Let's put a bow on Missouri's recently-completely spring season, and I'll do that by kind of scattershooting my thoughts on the football team since the Black and Gold game ended.
1. I'll start with the biggest surprises of spring, for me anyway. This is from a limited sample size of open scrimmages, but here are a few guys who really stood out to me in those sessions, in no order.
-- Tight end Jason Reese -- Yes, there were some drops, and one went for an interception. But Reese was mainly the only first-team pass-catching tight end all spring because of the shoulder injury to Sean Culkin, and toward the end of spring ball, he helped open up the offense a little more. It's not like Reese is a deep threat by any means, but we saw more intermediate passing to the tight end with Reese out there. There's rightfully a lot of concern about the receivers, but if Reese continues to improve, he provides an athletic, big option for Maty Mauk.
-- Linebacker Clarence Green -- For a soon-to-be redshirt senior who has done much on the field besides special teams (and some rotational duties with Donavin Newsom last season), I don't think it's unreasonable to have overlooked Green this spring. But, man, in my opinion, he put up the most impressive stat line in the spring scrimmages -- 18 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 sacks in two full scrimmages and two half-scrimmages spread out over separate days. Keep in mind, too, that Green was playing mainly with the second-team defense against the first-team offense. There are certainly some questions at offensive line, but Green still was a menace, and Barry Odom's defense seems to not be worried about blitzing from that outside linebacker spot. Green looks like the No, 4-linebacker heading into August.
-- Defensive tackle Rickey Hatley -- Hatley was CLEARLY the second-best interior lineman on the team this spring, and suddenly Missouri's defensive line prospects for 2015 looks even brighter because of his emergence. Officially, he had four tackles, 2 TFL and 1 sack, although I'm fairly sure he should have been awarded another TFL early in the spring game. Either way, he paid nicely with Harold Brantley, and with those two, Josh Augusta and Terry Beckner, Jr., this fall, Missouri has a nice assortment of options in the interior.
2. Emptying the notebook ... Here are some tidbits from spring that I either haven't used, or haven't talked about as much to this point. My musings are also included.
-- Multiple offensive players kept talking about the difficulties this spring, and nearly all of them mentioned "new schemes." I tried to figure out what, exactly, Missouri's is doing differently on offense, but to my untrained eye, I couldn't see it, and the offensive players were (obviously) less than specific about what's being added.
Case-in-point: "It's just a few things that just changed that we've been running since I've been here," running back Russell Hansbrough said. "We've been trying to make it click all together on the offense."
So, something is new. Whatever it is COULD be a reason for some of those early-spring struggles.
-- AJ Ricker is certainly the most candid assistant coach, and he's more than willing to discuss Missouri's depth-chart situation at offensive line.
Here are some quotes from Ricker after the spring game:
"We got stopped on the fourth-down there with Sam Bailey (at No. 2-LT) on Charles Harris. I just wanted to get his nose bloodied a little bit, because he will be a good player. He's just young. I mean, he's 270 pounds."
".. (Alec) Abeln's come along, I think he could play some guard for us, too."
"I'm going to tell Malik (Cuellar) this summer, hey, make sure you get some guard reps at right and left. If he's a top five (offensive lineman), that's what I want."
"I talk to him (JUCO OT Tyler Howell) on a weekly basis. And his counselor ... I'm not expecting him to come in here and -- he's still got to develop a little bit. Shoot, he's 6-8, 300-pounds and been a basketball guy. You can just look at his feet, he's got great feet, but he's going to have a good summer, you know what I mean? You'd like for him to come in ready, but as much as you tell a junior college kid, 'Hey, you've got to be working out everyday,' shoot, I can't sit there and control that as much as you'd like to.
(On if he would "love" for Howell to come in and take over the RT spot.)
"Oh, yeah. Or at least compete for it. Be in shape, that's the thing you worry about, be in shape and at least you can see him physically giving it a shot and giving those guys a run for their money."
"I'll tell you what, Nate (Crawford) has done one hell of a job with transforming his flexibility, his body. But you know what? It's super important to that kid so it doesn't really shock me. He's in my office or watching film, he's dying to be good. Kids like that find a way to get it done, that's how it is. He's got a ways to go now, I don't want to sit here and crown him. He's doing a good job but just from where he was when he first got here til now, he's doing a heck of a good job."
