A Full Batch Of Practice Notes

[MeanGreen61]

http://meangreen.beloblog.com/

[eulessismore]

Was anyone able to open the link?

[Green Crazy]

http://meangreen.beloblog.com/

I could.

It's good to hear that Rodge is ready to throw again and that a Heisman candidate is attending our practices.

Edited March 26, 2008 by Green Crazy

[MeanGreenEagle]

"You asked for them, and the Mean Green Blog has them, that's right it's time for some football notes. The Mean Green was back on the practice field for the first time since spring break."

Edited March 26, 2008 by MeanGreenEagle

[NT80]

Was anyone able to open the link?

Nice job by BV to not be outdone by the StarTele (and Troy Phillips is a fine NT beat writer)....

March 25, 2008

A full batch of football notes

You asked for them, and the Mean Green Blog has them, that's right it's time for some football notes. The Mean Green was back on the practice field for the first time since spring break.

Head coach Todd Dodge mentioned at the beginning of spring practice that he hoped to have tackle Matt Menard back on the practice field after spring break, and he was. Well, sort of. Menard was in shorts doing some running. Dodge said he wants to ease Menard back into full-contact drills over the next few practice sessions. He might not be back in full pads until the last couple of practices of spring drills. Dodge said Menard’s knee is progressing well after minor surgery. Menard’s return to form could be key for the Mean Green next season. UNT has some offensive linemen coming in that can help right away, but life will be a lot easier if Menard is ready to go in the fall. He could end up starting at left tackle again next season.

Dodge said one of his points of emphasis this spring has been putting his defensive backs into situations where they have to make plays in space and open-field tackles. UNT was not at all happy with the way its defensive backs performed last season and is looking for improvement from its holdovers who will be challenged by a host of highly regarded transfers.

UNT's scrimmage on Friday will last 100 plays with the first team offense running 10 plays against the first-team defense followed by five plays from the third team offense and defense. The Mean Green is really short on linemen and has essentially the same batch of players along its offensive front working with its first and second teams.

A couple of UNT’s projected starters on defense stood out in practice on Tuesday, including linebacker Tobe Nwigwe and defensive end Eddrick Gilmore. Nwigwe picked off a pass from quarterback Giovanni Vizza in team drills and also appears to be the Mean Green’s most physical linebacker. Gilmore knocked down a pass and appears to have the skills to get to the quarterback.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Sam Roberson had a good day and made a nice one-handed catch in team drills. Sam Dibrell and Marcus King also made impressive catches. Alex Lott caught a touchdown pass in one-on-one drills.

Tackle Matt Tomlinson missed practice.

There were also a few notable people in attendance. Riley Dodge was on hand and said he is scheduled to start throwing the football tomorrow. He has not tossed a ball since injuring his shoulder in a loss to Abilene High in the playoffs. Missouri quarterback and former Southlake Carroll standout Chase Daniel came by during his spring break to visit with Dodge. Former UNT assistant coach Rick Gailey, who is now at Liberty Christian, also stopped by.

Post your thoughts on the blog. What are you hoping to see on Friday when UNT scrimmages for the first time in spring workouts?

Posted by Brett Vito at 9:02 PM

Edited March 26, 2008 by NT80

[H-towngreen]

A couple of UNT’s projected starters on defense stood out in practice on Tuesday, including linebacker Tobe Nwigwe and defensive end Eddrick Gilmore. Nwigwe picked off a pass from quarterback Giovanni Vizza in team drills and also appears to be the Mean Green’s most physical linebacker. Gilmore knocked down a pass and appears to have the skills to get to the quarterback.

There were also a few notable people in attendance. Riley Dodge was on hand and said he is scheduled to start throwing the football tomorrow. He has not tossed a ball since injuring his shoulder in a loss to Abilene High in the playoffs. Missouri quarterback and former Southlake Carroll standout Chase Daniel came by during his spring break to visit with Dodge. Former UNT assistant coach Rick Gailey, who is now at Liberty Christian, also stopped by.

Posted by Brett Vito at 9:02 PM

We have heard alot coming from camp about Toby Nwigwe, which is great as we really needed him to step up and solidify the MLB position. Same as Gilmore, can't wait to see him along side Horton this fall.

It is also great to have someone like Daniel hanging around camp. For one it shows how his players feel about Dodge, and it just brings a little something extra having a Heisman canidate hanging around.

As for Rick Gailey, hopefully there are some decent recruits coming from Liberty Christian that he can pass along to NT.