Photo by: Caleb Saunders
WVU’s Brown Eyes Lots of Situational Work This Spring
March 24, 2021 04:09 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Performing better in situational football is one of Neal Brown's top objectives as his team kicked off spring football practice earlier today.
Third and medium was an area Brown had marked down for improvement. Responding to adversity was another.
"In the last two years I didn't think we responded to adversity in an elite manner, and we need to do that to improve where we are in the league right now," he said via Zoom this morning.
Brown indicated his staff will continue to create adverse situations this spring to see how its players respond.
"We have not executed as well as we need to in critical situations when we've been fatigued and we've not held our emotions in check in critical situations the way we need to," Brown explained. "The only way to practice that is to continually put people in those and that's our plan for the spring."
A recent NCAA rule change was also a big part of today's situational work and will continue to take up portions of future practices – the new overtime two-point conversion rule.
Beginning this fall, the two-point conversion will be adopted in the second overtime period and if both teams are successful, the third overtime will begin with a two-point conversion. Teams will continue to alternate two-point plays until one is stopped.
This is a pretty significant rule change.
"With the new overtime rules, I think that's something that's going to be important," Brown noted. "Any time you are going to have a two-point situation, it's going to be critical."
Brown mentioned Wednesday that his staff will be working some guys at different positions throughout the spring to improve his team's versatility. He indicated previously that he wants to get his best 11 defensive football players on the field and to do so may require some guys in the same position groups playing other positions.
He mentioned linebacker being one area that is extremely thin right now, although help is on the way this summer when Penn State transfer Lance Dixon arrives.
"We've got several defensive backs that have played a lot of football, and I think we've got to be creative how to get all of those guys on the field, whether that's taking a down lineman off the field or a linebacker out," he said. "Because we're thin at linebacker, that gives us an opportunity to mess with some traditional four-down. It also gives us an opportunity to play six defensive backs.
"Who are our best 11 and what is the best combination to get them out there? Plus, it gives us an opportunity to have a couple more personnel packages."
Brown said there are no depth charts during spring work.
"We're in a teaching environment, and we're trying to get as many people reps as possible," he said. "Those who perform better will get the first opportunity during fall camp."
Wednesday Morning Practice Notes …
* Senior defensive end Jeffery Pooler Jr. and Virginia offensive lineman transfer Ja'Quay Hubbard will be limited this spring. Pooler is a sixth-year senior who has played a lot of snaps, so that's not a major concern.
Brown is hopeful Hubbard will be able to do more later this spring.
* The coach revealed a couple of position switches during his 25-minute session with media this morning: redshirt freshman bandit linebacker Taurus Simmons has moved down to defensive end and freshman cornerback Jairo Faverus has switched to will linebacker.
Brown said Faverus' body has already grown into that position.
* Some of the veteran defensive guys doing double training this spring include Josh Chandler-Semedo, who will play will and mike linebacker, most of the safeties and spears learning to play all of the spots in the secondary and defensive linemen Akheem Mesidor and Dante Stills getting some reps at nose along with Jordan Jefferson.
Brown said Bluefield's Sean Martin could also get some work at nose where last year Darius Stills earned consensus All-America honors.
* Among the young players who caught Brown's eye during the first day of practice include Finland native Edward Vesterinen, a defensive lineman, wide receiver Kaden Prather, quarterback Will Crowder and young defenders Andrew Wilson-Lamp and Davis Mallinger.
In follow-up questioning, everybody steered clear of attempting to pronounce Vesterinen's last name, simply addressing him as "Edward."
The coach had some good things to say about Edward: "He has been a surprise to me. He moves really well. He's strong and his understanding of the game is better. The guys really, really like him."
Prather, a four-star prospect from Northwest High in Montgomery Village, Maryland, caught a couple of touchdown passes during this morning's work.
"I think Kaden Prather is definitely talented," Brown said. "He's hungry, and I will be eager to see how he's going to progress throughout the spring."
Wilson-Lamp, a freshman defensive back from Massillon, Ohio, and Mallinger, a freshman from Melbourne, Florida, who is listed as an athlete on the team roster, are a little light right now but not light on talent.
"This is a great learning experience for them, no doubt, but from a talent perspective, they're going to be able to do it," Brown said. "It's a matter of can they get strong enough? Can their body get in a place where they can go in and compete against the best players in the country?"
As for Crowder, working at quarterback this morning with holdovers Jarret Doege and Garrett Greene, Brown said he thought the newcomer handled himself well.
* Brown said he wants his guys to have a better understanding of how to compete this spring. He not only wants them to compete for playing time, but to also push everyone in their position room to get better.
It's the old a rising tide lifts all boats.
"We will do a lot of offense versus defense during the spring; that's the way it's laid out, but we're still one team," he explained. "We've got to do that in a manner where we get work done without injuries and things like that."
* Virginia Tech transfer Doug Nester certainly passes the eyeball test. Brown is hopeful he passes the performance test, too.
"Our hope is he's going to be a significant player for us, and I haven't seen anything that makes me think differently," Brown said. "I've been really, really pleased with his work ethic since he's been here."
* Among veteran players, Brown listed wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton among this morning's standouts.
