Had a chance to catch my 2nd practice of the Fall Camp
Team had referees and did in game situational work - 2 minute drills, OT drills, ST drills, etc
They were not in full pads but just shells, so hitting but no tackling to the ground.
Offense was very impressive today and got the best of the defense, a big jump since I saw them play 10 days ago. Part of this is the difference between full pads (which aids the defense) vs. shells. Part of it was a stellar performance from Goff - I’ve never seen him look better. Missed but 1-2 passes all day including 7’s. And he made 5-6 incredible throws, two back shoulders, one deep fade, one post. Footwork was superb, release and accuracy. Best practice QB performance I’ve seen since AR prowled Memorial Stadium.
WRs had a very good day - Treggs, Lawler and Chad Hansen in particular. Hansen was uncoverable against the 2’s and didn’t drop anything. Treggs crushed the defense on a deep post and Lawler made two great grabs in traffic.
Biggest focus point for me today was OL (tackles) vs. DL (DEs). Overall, this was the best OL performance I’ve seen in 4+ years. Color me surprised but I thought Farley looked comfortable and rock solid at LT. Moore was also consistent but also got to face Wilson more instead of Kragen (more on that below). Goff had a clean pocket on 85% of this throws and the running lanes (take with a boulder of salt given no pads) were consistently there. 2nd/3rd team OL were a clear notch or two below the 1’s. That said, I thought Cochran looked very good. He’s really using those long arms of his and once he gets them on a defender, it’s lights out. Killed it in the 1:1’s. Semisi also stood out in 1:1’s, less so during 11’s. Cochran can be lazy with this feet and technique a bit, he gave up a sack to a very bursty Johnie Johnson and almost let him in on another one but again despite getting beat around the corner, he got his arms extended and prevented JJ from getting the sack. His run blocking is miles better than it was this Spring. Ditto for the whole line. I like our run blocking potential.
So the defense did not have as good of a day, what’s that tell us? I’m not sure. Kragen looked quick and beat Farley badly on one play although Goff got the ball out so quick I don’t believe they credited him for the sack (but it would have been a painful hit and would Goff had made the pass had he known he was going to get crushed?). Kragen was also the most impressive DE in the 1:1 pass rush drills. Wilson was quiet today. He’s lost some weight and looks spry out there but he’s not the big strongside rush DE we might have thought we had when he was 265-270lbs. Moore handled him on run plays. I thought Barr was the most explosive looking DE in rushing the passer outside of Kragen, he looks like a different player to me. Johnson also had a nice day with the one sack and one hurry. He’s very quick around the edge though he does not look as strong as Wilson or Kragen on run plays. I thought Looney and Jalil were quiet in 11’s today. Tougher for them with no pads and a set of plays that were 80%+ passes. No collapsed pockets. In pass rush drills they put them both at DE and I thought Looney looked great in that sequence. He beat both Moore and Farley with quick lateral moves and strength. Wouldn’t mind seeing him slide outside on obvious pass rush downs opposite Kragen or Johnson.
We blitzed a bit and it was effective though Goff beat it. Effective in the sense that the blitzer came free and forced a quick throw. During pass rush drills (4 DL against 5 OL), we stunted a bit and did a few interesting moves on the DL and that gave the OL some issues.
I thought our DBs were pretty solid in terms of being in position and not blowing coverage. Nice to see some athleticism and competitive fire from that group. First two plays they forced incompletes with White, Drew and McClure involved. Lawler and Goff hooked up on a long pass where Kenny had both White and Drew on him but still came down with the ball.
Treggs and Davis are still our 1st team PR. Noa and Singleton are 2nd team.
Forest had a solid day, better than 10 days ago. Generally effective behind a less strong OL. That said, the difference between he and Goff is material. He’d need to take another step forward to make me feel good about next year. Consistent accuracy and knowing when to throw the fastball vs. touch pass are his areas of work. Bowers has very good feet, can really move and slide in the pocket and throw on the run. He has multiple speeds to his passes but inconsistent with his accuracy and doesn’t have the arm that Forest and Goff do.
