Great practice breakdown by Bob Carskadon on B&B Show

[ShotgunDawg]

A post on 247 posted this, but it wasn't Paul or premium content.

Offense:

Damien Williams has had a fantastic camp and is one of the most improved players on the team. Dak has really taken him under his wing. (Awesome)

Fitz is ahead of Staley but Staley is looking a lot more comfortable as opposed to early in camp. (Fitz should travel this year and Staley redshirt)

Said Dak has always been a gamer. Not ultra sharp in practice but great in games. But, this fall he's been great in practice as well and a great leader.

Over the last week or two Ashton Shumpert has made a very strong push. He added "I say that to the point that he may have overtaken Nick Griffin and is pushing Josh Robinson for carries." (Very interesting)

Holloway has looked very good too. He said that in camp everyone knows everyone's tendencies. They know how to defend or attack you. But, he added, he has yet to see our defense figure out how to stop Brandon Holloway when he gets out in space. (But can he run when he doesn't have space?)

Top 3 WR's still RoJo, Jameon, & Bear. Next two WR's are clearly the Fred's, Ross & Brown, probably in that order. He said behind Lewis both Gabe Myles & Jamoral Graham has looked great. He thinks Graham looks like Lewis when he was a freshman except better. (No Surprise)

He says Bear Wilson is having an outstanding fall and even though he expects Lewis to be our leading WR that Bear will not be far behind. (No Surprise)

Shifiting to TE, Malcolm Johnson is the clear starter. When asked who was behind him he said Gus Walley has done really well and is running neck & neck with Brandon Hill behind Johnson. But, he added that once Darian Hutcherson figures out the offense, he could pass them all. He's got that ability. Added TE had the most to learn of anyone in the offense other than QB. (Hutch could be a huge weapon down the home stretch of the season)

Malone is a guarantee to start somewhere - RG or RT. Clausell & Day are guaranteed starters. The rest is still up in the air. Senior is likely going to be a starter. So, nothing we didn't know. It's shaping up to be LT Clausell, LG Beckwith, C Day, RG Malone, RT Senior with Clayborn splitting time with Beckwith. He expects Malone to start seeing some practice time at RT with Robinson's injury so that's something to watch. (No Surprise, as already discussed)

Defense:

Ryan Brown has the edge over AJ Jefferson but they are basically co-starters.

The 4th DT behind Chris Jones, PJ Jones, & Eulls is Nick James. He's ahead of Virges and the freshman. Part of that is because Nelson Adams is practicing so much at DE. But, added Adams is doing well. (This is outstanding news. If the coaches actually have the gumption to mention Nick James as the 4th DT, that can only be positive and means he will play.)

Richie Brown has had a great camp. He's first guy off the bench at LB. The starters are clearly Wells, McKinney, & B.Brown. Gerri Green looks great. (No Surprise)

Love & Calhoun are still your starters but Redmond is really even with them and may be the most talented. Cox & Hughes are your clear safety starters. (No Surprise)

Special Teams:

Return men are Holloway & Lewis. Justin Cox & Jamoral Graham are also practicing in the return game and he feels we'll see Graham return some.

Each PK has had their moments but Sobieski is by far the most consistent. (According to some, there is a different opinion here that Graves is in the lead)

No mention of punter, no brainer that's Bell. (Glad he isn't hurt, like I feared yesterday)

[Covercorner2]

I find it interesting and a surprise that he mentioned Hughes (especially) and Cox are CLEAR starters at safety over Market. Hughes must really be recovered

[FISHDAWG]

I find it interesting and a surprise that he mentioned Hughes (especially) and Cox are CLEAR starters at safety over Market. Hughes must really be recovered

yeah - that is kinda surprising considering that Market had the 2nd most tackles last yr behind B-Mack

[msstate7]

Sounds great. I really would like one that critiques us more though. All that was positive.

[preachermatt83]

everything I hear tells me that Smokey is going to be something to behold at the slot when Tubby is gone.

[chef dixon]

Fred Ross and Shumpert are going to be my boys this year. I think they are the most talented as their respective positions.

[War Machine Dawg]

I find it interesting and a surprise that he mentioned Hughes (especially) and Cox are CLEAR starters at safety over Market. Hughes must really be recovered

It would be great if Hughes really is 100% of what he was, but I'll believe it when I see it. I've done my homework on Achilles' injuries, and it's one of those things that is incredibly hard to ever come back from. But Cox could be one of those rare freaks of nature who heals better than most. Regardless, he and Market are both going to play a lot.