* The coach said the defense operated out of its base look with three down lineman and the bandit standing up today.
The Mountaineers will resume spring practice work on Saturday morning.
Third and medium was an area Brown had marked down for improvement. Responding to adversity was another.
"In the last two years I didn't think we responded to adversity in an elite manner, and we need to do that to improve where we are in the league right now," he said via Zoom this morning.
Brown indicated his staff will continue to create adverse situations this spring to see how its players respond.
"We have not executed as well as we need to in critical situations when we've been fatigued and we've not held our emotions in check in critical situations the way we need to," Brown explained. "The only way to practice that is to continually put people in those and that's our plan for the spring."A recent NCAA rule change was also a big part of today's situational work and will continue to take up portions of future practices – the new overtime two-point conversion rule.
Beginning this fall, the two-point conversion will be adopted in the second overtime period and if both teams are successful, the third overtime will begin with a two-point conversion. Teams will continue to alternate two-point plays until one is stopped.
This is a pretty significant rule change.
"With the new overtime rules, I think that's something that's going to be important," Brown noted. "Any time you are going to have a two-point situation, it's going to be critical."
Brown mentioned Wednesday that his staff will be working some guys at different positions throughout the spring to improve his team's versatility. He indicated previously that he wants to get his best 11 defensive football players on the field and to do so may require some guys in the same position groups playing other positions.
He mentioned linebacker being one area that is extremely thin right now, although help is on the way this summer when Penn State transfer Lance Dixon arrives.
"We've got several defensive backs that have played a lot of football, and I think we've got to be creative how to get all of those guys on the field, whether that's taking a down lineman off the field or a linebacker out," he said. "Because we're thin at linebacker, that gives us an opportunity to mess with some traditional four-down. It also gives us an opportunity to play six defensive backs.
"Who are our best 11 and what is the best combination to get them out there? Plus, it gives us an opportunity to have a couple more personnel packages."
Brown said there are no depth charts during spring work.
"We're in a teaching environment, and we're trying to get as many people reps as possible," he said. "Those who perform better will get the first opportunity during fall camp."
Wednesday Morning Practice Notes …
* Senior defensive end Jeffery Pooler Jr. and Virginia offensive lineman transfer Ja'Quay Hubbard will be limited this spring. Pooler is a sixth-year senior who has played a lot of snaps, so that's not a major concern. Brown is hopeful Hubbard will be able to do more later this spring.
* The coach revealed a couple of position switches during his 25-minute session with media this morning: redshirt freshman bandit linebacker Taurus Simmons has moved down to defensive end and freshman cornerback Jairo Faverus has switched to will linebacker.
Brown said Faverus' body has already grown into that position.
* Some of the veteran defensive guys doing double training this spring include Josh Chandler-Semedo, who will play will and mike linebacker, most of the safeties and spears learning to play all of the spots in the secondary and defensive linemen Akheem Mesidor and Dante Stills getting some reps at nose along with Jordan Jefferson.
Brown said Bluefield's Sean Martin could also get some work at nose where last year Darius Stills earned consensus All-America honors.
* Among the young players who caught Brown's eye during the first day of practice include Finland native Edward Vesterinen, a defensive lineman, wide receiver Kaden Prather, quarterback Will Crowder and young defenders Andrew Wilson-Lamp and Davis Mallinger.
In follow-up questioning, everybody steered clear of attempting to pronounce Vesterinen's last name, simply addressing him as "Edward."
The coach had some good things to say about Edward: "He has been a surprise to me. He moves really well. He's strong and his understanding of the game is better. The guys really, really like him."
Prather, a four-star prospect from Northwest High in Montgomery Village, Maryland, caught a couple of touchdown passes during this morning's work.
"I think Kaden Prather is definitely talented," Brown said. "He's hungry, and I will be eager to see how he's going to progress throughout the spring."
Wilson-Lamp, a freshman defensive back from Massillon, Ohio, and Mallinger, a freshman from Melbourne, Florida, who is listed as an athlete on the team roster, are a little light right now but not light on talent.
"This is a great learning experience for them, no doubt, but from a talent perspective, they're going to be able to do it," Brown said. "It's a matter of can they get strong enough? Can their body get in a place where they can go in and compete against the best players in the country?"
As for Crowder, working at quarterback this morning with holdovers Jarret Doege and Garrett Greene, Brown said he thought the newcomer handled himself well.
* Brown said he wants his guys to have a better understanding of how to compete this spring. He not only wants them to compete for playing time, but to also push everyone in their position room to get better.
It's the old a rising tide lifts all boats.
"We will do a lot of offense versus defense during the spring; that's the way it's laid out, but we're still one team," he explained. "We've got to do that in a manner where we get work done without injuries and things like that."
* Virginia Tech transfer Doug Nester certainly passes the eyeball test. Brown is hopeful he passes the performance test, too."Our hope is he's going to be a significant player for us, and I haven't seen anything that makes me think differently," Brown said. "I've been really, really pleased with his work ethic since he's been here."
* Among veteran players, Brown listed wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton among this morning's standouts.
* The coach said the defense operated out of its base look with three down lineman and the bandit standing up today.
The Mountaineers will resume spring practice work on Saturday morning.
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