Today was easily the lightest practice of camp as the team begins two-a-days with another practice happening later this evening.
The team is allowed to go full pads at this point but they weren't (no tackling), and the practice was about 30 minutes shorter than usual.
After having a good day yesterday, it's still clear that Chapman and Smith are the top guys and the coaching staff seems pretty set on that. They got most of the reps today and looked better than they did during scrimmage.
Speaking of the scrimmage, the energy from the defensive coaches, especially White and Arnett (Gonzales a bit too), really picked up today. White was really getting on all of his cornerbacks every time they covered a route wrong or didn't give full effort after a completion was made (like jogging down the field when they already got beat by the receiver). Arnett had the same deal, getting on guys for not sticking to their assignment. He also had a moment with Kyavah Tezino that was pretty intense after he didn't cover a tight end correctly and gave up an easy pass.
Of the receivers, Richardson, Bailey, Holder and Favreau all had standout moments. Bailey in particular had his best, most consistent day, including a touchdown in 7-on-7 when Jake Rodrigues ran play action to his left and threw a great pass against his body while on the run. Holder had a good sideline catch with an impressive vertical jump after a stop-n-go against loose coverage from the CB, Richardson caught some tough passes over the middle and Favreau continues to prove himself as a deep threat.
Other names I took down:
Eric Judge has really improved his consistency and it's really shown the last two or three practices. Everybody's been waiting for him to step up and there's some legit pressure on him but I expect him to step up to the plate this year. If he can't produce on the field, I'd be very surprised and I'll start to believe that it's really just a mental thing for him that is holding him back (and can hold him back for his college career if he can't overcome it). He can't play scared when the bright lights come on again this season because then it would legitimately become habit for him..
Jake Fely had a good day and actually made plays during the 7-on-7 session today (not typical for linebackers) including some pass deflections against the running backs. Like I posted before, he's going to look like the old Fely this season, more so than people may expect.
Greene and Flores had some really good reps during one on ones. RG really is the weakest link in my mind when it comes to the OL. Big drop off after Greene. It would take a surprise performance for whoever starts at RG to remain the starter once Greene's six game suspensions is up.
I thought Kyle Kelley had some really good reps at DE. All the newcomers, really, are starting to look a lot more comfortable out there. It's crazy how quickly it happens but when you watch each practice the then-and-now difference if pretty easy to see. That needs to translate to the next scrimmages by following their assignments and playing aggressively. The guys that can do that on the second and third units will see the field this year.
Julian Rochelin is a good example. He's improving with each rep he gets. The OL/DL were doing a unique/different one-on-one type drill today where Rochelin actually bull rushed Nick Gerhard onto his back. He's more of an elusive guy than a power guy so that was a new wrinkle from him.
Sergio Phillips didn't have a great practice today and neither did David Servatius. I firmly believe Will Tui will be good but he still needs to change his body. Could drop a good 25 pounds and be an even better player. Gets tired during reps and starts getting lazy feet, holding, etc..
The team is allowed to go full pads at this point but they weren't (no tackling), and the practice was about 30 minutes shorter than usual.
After having a good day yesterday, it's still clear that Chapman and Smith are the top guys and the coaching staff seems pretty set on that. They got most of the reps today and looked better than they did during scrimmage.
Speaking of the scrimmage, the energy from the defensive coaches, especially White and Arnett (Gonzales a bit too), really picked up today. White was really getting on all of his cornerbacks every time they covered a route wrong or didn't give full effort after a completion was made (like jogging down the field when they already got beat by the receiver). Arnett had the same deal, getting on guys for not sticking to their assignment. He also had a moment with Kyavah Tezino that was pretty intense after he didn't cover a tight end correctly and gave up an easy pass.
Of the receivers, Richardson, Bailey, Holder and Favreau all had standout moments. Bailey in particular had his best, most consistent day, including a touchdown in 7-on-7 when Jake Rodrigues ran play action to his left and threw a great pass against his body while on the run. Holder had a good sideline catch with an impressive vertical jump after a stop-n-go against loose coverage from the CB, Richardson caught some tough passes over the middle and Favreau continues to prove himself as a deep threat.
Other names I took down:
Eric Judge has really improved his consistency and it's really shown the last two or three practices. Everybody's been waiting for him to step up and there's some legit pressure on him but I expect him to step up to the plate this year. If he can't produce on the field, I'd be very surprised and I'll start to believe that it's really just a mental thing for him that is holding him back (and can hold him back for his college career if he can't overcome it). He can't play scared when the bright lights come on again this season because then it would legitimately become habit for him..
Jake Fely had a good day and actually made plays during the 7-on-7 session today (not typical for linebackers) including some pass deflections against the running backs. Like I posted before, he's going to look like the old Fely this season, more so than people may expect.
Greene and Flores had some really good reps during one on ones. RG really is the weakest link in my mind when it comes to the OL. Big drop off after Greene. It would take a surprise performance for whoever starts at RG to remain the starter once Greene's six game suspensions is up.
I thought Kyle Kelley had some really good reps at DE. All the newcomers, really, are starting to look a lot more comfortable out there. It's crazy how quickly it happens but when you watch each practice the then-and-now difference if pretty easy to see. That needs to translate to the next scrimmages by following their assignments and playing aggressively. The guys that can do that on the second and third units will see the field this year.
Julian Rochelin is a good example. He's improving with each rep he gets. The OL/DL were doing a unique/different one-on-one type drill today where Rochelin actually bull rushed Nick Gerhard onto his back. He's more of an elusive guy than a power guy so that was a new wrinkle from him.
Sergio Phillips didn't have a great practice today and neither did David Servatius. I firmly believe Will Tui will be good but he still needs to change his body. Could drop a good 25 pounds and be an even better player. Gets tired during reps and starts getting lazy feet, holding, etc..
Last edited:
