Spring Camp Position Changes??

[beauso79]

http://www.cougarboard.com/board/messag ... d=13924603" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"......Jaterrius Gulley from DT to RG and due to lack of depth he is sitting at #2 on the depth chart behind Tuni Kanuch.

Also Colby Jorgensen from TE to OLB. I don't know if that's a great position for him but he was a national SPARQ top 10 finisher in high school..........

Former DE's Steven Richards and Tanner Balderee to TE (and listed #1 and #3 on the depth chart)......"

It appears there have been a couple changes.

Not sure I like the idea of Colby Jorgensen being moved from TE to OLB

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Fido]

Here is more on the move of Balderree and Richards to TE:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/prin ... ition.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PROVO — Around the BYU football team, bandana-wearing tight ends Tanner Balderree and Steven Richards are known as the “Bash Brothers.”

Just like their namesakes in “The Mighty Ducks” movies, they are fun-loving guys who enjoy being enforcers.

“They gave us that ‘Bash Brothers’ nickname because we like to hit hard,” said Richards. “We have a few plays where we get to light some people up.”

“We took on ‘The Mighty Ducks’ persona,” Balderree said. “We’ve got the bandanas now and all. It’s a lot of fun.”

The Cougars are hoping Balderee and Richards, who have switched from the defensive side of the ball to the tight end position, will provide the offense with a physical presence — as well as becoming occasional receiving threats.

“They’re adding a nice dimension to our offense, being able to block and catch the ball on play-action,” said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.

The way the Bash Brothers see it, they are going to be the “secret weapon” on offense this season.

“There are two types of tight ends that we have,” Richards said. “One is a stand-up, pass-catching tight end and one is a hand-in-the-ground blocking tight end. What they are doing with us is, they’re seeing how well we can block and then allowing us to going out for passes. It’s nice for us because everyone thinks we’re going to be blocking but then we run a route and we’re open. For this offense, it’s kind of like a secret weapon. It’s the only way to explain it. We’re blocking, blocking and blocking, then we go out for a pass and we’re open.”

At the start of the year, coaches approached Richards, a 6-3, 230-pound redshirt freshman from Sandy, and Balderree, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound sophomore from Sherwood, Ore., and asked them if they wanted to move to tight end.

They jumped at the chance.

“We were switched to tight end at the same time and we started training together,” Balderree said. “I like to do extra work. Stephen wants to work just as hard afterwards at our position. During winter workouts, we spent extra hours catching. We got to know each other well.”

“I got off my mission in the summer and Tanner has always been super strong. He’s good with his technique,” Richards said. “His strength is phenomenal so I wanted to train with him so I could get back in shape quicker. Ever since then, we’ve really clicked. We help each other out a lot. We bonded.”

On the first day of spring ball, the equipment personnel grabbed two No. 89 jerseys for Balderree and Richards to wear. Up until the spring game, they both sported No. 89, creating some good-natured confusion.

“We were purposely dressed the same way — the same towels, the same cleats, so we could mess with coach on film and they couldn’t tell who was who,” Balderree said. “It was fun.”

This season, Richards will wear No. 89, and Balderree will wear No. 98.

Balderree and Richards took to their new position like ducks to water, simply because they are familiar with playing tight end. It’s the spot both played in high school.

“On the first day of practice, we didn’t have any doubt or confusion about the plays. It seemed simple so we were able to go hard and go fast from Day One,” Richards said. “All I played (at Alta High School) was tight end. When they recruited me they were going to move me to the defensive line, but I lost a lot of weight on my mission. I played outside linebacker then they moved me back to tight end. It’s super-comfortable for me. I’m loving it.”

“I played tight end in high school in Oregon. We ran the Wing-T (offense), so all I did was block,” Balderree said. “That’s what I’m good at right now. Stephen’s teaching me how to be a good receiver because in my whole high school career I caught like three passes. We didn’t pass that much. But I know how to block. During winter workouts, we would go outside and spend 45 minutes to an hour catching passes. That helped me be more confident.”

Balderee and Richards credit fellow tight end Bryan Sampson and graduate assistant coach Matt Edwards for helping get them up to speed on the position.

“We have the goal to hit as hard as we could and make people see we could play,” Balderree said. “Coaches tell us that first and foremost, we need to be good blockers before we can be receivers. We have plenty of people who can catch passes. Then we can catch an occasional pass and get yards when we need to.”

At BYU, tight end has been a glamour position that has sent players like Dennis Pitta, Itula Mili and Chad Lewis to the NFL.

Wide receivers coach Guy Holliday said dual-threat tight ends like Pitta, Mili and Lewis are difficult to find.

“High school offenses are going to the spread, college offenses are going to the spread. There is a place in this offense. It has grown and really changed the dynamics of it. Whenever you can get a guy that can do both, that’s a special player. You look at a hybrid guy, a big receiver and you try to put them down. Sometimes he’s not tough enough to put his hand in the ground. Sometimes the guy that has a hand in the ground doesn’t have the speed or skill set. I don’t think people appreciate who that guy is. It takes a special cat to be able to do both. We probably need to use two to get one.”

The Cougars are counting on Richards and Balderree — the Bash Brothers — to provide the offense with that kind of impact.

[snoscythe]

Wait. What?

Did they seriously just say Bash Brothers was only in reference to the freaking Mighty Ducks movies?

I must be older than I think.

[Fido]

McGwire/Canseco were late 80s/early 90s. So a player would have to be 23 in order to have been born when those guys last played together. And given the steroid scandal, they really became persona non grata. So the younger guys probably remember the Mighty Ducks more than this duo.

[SpiffCoug]

I guess I'm the right age that I don't get the Mighty Ducks reference. That movie was too kiddie for me to watch (I've never seen it). So when they said Bash Brothers and Mighty Ducks, my first thought, why would Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire have made a cameo in a movie about ice hockey?

[Fido]

Here are a couple more notes from LoyalCougars regarding the roster at the end of the spring camp:
- Matt Sumsion (TE - RM Freshman) has retired from football due to a knee injury
- Charles West (RB) is expected to greyshirt for 2015 and then join the team in 2016 as a true freshman assuming he is able to resolve the legal issues he is facing.
- There is buzz that Khari Vanderbilt (CB) has made lots of progress and might be joining the team in the fall.
- A record 70% of the roster is returned missionaries (103 players--and this does not include the 32 that are currently on missions or the 4 who plan to leave after 2015).
- 84% of the roster (123 players) are LDS.
- Race makeup of the roster - 52% Caucasian, 27% Polynesian, 19% African-American.
- Classs makeup of the roster - 14% Seniors, 20% Juniors, 24% Sophomores, 41% Freshmen.
- Roughly 25 walk-on players need to be cut by the August 31 deadline to get the roster down to size.