jimsumner
08-30-2015, 04:20 PM
Duke hosted its last pre-Tulane media availability today.
Big practice scheduled for tonight. Full-contact, no-holds barred (except for holding, which is barred).
Braxton Deaver and Shaun Wilson to participate, with no limitations.
Wilson practiced some last Friday but lightly. Shaq Powell will start against Tulane but with the humidity of New Orleans in play, Duke will need Wilson and Pierre to augment the running game. Cutcliffe mentioned that he wouldn’t be afraid to play Zach Boden at RB.
Best news of the day? Jela Duncan won’t play this week but he’s getting better and Cut says he’s week-to-week.
WR Anthony Nash is starting to work his way back into the scheme of things but Duke will baby him a bit until his hamstring is 100 percent.
Some depth-chart movement. Five true freshman on the two-deep, or 2.5-deep in some cases.
On offense, T.J. Rahming and Chris Taylor are listed as co-starters at one receiver position, with Max McCaffrey and Johnell Barnes the other two starters.
Cut said Rahming had his best practice of the season last Friday and favorably compared his short-space speed with that of Jamison Crowder.
Tanner Stone is running at first-team RG, ahead of Cody Robinson.
On defense. True freshmen Marquies Price (DE), Brandon Boyce (DT), Ben Humphries (LB) and Jeremy McDuffie (C) are on the second-team, Boyce and Humphries sharing second-team with another player.
Note that Duke only played five true freshmen all of last season.
Alonzo Saxton II is starting at corner in place of injured Bryon Fields.
Ryan Smith is the first-team punt returner. We all knew he could run but he proved he also could catch punts with consistency. Cut called the competition for punt returner “spirited."
Duke’s trip last week to see Washington play was about schedule acclimatization. Duke hasn’t opened on the road in a decade or so and lots of true and redshirt freshmen will be making their first road trip next week. Duke wanted to give them some practice. Even had a pregame meal.
Parker Boehme likely will get a lot of the short-yardage work at QB. But Duke wants to make sure he doesn’t get hit too much, so they’re still “finalizing” how much that will happen.
Asked about the possibility that Thomas Sirk could be an upgrade over Anthony Boone, Cutcliffe refused to throw Boone under the bus but admitted that Duke could be better at QB this year. McCaffrey loves Sirk's ability, especially on the long ball.
Wide receivers? Getting better but still lacking consistency. Cutcliffe and McCaffrey both said that Barnes has more highlight-reel plays than any wide receiver but needs to do it all the time. Cutcliffe had the analogy of a guy who runs 4.4 some of the time against a guy who runs 4.6 all of the time. The latter is preferable because you know what you’re getting. The implication was that Barnes could be the guy to run 4.4 all of the time, which is the best option of them all.
“We want him to play at the level he can play at, which is a very high level.”
McCaffrey is the glue guy here. He said he didn’t take Cutcliffe’s public critiques of the WRs personally but as a challenge. He’s working with a lot of young talent here. Will the key word be “young?” Or “talent?”
Duke expects Tulane to target Saxton, the least experienced of the starting DBs. DeVon Edwards said he and Saxton had talked about that and Saxton knew what was coming and was ready. Interestingly, Edwards said he expected to be targeted because of his size. I’m not sure I agree but I like the small-guy persecution edge that Edwards brings to the game.
DeVon Edwards has been working some at corner. He speaks highly of true freshman Jeremy McDuffie’s intensity and confidence. Good DBs have this and McDuffie seems to have a lot of it. Cocky. In a good way.
DEs Britton Grier and Kyler Brown say that Duke can bring consistent pass pressure with just the four DL. Brown says it’s not just about sacks but making Tulane’s quarterbacks throw off balance, with a hand in their faces. Forcing turnovers is at a premium.
Change the names and I probably wrote something similar last year and the year before that and that. So, they know it’s important but it’s easier said than done.
But Brown does love the hybrid end/linebacker role that should enable him to get an extra half-step on the pass rush.
