the best tackle he made all year. There aren't many people capable of just standing TJ up by themselves like that.

[IronMan70 3,277]

Nick is carrying himself with a lot more confidence this year, it is noticeable in that presser. He is better spoken too. When a QB says he knows everything about the offense, he has gone a long way to be able to play instinctively. It also gives the rest of the team a lot of confidence.

[tigerman1186 537]

How is Jeff Whitaker doing??? Haven't heard his name mentioned….

[augolf1716 21,255]

Jason Dufner sighting at #Auburn's athletics complex today

@Niehbur247

Should have his butt playing Bay Hill this week............................................j/k but I was hoping to see him in person

[gilstein21 1]

interesting. Could go with a double star look. Garrett more of a linebacker, Therezie more of a safety. If Garrett can hold his own in coverage it'd keep the offense from attacking a run/pass weakness on one side of the field. Almost a hybrid 4-4-1/4-2-5 with the 4-4-1 look having better pass coverage.

That's really what the defense looks like a fair amount of the time, just with a boundary safety and "Star" safety instead of outside linebackers. They move closer to/farther from the line depending upon the defensive play call and the offensive formation, but with Derrick Moncrief, who is 6'3 and 220-225, slated to play the boundary spot, it isn't as if we won't have size to put at either of the outside safety positions.

I was thinking more a long the lines of removing a safety for the 2nd star instead of a LB. Basically having Frost, McKinzy, Therezie, Garrett and whoever would play the safety spot on the field at the same time. Moncrief could take the place of Garrett or Therezie.

[yngwie1995 2,229]

I wasn't disappointed with Carl last year in the least! His stop of Yeldon in

the Iron Bowl on 4th down was the best tackle he made all year. There aren't many people capable of just standing TJ up by themselves like that.

I think the only person ever disappointed with Carl is Carl.

[meh130 1,052]

Lawson is headed to being one of the greatest AU defensive players ever. Lawson's skill is awesome. His attitude is amazing. Think about it. Last year before the season we were talking about his physique, how he already looked like an senior ready for the NFL draft. Against Ole Miss he throttled their zone read game. By the Iron Bowl the true freshman Lawson was chewing out Redshirt Junior Jonathon Mincy when Mincy got flagged for unsportsmanlike. Also in the game, Lawson repeatedly won the battle with UAT Junior OT Cyrus Kouandjio. This guy was playing and leading like a Junior last season, and all he wants to do is get better.

[JP_WDE!! 0]

Lawson is headed to being one of the greatest AU defensive players ever. Lawson's skill is awesome. His attitude is amazing. Think about it. Last year before the season we were talking about his physique, how he already looked like an senior ready for the NFL draft. Against Ole Miss he throttled their zone read game. By the Iron Bowl the true freshman Lawson was chewing out Redshirt Junior Jonathon Mincy when Mincy got flagged for unsportsmanlike. Also in the game, Lawson repeatedly won the battle with UAT Junior OT Cyrus Kouandjio. This guy was playing and leading like a Junior last season, and all he wants to do is get better.

+1

By 2016, when Carl declares for draft, He will be the top 5 pick for sure.... that guy is a born leader and every NFL team ll b after thim...

[RunInRed 16,454]

Kamryn Melton ...

 

[WarEagle84 0]

interesting. Could go with a double star look. Garrett more of a linebacker, Therezie more of a safety. If Garrett can hold his own in coverage it'd keep the offense from attacking a run/pass weakness on one side of the field. Almost a hybrid 4-4-1/4-2-5 with the 4-4-1 look having better pass coverage.

4-4-1? I expect us to improve on defense, but not so much that we only put 9 guys on the field just to give the other guys a fighting chance.

[aucanucktiger 1,798]

Ole Ellis doesn't have the excuse this year to deflect the Roof-esque job and 2012 numbers many on this forum brushed off last year. I'm concerned about this goofy placements of Adams at end, Garrett at safety, 2 apparent stars etc. His coaching IMO is the one detractor and jury still out factor on this staff. How about walking before you try to run EJ?

