Duke Football 2012 Spring Practice

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Hey, Oz. I just got a call from Marty Nessley letting me know that the deadline for ordering season tickets for football has been moved up to the middle of May. I'm glad he called, since I usually order in late June. I told him I'd get my order in right away, but he said he could enter the order for me. He makes a great salesman. I ordered the tickets, and then invited him to Brunchgate. By the way, is that name change official. How will I find the tents if I don't see the Brunchgate sign? I guess the fragrance of the 'cue will get me there, though.

Marty doesn't foul

I actually talked with Marty for about 5 minutes before today's scrimmage. Really nice guy! He's lost about 80 pounds and said he has another 100 or so to go. He told me about his health problem(s), which is why he had to get out of the restaurant business.

Yes, the tent name has officially changed to True Blue 'Cue Crew, but we usually have the old Brunchgate banner/sign up too (I've got it in my garage and bring it when I remember...). You'll probably recognize us - we haven't aged THAT much since you last saw us! And the tent is, or should be, in about the same location as we've always been. PM me your current email address so I can add it to our tent mailing list - nice to have you back in the fold! I expect the billing notices will go out in the next couple of weeks, just after I get MY notice from Duke.

[jimsumner]

1. Any reason for the strange line-ups? I'd like to think it is to mask our strengths but I suspect I'm reaching..

I think it had more to do with depth than anything else. Remember, you don't have the guys who finished up last fall and you don't have the guys who'll show up over the summer (except Sirk). Then, you subtract the guys who are injured.

That doesn't leave a lot of ACC-caliber players. The game was shortened to four 12-minute quarters and kickoff/punt activities were limited. Still, if you have 48 minutes of first-team offense against first-team defense, then you're running an increased risk of injuries. But if you have Eric Adams trying to wriggle away from Chris Hoover or Jacques Bristow for half the game, then you reduce that risk of injuries to critical players.

Or maybe the coaches just wanted to reward some of the guys who work hard in practice and never get to play in front of the screaming throng of 2,000 or so fans.

But it was weird, going from ACC football to something well less than ACC football at the drop of the proverbial hat.

A cautionary note. I remember Sean Schroeder outperforming Sean Renfree a few years ago in the spring game. I remember guys like Matt Pridemore at WR or Cameron Jones at RB having great spring games and then disappearing. It's the nature of the beast.

Cautionary note, 2. New scoreboard. Think ugly and multiply. Way too busy for my taste. Did you know that this was the PNC Duke Spring Football Game? if you didn't, Duke has a scoreboard primarily devoted to communicating that relationship. The rest of the stuff-score and down and all that, seemed peripheral. I really hope Duke dials it back this fall.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Cautionary note, 2. New scoreboard. Think ugly and multiply. Way too busy for my taste. Did you know that this was the PNC Duke Spring Football Game? if you didn't, Duke has a scoreboard primarily devoted to communicating that relationship. The rest of the stuff-score and down and all that, seemed peripheral. I really hope Duke dials it back this fall.

Very difficult to find the time and down/yards to go information with a quick glance, it being located at the bottom of the scoreboard instead of at the top. And there was no "Time outs left" spot. As busy as it was, you'd think they could fit that critical bit of information in somewhere. Nice widescreen video board though.

[jimsumner]

Very difficult to find the time and down/yards to go information with a quick glance, it being located at the bottom of the scoreboard instead of at the top. And there was no "Time outs left" spot. As busy as it was, you'd think they could fit that critical bit of information in somewhere. Nice widescreen video board though.

It took me awhile to find the times-out left indicator. Below the score for each team were three bars. When a team took a time-out, a bar disappeared. Some NBA telecasts have this. It's not intuitive and I don't especially like it. But I suppose we'll figure it out and get used to it.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

It took me awhile to find the times-out left indicator. Below the score for each team were three bars. When a team took a time-out, a bar disappeared. Some NBA telecasts have this. It's not intuitive and I don't especially like it. But I suppose we'll figure it out and get used to it.

OK, thanks Jim. Since I never watch NBA games, I didn't know to look for it. But now that I know it's there, not a problem.

[formerdukeathlete]

....Of the five (5) quarterbacks who played, based on performance, Renfree was at the bottom of the list, which was very disappointing to me, and I'm sure the coaches, too. He needs to elevate his game between now and September 1st.

.......Thomas Sirk looks like a player, after he (probably) redshirts next season. He looks really skinny, but then, he's only a high school senior who enrolled a semester early (great for him!)

....

http://www.herald-sun.com/view/full_...in-MVP-honors?

