Duke football notes 8-14-12

[jimsumner]

Notes from today's presser and a few observations on last night's scrimmage.

No significant injuries from last night. Of the previously injured, DeWalt-Ondijo appears to be the closest to returning.

Duke will use three helmets this year, including a black one. All helmets will feature Holliday's number 8.

A reminder about Meet the Devils, this Saturday at 6. Will be held in Paschal, so no worries about rain.

Always hard to gauge much from a scrimmage a week into practice and only a couple of days into hitting-with-pads.

But . . .

Renfree was sharp. Vernon and Crowder got limited work, as Duke tried to work some others into the rotations. Cut absolutely loves Vernon and says Crowder is much stronger than last season. Should be able to run through tackles he couldn't run through last season.

Isaac Blakeney had a highlight-reel catch, Lee Butler a highlight-reel pick and freshman Dwayne Norman had a 55-yard INT return for a score.

Norman was a great kick returner in high school and should be in the mix for Duke this season. Lots of competition for return spots. Snead, Crowder, Scott, Butler, et. al.

Kurunwune and Powell looked very good at RB. Didnt see much of Thompson or Snead.

Anunike looked very good, showing no signs of his injuries. If he can stay healthy, he's going to be a difference maker.

Brandon Connette looked really good in a variety of roles, including tight end. Don't know if he can block from that position but he can get open, catch the ball and get yards after the catch. Cut said Connette had a great summer, is bigger, faster, stronger and will be used all over the field.

Freshman tight end Erich Schneider has great hands. But he's seriously skinny for that position.

Ross Martin has a bigtime, strong right leg. A cannon. Can he do it in prime-time? TBD. But he's a talent.

Will Monday the likely holder, although Connette is in the mix.

Butler and Cockrell look great at the corners. Moving Butler from safety was a great move.

I asked Dave Harding about the defensive line. He said that Sarmiento was playing the best ball of his career and had praise for Ingram. Harding says Ingram is quicker and better conditioned. Great news if it holds up. Cofield against Anunike in practice producing some real wars, chippy, in a good way.

Harding also said new line coach John Latina wanted the OL to play with more of an edge, more aggressive, dictate to the defense. I think this might be the position in which we'll see the greatest improvement. Duke has more size, depth, experience and most of all, talent at the OL than we've seen in a long time.

Tomlinson is a monster, a road-grader. Get out of his way or get smushed. Duke working on converting short-yardage situations and Tomlinson might be the key here. The kid is an NFL-level talent.

More as it develops.

[OldPhiKap]

Great report, Jim, thanks.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

In addition to his size and speed, Laken is very intelligent and highly motivated. I agree with Jim regarding his pivotal role on the OL.

As for our kickers, they are the new M&M boys!

Coach Latina has a presence I tend to associate with the best line coaches. He and Coach Petri have a gift in how they can coach players to be outstanding linemen.

Erich Schneider moves like Jimmy Graham, but does need to put on some weight. He's capable of signature plays that change games.

[jafarr1]

Thanks, Jim.

Any insight into why we didn't see as much of Thompson or Snead? And did Jela Duncan see the field?

[budwom]

Ah, Jim setting us up. Let's hope the good stuff continues, but I've learned to hope for good things and not expect them.

This really should be the year our OL makes strides in the running game, with lots more size, depth and experience than we've had in a long time.

But I expected an improved OL (and the rest of the team) last year and then we laid a big fat, season maiming egg against Richmond.

So we'll see...see you on Sept. 1.....

[jimsumner]

Thanks, Jim.

Any insight into why we didn't see as much of Thompson or Snead? And did Jela Duncan see the field?

Yes, Duncan played. Duke is trying to get touches for Thompson, Snead, Duncan, Powell, Kurunwune, some Connette and some Scott at RB and most of Duke's sets have one RB. Renfree even lined up in the slot once, with Connette at QB.

Fortunately, Duke didnt try to get the ball to Renfree. :)

Even Eric Adams got some carries in the portion on the scrimmage where the walk-ons see the field.

