Post by Cousin Eddie on Apr 11, 2016 9:01:58 GMT -6
I was also at the Fieldhouse for practice. A couple observations:
QB: They rotated all three QBs through the offense. I would say that Saeger and Simmons got the most reps, but now by much. Saeger is clearly a senior leader. However, everybody that was there was commenting on Simmons' arm. He has a cannon. I am not skilled enough to speak to his level of accuracy, but the ball definitely pops out of his arm with a little more speed/power. He really spins it. Also, he has some very noticeable speed and quicks. I love the element that we will be able to have with the the zone-read option now that we have some QB depth, regardless of the starter. At the end of the day, I still think this is Saeger's job to lose, but I think Simmons will get some PT.
Overheard some guys talking about the offense. In short the comment was that this offense, for the players, is more simplistic than the old one. Don't read too much into that, but the point that was made was that the players "only need to know how to read [the defense]" to understand it. Everything was running at a good clip. I expect us to run out a shotgun quite a bit.
OL: The group rotating with the first squad and the group rotating with the second squad are clearly distinguishable. For clarity, there were probably 7 guys rotating in each squad. It is "the big guys" and the "not yet so big guys." As to their skills, I am not in a position to say. That being said, I have a lot of faith Coach OB. He was coaching up his kids non-stop. Also, what an animated guy. Full of enthusiasm, jumping up and down and hollering. Aggressive, but supportive. Perfect for OL.
The kids do a good job supporting each other as well. You could have been blind and you would have known if the defense was playing well or the offense was playing well. When the O made a good play, the red squad (offense) yelled and celebrated from one side of the field. When the D made a good play, the white squad yelled and celebrate on the other side of the field.
RB: Really only two RBs getting reps. Bouma is being held out of contact while he recovers, so all of the live stuff was between Mike Fredrick and Kilgore. Fredrick looked to be picking up right where he left off. Kilgore seemed to be moving well and was in better shape. Paul Anderson was moved to RB but was not in pads and watched from the sideline. I did not see Calvin Strong at practice.
WR: I think this group is going to be fun. Jackson is a speed demon, despite his size. I heard somebody say that he was the champion of the off-season. He will be a weapon. Carpenter is coming on strong. He is much thicker than I expected. Eric Saintil will be one to watch. He is fast, tall, lanky and has good hands. Van Roekel picked up where he left off - he had a no contact jersey on, but was catching everything that went his way.
TE: We have a couple TEs to watch this year. Ramsey, of course, but Hale stood out. Potter also made some plays. Storebo will be welcome height at this position.
About the only thing that I could report on for defense was the "look" of the LBs. I just didn't watch much of this and was on the side of the offense for individual drills. We have some guys that LOOK like LBs now. More size AND speed. Not just small guys with speed. Nate Gunn moved to LB, by the way. Coker will be interesting to watch. He is fast. Made a great leaping INT. Romantay Hill surely looks the part.
Regarding the coaching staff: They are something to watch. Nielson is clearly in charge and carries a presence about him. He tends to focus on the O, but he stays back and watches everything from a distance. He lets his assistants handle the one on one coaching and he doesn't get into the weeds. It was clear that all of the assistants were on the same page. This is expected with the guys that have already worked together, but I was impressed with how seamless it was with the "new" guys as well. Seems like great chemistry.
Talk about classy too. After practice, the RBs all walked over, shook hands and thanked the fans watching in our group. Likewise, Coach Middleton did the same.
I think we are going to be pleased with these guys. Sorry that I am not a technician to provide better detail and analysis.
QB: They rotated all three QBs through the offense. I would say that Saeger and Simmons got the most reps, but now by much. Saeger is clearly a senior leader. However, everybody that was there was commenting on Simmons' arm. He has a cannon. I am not skilled enough to speak to his level of accuracy, but the ball definitely pops out of his arm with a little more speed/power. He really spins it. Also, he has some very noticeable speed and quicks. I love the element that we will be able to have with the the zone-read option now that we have some QB depth, regardless of the starter. At the end of the day, I still think this is Saeger's job to lose, but I think Simmons will get some PT.
Overheard some guys talking about the offense. In short the comment was that this offense, for the players, is more simplistic than the old one. Don't read too much into that, but the point that was made was that the players "only need to know how to read [the defense]" to understand it. Everything was running at a good clip. I expect us to run out a shotgun quite a bit.
OL: The group rotating with the first squad and the group rotating with the second squad are clearly distinguishable. For clarity, there were probably 7 guys rotating in each squad. It is "the big guys" and the "not yet so big guys." As to their skills, I am not in a position to say. That being said, I have a lot of faith Coach OB. He was coaching up his kids non-stop. Also, what an animated guy. Full of enthusiasm, jumping up and down and hollering. Aggressive, but supportive. Perfect for OL.
The kids do a good job supporting each other as well. You could have been blind and you would have known if the defense was playing well or the offense was playing well. When the O made a good play, the red squad (offense) yelled and celebrated from one side of the field. When the D made a good play, the white squad yelled and celebrate on the other side of the field.
RB: Really only two RBs getting reps. Bouma is being held out of contact while he recovers, so all of the live stuff was between Mike Fredrick and Kilgore. Fredrick looked to be picking up right where he left off. Kilgore seemed to be moving well and was in better shape. Paul Anderson was moved to RB but was not in pads and watched from the sideline. I did not see Calvin Strong at practice.
WR: I think this group is going to be fun. Jackson is a speed demon, despite his size. I heard somebody say that he was the champion of the off-season. He will be a weapon. Carpenter is coming on strong. He is much thicker than I expected. Eric Saintil will be one to watch. He is fast, tall, lanky and has good hands. Van Roekel picked up where he left off - he had a no contact jersey on, but was catching everything that went his way.
TE: We have a couple TEs to watch this year. Ramsey, of course, but Hale stood out. Potter also made some plays. Storebo will be welcome height at this position.
About the only thing that I could report on for defense was the "look" of the LBs. I just didn't watch much of this and was on the side of the offense for individual drills. We have some guys that LOOK like LBs now. More size AND speed. Not just small guys with speed. Nate Gunn moved to LB, by the way. Coker will be interesting to watch. He is fast. Made a great leaping INT. Romantay Hill surely looks the part.
Regarding the coaching staff: They are something to watch. Nielson is clearly in charge and carries a presence about him. He tends to focus on the O, but he stays back and watches everything from a distance. He lets his assistants handle the one on one coaching and he doesn't get into the weeds. It was clear that all of the assistants were on the same page. This is expected with the guys that have already worked together, but I was impressed with how seamless it was with the "new" guys as well. Seems like great chemistry.
Talk about classy too. After practice, the RBs all walked over, shook hands and thanked the fans watching in our group. Likewise, Coach Middleton did the same.
I think we are going to be pleased with these guys. Sorry that I am not a technician to provide better detail and analysis.