I am pleased to report that the tradition of tight, crisp scrimmaging that
was established last spring seems to have carried over in to the fall.
This scrimmage was very well organized, in my opinion and even though some
injuries occurred which caused some shuffling with guys taking snaps in
situations where they weren't planned (IE: Maddy and Redman getting a lot of
snaps for Battle and Martin) the replacement players didn't miss a beat and
everyone seemed to know where they were supposed to be.
Before I dive in with the defensive line report, I did want to mention
something I noticed with the offensive play calling and the offensive line play
during this scrimmage. This scrimmage seemed to be much more pass heavy
than opening fall scrimmages have been in the past, and I think that has
everything to do with the coaching staff trying to get both lines more
comfortable protecting and rushing the passer. If that is the case, I have
to really applaud the staff's acknowledgement that pass protection and pass
rushing are critical areas of focus for this season. The young players on both
lines have got to work on their timing in scrimmages to be successful when the
season starts.