The sample size is small. Powell probably got better blocking than did Duncan.

But there are worse things than having depth at RB.

Again, it's hard to read too much into this sort of thing. Blakeney looked better than Reeves, Powell looked better than Duncan, Schneider looked better than Beilinson, McCaffrey looked better than Nash. But it's entirely possible that everyone of those comparisons flip-flopped in today's practice. It's pretty fluid this early in the season.

But Duke wants and needs competition for PT and that's happening at more positions than earlier in Cut's tenure.

And much of what you see in scrimmages is zero sum. Every sack Duke picks up on defense is a sack Duke allowed on offense, every broken tackle, a missed tackle. You see where I'm heading with this.

And I certainly don't begrudge my old friend budwom's well-earned skepticism. In other threads, I've identified some areas of concern, most conspiciously TE and DT. It's not a well-oiled machine, folks.

But I stand by my optimism regarding the OL. Duke has seven experienced OL, with talent; Brian Moore, Laken Tomlinson, Dave Harding, Takoby Cofield and Perry Simmons starting, with Connor Irwin and John Coleman off the bench. All of these guys have started, five are upper-classmen, several can move from one position to another and my feeling is that Latina is an upgrade as a coach. Harding and Simmons are in their third year as starters.

Duke redshirted five OL last year as freshman and these guys were pretty well-thought of in the prep ranks. Lucas Patrick was pushing Harding in the spring before an injury and he's already at 310. Six of Duke's recruited OL are at 300 or more and that's solid weight. The days of the 250-pound center are over.

Some of these redshirt freshmen may play their way into the rotation this year. But Duke isn't in a position where they're counting on redshirt freshmen on the OL and that's an improvement in and of itself.

I just wish Duke were having that kind of recruiting success on the DL.

[Wander]

with Connette at QB.

Maybe you touched on this at some point over the summer, but what are the thoughts of the coaches regarding the second quarterback package that we've seen the past few years with Connette and Boone in the red zone? I like Cutcliffe a lot, but I don't think I'm alone in having this be a source of coaching-related frustration over the past couple years.

[jimsumner]

Maybe you touched on this at some point over the summer, but what are the thoughts of the coaches regarding the second quarterback package that we've seen the past few years with Connette and Boone in the red zone? I like Cutcliffe a lot, but I don't think I'm alone in having this be a source of coaching-related frustration over the past couple years.

We should expect to see the Connette/Boone package again this season.

I'm not a big fan, truth to be told. But maybe it will be more effective this season.

[chrishoke]

I enjoy being optimistic about Duke football. I honestly can't remember a Duke football team with more D1 quality depth. Go Devils!

[Greg_Newton]

Thanks for all the notes. It seems like we have reason to be more optimistic in just about every aspect of the game than in previous years... except for run defense, which could well be as bad as its ever been under Cutcliffe's tenure.

Anyway, man, am I getting nervous about the FIU game already. I would take five December basketball losses over a loss on September 1st. Program-hinging game.

BTW, FIU's 3 points in the preseason coaches poll ties them with Tennessee and Missouri for 43rd. In case you weren't already anxious. :p

[-bdbd]

Thanks Jim. Really, really good stuff.

Any thoughts on where the biggest question marks/concerns will be? I'm particularly concerned about the D-line, and maybe D secondary.

Thx!

[Olympic Fan]

Thanks Jim. Really, really good stuff.

Any thoughts on where the biggest question marks/concerns will be? I'm particularly concerned about the D-line, and maybe D secondary.

Thx!

I quite understand your concern for the D-line -- that's a real question mark going into the season.

But why the fear for the secondary? On paper, that's the strongest position on the defense with two superior veteran corners (could be a bit of concern with depth after Cockrell and Butler) and a ton of talented, experienced safeties -- Canty, Byas, Campbell, Young-Wiseman ... a potential star in Braxton (believe me, there is a reason he's not being moved back to help at WR) and a good young one in Taveras. The position gets even deeper if Cash wins his new appeal.