[Coach34]

Hughes is 22- and it's almost been a full 12 months. His body heals quickly and should be fine with the proper rehab

[BiscuitEater]

Top 3 WR's still RoJo, Jameon, & Bear. Next two WR's are clearly the Fred's, Ross & Brown, probably in that order. He said behind Lewis both Gabe Myles & Jamoral Graham has looked great. He thinks Graham looks like Lewis when he was a freshman except better.

Picked the 'Freds' as my Breakout Offensive newcomers on SPS

[thunderclap]

I know one thing, we're gonna mishandle a lot of punts.

[DanDority]

I find it interesting and a surprise that he mentioned Hughes (especially) and Cox are CLEAR starters at safety over Market. Hughes must really be recovered

I just hope he's not limping around like Whitley last year, "until the final play of the egg bowl" that is.

[codeDawg]

When was the last time a MSU had so few questions at almost every position? We are seriously looking at who is going to come off the bench across the board, and there is talent we can start with everywhere. OL needs some sorting out, but there is talent there. DE isn't ideal, but very serviceable. I've never seen QB and WR this deep.

Wool. Wool. Wool.

[ShotgunDawg]

I just hope he's not limping around like Whitley last year, "until the final play of the egg bowl" that is.

You mean when Whitley was playing on a torn ACL?

[starkvegasdawg]

Sounds great. I really would like one that critiques us more though. All that was positive.

We're going to suck like Monica on date night with Bill.***

[DanDority]

You mean when Whitley was playing on a torn ACL?

Good point! I forgot about the knee.

[DawgPoundtheRock]

Great post. for those of us who live out of state and 300+ miles away, news is hard to come by except what we get from the internet, but especially from ED. Thanks and keep the info flowing.

[BeastMan]

yeah - that is kinda surprising considering that Market had the 2nd most tackles last yr behind B-Mack

Market is hard to judge in practice. He's not physically imposing and side-by-side he doesn't look as good as the other guys in drills and what not. Then you watch him in games... Dude is just a gamer. He's a play-maker.

[smootness]

I'm not that surprised on Shumpert. I think our fans have been way too quick to dismiss him at RB. He may not have blazing speed, but he also didn't really get opportunities to show it last year. I think he's plenty fast enough.

Yes, he runs to contact too much, but I'd much rather have that than the opposite. Dixon wasn't great until he stopped trying to make people miss and just ran them over.

[Dawgcentral]

On Hughes, the first thing that comes to mind for me is that he's probably got some instinct that will overcome any athletic ability that was possibly lost. Of course I'm hoping along with everyone that he has the closing speed needed, but it's great to have a mental guy out there playing center field and elsewhere.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'm not that surprised on Shumpert. I think our fans have been way too quick to dismiss him at RB. He may not have blazing speed, but he also didn't really get opportunities to show it last year. I think he's plenty fast enough.

Yes, he runs to contact too much, but I'd much rather have that than the opposite. Dixon wasn't great until he stopped trying to make people miss and just ran them over.

There's a difference in being physical and intentionally seeking out contact. Dixon was the former, Shumpert is the latter. AD ran to space, but he'd truck you if you got in his way. Shumpert looks for guys to truck and doesn't seek out open space. Big difference. Don't know why this is such a hard concept to grasp.

And I still haven't seen him show the top end speed necessary to be an elite RB. He didn't even really run away from guys against Alcorn or Rice. He was just so much more physical that they struggled tackling him. Bottom line, Shump still has a lot to prove for me to believe he'll be an elite RB.

[Coach34]

Here's my take based on what he reported, what I've heard, and what I've seen from Spring practice and previous seasons:

Justin Malone is the most talented OL player we have and he is healthy. Day, Beckwith, and Clausell are solid vets. Clayborn is getting better and will be a good'un. Senior is finally growing up and Warren has accepted being a full-time offensive lineman. Desper's nuts finally dropped and Flowers is still coming along. I like our OL alot

I've loved our QB's for awhile. This is the best group we have had in the history of the school. And our starter is special- enjoy him, there arent many that come along like him.

JRob is a beast and Shump is finally growing as a RB. Griffin is just a guy you cheer for because of all he has been thru- but he has had 2 major knee injuries. While they have to prove themselves- I've never been worried about this position.

