Anyone attending practice and can provide some commentary? Appreciate any updates you can provide

The players wore helmets. Most broke a sweat. All drank water.

And wore shoes...

Shoes? Budget must have increased

Practice is really heating up. Things have been getting heated (yes that kind of heated) the last few days. It's a battle out there every day. Offense is winning some and defense is winning some. And in between, they are getting very chippy. There have been several fights, won't comment on the specific players though.

They have taken really well to the new staff, they might even like these new coaches more than Monken's staff. I think we have some really good coaches. There is a lot of competition for spots, including several True Freshmen getting in the mix. This is an exciting camp. The offense looks good at times and then struggles at times, mostly because I think our defense is pretty good. We've got a good shot at Kentucky if things keep going the way I think they're headed. This is a tough football team. They just have to figure out a way to channel that fire and direct it toward somebody wearing a different color jersey.

Quote:And in between, they are getting very chippy

by this point, isn't that to be expected? Cause they want to HIT someone...

I'll just say that I've seen hundreds of football practices in my life. The last couple days are some of the most heated I've ever seen.

(08-09-2016 02:54 PM)Eagle9 Wrote:  I'll just say that I've seen hundreds of football practices in my life. The last couple days are some of the most heated I've ever seen.

it's hotter than hades with or w/o his bident out there right now.....

ya gotta like that 'fire in the hole' from the team as a response to Ra (that sun idol thingy guy dude)

It's pretty common in fall camp, mostly because you are just practicing against the same people every day and hearing the same exact people talk trash to you every time they whip you. It's mostly WRs and DBs, because they don't have to worry that much about getting destroyed on the next play. Linemen more or less keep it between the whistles, because they know there is always a 300 pound man lining up across from them the next day. WRs and DBs just constantly talk trash to each other about who is getting the best of the other that day. And every now and then it crosses the line between competitive banter and gets pretty nasty with full on insults.

When it happens in the game, usually it's the first time you've ever heard that guy say anything to you, so nothing comes of it, you just talk back. But in Fall camp, the same guys are in your face every time you drop a pass telling you how bad you suck. Guys tend to get tired of it and might take a shot. Then it sometimes escalates into a fight. Coaches usually let it go to an extent during the early stages of camp. Personally I don't like all that. Just line up and whip your man, then do it again the next play. All the talking and fighting IMO takes concentration away from what you need to be doing. I'm fine with some competitive chippiness. But when punches start being thrown, it's time to stop. The ONLY thing that can come of that is an injury. And to me if you let too much of it go on it can lead to an overall lack of discipline in the program. You are competing at practice, so understand some of it. But there is a line there that doesn't need to be crossed. That is the line between having a team full of tough SOBs that wanna get after somebody, or a team full of trash talking thugs that are out of control. If you stay just on the right side of that line, you can have a special team. If you cross that line, you could have a situation like what happened to East MS CC last year.

(08-09-2016 07:05 PM)Eagle9 Wrote:  It's pretty common in fall camp, mostly because you are just practicing against the same people every day and hearing the same exact people talk trash to you every time they whip you. It's mostly WRs and DBs, because they don't have to worry that much about getting destroyed on the next play. Linemen more or less keep it between the whistles, because they know there is always a 300 pound man lining up across from them the next day. WRs and DBs just constantly talk trash to each other about who is getting the best of the other that day. And every now and then it crosses the line between competitive banter and gets pretty nasty with full on insults.

When it happens in the game, usually it's the first time you've ever heard that guy say anything to you, so nothing comes of it, you just talk back. But in Fall camp, the same guys are in your face every time you drop a pass telling you how bad you suck. Guys tend to get tired of it and might take a shot. Then it sometimes escalates into a fight. Coaches usually let it go to an extent during the early stages of camp. Personally I don't like all that. Just line up and whip your man, then do it again the next play. All the talking and fighting IMO takes concentration away from what you need to be doing. I'm fine with some competitive chippiness. But when punches start being thrown, it's time to stop. The ONLY thing that can come of that is an injury. And to me if you let too much of it go on it can lead to an overall lack of discipline in the program. You are competing at practice, so understand some of it. But there is a line there that doesn't need to be crossed. That is the line between having a team full of tough SOBs that wanna get after somebody, or a team full of trash talking thugs that are out of control. If you stay just on the right side of that line, you can have a special team. If you cross that line, you could have a situation like what happened to East MS CC last year.

