By Drew Champlin
I wrote about Troy’s cornerback situation as the lead story for spring practice. Coaches are giving Trevor Ford and Chris Bowens a hard look this spring because four new cornerbacks—three JUCOS—will be here this fall.
I talked to Bowens, head coach Larry Blakeney and defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell for this story. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Ford because he was in class before practice. I also talked to senior defensive tackle Steve McClendon for a feature for Sunday’s paper.
NCAA Tournament starts today. I’ve always wanted to go to and cover the first round somewhere, but didn’t cover Troy during their glory years in the Atlantic Sun. My alma mater went to the dance three of my four years, but I wasn’t the main basketball guy there.
I’ve got UCLA over Georgetown in the finals, with Tennessee and Texas also in the Final Four. I think Kansas and Memphis are the two best teams and would make the best final, but I can’t see them getting past the Elite 8. Just a hunch, I guess. I have a pretty conservative bracket, as picking plenty of upsets killed me in the past. I’ve got South Alabama winning in the first round but Western Kentucky losing. South Alabama always steps up (or down) to its level of competition in the bigger games and Western Kentucky hasn’t beaten a team better than it this year. My big upset has 13-seed Siena over Vandy.
Posted by Drew Champlin on 03/20 at 05:56 AM
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By Drew Champlin
Spoke with offensive coordinator Neal Brown Tuesday. Here’s the lowdown, from Brown, on the four quarterbacks.
TANNER JONES - “He’s a football kid. His dad was a coach. He’s a hard-nosed kid with great arm strength. He’s got a little moxie about him and people are following that. From a fundamental standpoint, he’s got to improve and he’s got to pay more attention to details.“
JAMIE HAMPTON - “He’s a natural runner and he’s got great touch on the ball. He’s a great kid and a student of the game. He’s got to be more multi-dimensional and be a dual-threat guy. He’s got to improve his knowledge of the offense and be more proficient as a thrower.“
JONATHAN CHANDLER - “He’s a good athlete and I haven’t seen much of him since he redshirted last year. We made that decison (before last spring) so he didn’t get much work. I’m looking forward to seeing how much better he’s gotten since (the 2006 season, when he played as a backup sparingly). He’s got to become a better passer.“
LEVI BROWN - “He’s got a big arm, probably the strongest of the bunch. He and Tanner are both pocket passers. Neither are bad runners, but they’re throwers first. Levi played a bunch at Richmond in what I think is the best I-AA conference in the country. He’s really a smart player and probably knows the offense as good or better than the other three. He’s got to prove he can move around in the pocket and show he can lead this offense.“
What do I think? - If Brown/Jones show they have great pocket awareness and can move a little, the job is either one of theirs. If Hampton/Chandler show much improved arm strength, the job is either one of theirs.
Posted by Drew Champlin on 03/19 at 07:23 PM
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By Drew Champlin
I’m supposed to go on the air with 890 ESPN Radio in Boston sometime between 5-6 p.m. CST to talk about Leodis McKelvin. I don’t know if it’s on the internet or not because the guy didn’t e-mail me back so I guess I’ll just assume a phone call between then.
But the interesting note I found out today was that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be in Troy April 3 to see McKelvin. New England has the seventh pick and is in need of a corner.
Posted by Drew Champlin on 03/19 at 03:41 PM
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By Drew Champlin
test
Posted by Drew Champlin on 03/19 at 02:57 PM
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By Drew Champlin
Got a new one. Right now the only scrimmage I’m showing is the spring game, next Sat the 29. EDIT - they will scrimmage Sat Apr 5 too.
Practice March 19-22
March 24 - Full pads
March 26 - Full pads
March 28 - Full pads
March 29 - TDAY
March 31 - Full pads
April 2 - Full pads
April 4 - Full Pads
April 5 - SCRIMMAGE
April 8 - Spring ball ends
Brandon Lang is out practicing at full speed. Austin Silvoy is doing the drills but I am not sure he’ll be at full contact when that starts. Just four quarterbacks - the same crew vying for the starting job. All-conference right tackle Dion Small isn’t practicing today and it looks like junior Nic Riley is seeing a good bit of reps there.
Right now I’m working on a piece on the cornerbacks for tomorrow.
Posted by Drew Champlin on 03/19 at 02:34 PM
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