Talking offense, Chris Polk and even a little Tim Tebow with Tim Lappano

Published 2:48 pm Thursday, August 7, 2008

Since I wrote about defense (the line in particular) yesterday, it makes since to talk a little offense on the blog today.

Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano talked with reporters today, and as he had in the past, said he was impressed with the young group of tailbacks and receivers in camp. He also added, however, that the time is quickly approaching when information overload can slow down the progress of the freshmen.

“All of those kids can run, which is nice,” he said. “Now they’re swimming a little bit, but they can run.”

“They don’t know how much is going to be coming at them in the next three or four days,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot. They’ll start to figure something out, then something else comes and they get a little frustrated with that, which is going to happen.”

One freshman who many expect to play a lot this season is Chris Polk, and as has been mentioned here and other places already this week, Polk has been working with the running backs this week rather than at receiver, which is where he spent most of his spring.

Lappano said he couldn’t go into details on what their plans are for Polk, but he and the rest of the coaches are obviously impressed with the freshman.

Lappano also talked about the trip he and other coaches took to Florida in the spring to watch some of the Gators’ spring practice. The goal, obviously, was to learn from Florida’s version of the spread option.

“It’s a small fraternity really when you think about it,” Lappano said. “A lot of guys in this profession know each other and help each other. We contacted to Urban Meyer and he didn’t have any problem with it. You usually don’t share ideas with teams you’re going to face or even could face, but he had no problem with it at all. They’re probably the best offense in the country right now.”

Asked about the similarities between Locker and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow, Lappano said:

“They’re a lot alike. He’s a great kid, a first-class kid, polite. A good-looking kid, big, strong, sharp. Good kid. A really good kid. They’re a lot alike. It’s scary almost how much.”