University of Tennessee Athletics
#VolReport: Assistants Assess Spring
April 23, 2015 | Football
April 23, 2015
Here are sound bites from #Team119:
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE DeBORD
"I'll give you a great example. We had a unit meeting today. Before the meeting got started I was laughing with the guys and all that stuff. Before that, I wouldn't have known them, and I wouldn't have felt that relaxed with them. I feel very comfortable with them both on and off the field. It's been a great transition."
"Execution in all areas of the offense. We're going to keep some things out. We're not going to do all the things. We've minimized some things but that's ok. I want to see us running the football and having great timing with the throw game."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOHN JANCEK
"I do feel like we finished strong and I feel like we ended on a real positive note today. I thought they had a lot of energy. I thought they were communicating. They took a lot of today seriously. I wasn't just another day off before the spring game. It was very productive and a useful day for us."
"I want to see good tackling. I want to see great effort. I want to see communication and execution. I want to force turnovers. Those are the things that we believe in as a unit and as a defense. We're going to be limited with what we do. We're not going to have our nickel package out there. I may throw a nickel out there for a series or two. We'll play base defense against our offense which really you don't want to do but we've got to keep the right guys healthy and we've got to continue to get guys reps that we want to still evaluate.
"Just getting the young guys some reps. I think we improved in our tackling. I think we improved in our angles to the football. I think we improved with our block destruction and fundamentals. I saw guys getting a lot better in pass rush. I saw our DB's getting better in their pace and their pedal and playing the ball in the air. Collectively as a unit are we where we want to be? No, but I don't know anybody that comes out of spring feeling that way. We're probably no different than a lot of folks right now."
DEFENSIVE LINE COACH STEVE STRIPLING
"His eye development, his hand placement, all the fine details [have improved]. Where he's still struggling is with leverage. Now you have to learn how to do all those details. It was really great--I wish our D-linemen had been with me--talking to [John] Henderson. He said he used to be on the sled so much that he was sick of it. Just learning to play with leverage."
DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH WILLIE MARTINEZ
"Right now, if we were going to do [a 4-2-5 look] then we would keep Cameron [Sutton] in the outside corner position and Rashaan [Gaulden] at the nickel. Cam has been outstanding at both the corner and nickel. It gives us three athletic guys in a sense that long and guys like Emmanuel [Moseley], Rashaan and Cam who have excellent ball skills. The great thing is Malik came on. We have four guys that we feel really good about at the corner position. At safety, we still feel good with LaDarrell[ McNeil] and Brian [Randolph] as the starters, but Evan [Berry] and Todd Kelly have had strong springs where they've earned reps."
PASSING GAME COORDINATOR / WIDE RECEIVERS COACH ZACH AZZANNI
"He has really stepped up. I see a different focus out of Marquez [North] right now. I know he wasn't able to do team activities but he was out there in doing individual drills and routes. Just his focus, his help, his attention to detail, helping the other guys, I haven't seen that out of him in the last two years. He really, really tired to be a guy helping the young guys. He stayed involved, he graded other people's film. He was really into it. So I was really pleased with that."
"He is a threat, with his size, his versatility, he can block the edge but also get out on the perimeter. He is 6'6", he creates mis-matches, so he has really created a whole other element for us in that personnel grouping."
"I think Pig Howard had a great spring all the way around. I think I can point to one day, may a day and a half where he wasn't himself, kind of dropped some passes when he got dinged up a little bit. But he has really stepped up. He had a really good spring on the field. So I am really pleased with him. Josh Smith really had a good last week and I am pleased with that. Johnathon Johnson was clearly the most consistent, took the most reps, he was my best, overall wide receiver in the spring if I had to rank them as who had the best spring, he was him and Pig."
RECRUITING COORDINATOR / RUNNING BACKS COACH ROBERT GILLESPIE
"It was a good fit. I can see exactly why Coach Jones thought so high of him. He's a great coach. A really, really brilliant mind, a very technique-driven coach upfront with the offensive line, the running backs, and the receivers. He's brought a fundamental game to the offense. He's been good. He's good with us, having suggestions and being really good from a creative standpoint. The players like him. He brings a lot of energy. It's been a good spring for our players to learn Coach DeBord and also for us as a coaching staff to learn him."
"For him, to be an early graduate, a junior college kid, he can't get these 15 practices back. They're valuable. These are the most important practices of his life because he's going to be a brand new player come August. Now he's able to watch himself on film. When he got here a month ago, he was watching Jalen and Marlin Lane run plays. Now, he's going to be able to see himself make mistakes. He's going to be able to see the things that he needs to improve on. Now, he's in Coach Lawson's hands. Coach Lawson will shape him and mold him. By the time I get him in August, I expect him to be a different football player, and he will be. He's a self-motivated kid, and he's going to work hard to be a better player when we get back in August."
