Camp Report 7/29/14 (+ follow-up)

some follow-up…this will keep expanding over the days

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CoachO

When Brockers got here, he looked like a big kid who was just starting to grow into his body. Now he has the look of a grown man, and I expect him to have a dominant year.

As is the case with much of the 1st unit D-Line, they are giving the make shift O-Line all it can handle. No worries from me about Brockers.

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Until they went to the 2 minute drill at the end of practice, only ONE pass of Bradford’s hit the ground, and that was a 50/50 in the end zone (30 yard pass to Quick) that just went off his hands as he jumped with McGee.

Bradford looks very comfortable, and there is absolutely no signs of any issues with his knee. Rollouts, stepping up and sliding in the pocket. All evident.

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Not sure what is going on with Givens, but it seems to be a carry over from the OTA I attended. The other thing, be it Givens or Pettis, who have been paired up, and even to a lesser extent with the Bailey and Austin pairing, they have simply been out played by Britt and Quick recently. Whether than changes, remains to be seen.

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Both Britt and Quick seem to catch almost everything they can get their hands on. [Quick has]..been the best player on the field. There is no comparison in what he is showing this year compared to past camps. There is a swagger about him that has NEVER been visible before, and he making all the plays. And FINALLY using his size and body to his advantage.

I will be the first one to admit to buying into leading the charge on the Quick bandwagon in the past. But what’s different from previous camps is there is finally a swagger to him. I mentioned in my report from Sunday that there was a brief exchange between him and Joyner. In past years, Quick having the pass knocked from his grasp and roughed up some, would have tucked his tail between his legs, dropped his head and sulked back to the huddle. NOT SUNDAY. He quickly turned and challenged Joyner, as if to say,, you ain’t doing that to me. He finally has the look like he knows he belongs.

He can be seen tossing the ball in the air when on the sideline, where before, he tried to hide behind anyone who would shield him from Coach Sherman. Now he looks to be chomping at the bit to get back on the field. I know all that means squat unless it carries over on Sundays starting in Sept. But I cannot exaggerate the point enough.. .he LOOKS like a different player out there, and playing with Britt can only help.

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The WRs are definitely improved, and would be if it weren’t anyone else but Quick. But add Britt to the mix, Bailey and Austin with a year under their belt, and an obvious comfort level in the offense, and they are playing at a much higher level than this time a year ago. (Maybe Fisher and Snead knew what they were talking about).

The other thing that definitely plays a factor in this, is the way the practices are structured. They are tilted heavily in favor of the offense, in that even if 3 guys converge on the QB, he is still allowed to get the pass off, to run the play to completion. Especially against our defensive front, there are contless plays that would end up in sacks or throw aways if this were live action.

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now here’s the “ugly”!!!!! The corners.

Jenkins had a much better practice today, than on Sunday, and he wasn’t the target of many of the big plays today. That would be Brandon McGee, who in Tru Johnson’s absence, has shown we are woefully thin at CB if he is the “next man up”. Neither he or Woodard have shown much of anything, and its difficult to say which has had more struggles.

Joyner has shown to be a capable answer in the Nickel role, and Gaines has flashed some very good instincts. He just seems to “get it”. He jumps routes when he reads them. He knows when to back off as to not get blown past in other routes. But even he has had his moments, especially if lined up vs. Quick or Bailey.

Reid and Roberson have been so limited in terms of the number of reps, it’s impossible to evaluate them fairly. That being said, Roberson shows some coverage skills, but shies away from anything that remotely looks like anything physical. Reid just hasn’t had many opportunities to show anything one way or another.

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July 30

* Moe is catching everything thrown his way, the problem is, not much of that is happening thus far in the 11 on 11 stuff. He is only getting a handful of reps lately, sharing 3rd team reps with Givens being relegated to those reps, and Blake, Franklin and Veltung all working in there too.

