A few notes from practice

[Eric]

@RLR

1. I don't see him as a first round WR...but I do think he could go 2-4 with a good year and combine.

2. I haven't asked or heard anything on him...Simmons is a WDE and I think Merriweather a SDE...but if I had to pick one to play this year it would be Merriweather due to size.

 

[AE 87]

Correct...would be Stickler or Klock.

Thanks for clarifying. I was thinking that it would be more likely tackles than guards.

 

[Eric]

Thanks for clarifying. I was thinking that it would be more likely tackles than guards.

I was repsonding to the question of what freshmen OT might play...and the only two we have are Stickler and Klock.

I do think a tackle is more likely to though.

 

[swampsting]

Smelter has taken a significant jump from last year to this year?
Mercy. Because he was some kind of good last year.

 

[Eric]

The major knock on Smelter last year was route running.

 

[GTJason]

1. What's Smelters ceiling? I thought he played awesome last year. Could he land himself in the 1st round of the NFL draft? I could also see Waller getting drafted in the later rounds. NFL seems to be trending towards big WRs. #WRU

I think 800 yards receiving and a good combine gets him in the 2nd round (Hill.) Over 1000 (only Baybay has done this so doubt it'll happen) and a decent combine puts him solidly in the first round. Scouts are watching him which is a good thing, they'd be dumb not to given our success with NFL receivers. If he gets over 1000 and runs a 4.4 (like it or not, the 40 is a powerful stat real or imaginary) he'll go high. Of course I'm jaded by the opinion that first round picks should be reserved for high quality OL/DL and game changing WRs. I think you could be just as successful with a 5th round QB or RB as you could with a first round one without all of the guaranteed money. Also 1st round OL and WR have the power to make practice squad QBs and RBs great. JMO

 

[GTJoeBrew]

Man, this has been such a back and forth offseason. At times I feel like the sky is falling and other times hopeful. From this thread, I feel hopeful! Undefeated season here we come (ok, maybe I'm bipolar).

 

[dhbartlett12]

Can somebody explain what the differences are between an OT, OG, and C in this offense as opposed to a normal offense? It could just be that the differences between those positions are the same. Thought I'd ask.

 

[jchens_GT]

Can somebody explain what the differences are between an OT, OG, and C in this offense as opposed to a normal offense? It could just be that the differences between those positions are the same. Thought I'd ask.

I can take a weak stab at it. If I'm getting wrong or someone else can explain more clearly, please chime in. I've not watched film like a lot of these guys have, but here it goes:

General - We do not zone block very much compared to a lot of other teams. Our linemen have a more attacking style.
OT - We ask our tackles to get to the next level and make blocks more so than the center or guard. They are also matched up against freaksihly athletic defense ends a lot of times. They tend to be smaller than our guards, which hopefully means quicker to the second level to block linebackers, DBs, or maybe a defender coming from the backside of the play.
C - Not that much different apart from the hit 'em in the mouth playing style instead of zone blocking.
G - Same as center. They block linebackers on the next level, but don't have to be quite as quick as the tackles. Usually larger than the tackles because we need road graders to open up holes on the inside.

Does this seem accurate or am I off in left field?

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

If only we could play "make it, take it".....oh well....

Here's hoping the D surprises with little depth on the D line.....

 

[AE 87]

Can somebody explain what the differences are between an OT, OG, and C in this offense as opposed to a normal offense? It could just be that the differences between those positions are the same. Thought I'd ask.

Like @jchens_GT I'm not an expert, but I'll add my two cents. I think most offenses look for big OTs with fast feet who can pass block. Shamire Devine would play OT in most offenses, iiuc. However, because we use our OT's to get up the field or out on the flats to block LBs and DBs in a lot of our plays, and the OGs to open-up the middle, we put our bigger guys in the middle.

 

[Boomergump]

I think 800 yards receiving and a good combine gets him in the 2nd round (Hill.) Over 1000 (only Baybay has done this so doubt it'll happen) and a decent combine puts him solidly in the first round. Scouts are watching him which is a good thing, they'd be dumb not to given our success with NFL receivers. If he gets over 1000 and runs a 4.4 (like it or not, the 40 is a powerful stat real or imaginary) he'll go high. Of course I'm jaded by the opinion that first round picks should be reserved for high quality OL/DL and game changing WRs. I think you could be just as successful with a 5th round QB or RB as you could with a first round one without all of the guaranteed money. Also 1st round OL and WR have the power to make practice squad QBs and RBs great. JMO

I like Smelter, but I think we need to keep things in perspective. His positives are his size, physicality, toughness, blocking ability, and hands (to a certain degree). His weaknesses are route running and top end speed. The latter is going to be a tough nut to crack in terms of him going high in the draft. Throwing around that 4.4 number, like it is a given, isn't very realistic. I don't know what he runs, but I saw nothing on film last year that suggests 4.4 is his number. Based on what I have seen to date, he is not close to that. I see Smelter as a possible Anquon Boldin type who succeeds despite the lack of top end speed. He is most likely a project type receiver who eventually earns his worth to a franchise with experience and physicality. I doubt he goes high, but I would love to be wrong. I really think he will be great for us. He is some kind of athlete and tough kid. We need that out on the boundary.