I guess that is right, but usually better skinny than fat. Sirk benched 185 lbs 28 times at a combine junior year in high school. Looks pretty strong in the photo from the Herald-Sun. Reading raves about how fast and athletic he is.

[pbc2]

Postgame interviews from Saturday:

Coach Cutcliffe
Sean Renfree
Ross Cockrell

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Postgame interviews from Saturday:

Coach Cutcliffe
Sean Renfree
Ross Cockrell

Great links! Thanks! At the end of the Renfree interview, he was being asked about having Snead back. I'd be curious to know what he answered, if his answer was more insightful than just "it's great to have him back...".

[pbc2]

Great links! Thanks! At the end of the Renfree interview, he was being asked about having Snead back. I'd be curious to know what he answered, if his answer was more insightful than just "it's great to have him back...".

Sorry it got cut off. It wasn't much more insightful, other than that with Snead healthy, it's another weapon for the offense and he's probably our fastest back.

[devildeac]

Sorry it got cut off. It wasn't much more insightful, other than that with Snead healthy, it's another weapon for the offense and he's probably our fastest back.

Faster than Cockrell?

[kingboozer]

off topic i know, but i came across this video, wish the stadium looked like this right now. I know we are in a fundraising stage as far as renovation but is this the general idea still? I hope so!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I love all the Duke Blue shirts in the stands!

[pbc2]

TE David Reeves turned some heads this spring. He has a lot to work on, but should be a big contributor for the Blue Devil program over the next few years. http://bluedevilnation.net/2012/04/r...ing-in-durham/

[formerdukeathlete]

off topic i know, but i came across this video, wish the stadium looked like this right now. I know we are in a fundraising stage as far as renovation but is this the general idea still? I hope so!

The current plan now is highlighted in the Bostock Study, which replaces RATIO (for the most part).

The bathrooms and concessions conceived in this RATIO plan have been built, already.

The only other carryover from RATIO to Bostock is the unfortunate addition of temporary, non-integrated bleacher seating at field level. This remains the weakest link in the proposals to renovate the stadium.

Bostock, nonetheless, is far superior to the RATIO plan which was highlighted in the video. Bostock adds outdoor club seating, increases capacity (RATIO did not, where what was added merely replaced seating lost in adding handicap accessibility), and re-engineers the stadium somewhat in adding an upper deck as well as endzone seating. RATIO was more of a cosmetic facelift.

[Sir Stealth]

Do we really need/want to increase capacity? Even if the football program thrives, the fanbase just isn't going to be that big. The best aesthetic upgrade would be a stadium that is actually full.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Do we really need/want to increase capacity? Even if the football program thrives, the fanbase just isn't going to be that big. The best aesthetic upgrade would be a stadium that is actually full.

Exactly. You need only to look a few hundred feet away from the entrance of Wallace Wade to see the value of an old stadium that is full with fans. And even that one had some trouble filling up this year.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Do we really need/want to increase capacity? Even if the football program thrives, the fanbase just isn't going to be that big. The best aesthetic upgrade would be a stadium that is actually full.

Kevin White has said (last year) that we (Duke athletics) need more income than the current seating capacity can produce. Hence they are increasing the seating capacity, with the expectation that winning will put fannies in the seats!

[Jarhead]

Kevin White has said (last year) that we (Duke athletics) need more income than the current seating capacity can produce. Hence they are increasing the seating capacity, with the expectation that winning will put fannies in the seats!

Oz, unless the design location for those new seats to be installed in front of the concrete stands includes a suitable lowering of the field surface, visibility for fans would surely be blocked by the players and coaches standing along the sidelines. Not many fannies would be in those seats.

SnipImage.JPG

This idea has been discussed ad nauseam in the past, so I won't go there except to wonder if the plans include the moving of the track facilities to another location. I thought I saw something in some other drawings that were linked some time ago. Why do that without lowering the field? Oh, well, as long as I have my seats, I will still be able to see the action.

[Greg_Newton]

I was under the impression that lowering the field was still very much a part of the current plan, coinciding with the removal of the track and the addition of extra, field-level seats. Am I mistaken?

[ikiru36]

I was under the impression that lowering the field was still very much a part of the current plan, coinciding with the removal of the track and the addition of extra, field-level seats. Am I mistaken?

Could be wrong but I believe that the Bostock plans call for lowering the field if seating were added at track level. The available 3D renderings (which ignore lowering of the field) appear to be from the Ratio design plan. I believe the Bostock plan is newer and more likely to be the planned implementation (depending on funding success).
Glad to be corrected but that's my current understanding.
Go Duke!!!! Go Blue Devils!!!!!!! GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!