We've known all along we have some good talent at WR finally. TE's are solid

Nick James is coming along. Ryan Brown and AJ Jefferson will be good DE's

We are damn good at LB and in the Secondary

Hughes is a coach's kid and smart on top of that. He is going to recognize things quicker than everybody else. He probably watches more film than everybody else. His level of preparedness is most likely phenomenal. He is 12 months out now- so he should be about healed. No surprise he will start

[FISHDAWG]

There's a difference in being physical and intentionally seeking out contact. Dixon was the former, Shumpert is the latter. AD ran to space, but he'd truck you if you got in his way. Shumpert looks for guys to truck and doesn't seek out open space. Big difference. Don't know why this is such a hard concept to grasp.

And I still haven't seen him show the top end speed necessary to be an elite RB. He didn't even really run away from guys against Alcorn or Rice. He was just so much more physical that they struggled tackling him. Bottom line, Shump still has a lot to prove for me to believe he'll be an elite RB.

I don't remember Dixon as having blazing speed but it still worked for him ... I hope Shumpert gets his chance

[Todd4State]

I don't remember Dixon as having blazing speed but it still worked for him ... I hope Shumpert gets his chance

Michael Davis, Kevin Bouie, etc.

Shumpert is never going to be a burner, but when it's the fourth quarter, he'll wear some people down.

[ShotgunDawg]

I care more about moving the chains and controlling possession in big SEC games than I do about having a scat back that loses yardage or hits one big.

With Dak and running backs that fall forward, we have a great chance of controlling the clock in big ball games. Eventually they'll have to bite up and that's when we hit Bear, Malcolm, or one of the Freds over the top.

With Dak, Shump, and Griff, I hope we set the tone very early this season as a nasty physical offense. That's one thing we had in Relfs Jr. year, that we haven't had since. There is a reason a passer of Relf's ability was able to hit so many deep passes.

[PMDawg]

It would be great if Hughes really is 100% of what he was, but I'll believe it when I see it. I've done my homework on Achilles' injuries, and it's one of those things that is incredibly hard to ever come back from. But Cox could be one of those rare freaks of nature who heals better than most. Regardless, he and Market are both going to play a lot.

I did some homework after whitley tore his, and I saw the same thing. BUT - I did see several sources mention that the younger you are when it happens, the better chance you stand of recovering more completely. Basically its more devastating to nfl aged players than HS and college.

[smootness]

There's a difference in being physical and intentionally seeking out contact. Dixon was the former, Shumpert is the latter. AD ran to space, but he'd truck you if you got in his way. Shumpert looks for guys to truck and doesn't seek out open space. Big difference. Don't know why this is such a hard concept to grasp.

There's nothing difficult to grasp about it. My point is that Shumpert still has some things to improve on, and he needs to seek out contact less, but that I'd rather start with a guy who seeks contact instead of a guy who gets happy feet.

And yes, Dixon absolutely did seek contact his senior year at times. If there wasn't a hole readily available, he went as hard as he could into somebody anyway. Shumpert already has that instinct, he just needs to find the hole when it is there better. But again, Dixon wasn't that guy until his senior year. Before his senior year, he was an ok running back, nothing more. Very frustrating.

You're comparing a senior who had to learn and grow quite a bit to a true freshman. Shumpert will be fine.

[Todd4State]

I did some homework after whitley tore his, and I saw the same thing. BUT - I did see several sources mention that the younger you are when it happens, the better chance you stand of recovering more completely. Basically its more devastating to nfl aged players than HS and college.

The reality with injuries of all kinds and types whether it's a cold or brain surgery is we all heal differently and some of us heal more quickly than others. When you are a SEC football player and you are getting elite athletic training and rehab it makes a difference. Typically SEC athletes are in top shape. The exception being most of Ole Miss's o-line. But being in shape like they are helps them out in rehab as well. That's why before some elective surgeries doctors will tell patients to exercise before the surgery even if it's walking. Now, no- they don't expect you to be in SEC football player shape before your total knee replacement, but any little bit helps.

The thing about SEC athletes and pro athletes is they tend to be very competitive and a lot of times you actually have to worry about them overdoing something during rehab whereas a 36 year old office worker who is out of shape you may have to motivate them more to do their rehab.

[Todd4State]

I care more about moving the chains and controlling possession in big SEC games than I do about having a scat back that loses yardage or hits one big.

With Dak and running backs that fall forward, we have a great chance of controlling the clock in big ball games. Eventually they'll have to bite up and that's when we hit Bear, Malcolm, or one of the Freds over the top.

With Dak, Shump, and Griff, I hope we set the tone very early this season as a nasty physical offense. That's one thing we had in Relfs Jr. year, that we haven't had since. There is a reason a passer of Relf's ability was able to hit so many deep passes.

I feel like if you are a run first team, you need to have some running backs that can be physical. It just sets the tone that we are going to maul you.

