Duke Football Offseason

[jimsumner]

From Duke press release.

"Duke freshman offensive tackle Patrick Leitten will be out of action indefinitely after suffering a left knee injury during Monday’s practice, head coach David Cutcliffe announced on Wednesday.

Surgery is scheduled for Friday, March 30, and the procedure to repair ligament damage will be performed by Dr. Annunziato Amendola of the Duke Sports Science Institute."

This may not seem like a big deal. But Duke lost Gabe Brandner, Evan Lisle, Sterling Korona and Reno Rosene from the OT cohort. Leitten and Jake Rimmer are redshirt freshmen. This might open the door for true freshman Casey Holoman, who enrolled early. But Duke is down to five offensive tackles. Hopefully, he can get healthy by August.

[Avvocato]

From Duke press release.

"Duke freshman offensive tackle Patrick Leitten will be out of action indefinitely after suffering a left knee injury during Monday’s practice, head coach David Cutcliffe announced on Wednesday.

Surgery is scheduled for Friday, March 30, and the procedure to repair ligament damage will be performed by Dr. Annunziato Amendola of the Duke Sports Science Institute."

This may not seem like a big deal. But Duke lost Gabe Brandner, Evan Lisle, Sterling Korona and Reno Rosene from the OT cohort. Leitten and Jake Rimmer are redshirt freshmen. This might open the door for true freshman Casey Holoman, who enrolled early. But Duke is down to five offensive tackles. Hopefully, he can get healthy by August.

Seems like a big deal to me. Hope he’s okay and gets well soon. Offensive tackles are not positions where you typically want inexperienced guys playing.

[martydoesntfoul]

Another piece of unfortunate news, but fortunately doesn’t affect next year’s team. Kind of mind-blowing when you think about it.

https://es.pn/2GSzyU0

[CameronBornAndBred]

Another piece of unfortunate news, but fortunately doesn’t affect next year’s team. Kind of mind-blowing when you think about it.

https://es.pn/2GSzyU0

Wow...blown futures.

[jimsumner]

Another piece of unfortunate news, but fortunately doesn’t affect next year’s team. Kind of mind-blowing when you think about it.

https://es.pn/2GSzyU0

Wow.

Ferguson was looking for a grad-school landing spot.

I guess that ship sailed without him.

[Bob Green]

Coach Cutcliffe interview:

http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/pl...200&id=6255085

Focused on team work in fifth practice. Defense a little ahead of offense.

Talked about offensive line - Robert Kraeling and Rak Chambers are the 1s on the right side. Their physicality is impressive. Zach Harmon at center. He stated there is a lot of competition on the left side of the line and where there is competition there is opportunity to get better. Christian Harris is working as the 1 at left tackle.

Johnathan Lloyd was praised as the guy having the best start so far. He had a great off season. Lloyd is quicker and more explosive.

Talked about competition at tight end and receiver. Coaching staff is tracking numbers for successful contested catches and achieving separation. One statistic that really matters - points per game - for winning games. Catches are great, first downs are great but you have to be a points producer.

This is a solid 5 minute interview with good information and a little coach speak.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Talked about competition at tight end and receiver. Coaching staff is tracking numbers for successful contested catches and achieving separation. Catches are great, first downs are great but you have to be a points producer.

AMEN
and
AMEN.

[richmclean]

So in the photo in said goduke.com article is the DB offsides? Feet onsides, head in neutral zone.

Offsides, right?

[devildeac]

From another Duke spring sport:

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/c...207718359.html

The new WR coach has an interesting past. Amusing stuff:

“Being raised a Kentucky boy,” Duke wide receivers coach Gerad Parker said, “you were raised, essentially, to not like Duke. That was ingrained in you.”

Break out year maybe? Yes, please:

"Parker said redshirt sophomore Scott Bracey is having a strong camp. At 6-2, 210 pounds, the former four-star recruit from Richmond caught only eight passes last season.

“I think more than anything he just has to keep on stacking practices where he’s getting better,” Parker said. “He’s learning to do that and caring to do that. I think if he frees his mind up and does those things, he’ll be in great shape.”

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Break out year maybe? Yes, please:

"Parker said redshirt sophomore Scott Bracey is having a strong camp. At 6-2, 210 pounds, the former four-star recruit from Richmond caught only eight passes last season.

“I think more than anything he just has to keep on stacking practices where he’s getting better,” Parker said. “He’s learning to do that and caring to do that. I think if he frees his mind up and does those things, he’ll be in great shape.”

The WRs in general, and the lack of production from Bracey in particular, were big disappointments last season. Hence the coaching change related to this position I'm sure. Cut talked about 50-50 balls, but those were more like 5-95 balls for us. As 6-2 and a good athlete, Bracey should improve this situation.

There were very few explosives as well. Hopefully that redshirt frosh can take the top off the defenses and open it up for everybody else.

On another note - which maybe someone around DBR can enlighten me on (I was not here for last FB season) - is Quentin Harris so far behind Daniel that a severely injured Daniel is a better option at QB? Apparently DJ was really beat up more than was known publicly until after the season...and I'm thinking a healthy Harris must be better than a beat up Jones - who can't throw or run like Daniel due to those injuries.

Maybe Harris was injured too, I don't know...but if anyone around here in the know can elaborate on this I'd appreciate it.