Lasco is almost a similar notch above the rest of the RB crew as Goff is with the QBs. He’s so much more decisive and his vision is much better. Enwere still going lateral too much for my taste. Muhammad was by far the most effective 2nd back. Got wide open on a go route from the backfield but Forest missed him. Great burst when running the ball and more decisive than the others. Coprich and Watson both dropped easy flare passes that were on the money from Goff and Forest. Powell is impressive once he gets going but he’s indecisive and shows too much sideways running for a power back.
Noa is the best of the frosh WRs. Singleton is the more explosive athlete but not nearly as polished as a route runner or with his hands.
Defense mixed up the 1’s a lot. Barton ran almost exclusively with the 2’s. Jefferson and Nickerson getting most of the 1st reps. Downs looks like he’s struggling a bit this camp. Me thinks he’s battling an injury given the lack of his usual explosion. Kearney sat out today but was in pads. Coleman did not practice at all. Not surprisingly, Kelly was not out there although I heard he’s been around more the last few days. Secondary saw the most mixing and matching. McClure played a bit but not a lot. Turner got a lot of time as the slot CB and at safety. He’s very athletic and was around the ball a lot though he did get beat several times. McCrary was out there with the 2’s and 3’s mostly and struggled today. Looks like he’s thinking too much. Rubenzer played almost exclusively with the 2’s. Got beat on one play. Brown played quite a bit but did not flash. Psalms caught my eye quite a bit. He’s yoked, he’s long and he can run. He’s feisty and competitive as well. I bet he plays quite a bit as the season goes along. Hawkins looks to still be favoring the shoulder a bit though he did play in a limited role. Albert catches my eye as well, very physical (het got called for PI on one play) and he looks like he’s susceptible to getting beat deep if he doesn’t press successfully. Still, I like the way he plays. Didn’t see much if any of Walker or Dozier today. Vanderbilt and Rambo played quite a bit. Vanderbilt moves well and has good length but seemed slow to react to plays. Got an earful from the coaches. Rambo is REALLY long and he’s a ball hawk. Just missed making a play on a Hansen catch where he was in position but missed the ball. I think he has a bright future. Somewhat similar to Piatt IMO as he’s lanky and intuitive but not super fast. No Piatt today even working out.
Even though the defense had the worst of it today, the depth and athleticism are noticeable. We’re simply playing faster. My sense is that we were missing Piatt, Kelly, Coleman and Kearney. Those four are critical proven depth to our defense. Would have like to have heard a little more chatter from the D leaders when the offense was beating them. Too much coach talk and not enough from the players IMO. I like some of the DL depth though none of them look like future stars - Mekari, Manley and Davis were very solid and better than our 2nd team OL. Of the youngsters, Saffle suited up but didn’t hit. Bequette is the most impressive of the true frosh IMO. Ude looks like a tweener right now. Too small to play DT and too slow to play DE. He looked better in 11’s than 1:1’s where Farley abused him a few times.
I heard what Dykes said today on punting but mostly it was good. Beito missed from 42 on the only FG kick I saw.
Generally, I like the look of our team. I will go out on a limb and say we’re at least a full notch better than at this time last year. I’m not ready to say our defense will be above average but I daresay they will be a lot better than they were last year. I really think getting the veterans who are out right now back is a BIG deal. The drop off from Coleman to the true frosh and from Kearney to other LBs in pass coverage is noticeable. We need Piatt’s smarts at safety and Kelly gives us a near starter quality DT. Let’s hope by Texas they are ready to roll. Their is a talent gap between our O and D especially when you don't consider the true frosh. If I stack ranked the team based on pure football talent, I think only 3 defenders make the top 10. That said, the frosh defensive class looks impressive, especially if Saffle is as good as I believe he might be.
