Category Archives: Football

Projecting the Blue Devils in the NFL Draft

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With the NFL Draft’s third day approaching tomorrow at noon, and two Blue Devils in Sean Renfree and Conner Vernon in contention to be selected, writers from The Chronicle sat down to predict where they believe the duo will land and why.

Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon hopes to be the program's first NFL Draft selection since 2004.

Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon hopes to be the program’s first NFL Draft selection since 2004.

Conner Vernon

  • Zac Elder—Seventh round, 217th overall to the Miami Dolphins. Although not listed at the top of anyone’s list at wide receiver, Vernon stands a good chance being selected in the late rounds. If teams can overlook his lack of physicality and 4.68 40-time at the NFL Combine, then Vernon might get scooped up in one of the later rounds by a team looking for a solid receiver who can also handle punt and kickoff return duties. Vernon, a local Miami product, has drawn a number of comparisons to former Dolphin receiver Wes Welker, who began his successful NFL career with this franchise.
  • Michael Schreiner—Fifth round, 149th overall to the St. Louis Rams. Vernon has been a sleeper pick of many in the lead up to the draft, and the upside he presents as a No. 2 receiver justifies the buzz. He does not have the quickness or size to be the big play guy, but he executes and will do well as a possession receiver. He is also polished and can make an immediate impact in the NFL, which is exactly what the Rams need with only three of last season’s receivers projected to be on this year’s roster.
  • Daniel Carp—Sixth round, 199th overall to the Baltimore Ravens. The defending Super Bowl champs have some holes to fill at receiver since the loss of Anquan Boldin, and with a bevy of picks in the late rounds of this year’s NFL Draft, Vernon would be a wise choice. Ravens head coach Jon Harbaugh will value the Duke receiver’s work ethic and route-running ability, leading him to use one of his picks at the end of the sixth round on him. You could see Vernon come off the board as early as round five, but some average workouts this offseason could cost him on Draft day.
Sean Renfree had surgery the day after Duke's Belk Bowl loss, but still could be selected in the NFL Draft.

Sean Renfree had surgery the day after Duke’s Belk Bowl loss, but still could be selected in the NFL Draft.

Sean Renfree

  • Zac Elder—Undrafted. Bad news for Renfree—only one quarterback (Florida State’s E.J. Manuel) was drafted in the first round of Thursday night’s NFL Draft. And with top prospects Geno Smith, Ryan Nassib, Tyler Wilson and Matt Barkley still left on the board, the former Duke star’s hopes of being selected are slim. After tearing a pectoral muscle in the Belk Bowl, Renfree has not had the opportunity to elevate his draft stock and impress NFL coaches and scouts as some other draft hopefuls have done.
  • Michael Schreiner—Seventh round, 240th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. The pectoral injury he suffered in the Belk Bowl has hurt his chances of getting drafted, but his limited downside should still be enough to convince a team to spend its final pick on Renfree. Aside from a weak arm that will likely limit his upside, Renfree presents little risk to potential suitors. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe compared his work ethic to Peyton Manning, and as a reserve with Cincinnati he would push those ahead of him while also representing a viable second string option down the road.
  • Daniel Carp—Sixth round, 183rd overall to the New Orleans Saints. Four months ago, Sean Renfree’s chances of hearing his name called at the NFL Draft seemed miniscule. But despite not having thrown a football since late December, Renfree’s draft stock has only continued to rise thanks to ringing endorsements from the likes of David Cutcliffe and Peyton Manning. Renfree could come off the board as early as the fifth round and could be taken before his teammate Conner Vernon. In fact, I think he will. The New Orleans Saints will be in the market for a young quarterback in the late rounds of this year’s draft, and Renfree could be the guy they turn to. Renfree also would be a great fit with the New England Patriots, but they only hold three picks after the fourth round—all late in the seventh. A bold prediction could be the Pats package their three picks to move up into the mid-sixth round and grab Renfree, but all fake trades aside, New Orleans’ pass-happy offense would be a good fit for the former Duke signal-caller.

ACC agrees to TV Grant of Rights deal

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Update, 2:44 pm: The ACC has officially announced that each of its 15 member institutions has agreed to a TV Grant of Rights Deal.

According to David Glenn, this will extend the ESPN TV deal through the 2026-27 season.

“This announcement further highlights the continued solidarity and commitment by our member institutions,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford in a press release. “The Council of Presidents has shown tremendous leadership in insuring the ACC is extremely well positioned with unlimited potential.”