TIGHT ENDS COACH / SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR MARK ELDER
"You see Ethan [Wolf] as a veteran player. He has a better understanding of what he's doing. I think mentally he's in a better position than he was in the fall. In the fall, you saw a guy that was running the play that was drawn up, running the route that was drawn up on the page. Now, you see him setting up his routes. You see him gaining leverage on defenders. You see him separating from guys, doing those things, which is good."
"I've seen improvement as far as that stuff is concerned. It's not where we want to be. We've still got to have a great summer and a great fall camp certainly to get the full step forward from last year that we want. You've seen improvement, you've seen a little bit more consistency, but not to the point where we want it."
OFFENSIVE LINE COACH DON MAHONEY
"He's matured a lot. He's grown up a lot. He has some goals on the field and some goals off the field that he's been working extremely hard to reach. Some of the goals off the field, I'm really proud of him from that standpoint. I think his overall makeup, I think the urgency level in the room, and the fact that Coach is constantly preaching to us as a team and to our positions as the power of the unit. He doesn't want to the let the guys down in the room; he definitely doesn't want to let Vol Nation down as well. I believe he's going to have a tremendous summer."
"We still need to get a lot deeper there with some of the scenarios of things that can happen. There's still guys that are going to potentially have to play multiple positions. Coleman Thomas, for example, having to play center and tackle. Brett Kendrick having to play both right and left. And Jack Jones continuing to make strides as well."
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Vols wrapped up their practice sessions prior to the DISH Orange & White Game on Thursday. UT's coaches summed up Team 119's progress following the 14th session.
The DISH Orange & White Game is set for Saturday, April 25 with a 4 p.m., start. The gates to Neyland Stadium will open at 12:30 p.m., with Fan Day getting underway at 1:30 p.m. The game will air on the SEC Network Alternate Channel and can be heard on the Vol Network. ORANGE & WHITE INFORMATION.
DeBORD'S MOST IMPROVED ON OFFENSE
Vols' offensive coordinator Mike DeBord ended his first spring on Rocky Top a happy man. Comparing the very first practice to today, DeBord sees visible improvement at each and every position on the offensive side.
"I think we made improvements at all positions," DeBord said. "When I look at it, I think we've improved our leverage. I think we've improved our footwork. We struggled last Saturday throwing the ball, but these last two practices we've thrown the ball very well. I like where we're finishing."
Being disappointed with a performance is normally a coach's job, but to see that same displeasure by his players is something DeBord welcomes as it leads to the understanding of what must be improved.
"What I love about the players is they understood that," DeBord said. "We weren't where we needed to be. Passing game is timing. For the quarterbacks, linemen, receivers, it's timing. Timing takes a little bit of time, but these last two practices we've had that."
I think we finished strong this week. I was disappointed this last Saturday. Again the passing game was off. That takes timing. We made great strides this week. I like the way we finished up this week."
One area where DeBord sees a lot of improvement, where the Vols lacked last season, is the offensive line.
"I really like how we've improved our leverage from practice one to this practice," DeBord said. "We've really done a nice job with leverage and footwork. We've done a really nice job with our first two to three steps. I like where they're at right now."
DeBord wouldn't hand out individual praise for a spring standout but commended the entire offense for its spring.
"I think it's hard to pinpoint guys," DeBord said. "I've never really liked to single guys out. I think it's a unit. I've just been happy with the way that this group has come to work every day and the way we've finished up."
JANCEK'S MOST IMPROVED THIS SPRING
As spring practice concludes, Defensive Coordinator John Jancek says that multiple players have shown improvement, such as Rashaan Gaulden, Cameron Sutton, LaTroy Lewis, Todd Kelly Jr., and Malik Foreman.
But one player that has left a lasting impression on Jancek is Evan Berry.
"Evan Berry has made some plays. That first scrimmage, the couple of hits that he had. Then that one pick on the third down was really a great play," said Jancek. "I thought Evan really came on. He's really becoming more vocal back there too."
Jancek also noted his confidence at the linebacker position with not only Jalen Reeves-Maybin, but Kenny Bynum as well. Jancek also looks forward to having Jakob Johnson return.
"Obviously Jakob has some game reps. Once we get him back he's a guy that should be functionable and knowledgeable of things that we want to do."
Despite his injury keeping him from scrimmages, Jancek has been pleased with Darrin Kirkland's mental work.
"From a mental standpoint he's right on point. I'm really excited about him. We were able to work him in the last few practices."
Though he's seen improvement from multiple players, Jancek says the competition for starting linebacker is still wide open.