Team had referees and did in game situational work - 2 minute drills, OT drills, ST drills, etc
They were not in full pads but just shells, so hitting but no tackling to the ground.
Offense was very impressive today and got the best of the defense, a big jump since I saw them play 10 days ago. Part of this is the difference between full pads (which aids the defense) vs. shells. Part of it was a stellar performance from Goff - I’ve never seen him look better. Missed but 1-2 passes all day including 7’s. And he made 5-6 incredible throws, two back shoulders, one deep fade, one post. Footwork was superb, release and accuracy. Best practice QB performance I’ve seen since AR prowled Memorial Stadium.
WRs had a very good day - Treggs, Lawler and Chad Hansen in particular. Hansen was uncoverable against the 2’s and didn’t drop anything. Treggs crushed the defense on a deep post and Lawler made two great grabs in traffic.
Biggest focus point for me today was OL (tackles) vs. DL (DEs). Overall, this was the best OL performance I’ve seen in 4+ years. Color me surprised but I thought Farley looked comfortable and rock solid at LT. Moore was also consistent but also got to face Wilson more instead of Kragen (more on that below). Goff had a clean pocket on 85% of this throws and the running lanes (take with a boulder of salt given no pads) were consistently there. 2nd/3rd team OL were a clear notch or two below the 1’s. That said, I thought Cochran looked very good. He’s really using those long arms of his and once he gets them on a defender, it’s lights out. Killed it in the 1:1’s. Semisi also stood out in 1:1’s, less so during 11’s. Cochran can be lazy with this feet and technique a bit, he gave up a sack to a very bursty Johnie Johnson and almost let him in on another one but again despite getting beat around the corner, he got his arms extended and prevented JJ from getting the sack. His run blocking is miles better than it was this Spring. Ditto for the whole line. I like our run blocking potential.
So the defense did not have as good of a day, what’s that tell us? I’m not sure. Kragen looked quick and beat Farley badly on one play although Goff got the ball out so quick I don’t believe they credited him for the sack (but it would have been a painful hit and would Goff had made the pass had he known he was going to get crushed?). Kragen was also the most impressive DE in the 1:1 pass rush drills. Wilson was quiet today. He’s lost some weight and looks spry out there but he’s not the big strongside rush DE we might have thought we had when he was 265-270lbs. Moore handled him on run plays. I thought Barr was the most explosive looking DE in rushing the passer outside of Kragen, he looks like a different player to me. Johnson also had a nice day with the one sack and one hurry. He’s very quick around the edge though he does not look as strong as Wilson or Kragen on run plays. I thought Looney and Jalil were quiet in 11’s today. Tougher for them with no pads and a set of plays that were 80%+ passes. No collapsed pockets. In pass rush drills they put them both at DE and I thought Looney looked great in that sequence. He beat both Moore and Farley with quick lateral moves and strength. Wouldn’t mind seeing him slide outside on obvious pass rush downs opposite Kragen or Johnson.
We blitzed a bit and it was effective though Goff beat it. Effective in the sense that the blitzer came free and forced a quick throw. During pass rush drills (4 DL against 5 OL), we stunted a bit and did a few interesting moves on the DL and that gave the OL some issues.
I thought our DBs were pretty solid in terms of being in position and not blowing coverage. Nice to see some athleticism and competitive fire from that group. First two plays they forced incompletes with White, Drew and McClure involved. Lawler and Goff hooked up on a long pass where Kenny had both White and Drew on him but still came down with the ball.
Treggs and Davis are still our 1st team PR. Noa and Singleton are 2nd team.
Forest had a solid day, better than 10 days ago. Generally effective behind a less strong OL. That said, the difference between he and Goff is material. He’d need to take another step forward to make me feel good about next year. Consistent accuracy and knowing when to throw the fastball vs. touch pass are his areas of work. Bowers has very good feet, can really move and slide in the pocket and throw on the run. He has multiple speeds to his passes but inconsistent with his accuracy and doesn’t have the arm that Forest and Goff do.
