First off, the general spring disclaimer: believe half of what you see, and a quarter of what you hear/read. Spring football is rarely a good indication of what will happen when there are actual games to prepare for and play. You've all heard this before, and will hear it again. Every spring there are issues that will never be resolved and heroes emerge that will carry the team to bowl prosperity on one shoulder. Immediacy in "reporting" has done nothing but add more fervent ferocity to the opinions that emerge from the tri-weekly education and experimentation process up on the Hill. So, I will give some opinions with the plea to temper the optimism and pessimism that will surely follow. Don't try to read between the lines, don't look for the angle.
First off, the position everyone wants to know about: Tom Hackett is still a very good punter. He's still fantastic at the rugby punt, and I think has improved as a standard punter, getting good distance and hang time when asked to just kick away. I have yet to find out if he can roll left and kick with his left foot, but I have been told he can. And I hear from reliable sources (the same guy who coached Hackett back in Australia) that Mitch Wishnowski can be just as good if not better than Hackett. So Utah looks to be in good shape in the field position battle for several years.
Now, in all honesty, here's what I've seen while I've been using my spring break time to sneak in on practices.
First off, the lines look good. The defensive line could be really, really good. Generating a consistent pass rush from the edge might be an issue. Pita Taumoepenu can be a really good pass rusher. Fanaika is a solid two-down end, but I'm not sold on him as an edge pass rusher. I haven't seen Fitts at all. I'm not sure about Dimick. I don't know if he can be "the guy" and might need to be paired with a great bookend to be effective. Dimick benefited a great deal from having Nate Orchard on the other side. Out of Dimick's 10 sacks, he had two half-sacks with Orchard, and Orchard was on the field for eight of Dimick's 10 sacks. I can probably credit five of those eight to Orchard creating pressure and moving to quarterback into Dimick. Can Dimick create that pressure on his own? I don't know. Can Taumoepenu be the other guy? As a pass rusher, maybe, but I can't see him as an every down player yet. I'd like to see more pressure from the tackles. The run defense has been terrific.
The offensive line is in better shape than it was a year ago at this time. I think the best five right now is Dielman, Asiata, Lutui, Aiono, and Tevi. Barton is the sixth. After that, I think the line is a little thin, though the incoming class could provide better depth. I like what Lo Falemaka has shown, and Nick Nowakowski is a solid interior player. But when the first five I've mentioned are out there, the running game gets a little better and the QBs have more time in the pocket.
Linebackers are playing well, and feeding off the line in the run game. Jared Norris is all over the field and at times plays like he knows what the offense is doing before they do. He is seeing the field in a way no defender has at Utah in a long time. Jason Whittingham is strong against the run as always and is doing better dropping into coverage. Sunia Tauteoli has made plays and is a player I want to see more of. Uaea Masina has looked good as well. I haven't seen enough of Jake Jackson to comment.
Wow, has Jason Thompson made the switch to safety. My first practice I wondered why he was out there with the first team, but I don't any more. Yeah, he makes some mistakes and allows some completions, but rarely because he is out of position, it is because he lacks experience. He has made some terrific plays on the ball and shows great anticipation for plays. Can he be more than a spring star? Marcus Williams is also playing well. The entire secondary is on fire right now. Dominique Hatfield could be an NFL caliber corner. Reggie Porter is very solid. Justin Thomas has been terrific in the slot. Booby Hobbs is playing well. I like what I've seen from Casey Hughes and Tavaris Williams. If Ahmad Christian can come back and play like he did at SC, Utah will be in a very good spot in the secondary.
As for the offensive skill spots, losing McCormick was a blow. Bubba Poole's best value to the team is as a hybrid player in the slot. Monte Seabrook is explosive and shifty, but has ball security problems - and had some moments at receiver before McCormick's injury. WR might be his best position. Tani Leha'uli is reliable with the ball, but lacks big play potential - solid three yard per carry back who can't take it to the house. Utah needs Joseph Williams or Marcel Brown to come in and show they can take the load off Booker. Booker, by the way, looks great whenever the coaches allow him to get on the field and touch the ball.
I for one am actually optimistic about the receiver spot. It is always difficult to judge receivers and quarterbacks in the spring because there are far too many cooks in the kitchen. Catching passes thrown by five different arms with different styles is difficult. When two of them are lefties, that makes it more difficult. Kenneth Scott finally looks quick and healthy. He is the most reliable target on the team. I like what Delshawn McClellon and Kenric Young have shown. Still a little inconsistent, but they appear ready to take on more responsibility. Raelon Singleton has had some good moments. Tyrone Smith is all potential at this point, but he has a very high ceiling. With a healthy Tim Patrick Utah could have a solid group of receivers. Sure, nothing like USC or Oregon, but a solid Pac-12 group. And who knows what will happen once the incoming class arrives in the fall. Utah could end up with eight good receivers this fall.
As tough as it is to catch passes from five quarterbacks, throwing passes to thirty different targets with different size, speed, strides, etc., might be the more difficult challenge. The best thing I can say about the quarterbacks right now is that they appear much more comfortable than at any point in 2014. Wilson is Wilson, and you have to take the good with the bad. He is a bit more aggressive and has improved in some areas, but he still needs to learn how to work the pocket. Hansen right now is all athlete. He makes some great plays, but has been inconsistent with his accuracy and placement. How much of that is mission rust, I can't say, though I recall him being much more accurate before he left. Thompson has seen no live work, so I can't judge his progress other than to say he looks in shape. I still like Connor Manning and think he is the best passer, but I don't know how well he fits the offense. Isom is raw. I didn't get to see much of Cox before he got hurt. So nothing no one doesn't know, and nothing no one else hasn't already complained about.
