Clobberin’ time
The first six practices of training camp operated in the so-called NFL style. That meant two huddles for 7-on-7 drills, and the emphasis of technique over hard contact in the 11-on-11 sessions.
But the intensity cranks up with this afternoon’s practice, the first in full pads.
The usual rules will apply, such as not hitting the quarterbacks (hey, this isn’t the New York Jets’ locker room). And the Warriors will continue to give every roster player some field time. The past few practices, even freshman quarterback Aaron Zwahlen has received reps in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 sessions. (Zwahlen collaborated with Ryan Pasoquen on the longest pass completion yesterday.)
The defense also has shuffled the lineup, with Makani Kema-Kaleiwahea earning reps as a stand-up edge rusher and Jerrol Garcia-Williams moving to inside linebacker. Freshman Solomon Matautia is now with the linebackers. The deepest position is safety, with Trayvon Henderson, Marrell Jackson, Daniel Lewis, Dany Mulanga, Damien Packer and Gaetano DeMattei (the No. 1 nickelback). Jalen Rogers, who has been the No. 2 left corner, also practices at safety.
Foist.
2nd ?
is Tavai starting at the other OLB position?
Who is getting the most reps on the first team linebacker group? With our abundance of athletes at linebacker, are we going to see a lot of 4-4 schemes?
I’m just praying that we don’t have a repeat of last year and start getting reports of injuries to key players
Listening to Kurt Gouveia yesterday on The Sports Animals, it sounded like Makani Kema-Kaleiwahea is a sure starter… Gouveia said Makani’s performance so far made his coaching looked good!!
#5, yes, let’s hope for no injuries!! Last year, Devan Stubblefield’s injury before the season was a devastated loss…
IMO Nequan should get moved permanently to nickel. He will do a lot better there and if he focuses on 1 spot plus special teams, I think he will be a better player. I see him covering slots a lot better with his physical style of play and use him on blitz at times.
Wow, couple of surprises with Garcia-Williams moving inside and Mayo taking over left corner. Is Williams still holding down the other OLB position or has Tavai moved up?
9. Not a surprise. Mayo looked like the most talented corner last year during practices. I even posted on here. He just came late so made more sense to redshirt I guess. and Garcia Williams was already getting work inside last year prior to injury.
May the clobberin’ begin and may the injuries stay far away.
GO WARRIORS!!!
GO WARRIORS!!!
Jeezy, you got a take on who the starting LB crew will be?? And then maybe an educated guess on who the next 2-3 guys, will be off the bench?
3.82 GPA – read more …
Senior tight end Harold Moleni is a husband, a father and a finance major at the University of Hawaii, but it didn’t take a 3.82 grade-point average to figure out what the new cost of attendance stipend will mean.
“It is about peace of mind,” Moleni said. “I know this will help me provide for my family.” Login for more…
My guess is Poti and JGW at inside and Makani and Tavai on the outside. Williams, Fonua and Gener will also get many reps.
while not surprised, but most disappointed was photo of Lassner and chancellor for photo op with Waterhouse donation
I, personally, would be embarrassed to participate if I had no intention of helping the UHAD garner support for COA – would it be too much to ask if Lassner and chancellor made an effort to solicit funds for UH or is it beneath their position to do so? they can solicit and if the donor wants the $$ to be spent on academics then fine – leaves more $$$ for CIP and/or athletics.
I was born to monku!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A-House: Always the pessimist. If you had nothing to complain about, you would have nothing to say. This, I believe is generational.
12. No idea but I know who I would pick…..
My top OLBs would be Jahlani Tavai and Makani Kema-Kaleiwahea
My ILBs would be Jerrol Garcia Williams and Simon Poti..
Then of course I would rotate Gener inside. Haven’t got to see Russell Williams yet but hope he cracks rotation too. Hopefully Castro is making strides and can be used in pass rush situations. I think guys like JGW are versatile and can play both well if needed. I hope Russell Williams is similar in that he can move inside or out.
I read the depth charts having Fonua and Lance at the 1s at times. I just saw too many mistakes last season for my liking.
Hard to believe the depth at LB especially if Gener is now second string. He was a difference maker when he was playing. I guess they moved JGW inside to have more reps for Tavai. He will be a difference maker for UH in the years to come.
JGW, Fonua, Poti, Gener, Williams at ILB.
RWJr, Tavai, Makani, Castro, Matautia at OLB
That’s a pretty stacked LB position. Hopefully the abundance of athletic LBs will also elevate the special teams play.
What ever happened to Jerrell Jackson? I dont see him on the 2015 Roster.
I’d be more disappointed if the Prez and the Chancy were not there. At least they acknowledge the Waterhouse gift. They may also support COA but it isn’t reported in the media.