Lasco is almost a similar notch above the rest of the RB crew as Goff is with the QBs. He’s so much more decisive and his vision is much better. Enwere still going lateral too much for my taste. Muhammad was by far the most effective 2nd back. Got wide open on a go route from the backfield but Forest missed him. Great burst when running the ball and more decisive than the others. Coprich and Watson both dropped easy flare passes that were on the money from Goff and Forest. Powell is impressive once he gets going but he’s indecisive and shows too much sideways running for a power back.
Noa is the best of the frosh WRs. Singleton is the more explosive athlete but not nearly as polished as a route runner or with his hands.
Defense mixed up the 1’s a lot. Barton ran almost exclusively with the 2’s. Jefferson and Nickerson getting most of the 1st reps. Downs looks like he’s struggling a bit this camp. Me thinks he’s battling an injury given the lack of his usual explosion. Kearney sat out today but was in pads. Coleman did not practice at all. Not surprisingly, Kelly was not out there although I heard he’s been around more the last few days. Secondary saw the most mixing and matching. McClure played a bit but not a lot. Turner got a lot of time as the slot CB and at safety. He’s very athletic and was around the ball a lot though he did get beat several times. McCrary was out there with the 2’s and 3’s mostly and struggled today. Looks like he’s thinking too much. Rubenzer played almost exclusively with the 2’s. Got beat on one play. Brown played quite a bit but did not flash. Psalms caught my eye quite a bit. He’s yoked, he’s long and he can run. He’s feisty and competitive as well. I bet he plays quite a bit as the season goes along. Hawkins looks to still be favoring the shoulder a bit though he did play in a limited role. Albert catches my eye as well, very physical (het got called for PI on one play) and he looks like he’s susceptible to getting beat deep if he doesn’t press successfully. Still, I like the way he plays. Didn’t see much if any of Walker or Dozier today. Vanderbilt and Rambo played quite a bit. Vanderbilt moves well and has good length but seemed slow to react to plays. Got an earful from the coaches. Rambo is REALLY long and he’s a ball hawk. Just missed making a play on a Hansen catch where he was in position but missed the ball. I think he has a bright future. Somewhat similar to Piatt IMO as he’s lanky and intuitive but not super fast. No Piatt today even working out.
Even though the defense had the worst of it today, the depth and athleticism are noticeable. We’re simply playing faster. My sense is that we were missing Piatt, Kelly, Coleman and Kearney. Those four are critical proven depth to our defense. Would have like to have heard a little more chatter from the D leaders when the offense was beating them. Too much coach talk and not enough from the players IMO. I like some of the DL depth though none of them look like future stars - Mekari, Manley and Davis were very solid and better than our 2nd team OL. Of the youngsters, Saffle suited up but didn’t hit. Bequette is the most impressive of the true frosh IMO. Ude looks like a tweener right now. Too small to play DT and too slow to play DE. He looked better in 11’s than 1:1’s where Farley abused him a few times.
I heard what Dykes said today on punting but mostly it was good. Beito missed from 42 on the only FG kick I saw.
Generally, I like the look of our team. I will go out on a limb and say we’re at least a full notch better than at this time last year. I’m not ready to say our defense will be above average but I daresay they will be a lot better than they were last year. I really think getting the veterans who are out right now back is a BIG deal. The drop off from Coleman to the true frosh and from Kearney to other LBs in pass coverage is noticeable. We need Piatt’s smarts at safety and Kelly gives us a near starter quality DT. Let’s hope by Texas they are ready to roll. Their is a talent gap between our O and D especially when you don't consider the true frosh. If I stack ranked the team based on pure football talent, I think only 3 defenders make the top 10. That said, the frosh defensive class looks impressive, especially if Saffle is as good as I believe he might be.
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