The injury report is due Tuesday. I may be unable to post then, so someone else will have to step up.
Big practice scheduled for tonight. Full-contact, no-holds barred (except for holding, which is barred).
Braxton Deaver and Shaun Wilson to participate, with no limitations.
Wilson practiced some last Friday but lightly. Shaq Powell will start against Tulane but with the humidity of New Orleans in play, Duke will need Wilson and Pierre to augment the running game. Cutcliffe mentioned that he wouldn’t be afraid to play Zach Boden at RB.
Best news of the day? Jela Duncan won’t play this week but he’s getting better and Cut says he’s week-to-week.
WR Anthony Nash is starting to work his way back into the scheme of things but Duke will baby him a bit until his hamstring is 100 percent.
Some depth-chart movement. Five true freshman on the two-deep, or 2.5-deep in some cases.
On offense, T.J. Rahming and Chris Taylor are listed as co-starters at one receiver position, with Max McCaffrey and Johnell Barnes the other two starters.
Cut said Rahming had his best practice of the season last Friday and favorably compared his short-space speed with that of Jamison Crowder.
Tanner Stone is running at first-team RG, ahead of Cody Robinson.
On defense. True freshmen Marquies Price (DE), Brandon Boyce (DT), Ben Humphries (LB) and Jeremy McDuffie (C) are on the second-team, Boyce and Humphries sharing second-team with another player.
Note that Duke only played five true freshmen all of last season.
Alonzo Saxton II is starting at corner in place of injured Bryon Fields.
Ryan Smith is the first-team punt returner. We all knew he could run but he proved he also could catch punts with consistency. Cut called the competition for punt returner “spirited."
Duke’s trip last week to see Washington play was about schedule acclimatization. Duke hasn’t opened on the road in a decade or so and lots of true and redshirt freshmen will be making their first road trip next week. Duke wanted to give them some practice. Even had a pregame meal.
Parker Boehme likely will get a lot of the short-yardage work at QB. But Duke wants to make sure he doesn’t get hit too much, so they’re still “finalizing” how much that will happen.
Asked about the possibility that Thomas Sirk could be an upgrade over Anthony Boone, Cutcliffe refused to throw Boone under the bus but admitted that Duke could be better at QB this year. McCaffrey loves Sirk's ability, especially on the long ball.
Wide receivers? Getting better but still lacking consistency. Cutcliffe and McCaffrey both said that Barnes has more highlight-reel plays than any wide receiver but needs to do it all the time. Cutcliffe had the analogy of a guy who runs 4.4 some of the time against a guy who runs 4.6 all of the time. The latter is preferable because you know what you’re getting. The implication was that Barnes could be the guy to run 4.4 all of the time, which is the best option of them all.
“We want him to play at the level he can play at, which is a very high level.”
McCaffrey is the glue guy here. He said he didn’t take Cutcliffe’s public critiques of the WRs personally but as a challenge. He’s working with a lot of young talent here. Will the key word be “young?” Or “talent?”
Duke expects Tulane to target Saxton, the least experienced of the starting DBs. DeVon Edwards said he and Saxton had talked about that and Saxton knew what was coming and was ready. Interestingly, Edwards said he expected to be targeted because of his size. I’m not sure I agree but I like the small-guy persecution edge that Edwards brings to the game.
DeVon Edwards has been working some at corner. He speaks highly of true freshman Jeremy McDuffie’s intensity and confidence. Good DBs have this and McDuffie seems to have a lot of it. Cocky. In a good way.
DEs Britton Grier and Kyler Brown say that Duke can bring consistent pass pressure with just the four DL. Brown says it’s not just about sacks but making Tulane’s quarterbacks throw off balance, with a hand in their faces. Forcing turnovers is at a premium.
Change the names and I probably wrote something similar last year and the year before that and that. So, they know it’s important but it’s easier said than done.
But Brown does love the hybrid end/linebacker role that should enable him to get an extra half-step on the pass rush.
The injury report is due Tuesday. I may be unable to post then, so someone else will have to step up.