FB Offseason: General

[Dukelogger]

Baylor, UNC and Miami are all breaking in a new starting qb this year. And while 3, 4, or especially 5 games is probably enough experience to develop continuity with wr's and playcalling, its not necessarily the scenario that will shape into the "perfect storm" against our young secondary. I'm sure this has been discussed but I was talking last night to a buddy of mine who is coming in for the northwestern game and explaining to him why thats IMO the most important game of the season (hyperbole, but he's buying a plane ticket from Dallas and burning a weekend hall pass so I have to sell it). They've got an experienced QB that finished great last season and I expect him to hit the ground running. Not sure how much of a test Nevada will be for them to start the season but definitely more of a test than we will face. I can see the NW game being a shootout, and I cant wait!

[Olympic Fan]

Coach Cut held a brief teleconference to talk practice early this afternoon.

No big news, but he did say that Bryon Fields was tweaked and will miss Saturday's scrimmage. He said some other veteran DBs are a bit hobbled, but holding them out is giving him a chance to look at some young safeties and corners.

Also, Scott Bracey is still hobbled.

He did rave about the six freshman DL prospects. He said ends Drew Jordan and Ben Frye were already pushing to get in the rotation and he said DTs Axel Nyembwe (320 pounds) and Derrick Tangelo (305 pounds) "bring a size and force that we just haven't had inside."

He was also very high on 325-pound freshman OG Rakavius Chambers and true soph OF Julian Santos is "much better in his second year."

Said veterans Shaun Wilson, TJ Rahming and Daniel Helm have separated themselves at their positions.

He raved about Daniel Jones, who has improved his strength and speed and has displayed incredible touch. "All I can say is that with Daniel, the best is yet to come ... he's better than a year ago."

He expects to use Saturday's scrimmage to mix and matchup a lot of lineups and combinations. He also expects to spend a lot of time on the kicking game -- and not just placekicking.

Interesting that he noted that for the second week, preseason practice is being disrupted by summer school (exams Thursday through Sunday, which let to a question about Josh Rosen's comments that football and school just don't mix. Cut dismissed that sentiment, noting, "that a nonsense statement. He's not a spokesperson for college football. Our sport has done pretty well without him for more than 100 years."

[AustinDevil]

Baylor, UNC and Miami are all breaking in a new starting qb this year. And while 3, 4, or especially 5 games is probably enough experience to develop continuity with wr's and playcalling, its not necessarily the scenario that will shape into the "perfect storm" against our young secondary. I'm sure this has been discussed but I was talking last night to a buddy of mine who is coming in for the northwestern game and explaining to him why thats IMO the most important game of the season (hyperbole, but he's buying a plane ticket from Dallas and burning a weekend hall pass so I have to sell it). They've got an experienced QB that finished great last season and I expect him to hit the ground running. Not sure how much of a test Nevada will be for them to start the season but definitely more of a test than we will face. I can see the NW game being a shootout, and I cant wait!

Baylor is breaking in pretty much a new everything, including the coaching staff. And hopefully their two home cupcakes before they travel to Durham will not allow them to have figured it all out.

[Wander]

CBS anonymous poll of college football coaches... Cutcliffe is voted as one of the most underrated coaches in the sport:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...lege-football/

[Bob Green]

He also expects to spend a lot of time on the kicking game -- and not just placekicking.

Has Coach Cutcliffe made any comments on the competition for punt return duties? I'm very interested in hearing how it is going.

[Bob Green]

Great article on graduate transfer William Holmquist who is attempting to become Duke's placekicker:

http://www.heraldsun.com/sports/coll...166425742.html

Holmquist is almost totally deaf and does not wear his hearing aids on the football field.

Holmquist transferred from Tufts to Duke this summer with one year of eligibility remaining, enrolling in Fuqua School of Business as a graduate student.

He became a late addition to the team, and he’s quickly impressed Cutcliffe on and off the field.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Great article on graduate transfer William Holmquist who is attempting to become Duke's placekicker:

http://www.heraldsun.com/sports/coll...166425742.html

Holmquist is almost totally deaf and does not wear his hearing aids on the football field.

Wouldn't be iced by crowd noise or late timeouts.

[killerleft]

Great article on graduate transfer William Holmquist who is attempting to become Duke's placekicker:

http://www.heraldsun.com/sports/coll...166425742.html

Holmquist is almost totally deaf and does not wear his hearing aids on the football field.

Thanks, Bob!

There's a movie waiting to happen if Willie can become our kicker. First, he takes more (legitimate) classes at Duke this year than all the varsity basketball players in Chappaheeya did at UNC from 2004 to 2010...

