The Cardinal Countdown: 9 Days Until Kickoff

#9 Tee Webb

Class: Freshman

Ht/Wt: 6-4/195

Position: Quarterback

Hometown: Cartersville, GA

Twitter: @teewebb9

Thoughts: Something I think that has gone slightly underappreciated by most in college football is the talent Louisville has been spitting out at QB for decades. Are there gaps or lulls in that production over time? Of course, but overall, we can think back as fans and see through multiple staffs, multiple offenses, and multiple decades of play UofL has not only put guys in the league but had QBs tallying up yardage and points like it was a video game. In the last decade alone UofL has Teddy, Lamar, and Reggie (RB) all playing in the NFL, and playing well, and we’ll finish out the decade with another guy (Cunningham) who will likely have a significant shot at playing at the next level in some capacity as well.

Sorry to derail from the player at hand, but my intro was leading me down the path of saying that Tee Webb may be on that list in the future as well. The 6-4 signal caller is labeled as a pro-style QB, but we’re not looking at Peyton Manning level mobility here as Tee has some wheels and can use them if necessary. Watching some of his tape you can see how his height provides a nice advantage in surveying the field but most notable were the few instances were Webb was just “slangin” the ball. While I would recommend checking out the whole thing if time allows (what else you doing, working?) there is a segment starting right around the 3:30 mark where you get three plays in a row that give you the cliffs notes on what Tee brings to the team. Play 1; you see said wheels as the corners never gain a yard on him in open field. Play 2; in a tight spot we see him deliver an absolute dime off his back foot 25-30 yards downfield over the trailing defender. Play 3; a pump fake and then a bullet up the seam for an easy TD

While I certainly don’t expect Webb to see significant time this year the new “keep a year of eligibility” rule from the NCAA may allow him to whip a few balls around if games get out of hand, although the shortened schedule also brings those opportunities into question. A year in the offense with no pressure will be beneficial, and don’t be surprised when his name is in the mix next season.

Sweet Tweet:

The Cards knew the importance of keeping Webb on board and brought the whole squad for the in home with Satt, Ponce, and Norv Mac making the trip down to Georgia. I think Webb turns out to be a good one for Louisville and will be looking to put up numbers like he did in high school.

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#9 C.J. Avery

Class: Senior

Ht/Wt: 5-11/230

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Grenada, MS

Twitter: @Averyy_Sports

Thoughts: It’s hard to believe it but C.J. played in his first collegiate game up in Indianapolis when the Cards took on Purdue to kick things off in 2017. The Cards were entering the season with the reigning Heisman winner and lofty expectations about competing for an ACC championship. That seems like so long ago to me, but I’ve had like seven kids and watched a lot of football since then. Avery has been a mainstay on the defense all three seasons up to this point, and similar to his jersey neighbor Rodjay Burns, he was moved down to play linebacker from his initial position in the secondary.

Avery has always been an aggressor in the middle of the field but last year he had some statistics to back up just how big of a “disruptor” he really is. Avery finished as the teams leading tackler (93) but his contributions covered both the rushing attack as well as the passing game (6 tackles for loss, 3 QB hurries, 3 sacks, 6 passes broken up). On the field Avery is a chameleon who can do multiple things for Coach Brown and this staff but his biggest contribution is making the opposing QB uncomfortable.

The quick clip below it’s not the best example of what Avery can do but an example none the less (this website is free,y’all). Avery (middle of screen) appears to have assignment on the running back, and when he determines that the back is being used as a blocker and has no plans to release he turns on the afterburners and turns into a (legal) projectile that is looking to remove appendages from bodies that stand in his way. Thankfully all limbs remained intact.

While Avery is a leader on the field, this spring and summer the coaches have highlighted his leadership off the field as well. The senior has been through some stuff while at Louisville, including a few coordinators, position changes, and a season where the defense was pegged as one of the worst in the country, but I’ll say it again for the kids in the back…I think Avery is one of the guys who helps continue to push this defense back into the top of the conference statistically. Year two of the same scheme, same terminology, same playbook, etc can really do wonders for ones confidence. When the middle of the field is hard to use to due excellent play from the middle linebackers or interior linemen the game becomes more challenging for the offense. Etheridge and Avery can do that this year.

Sweet Tweet:

We haven’t got to talk about new coach Derek Nicholson that much this summer but by all accounts he was another great pickup for this staff who has done an incredible job so far in putting together a group of coaches that can not only win, but hopefully have some staying power.