[War Machine Dawg]

I don't remember Dixon as having blazing speed but it still worked for him ... I hope Shumpert gets his chance


Michael Davis, Kevin Bouie, etc.

Shumpert is never going to be a burner, but when it's the fourth quarter, he'll wear some people down.


I care more about moving the chains and controlling possession in big SEC games than I do about having a scat back that loses yardage or hits one big.

With Dak and running backs that fall forward, we have a great chance of controlling the clock in big ball games. Eventually they'll have to bite up and that's when we hit Bear, Malcolm, or one of the Freds over the top.

With Dak, Shump, and Griff, I hope we set the tone very early this season as a nasty physical offense. That's one thing we had in Relfs Jr. year, that we haven't had since. There is a reason a passer of Relf's ability was able to hit so many deep passes.


There's nothing difficult to grasp about it. My point is that Shumpert still has some things to improve on, and he needs to seek out contact less, but that I'd rather start with a guy who seeks contact instead of a guy who gets happy feet.

And yes, Dixon absolutely did seek contact his senior year at times. If there wasn't a hole readily available, he went as hard as he could into somebody anyway. Shumpert already has that instinct, he just needs to find the hole when it is there better. But again, Dixon wasn't that guy until his senior year. Before his senior year, he was an ok running back, nothing more. Very frustrating.

You're comparing a senior who had to learn and grow quite a bit to a true freshman. Shumpert will be fine.

Shotgun, I'm not advocating using a scatback and you know it. Way to use a red herring in the argument and put words in my mouth. Geebus. Comparison: J-Rob. He's damn physical, but he has breakaway speed to go with it. Griffin had that speed before his second ACL tear. AD was a little slower, but he didn't get caught from behind as much as you'd think he did, either. Same for Davis, Bouie, etc. When they got into the open field, they had an extra gear. I haven't seen that from Shump yet. Not saying he doesn't have it, just saying I haven't seen it because of how he runs.

Smoot, you're still confusing "physical" and "seeking contact." What you're describing AD doing is what ALL physical RBs do - create their own hole when one isn't there. The difference is when there IS a hole. AD got through it to the second level, then ran to space. If you got in his way while he was headed to space, he'd truck. Shump, on the other hand, gets through to the second level, then immediately looks for an LB to run over instead of running to space. I don't know how else to explain it. He stupidly seeks contact, as opposed to delivering contact if it's necessary. Hell, let's compare J-Rob, if you don't like the AD comparison (although you're the one that brought it up). J-Rob is like AD: He'll create his own hole if necessary, but if there's a hole, he gets through it and runs to daylight. Griffin did the same thing. JJ did it. There's just a difference in what those guys do versus what we've seen from Shump.

That said, hopefully some of that stupidity can be coached out of him. If he'd tone it down a little, he might well be a special RB. But all the extra punishment he takes by initiating so much extra contact is brutal in an already brutal position. It'll lead to more injuries, even if they're just the nagging kind, and a shorter career. Just for the sake of his health, I hope Shump learns how to be smart with his physicality. Otherwise, make him a FB if he wants to jack up LBs so badly.

[War Machine Dawg]

The reality with injuries of all kinds and types whether it's a cold or brain surgery is we all heal differently and some of us heal more quickly than others. When you are a SEC football player and you are getting elite athletic training and rehab it makes a difference. Typically SEC athletes are in top shape. The exception being most of Ole Miss's o-line. But being in shape like they are helps them out in rehab as well. That's why before some elective surgeries doctors will tell patients to exercise before the surgery even if it's walking. Now, no- they don't expect you to be in SEC football player shape before your total knee replacement, but any little bit helps.

The thing about SEC athletes and pro athletes is they tend to be very competitive and a lot of times you actually have to worry about them overdoing something during rehab whereas a 36 year old office worker who is out of shape you may have to motivate them more to do their rehab.

And that's why I said Hughes may be a freak of nature when it comes to healing. Look at Willis McGahee for reference. That dude was back after tearing his ACL the first time in like 4-6 months and better than he was before the injury. But what my doctor buddies tell me is that the problem with an Achilles' tear is getting proper blood flow to the extremity, which is probably why PM saw sources saying it's easier to come back from it when you're younger.

[PMDawg]

The reality with injuries of all kinds and types whether it's a cold or brain surgery is we all heal differently and some of us heal more quickly than others. When you are a SEC football player and you are getting elite athletic training and rehab it makes a difference. Typically SEC athletes are in top shape. The exception being most of Ole Miss's o-line. But being in shape like they are helps them out in rehab as well. That's why before some elective surgeries doctors will tell patients to exercise before the surgery even if it's walking. Now, no- they don't expect you to be in SEC football player shape before your total knee replacement, but any little bit helps.

