Duke football notes, 08/05/15

[jimsumner]

Some notes from Duke media day today.

Some house-keeping first. Media availability will float in preseason before moving back to regular Tuesdays after the Tulane game.

Speaking of Tulane, Duke will move more practices to evenings in order to acclimate to the humidity in a September, New Orleans evening.

Duke wants to play lots of people in the first half at Tulane but needs back-ups to prove they belong on the field.

Alls and Douglas? They remain on indefinite suspension. Cut expects them to play this season but the burden is on them to demonstrate their commitment to Duke football.

Shaq Powell is back on campus. Cut says the "return to normalcy" is good for Powell following the death of Powell's young brother over the summer. Says Powell is working hard to get over it.

Some minor injuries not already reported. OL Zach Harmon is recovering from off-season knee surgery and is almost all the way back. DT Edgar Cerernord is sitting out with a hamstring injury Cut calls a "tweak. We want to keep it there."

Dominic McDonald has moved from LB to the hybrid DE/LB position currently occupied by Kyler Brown.

Cut says this group of linebackers is "the most athletic group we've ever had." Cut praised the mobility of Duke's DL but conceded that Duke was undersized and needed to prove it could stop run-oriented teams between the tackles.

Most competitive positions? Wide receiver-"a deep group." Offensive line, especially back-ups. Defensive line; "Wray has solidified himself." Duke wants to play lots of DL.

Punt returner also up for grabs. Teammates have praised in-coming freshman T.J. Rahming but Cut wants "to see him get hit. He better be able to catch it." Cut wants his punt returner to be like a good center fielder, able to run down anything. He does not want to see the ball hit the ground. Max McCaffrey, Johnell Barnes, Ryan Smith and KOR DeVon Edwards are also in the mix.

Duke will move RB Shaun Wilson around on offense, especially to the slot. Duke wants to find ways to get two of Powell, Duncan and Wilson on the field at the same time. Duke also will run double-tight end sets, four wide-receiver sets. Versatility is the buzzword.

As it is on defense. The hybrid DE/LB (Devil) spot a prime example. Kyler Brown says he will not be in a 3-point stance and that standing up gives him a better angle to survey the field and make a quick assessment.

Braxton Deaver says he's 100 percent. Money quote? "I didn't come back to be scared. I didn't come back to be apprehensive."

The guys who I continually hear are ready to make the jump from "who" to "I always knew he'd be a stud" are tight end Erich Schneider, wide receiver Chris Taylor and defensive tackle Mike Ramsay.

Brown on Ramsay "He's definitely been making steps over the summer, getting quicker, getting stronger. He's one of the strongest guys on the team."

Deaver on Schneider. "He's become more physical, more confident. He just needed to know he could do it. Once he figured it out . . . he knew that he could play at this level."

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

This report offers reason to be positive and optimistic as camp begins.

[devildeac]

Best thread of the summer so far. Thanks for the updates, Jim. Greatly anticipating Sept 3 already.

[Bob Green]

Duke will move RB Shaun Wilson around on offense, especially to the slot. Duke wants to find ways to get two of Powell, Duncan and Wilson on the field at the same time. Duke also will run double-tight end sets, four wide-receiver sets. Versatility is the buzzword.

Excellent notes! Thank you very much for the update! The plan to move Shaun Wilson around is exciting. He is an explosive playmaker so he needs the ball in his hands.

[Dev11]

Best thread of the summer so far. Thanks for the updates, Jim. Greatly anticipating Sept 3 already.

Probably my favorite thread series, too. Less than a month now until kickoff.

Deaver's quotes are exciting. Along with those offensive backs, there should be a lot of fun sets. Maybe we don't see everything on September 3, but as Cut says, this team should be versatile.

[OldPhiKap]

Woo hoo!! You know the season is on us when Jim starts giving his notes. These are all really super, and have been since the beginning. Jim, we all appreciate them.

29 days !!!!!!!!!!

[AtlBluRew]

Great update!

Looking forward to football season!

[Bob Green]

The press conference is available at GoDuke.com:

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

It is an enjoyable 33 minutes.

[Henderson]

Duke wants to play lots of people in the first half at Tulane but needs back-ups to prove they belong on the field.

