C.L. Brown: Pat Kelsey ready to deliver results for Louisville men's basketball
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The U of L football camp stock report

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
Bobby Petrino watches his players during practice. August 5, 2014

Through two weeks of practice and two intrasquad scrimmages, Louisville football's team for the 2014 season is starting to take shape.

There are still some issues to iron out, but it's clear through Aug. 18 where Louisville's strengths and weaknesses lie some 14 days before the Cardinals' opener. Bobby Petrino, Garrick McGee and Todd Grantham came here with reputations attached to their names, and the on-field product hasn't deviated much from the styles of play for which the three coaches are known.

So as the final preseason practice week starts -- can you believe next Monday starts Louisville's first game week? -- let's take full stock of playing style, position battles, areas of concern and areas of optimism.

STOCK RISING

1. The running backs corps. It's not like observers of this team *didn't* know Louisville had good running backs, but the first two weeks of practice showed that the Cards could have two very good ones, a star-in-the-making and two solid backup options.

Dominique Brown, at 6-2, 233 pounds, looks like an outside linebacker. There have been a few times in both practices and Saturday's scrimmage when Brown, a redshirt senior, hustled through the line of scrimmage, reached the second level and looked like a guy defensive backs don't want to tackle. He has deceptive speed and elusiveness to his game, and his presence in the passing game out of the backfield has been noticeable.

Of course, Michael Dyer's muscular frame and big name have him at the top of the outside attention list. I've seen several people and outlets mention that Dyer, a 5-9, 213-pound back who was the MVP for Auburn in the 2011 national title game, might just outrush Brown this fall. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable betting on that, but it could be close. Aside from a bruised knee in Saturday's scrimmage that could set him back a few days, Dyer's been one of the stars of camp, with exceptional acceleration and low-gravity running.

LJ Scott is going to be "The Guy" in 2015, and he can get some solid backup help from Brandon Radcliff and Corvin Lamb. Scott is 5-11, 230 pounds, quick between the tackles and a smart ball carrier. He obviously has some things to learn, but he can use 2014 as a learning lesson behind Brown and Dyer before stepping into the spotlight next year.

University of Louisville's Terrell Floyd   runs through drills in 2012

2. The safeties. It's never going to be easy to defend in practice against a Petrino/McGee offense. No matter how people feel about Petrino off the field, it's impossible to ignore the offensive firepower his teams have had under his guidance. That said, Terell Floyd, Gerod Holliman and James Sample have done well this past two weeks.

Floyd moved from corner to safety, the position he played when I covered him in high school in South Florida. He's looked comfortable back there, and provides a ball-playing presence in an area that was once one of Louisville's biggest concerns.

Holliman and Sample become a safety duo in the nickel package, which was used a lot in Saturday's scrimmage. Floyd moved up to cover the third receiver in the offense's formation, and Sample came on the field as the free safety. Again, there are going to be some moments -- and Petrino said he wasn't happy about giving up big plays -- but the safeties replacing Calvin Pryor and Hakeem Smith seem to have found their moxie a little bit.

3. The tempo. I know, I know -- it's nothing new to fans here who watched Louisville under Petrino the first time. But it's still something that catches your eye in action. The Cards will still huddle, but there will be a mix of no-huddle, hurry-up and huddle offense. Petrino wanted the huddles to be quick and communicative on Saturday, and that's how they came off to observers.

WAIT AND SEE

1. Linebackers. There were a ton of good moments for them on Saturday and throughout the past two weeks. Lorenzo Mauldin will require attention on every down this season, and the mixture of Deiontrez Mount and Nick Dawson will produce pass rush this fall, too.

Inside, James Burgess, Keith Brown and Keith Kelsey each have talent. Burgess in particular stands out.

But as a group, these guys are going to be challenged a lot this fall for reasons I'll get to in a minute, and it'll be on them to use their speed and tackling prowess to keep opposing running games at bay.

2. Offensive line. Inconsistency was the word that best described this group last fall. There were great games, like the bowl win over Miami, and some not-so-great games, like the Cincinnati and Houston wins. Having Teddy Bridgewater's pocket presence bailed Louisville out in those games.

In the new offense under Petrino and McGee, the quickness of play development gets a huge emphasis (not entirely unlike most other offenses, I know, but seemingly even more here). That takes some pressure off the O-line and help blockers like tight ends and backs. That said, there were still quite a few collapsed pockets on Saturday, and the first play of the scrimmage would've been a Mauldin sack if defenders were allowed to hit the quarterback.

STOCK STRUGGLING

1. Defensive line. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, and I've heard several other outlets might disagree with me, but the defensive line could be the main defensive concern all season. There isn't a ton of depth there, and the running backs have had their way with the ball in two scrimmages. They ran for 300 yards on Monday, according to running backs coach Kolby Smith, and, especially early on, Brown and Dyer gashed the defense for 6-to-12-yard-range runs. Lamb also broke a few loose.

Burgess insists the D-line is doing well, and there is talent there in Sheldon Rankins, BJ DuBose and DeAngelo Brown, so U of L seems confident that opponents won't have the same rushing success against the front three.

2. Cornerbacks. It's mid-August, so along with the comments about the D-line, the same can be said here: The cornerbacks have a lot of talent, but they've also had some unwanted exposure in public practices and Saturday's scrimmage. DeVante Parker, who, to be fair, has first-round NFL draft potential, has shredded the secondary all August. Absolutely shredded. James Quick started slow, but the sophomore receiver has been a standout in practices and made some big-time plays.

Charles Gaines is a very good cornerback. He's fast. He's a sharp ball-hawk. And for a guy who's about to play just his second season at corner, Gaines is already a star there.

But beyond Gaines, challenges exist. Andrew Johnson, Floyd's replacement as an outside corner, is a senior who's made a lot of plays in practice. Still, opponents are going to throw at him. A lot. And he's admitted there's been a lot of exploitation of the corners in preseason practices. Whether opposing quarterbacks and receivers can do the same thing remains to be seen, but this group may not have the safety cloak and the pass-rush help that it had a year ago.