Practice Two (8/3)
Hey everyone. Practice was delayed significantly by a thunderstorm that rolled through the area. The shindig was to begin at 3:45. It actually began around 4:45. They went a little less that two hours in what could only be described as sauna-like conditions.It was wet. Just sayin'.
Of note, Auburn commitment Eltoro Freeman (formerly of Alex City and a 2007 signee) attended practice. He's redshirting this season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, but Freeman is planning to play at Auburn beginning next spring. He'll have three years of eligibility remaining. He's looking bigger than I expected. Big in a good way.
That's Raven Gray to the left. I think it's fair say he's having a tough go of it right now. Gray, who arrived from junior college last winter, missed spring drills while rehabilitating from knee surgery. He doesn't understand the practice protocols right now ... like how defenders must run off the field, buckle their chinstraps, stand up on the sideline.
He'll catch on. It's just a question of when.
Here is what You Need To Know:
- S DeRon Furr didn't attend practice today. Coach Tommy Tuberville said afterward that he didn't know where Furr was. That's an unusual answer. Not sure what to tell you there.
- I thought QB Chris Todd was better than QB Kodi Burns today. Todd made some really nice deep throws during 7-on-7 drills. He also floated a few too high. Burns' passes often were too low or well short of the target. Burns is remarkably consistent on swing passes and screens, but really struggled today on crossing routes.
- An 11-on-11 drill mid-way through practice was pretty heated. OL Ryan Pugh and LB Merrill Johnson got into a nice little fight. Nobody was injured. Defensive subs were yelling across the field at offensive subs over something. OL coach Hugh Nall let the defenders know they were in the wrong.
- WR Chris Slaughter made a great catch during a late 7-on-7 drill. He snagged a long pass from QB Barrett Trotter between CB Neiko Thorpe and S Mike McNeill. The catch required unwavering concentration amid a lot of activity. Slaughter dropped at least two easy balls earlier in practice, though.
- WR Tim Hawthorne also made a nice grab while being double-teamed by CB Jerraud Powers and McNeill. The throw was from Todd.
- S Zac Etheridge was the top defensive player. He was in on several pass break-ups and drew consistent praise from DC Paul Rhoads.
- Tuberville said he's planning to hold the first scrimmage Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
- Practice Three begins tomorrow at 3:45 p.m.
Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University
posted by Jay G. Tate at
5:04 PM
31 Comments:
Sensing some possible attitude issues with Furr. But i guess we'll see. Is getting in fights in shorts and helmets a normal occurence? If i could pick one person that i would want on my side during a fight i'm going with Ryan Pugh.
One more thing why does our co-starting quarterback and our kicker have the same number? That's busch league. I understand the if the fourth string center and a starting linebacker have the same number, but these are two prominent players.
Really? Having the same number is a big deal now?
Ryan Pugh is an enforcer. No doubt. Though, you know, Merrill Johnson may be one of those quiet guys who creates issues.
Furr body slammed Johnson last spring. I think Furr is in big trouble. The claim is that he missed practice to study for tomorrow's exam. Hello!?
That's an oxymoron!
Seriously, though. Practice is not optional, son. See ya next year. Christian Thompson is way ahead of you any way.
Tubs said Fannin and Ronnie Brown have the best hands he's seen since he was at Auburn. Said Fannin could catch a BB in the rain.
:)
Phred agrees with Ron, Jay G. and Billy.
Phred, you're a phorum phenom. I like your style.
Who's got the scoop on Furr? I know somebody does. This is really interesting to me considering Furr enrolled early and all and has had some much time to adjust to "the life".
I'm not sure the move to defense has gone over all that well.
Oh, and I think Ben Tate has better hands than Fannin. Not that Fannin's are poor ...
How could we measure that? The hands...
The world may never know.
The world may never know...
I watched Zac Etheridge play at CHHS in high school and he was a serious talent.
Glad to hear he is continuing to play well.
In addition to being a solid DB, he was a great RB from the CHHS shotgun offense. Kind of a Brad Lester type of runner.
P.S. Good stuff in The Advertiser lately. Thanks.
Thanks for your support, sir.
Phred thought that Furr was acting like an 18 year old. Then Phred thought, "Oh yeah, he IS an 18 year old." Still, Phred believed that he was history.
Sincerely,
Phred in the third person, past tense
But Phred, he pulled a stunt that's a minimal guarantee of 2 missed games. Is he trying to sabotage? Does he really think it's OK to miss practice to study? Didn't he have all afternoon Saturday, and Sunday evening. Just a weird story to me.
I think Jay's flexible answer that the move to D isn't favorable so far for Furr. He's in a bit of a hornet's nest.
this is off subject a little bit, but did anyone see aairon savage's girlfriend at fan day? wow! smokin' hot.
that's about all the pertinent information i have to share right now. enjoy. :)
I think Furr might be getting ready to find out what zero tolerance means.
Some jazzy rumors on the net and radio that Furr is going to check out and go join his favorite high school target at FSU along with his brother.
Thats what I hear too Billy.
Good to be back on here Jay.
Phred is all talk and no action. Hiphopanonymous doesnt buy his idle threats of no more posts.
And if Furr decides to leave, oh well. We were fine before him and we'll be fine without him. I hope he stays, but it's really a non-story at this point.
Phred is sending these posts by telekinesis. He is not actually on the internet.
Frankly, I'm surprised by all the hubbub about DeRon Furr. He's a quarterback who isn't going to play quarterback at Auburn. Period.
With that said, I received conflicting information late last night about Furr's situation. While I don't think studying was the real issue, he hadn't quit. Yet.
Actually, hip hop ... I felt the love from my fellow hotties and apologized for having a bad post day. It happens about every three or four months. So I should be good until around December.
You are right on, JGT, with the assessment that Furr is a QB who won't be a QB at Auburn.
who do you think has a better chance in the future: Trotter or this Raymond Cotton guy?
My mistake Phred. When you said "Phred still thinks he's history" I thought the "he" in that sentence referred to Phred. I didnt realize "he" was referring to Furr.
All the third person talk threw me off.
Sorry. Confirming former post. Phred thinks Deron is history.
Open question: If you have to find out that you have a potential problem, is there any better day than THE FIRST DAY?
A friend of mine, who played baseball at a high level, had an interesting comment about Mario Fannin's athletic prowess. We were talking about how difficult that catch Mario made in the bowl game was considering the velocity on the ball and the level of concentration required to keep your eyes on that one as there were several obstacles passing through Fannin's peripheral vision.
He said as an outfielder you're taught to always run on your toes to help prevent a bulk of the "bounciness" (for a lack of a better word) you see if you run flat footed or from heel to toe. If you watch Fannin, he's always on his toes...always.
There are plenty of great athletes who don't run that way. And there are guys that can simply burn rubber not running that way.
Point is, maybe there were more reasons than three to line Fannin up outside.
Fannin is a bad man when he doesn't fumble. We know this.
I haven't seen Raymond Cotton. Auburn is very high on the kid (obviously) and I think he's the favorite to play quarterback in 2011.
Trotter? He looks at least OK. I can't tell much just yet. The quarterbacks haven't been challenged.
I've seen Cotton a plenty. He's a specimen. Reminds me of JC but his release time is faster. He's got a cannon. He placed 2nd in the strongest arm contest at Elite 11. Just as well, he's got wheels. He's a legit 4.5 maybe 4.4 guy. He was by far the fastest QB at Elite 11.
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