After Hawaii’s football practice on Tuesday,
David Graves
was back in a familiar position — on the ground, stretching out leg aches, and competing for reps at quarterback.
"I’m back now," Graves said.
Graves was battling for the starting quarterback job at the start of training camp. Instead, four days into camp, he moved to receiver.
"I’m always trying to stay optimistic and make the best of every situation," said Graves, who was not on the 63-player travel roster for the Sept. 1 opener against Southern California.
This past weekend, he returned to California to attend the funeral of one of his best friends, Joey Corbett. They were teammates from Pop Warner through high school.
"Being back home, it was a good time to think," Graves said.
On Monday, he was told he would move back to quarterback and compete for the No. 2 job behind starter Sean Schroeder.
"He gives us maturity," head coach Norm Chow said of Graves, who is a fourth-year junior. "There’s steadiness about him."
Schroeder and Graves split the reps during team drills on Tuesday.
"It feels good to throw again and take my five-step drop," Graves said. "It’s weird. I’ve only been gone (from quarterback) for — how long, five weeks? — but it feels good to be back. I’m a little rusty, but I’ll definitely knock off the rust.
Graves said his time at receiver gave him a different perspective of the pro-set offense. He is applying those lessons to his work at quarterback.
"I definitely feel I have the core of the offense," Graves said. ‘There are all of those wrinkles and twists we’re going through. I have to get through that."
Bright back at receiver
The diagram of Darius Bright‘s past year is a full circle.
Bright moved from wideout last year to tight end this past spring to obscurity this summer and, on Tuesday, back to receiver.
Bright was projected to have a significant role at tight end this season. But he missed a week of training camp to resolve academic issues. The past two weeks, he was on the scout team.
When single-side receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann suffered a fractured left hand, that opened the way for the coaches to scan the roster for a replacement. Bright did well in Tuesday’s team drills, using his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame to create mismatches against single coverages.
"He’s a big wide receiver," Chow said. "He’s a talented guy. A lot of times you like big wide receivers who can run over people."
Walking wounded
Cornerback Mike Edwards left Tuesday’s practice with what appeared to be a slightly sprained ankle. Chow said preliminary indications are the injury is not considered serious.
Offensive lineman Ben Dew was treated for a leg ailment. His status was not immediately known.
Sellers a student of game
For safety Mike Sellers, preparation begins in the classroom.
Sellers, who aspires to a career with the FBI or CIA, is taking two classes that are helpful in breaking down the tendencies of criminal suspects. Those skills translate into scouting opposing players.
Sellers spends hours evaluating videos, then taking those lessons and applying them at practices.
"He’s always in the right place," Chow noted.
Sellers is competing for a starting job at safety.
"I was always the one who asked questions no matter how many people got irritated," Sellers said. "I know my mom hated it. But at the end of the day, she’d say: ‘It’s good that you asked rather than not ask.’ "
