Join me, starting at 9 a.m. for a live chat during CMU's spring practice on Saturday

I got a chance to catch another CMU Spring practice on Tuesday and the guys were in full pads. There wasn't too much to report on but there are a couple notes I thought I would pass along:

- Looks like Kyle Smith didn't quite make the cut at quarterback as he is now being worked out with the safeties and defensive backs. He looked to be getting a big teaching session during practice as he had an assistant with him at all times explaining drills and coverage schemes. That would leave Radcliff, Fricke, Westendorp, and Niznak at QB. I would expect (just my opinion) that Radcliff, Fricke, and Westendorp will be the order next fall with Niznak getting redshirted and then next spring will see A.J. and Alex battle for the backup spot for 2012.

- Still a lot of issues with the snaps but Coach Enos seem to be more frustrated with center Nick Reynolds than the QB's. Junior Darren Keyton has not practiced this spring and it doesn't appear that he will either, but he has played center in games before, so I would think he is the top candidate once the season starts, but they also may need him at guard, so Reynolds may have to be the starting center.

- Radcliff seems to be doing more with his leadership this spring and OT Eric Fisher has also been pretty vocal. For a team that needs leadership, it is good to see some guys in key positions trying to step up.

-I really like what I have seen out of redshirt freshman DT Leterrius Walton. He has been a beast in drills, just running guys over with his strength. At 6-6, 297, his potential seems limitless, but he is still somewhat raw.

-Also, one other note, Kashawn Fraser has not been at spring practice but I don't know if that is an indication that he won't be playing next fall or if he is just away because of injury. Couldn't really find any answers and he is still on the roster, but certainly as a senior DE, the team could use him next fall if he has a desire to play.

The 2011 Spring Practice session started for the CMU football team on Tuesday morning and I was on hand to check out the action.

In terms of injuries, CMU looked to be pretty healthy. Better than most springs at least. The notable red jerseys were DL Andy Phillips, TE Connor Odykirk, DB Jason Johnson, FB Tyler Lombardo, WR Jeremy Wilson, LB Kyle Zelinsky, OL Mike Repovz, and OL Darren Keyton.

Jake Olson and Rocky Weaver took part in drills but didn't go through contact as Olson is still coming back from his knee injury and Weaver still has a club on his left hand.

In terms of position changes, Valtorrey Showers is moving to defensive back and he looked good during the practice. He caught a fumble that popped out of Austin White's hands and returned it for a score and also had a pass deflection during team head-to-head drills.

When the teams did full scrimmage plays (without pads mind you) the starting offensive line was Eric Fisher, Kevin Henry, Nick Reynolds, Jeff Fantuzzi, and Adam Schneid. Keep in mind that Olson, Weaver, and Keyton were out, and all will likely start.

The running back rotation was Paris Cotton, Zurlon Tipton, and Tim Phillips, who is back from a torn pectoral muscle prior to the start of the 2010 season. White also got a lot of reps and he looks really good with his agility and footwork, but he has to sit out a year, which can be tough.

Receivers were Cody Wilson, Jerry Harris, and Jordan McConnell. Cedric Fraser, Deon Butler, and Jonathan Taylor also got a lot of reps as did Billy Myler in the slot position and Reggie Brown. David Blackburn and Jarrett Fleming handled the tight end duties.

Quarterback rotation was Radcliff, Fricke, Westendorp, Smith, and Niznak. I thought Radcliff did some good things but still struggled with snaps at times. Fricke looked to be the most accurate and Westendorp threw with a lot of zip on the ball. Smith really struggled with accuracy and his ball hangs to long. Niznak did some good things, but is a work in progress. He looks to be thinking and not reacting. He also struggled with snaps at times, but physically, he fits right in with the veterans and is not lacking in size.

On defense, The starting defensive line was Joe Kinville, Steve Winston, John Williams, and Darryll Stinson. Linebackers were Armond Staten, Mike Petrucci, and Shamari Benton. The cornerbacks were Derek Carter and Lorenzo White Jr. while the safeties with Jahleel Addae and John Carr.

Caesar Rodrgiuez, Leterrius Walton, and Kenny McClendon got a lot of reps with the D-Line as well while Avery Cunningham was playing safety behind Addae and Carr.

In terms of kicking, David Harman did the kicking during the two-minute drill and went 1-for-2, missing a short kick where there was a bad snap, and hitting a longer kick to end practice. Cody Wilson was the holder during the kicks.