#21,
Was at Saturday’s practice……observing like the rest of us from the hillside.
19. My guess is JGW inside because he can cover TEs the best…. He was also our best pass rushing LB early on but now that we have upgraded pass rush, he can be used in coverage. JGW cover ability is what might get him drafted IMO. Moves very fluid.
#23 Really? Well I guess he ain’t on the team. Hopefully ST can fill us in.
Need lb who can cover runningback coming out of the backfield. But I like the changes Mason is making. Makani was a player I wanted out of highschool. Glad he is here now.
Stay healthy warriors. Quarterbacks should wear helmets in the locker room. Too many flying things.
YEA…. THESE DAYS..there is a lot of pessimist with the older generation…in our day a hand shake meant sumthing…legal in two peoples minds…n morals…honesty… scruples..n family honor meant a whole lot…seems most of it has fallen by the way side to be politically correct…
Newsmen getting fired…for lies etc….politicians…priest …military…doctors…lawyers…coaches…the list is endless…
A pessimist these days….is just about the only honest thing we have left…to tell it like it is…
notnasti & jeezy:
maybe so, but until “upper campus” will truly support the UHAD and the athletes there is always room to “monku, monku”
It was drilled in me at Fort Benning that “mine was not to question why, mine was but to do and die” – I did not believe in this at all and will continue to question WHY, WHY, WHY — like the Mi lai massacre – individual soldiers based their defense on “I was only following orders” – maybe so, but the one of the 10 General orders say, “I will obey the lawful orders of my superiors” — was it lawful to fire/kill unarmed civilians?
BTW, Lassner was reported in the SA to say that he will NOT support athletics at a BOR meeting and sitting next to him was Portnoy – perhaps he meant to say that he will NOT allot additional funds to athletics – that’s not the way I read it!!
and the ASUH position is go ahead with the COA, but seek no funding from the students or Legislature – go and get funds from donors which the Waterhouse Foundation has done – from my time on campus and to present, it appears that most if not all of the ASUH board, for the lack of a better word, come from the “academic” side – perhaps K Mark Takai was an abnormality as ASUH president being a swimmer.
speaking of which, I was under the impression that the $1 million was for COA only, but Matlin lays out funding for other items he feels need $$$ – thus, football gets everything and others are on their own? or, was it that the $1 million was for football and others will have a limited share in the “booty”?
I should spend more time reading every word in the SA
DL play is key. Gotta hold their own. LBs are helpless if OL in their face all game long.
Buckeyes have Virginia Tech on Mon & play us Sat. Not much time to prepare exotic stuff. You can bet they (& the Badgers) just gonna keep it simple, run their base stuff & dare us to stop them inside. Mano a mano, so they say.
Go Warriors!
Faculty and students in the fill-in-the-blank language department and the fill-in-the-blank social sciences departments probably feel like no one supports them either. Who’s to say who is right and who is wrong?
I understand that there are many individual donors to specific departments and guess that it is not publicized because donor want anonymity
it came to light with the Engineering Department where the “chair” was accused of spending money for non-work related trips, etc. and donors did not want their name nor amount donated publicized.
true for other departments? I would think so, but unless it’s published, we will never know – recently, it was noted that certain person/department/activity received multi-million $$$
who is right or wrong does not matter – if they want to keep it dark it will stay dark
21. RB— Read somewhere that Jerrell Jackson transferred to East Mississippi CC or someplace like that.
“YEA…. THESE DAYS..there is a lot of pessimist with the older generation…in our day a hand shake meant sumthing…legal in two peoples minds…n morals…honesty… scruples..n family honor meant a whole lot…seems most of it has fallen by the way side to be politically correct…”
lol no. “the good old days” was just as corrupt. in fact, more progress is being made now because we are aware of the corruption and there’s much more progressive politics happening in terms of race and sexual orientation than there was in “the good old days.”
be real.
A-House is just a debbie downer.
#21 I dont think he went, his twitter page shows him still here. #23 said he saw him on the sidelines on sat. Maybe he’s injured or has grade problems.
#33 not #21 LOL
A-House,
Here is an excerpt from an interview with Hawaii Business and Lassner:
“We need to figure out financial solutions. Whether costs can be trimmed much more, I don’t know. We have asked the Legislature for money, and the reason is not because it is more important than the library or our investment in the Philosophy Department or something else. It is because the state cares passionately about UH athletics. We can’t squeeze the money out of the tuition. We have a modest athletics fee and I don’t think there is a great comfort level with increasing it.
We are looking for help. It could be the Legislature, it could be cash, it could be structural changes to create revenue flows that come to us other than from the general fund. I think having a better relationship with Aloha Stadium would help. Possibly the Hawaii Tourism Authority could help us.”
