TXK day 2 cntd OL and WR's

OL - 1st of all, I'll say this, new OL Coach Stoutland has been an absolute spark plug needed to the group and the offensive coaches. His philosophy is totally different on Spring practice and drills than Pendry's was and it's great to see the guys especially Vlachos and Fluker responding. Will has really become a vocal leader for the group and the offense and CJS came to him before Spring started and spent some time getting to know him and explaining what he expects out of him and expects to accomplish this year. CJS layer it out there for him as the whole plan for the OL this year an how with a new QB he expects him to help as a leader and Will has really responded spending extra time with both AJ and Sims really forming bonds. Will has also been helping out a whole lot with the other guys on the OL learning footwork etc and in the film room. As far as Will's work there has been a lot of emphasis on handwork and upper body strength in one on ones trying to become dominant at the point of attack, he is already a very good OC on the verge of being great with a little tweaking but the leadership is for sure there. Probably the guy CJS has been working on the most is DJ Fluker, he knows his footwork is the area of emphasis keeping him from becoming an All American dominant OT so there's been some SERIOUS work with him on feet and pass blocking form (CJS stresses the little things in form and technique) and his strength off snap and off step back getting his hands into the defenders chest and using that powerful upper body, I really like some of the individual drills he's used with DJ he's really improving a lot you can see it. On Steen he's worked really hard in the offseason. Chad Lindsay has as well both guys are getting better pass blocking. Chance Warmack has really grown leaps and bounds, CJS has stressed how he could be a dominant OG with the right mentality and he's really worked hard on run blocking downfield and footwork on running plays. Tyler Love's experimentation with the OC position is for 1 reason, to see how good of a leader Will can be to try to get his butt in shape and at least PUSH guys for a spot. Will actually asked CJS to move him over, that and he needs major work on footwork and explosion off the ball and in a lot of our run blocking schemes footwork is needed to be able to run plays. Where do I begin with Aaron Douglas LoL, he's a hoot 1st of all a big time goofy guy all the time, I know a lot of people looked at his weight when he 1st got here and thought he was too skinny, but after watching him go to work the last 2 practices he plays a lot larger than his weight and I guess it's not just his huge frame but also his meanness when he plays and his upper body strength is way impressive. He's an absolute mauler in every sense of the word and his quick feet and upper body strength has helped him tremendously as well his whole career with pass blocking, he just absolutely DOES NOT let a rusher get around him, he and Courtney have already had some epic battles in the 1on1 drills. I know it's early but he really has impressed me tremendously, even more so than 2 yr starter Carpenter did his 1st Spring and I think that's because he's so much better than you think b/c of his weight and all the little things are absolutely flawless like his footwork and hand movement and then factoring his absolutely nasty mentality it's a sight to behold.

WR - A lot of talent here as well despite losing Julio. As I told you guys the other day Maze has become a leader and already has gotten a lot of reps in all different sets, I asked him which QB he liked throwing to him better and he wouldn't budge on an answer LoL, hands have been a major emphasis with him but it's been a major focus with all the WR's with new Coach Groh. He wants every WR to be interchangeable and be able to spell each other but he also wantsmuch more sophisticated routes in the passing game on levels of depth like a deep level, medium, and 10 yd short level on a lot of plays and more reads and progressions for the QBs and more WR branch routes based on coverage like Pro WR read routes a little bit. It's a totally different emphasis and approach to the passing game and CAG feels like we have the personnel to do it at both QB and WR and the days of the same group of WR's on most plays 80% of the time are over. Julio was the main reason for that and now with him gone there will be a heavier rotation at the position, even our speed guys are a little bit possession and vice versa. The one WR that will be more of a large body is Bowman and even he's slimmed down really trying to get faster and I expect big things from him this year. Hanks has also taken a leadership role into the Spring becoming a vocal guy for the younger guys, he has looked good and crisp said he's ready already to go out and be a leader and be great again as a team. Kevin Norwood has also really developed nicely in the offseason and is another one of those more physical guys and will see more PT this year, he's made some impressive catches so far. DeAndrew will be another burner with Kenny Bell this year, both are fast track guys with great speed and great hands, Kenny is a monster now that he's healthy and he's been working with DW a little bit helping him with technique and form since DW's so raw and Kenny took his lumps but eventually got healthy and will contribute in a major way this year.

Hate to do this to y'all again LoL but I'll be back in a min to give you guys more on a few other positions on DEFENSE!! Roll Tide!