I actually think we're okay at DE, assuming Anunike stays healthy. You have another veteran in Foxx and some good young ones -- Dez Johnson for sure and Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo when he gets back.

My real concern is the interior DL. We weren't very good there last last and that was with Charlie Hatcher, who was BY FAR our best DT. Good to hear that Sarmiento has gotten so much better because he was fairly mediocre last year. Bruce looked like our best interior guy last spring, but he's out for at least the first few games. Jamal Wallace, who was a pretty promising DE, is trying to fill in, but he's a bit undersized at DT, So is Nick Sink.

Steven Ingram is the one guy with real size at DT (or NG) ... I like hearing good things about him. From what I understand, it's too early to tell about Wray and Rayner, the two true freshmen who might be in the mix.

Just a lot of questions and no clear answers.

I'm also not sure how great the LBing will be if Kelby Brown sits out this season (a very strong possibility). There are some guys who have played (like Austin Gamble) and some guys with potential (like David Helton and Kyler Brown), but none look ready to be stars.

BTW: Jim was right about the competition at the return positions -- but don't leave out Tim Burton, who had a 95-yard KO return at Monday's scrimmage.

The offense looks solid -- especially on the O-Line. My one concern is at TE. Understand that Cut uses the TE in the traditional position, lined up alongside a tackle to help block, but also as a stand up slot receiver. In the latter role, we have plenty of talent -- that's where Connette plays and Reeves and Blakeney and even Schneider. They are all dangerous receivers. But none of those guys can line up beside the tackle and block with any authority. Jack Ferrell, the one TE with that skill, is still physically unable to play -- no telling when he gets back.

Until he does -- or until our young guys get bigger and stronger, that's going to be the one offensive flaw.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Thanks for the report and analysis, Jim! Always appreciate your viewpoint. :cool:

Is it Sept. 1st yet? :D

[jimsumner]

Some thoughts about Duke's DBs.

I'm certainly not trying to make the case that Duke has had great defensive backs.

But I don't think they're as bad as they sometimes look. The real weakness in Duke's pass defense, imo, is the inability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Even the best corners can't be expected to cover ACC receivers indefinitely.

And all too often, that's been asked of Duke's DBs. Way too many long completions going to secondary, even tertiary recievers, as quarterbacks just bide their time until someone comes open.

That's why keeping Anunike healthy is such a priority. But he still needs some help. Anunike had four sacks last season when he went down against Tulane. He was among the national leaders.

But those four sacks ended up leading Duke for the entire season. No one else had more than two and Duke had only 17 for the season, which resulted in a league-low 11 turnovers forced.

So, I agree with Olympic Fan that Duke's DBs should be an asset rather than a debit. But only if the guys up front give them a chance.

[tommy]

Some thoughts about Duke's DBs.

I'm certainly not trying to make the case that Duke has had great defensive backs.

But I don't think they're as bad as they sometimes look. The real weakness in Duke's pass defense, imo, is the inability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Even the best corners can't be expected to cover ACC receivers indefinitely.

And all too often, that's been asked of Duke's DBs. Way too many long completions going to secondary, even tertiary recievers, as quarterbacks just bide their time until someone comes open.

That's why keeping Anunike healthy is such a priority. But he still needs some help. Anunike had four sacks last season when he went down against Tulane. He was among the national leaders.

But those four sacks ended up leading Duke for the entire season. No one else had more than two and Duke had only 17 for the season, which resulted in a league-low 11 turnovers forced.

So, I agree with Olympic Fan that Duke's DBs should be an asset rather than a debit. But only if the guys up front give them a chance.

Hmm. That's discouraging, because from reading I'd done here and elsewhere it seemed like our biggest problem was going to be the lack of big, run-stuffing DT's. If we can't stop the interior running game, and we also don't have much pass rush, the defense is going to have a hard time getting off the field. Which means we're going to have to win a lot of shootouts. Accurate, Jim, or too pessimistic?