Read the full story on what this deal means for the future of the ACC

Agreeing to this is a huge step for any conference’s stability. The Business of College Sports has a comprehensive breakdown of what these deals mean, but here’s the skinny.

Previously, to prevent schools from leaving the conference, a conference would raise its exit fee. The ACC did just this, raising its exit fee to $52 million. But as we saw with the ensuing departure of Maryland to the Big Ten, such large exit fees are only debatably enforceable. As The Chronicle reported in November, the ACC sued Maryland over paying the exit fee, a complaint that has yet to be resolved.

So if large exit fees can’t effectively compel member organizations to stay in a league, what is the best way to keep schools around? TV Grant of Rights Deals, in which the member institutions hand over their TV rights to the league for an extended period of time. Essentially, it prevents a team from leaving because even if it does leave, the conference still holds its TV rights and therefore all the money.

Here are quotes from Duke’s brass on the deal:

Per the Business of College Sports, the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 have execute these types of deals already.

“This is an important moment in the history of the ACC, which has been Duke’s home for nearly 60 years. It signals our united commitment to ensuring the future stability of the conference and will enable us to focus on the development of our student-athletes and the spirited competition for which the ACC has always been known.” — Duke President Richard Brodhead

“To be sure, today’s Grant of Rights announcement by the Atlantic Coast Conference is monumental as it clearly shows the unwavering long-term solidarity of the ACC member institutions. Since its inception, the ACC has provided the perfect home for Duke Athletics. Sixty years later, that remains the same. The net result of these negotiations, spearheaded by the determined leadership of Commissioner Swofford, is that the ACC is now in a prime media rights position among its peers and partnered with the preeminent sports broadcasting entity on the planet, ESPN. Historically speaking, this is nothing short of a lasting ‘game changer’ for the ACC’s colleges and universities!” – Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White

“First off, the efforts of Commissioner Swofford and the ACC staff are to be commended. This is an exciting time to be a part of our outstanding conference, and we’re proud to call the ACC our home. The ACC has established itself as the premier conference in the country, and today’s news further exemplifies the solidarity of its member institutions. Obviously, from a media rights perspective, ESPN is the pinnacle of the broadcast industry and we’re thrilled to continue this terrific partnership with them in the future.” – Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe

“I am thrilled with today’s announcement by the Atlantic Coast Conference. It is one of the great days in the history of our conference as it shows the highest level of commitment – not by words, but by actions. With all the uncertainty regarding conference affiliations the past several years in college athletics, this announcement, coupled with our media rights deal with the world’s best sports broadcasting network, secures the ACC’s future, and thus Duke’s, for years to come. As a long-time coach in this league, I understand how terrific the ACC has been. With continued commitment by current members and the addition of several outstanding institutions, the ACC should be in position to reestablish itself as the nation’s top conference in the years to come.” – Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski

“In light of all of the conference transitions and alignments, this news is simply extraordinary. To solidify the ACC now and in the future with such fantastic media opportunities reflects the unprecedented leadership in the conference. The existing partnership between the ACC and ESPN showcases the tremendous traditions of both institutions and provides a maximum opportunity to broadcast the outstanding talents of the conference. From a women’s basketball perspective, this illustrates the incredible dominance of the ACC relative to the commitment to our sport.” – Duke women’s basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie

The deal was first reported by David Glenn

Here are Glenn’s tweets:

Duke football spring game live updates

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Blue 27, White 12 (final): Josh Snead took over for the Blue squad, pounding the ball down the field on inside handoffs. Snead helped his team go 75 yards and eat up some valuable clock, ending the drive with a 3-yard dash for the game’s final touchdown.

The fourth quarter was played with a running clock, so the action was limited. Rob Collins took over at quarterback for the White team and Eric Adams carried the rushing load, but at the end of the day the Blue squad was triumphant.

Blue 20, White 12 (third quarter): The action has slowed down a bit at Wallace Wade Stadium, but both sides have shown flashes of solid play in the third quarter. For the Blue squad, it was running back Shaquille Powell that stole the show in the third quarter, breaking a couple of impressive runs and helping his team move deep into opposing territory. Although the Blue team found itself just yards from paydirt, Boone once again could not convert and was forced to settle for a field goal.

The story of the quarter for the White squad was the play of Parker Boehme, who showed off his accuracy and poise in the pocket by making a number of crucial throws on a long scoring drive for his team. It has been a solid afternoon for the freshman, who has made even some of the game’s tougher throws look easy.

