Spring Practice Report: Day 3
March 6, 2012
PHOTO OF THE DAY
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Canes took part in their third spring practice of the season, the first in pads and with kickers/punters. The weather held up much better than Sunday’s practice, and there was plenty of action on the Greentree Practice Fields.
The Weather Report: 74 degrees, partly cloudy with winds from the East at 21mph, gusting to 31mph.
Being the first practice in pads, there was plenty of contact to look forward to. The defensive backs and wide receivers started off the practice with some intense battles in their one-on-one blocking drills.
Today’s position drills included quarterbacks working with Coach Fisch on pocket presence, linebackers dropping back in pass coverage, 11-on-11 offensive line simulation drills, wide receivers working on their routes and catching passes from Stephen Morris and wide receiver vs. defensive back drills. Freshman Raphael Kirby earned praise from coaches several times in pass coverage drills and Phillip Dorsett and Andrew Swasey stood out in the one-on-one drills. Sophomore Dallas Crawford worked with the running backs and the receivers today, as the team is very thin at receiver this spring.
The 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills were loaded with action today and several players stood out by making big plays. Quarterback Ryan Williams looked sharp once again as he connected with wide receiver Rashawn Scott multiple times for big gains over the middle and an 80-yard touchdown bomb. Tight end Clive Walford also had a couple of nice catches in traffic from Williams. Williams also hit Dorsett on a couple of short passes that he turned into big gains. Dorsett caught a short pass from freshman quarterback Gray Crow and displayed his agility by taking it all the way to the house. Running backs Mike James and Eduardo Clements got a lot of burn today and they both carried the ball for big gains on multiple occasions. A highlight of the day was James stiff arming cornerback Thomas Finnie into the ground to cap off a 20-yard run. Tight end Asante Cleveland continued his impressive offseason by catching a few balls for good yardage and earning coaches’ praise in run blocking.
Defensively, freshman cornerback Ladarius Gunter, wearing a black shirt, impressed coaches with a beautiful interception on Ryan Williams. First-team linebacker Jimmy Gaines also made nice plays as he had a pass deflection and stuffed some running plays at the line of scrimmage. Senior cornerback Brandon McGee broke up a pass as well and first-team outside linebacker Tyrone Cornelius had a big hit on Clements.
Jersey Colors Explained
Offense: Orange, first team; White, second team
Defense: Black, first team; Green, second team
Yellow: Limited
Red: No Contact (Quarterbacks and medical)
Quotes of the Day
The coaches had a few gems while instructing their players today:
“Someday you’ll figure out how to play low, until then you’ll get your butt kicked” Coach Kehoe to his offensive linemen.
“Stand like an athlete and not Ichabod Crane!” Coach Franklin to the defensive linemen.
“Let’s go McGee, don’t hurt my heart” Coach D’Onofrio to senior defensive back Brandon McGee.
“I need jump ropes for this group every day. Five minutes every single day. They are the slowest group I have ever seen… other than the right tackles.” Coach Fisch about his quarterbacks.
“Don’t just do drills. Think about what you’re getting ready for.” Coach Golden to the defensive backs.
“Put your hands on me and drive me down. This is football!” Coach McDonald to the receivers.
“That’s the longest wrist tape-up of all time. Let’s go!” Coach Carroll
Here Come the Kickers: The kickers and punters came out strong in their first practice with the offense and defense. Jake Wieclaw led the specialist in their drills before showing off his big leg by making some tough field goals through some strong wind. Punters Dalton Botts and Cameron Dean traded big punt after big punt during coverage drills, consistently pushing the returners back. Wieclaw also ended practice with a long kick.
Cane Spotting: Former Miami Hurricane and Saints star tight end Jimmy Graham was in attendance during the morning practice. Other former players in attendance were Spencer Adkins, Tommy Streeter, Lee Chambers, JoJo Nicolas, Randy Phillips and Joel Figueroa. Not a Cane, but Coral Gables resident Desmond Howard took in today’s practice.