"There's still a lot of room for improvement at that position. I don't think anyone is solidified other than Jalen."
As the defensive unit prepares for the upcoming football season, Jancek looks forward to what lies ahead for Team 119.
"There's a lot of optimism because you still have opportunities to grow throughout the summer as a unit and get better and continue to develop."
DEPTH NOT AN ISSUE FOR DBs
With the final spring practice in the books, defensive backs coach Willie Martinez is satisfied with the improvements made by his group. Although the lack of depth at positions has been at the forefront of Team 119 due to injuries, that's the last thing Martinez is worried about.
"I thought our guys made a lot more plays," Martinez said. "I thought some guys stepped up. I'm just talking as a group. There was a lot more playmaking, and there was a lot more competition. I thought the guys did a great job of pushing each other."
As far as depth, Martinez believes that the maturity of the group and the skill level of the players has allowed him, as a coach, to feel comfortable at each position.
"I think we've done a good job developing," Martinez said. "We feel more comfortable with the depth. I know some guys are out right now, but we feel pretty good at the nickel position. Rashaan [Gaulden] has had a really good spring. Cam [Sutton] has really come on and has made a ton of plays there, too. We feel good at that positon. We've got great competition there.
Cam has done a great job at corner. Malik [Foreman] has done a great job of pushing Emmanuel [Moseley] and Cam. Then, you go back to the safety position with Evan Berry and Todd Kelly. Evan started off really strong in the spring, and Todd has really come on here at the end. We feel like we've developed some really good depth at the safety position also. It's been a pretty good spring."
Alongside the depth, the group has made improvements with execution and communication, something that Martinez sees as an ongoing process that will continue into the fall.
"The group improved in different areas," Martinez said. "I'll start with the understanding and knowledge of our scheme. The guys that came in last year, the freshmen, did a better job this spring from executing the defense.
The communication is not where it needs to be, but the understanding of it is a lot better. I think that the style of play on defense, with the great effort, I saw a lot more consistency. It's not where it needs to be, but it has definitely improved."
DeBORD'S GAME PLAN
Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord has his game plan ready for the start of the season.
"I try not to get caught up in that," DeBord said when asked about the large crowds that fill Neyland. "I really try to stay focused on my job. That's really what I'm going to do. I'm going to try to concentrate on that and get plays in early, keep the tempo going fast and trying to mix it up with the run and the pass."
During the season, DeBord plans to be in the coaches' box throughout games. On the field, he'll have offensive graduate assistant Nick Sheridan. Sheridan was a quarterback at Michigan and has been coaching quarterbacks since 2010.
"Nick, I think I've talked about our relationship, it started when he was a player," DeBord said. I've known him forever. I have great trust in him. We all do. If there is anything I need to get to Nick to get to them, we can do that through the headsets. Nick does a great job and I'm very comfortable with that."
MAHONEY WELCOMES MOSLEY
Following the conclusion of Tuesday's practice, head coach Butch Jones revealed that redshirt freshman Charles Mosley has begun to see time with the offensive line-- a shift from more acclimated spot on the defensive front with the Vols. On Thursday, offensive line coach Don Mahoney provided further insight into how the Brighton, Tennessee, product has been handling the move.
"He moved around well, caught onto things quick," Mahoney said. "You've got to understand ... last year throughout the season and through the bowl prep and so forth, there were a lot of things thrown at him offensively or at least technically that we've talked about. So from that standpoint, for him to get some reps at the spot in just a quick period of time, it was good to see that there were some things that he had a lot of recall as far as combination calls and things like that."
Mosley, who arrived at UT as a four-star defensive tackle, missed the entirety of his true freshman season after breaking his tibia in a car accident during the preseason. But between his O-Line recall from last season and his high school experience on that side of the ball, Mosley has the requisite knowledge for success.
"Now, he still has the stance and some of those things that you do defensively--a lot of weight forward and a lot of things different that way," Mahoney critiqued. "But the most encouraging thing was his overall body language and his demeanor and the way he attacked it. He's got a tremendous attitude. He wants to play whatever, he wants to win. So that's not surprising. He's an outstanding young man and I love the way he attacked the day."
The verdict remains out on the 6-5, 370-pound lineman's final destination and Mahoney, already suffering through depleted depth in his unit, will not be afraid to campaign for his services.
"I will do everything I can to recruit him as an offensive lineman because again, the [added] depth," he admitted. "But we're going to see. Once we finish spring ball we're going to sit down and evaluate a lot of things and where we're at offensively and where we're at defensively and in the end I know that Coach [Jones] is going choose what's right for all of us as a team as well as for Charles moving forward."