Blue 17, White 9 (halftime): The White team opened up the second quarter with a 31-yard field goal by kicker Jack Willoughby to get on the board, but the Blue squad responded with a touchdown drive that spanned seven plays an 85 yards, capped off by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Boone to Crowder.

The White team looked to be driving on is next offensive sequence, but a fumble in opposing territory ended its scoring chances. Jamal Wallace recovered the fumble for the Blue squad, who took over and marched down the field. Boone connected with Nash on a long catch, and the redshirt freshman reached out full extension and made one of the catches of the day. The Blue team had a chance to extend its lead further, but Boone could not convert on third down in the red zone. Martin came on and kicked his first field goal to extend the lead to 17-3.

True freshman quarterback Parker Boehme responded with his best drive of the day. Good decision making by Boehme coupled with some solid rushes by running back Eric Adams led the White squad down the field. Boehme capped off the drive with a 24-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jack Wise.

Blue 7, White 0 (first quarter): Both sides showed a bit of rust in the early-going of Duke’s 2013 Spring Game, but the Blue squad has struck first. Anthony Boone was able to find Jamison Crowder on his first drive of the game, but has overthrown his receivers multiple times on deeper routes. The running game has featured its new zone-read look and has seen some limited success. The Blue team started to move the ball on their second offensive series of the game, but a poor read by Boone resulted in an interception by safety Jeremy Cash, who redshirted last season after transferring from Ohio State.

On Boone’s third offensive drive of the game, he continued to demonstrate his timing with Crowder. He found the junior receiver on a curl route that he turned into a 48-yard catch and run. Boone then capped off the drive with a 23-yard touchdown strike to Crowder for the game’s opening score.

Boone threw a second interception on the Blue team’s final offensive drive of the quarter, when a high and hard pass that was intended for wide receiver Anthony Nash was tipped up in the air and fell into the hands of true freshman Quay Mann. An 18-yard return by Mann put the White team in field goal range, where they will attempt a kick to open the second quarter.

Pregame: Welcome to our live coverage of Duke’s 2013 Spring Game. The Blue Devils are set to kick off at 4 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium for their annual spring scrimmage, showcasing next year’s Duke squad. Headlining the bunch will be quarterback Anthony Boone, who will be making his first appearance as the team’s full-time starter.

As of now, the team is split up into two squads, the Blue team and the White team. The Blue team is comprised of Duke’s first-team offense and second-team defense—including Boone, Jamison Crowder, Jela Duncan and Josh Snead—and the White squad is made up of the Blue Devils’ first-team defense and second-team defense—notably Ross Cockrell, Kenny Anunike and Jeremy Cash.

Follow along here and on Twitter at @chroniclesports for live updates and analysis throughout the game.

Duke football 2013 spring unit breakdowns

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For the week leading up to Duke football’s 2013 Spring Game, the Blue Zone has broken down this year’s returning squad unit by unit to examine the key changes you’ll see for next year’s Blue Devils. With the Spring Game set to kick off at 4 p.m., here’s everything you need to know about this year’s squad.

 

We’ll have live updates and analysis throughout Duke’s 2013 Spring Game. Feel free to follow along live on Twitter at @chroniclesports.

Duke football 2013 spring unit breakdowns: special teams

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For the week leading up to Duke football’s 2013 Spring Game, the Blue Zone will be breaking down this year’s returning squad unit by unit to examine the key changes you’ll see for next year’s Blue Devils. Today, we look at the special teams unit.

Key returners: redshirt sophomore Will Monday, sophomore Ross Martin

Ross Martin led the Blue Devil kicking unit last season and hopes to replicate his success as a sophomore (Photo by Faith Robertson/The Chronicle)

Ross Martin led the Blue Devil kicking unit last season and hopes to replicate his success as a sophomore (Photo by Faith Robertson/The Chronicle)

Key departures: Jackson Anderson

Now in the mix: redshirt freshman Thomas Hennessy

2012 performance: The Blue Devils excelled in most aspects of the kicking game last season. Ross Martin earned freshman All-America honors by knocking in 20 of his 23 field goals on the season and converting on 46-of-47 extra point attempts. Martin knocked down both of his attempts from longer than 50 yards last season, notching a season-long of 52.

