Practice Has Begun...and Pics Are Available (Now With Practice Notes)

[Buzz Killington]

I know the camera just caught an awkward moment in the throwing motion, but next to that picture of Pike, Moselely looks like a spaz.  And that happens a lot in pics of him - how many bad pictures can one guy take by coincidence?

Pike LOOKS good - but the jury is still out.  He has talked a lot of smack - I am just praying he can live up to his own hype.

Funny you say that...When I first looked at the pic of Mose, I said to myself "I thought Andrew Luck was in the pros now."

[Buzz Killington]

Girl look at that body

-10

[AWK]

Pike has the best throwing motion and accuracy.  Frazier looks athletic and quick.  Mosely should be holding a clip board. 

[Buzz Killington]

Pike has the best throwing motion and accuracy.  Frazier looks athletic and quick.  Mosely should be have never done anything more than holding a clip board.

Fixt

[Snaggletiger]

-10

I work out

[wesfau2]

Practice notes: C.J. Uzomah moves to tight end full-time, Nosa Eguae recovering from shoulder surgery, defense trying to learn new system



C.J. Uzomah, a high school quarterback who was billed as a wide receiver last season but saw most of his time as an end-around quarterback on trick plays, has moved to tight end full-time under new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler.

Uzomah always knew that his true position in college was likely to be at the tight end spot.

“Coming in they said they were going to utilize me in different ways and put me in different positions,” Uzomah said. “Ultimately, I figured that was going to happen, but I just kind of took it step by step.”

With Philip Lutzenkirchen out of spring practices due to offseason shoulder surgery, Uzomah has a chance to get a lot of reps and earn some playing time in Loeffler’s offense, an offense Uzomah says has the potential to be tight-end friendly.

At Florida, Loeffler coached current New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, one of the most versatile tight ends in the NFL.

“Especially with Coach Loeffler coaching guys like Aaron Hernandez and things like that,” Uzomah said. “And what he has in store for us, the plays and the play book, it’s so extensive and everything that we have with different packages is unbelievable with what he’s trying to do with us.”

Uzomah, at 6-4 and 246 pounds, possesses ideal size for the position, and Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said that Uzomah may have had one of the best offseasons of the entire team. As a tight end, Uzomah will have to be used as an in-line blocker regularly, and he hit the weight room hard in the offseason knowing he was going to be getting ready to block SEC defensive ends.

“I knew that it was going to be a challenge and I’d have to hit the weight room and do extra work so I could prepare myself,” Uzomah said.

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    * Nosa Eguae confirmed that he had offseason shoulder surgery to repair  a torn labrum in his left shoulder. “I’m getting better every single day,” Eguae said. “I’m just doing what the trainers are asking me to try to do too much. Just taking it day by day.”

    * When he gets back on the field, Eguae believes his philosophy and temperament will gel well with new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, who is an intense guy. “Just watching from the sidelines, I saw the same approach from him I saw in meetings and this whole offseason,” Eguae said “He’s so amped up he’s so fired up about football, you feed off of it. You feed off it as a player and I see the guys out there and they’re doing whatever it takes to make sure that they do their job.”

    * Eguae said he wishes he could be on the field. “It’s hurting me,” Eguae said. “It’s about competing during the spring. It’s about getting better and competing every single day.”

    * Middle linebacker Jake Holland said that learning VanGorder’s defense is the biggest challenge Auburn’s defensive guys face right now. “It’s a lot different,” Holland said. “Everything’s flying around. Everything’s organized. Everything is a process. We’re learning the terminology right now, so everybody is still in the learning process and we’re getting better at that.”

    * A key component of VanGorder’s defense is improved communication, especially in the middle of the defense. “There’s actually even more communication – not just from me but from every position,” Holland said. “The linebackers, especially the middle linebacker and the safeties – a lot of communication going on pre-snap and post-snap.”

    * Holland, who battled ankle and wrist injuries all last season, said he feels 100 percent healthy going into spring practice.