It is really hard to judge who did well as this was the first practice and there were no pads, but I thought the QB play was mostly good. The QB-center exchange is still a problem though, which is troubling.

The Central Michigan football team held its first spring practice on Thursday morning and it looked a lot like one would expect with a new coaching staff.
Each member of the team and coaching staff wore name tags on helmets or apparel to get comfortable with each other and a lot of new terminology and plays were used. Here are some observations I had at practice:

- Some injuries to note right now are Jeff Maddux, Paris Cotton, John Williams, Steve Winston, and Darryll Stinson. There were others, but those were the ones I noticed. Cotton was not at practice, but I saw him in the IAC before practice. It was good to see Stinson, as last year it was believed that he would never play again. Still no telling if he will, but he is doing all he can to get back on the field.
- Antonio Brown was at practice. I spoke with him for a moment and he will be taking part in CMU's Pro Day next week and he believes he is a lock to be a 3rd round pick in the draft with hopes of moving into the second round.
- While I won't get into great specifics, the offense did take a lot of snaps under center, but also mixed in shotgun formations. Most of the looks had three receiver sets and mixed in two back or one back and one tight end features.
- Ryan Radcliff took all the first team snaps and was joined by the receiving trio of Kito Poblah, Cody Wilson, and Matt Torres. Carl Volny and Zurlon Tipton took most of the snaps at running back, while Tyler Reed was also featured at fullback.
- The defense was pretty much what was expected. Nick Bellore, Matt Berning, and Armond Staten made up the starting linebackers while Lorenzo White Jr. and Vince Agnew were at corner back and Bobby Seay and Dannie Bolden were at safety. The D-Line was mixed up a lot but Sean Murnane, Daniel Jackson, and Caeser Rodriguez got a lot of snaps with the first team.
- I know fans are concerned with the offense and how it will look, but CMU had a lot of different formations and looks and really attacked all areas of the field. The offense looks to be wide open. I do expect Reed and tight end David Blackburn to have an increased role, but CMU is not going to be just a power running team.
- The practice ended with a two minute drill. The first team offense scored on a nice 30+ yard strike from Radcliff to Poblah. The second team failed to score as a Derek Rifenbury pass was knocked down by Chris Reeves on fourth and short.
- Ithaca quarterback Alex Niznak was at the practice and kept a close eye on the work the quarterbacks did all practice.

Overall, the practice was a typical first practice. The look and schedule of the practice was different, but that doesn't mean it was worse in any way. Clearly there is a lot of new language to learn with the new system and until the team gets comfortable with that, it will be hard to determine what the expectations for this team will be.

CMU held its final practice prior to the spring game on Thursday and the practice concluded with a speech to the team from former Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown.

Brown talked to the team about the importance of spring and summer training and how attention to detail during those times were what helped him win a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in the 2002 season.

Brown also talked about how few college football players make it to the next level and how important it was for each of the Chippewas to have something to fall back on with their education and also to be good role models for the community because those who don't make it tend to remain involved with the communities and cities where they played.

Brown spoke for at great length with the offensive lineman on the team and coach Don Mahoney, talking about specifics that helped him in his career and the struggles with the position that he overcame during his college days. Brown had mentioned to Butch how impressed he was with the practice and really though Jake Olson had great potential with his size for being just a redshirt freshman.

I will have a story with Brown in Friday's edition of the Morning Sun. He was a very nice and approachable guy and just seems like a great guy to be around. It was a real treat for me to interview someone I watched growing up and really was one of the first recognizable players I remember watching.

In terms of the practice, things went smoothly until the end, when Cornelius Gallon took a big hit and appeared to injur his leg, but the severity is unknown. I don't think it would be something that would keep him from being ready in the fall.

D.J. Scott and Taylor Bradley were recognized for their efforts in the weight room during the spring and Chaz West continues to really look strong and impressive since stepping on the field this spring. I really feel that the secondary for CMU can be greatly improved and really be a force to be reckoned with if it can stay healthy.

My last observation is that the run blocking for CMU has looked pretty good while the pass blocking is a little to be desired. Bryan Schroeder has really been exploding out of the holes in the line and running guys over as of late. It is hard to tell if CMU's O-line has been improving or if they are looking good against a depleted Chippewa defensive line right now, but time will tell.

