I think we'll be fine at receiver if our main guys (Taylor, Moore, Hull, Gautreaux, Parks, Kubiak) stay healthy. We've got two intriguing true freshmen coming in who could provide depth if need be (the one from Richmond has an older brother who is Colorado State's starting QB so he could be Taylor's replacement down the road). I suspect Dillard would have been moved to WR if the coaches didn't like what they had at that position. Our running backs are good receivers too - and that's the position I'd occasionally move Driphus to if we weren't utilizing him enough at QB. But I agree with Talon - we have two capable quarterbacks and I like the luxury of having both McHargue and Jackson at that position.

(03-15-2013 07:40 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  Occurs to me that there is such a thing as a Rice football romantic.

I think I used to be one but lost it somewhere.

A working definition of a Rice football romantic is someone who has the following attributes:

1. He can watch a Rice practice or scrimmage and be enthused about our depth despite the absence of a a comparison group of opposition talent

2. He believes that Marshall and Memphis were valiant efforts against high performing opponents AND believes the TAMU game is definitely winnable.

I've lost the romance, I don't expect to get it back, but I'm going to do my best to keep that fact out of my posts.

End of confession.

Color me a nice shade of romantic blue and gray. Not sure I'd consider Marshall or Memphis high-performing. But I do have hope for TAMU. If we can just get our end-of-year engine to start firing earlier in the season.

(03-17-2013 10:54 AM)elf owl Wrote:  Imagining Eddington at TE conjures some other intriguing switches. Driphus to WR for example. Discuss:

I'd rather move McHargue to TE than Driphus to WR, given that DJ has 3 years of eligibility left. But I really don't want to move either.

DJ has very little experience, but given the level of competition, his 2nd half against Air Force was, IMHO, equal to any performance #16 has had.

I'm not going to beat the drum for DJ to start, but I think it's a good bet he'll see plenty of action at QB. I can't imagine that there is any upside to having him attend other position group meetings.

(03-17-2013 09:27 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Can we just get back to discussions about the spring practices?

Fair enough. Who do you think will be our top 3 in rushing yards and receiving yards next year?

I'm pretty sure Ross and Peterson will be in the mix for rushing and Taylor will lead receiving by a mile. Give me one more RB and two more receivers. Or might a QB be our 3rd leading rusher? Might an RB be our second or third leading receiver.

For reference, here are the 2012 data

rushing
1. ross
2. mchargue (probably would be first if you could back out sacks)
3. peterson

receiving
1. taylor
2. mcguffie
3. mcdonald

Just my take but I saw a more mature, business-like approach atmosphere last Thursday.
It is difficult for me to assess talent etc....with any degree of accuracy any time let alone the first spring scrimmage so take the following with a grain of salt.
Number 18 running back looked very good and kept his legs pumping in traffic, plus his speed in the open looked very good.
Jordan Taylor caught a couple of un-catchable balls in traffic.
Mario Hull caught a very good touchdown and looks very healthy. He said he feels very good and 100%.
Dylan Klare got a lot of reps and, he too, said he is 100%. We sure need him.
Michael Parks, number 4, broke his thumb week before last so he is out for the Spring. He has great potential and needs the workout.
Overall the D looks good but they sure were running players in and out trying different combinations which is a good thing. I know we suffer from lack of depth in a couple of spots (LB for one) so it is good that they are assessing talent to fit where they are needed.
I am very concerned or curious about our Tight ends and what we are going to do in our offensive scheme. Glad to see that Jeremy is running some tight end. He does real well in space and should have good hands since he was and is an excellent BBall er.
I will be out again this Thursday at 4 for scrimmage number 2.

My only concer with Eddington at TE is his lack of height.

He is listed at 6'2", so he is probably closer to 6'0" than 6'2" which seems rather short for a TE. I wonder if the TE designation is more because he is lining up at WR close to the OL than because he is actually going to be a TE.

I think moving him up to the line of scrimmage will be a good call in the end. We got the ball in Vance's hand via handoffs, bubble screens and short throws a number of times, and I think Eddington could perform even better than Vance in that role. I just worry about losing that height advantage when McHargue needs a safety valve on 3rd and short.

Good stuff.

Wasn't someone else worried about a logjam at LB?

Hasn't Tulsa had a beast H-back with a similar build to Eddington?

My $.02...

-no way DJ plays anything but QB. McH has been injury prone in his career...and now w/ a couple concussions it is especially dangerous. Hope for best, plan for worst and that would be that he likely gets hurt at some point..especially the way he plays the game. Thus, need DJ getting some reps at QB with the first team each week. Key will be how staff can use him in special packages when McH is healthy. Would like to see some wrinkles in the offense for sprint-outs, bootlegs, etc. when he is in at QB to better leverage his strengths of using his feet w/ a pass option in the open field vs. asking him to stand in the pocket and throw. That was my criticism (esp in Houston game) where staff did not adjust to him and tried to fit him into the system which is/was a mistake.

-Eddington is legitimately 6' 2". He is a big kid. No issues w/ his size at TE. Agree w/ earlier post on making sure he can catch in traffic. When he runs/plays hard, he is a beast but has had tendency to tip-toe and dance too much vs. leveraging his size and be aggressive. I think he could be a difference maker. Let's give the staff some props here by using spring ball to get the best 11 guys on the field as we lose a bunch of TE's but still have plenty of RB's.

