Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › CoachO, Camp Report 7/27/14 + follow-up
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July 27, 2014 at 11:18 pm #2700
znModeratorCoachO
Camp Report 7/27/14
Players not participating: Ethan Westbrooks; Christian Bryant; Sammy Brown; Johnny Millard; Kadeem Jones, Trumaine Johnson, William Hayes, Scott Wells, Brandon Washington
Jake Long participated in the unit drills, but did NOT participate in TEAM DRILLS
Offensive Line:
1st Unit: Long Saffold Barnes Joseph Barksdale (this was how they lined up during the unit drills)
2nd Unit: Person Rhaney Jones Bond Hooey
3rd Unit: Van Dyk Rhaney Jones Morrell Dill
· I need to point out, the Depth Chart above indicates how they lined up during the UNIT DRILLS and Walk thrus.
· Once they got into any team stuff, bump up both the Center and LT spots.
· So during teams activities it looked like:
o Saffold Robinson Barnes Joseph Barksdale
o Person Rhaney Jones Bond Hooey
· Davin Joseph was a constant at RG with the 1st unit throughout practice.
· The rotation with Barrett Jones and Tim Barnes continues with Barnes getting the 1 unit reps today
· Note that Greg Robinson was back at Left Guard with Rodger Saffold taking reps at Left TACKLE
· Shake up on the 2nd unit, with Rhaney getting a look at Left Guard, and Robert Person at Left Tackle
Defensive Line:
1st Unit: Long Brockers Langford Quinn
2nd Unit: Sam Carrington Conrath Sims
3rd Unit: Sam Donald Harlan K. Brown
· Donald took a handful of reps with the 1st unit when they went to Nickel package, but for the most part was getting 3rd unit reps the rest of the 11 on 11 work
Linebackers:
1st Unit: Ogletree Laurinatis Dunbar
2nd Unit: Steward Bates Armstrong
3rd Unit: L. Wilson Schiller Sabino
· Phillip Steward seems to have gotten the attention of G. Williams.
Defensive Backs:
1st Unit: Jenkins McGee McDonald McLeod
2nd Unit: Woodard Gaines Davis Alexander
3rd Unit: Roberson Reid A. Cunningham Daniels
· Matt Daniels saw his first action in the team drills
· Brandon McGee stepped in for Johnson getting 1st unit reps
· They got some work in the Nickel Package today.
· Joyner took 1st unit reps at Nickel
· Daniels took some reps with the 2nd unit as Nickel, only to be replaced by Gaines
Theme of the day: Offense turns up the heat
o Best practice thus far for the offense. Worked a lot on Red Zone packages.
o Bradford looked like Bradford of old. By far the best he has looked. Passes were crisp and out on time.
o Brian Quick was the “go to guy” all day. He had more receptions than the rest of the WRs combined.
Special Teams:
Punt Coverage; Worked on coverage drills, interior line and backs (no gunners)
1st Unit:
Cunningham Armstrong Steward McQuaide Sims Bates Harkey C. Davis
2nd Unit:
Alexander Ogletree Harkey Hus A. Hill Sabino Mason Stacy
· Some player observations: That Phillip Steward has made his way to the 1st unit on the punt coverage team says a lot about what they think of him.
· That Chase Reynolds is absent from either 1st or 2nd unit team is worth noting
· Johnny Hekker just kicks the stuffing out of the ball. 65 yards in the air, with 4.9 – 5.0 seconds hang time
7 0n 7 & 11 on 11 Drills:
Highlights:
Bradford to Brian Quick early and often
First play was a crossing route, with Quick making a one handed reception on a throw slightly behind him
1st unit on offense throughout the entire Red Zone period had Britt and Quick, Cook and either Kendricks or Austin (the WR rotation was not part of this package; with Stacy in the backfield
Bradford to Britt in the back of the End Zone over Jenkins
Britt and Quick worked exclusively with the 1st unit in all 11 on 11 drills
Bradford showed a ton of confidence in Quick. Was actually looking for him as primary, instead of as a bail out last option as in previous practices
Bradford to Cook down the seam for a 30 yard gain. Great throw and contested catch between McLeod and McDonald who had pretty good coverage
Britt, Quick and Cook on the field together is intimidating for defenses. Add Kendricks OR Austin and it looks scary.
Zack Stacy showed his 2013 form for the first time today.
Brian Quick takes exception to extra contact after pass break up from Joyner, shoves him back. Some will say so what, but it is just another example of Quick showing more confidence and not just tucking his tail between his legs and going to back to the huddle defeated. Next play Joyner tried to bump Quick who leaned on Joyner and back him off 2-3 yards. Physicality that hasn’t been present in his game.
Tavon Austin gets a few carries out of backfield. Jump cut to the outside and GOODBYE. 30 + yard gain.
Tre Mason also with a nice jump cut in the hole in Red Zone drill. Nice run.
Greg Williams is to defense what Mike Martz is to offense. Mad scientist. Different blitzes, formations (fronts) and coverages.
Lowlights:
Chris Givens running reps with the 3rd unit. He got some 2nd unit reps when paired with Pettis, but was also running with 3rd unit guys like Veltung and Blake.
Shawn Hill had a rough day with accuracy. Lots of passes under thrown.
Blitz pickup still looks to be a concern.
Once again, It appears that the hard count is a very effective tool in slowing down the pass rush. At least 3 more offsides by the d-line again today.
