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08-29-2005, 11:39 AM
It didn't take long for Jamaal Charles to impress at UT
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Posted: 08/24/05 - 12:26:07 am CDT
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Bob West column for Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Little Joe Washington comparisons have followed Jamaal Charles to Austin, where the former Memorial High School All-America has quickly created the same kind of buzz in early Longhorn practices that the Lincoln ex generated from his first day at Oklahoma some 33 years ago.
During the Longhorns second scrimmage, for instance, Charles was surrounded with seemingly no place to go but down. An instant later, according to offensive coordinator Greg Davis, Jamaal jumped laterally back to the inside, hit another gear and turned a two-yard gain into 10.
"After our offensive staff watched the play on tape, I told them the last guy I saw make that move also came from Port Arthur," said Davis, a former quarterback at PN-G. "I had never seen anybody do that until Little Joe came along and I haven't seen anybody do it since.
"Jamaal, I believe, is bigger than Little Joe and probably out and out faster," Davis continued. "But in terms of being able to jump sideways and not lose speed they are a lot alike. Like Joe, he's got a chance to be a really special player. He's made a great early impression."
Charles' showing in Texas' first scrimmage drew praise from UT head coach Mack Brown and Davis says he will definitely see action as a true freshman when the Longhorns open Sept. 3 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
"It's a little soon to say where he's going to be in the rotation, or whether we are going to pick our spots for him, but he's definitely going to be involved," Davis said. "It seems like he does something in every practice that just leaves you shaking your head.
"Today, we had him lined up in the I and we ran a lag draw to the tight end side. The defense brought a free safety blitz late and had a clear shot at him. The safety was in perfect position to make the play and didn't even get a hand on him. Jamaal left him spinning. And I'm talking about a pretty decent safety."
Texas' pre-camp depth chart showed junior Selvin Young as the No. 1 tailback, with sophomore Ramonce Taylor No. 2. It now appears Taylor is going to be moved around to take advantage of his big play ability and that Charles and 6-5, 275 pound freshman Henry Melton will line up behind Young.
Charles was the leading rusher in Texas first scrimmage, with eight carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. Melton also made his presence felt, bulling his way for 29 yards on only three carries, and is likely to been used in short yardage and goal-line situations.
The Longhorns' main man, of course, is QB Vince Young, whose escapability is going to make him the target of every defensive coordinator. In theory, all the attention Young commands should create some opportunities for the Texas tailbacks.
Charles, meanwhile, is steadily proving himself in areas that the average fan might not notice.
"It was obvious from seeing him on tape that Jamaal had all kinds of skills," Davis said. "But what you can't tell from tape is how a kid is going to adjust, how well he's going to pick up things and what kind of a job he'll do picking up blitzes. Thus far it's all been positive.
"Especially in blitz pickup, you don't know what a young guy like that will do. So often the blue chip- caliber running back has never been asked to do that. The first time we were in a blitz drill, Jamaal stepped right up with good balance and made the block. It was encouraging to see."
Davis said he first became familiar with Charles when Michael Haywood, the Longhorn assistant recruiting Southeast Texas, said he wanted him to take a look at a guy from his neck of the woods.
"I said what I always say when we're recruiting a guy from down there - 'he must be tough,' "Davis said with a chuckle. "Then my eyes got pretty big when I looked at the tape. He was what we call a 3-play recruit. I saw him three plays and said tell Mack we need to sign him."
Davis said Charles, a national champion hurdler, has dispelled two concerns about players who excel in track.
"You worry that track guys are fast but can't move laterally. We could see from the tape that Jamaal could move laterally. The other thing is you worry that because of their speed they will try to take everything to the sideline and outrun everybody. That's not the case with Jamaal. He hits the hole where the play is designed."
Another area in which Charles has made an impression is his penchant for allowing blockers to do what they are supposed to do.
"One of the key things I have seen out of really good backs all the way through my coaching career is a certain patience they have," Davis noted. "They are going fast and have great body control but they let things develop. Other guys are just a little out of control and seem to just miss making the right cut.
"Jamaal has shown that patience you see in great backs. Of course, we're talking about doing it in practice. But you could see that trait on his high school tapes."
Coming across loud and clear in Davis' comments is a clear affection for Charles' character.
"He's really a neat kid," Davis confirms. He's got a great personality. He studies the game. Vince says he's calm in the huddle. When he comes off he always wants to know how he did. Kids like that are so much fun to be around and to coach."
That's pretty much what the coaches at Oklahoma said about Little Joe.
Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net. His Sportsrap radio show airs Wednesdays at 7:05 p.m. on KLVI (560-AM).