Is Cut taking Tulane lightly? We beat them up last year, but Tulane was a freshman-dominant team last year at key positions, and those guys are sophomores now. They've got a running back who can play. Plus Tulane will be playing at home this year. The point spread right now is about 10.5 points. Treating the game like a preseason game or a practice whose primary purpose is player evaluation seems risky. If that's what Cut has in mind. This game strikes me as a "must win" game for the Duke season. Doesn't it make more sense to play the first string in the first half and (assuming a half-time lead) use the second half to see how the backups perform?

P.S. Thanks for the report.

[Bob Green]

Is Cut taking Tulane lightly?

No!

You are misinterpreting the "Duke wants to play lots of people in the first half at Tulane..." statement. Coach Cutcliffe desires to play lots of people due to the humidity. In the press conference, Coach Cutcliffe talked about Ole Miss playing lots of players in a season opening game at Memphis. Ole Miss won the 4th quarter and the game due to being fresh. Additionally, Coach Cutcliffe praised Tulane's ability to run the football.

[jimsumner]

No!

You are misinterpreting the "Duke wants to play lots of people in the first half at Tulane..." statement. Coach Cutcliffe desires to play lots of people due to the humidity. In the press conference, Coach Cutcliffe talked about Ole Miss playing lots of players in a season opening game at Memphis. Ole Miss won the 4th quarter and the game due to being fresh. Additionally, Coach Cutcliffe praised Tulane's ability to run the football.

Correct. His belief is the more people you play in the first half, the less likely you are to hit the wall down the stretch, especially in what promises to be a brutally humid environment. If he were taking Tulane lightly, he wouldn't worry about the stretch, because Duke would already have the game in hand.

[brevity]

Speaking of Tulane, Duke will move more practices to evenings in order to acclimate to the humidity in a September, New Orleans evening.

Yeah, good luck with that. I suggest they also find an abandoned Durham parking lot full of potholes and ride the team bus around to simulate the New Orleans road experience.

Visiting fans should prepare by finding a local sauna and sitting in there for 2-3 hours with the lights dimmed.

[Olympic Fan]

Yeah, good luck with that. I suggest they also find an abandoned Durham parking lot full of potholes and ride the team bus around to simulate the New Orleans road experience.

Visiting fans should prepare by finding a local sauna and sitting in there for 2-3 hours with the lights dimmed.

Can't comment on the condition of New Orleans roads, but the humidity issue may be overblown.

The average September humidity in New Orleans is 78 percent ... the average in Raleigh (no listing for Durham) is 77 percent. In fact, the average daily high humidity in Raleigh in September is actually three percent HIGHER in Raleigh than New Orleans:

http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...-september.php

[BigWayne]

Can't comment on the condition of New Orleans roads, but the humidity issue may be overblown.

The average September humidity in New Orleans is 78 percent ... the average in Raleigh (no listing for Durham) is 77 percent. In fact, the average daily high humidity in Raleigh in September is actually three percent HIGHER in Raleigh than New Orleans:

http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...-september.php

Yes, that is correct. I checked 9/3/2014 and the closest weather station to Wally Wade and Tulane had virtually identical high temps and humidity of ~92F and 96% RH. Either one would be miserable to be in full pads running around. The only weather upside for the game this year is the very late start of 8:30PM local time. Temp should have dropped to the low 80s by then.

[OldPhiKap]

Yes, that is correct. I checked 9/3/2014 and the closest weather station to Wally Wade and Tulane had virtually identical high temps and humidity of ~92F and 96% RH. Either one would be miserable to be in full pads running around. The only weather upside for the game this year is the very late start of 8:30PM local time. Temp should have dropped to the low 80s by then.

Cut said that the sun burns off some of the humidity, so in the early evening the humidity gets worse. Hence, more evening practices and planning to run a lot of folks in there during the first half.

[budwom]

Just a thought that some people need to understand how humidity works. 90% relative humidity at 90 degrees is different from 90% relative humidity at 80%... maybe Duke needs a
meteorology program?

[devildeac]

Just a thought that some people need to understand how humidity works. 90% relative humidity at 90 degrees is different from 90% relative humidity at 80%... maybe Duke needs a
meteorology program?

90% relative humidity at 80%?