As far as Waller is concerned, I wish he would take out a page from Smelter's book on how to use his body. Last year, he had no idea. He caught the ball if he was wide open, but I don't think he EVER won a contested ball despite the huge advantage in length. Hopefully he has grown up some and decided to play this game physically and apply himself fully. This is one of those "show me" situations for me. I won't believe it until then.

 

[AE 87]

@Boomergump good points. I hadn't thought about what made Smelter good and Waller a disappointment so far, but what you are saying seems to fit what I remember. So far, Smelter has adjusted to the ball and fought for it better than Waller. I also think that Summers adjusts to the ball better than Waller, so it will be interesting to see how the competition between them shapes up.

 

[Blumpkin Souffle]

From what I observed, it looks like Smelter will go up and fight for the ball, whereas Waller waits for it to come to him. If Waller could pick up some of that tenacity I think he could be really special.

 

[Techster]

Waller, in my opinion, was our best receiver the last part of 2013. That may be because more attention was paid to Smelter, but Waller definitely stepped up his game. I hope that's the Waller we see when he returns to action. He's definitely got ability. Smelter/Waller could be a devastating 1-2 combo for us.

 

[Techster]

Prior to the start of last season, a reliable source told me that players on the team preferred catching passes from Justin over Vad (something about Justin's release?). Reading Eric's post, I'm cautiously optimistic about this year's passing attack.

Few questions for the board,

1. What's Smelters ceiling? I thought he played awesome last year. Could he land himself in the 1st round of the NFL draft? I could also see Waller getting drafted in the later rounds. NFL seems to be trending towards big WRs. #WRU
2. Has merriweather (sp?) done anything noticeable in camp so far? Who do you think has a better chance of playing between him and simmons (sorry if this has already been posted...remember something about simmons in the Whitehead thread but can't seem to find it now.)

I think the only thing Smelter is missing is explosive speed. If he runs in the 4.4's, I can see him being a mid to early round draft pick. Like you said, the NFL is trending towards big receivers, but so is the college game. Which means there are more big receivers out there vying for draft spots. There are a LOT of freak 6'2+ receivers right now in college that run in the 4.4's. The interesting thing is Waller is actually rated a higher prospect than Smelter according to CBS:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2015/WR

Here are the top graded WR for the 2015 draft:

http://walterfootball.com/draft2015WR.php

http://nfldraftgeek.com/WideReceiverRankings_2015nfldraft.html

 

[ATL1]

Waller definitely will have to step up this year to make it in the League. Smelter with a decent year should get drafted if he has a banner year he may get drafted 2nd his speed will effect him.
I think in the 4.5's is a more realistic goal. Right now Waller isn't even a starter, so that will have to change.
Neither has Hill's speed so it's gonna take game film & combine stats for them to get to the next level, it's doable, but Waller is less likely.

 

[zhavenor]

I can take a weak stab at it. If I'm getting wrong or someone else can explain more clearly, please chime in. I've not watched film like a lot of these guys have, but here it goes:

General - We do not zone block very much compared to a lot of other teams. Our linemen have a more attacking style.
OT - We ask our tackles to get to the next level and make blocks more so than the center or guard. They are also matched up against freaksihly athletic defense ends a lot of times. They tend to be smaller than our guards, which hopefully means quicker to the second level to block linebackers, DBs, or maybe a defender coming from the backside of the play.
C - Not that much different apart from the hit 'em in the mouth playing style instead of zone blocking.
G - Same as center. They block linebackers on the next level, but don't have to be quite as quick as the tackles. Usually larger than the tackles because we need road graders to open up holes on the inside.

Does this seem accurate or am I off in left field?

You're mostly correct except center is generally your most athletic lineman for this type of offense.

 

[daBuzz]

Any chance Step gets redshirted if Lance beats him out? I know it’s been mentioned before that he has more potential but may not be as day 1 ready as the Austin twins.

If we're going to be playing with 5 defensive backs as our base package, I would think that there are likely going to be six players playing those 3 positions.

 

[awbuzz]

I want to see Waller want the ball like a drowning man wanting his next breath.

Pretty graphic description! No doubt about your thought!