A warm good afternoon to you from today’s between-practice pit stop, a Panera Bread with blessedly free wireless Internet access in western Mobile, about 15 minutes’ drive from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. We’re currently working on a story, some video and a photo gallery to be completed following the South team’s practice this afternoon and the early evening media session to follow.
For now, though, here’s a few notes on the doings from the North team session, which finished a couple of hours ago:
Purdue’s Anthony Spencer is listed as a defensive end and as a linebacker. He worked with the down linemen today and got the better of most of his one-on-one duels. In particular, he lined up at right defensive end opposite Penn State tackle Levi Brown and simply sprinted by him to the outside, barely giving the Nittany Lion a chance to react.
Tempers momentarily flared when everal offensive and defensive linemen, including Louisville’s Amobi Okoye, got into a little bit of a donnybrook at the morning practice shortly after a whistle was blown. West Virginia offensive lineman Dan Mozes also got into an ever-so-slight exchange of shoves with Ohio State defensive lineman David Patterson during the one-on-one work.
Texas Tech guard Manuel Ramriez held his own against Okoye and other defensive linemen; the 6-foot-4, 329-pounder showed good balance in his one-on-one duels and didn’t let a single defensive lineman blow by him in that portion of the practice session.
In the course of shooting video of the practice, I kept finding reasons to notice Brian Leonard, the former Rutgers back who is probably most noted for moving to fullback as a senior so Ray Rice could handle tailback duties during the Scarlet Knights’ magical run to a top-15 finish. Leonard worked at tailback Tuesday, but also showed his persistence as a blocker, particularly in a one-on-one drill where he wrestled Michigan linebacker David Harris to the ground after the defender sprinted into him.
That’s it for now … more later today.
Tags: 2007 Draft, Senior Bowl
Manuel Ramirez sounds like the kind of franchise lineman we’re going to need if the Lombardi Trophy is ever going to come back home. I’m looking for an OL in the first round, DL in the second and fourth rounds. I would also like to see a “diamond in the rough” type of RB in the third or later rounds. Much like TD turned out to be or Mike Anderson. I sure wish we still had the same scouter that found TD. lol We also will need some solid draft picks in the secondary to strengthen our now gapping hole that D-Will left.
We need a Definsive tackle in the first round, a Offensive tackle in the second round, and in the third round we need a RB that can pass block. That was the one of the Broncos problem this year the offensive line is going to get beat every now and then, but when the RB’s can’t even chip block the QB has no time to throw. They mad Plummer the scape-goat but the Offense couldn’t pass block that good at all and even without Plummer it showed.
I think we need a new saftey like zbikowski for the Irish in like the second. then the first round a defensive tackle Dumervil is going to be really good when hes a little older but we have no pass rush. then the third round a RB like Garret Wolfe cause we need a more speed demon type guy and then build up mike bell and get rid of tatum. Then another corner or defensive linemen. And the a kicker and a corner hopefully