[jimsumner]

Hmm. That's discouraging, because from reading I'd done here and elsewhere it seemed like our biggest problem was going to be the lack of big, run-stuffing DT's. If we can't stop the interior running game, and we also don't have much pass rush, the defense is going to have a hard time getting off the field. Which means we're going to have to win a lot of shootouts. Accurate, Jim, or too pessimistic?

TBD. After KA went out last season, Duke's defensive ends were redshirt sophomore Justin Foxx and three redshirt freshmen, Jamal Wallace, Dezmond Johnson and Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo. Wallace has been moved to DT. Will he move back to DE when Bruce returns? When will Dewalt-Ondijo return?

The DT tackle rotation includes one upperclassman, redshirt junior Sidney Sarmiento and a bunch of youngsters. A true freshman, maybe two, will see snaps inside. But some of those youngsters did see the field last season, Bruce, Nick Sink and Steve Ingram as redshirt freshmen.

So, how much did these guys learn last season and how much improvement can we expect? That could very well determine the fate of Duke's 2012 season.

[mkline09]

While I much prefer the 4-2-5 scheme above the 3-4, I think that having only two linebackers puts a lot of pressure on your defensive front to slow down the run because they are spread all over the field. Play action can especially be difficult for the two backers, expecially if the line can't get any pressure up front which as Jim pointed out, is an area of big concern especially with a front four that is beat up. So I agree with Jim the DBs are good on paper and better than years past but if the D-line can't get some kind of pressure up front the pressure to make all the plays will again fall on the DBs.

[airowe]

Hmm. That's discouraging, because from reading I'd done here and elsewhere it seemed like our biggest problem was going to be the lack of big, run-stuffing DT's. If we can't stop the interior running game, and we also don't have much pass rush, the defense is going to have a hard time getting off the field. Which means we're going to have to win a lot of shootouts. Accurate, Jim, or too pessimistic?

I don't want to speak for Jim here, but I think that is a big concern heading into this year. ESPECIALLY with Jamal Bruce going down with an injury. It is encouraging to hear that Sydney Sarmiento is playing well though and that JDO is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, Bruce won't have to sit out too long, as Duke's easiest opponents (minus FIU and Stanford) come in the first 5 weeks of the season. Duke has moved some guys into the interior, and hopefully that helps, but Bruce being healthy would make me feel a lot better about our chances to stop the run.

I'm not as worried about applying pressure to the QB as I was last year, with Anunike and JDO as bookends. Hopefully, the redshirted guys (and true freshmen) that are newcomers show that they're ready to step up when those guys go out.

[airowe]

While I much prefer the 4-2-5 scheme above the 3-4, I think that having only two linebackers puts a lot of pressure on your defensive front to slow down the run because they are spread all over the field. Play action can especially be difficult for the two backers, expecially if the line can't get any pressure up front which as Jim pointed out, is an area of big concern especially with a front four that is beat up. So I agree with Jim the DBs are good on paper and better than years past but if the D-line can't get some kind of pressure up front the pressure to make all the plays will again fall on the DBs.

Obviously, Knowles' 4-2-5 isn't exactly like the rest, but this article (and the one it links to) does a good job of breaking down the fundamentals of the defense: http://www.buildingthedam.com/2010/9/3/1655936/inside-tcus-4-2-5-defense

The main purpose of this defense is to counter the spread offense that you see so prevalent in the college game today, and is creeping into the NFL game as well.

[mkline09]

Obviously, Knowles' 4-2-5 isn't exactly like the rest, but this article (and the one it links to) does a good job of breaking down the fundamentals of the defense: http://www.buildingthedam.com/2010/9/3/1655936/inside-tcus-4-2-5-defense

The main purpose of this defense is to counter the spread offense that you see so prevalent in the college game today, and is creeping into the NFL game as well.

Great link on the purpose of the 4-2-5 but there is still the issues with stopping the run, which has been a problem.

[airowe]

Great link on the purpose of the 4-2-5 but there is still the issues with stopping the run, which has been a problem.

Absolutely. That is definitely my biggest concern heading into this year.

