First things first, here's the last thing I intend to type about this DeRon Furr thing until I hear from him/his family or until Tommy Tuberville announces what he's doing. I'm brand new on this beat and I can't say I fully understand what's going on. If he was officially off the team, I'd think Tuberville would have said that today, but he didn't. I don't understand how the guy handles this stuff like the guys who've been around the beat for a while -- and they don't seem to have a firm grip on it this time, either. Based on the responses thus far, it appears the ball is in DeRon's court -- or at least they're not comfortable saying anything's final yet.

The only person who has really addressed this whole thing (at least to me) was Zac Etheridge. Montgomery's Jay G. Tate and I (there might have been someone else there, too, but we were the ones asking about the fight) asked Etheridge this evening what was going on with DeRon and here's what he said:
"I actually haven’t talked to him. I don’t know the situation with that or anything. But I’m sure whatever he’s gonna do, he’s gonna make that decision himself."

On what happened:
"It was just setting an example to the freshmen. It wasn’t nothing like bumping heads. It was just showing them that we’re here to work and get to the championship."

More on what caused it:
"It’s just that everyone was tired. The heat was bothering everyone. He just didn’t push himself hard, but other than that, (it) got the other freshmen to learn and they picked it up today."

Now on to some random observations from today's practice:
* The big thing from today's practice was that cornerback Aairon Savage was injured in a passing drill. The trainers stabilized his right leg in a big blue cast that ran the length of his leg and they carted him off the field very slowly. Tuberville didn't want to speculate on the severity of the injury, but it didn't look good.
* They hadn't even gotten Savage on the cart yet when another player was injured. Receiver Charles Olatunji went up for a jump ball with Neiko Thorpe on a Kodi Burns bomb toward the end zone. It was anybody's ball when they hit the ground, although Thorpe came down with it (I think he's gonna be good). Olatunji hit the ground awkwardly on his left shoulder and eventually got up and walked off under his own power. Tuberville said he didn't know the severity of that one either.
* I saw all four quarterbacks make some really nice throws at points today:

Chris Todd and Chris Slaughter hooked up on a couple of great throw-and-catches for TDs in both one-on-one drills and pass skeleton. Tony Franklin told me after practice today he's been especially pleased with some of the things Slaughter has done.

Philip Pierre-Louis hooked up on nice touchdowns from both Kodi Burns and Barrett Trotter in one-on-one drills. Burns also hit Darvin Adams for a nice long TD over Mike Slade in that set of drills.

Burns also threw interceptions on consecutive plays in pass skeleton. Before he was injured, Aairon Savage made a nice read on a pass and picked Burns off. Then on the next play, a linebacker (Blackmon?) tipped Burns' throw and Chris Evans hauled it in.

* I didn't take a lot of notes during 11-on-11 drills, although that's when both Savage and Olatunji were injured. I did jot down a couple of plays, though -- an Adam Herring interception off a tipped Barrett Trotter pass and a really nice one-handed catch that Brad Lester made off a Neil Caudle pass for a TD.
* One of the entertaining drills of the day was a blocking drill the offensive and defensive linemen were doing. Basically it boiled down to two guys in the middle squaring off for three straight plays. I walked up just after freshman Jomarcus Savage planted Lee Ziemba on his rear end with a bull rush. Some of the writers were still talking about it when I got there because it was kind of a 'whoa!' moment. I missed some other good efforts by the defensive linemen, although I heard the other writers say Antoine Carter had done well. I saw a good speed rush around the end by Cameron Henderson just as I arrived.
* There was a good standoff between Tyronne Green and Sen'Derrick Marks right when I got there. On the first go, Green stonewalled Marks and Sen'Derrick kind of deflected backwards and told Green he did a great job. Marks fought past him to the quarterback on the next one, setting up what Hugh Nall said would be the rubber match. On the third go-round, Marks tried to bull rush Green, who stood his ground enough for Marks to fall down before he made it into the backfield. Those guys were going hard. It was very entertaining to watch and I think the coaches were enjoying that one as well.
* Speaking of enjoying the drill, I know Hugh Nall got a big kick out of walk-on OL Andrew Parmer's effort on the last two reps. He attacked the defender both times, wrestling him down the first time and then drilling him inside the shoulders the second. Nall, you could tell, was pleased with the effort. He's not a big guy, but he packed a wallop on those two plays.

That's more than enough for today, I reckon.