Day 3 of spring camp was the first day in pads and it was really competitive despite there being no full-on tackling (although a few bodies did hit the ground). The defense is very much ahead of the offense as is to be expected, and I thought they looked pretty sharp. They didn't allow any big runs and tipped and deflected a about four or five passes during the team periods. Jerry Chaney was the only DB to get an interception but that was on a well under thrown pass by Neil Boudreau on a post route. The offense never truly beat the defense during reps other than on a couple play action and screen passes.
On to the observations I jotted down...
-I thought Chance Bell was the most productive of the running back backups on Day 3 but he ended the day with really bad fumble toward the end of the practice were he just lost control of the ball while running through the line of scrimmage. If that doesn't become a trend, he'll be in a good position to stay in the running for the job.
-Chase Jasmin still doesn't look to cutback inside as much as he should. He still tends to just try and out run everyone rather than finding the hole. Bell has done a better job at it so far in camp, sporting some nice jump cuts and hard cuts to prevent stops in the backfield, whereas Jasmin just pops outside more often than not.
This was my big knock on him in the past and it will continue to be unless he proves otherwise. He's got great speed but that will only take you so far if defenses know you're more of an outside runner after scouting a couple of plays. What's crazy is that I thought he had arguably the best run of the day where he followed a lead block and exploded through the hole for a solid gain. He's definitely got the burst you want out of your running back out of the backfield but he needs to have more reps like that.
-Through three days, I'd rate Jasmine and Bell as 1a & 1b and Kaegun Willams as behind those two. He hasn't done much at all and has had a couple of really bad drops so far. Bell's more of a twitchy runner while Jasmine's more of a straight line speedster for those of you that haven't watched much of them.
-Kahale Warring has taken most of the first team reps but Parker Houston has been arguably the most productive player on offense when he's out there. It's hard not to notice the ball finding his hands time and time again as practices go on.
-WR Fred Trevillion's knee tendonitis has been acting up. He hasn't been 100 percent the last two practices and the trainers have been stretching him out a lot. He's still out there practicing but he's not nearly as explosive or comfortable running routes.
-Tariq Thompson has just been OK so far in camp but I expect that to change when we go into full pads. He looked much more comfortable in the team periods compared to the 1v1s and I expect that to continue on Saturday.
On to the observations I jotted down...
-I thought Chance Bell was the most productive of the running back backups on Day 3 but he ended the day with really bad fumble toward the end of the practice were he just lost control of the ball while running through the line of scrimmage. If that doesn't become a trend, he'll be in a good position to stay in the running for the job.
-Chase Jasmin still doesn't look to cutback inside as much as he should. He still tends to just try and out run everyone rather than finding the hole. Bell has done a better job at it so far in camp, sporting some nice jump cuts and hard cuts to prevent stops in the backfield, whereas Jasmin just pops outside more often than not.
This was my big knock on him in the past and it will continue to be unless he proves otherwise. He's got great speed but that will only take you so far if defenses know you're more of an outside runner after scouting a couple of plays. What's crazy is that I thought he had arguably the best run of the day where he followed a lead block and exploded through the hole for a solid gain. He's definitely got the burst you want out of your running back out of the backfield but he needs to have more reps like that.
-Through three days, I'd rate Jasmine and Bell as 1a & 1b and Kaegun Willams as behind those two. He hasn't done much at all and has had a couple of really bad drops so far. Bell's more of a twitchy runner while Jasmine's more of a straight line speedster for those of you that haven't watched much of them.
-Kahale Warring has taken most of the first team reps but Parker Houston has been arguably the most productive player on offense when he's out there. It's hard not to notice the ball finding his hands time and time again as practices go on.
-WR Fred Trevillion's knee tendonitis has been acting up. He hasn't been 100 percent the last two practices and the trainers have been stretching him out a lot. He's still out there practicing but he's not nearly as explosive or comfortable running routes.
-Tariq Thompson has just been OK so far in camp but I expect that to change when we go into full pads. He looked much more comfortable in the team periods compared to the 1v1s and I expect that to continue on Saturday.