The football team held an extended scrimmage today, similar to what you will see during the Spring Game next Saturday. Here are some highlights of what I saw:

-Chaz West returned to practice this week and he had an interception in the end zone and a fumble recovery during Friday.

-Neither Ryan Radcliff or Derek Rifenbury stood out, though most of the snaps went to the two. Radcliff had a nice touchdown pass to Jeremy Wilson and Rifenbury had a touchdown run, but again, neither were too spectacular.

-The running game looked good and the offensive line opened some nice holes. Paris Cotton looked solid and is the only fully healthy running back in practice right now.

-The offense was put in a 3rd and 1 situation and tight end David Blackburn caught a pass on the move and D.J. Scott made a great low tackle (giving up a lot of size in the process) and made the stop short of the first down. Scott read the play beautifully and made a great tackle, which CMU needs to see more of in the secondary this year.

-Some interesting notes at linebacker as Mike Petrucci and Landon (not Derek) Carter were getting snaps with the first team and Vince Agnew was being brought in at linebacker in third down situations.

-Walk on quarterback turned wide receiver Kent Viening made some nice catches. Wouldn't read too much into it, as Antonio Brown and Kito Poblah weren't used much in the scrimmage.

Day one of spring football is in the books and I think most of the day went well. CMU had a good opening practice and looked to have a lot of energy.

Some things I noticed right away was the injuries. While CMU had fewer red shirts on the field than in past years, the talent level of those injured players was much higher. Bryan Anderson, Frank Zombo, Eric Fraser, LaVarus Williams, and Lorenzo White Jr. are all going to miss the spring while recovering from injuries, while Josh Gordy and Chaz West are among those who will be limited in participation.

The players and coaches were all in Adidas shoes but the players were still in New Balance clothing while some of the coaches were split, wearing Adidas shorts with a New Balance top. I guess you can't give up old habits.

The three freshmen, D.J. Scott, Jason Johnson, and Jeff Fantuzzi all seemed to fit right in and Scott looks to have a lot of athletic ability to utilize.

Well, let's get to the position battles. Here is what appeared to be the first teams on offense and defense, but some are due to injuries to other players.

QB: Dan obviously took first snaps, but it was Derek Rifenbury taking second team snaps while Ryan Radcliff was third in line.
RB: Bryan Schroeder was handling most of the carries but Paris Cotton and Carl Volny were also getting mixed in.
WR: With Anderson out, and Pitts unable to return with his neck injury, the WR's in the first team were mainly Kito Poblah, Antonio Brown, and Jeremy Wilson. Cornelious Gallon, Jerry Harris, and Cedric Fraser also got a lot of reps. Harris and Fraser are nice, tall, and athletic guys that could really shine in a few seasons. Jahleel Addae was also playing WR, which I think is a permanent move for him. Brown has put on some muscle and definition and is looking more and more like an elite-level athlete.
TE: David Blackburn took most of the tight end snaps as Rocky Weaver will be moving to the offensive line.
OL: Colin Miller was set at center and Darren Keyton and Jeff Maddux were at the guards for the first team while Allen Ollenburger and Weaver were at the tackle spots along with Jake Olson. I think Olson and Weaver still have a lot of weight to put on, as both look like tall, skinny tight ends, as opposed to offensive linemen.

DE: With Zombo out, Sam Williams, Larry Knight, and Darryl Stinson were the main D-Ends.
DT: CMU is struggling with depth here, but expect Josh Allison, Sean Murnane, and John Williams to see a lot of reps. Zombo may also see time at defensive tackle.
LB: Nick Bellore has really beefed up and is like a rock in his upper body. He, Tim Brazzel, and Matt Berning were making up the first team, but expect Mike Petrucci and Derek Carter to also compete for starting jobs. Carter was a defensive back, but is moving to linebacker.
CB: Kirkston Edwards and Taylor Bradley started with the first team and Bradley looks like he has put on some muscle and is moving to the ball well. Gordy was unable to do much in practice, but he would certainly be in the starting mix, along with LaVarus Williams.
S: Fraser are Chaz West are hurt, but Bobby Seay and Vince Agnew were taking first-team reps. White Jr. will also be in the mix come the fall and expect some of the new freshmen that come in to get moved around from linebacker to safety.

Stick with the Sun Sports Blog throughout Spring Football for updates on position battles and injuries. I will try to get to as many practices as I can and keep everyone up to date.