Fisher has said numerous times, there just aren’t enough reps to go around with the limited amount of actual “on field” practice time they get with the new CBA. They have 11 WRs in camp right now. So its gonna be touch sledding for guys like Moe.

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Austin is getting a few reps out of the backfield every day. It remains to be seen how much this will translate into the scheme once they get to Sept.

What I see developing, given the amount of reps being alloted to Quick and Britt, is that Bailey (when he gets back) and Austin may be used in some 2 WR sets, spelling Britt and Austin.

Otherwise, they seem to be putting Austin out there in the slot when Britt and Quick are on the field. or as i noted, Kendricks or HArkey, depending on the personnel grouping they are going for.

But, from what they are showing thus far in camp, Bailey will certainly be a part of the rotation in some capacity. Givens may be the guy who gets the reprieve during the suspension, but how they intend on fitting him in, remains to be seen. And Pettis is Pettis.

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Gilbert has had his moments, both good and bad. He definitely passes the “look” test. Good arm strength, mobility in the pocket, etc. AS to be expected, he has trouble getting through his reads, and often holds the ball too long. He has a couple of WOW throws to give you a taste of what he is capable of. Then turns right around and throws a couple of BAD interceptions when missing on his reads.

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about the 3-3-5 nickel [or “30 nickel”]... The thing that the 30 Nickel provides, is the presence of BOTH the extra DB to counter the 3 WR sets, but also the extra LB to handle the potential for the running game. It is best utilized in 3rd and short (3rd and 2-4), where the threat for the offense to do either is legitimate. So having Dunbar remain on the field to handle the potential for the running game makes more sense to me. Which also lends to having BROCKERS man the middle of the d-line.

Ogletree matches up with the TE, or RB, McDonald on the opposite side has the same responsibilities, and Joyner covers the slot WR. That frees up Laurinaitis and Dunbar to stop any potential rushing attempt. Bottom line, its one of the sub packages that will have some value, and I expect to see it on a limited basis in the right situations.

It’s not new. Even to this team. Spagnuolo ran a version of it when he was here. Fisher has used it sporadically in his 2 years here. Do I think it will be used often? No. Obviously, it depends on the down and distance, and the opponent, but there may be 5 or 6 snaps a game where you see it.

It has its place. Again, IMO, it’s a defense that can be effective in those 3rd and short situations, when the offense brings in the 3WR set, but still is in a manageable distance that running that ball can get them the 1st down.

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Unless I am mistaken, it has been since the 2011 Season since [Reid] ..has seen any live action. Two knee surgeries later, he just doesn’t seem to have the same spark. He has appeared bored, and uninterested, and about the only time you see him running around is when he is fielding punts from the jugs machine before practice.

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Joseph is as advertised, he plays with a mean streak. He seems to be holding up well enough from his knee issues. He has participated in EVERY 1st unit rep since camp opened at RG and hasn’t missed any of the unit drills either. It appears we may have hit on this off season acquisition. Not saying he is likely to start over Saffold (assuming Long is back), but he will provide some legitimate depth at G.

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Conrath came to camp looking like he spent a LOT of time in the weight room. For all of the talk about how Barrett Jones reshaped his body, the two guys who stand out to me, are Hooey and Conrath.

He is getting regular reps with the 2’s and an occasional situational rep with the 1’s. I really they like him a lot. They love his height, and reach. Again, I know its early, but i could actually see a scenario develop where he is competing with Carrington for the last roster spot in the DL

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also. contrast that with the wr group. where it seems to be nothing but positive vibes despite a young group of guys.

i think that the safeties will be fine. i think one of mcdonald/alexander emerge as a serious strong safety prospect. and i think they will find a free safety prospect from the group they have or maybe in the later rounds of next year’s draft. but yeah. corner is looking right now as a target for the rams front office to really attack.

of course this could all change by the end of the season but jenkins and johnson do not sound like they are impressing anyone. either that or the wr group is a lot better than we expected. i mean i think it is, but not THIS good. i like joyner. but that’s about it. i hope things turn around.