[mkline09]

Absolutely. That is definitely my biggest concern heading into this year.

That and staying healthy. There is such a thing as being snake bitten and then there is what has happened to Duke. Just brutal. Keeping Anunike healthy and getting Dewalt-Ondijo back is key on the D-Line for sure.

[budwom]

Obviously, Knowles' 4-2-5 isn't exactly like the rest, but this article (and the one it links to) does a good job of breaking down the fundamentals of the defense: http://www.buildingthedam.com/2010/9/3/1655936/inside-tcus-4-2-5-defense

The main purpose of this defense is to counter the spread offense that you see so prevalent in the college game today, and is creeping into the NFL game as well.

I pretty much agree with most of you guys like Olympic and Jim that the DBs aren't a huge problem. I think we're finally developing some depth and upgrading our talent.
But I'm not overly impressed with how the 4-2-5 is going to help us that much. For example, when we played three linebackers before the 4-2-5, August Campbell at 6-3,235 was a LB.
Last year he magically became a safety. Yet he was obviously the same guy, and if you took a quick glance at the field, there wasn't a huge difference in where he lined up most of the time.

To me, personnel are MUCH more important. This year I've noted that Braxton is listed as the starter over Campbell, which hopefully will bear fruit. In short, call these guys whatever you want (LB, safety, whatever)
but the talent level is much more critical (to me anyway) than the alignment or nomenclature. We have more DB speedsters than we've had in many, many years, so let's hope some of them show they can really play.

p.s. As much as we'll miss the tackling and leadership of Matt Daniels, he was NOT a particularly good guy in pass coverage. I'm hopeful we can make strides there.

And for sure, if we don't get the pass rush others have mentioned, no particular alignment is going to save us. Our pass rush the last few seasons (when Anunike hasn't played) has been simply awful.

[mkline09]

I pretty much agree with most of you guys like Olympic and Jim that the DBs aren't a huge problem. I think we're finally developing some depth and upgrading our talent.
But I'm not overly impressed with how the 4-2-5 is going to help us that much. For example, when we played three linebackers before the 4-2-5, August Campbell at 6-3,235 was a LB.
Last year he magically became a safety. Yet he was obviously the same guy, and if you took a quick glance at the field, there wasn't a huge difference in where he lined up most of the time.

To me, personnel are MUCH more important. This year I've noted that Braxton is listed as the starter over Campbell, which hopefully will bear fruit. In short, call these guys whatever you want (LB, safety, whatever)
but the talent level is much more critical (to me anyway) than the alignment or nomenclature. We have more DB speedsters than we've had in many, many years, so let's hope some of them show they can really play.

p.s. As much as we'll miss the tackling and leadership of Matt Daniels, he was NOT a particularly good guy in pass coverage. I'm hopeful we can make strides there.

And for sure, if we don't get the pass rush others have mentioned, no particular alignment is going to save us. Our pass rush the last few seasons (when Anunike hasn't played) has been simply awful.

Small sample size but he did have a couple picks against VT last year. I'm nervous about replacing Matt with a guy that has never played safety at the FBS level. I know Cut is high on Brandon Braxton but until I see him go live against opponents I'll reserve judgment on how good he is.

[Acymetric]

p.s. As much as we'll miss the tackling and leadership of Matt Daniels, he was NOT a particularly good guy in pass coverage. I'm hopeful we can make strides there.

I'm going to disagree here. His first 3 seasons Matt struggled in coverage, but he improved noticeably his senior year. 16 passes defended (14 broken up, 2 interceptions) to lead the team. Next closest was Cockrell at 10 (9 broken up, 1 interception).

I think we will miss Matt a bit this year, especially his leadership and the attitude he brought to the field, but see our DB unit as very up and coming. Possibly the best as a whole since Cut has been at Duke IMO (not saying an awful lot).

[budwom]

I'm going to disagree here. His first 3 seasons Matt struggled in coverage, but he improved noticeably his senior year. 16 passes defended (14 broken up, 2 interceptions) to lead the team. Next closest was Cockrell at 10 (9 broken up, 1 interception).