Ref Jerrell Jackson
http://247sports.com/Player/Jerrell-Jackson-27347
If they are thinking of moving JGW permanently to the inside, then UH must be pretty high on the talent and depth on the outside. JGW is a solid cover LB and he’s one of the few guys with top flight speed at his position group.
I guess the question is if JGW still has that special burst coming off his ACL rehab? And if he’s big/strong enough to hold up against the interior OL coming at him.
Since I’m pretty sure Lassner supports athletics, even though he hasn’t thrown a few extra million their way lately, I am beginning to see the problem…
Given that the university has finite amount of money to spend on all departments, campuses, and facilities; one has to look at the students (and faculty). The fundamental problem is one of envy–or the “haves and have nots”. Not talking about NCAA universities here– talking about the students in general.
If I were a run-of-the-mill student with no academic or athletic scholarship, I pay and work my way through college. I enviously look at the athletic department, were many athletes do not pay tuition, has free housing, free food, and even tutors. Now they get “paid” too. Well, lucky them…and 30,000 non-athletes and myself also pay $50 athletic fee in support. I have professors with 3 Ph.D’s that make less than an assistant coach. My profs want better facilities, lab, buildings, etc. since they hold classes for all those tuition-paying students (like 90% ???)
If Lassner wants to divert more money from everyone to the Athletic Department. let’s fire him quick! He has no grasp on the reality of student life. Anyway, the die-hard fans want to fire Lassner already since he has not diverted $millions to the Athletic Department, so no loss…
Bottom line: Lassner has the right and only tenable approach: more financial support is needed from outside the University.
During hard times, my Mom cooked a bare Ham bone
in water with beans and called it dinner. We got thru
that part of life with no help from government nor rich
people. Our big family rolled up our sleeves and we all
went to work, paper route, etc. UH should maybe tighten
up its belt…
37. If he can cover like ML Johnson then we in good hands.
Made typo so other comment under moderation.
37. If he can cover like ML Johnson then we in good hands.
ML Johnson, that’s a blast from the past, IMO, the heyday of LBs, for UH. Alvis, ML, Jon Taylor, Anthony Woodson, James Elias ……
The issue of finances for the athletic dept as they relate to the bigger UH system is a complicated business. For people like me who love UH athletics the sports teams are important. As a source of pride and community the UH sports teams are important. But there are also many academic departments that are hungering for more support and resources. I can completely understand that Lassner cannot be just opening the money spigots for athletics. I think the writing is on the wall. Sustainability for UH sports depends on creating new revenue streams that don’t draw from the broader UH system. A few solid winning seasons for the football team that creates buzz and excitement is critical. I don’t know who (private donors, TV deals, business community, legislature, tourism authority) is going to get excited about investing funds into a program that consistently loses and does it in a boring fashion that no one wants to watch. Coach Chow are you listening? The time is short and you have not delivered. It is now or never. I hope we have an exciting season. I think there is a chance that we will. If we don’t and it is more of the same I don’t like to think of the possibilities. I am not sure the University and community can wait for a new coach to come and “rebuild” again. Maybe JJ has enough cred left from the old days to create a buzz but aside from him I don’t who we can hire with the money we have that will create much excitement. Come on Norm this is a pivotal season. Create we excitement please. Same results as the last few years and the future is….. Grim….Grim
Mr. Chow does not believe in letting ne one know what is going on up there with the football program…There are no press releases emanating from the SID office for the football…We all seem to get our news from this blog..or fred..or that other dude…
Coaches were let go… n no one knew what was going on…it it was true or not..expecting him to change at this stage oh his young life…is like asking JJ to
stop passing n throw just 1 pass a half…it is not going to happen…he is what he is…letting a “friend” go n not rehire… n leave message on his answer machine…if true…is his mode of operation…”torpedos be dammed” run…run…pass.punt…
AF…you make a very very valid point…just one problem…seems like he really does not care what happens to the program… n what is n should be good 4 it…N GOOD 4 THE FANS N HAWAII…
Crabs in a bucket
Talent courtesy of Tsai :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfZuZwESxNw&feature=youtu.be
41.
Thad Jefferson, John Levingston…….
Yup, Thad and Livingston were right below me, came in with Marco Johnson’s class…
Watched the interview with Coach Chow after yesterday’s practice. Mentioned they had 8 offensive linemen available. Hope it is being overly protective approach. Being in the training room is not a good place to develop. Urban is injured that’s means 5 guys out of 14 are not available–being hurt and being injured are two vastly different things, saw a lot of that way back—–sick as I may be I loved practice!!!!!! Go Warriors!!!!!!
Seven.
New post: http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=32511