[Avvocato]

The WRs in general, and the lack of production from Bracey in particular, were big disappointments last season. Hence the coaching change related to this position I'm sure. Cut talked about 50-50 balls, but those were more like 5-95 balls for us. As 6-2 and a good athlete, Bracey should improve this situation.

There were very few explosives as well. Hopefully that redshirt frosh can take the top off the defenses and open it up for everybody else.

On another note - which maybe someone around DBR can enlighten me on (I was not here for last FB season) - is Quentin Harris so far behind Daniel that a severely injured Daniel is a better option at QB? Apparently DJ was really beat up more than was known publicly until after the season...and I'm thinking a healthy Harris must be better than a beat up Jones - who can't throw or run like Daniel due to those injuries.

Maybe Harris was injured too, I don't know...but if anyone around here in the know can elaborate on this I'd appreciate it.

I don't know what Harris' health was last season, but even if healthy, you still have to ride with DJ as your quarterback. His health clearly impacted his play, but he was apparently healthy enough to play. As has been much debated on these boards, people had more of an issue (as I did) on how they called offensive plays with an apparently injured Jones than the fact that he was playing at all. I don't think Harris was the answer. Just my take.

[Acymetric]

I don't know what Harris' health was last season, but even if healthy, you still have to ride with DJ as your quarterback. His health clearly impacted his play, but he was apparently healthy enough to play. As has been much debated on these boards, people had more of an issue (as I did) on how they called offensive plays with an apparently injured Jones than the fact that he was playing at all. I don't think Harris was the answer. Just my take.

Right, for some reason when Jones was playing hurt we went away from the run game! I have seen it suggested that the coaches might have felt we couldn't run the read option with Jones' injury, and wouldn't be able to run the ball effectively without it. It is the only line of thought that could explain the way we called plays during that stretch of games (open to other possibilities if anyone wants to throw one out there), but of course that would seem to be terrible logic so it seems like it must have been something else...

[budwom]

There is also the theory that Cut was, to some extent, covering for Jones. I'm highly impressed the way Cut runs his program, but if your QB is injured, you absolutely have to have a backup QB who can take some snaps...Harris took essentially none. In previous years Boehme had a few decent performances, yet he didn't get on the field either. Last year was a bit odd in a lot of respects.

Looking forward to this year, I am hopeful that changes at WR and OL coaching will bear fruit, and that our OC will grow in his job.

[Bob Green]

From GoDuke.com:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...CLID=211708954

Some good discussion about the defensive line in this Spring Practice update article.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I'm highly impressed the way Cut runs his program, but if your QB is injured, you absolutely have to have a backup QB who can take some snaps...Harris took essentially none. In previous years Boehme had a few decent performances, yet he didn't get on the field either. Last year was a bit odd in a lot of respects.

Looking forward to this year, I am hopeful that changes at WR and OL coaching will bear fruit, and that our OC will grow in his job.

I'm glad you said that...a world renown QB coach should have a serviceable back up, at least. Jones was clearly not himself, and not even close, due to the injuries. So I don't think there's a really good reason for not at least giving Harris a few tries while Jones was struggling. We didn't have anything to lose at that point, as the offense was stagnant. And if Harris bombed, then at least you stop the second guessing in the fan base, and there's value in that in and of itself. It's not a driving factor, but it is relevant.

And I'm glad a long timer here said that before I...

[Acymetric]

I'm glad you said that...a world renown QB coach should have a serviceable back up, at least.

To be fair, we haven't exactly had a consistently strong air attack in a pretty good while (I am not knocking Boone or Sirk but neither set the world on fire as pocket passers). So I'm not really sure what reasonable expectations for QB play are for us.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

To be fair, we haven't exactly had a consistently strong air attack in a pretty good while (I am not knocking Boone or Sirk but neither set the world on fire as pocket passers). So I'm not really sure what reasonable expectations for QB play are for us.

True, and I think there was regression at QB and on offense under Scotty Montgomery as OC and QB coach. Boone was much better under Kurt Roper, flinging it for almost 500 against A&M. I think Montgomery hit his ceiling as WR coach, and I was relieved when ECU hired him away. I don't think they love that hire at this time either.

And interesting, you have to wonder if Sirk would've seen some playing time this past season if he had stayed at Duke. He was lights out in his last Duke game against Indiana.

[Bob Green]

Tight end will be a position of strength for Duke this coming season. Here is a video clip interview of starter Daniel Helm:

http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/pl...200&id=6256479

He talks about new receivers coach Gerad Parker working with the guys on technique.

[budwom]

Tight end will be a position of strength for Duke this coming season. Here is a video clip interview of starter Daniel Helm:

http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/pl...200&id=6256479

He talks about new receivers coach Gerad Parker working with the guys on technique.

To be sure, TE should indeed be a position of strength. But last year we said the same thing, and by the time we were in the middle of the season (and our losing streak) we had thrown to the tight ends
an astonishingly low number of times, especially considering how unimpressive the WRs were...that changed later in the season (a number of two tight end sets) and our playcalling seemed to improve.
I too am very hopefully the new WR coach will get things on track...and the OC will continue to grow in his position...

[dudog84]

No good place to put this, and I don't think it's worth it's own thread, but the Ol' Ball Coach is back at it:

http://www.espn.com/college-football...ootball-league