    * Freshman Shane Callahan said he feels like the offensive line is ahead of schedule when it comes to the installation of the new offense. “It feels like we’re ahead of the team,” Callahan said. “Everyone is learning stuff really quick. Everyone has a long way to go with the new coordinator and new offense.”


http://www.wareagleextra.com/2012/03/23/practice-notes-c-j-uzomah-moves-to-tight-end-full-time-nosa-eguae-recovering-from-shoulder-surgery-defense-trying-to-learn-new-system/

[Buzz Killington]

* Middle linebacker Jake Holland said that learning VanGorder’s defense is the biggest challenge Auburn’s defensive guys face right now. “It’s a lot different,” Holland said. “Everything’s flying around. Everything’s organized. Everything is a process. We’re learning the terminology right now, so everybody is still in the learning process and we’re getting better at that.”

I hope I'm just reading too much into these comments, but this makes me wish Roof had just been a 1 year experiment.

[djsimp]

I hope I'm just reading too much into these comments, but this makes me wish Roof had just been a 1 year experiment.

Take this and many other comments quoted since VG has arrived, I would say so, you're not reading too much into it. Roof sucked even worse than what we realized.

[Vandy Vol]

Pike has the best throwing motion and accuracy.  Frazier looks athletic and quick.  Mosely should be holding a clip board.

Concur.  Frazier was consistently throwing high at the start, as was Moseley.  Toward the end of the video, Frazier was more consistent, while Moseley was still...Moseley.  But Pike seems to have the accuracy down a little better than Frazier.

This is the first practice, but based on what has been showed thus far, if I were the OC, I would have a rotating system with Frazier and Pike.  This (among many other reasons) is probably why I'm not an OC, but it's still what I would do.

[Snaggletiger]

Uzomah hath beefeth'd up.  Lutz being out will get him and others a lot more reps.

The Auburn Everyday show they had just before the bowl and the way they played against Like A Virginia, gives me hope that these guys really are a lot better than they showed last year.  Freeman basically said the practices were night and day after The Chin took over and were extremely physical.  It showed in the Bowl game.  Anyone recall the comments the LSU foolback made about Auburn's defense giving up after a few plays?  I'm hoping that Chizik hired Corch Pornstache because he has the same philosophy of being way more physical and toughening up.   

[JR4AU]

That's a football fix!  We need a jizz emoticon. 

[Tiger Wench]

  * A key component of VanGorder’s defense is improved communication, especially in the middle of the defense. “There’s actually even more communication – not just from me but from every position,” Holland said. “The linebackers, especially the middle linebacker and the safeties – a lot of communication going on pre-snap and post-snap.”

This made me moist.  One of the things I hated most about last year was the Keystone Cops defensive scheme.  They looked like a team of amateurs playing basketball against the Harlem Globetrotters.  And that was against Florida Atlantic.

[djsimp]

More video. Legwork to find these done by Elephant Tipper from AE. Mix of Rivals, al.com, WE Extra.

http://auburn.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1346755

http://video-embed.al.com/services/player/bcpid619329486001?bctid=1526749261001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAQBxUKuk~,O7BxoSOXb6WFLAfWuasVYL0JT6q8Hm3e

http://video-embed.al.com/services/player/bcpid619329486001?bctid=1526823087001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAQBxUKuk~,O7BxoSOXb6WFLAfWuasVYL0JT6q8Hm3e

http://video-embed.al.com/services/player/bcpid619329486001?bctid=1526898705001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAQBxUKuk~,O7BxoSOXb6WFLAfWuasVYL0JT6q8Hm3e

[djsimp]

Prosch is my new favorite player. "Ballz to the wall".

Hey GF, can you work your magic on a Prosch avatar?

[AUChizad]

Holy Mullet, Jake.

[djsimp]

Holy Mullet, Jake.

For real. I didn't think boys from Pelham sported mullets.

[Saniflush]

Holy Mullet, Jake.

I'm not sure that it counts as a mullet if it's pulled into a ponytail with a scrunchy?

[Jumbo]

I work out

+11

[JR4AU]

I'm not sure that it counts as a mullet if it's pulled into a ponytail with a scrunchy?

Correct, and there's no business in the front to it.  That's all party.