In talking to Ricker over the course of spring ball, if I had to guess on the first August depth chart, I'd go:
RT Nate Crawford
RG Mitch Hall
C Evan Boehm
LG Taylor Chappell
LT Connor McGovern
That, of course, is contingent on injuries and improvements made over the summer.
-- I asked a few defensive players after the spring game what was the one thing they didn't know about Barry Odom three months ago that they know now.
The answer was unanimous -- It's his intensity and enthusiasm .
We got a glimpse of that during Missouri's scrimmage last Tuesday. Before the "fourth-quarter period," Odom had his defense gathered around him, and he was yelling loudly to get them pumped up -- "Dominate their (butts)" was one of his lines.
"I think he's the fuel to our fire," cornerback Aarion Penton said. "Every time we come off the field, he's after it. Great attitude, positive guy and just wants you to give it your all. He just gets us going."
Which sets up the obvious follow-up -- is that different from Dave Steckel?
"Yeah, he did it, but you know, he was a military guy. He was really on your head, for sure, and that's what makes us so great now. He installed that in us and we've just taken it and running with it."
-- Another note about Odom's defense: It's been clear that Missouri's defense will be slightly different. We've seen more linebacker blitzes, we've seen a new position (the "Dog", a hybrid DE/LB in some formations).
But, Penton said there's a change in the secondary, too. After running zone the majority of time last year, that could change, if the spring is any indication.
"It seems like we're playing a lot of down man," Penton said. "Trying to be more physical and hip-to-hip coverage."
Now, I don't know if that's what Odom has always done with his defense, or if it's an easy risk to task with plenty of experience at cornerback, including to very physical CBs in Penton and Kenya Dennis. But it's a change worth watching as the season begins.
(Also, it doesn't necessarily mean that Missouri will constantly line up right across from WRs, now. Remember, you can play off the line and still be in man. I know that will be the bane of some of your collective existence.)
3. I think the question marks entering the summer are well known, and I've talked about them plenty, so instead of re-hashing those, I'll finish with a "power ranking" of Missouri's positions on offense and defense. So, think about this as a most-to-least settled group, with experience and talent factored in.
OFFENSE:
1. Quarterback
2. Running back
3. Tight end
4. Offensive line
5. Receivers
DEFENSE
1. Cornerback
2. Linebacker
3. Defensive end
4. Defensive tackle
5. Safety
1. I'll start with the biggest surprises of spring, for me anyway. This is from a limited sample size of open scrimmages, but here are a few guys who really stood out to me in those sessions, in no order.
-- Tight end Jason Reese -- Yes, there were some drops, and one went for an interception. But Reese was mainly the only first-team pass-catching tight end all spring because of the shoulder injury to Sean Culkin, and toward the end of spring ball, he helped open up the offense a little more. It's not like Reese is a deep threat by any means, but we saw more intermediate passing to the tight end with Reese out there. There's rightfully a lot of concern about the receivers, but if Reese continues to improve, he provides an athletic, big option for Maty Mauk.
-- Linebacker Clarence Green -- For a soon-to-be redshirt senior who has done much on the field besides special teams (and some rotational duties with Donavin Newsom last season), I don't think it's unreasonable to have overlooked Green this spring. But, man, in my opinion, he put up the most impressive stat line in the spring scrimmages -- 18 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 sacks in two full scrimmages and two half-scrimmages spread out over separate days. Keep in mind, too, that Green was playing mainly with the second-team defense against the first-team offense. There are certainly some questions at offensive line, but Green still was a menace, and Barry Odom's defense seems to not be worried about blitzing from that outside linebacker spot. Green looks like the No, 4-linebacker heading into August.
-- Defensive tackle Rickey Hatley -- Hatley was CLEARLY the second-best interior lineman on the team this spring, and suddenly Missouri's defensive line prospects for 2015 looks even brighter because of his emergence. Officially, he had four tackles, 2 TFL and 1 sack, although I'm fairly sure he should have been awarded another TFL early in the spring game. Either way, he paid nicely with Harold Brantley, and with those two, Josh Augusta and Terry Beckner, Jr., this fall, Missouri has a nice assortment of options in the interior.
2. Emptying the notebook ... Here are some tidbits from spring that I either haven't used, or haven't talked about as much to this point. My musings are also included.
-- Multiple offensive players kept talking about the difficulties this spring, and nearly all of them mentioned "new schemes." I tried to figure out what, exactly, Missouri's is doing differently on offense, but to my untrained eye, I couldn't see it, and the offensive players were (obviously) less than specific about what's being added.