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Ole Ellis doesn't have the excuse this year to deflect the Roof-esque job and 2012 numbers many on this forum brushed off last year. I'm concerned about this goofy placements of Adams at end, Garrett at safety, 2 apparent stars etc. His coaching IMO is the one detractor and jury still out factor on this staff. How about walking before you try to run EJ?

ITS SPRING PRACTICE!

[Plaric 4]

Ole Ellis doesn't have the excuse this year to deflect the Roof-esque job and 2012 numbers many on this forum brushed off last year. I'm concerned about this goofy placements of Adams at end, Garrett at safety, 2 apparent stars etc. His coaching IMO is the one detractor and jury still out factor on this staff. How about walking before you try to run EJ?

Wanna know how I know you know nothing bout coaching?

[AUbritt 611]

Ole Ellis doesn't have the excuse this year to deflect the Roof-esque job and 2012 numbers many on this forum brushed off last year. I'm concerned about this goofy placements of Adams at end, Garrett at safety, 2 apparent stars etc. His coaching IMO is the one detractor and jury still out factor on this staff. How about walking before you try to run EJ?

ITS SPRING PRACTICE!

Yep ... canuck is exercising those 'negative vibes' muscles.

[atleagles 1]

Good stuff.. Thanks for the overview.

^^^Second that^^^

It would be great to be able to hear the questions that are being asked. MICROPHONE PLEASE!!!!

[Slammer1 409]

Good stuff.. Thanks for the overview.

^^^Second that^^^

It would be great to be able to hear the questions that are being asked. MICROPHONE PLEASE!!!!

^^^^^^ This !!!!

[gilstein21 1]

interesting. Could go with a double star look. Garrett more of a linebacker, Therezie more of a safety. If Garrett can hold his own in coverage it'd keep the offense from attacking a run/pass weakness on one side of the field. Almost a hybrid 4-4-1/4-2-5 with the 4-4-1 look having better pass coverage.

4-4-1? I expect us to improve on defense, but not so much that we only put 9 guys on the field just to give the other guys a fighting chance.

the 2 corners aren't accounted for in the terminology. Kind of how a 4-3 is called a 4-3 and a 3-4 is called a 3-4. It doesn't mean how many people are actually on the field. the 4-2-5 and 3-3-5 are probably the only two that account for everyone.

[Rednilla 5,396]

interesting. Could go with a double star look. Garrett more of a linebacker, Therezie more of a safety. If Garrett can hold his own in coverage it'd keep the offense from attacking a run/pass weakness on one side of the field. Almost a hybrid 4-4-1/4-2-5 with the 4-4-1 look having better pass coverage.

That's really what the defense looks like a fair amount of the time, just with a boundary safety and "Star" safety instead of outside linebackers. They move closer to/farther from the line depending upon the defensive play call and the offensive formation, but with Derrick Moncrief, who is 6'3 and 220-225, slated to play the boundary spot, it isn't as if we won't have size to put at either of the outside safety positions.

I was thinking more a long the lines of removing a safety for the 2nd star instead of a LB. Basically having Frost, McKinzy, Therezie, Garrett and whoever would play the safety spot on the field at the same time. Moncrief could take the place of Garrett or Therezie.

You misunderstand what I'm getting at. In CEJ's 4-2-5, the "Star" position IS a safety. There's the BS (boundary safety), FS (free safety), and "Star" safety. And, again, Moncrief is listed at anywhere from 6'2, 215 to 6'3, 225, while Garrett is listed at 6'1, 220.

I went into more depth about this in a thread several weeks ago, but quite honestly, Ellis Johnson's version of the 4-2-5 bears a striking resemblance to the old 4-4, IMO. The difference lies in the versatility; instead of two outside linebackers, he utilizes two bigger safeties who have the athleticism to cover.

I'd love to get bigbird to weigh in on this; prankster that he is, the guy knows a heck a lot about defensive schemes.

