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I can't tell you how thankful I am to be back in ATL. This was my first spring game EVER, in my recollection. I was playing baseball when I was at GT so I never got to go and I moved away soon after graduating. What a treat. I like the spring game because it is a low pressure way to watch the development of players without the tension of a real contest.
For the most part I just watched a few players that I was especially concerned about without following the ball too much. I watched the replays to see the result of plays etc. I sat in the north stands because I think it gives a better perspective execution-wise. Given our current roster situation, I paid the closest attention to the following individuals, mostly because I know what many established players can do already and I have identified in my mind where we are potentially most vulnerable going forward: Hunt-Days, Kallon, Whitehead, Searcy, and Allen. These guys are the key to us making move (in either direction) as I see it. If they are great, we will be great, while the opposite could be true as well. If they are mediocre, well...
Hunt-Days - To be honest, I showed up expecting to see that JHD was over rated and all the hype was just that. Instead, I came away absolutely impressed and surprised at how well he has adapted to the position and his new body composition. Surprisingly, he carries the new body weight very well and, oddly enough, has hung on to all the LB like quickness and agility. I really, really like what I saw from him, so much so, that I think he will be the best guy we have seen at the position in a while, so long as he plays within the framework of the defense. He is just quicker than everybody else inside the box and it really isn't close. The lateral movement he was getting just simply outflanked the guys trying to stop him.When he did pass rush or engage head up on an OL, his hand fighting was violent and effective. He gets good leverage and is fast enough to chase down QBs and RBs from behind. He will have to be accounted for and this will make everybody better. JHD, if eligible, will be a solid meaningful upgrade over Green. He gets off the ball and knives gaps as well as Green, but doesn't have the other limitations. He has found a home at this position in my opinion and will be better than he was as a LB, which was still pretty darned good.
Kallon - I honestly feel Kallon is making strides. He is still behind the other DLs, but he made quite a few plays. I know the Gold team OL going against him was struggling as a unit, but he made the plays none the less. If I am not mistaken, a couple of his tackles came after fighting off blocks by Devine, so it wasn't like he was going against a weakling. Kallon is starting to look like a football player and not just a big guy with some agility. In my mind this is a huge development that is just about as important as getting a dominant guy at the position. We simply have to have some depth. For the first time, I think he will be providing that in a quality sense.
Whitehead - we are not looking at Lawrence Taylor here, but the kid is a playmaker. For his frame he is surprisingly physical and he operates well on the edge and in space. There will be a meaningful role for him. I will say this: he has me intrigued. I don't think he will challenge Freeman for the top spot, but he will be very useful in certain down and distance situations.
Allen - It is funny. I remember looking at his HS film during his recruitment and thinking he had really good feet. Well, seeing him in person for the first time leads me to the same conclusion. The kid is just a good athlete. In a schematic sense, he is not close to being ready for BB, lets be honest. He looked lost out there some of the time with his angles, mesh, and blocking etc. I just laughed a couple times how ineffective and hesitant he was in his blocking assignments. With that said, however, I think he translates well to the position and gives us something substantial. He got his yards because he is a really good runner, not because he knows what he is doing yet. That is like the opposite of say, David Sims, who was very sound technically but not the greatest runner. With time, I think Allen can be really good. He just looks like a true frosh in his first week of practice. Stay tuned on him. If he stays at BB and really works at it over the summer and fall camp, we may have something.
Searcy - It was a tough night for this kid, mostly because he had none of a very important commodity....space. He needs a little of that to be effective. He is not physical enough to plow for yards when the streets are full. Well, he was caught behind a school bus all night, so to speak. It was tough to see what he can do with the slippery conditions, lack of passing, and lack of space. I didn't gleen much to be honest.
So there you have it. That is what I got from the spring game. That and the general observation that #11 needs a lot more time. He isn't ready. We have two number ones at QB and a distant number three. Jordan had a fair amount of pressure most plays, especially passing, but, all the aspects of the game are just too fast for him right now, lightning fast.
For the most part I just watched a few players that I was especially concerned about without following the ball too much. I watched the replays to see the result of plays etc. I sat in the north stands because I think it gives a better perspective execution-wise. Given our current roster situation, I paid the closest attention to the following individuals, mostly because I know what many established players can do already and I have identified in my mind where we are potentially most vulnerable going forward: Hunt-Days, Kallon, Whitehead, Searcy, and Allen. These guys are the key to us making move (in either direction) as I see it. If they are great, we will be great, while the opposite could be true as well. If they are mediocre, well...
Hunt-Days - To be honest, I showed up expecting to see that JHD was over rated and all the hype was just that. Instead, I came away absolutely impressed and surprised at how well he has adapted to the position and his new body composition. Surprisingly, he carries the new body weight very well and, oddly enough, has hung on to all the LB like quickness and agility. I really, really like what I saw from him, so much so, that I think he will be the best guy we have seen at the position in a while, so long as he plays within the framework of the defense. He is just quicker than everybody else inside the box and it really isn't close. The lateral movement he was getting just simply outflanked the guys trying to stop him.When he did pass rush or engage head up on an OL, his hand fighting was violent and effective. He gets good leverage and is fast enough to chase down QBs and RBs from behind. He will have to be accounted for and this will make everybody better. JHD, if eligible, will be a solid meaningful upgrade over Green. He gets off the ball and knives gaps as well as Green, but doesn't have the other limitations. He has found a home at this position in my opinion and will be better than he was as a LB, which was still pretty darned good.
Kallon - I honestly feel Kallon is making strides. He is still behind the other DLs, but he made quite a few plays. I know the Gold team OL going against him was struggling as a unit, but he made the plays none the less. If I am not mistaken, a couple of his tackles came after fighting off blocks by Devine, so it wasn't like he was going against a weakling. Kallon is starting to look like a football player and not just a big guy with some agility. In my mind this is a huge development that is just about as important as getting a dominant guy at the position. We simply have to have some depth. For the first time, I think he will be providing that in a quality sense.
Whitehead - we are not looking at Lawrence Taylor here, but the kid is a playmaker. For his frame he is surprisingly physical and he operates well on the edge and in space. There will be a meaningful role for him. I will say this: he has me intrigued. I don't think he will challenge Freeman for the top spot, but he will be very useful in certain down and distance situations.
Allen - It is funny. I remember looking at his HS film during his recruitment and thinking he had really good feet. Well, seeing him in person for the first time leads me to the same conclusion. The kid is just a good athlete. In a schematic sense, he is not close to being ready for BB, lets be honest. He looked lost out there some of the time with his angles, mesh, and blocking etc. I just laughed a couple times how ineffective and hesitant he was in his blocking assignments. With that said, however, I think he translates well to the position and gives us something substantial. He got his yards because he is a really good runner, not because he knows what he is doing yet. That is like the opposite of say, David Sims, who was very sound technically but not the greatest runner. With time, I think Allen can be really good. He just looks like a true frosh in his first week of practice. Stay tuned on him. If he stays at BB and really works at it over the summer and fall camp, we may have something.
Searcy - It was a tough night for this kid, mostly because he had none of a very important commodity....space. He needs a little of that to be effective. He is not physical enough to plow for yards when the streets are full. Well, he was caught behind a school bus all night, so to speak. It was tough to see what he can do with the slippery conditions, lack of passing, and lack of space. I didn't gleen much to be honest.
So there you have it. That is what I got from the spring game. That and the general observation that #11 needs a lot more time. He isn't ready. We have two number ones at QB and a distant number three. Jordan had a fair amount of pressure most plays, especially passing, but, all the aspects of the game are just too fast for him right now, lightning fast.