For those wishing to verify the claims of our Vermontian poster, here ya go:

http://www.dpcalc.org/

[OldPhiKap]

Just a thought that some people need to understand how humidity works. 90% relative humidity at 90 degrees is different from 90% relative humidity at 80%... maybe Duke needs a
meteorology program?

Nah. If Cut says it, I believe it. ;->

[duke blue brewcrew]

Duke wants to play lots of people in the first half at Tulane but needs back-ups to prove they belong on the field.

Alls and Douglas? They remain on indefinite suspension. Cut expects them to play this season but the burden is on them to demonstrate their commitment to Duke football.

Shaq Powell is back on campus. Cut says the "return to normalcy" is good for Powell following the death of Powell's young brother over the summer. Says Powell is working hard to get over it.

Some minor injuries not already reported. OL Zach Harmon is recovering from off-season knee surgery and is almost all the way back. DT Edgar Cerernord is sitting out with a hamstring injury Cut calls a "tweak. We want to keep it there."

Dominic McDonald has moved from LB to the hybrid DE/LB position currently occupied by Kyler Brown.

Cut says this group of linebackers is "the most athletic group we've ever had." Cut praised the mobility of Duke's DL but conceded that Duke was undersized and needed to prove it could stop run-oriented teams between the tackles.

Most competitive positions? Wide receiver-"a deep group." Offensive line, especially back-ups. Defensive line; "Wray has solidified himself." Duke wants to play lots of DL.

Punt returner also up for grabs. Teammates have praised in-coming freshman T.J. Rahming but Cut wants "to see him get hit. He better be able to catch it." Cut wants his punt returner to be like a good center fielder, able to run down anything. He does not want to see the ball hit the ground. Max McCaffrey, Johnell Barnes, Ryan Smith and KOR DeVon Edwards are also in the mix.

Duke will move RB Shaun Wilson around on offense, especially to the slot. Duke wants to find ways to get two of Powell, Duncan and Wilson on the field at the same time. Duke also will run double-tight end sets, four wide-receiver sets. Versatility is the buzzword.

As it is on defense. The hybrid DE/LB (Devil) spot a prime example. Kyler Brown says he will not be in a 3-point stance and that standing up gives him a better angle to survey the field and make a quick assessment.

Braxton Deaver says he's 100 percent. Money quote? "I didn't come back to be scared. I didn't come back to be apprehensive."

The guys who I continually hear are ready to make the jump from "who" to "I always knew he'd be a stud" are tight end Erich Schneider, wide receiver Chris Taylor and defensive tackle Mike Ramsay.

Brown on Ramsay "He's definitely been making steps over the summer, getting quicker, getting stronger. He's one of the strongest guys on the team."

Deaver on Schneider. "He's become more physical, more confident. He just needed to know he could do it. Once he figured it out . . . he knew that he could play at this level."

First and foremost, thank you Jim for this awesome first update of the season! I was smiling from ear to ear while reading it. Lot's of great nuggets. My heart goes out to Shaq, I can't begin to imagine what he and his family have been through this summer. The Alls and Douglas update was great timing as well, as you know Jim, we were just talking about this. I love that our depth at certain positions are coming into focus, esp at the Devil, DT and WR spots. The blurbs on Wray, Ramsay and Taylor really made me smile! I can't wait to see how the Punt Returner role shakes out. Is Rahming the odds on favorite at this point? Where does McDonald fit into the depth chart behind Kyler?

[brevity]

The average September humidity in New Orleans is 78 percent ... the average in Raleigh (no listing for Durham) is 77 percent. In fact, the average daily high humidity in Raleigh in September is actually three percent HIGHER in Raleigh than New Orleans:

http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...-september.php

Standard meteorological measures leave out the little-known desperation index, a formula that factors the temperature, humidity, and the feeling that "I can't believe that my life has come to this." Louisiana has a high desperation index.

Cut said that the sun burns off some of the humidity, so in the early evening the humidity gets worse. Hence, more evening practices and planning to run a lot of folks in there during the first half.

...If Cut says it, I believe it. ;->

There's some truth to this. Coach Cut knows about football and humidity. He spent 6 seasons in Mississippi, the one state with a higher desperation index than Louisiana. He also had to deal with Bad Comedian Eli Manning. "Whaaaaaaaa?"



P.S. Why does Bad Comedian Eli Manning look like Will Arnett?