[gilstein21 1]

yes, that's what I was saying, poorly though. I was just referring to this years safeties possibly being bigger if Garrett can be used in that capacity. It is very much like the old 4-4 with better coverage .... hopefully. I know depth wise and with the roster make up last season, it didn't look as much like a 4-4.

[Rednilla 5,396]

yes, that's what I was saying, poorly though. I was just referring to this years safeties possibly being bigger if Garrett can be used in that capacity. It is very much like the old 4-4 with better coverage .... hopefully. I know depth wise and with the roster make up last season, it didn't look as much like a 4-4.

Agreed. And so long as he's healthy, Garrett will almost certainly be playing Star.

[lca408 366]

Don't forget that in 2007, Muschamp moved SenDerrick Marks from tackle to end for the season to get more size from that spot. Auburn ended up with something like the fourth or fifth ranked defense in the country that year. Sliding a tackle over to play end is nothing new or particularly exotic and Auburn can afford to do this at tackle because they have so much depth at the position compared to end.

[Mikey 16,711]

yes, that's what I was saying, poorly though. I was just referring to this years safeties possibly being bigger if Garrett can be used in that capacity. It is very much like the old 4-4 with better coverage .... hopefully. I know depth wise and with the roster make up last season, it didn't look as much like a 4-4.

Agreed. And so long as he's healthy, Garrett will almost certainly be playing Star.

So, ideally we would use a linebacker type at the star position? Say, Garrett, or had we landed them, Quon Alexander or R. Evans?

[JFDTiger80 790]

Lawson is headed to being one of the greatest AU defensive players ever. Lawson's skill is awesome. His attitude is amazing. Think about it. Last year before the season we were talking about his physique, how he already looked like an senior ready for the NFL draft. Against Ole Miss he throttled their zone read game. By the Iron Bowl the true freshman Lawson was chewing out Redshirt Junior Jonathon Mincy when Mincy got flagged for unsportsmanlike. Also in the game, Lawson repeatedly won the battle with UAT Junior OT Cyrus Kouandjio. This guy was playing and leading like a Junior last season, and all he wants to do is get better.

+1

By 2016, when Carl declares for draft, He will be the top 5 pick for sure.... that guy is a born leader and every NFL team ll b after thim...

Not sure I can agree with this. I love Lawson. I saw him play in HS a lot. He will be one of the best defensive players in AU history, but I do not think he will be a top pick in the NFL draft. I hope I am wrong. The NFL cares so much about measureables, and Carl is not size wise, tall enough to be at the top of their list. He may still have a very nice pro career.

[Rednilla 5,396]

yes, that's what I was saying, poorly though. I was just referring to this years safeties possibly being bigger if Garrett can be used in that capacity. It is very much like the old 4-4 with better coverage .... hopefully. I know depth wise and with the roster make up last season, it didn't look as much like a 4-4.

Agreed. And so long as he's healthy, Garrett will almost certainly be playing Star.

So, ideally we would use a linebacker type at the star position? Say, Garrett, or had we landed them, Quon Alexander or R. Evans?

Well, I should have added "in my opinion" to my previous post, but yes, I do think that Coach Johnson sincerely wants a hybrid safety/linebacker, and only used Therezie there last year because of personnel issues and the fact that Robenson earned his way onto the field. Evans was being recruited to play star, and I have no reason to believe he would have played elsewhere. I wouldn't quite say that he wants a small, mobile linebacker type, because I really don't believe height is an issue at this position.

The thing about it, though, is that it's all nomenclature. You can call Garrett a linebacker if you want, but he exited spring training last year as the odds on favorite to start at star. If not for the injury, he probably would have. I don't know that he is perfect for what Johnson really wants, because I don't know that he has quite the coverage skills to handle slot receivers as well as would be preferred, but CEJ has been around the SEC for a long, long time, and he knows that you can't put five pure DBs on the field all the time and expect to have a prayer against the power run teams.