I think we will miss Matt a bit this year, especially his leadership and the attitude he brought to the field, but see our DB unit as very up and coming. Possibly the best as a whole since Cut has been at Duke IMO (not saying an awful lot).

I agree that we'll miss his tackling and leadership. But while he might have improved vs. the pass last year, he still wasn't particularly good (which is one reason he wasn't drafted). He had a tendency to bite at the run fakes and find himself
utterly out of position vs. the pass on quite a few occasions, something that doesn't show up in the statistics you cite. If there was a statistic for "fooled by play action passes" we'd see that.

[-bdbd]

I quite understand your concern for the D-line -- that's a real question mark going into the season.

But why the fear for the secondary? On paper, that's the strongest position on the defense with two superior veteran corners (could be a bit of concern with depth after Cockrell and Butler) and a ton of talented, experienced safeties -- Canty, Byas, Campbell, Young-Wiseman ... a potential star in Braxton (believe me, there is a reason he's not being moved back to help at WR) and a good young one in Taveras. The position gets even deeper if Cash wins his new appeal.I actually think we're okay at DE, assuming Anunike stays healthy. You have another veteran in Foxx and some good young ones -- Dez Johnson for sure and Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo when he gets back.

My real concern is the interior DL. We weren't very good there last last and that was with Charlie Hatcher, who was BY FAR our best DT. Good to hear that Sarmiento has gotten so much better because he was fairly mediocre last year. Bruce looked like our best interior guy last spring, but he's out for at least the first few games. Jamal Wallace, who was a pretty promising DE, is trying to fill in, but he's a bit undersized at DT, So is Nick Sink.

Steven Ingram is the one guy with real size at DT (or NG) ... I like hearing good things about him. From what I understand, it's too early to tell about Wray and Rayner, the two true freshmen who might be in the mix.

Just a lot of questions and no clear answers.

I'm also not sure how great the LBing will be if Kelby Brown sits out this season (a very strong possibility). There are some guys who have played (like Austin Gamble) and some guys with potential (like David Helton and Kyler Brown), but none look ready to be stars.

BTW: Jim was right about the competition at the return positions -- but don't leave out Tim Burton, who had a 95-yard KO return at Monday's scrimmage.

The offense looks solid -- especially on the O-Line. My one concern is at TE. Understand that Cut uses the TE in the traditional position, lined up alongside a tackle to help block, but also as a stand up slot receiver. In the latter role, we have plenty of talent -- that's where Connette plays and Reeves and Blakeney and even Schneider. They are all dangerous receivers. But none of those guys can line up beside the tackle and block with any authority. Jack Ferrell, the one TE with that skill, is still physically unable to play -- no telling when he gets back.

Until he does -- or until our young guys get bigger and stronger, that's going to be the one offensive flaw.

Thanks Olympic. Good points. Obviously the D-line and Secondary can't really be observed in isolation. If one looks bad, as the D-line has for years, it tends to put added strain on the other. I hope that you are right and the secondary shows to be a strength this year. It does seem relatively inexperienced overall when compared to other parts of the team. But the D-line needs to put more pressure on opposing QB's, so they can't "camp out" back there until a WR eventually pops open. Also, it sure would be refreshing to see us not lead the league in rushing yards allowed. I for one do strongly agree that the depth is much more important than many realize, especially once injuries start biting (it also impacts us in late-game situations where we have tended to wear down late). Following recruiting, it seems like we've been having better success in the last couple of years in recruiting linemen, especially on the Offensive side (though some of those guys can always swing to D-line). Though I tend to be a "glass-half-full" fan, it has baffled me why we've had difficulty recruiting more successfulkly along the D-line, especially at DT. Lets pray that some of the young guys come through this year, and that we regain some health in general all along the D-line.

But all of the Press we've been seeing about the Offense has generally left me wondering why they're NOT talking more about the defense. Would really love to see some bgame-breaking plays on the D side this year...