- Do need that one more WR to step-up next to Taylor. Would like to see someone emerge from camp as the solid #2 and can stretch field horizontally like Reagan used Sam for last year. Will open more running lanes inside for Ross, Petersen, etc. and seam/crossing routes for the TE's.

- Was good to see DB call-out the frosh punter as a surprise in one of the post-Spring interviews. That is a concern.

Eddington is a playmaker. You win football games by putting your playmakers on the field. If putting him at TE accomplishes that, then what difference does it make whether he is 6-0 or 6-2? After years of not getting all our playmakers on the field in positions where they can be most useful, I'm actually quite pleased to see this.

After years of trying to force square pegs into round holes to conform to a preconceived system, if this is a sign that we are now tweaking the system to take advantage of particular talents, that is an exceedingly good sign.

Besides, I would agree with owl40 that he is a legitimate 6-2.

(03-18-2013 08:39 AM)owl40 Wrote:  My $.02...

-no way DJ plays anything but QB. McH has been injury prone in his career...and now w/ a couple concussions it is especially dangerous. Hope for best, plan for worst and that would be that he likely gets hurt at some point..especially the way he plays the game. Thus, need DJ getting some reps at QB with the first team each week. Key will be how staff can use him in special packages when McH is healthy. Would like to see some wrinkles in the offense for sprint-outs, bootlegs, etc. when he is in at QB to better leverage his strengths of using his feet w/ a pass option in the open field vs. asking him to stand in the pocket and throw. That was my criticism (esp in Houston game) where staff did not adjust to him and tried to fit him into the system which is/was a mistake.

-Eddington is legitimately 6' 2". He is a big kid. No issues w/ his size at TE. Agree w/ earlier post on making sure he can catch in traffic. When he runs/plays hard, he is a beast but has had tendency to tip-toe and dance too much vs. leveraging his size and be aggressive. I think he could be a difference maker. Let's give the staff some props here by using spring ball to get the best 11 guys on the field as we lose a bunch of TE's but still have plenty of RB's.

- Do need that one more WR to step-up next to Taylor. Would like to see someone emerge from camp as the solid #2 and can stretch field horizontally like Reagan used Sam for last year. Will open more running lanes inside for Ross, Petersen, etc. and seam/crossing routes for the TE's.

- Was good to see DB call-out the frosh punter as a surprise in one of the post-Spring interviews. That is a concern.

I think the #2 WR coming out of camp will be Hull. He is a playmaker and has shown that when he hasn't been hurt. I think he'll be a good second option alongside Taylor, and he is quick, has some mass to him and has good hands.

The lack of height on Eddington is the only thing that has me a bit worried. The great thing about all our TEs last year was when we were in a pickle we could go up high to them. I don't know how well he gets vertical. But as others have restated, I'm happier with him there than on the bench.

Edington could also be a guy to stretch the field. They will want to put a safety or LB on him, and he has the speed and size to make them work. If he takes the backer and draws help from the safety, then we have stretched the field. You don't need to runa 4.2 to stretch the field. In fact, that is often a drawback because they simply step back 2 yards, and then practice jumping all the short routes (see Tampa 2 adjustment to cover 2 with 3 verticals)

It's the guy you EXPECT to be in front of you, who can sneak behind you (the safety has to make a choice and the LB THINKS he has help)

How's Eddington's attitude about the move to TE? Has he said anything? Does he look like he's really "into it?" I hope he realizes that this may be his only way to get significant playing time. The running backs are set. I'd also have him returning kickoffs. I'd do everything I can to get him on the field and to get the ball into his hands.

He's excited. I've talked with him several times about how his speed will be tough for linebackers to handle.

I like it. We are getting our playmakers on the field. Eddington as an H-back that moves around and forces the defense to adjust could be a very big contributor for us.

(03-18-2013 03:55 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  How's Eddington's attitude about the move to TE? Has he said anything? Does he look like he's really "into it?" I hope he realizes that this may be his only way to get significant playing time. The running backs are set. I'd also have him returning kickoffs. I'd do everything I can to get him on the field and to get the ball into his hands.

Just based on watching him practice some he seems into it. Ran his routes well, he seemed focused, wasn't drawing the ire of the coaches.

Recall Eddington was a QB in HS, so he already made one position move in coming to Rice.

Could Eddington be another Thor?

(03-18-2013 03:59 PM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  He's excited. I've talked with him several times about how his speed will be tough for linebackers to handle.

You're absolutely right.

He can command a double team from a safety, or make them take a linebacker off the field. That is potentially HUGE for an offense.

(03-18-2013 05:26 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Could Eddington be another Thor?

One would certainly expect his potential to be in that range.

Before Mario was injured he had an impact when he saw playing time and got the ball. Unfortunately they were running Mario and Jordan at the same position so they were not on the field at the same time. It is different now so expect Mario and Jordan to have an impact from the outset.
Jeremy went through a tough spell where he seemed timid and lacked confidence then he had an epiphany and turned into a battering ram with speed.
And he is a real 6'2" with good speed. I am very excited to see him at tight end.

(03-18-2013 05:26 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Could Eddington be another Thor?

how are his hands?