Saturday, April 25, 2009
Fun in the Sun
Illini cornerback Vontae Davis is headed to Miami to start his NFL career. Congratulations to Vontae, the #25 pick in the 2009 draft! It's always nice to see a deserving Illini go in the first round. Vontae was rated among the top CBs in this class, and was the second one taken. According to ESPN scouts, he's the best "pure cover corner" in the class.
In addition, offensive tackle Xavier Fulton was selected by Tampa Bay in the 5th round, and defensive lineman Will Davis was taken by Arizona in the 6th round. Four other Illini signed free agent contracts.
All the best to Vontae, Xavier and Will as they head to sunny places this summer...
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In addition, offensive tackle Xavier Fulton was selected by Tampa Bay in the 5th round, and defensive lineman Will Davis was taken by Arizona in the 6th round. Four other Illini signed free agent contracts.
All the best to Vontae, Xavier and Will as they head to sunny places this summer...
Labels: NFL draft, Vontae Davis
# posted by Alma Mater : 5:56 PM
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Speed
Great observations from the game, Alma Mater. I'll look forward to hearing more about Pasadena when you get back to Illinois.
One more thing to add to my "Eight for '08" thoughts below and it has to do with speed.
I remember watching us lose to LSU in the Sugar Bowl a couple years ago and thinking, "My gosh they are crushing us in the speed department. We don't even belong on the same field."
Well, as the national media piles on this morning about how bad we got crushed (ala their love affair with USC and Pete Carroll) it's important to note that some of our freshmen-especially on defense-were able to keep up with USC's speed.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from USC because they could be the best team in the country right now. But I did see some serious speed from some of our guys last night.
The one play I remember the best is the broken lateral that USC's Joe McKnight turned into a big gainer. Everyone in America-especially Musberger-thought he was going to take it to the house.
Yet out of nowhere Vontae Davis comes in from behind and drags him down. See photo here.
I think Martez Wilson also had some pretty good tackles that he used his speed to make.
Again, not taking anything away from USC but it is encouraging that Zook is building a team that's got some guys who can run with the best. If his recruiting continues as it has and he keeps bringing in this caliber of talent the future will be looking very bright in a few years.
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One more thing to add to my "Eight for '08" thoughts below and it has to do with speed.
I remember watching us lose to LSU in the Sugar Bowl a couple years ago and thinking, "My gosh they are crushing us in the speed department. We don't even belong on the same field."
Well, as the national media piles on this morning about how bad we got crushed (ala their love affair with USC and Pete Carroll) it's important to note that some of our freshmen-especially on defense-were able to keep up with USC's speed.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from USC because they could be the best team in the country right now. But I did see some serious speed from some of our guys last night.
The one play I remember the best is the broken lateral that USC's Joe McKnight turned into a big gainer. Everyone in America-especially Musberger-thought he was going to take it to the house.
Yet out of nowhere Vontae Davis comes in from behind and drags him down. See photo here.
I think Martez Wilson also had some pretty good tackles that he used his speed to make.
Again, not taking anything away from USC but it is encouraging that Zook is building a team that's got some guys who can run with the best. If his recruiting continues as it has and he keeps bringing in this caliber of talent the future will be looking very bright in a few years.
Labels: Brent Musburger, Joe McKnight, Martez Wilson, Pete Carroll, Ron Zook, Vontae Davis
# posted by Chief : 6:26 AM
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sunday download
My thoughts from yesterday:
1. Great win on the road! Should do a lot to help change the culture of losing and build confidence. (BTW, I'm glad we beat IU on the gridiron because I'm a lot less confident of our chances on the hardwood.)
2. Our defense just rocks the house. J Leman and V. Davis are studs, even though V got beat for a TD...he made up for it later in the game with the IT. I thought he was gonna go out of his mind when he got beat. It's nice to see guys get really upset when they're scored on.
3. Rashard.
4. Can we please hire Peyton Manning to come over to Champaign and teach Juice how to hit his receivers? I know some of the drops weren't his fault but if he were to execute the passing game like he does the option, we'll really be dangerous.
5. Big Ten Network. Totally see Alma Mater's point below but disagree. Sports TV is a huge business and this is all about money. I would say now that BTN has Direct TV and Dish, the heat really is on Comcast to pony up. If they offer something like the Tennis Channel, they should offer BTN.
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1. Great win on the road! Should do a lot to help change the culture of losing and build confidence. (BTW, I'm glad we beat IU on the gridiron because I'm a lot less confident of our chances on the hardwood.)
2. Our defense just rocks the house. J Leman and V. Davis are studs, even though V got beat for a TD...he made up for it later in the game with the IT. I thought he was gonna go out of his mind when he got beat. It's nice to see guys get really upset when they're scored on.
3. Rashard.
4. Can we please hire Peyton Manning to come over to Champaign and teach Juice how to hit his receivers? I know some of the drops weren't his fault but if he were to execute the passing game like he does the option, we'll really be dangerous.
5. Big Ten Network. Totally see Alma Mater's point below but disagree. Sports TV is a huge business and this is all about money. I would say now that BTN has Direct TV and Dish, the heat really is on Comcast to pony up. If they offer something like the Tennis Channel, they should offer BTN.
Labels: Big Ten Network, J Leman, Rashard Mendenhall, Vontae Davis
# posted by Chief : 6:27 AM