You never played the game to at least a high school level, did you?

Get hurt??? Wtf. If you keep your helmet on its hard to get hurt from a fight.

Yes I did. I played football and currently coach it. And you're right about the helmets. But that's the problem. Helmets being taken off. Like I said, as long as they are just wrestling on the ground or throwing a shot or 2, it's ok. But when they take their helmets off, start throwing punches, jerking facemasks, and swinging helmets at each other, you're just asking for trouble. If 2 guys go at it during the play and it leads to a shoving or wrestling match on the ground, that's fine. But when the helmets come off and they start trying to actually injure the other guy, it's a problem. I've seen it too much lately in football, the first reaction these kids have is to take off their helmet and swing it at somebody. That's not being tough, that's being stupid.

Reminds me of one of my dad's stories from when he was playing high school ball in Collins. Got in a jawing match with another player who took his helmet off and started fighting my dad. Kid kept yelling at him to take his helmet off. Dad told him, "Hell no, your an idiot!" as he punched the guy in his unprotected head. It went on like that till coach Bailey broke it up. Became good friends after that.

(08-09-2016 10:19 PM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  your an idiot!"

...no comment.

Well, if you feel I'm talking to you, who am I to correct you?

(08-09-2016 10:50 PM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  Well, if you feel I'm talking to you, who am I to correct you?

I am pretty sure that he is doing the really douchey message board grammar Nazi thing. You said your* instead of you're,* therefore he calls attention to it to imply that he is more intelligent than everyone else.

I was hoping that this kind of crap died with EaglePost.

(08-09-2016 10:29 PM)Nuggets Ghost Wrote:  

(08-09-2016 10:19 PM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  your an idiot!"

...no comment.

Thank you for the restraint, Nugg.

(08-09-2016 11:29 PM)born in the burg Wrote:  

(08-09-2016 10:50 PM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  Well, if you feel I'm talking to you, who am I to correct you?

I am pretty sure that he is doing the really douchey message board grammar Nazi thing. You said your* instead of you're,* therefore he calls attention to it to imply that he is more intelligent than everyone else.

I was hoping that this kind of crap died with EaglePost.

Yeah, he's taken a little personal vendetta against me, I think. I imagine I'll have to deal with him following me around for a while.

(08-10-2016 09:41 AM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  

(08-09-2016 11:29 PM)born in the burg Wrote:  

(08-09-2016 10:50 PM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  Well, if you feel I'm talking to you, who am I to correct you?

I am pretty sure that he is doing the really douchey message board grammar Nazi thing. You said your* instead of you're,* therefore he calls attention to it to imply that he is more intelligent than everyone else.

I was hoping that this kind of crap died with EaglePost.

Yeah, he's taken a little personal vendetta against me, I think. I imagine I'll have to deal with him following me around for a while.

He is "knot" selective.

Ace...

(08-10-2016 09:41 AM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  

(08-09-2016 11:29 PM)born in the burg Wrote:  

(08-09-2016 10:50 PM)LaurelEagleSon Wrote:  Well, if you feel I'm talking to you, who am I to correct you?

I am pretty sure that he is doing the really douchey message board grammar Nazi thing. You said your* instead of you're,* therefore he calls attention to it to imply that he is more intelligent than everyone else.

I was hoping that this kind of crap died with EaglePost.

Yeah, he's taken a little personal vendetta against me, I think. I imagine I'll have to deal with him following me around for a while.

ANYWAY...

Back to Fall Practices. The reports that I've read suggest that the O-line is pretty much set, while the receiving corps is still a wide open race on who will be taking first team reps (with the exception of DJ).

DJ hasn't looked all that good, but the guy behind him is Korey Robertson, who hasn't made many plays yet either. Jones's backup right now is Ricard, who I think could start in place of DJ, but he's on the other side, so DJ is probably safe for now.