Mailbag

Great set of questions - please keep sending them in!

Is Vallone participating in any capacity? –Rich

Scott Vallone is a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle out of Central Islip, N.Y. who Greg Schiano thought might be able to help him, even as a true freshman. Then in April Vallone needed surgery on his foot, he came to camp unable to fully participate and Greg switched linebackers Blair Bines and Eric LeGrand up to the three-technique tackle.

Well, Blair – a former high school tailback – has seized that and is, Greg said, “getting better every day.” He’s still probably behind Alex Silvestro, who has more experience up there, but for a guy who’s for the first time playing with one hand on the ground, Blair’s “certainly got the ability,” Greg said.

Still, for as pleased as Greg is with Blair’s progress, he wouldn’t count out seeing Vallone this year. The freshman’s expected to start practicing this week and like Greg said, “it’s a long year, a long season.”

---

Are redshirted players allowed to do everything regular players do besides suit up and play in games? Are there other restrictions? –Eamon

            At Rutgers, there is no hard-and-fast redshirt list before the season starts. The coaches may have a rough idea of who’ll spend the year on the sidelines, but that could change as the team’s needs change. So everyone participates, in every part of the program, save for travel – every freshman will travel at least once, but not every one will make every trip.

---

Although I seem to remember some rumblings in the spring about Timmy Brown not
being with program at that time, I don't remember hearing any official word on his status.  I haven't read a thing about him this fall, which I'm interpreting as bad news.  That would be a shame--he seemed always to have a big smile on his face. –Save Ferris 

Timmy was indeed disciplined in the spring, but he’s back working with what Greg Schiano commended as “a great attitude.” His ability remains unquestioned and he’s certainly been approaching the game and his playbook as the coaches want – all he needs now, Greg said, is to log more time with this renewed focus.

            It will be interesting to see who becomes Rutgers’ third wideout, Timmy or Dennis Campbell. Dennis has missed this week with hamstring trouble, he’s expected back Monday, and even though he’s a junior and was the spring’s most improved player, Greg said “I think anybody that misses a week loses some ground. It’s how fast can you get back into it.”

---

What kind of restrictions does the Coach and Staff put on your reporting?  Are there things they ask you not to report or are there just guidelines? --Jim Sturdevant

            This is a great one, Jim - I just got “in trouble” on this very front! In a throwaway note, I mentioned an exact sequence of plays, which at Rutgers is a big no-no. We’re not allowed to detail plays, and definitely not gimmick or trick plays. We can’t say who is individually being called out, or what a coach might’ve said in calling out that player. In-season, Greg may ask us not to report an injury, so as not to give a team a competitive advantage, and he always has final say on who we can or can not talk to. But it goes both ways. Greg allows us to watch all of camp and part of practice once the season starts, which gives us good background and helps us inform our reporting. I'd rather hold back some reporting to have that access, than not have the access at all.

---

How does our kicking game actually look, in practice and/or in the scrimmage?  Do San San Te and Teddy look good? Do they look comfortable and what can you tell me about the improvement to our Special Teams? --Andrew

            Well, you don’t actually know till the lights go on, right? As I wrote earlier, San San’s always had an incredible work ethic, he’s looked pretty darn reliable in practice and he has something record-breaker Jeremy Ito never had – a year to redshirt and apprentice under Ito. Teddy’s made remarkable progress. Remember, when he came in last year, he’d never punted in the rain before. He’s spent a year acclimating to northeast weather and I expect you’ll see a big improvement in Rutgers’ punt protection team too. Tiquan Underwood said having a designated special teams coach, who has no other position groups, makes a difference. I haven’t seen anything to argue with that.