The thing about SEC athletes and pro athletes is they tend to be very competitive and a lot of times you actually have to worry about them overdoing something during rehab whereas a 36 year old office worker who is out of shape you may have to motivate them more to do their rehab.

I only looked at the data on college and professional athletes. Achilles can be career ending for some athletes. Especially those in their late 20s, early 30s.

[CadaverDawg]

Shumpert is a Sophomore. Again, we have people jumping the gun way too early on somebody. Shumpert is learning....he could still end up like Boobie, or even better, who knows. And the whole "seeking out contact" thing has officially taken on a life of it's own. How many carries did Shumpert get last year? Far too few for him to be labeled as a guy who only seeks out contact, after 1 true freshman year.

And then you have guys like Goat saying he needs to be moved to Safety? Talk about a face palm. Maybe Shumpert, Jiles, and Jake Thomas should join Wes Rea on the "Grad Assistant while they still have eligibility" path.***

Shumpert will be fine, and We are absolutely loaded with He, JRob, Williams, Griffin, Holloway on sweeps, and then the group coming in next season. We will have multiple RB's on our 2015 team that will get significant NFL snaps one day. Dak and company will make sure they get recognized too.

[smootness]

Smoot, you're still confusing "physical" and "seeking contact." What you're describing AD doing is what ALL physical RBs do - create their own hole when one isn't there. The difference is when there IS a hole. AD got through it to the second level, then ran to space. If you got in his way while he was headed to space, he'd truck. Shump, on the other hand, gets through to the second level, then immediately looks for an LB to run over instead of running to space. I don't know how else to explain it. He stupidly seeks contact, as opposed to delivering contact if it's necessary. Hell, let's compare J-Rob, if you don't like the AD comparison (although you're the one that brought it up). J-Rob is like AD: He'll create his own hole if necessary, but if there's a hole, he gets through it and runs to daylight. Griffin did the same thing. JJ did it. There's just a difference in what those guys do versus what we've seen from Shump.

You're going way too far on this idea of him seeking contact. Does he do it too much? Yes, probably. Does he need to do a better job of hitting the hole when it opens up? Yes, probably.

These are things I've said. I said it in the post you just quoted. I'm not confusing anything, my point is that seeking contact can sometimes be a good thing and it took Dixon a while to learn that where Shumpert already has it. Dixon had other traits early on that Shumpert doesn't yet, but he has plenty of time to learn.

Check out this video of Shumpert's senior year and show me where he's getting to the second level and purposely taking a less efficient route to open space so that he can go hit a defender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8nE2TmgcoI

[ShotgunDawg]

Shotgun, I'm not advocating using a scatback and you know it. Way to use a red herring in the argument and put words in my mouth. Geebus. Comparison: J-Rob. He's damn physical, but he has breakaway speed to go with it. Griffin had that speed before his second ACL tear. AD was a little slower, but he didn't get caught from behind as much as you'd think he did, either. Same for Davis, Bouie, etc. When they got into the open field, they had an extra gear. I haven't seen that from Shump yet. Not saying he doesn't have it, just saying I haven't seen it because of how he runs.

Smoot, you're still confusing "physical" and "seeking contact." What you're describing AD doing is what ALL physical RBs do - create their own hole when one isn't there. The difference is when there IS a hole. AD got through it to the second level, then ran to space. If you got in his way while he was headed to space, he'd truck. Shump, on the other hand, gets through to the second level, then immediately looks for an LB to run over instead of running to space. I don't know how else to explain it. He stupidly seeks contact, as opposed to delivering contact if it's necessary. Hell, let's compare J-Rob, if you don't like the AD comparison (although you're the one that brought it up). J-Rob is like AD: He'll create his own hole if necessary, but if there's a hole, he gets through it and runs to daylight. Griffin did the same thing. JJ did it. There's just a difference in what those guys do versus what we've seen from Shump.

That said, hopefully some of that stupidity can be coached out of him. If he'd tone it down a little, he might well be a special RB. But all the extra punishment he takes by initiating so much extra contact is brutal in an already brutal position. It'll lead to more injuries, even if they're just the nagging kind, and a shorter career. Just for the sake of his health, I hope Shump learns how to be smart with his physicality. Otherwise, make him a FB if he wants to jack up LBs so badly.

http://media.giphy.com/media/6Q2KA5ly49368/giphy.gif