[OldPhiKap]

Great article on graduate transfer William Holmquist who is attempting to become Duke's placekicker:

http://www.heraldsun.com/sports/coll...166425742.html

Holmquist is almost totally deaf and does not wear his hearing aids on the football field.

"A kicker and punter for three seasons beginning in 2013 at Tufts in Massachusetts, Holmquist routinely booted field goals beyond 40 yards. . . . He returned to football [after an injury] in 2015, making 11 of 16 field goals, including a 43-yarder, and 20 of 22 extra points. Last season, he averaged 38.5 yards per punt and dropped 15 of his 49 attempts inside the 20. He made 8 of 11 field goals and 28 of 31 extra points."

Yes, please.

And great article Bob, thanks. Sounds like an amazing young man.

[chrishoke]

28-31 xtra points is a bit of a red flag for me.

[OldPhiKap]

28-31 xtra points is a bit of a red flag for me.

Maybe. Could be the snapper or holder messed up.

[Bob Green]

Here is a video clip of Dave Harding interviewing Daniel Jones:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

Jones states that he is spending a lot of time in the training room and film room to ensure he is as prepared as possible, physically and mentally, for practice.

[jimsumner]

Has Coach Cutcliffe made any comments on the competition for punt return duties? I'm very interested in hearing how it is going.

One of the assistants told me earlier this summer that Shaun Wilson and T.J. Rahming were the top candidates. But that was before formal practice began.

Personally, I would worry a bit about over-using Wilson, assuming he's going to be the primary KOR guy.

[Bob Green]

Personally, I would worry a bit about over-using Wilson, assuming he's going to be the primary KOR guy.

Thanks, Jim. Wilson has the explosiveness required for the job but like you I'll worry a bit if he is back there.

[Avvocato]

Thanks, Jim. Wilson has the explosiveness required for the job but like you I'll worry a bit if he is back there.

I think Rahming would be great. He has the hands and the shiftiness to make guys miss in small spaces. However, I worry with his small frame that it's too much of an injury risk to have him do it. I think he's too important to our offense. But I think he would otherwise be great at it.

[CameronBornAndBred]

"A kicker and punter for three seasons beginning in 2013 at Tufts in Massachusetts, Holmquist routinely booted field goals beyond 40 yards. . . . He returned to football [after an injury] in 2015, making 11 of 16 field goals, including a 43-yarder, and 20 of 22 extra points. Last season, he averaged 38.5 yards per punt and dropped 15 of his 49 attempts inside the 20. He made 8 of 11 field goals and 28 of 31 extra points."

Yes, please.

And great article Bob, thanks. Sounds like an amazing young man.

No offense, but a 68.75% success rate isn't inspiring. His story is inspiring, but I don't want to be wondering about those misses at the end of a game facing the uprights with a victory in the balance.

[OldPhiKap]

No offense, but a 68.75% success rate isn't inspiring. His story is inspiring, but I don't want to be wondering about those misses at the end of a game facing the uprights with a victory in the balance.

I don't disagree -- but we were something like 3-10 last year I think.

[Bob Green]

He expects to use Saturday's scrimmage to mix and matchup a lot of lineups and combinations.

Will media be in attendance at today's scrimmage? I look forward to reading reports on the action.

[Olympic Fan]

No offense, but a 68.75% success rate isn't inspiring. His story is inspiring, but I don't want to be wondering about those misses at the end of a game facing the uprights with a victory in the balance.

You have high standards ... 68.75 would be the 15th best FG percentage rate for a season in Duke history ... not great, but not bad.

And that was Holmquist's number in 2015. In 2016, he was 8 of 11 (72.72 percent). That would tie Sims Lenhardt in 1998 for the 11th best season in Duke history.

His two-year total of 19 of 27 is 70.3 percent, which would rank as the fifth best career FG percentage in Duke history.

I'm not saying he can duplicate those numbers at Duke, but haven't we been saying "if we only had an average field goal kicker ..." Holmquist's numbers at Tufts were better than ACC average -- he had almost the same FG percentage as Greg Huegel, who kicked for the national championship Clemson Tigers.

Homquist had kicked game-winning field goals in key situations. He beat Williams with a game-winning FG. He has range (four 40-yard plus kicks last season). He has improved his FG percentage from 68.75 to 72.7 in one year.

He's still got to win the preseason kicking competition to get the job, but I can't see why you find his FG percentage that discouraging.

Were we that spoiled by Ross Martin, who was the most accurate FG kicker in Duke history -- and even he still cost us the 2014 Coastal Division title when he missed a mid-range kick that would have beaten Va Tech.

[jimsumner]

Will media be in attendance at today's scrimmage? I look forward to reading reports on the action.

Yes.