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  1. #1
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    Feb 2007
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    Duke football notes, 9-4-12

    Good news on the injury front. Everyone who played last Saturday, practiced today. Some bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. All those guys going down Saturday were having leg cramps.

    Duke played 61 players Saturday, including 10 true freshmen. Corbin McCarthy played 33 snaps.

    Duke expects to take about 70 players to Stanford.

    Because of the injuries, Duke cut back on contact in fall practice. Cut attributed Duke's poor early tackling early to this. Got better as game progressed.

    Explanations for the two 15-yard penalties. After the Reeves TD, Duke was penalized for celebrating outside the box on the sidelines that are designed to contain the players. Sideline players cited.

    The penalty on the Duke kickoff came on what Cut called a "retaliation" hit after the play. Lots of extra-curricular play on the kick-offs. Cut "not pleased. Very, very avoidable. Will not happen again."

    Brandon Braxton got burned on the early TD. Appeared to learn from it.

    Duke concerned about defense in scramble situations. Whitlock had too much success in those circumstances. Need better assignment discipline.

    Both FIU fumbles were forced by Duke defenders digging for the football. Pulled out, not dropped. Duke emphasizing forcing turnovers.

    Brandon Connette told us that he started out as a lineman back as a little squirt. Did not know that. Trying to re-learn blocking. Stanford recruited him as a QB but he preferred Duke's coaches.

    Brian Moore says the line is embracing run-blocking. Says OL bringing aggressive attitude to the whole team.

    Connette says team worked harder than ever over summer. Cites senior leaders, especially Moore, Renfree and Vernon. Team seems to have good blend of confidence and calm, without giddy.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Denver, CO
    Thanks, Jim. Good stuff as always.

  3. #3
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    Meeting with Marie Laveau
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    Good news on the injury front. Everyone who played last Saturday, practiced today. Some bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. All those guys going down Saturday were having leg cramps.

    Duke played 61 players Saturday, including 10 true freshmen. Corbin McCarthy played 33 snaps.

    Duke expects to take about 70 players to Stanford.

    Because of the injuries, Duke cut back on contact in fall practice. Cut attributed Duke's poor early tackling early to this. Got better as game progressed.

    Explanations for the two 15-yard penalties. After the Reeves TD, Duke was penalized for celebrating outside the box on the sidelines that are designed to contain the players. Sideline players cited.

    The penalty on the Duke kickoff came on what Cut called a "retaliation" hit after the play. Lots of extra-curricular play on the kick-offs. Cut "not pleased. Very, very avoidable. Will not happen again."

    Brandon Braxton got burned on the early TD. Appeared to learn from it.

    Duke concerned about defense in scramble situations. Whitlock had too much success in those circumstances. Need better assignment discipline.

    Both FIU fumbles were forced by Duke defenders digging for the football. Pulled out, not dropped. Duke emphasizing forcing turnovers.

    Brandon Connette told us that he started out as a lineman back as a little squirt. Did not know that. Trying to re-learn blocking. Stanford recruited him as a QB but he preferred Duke's coaches.

    Brian Moore says the line is embracing run-blocking. Says OL bringing aggressive attitude to the whole team.

    Connette says team worked harder than ever over summer. Cites senior leaders, especially Moore, Renfree and Vernon. Team seems to have good blend of confidence and calm, without giddy.
    I must say I feel a little giddy reading this report! Good news about injuries. Good news about learning from the first game. Good news about the FIU fumbles.

  4. #4
    Brandon Braxton got burned on the early TD. Appeared to learn from it.
    Mark me down as disbelieving on this one: Braxton is the latest in the long odd line of Duke converting WRs to DBs under Cutcliffe, none of whom have had much success. Meanwhile, Desmond Scott was listed as a starting wide receiver because of a shortage of WRs....which makes the whole situation just a bit infuriating.

    The team never made as big mistakes as they did on that early TD, but a large portion of that was on preventing the long gain in favor of allowing short (bend but don't break again) rather than Braxton figuring it out.
    <devildeac> anyone playing drinking games by now?
    7:49:36<Wander> drink every qb run?
    7:49:38<loran16> umm, drink every time asack rushes?
    7:49:38<wolfybeard> @devildeac: drink when Asack runs a keeper
    7:49:39 PM<CB&B> any time zack runs, drink

    Carolina Delenda Est

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    The Triangle
    He is not listed on the two deep, plays four positions and has contrinuted mightily for Duke thus far. http://bluedevilnation.net/2012/09/b...s-to-stanford/

  6. #6
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    Nov 2007
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by loran16 View Post
    Mark me down as disbelieving on this one: Braxton is the latest in the long odd line of Duke converting WRs to DBs under Cutcliffe, none of whom have had much success. Meanwhile, Desmond Scott was listed as a starting wide receiver because of a shortage of WRs....which makes the whole situation just a bit infuriating.

    The team never made as big mistakes as they did on that early TD, but a large portion of that was on preventing the long gain in favor of allowing short (bend but don't break again) rather than Braxton figuring it out.
    Dez may also have made the move because we have a plethora of RBs. Players moving from offense to defense or vice versa isn't exactly unusual (we often see players being recruited at different positions by different teams out of high school).

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by loran16 View Post
    Mark me down as disbelieving on this one: Braxton is the latest in the long odd line of Duke converting WRs to DBs under Cutcliffe, none of whom have had much success. Meanwhile, Desmond Scott was listed as a starting wide receiver because of a shortage of WRs....which makes the whole situation just a bit infuriating.

    The team never made as big mistakes as they did on that early TD, but a large portion of that was on preventing the long gain in favor of allowing short (bend but don't break again) rather than Braxton figuring it out.
    Braxton made 10 tackles against FIU, seven of them solo. The latter was a team high.