Will Monday also ranked 13th in the nation in punting, averaging 44.64 yards per kick en route to All-ACC recognition in his first collegiate season.

Kick coverage was where the Blue Devils struggled. The team was mediocre in kickoff coverage and ranked 118th out of 120 FBS schools in punt coverage.

Season outlook: Martin and Monday return to the field and should continue to provide Duke consistency in the kicking game. Kick coverage has been one of head coach David Cutcliffe’s primary concerns in spring practice. He continually mentions how important the game’s three phases—offense, defense and special teams—are to success on the gridiron. It will be interesting to see if the kick coverage unit can improve under the tutelage of first-year special teams coordinator Zac Roper, who replaced Cutcliffe’s longtime friend and colleague Ron Middleton last offseason.

One of the unsung heroes to Duke’s success in the kicking game has been long snapper Jackson Anderson, who Cutcliffe said has not had a bad snap in his four years with the Blue Devils. This type of consistency is something often overlooked until something goes wrong, which it never did with Anderson snapping the ball. Anderson graduated last season and is now trying to break into the NFL ranks, which means that Thomas Hennessy’s transition as the team’s new long snapper could be a crucial one to continuing Duke’s special teams success.

Previous unit breakdowns: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs

Duke football 2013 spring unit breakdowns: linebackers

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For the week leading up to Duke football’s 2013 Spring Game, the Blue Zone will be breaking down this year’s returning squad unit by unit to examine the key changes you’ll see for next year’s Blue Devils. Today, we look at the linebackers.

Key returners: redshirt juniors Kelby Brown and C.J. France, redshirt sophomore Kyler Brown, junior David Helton

Kelby Brown will return to Duke's linebacking corps after missing the entire 2012 season due to injury (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Kelby Brown will return to Duke’s linebacking corps after missing the entire 2012 season due to injury (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Key departures: Austin Gamble

Now in the mix: freshman Dominic McDonald

2012 performance: Duke’s linebacking corps was statistically very productive in 2012. Head coach David Cutcliffe kept his linebackers constantly rotating in his 4-2-5 defense and the Blue Devils’ top four linebackers were able to make significant contributions to the defense. C.J. France was the biggest surprise of the 2012 season, leading the linebackers with 56 tackles, 1.5 for a loss and an interception. After starting the season on the bench, France quickly found a spot in the starting lineup and held onto it for the remainder of the season. Helton and Kyler Brown were dependable on the strong side, registered 54 and 50 tackles on the season, respectively. Gamble served as one of the emotional leaders of this linebacking group, but was the least productive last season, when he registered just 36 tackles but also forced and recovered a fumble and blocked a kick.

Duke’s linebackers were relatively reliable in pass coverage last season. Most of the big plays that the Blue Devils fell susceptible to last season came in the form of long bombs over the top of their secondary. The linebackers were average in run support, often having to make tackles when Duke’s struggling defensive line allowed some of the ACC’s stronger backs into the second level. As a unit, they succeeded in wrapping the ballcarier up, though a few missed tackles were definitely a part of this team’s downfall.

Season outlook: In addition to returning an experienced group of linebackers, the Blue Devils will be relieved to welcome Kelby Brown back to the lineup. Brown had been a full-time starter during his first two seasons at Duke before a knee injury kept him out for the entire season. Luckily for the Blue Devils, Brown had not used his redshirt year as a freshman and can now use his extra year of eligibility. It is unclear to see where Brown will factor into the linebacking corps this year, though. He was listed behind France on Duke’s first depth chart of the spring. Expect him to make some push for the starting job this summer in training camp. As of now, his younger brother Kyler is projected to start on the strong side with Helton listed as second-string.

Dominic McDonald is one of four Duke freshmen to enroll early and participate with the team in spring practice. McDonald had shown a lot of promise before having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in late February. It is unclear how long the injury will keep him out, but he will likely be good to go by the time the Blue Devils meet this summer for training camp. Cutcliffe had previously lauded McDonald’s work in meetings and the weight room, citing the Florida native’s promising future.

The key for the Blue Devil linebackers this year will be in run support, where the team struggled last season. Attacking the line of scrimmage and making tackles shortly after first contact will be crucial to this team’s success in stopping the run. If there is anything this team needs from its linebackers this year, it is for them to evolve from consistent players to playmakers. Duke returns experience at linebacker, but also boasts a bunch that rarely made an impact on a game by sacking quarterbacks and causing turnovers.

Previous unit breakdowns: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line