Sorry, I had to actually try and make some money this morning. Damn job gets in the way of posting sometimes. The scrimmage planned never really happened so it's hard to give any real evaluation on what these guys. They practiced for over 2 hours in JHS then finally did what could loosely be called a scrimmage where the 1's went against each other for a couple of series; however, there was no tackling and it was just a half-hearted, 3/4 speed run through. Then, the 1's sat and the the rest of them got after it big time. Full contact MMA. That was pretty cool. Had the opportunity to get on the field and meet some of them afterwards and here's my thoughts.
Cam Newton is incredibly big and athletic. Got to see him make a ton of throws and as you can imagine, a flick of the wrist 40 yard frozen rope is nothing. He worked a ton on his touch and he can make all the throws. Easily the most gifted QB we've ever had...by a long shot. I fully expect some growing pains because he will make a couple of passes where you go WTF was that. Then he'll lay it in the receivers hands in the corner of the endzone from 50 yards out and make you just say WOW!!! He was one of the last to leave the field because he stayed after running gassers...on his own. He barely able to walk afterward, but like an awestruck kid, I made sure and talked to him and got his pic. We are going to really like this guy before it's all said and done.
Michael Dyer: Think Rudi Johnson meets Emmit Smith. Put together like a fire hydrant. Only saw him run the plays and not do anything with live tackling but he definitely looks the part. Have no idea about him but he sure makes an AU uniform look damn good.
Ladarious Phillips: Yes, he's 290. Yes, he's in shape. No, he doesn't run a 4.3. Yes, they will use him, more than you might think. No, no one wants to tackle him. They ran him a lot in the scrimmage where it was live and he will definitely stick it up in there with authroity. He moves incredibly well for a man that size.
Shaun Kitchens: This guy is impressive. 6'3" and 217 and he is a load at receiver. Expect him in the rotation right away. Hell of an athlete.
Trovon Reed: Returns kicks along with Onterrio and runs the Mildcat. He's the real deal.
A.J. Greene may have a leg up at the right tackle spot.
Neil Caudle: Relegated to holding on the sidelines. Unless Caudle is injured, Trotter is clearly #2.
Defensively, no excuses on depth. The new guys may not make them better but there are plenty of bodies out there. 13 guys working in LB drills and Freeman wasn't even dressed. Ladarious Owens is a Josh Bynes clone. Exact same size but less cool hair. He's the new #10.
Jake Holland: Is 6'4" with his fro. Obviously, he was running with the 2's. He's not in on every tackle. He's in on EVERY tackle. Fireplug inn the middle and I got to the point where I focused solely on him because he's freakin' in on every single tackle in one form or another. Unreal nose for the ball.
Jeffrey Whittaker: 6'3" 304. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a big, bad boy. I'll be very surprised if he's not in the rotation from day 1. He's impressive for a true freshman.
Eric Mack: Yes, he's 361 lbs. I'll move on.
Justin Delaine is surprisingly big and athletic from the DE position.
Craig Sanders: I think AU fans are going to be very happy he chose teh planes before his career is over. He's balls to the wall every play, even running on and off the field. May or may not have an impact early but eventually he will. Great kid on top of everything else.
Ikeem Means looked good in spots and I think T'Sharvin Bell will wind up kicking ass before it's all said and done.
Overall, this team is light years ahead of the 09' team in terms of athleticism and numbers. The top 5 recruiting class was ranked there for a reason. No two ways about it, it's a group of studs. Whether they'll really contribute and make us better, I don't know because I don't know shit about evaluating talent. They damn sure look the part, though.
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