4/20 Notes: Bray coaching up safeties on technique
Lisa Charisse Blanco
ASUDevils.com Assistant Editor
Here's a look at some of the sights and sounds from Tuesday's Arizona State spring football practice. Following the session, the Sun Devils have just one more practice before Saturday's Spring Game.
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Frank Kush, the legendary head football coach who prominently served over two decades at Arizona State, decided to catch a glimpse of spring ball Tuesday. After turning over a trashcan to get a "good seat," Kush became upset by a couple fans standing in his way when the entire sideline was wide open. "You guys make better doors then windows," Kush said. The men looked back, kind of startled at the sight of the famous coach and moved quickly out of his way.
Is that Shelly Lyons or Clint Floyd? Usually there is a clear distinction between the two, however Tuesday's practice was a guessing game of "who's who." Floyd was wearing jersey number ten, which is typically Keelan Johnson. However Johnson decided to switch jerseys with Lyons (number 13), who was wearing number nine (Floyd). Confused? This might have been their purpose...
Defensive Coordinator/ Safeties coach Craig Bray ran a drill with his unit designed to be a "drop drill" in a cover-eight defense. Two guys at a time have to shuffle backwards before the ball is thrown and drop with consistency. "You're not in a 45 degree-angle air head," Bray said to one of his players. Bray stressed dropping at a 45-degree angle in order to ensure accuracy and consistency in turning around. This technique could help in order to gauge where they are on the field and where they have to go in order to make a play.
Funny moment worth mentioning: One of the team's "water boys" received his dose of work from the players at Tuesday's practice. During a water break, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy threw his bottle over the heads of multiple players, where it eventually barely clipped one of the water boys. Guy, seemingly innocent asked, "who was that?"
Offensive line coach Gregg Smith drilled his unit on picking up the block off the edge on a play where the guard is pulling. "You got to be on your horse as soon as you see that tackle turn up tight and get straight," Smith said. Smith even chose to participate in the drill against center Garth Gerhart and stepped in to display how one must block off the edge properly. With the loss of Jon Hargis due to an anterior crucial ligament tear and the MASH unit on the offensive line...the Sun Devils may need coach Smith to step in.