I do believe the passing game will improve over the next two weeks. Unfortunately, school starts up for me and I'll only be able to attend the Saturday scrimmages from here on out.
Ask questions, discuss, berate, etc. E-mail. And I'll have some picture galleries today as well.
This post was edited on 4/12 5:21 PM by J. Durrant
First off, the position everyone wants to know about: Tom Hackett is still a very good punter. He's still fantastic at the rugby punt, and I think has improved as a standard punter, getting good distance and hang time when asked to just kick away. I have yet to find out if he can roll left and kick with his left foot, but I have been told he can. And I hear from reliable sources (the same guy who coached Hackett back in Australia) that Mitch Wishnowski can be just as good if not better than Hackett. So Utah looks to be in good shape in the field position battle for several years.
Now, in all honesty, here's what I've seen while I've been using my spring break time to sneak in on practices.
First off, the lines look good. The defensive line could be really, really good. Generating a consistent pass rush from the edge might be an issue. Pita Taumoepenu can be a really good pass rusher. Fanaika is a solid two-down end, but I'm not sold on him as an edge pass rusher. I haven't seen Fitts at all. I'm not sure about Dimick. I don't know if he can be "the guy" and might need to be paired with a great bookend to be effective. Dimick benefited a great deal from having Nate Orchard on the other side. Out of Dimick's 10 sacks, he had two half-sacks with Orchard, and Orchard was on the field for eight of Dimick's 10 sacks. I can probably credit five of those eight to Orchard creating pressure and moving to quarterback into Dimick. Can Dimick create that pressure on his own? I don't know. Can Taumoepenu be the other guy? As a pass rusher, maybe, but I can't see him as an every down player yet. I'd like to see more pressure from the tackles. The run defense has been terrific.
The offensive line is in better shape than it was a year ago at this time. I think the best five right now is Dielman, Asiata, Lutui, Aiono, and Tevi. Barton is the sixth. After that, I think the line is a little thin, though the incoming class could provide better depth. I like what Lo Falemaka has shown, and Nick Nowakowski is a solid interior player. But when the first five I've mentioned are out there, the running game gets a little better and the QBs have more time in the pocket.
Linebackers are playing well, and feeding off the line in the run game. Jared Norris is all over the field and at times plays like he knows what the offense is doing before they do. He is seeing the field in a way no defender has at Utah in a long time. Jason Whittingham is strong against the run as always and is doing better dropping into coverage. Sunia Tauteoli has made plays and is a player I want to see more of. Uaea Masina has looked good as well. I haven't seen enough of Jake Jackson to comment.
Wow, has Jason Thompson made the switch to safety. My first practice I wondered why he was out there with the first team, but I don't any more. Yeah, he makes some mistakes and allows some completions, but rarely because he is out of position, it is because he lacks experience. He has made some terrific plays on the ball and shows great anticipation for plays. Can he be more than a spring star? Marcus Williams is also playing well. The entire secondary is on fire right now. Dominique Hatfield could be an NFL caliber corner. Reggie Porter is very solid. Justin Thomas has been terrific in the slot. Booby Hobbs is playing well. I like what I've seen from Casey Hughes and Tavaris Williams. If Ahmad Christian can come back and play like he did at SC, Utah will be in a very good spot in the secondary.
As for the offensive skill spots, losing McCormick was a blow. Bubba Poole's best value to the team is as a hybrid player in the slot. Monte Seabrook is explosive and shifty, but has ball security problems - and had some moments at receiver before McCormick's injury. WR might be his best position. Tani Leha'uli is reliable with the ball, but lacks big play potential - solid three yard per carry back who can't take it to the house. Utah needs Joseph Williams or Marcel Brown to come in and show they can take the load off Booker. Booker, by the way, looks great whenever the coaches allow him to get on the field and touch the ball.
I for one am actually optimistic about the receiver spot. It is always difficult to judge receivers and quarterbacks in the spring because there are far too many cooks in the kitchen. Catching passes thrown by five different arms with different styles is difficult. When two of them are lefties, that makes it more difficult. Kenneth Scott finally looks quick and healthy. He is the most reliable target on the team. I like what Delshawn McClellon and Kenric Young have shown. Still a little inconsistent, but they appear ready to take on more responsibility. Raelon Singleton has had some good moments. Tyrone Smith is all potential at this point, but he has a very high ceiling. With a healthy Tim Patrick Utah could have a solid group of receivers. Sure, nothing like USC or Oregon, but a solid Pac-12 group. And who knows what will happen once the incoming class arrives in the fall. Utah could end up with eight good receivers this fall.
As tough as it is to catch passes from five quarterbacks, throwing passes to thirty different targets with different size, speed, strides, etc., might be the more difficult challenge. The best thing I can say about the quarterbacks right now is that they appear much more comfortable than at any point in 2014. Wilson is Wilson, and you have to take the good with the bad. He is a bit more aggressive and has improved in some areas, but he still needs to learn how to work the pocket. Hansen right now is all athlete. He makes some great plays, but has been inconsistent with his accuracy and placement. How much of that is mission rust, I can't say, though I recall him being much more accurate before he left. Thompson has seen no live work, so I can't judge his progress other than to say he looks in shape. I still like Connor Manning and think he is the best passer, but I don't know how well he fits the offense. Isom is raw. I didn't get to see much of Cox before he got hurt. So nothing no one doesn't know, and nothing no one else hasn't already complained about.
I do believe the passing game will improve over the next two weeks. Unfortunately, school starts up for me and I'll only be able to attend the Saturday scrimmages from here on out.
Ask questions, discuss, berate, etc. E-mail. And I'll have some picture galleries today as well.
This post was edited on 4/12 5:21 PM by J. Durrant