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Posted: 08/24/05 - 12:26:07 am CDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob West column for Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Little Joe Washington comparisons have followed Jamaal Charles to Austin, where the former Memorial High School All-America has quickly created the same kind of buzz in early Longhorn practices that the Lincoln ex generated from his first day at Oklahoma some 33 years ago.
During the Longhorns second scrimmage, for instance, Charles was surrounded with seemingly no place to go but down. An instant later, according to offensive coordinator Greg Davis, Jamaal jumped laterally back to the inside, hit another gear and turned a two-yard gain into 10.
"After our offensive staff watched the play on tape, I told them the last guy I saw make that move also came from Port Arthur," said Davis, a former quarterback at PN-G. "I had never seen anybody do that until Little Joe came along and I haven't seen anybody do it since.
"Jamaal, I believe, is bigger than Little Joe and probably out and out faster," Davis continued. "But in terms of being able to jump sideways and not lose speed they are a lot alike. Like Joe, he's got a chance to be a really special player. He's made a great early impression."
Charles' showing in Texas' first scrimmage drew praise from UT head coach Mack Brown and Davis says he will definitely see action as a true freshman when the Longhorns open Sept. 3 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
"It's a little soon to say where he's going to be in the rotation, or whether we are going to pick our spots for him, but he's definitely going to be involved," Davis said. "It seems like he does something in every practice that just leaves you shaking your head.
"Today, we had him lined up in the I and we ran a lag draw to the tight end side. The defense brought a free safety blitz late and had a clear shot at him. The safety was in perfect position to make the play and didn't even get a hand on him. Jamaal left him spinning. And I'm talking about a pretty decent safety."
Texas' pre-camp depth chart showed junior Selvin Young as the No. 1 tailback, with sophomore Ramonce Taylor No. 2. It now appears Taylor is going to be moved around to take advantage of his big play ability and that Charles and 6-5, 275 pound freshman Henry Melton will line up behind Young.
Charles was the leading rusher in Texas first scrimmage, with eight carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. Melton also made his presence felt, bulling his way for 29 yards on only three carries, and is likely to been used in short yardage and goal-line situations.
The Longhorns' main man, of course, is QB Vince Young, whose escapability is going to make him the target of every defensive coordinator. In theory, all the attention Young commands should create some opportunities for the Texas tailbacks.
Charles, meanwhile, is steadily proving himself in areas that the average fan might not notice.
"It was obvious from seeing him on tape that Jamaal had all kinds of skills," Davis said. "But what you can't tell from tape is how a kid is going to adjust, how well he's going to pick up things and what kind of a job he'll do picking up blitzes. Thus far it's all been positive.
"Especially in blitz pickup, you don't know what a young guy like that will do. So often the blue chip- caliber running back has never been asked to do that. The first time we were in a blitz drill, Jamaal stepped right up with good balance and made the block. It was encouraging to see."
Davis said he first became familiar with Charles when Michael Haywood, the Longhorn assistant recruiting Southeast Texas, said he wanted him to take a look at a guy from his neck of the woods.
"I said what I always say when we're recruiting a guy from down there - 'he must be tough,' "Davis said with a chuckle. "Then my eyes got pretty big when I looked at the tape. He was what we call a 3-play recruit. I saw him three plays and said tell Mack we need to sign him."
Davis said Charles, a national champion hurdler, has dispelled two concerns about players who excel in track.
"You worry that track guys are fast but can't move laterally. We could see from the tape that Jamaal could move laterally. The other thing is you worry that because of their speed they will try to take everything to the sideline and outrun everybody. That's not the case with Jamaal. He hits the hole where the play is designed."
Another area in which Charles has made an impression is his penchant for allowing blockers to do what they are supposed to do.
"One of the key things I have seen out of really good backs all the way through my coaching career is a certain patience they have," Davis noted. "They are going fast and have great body control but they let things develop. Other guys are just a little out of control and seem to just miss making the right cut.
"Jamaal has shown that patience you see in great backs. Of course, we're talking about doing it in practice. But you could see that trait on his high school tapes."
Coming across loud and clear in Davis' comments is a clear affection for Charles' character.
"He's really a neat kid," Davis confirms. He's got a great personality. He studies the game. Vince says he's calm in the huddle. When he comes off he always wants to know how he did. Kids like that are so much fun to be around and to coach."
That's pretty much what the coaches at Oklahoma said about Little Joe.
Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net. His Sportsrap radio show airs Wednesdays at 7:05 p.m. on KLVI (560-AM).