Case-in-point: "It's just a few things that just changed that we've been running since I've been here," running back Russell Hansbrough said. "We've been trying to make it click all together on the offense."
So, something is new. Whatever it is COULD be a reason for some of those early-spring struggles.
-- AJ Ricker is certainly the most candid assistant coach, and he's more than willing to discuss Missouri's depth-chart situation at offensive line.
Here are some quotes from Ricker after the spring game:
"We got stopped on the fourth-down there with Sam Bailey (at No. 2-LT) on Charles Harris. I just wanted to get his nose bloodied a little bit, because he will be a good player. He's just young. I mean, he's 270 pounds."
".. (Alec) Abeln's come along, I think he could play some guard for us, too."
"I'm going to tell Malik (Cuellar) this summer, hey, make sure you get some guard reps at right and left. If he's a top five (offensive lineman), that's what I want."
"I talk to him (JUCO OT Tyler Howell) on a weekly basis. And his counselor ... I'm not expecting him to come in here and -- he's still got to develop a little bit. Shoot, he's 6-8, 300-pounds and been a basketball guy. You can just look at his feet, he's got great feet, but he's going to have a good summer, you know what I mean? You'd like for him to come in ready, but as much as you tell a junior college kid, 'Hey, you've got to be working out everyday,' shoot, I can't sit there and control that as much as you'd like to.
(On if he would "love" for Howell to come in and take over the RT spot.)
"Oh, yeah. Or at least compete for it. Be in shape, that's the thing you worry about, be in shape and at least you can see him physically giving it a shot and giving those guys a run for their money."
"I'll tell you what, Nate (Crawford) has done one hell of a job with transforming his flexibility, his body. But you know what? It's super important to that kid so it doesn't really shock me. He's in my office or watching film, he's dying to be good. Kids like that find a way to get it done, that's how it is. He's got a ways to go now, I don't want to sit here and crown him. He's doing a good job but just from where he was when he first got here til now, he's doing a heck of a good job."
In talking to Ricker over the course of spring ball, if I had to guess on the first August depth chart, I'd go:
RT Nate Crawford
RG Mitch Hall
C Evan Boehm
LG Taylor Chappell
LT Connor McGovern
That, of course, is contingent on injuries and improvements made over the summer.
-- I asked a few defensive players after the spring game what was the one thing they didn't know about Barry Odom three months ago that they know now.
The answer was unanimous -- It's his intensity and enthusiasm .
We got a glimpse of that during Missouri's scrimmage last Tuesday. Before the "fourth-quarter period," Odom had his defense gathered around him, and he was yelling loudly to get them pumped up -- "Dominate their (butts)" was one of his lines.
"I think he's the fuel to our fire," cornerback Aarion Penton said. "Every time we come off the field, he's after it. Great attitude, positive guy and just wants you to give it your all. He just gets us going."
Which sets up the obvious follow-up -- is that different from Dave Steckel?
"Yeah, he did it, but you know, he was a military guy. He was really on your head, for sure, and that's what makes us so great now. He installed that in us and we've just taken it and running with it."
-- Another note about Odom's defense: It's been clear that Missouri's defense will be slightly different. We've seen more linebacker blitzes, we've seen a new position (the "Dog", a hybrid DE/LB in some formations).
But, Penton said there's a change in the secondary, too. After running zone the majority of time last year, that could change, if the spring is any indication.
"It seems like we're playing a lot of down man," Penton said. "Trying to be more physical and hip-to-hip coverage."
Now, I don't know if that's what Odom has always done with his defense, or if it's an easy risk to task with plenty of experience at cornerback, including to very physical CBs in Penton and Kenya Dennis. But it's a change worth watching as the season begins.
(Also, it doesn't necessarily mean that Missouri will constantly line up right across from WRs, now. Remember, you can play off the line and still be in man. I know that will be the bane of some of your collective existence.)
3. I think the question marks entering the summer are well known, and I've talked about them plenty, so instead of re-hashing those, I'll finish with a "power ranking" of Missouri's positions on offense and defense. So, think about this as a most-to-least settled group, with experience and talent factored in.
OFFENSE:
1. Quarterback
2. Running back
3. Tight end
4. Offensive line
5. Receivers
DEFENSE
1. Cornerback
2. Linebacker
3. Defensive end
4. Defensive tackle
5. Safety