    So, it seems like he figured out some things.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    Braxton made 10 tackles against FIU, seven of them solo. The latter was a team high.

    So, it seems like he figured out some things.
    As I've had to say constantly on this board, usually in regards to another now graduated safety, the amount of tackles made is not a measure of effectiveness.

    @Acy, I'm not saying conversion is unusual...but we have a ton of WR-DB conversions the past 4 years, with few panning out...and now we face a WR shortage.
    <devildeac> anyone playing drinking games by now?
    7:49:36<Wander> drink every qb run?
    7:49:38<loran16> umm, drink every time asack rushes?
    7:49:38<wolfybeard> @devildeac: drink when Asack runs a keeper
    7:49:39 PM<CB&B> any time zack runs, drink

    Carolina Delenda Est

  9. #9
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    Mar 2007
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    Carrboro

    Measure of effectivess

    Quote Originally Posted by loran16 View Post
    in regards to another now graduated safety, the amount of tackles made is not a measure of effectiveness.
    --that player, whose questionable effectiveness establishes your credibility, what's he up to these days?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by loran16 View Post
    As I've had to say constantly on this board, usually in regards to another now graduated safety, the amount of tackles made is not a measure of effectiveness.

    @Acy, I'm not saying conversion is unusual...but we have a ton of WR-DB conversions the past 4 years, with few panning out...and now we face a WR shortage.
    Please tell me you are not going to give up on the kid after one play in the first series of the first game? You are smarter than that. Past history is irrelevant. To borrow from K, Braxton is running his own race. It is not a sprint. It's unfair to say he is going to fail because someone before him failed (it is not set in stone the others failed either).

    Braxton played well after the mistake. He was not the issue. Team defense as a whole broke down in scramble situations. That's on the linemen over pursuing, the linebackers not reacting well, and lastly the db's/safeties. 10 tackles by a safety usually means the guys in front of him are not doing their job.

    As for Desmond, it is a fair question, but Snead is clearly our best back, and the two freshman showed strong. After what I saw Saturday night, Desmond would stay at starting WR, Snead would be the starting RB, and the two freshman would be 2nd and 3rd string. They are that good. No offense to the upperclassmen.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by loran16 View Post
    As I've had to say constantly on this board, usually in regards to another now graduated safety, the amount of tackles made is not a measure of effectiveness.

    @Acy, I'm not saying conversion is unusual...but we have a ton of WR-DB conversions the past 4 years, with few panning out...and now we face a WR shortage.
    A ton?

    I can recall a couple. Johnny Williams didn't work, in part because Austin Kelly struggled as a senior in 2010 and because Williams was hurt so much he never could overcome the learning curve involved in changing positions.

    Tony Foster has been a very good special teams player for Duke but he didn't light any fires as a WR. He moved to CB and is second-team on the depth chart. If he were part of the answer at WR, don't you think he would have been moved back?

    Josh Trezvant was a special teams player. Ditto with Matt Pridemore. Neither was an ACC-caliber WR.

    Am I forgetting anyone of consequence?

    Brandon Braxton isn't Tony Foster and he isn't Josh Trezvant. He's 6-1, about 215, fast and hits like a ton of bricks. Duke moved him to safety not to fill a gap but because they thought he had a chance to be an impact player at that position, more so than at WR.

    And they raved about what he did in the spring and they rave about what he did this fall and they seem pretty happy with what he did last weekend.

    He got burned once, thirty seconds into his college career as a safety. After that, he was pretty solid. And I'm sorry but I'll go on believing that making tackles at the safety position actually counts for something.

    As an aside, Matt Daniels was an okay pass defender but an absolute monster as a tackler. His tackle statistics were absolutely an indicator of his effectiveness. I don't know if Braxton can reach that level but I sure hope so.

  12. #12
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    To beat Stanford, or any good team, we need to have the first defender make the tackle or at least tie the guy up.

    One play, one game, one series does not a season make.

    I have faith that Cut and crew can impress this point upon those who need to know.

    Let's Go Duke!!!!

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    A ton?

    I can recall a couple. Johnny Williams didn't work, in part because Austin Kelly struggled as a senior in 2010 and because Williams was hurt so much he never could overcome the learning curve involved in changing positions.

    Tony Foster has been a very good special teams player for Duke but he didn't light any fires as a WR. He moved to CB and is second-team on the depth chart. If he were part of the answer at WR, don't you think he would have been moved back?

    Josh Trezvant was a special teams player. Ditto with Matt Pridemore. Neither was an ACC-caliber WR.

    Am I forgetting anyone of consequence?

    Brandon Braxton isn't Tony Foster and he isn't Josh Trezvant. He's 6-1, about 215, fast and hits like a ton of bricks. Duke moved him to safety not to fill a gap but because they thought he had a chance to be an impact player at that position, more so than at WR.

    And they raved about what he did in the spring and they rave about what he did this fall and they seem pretty happy with what he did last weekend.

    He got burned once, thirty seconds into his college career as a safety. After that, he was pretty solid. And I'm sorry but I'll go on believing that making tackles at the safety position actually counts for something.

    As an aside, Matt Daniels was an okay pass defender but an absolute monster as a tackler. His tackle statistics were absolutely an indicator of his effectiveness. I don't know if Braxton can reach that level but I sure hope so.
    None of the converted WRs mentioned above were as physically capable as Braxton is to make the switch to DB. Those guys were all slower receivers and made the move to the other side of the ball more out of not being great WRs. As mentioned, some didn't even really get time at WR but were just special teams.

    Regarding Scott, I don't see a guy of his stature being a DB. He is a physical offensive playmaker, be that as a WR or as a RB. Since Cut is determined to just have a bunch of playmakers in the backfield (see Connette), the designation of WR vs RB is just to fit traditional depth charts. I wouldn't look deeper into it than that.

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