CAMP OBSERVATIONS:
· Biggest crowd in the Fisher era. Place was packed, and electric
· Offense pulled out the stops today and pushed the ball downfield more
o Ran a couple of reverses…. To Austin who ran into the waiting arms of Robert Quinn for a huge loss
o Used Kenny Britt on a reverse for a nice gain
· Jo-Lonn Dunbar was part of Nickel package with the 2nd unit, replacing Bates as MLB. So Armstrong and Dunbar as 2nd unit LBs in Nickel
o Nice pass break up in RedZone
· New look O-Line seemed to hold up better than in previous days.
· Isaiah Pead and Tre Mason rotated with the 2nd unit
· Marcus Roberson can cover, but doesn’t seem to want to stick his nose it when it comes to contact
· EJ Gaines just “gets it” always in position, and was helping others get lined up in secondary
· Cody Davis was frequently directing Alexander in where to line up.
· With the absence of Tru Johnson, the CB looks frightfully thin
o McGee and Woodard are not ready
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July 28, 2014 at 12:38 am #2712znModeratorsome follow-up (open-ended…I will keep adding to it)
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CoachO
If you are hoping for Givens to be [a Rams big-play].. guy, the way things look early on, I wouldn’t hold your breath.
And assuming they get the running game going, which will feed the play actions passing game, I don’t think you have to worry about someone getting open.
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[Jenkins]..didn’t have a good day at all today. But again, I think alot of it today was the defense wasn’t putting the same sort of pressure on, and it was by design. They kinda did the same thing last year when the crowd was as big as it was today. I’m not saying they let up, but I think the plan for today’s practice was more geared to the offense having more opportunities. They took more downfield shots today on offense than in either of the previous days.
They worked on RedZone packages in both 7 on 7 & 11 on 11, which always favors the offense in these sort of practices. It only takes a few WOW plays for everyone to leave feeling good about the offense. So I for one, am not all that concerned. When they turn that front 7 loose, the secondary automatically gets a whole lot better.
Roberson shows flashes of cover skills, but he just doesn’t want any part of the physical side. Reid looks like “Just a guy”. For all his hype I have yet to see anything that remotely resembles the player he was at FSU. But he sure seems to be this years Ray Ray in terms of fan fare.
I think Joyner has a chance to be a good player in the Nickel CB role. Have not liked his cover skills at outside CB. He struggled with Pettis in 1 on 1 drills, and let him get behind him in 7 on 7. It’d be one thing if it were Austin or Givens blowing by him, but it was Pettis.
The one thing I do like about him, he seems to be one of those guys who understands how to play the game. And inside, he might be exactly the type of player who thrives in G. Williams scheme.
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Its too early to get any kind of a read on Rhaney. They had him at RG today, which he actually has more experience at, as opposed to Center.
July 28, 2014 at 11:28 pm #2763znModeratormore follow-up
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CoachO
I want to make one comment regarding the CBs and the perception that they are struggling. You have to keep in mind, they are getting reps in various drills (1 on 1, 7 on 7, and 11 on 11) All geared to the offense being successful.
Even in the 11 on 11 drills, there are all to often instances where the CBs end up looking beaten on a particular play, because the pass ends up being completed. But bear in mind, they are NOT hitting the QB. So, they have the chance to complete a play that otherwise would have ended in a sack, long before the pass ever gets thrown.
I think all too often, these drills are so heavily tilted to the offense being able to get the play run, that the results can be misleading. With THIS Defensive front, and the constant pressure they are supplying, the CBs, will NOT have to cover guys nearly as long as they are in these drills. Also, they are in helmets and shells, and there is NO contact. There have been a few highlight type receptions by receivers, where if it were “live” action, someone was in perfect position to lay someone out.
Also, while they are lining up tighter on the WRs, without pads, there has yet to be ANY bump and run.
The ONLY concern I have at this point, is the inexperience beyond Jenkins and Johnson. So far, and I am very aware of all the things I mentioned about the variables present that work against the defense in general in these drills, guys like Woodard and McGee just don’t seem up to speed yet. Gaines appears to be more fundamentally sound than either of them. Joyner looks much better in the Nickel role, and has yet to take any reps at Safety. When lined up OUTSIDE he has struggled. I get that he will not be out there as long as JJ and TJ remain healthy. But the depth at this position actually might be more bothersome than at Safety.
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The Rams seldom assign a specific guy to cover the opponents #1 guy. They pretty much stick to the RCB & LCB role, and line up against whomever is on their side. Jenkins is on the right side, and Johnson on the left.
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While Armstrong ( I refuse to call him Ray Ray) flashes as an athlete, and can be impressive in a zone scheme, until he shows me he is willing to take on a block rather than run around it, I still will not be sold on his value as a LB.
Now, that being said, after seeing what Williams is doing with the Linebacking scheme in general, having Ogletree lining up as the SLB, I will concede that IF ( I said IF) something were happen to Dunbar, I can see Armstrong being much more able to handle the WLB role. Not having a TE across from his would allow him to free lance (something he seems to like to do) and just concentrate on making plays.
You do what you have to make a play. But when you are “in the box” and have an assigned gap you better find a way to fill it. And lets assume for a minute BOTH Ogletree and Armstrong are on the field at the same time…… Do you really want TWO OLBs who BOTH have a tendency to “slide around blocks? I don’t!
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No Pads = D-line superiority. Add to it, that these 11 on 11 sessions are predominantly PASSING drills. It makes it very one-sided when the defense KNOWS what coming.
I purposefully do not comment on anything related to the O-line until the pads go on for this reason. My only commentary this far, has been to point out just how dominant this pass rush is going to be.
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