Lt. Dan Goes To Training Camp

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

Lieutenant Dan finally made his way to St. John Fisher yesterday and I wanted to share some quick observations with the TBD family. It was a no-pads practice, but still a very lively one with a lot going on, and I took away quite a bit from watching it.

 

- Lets start off with Trent. He was VERY impressive during the 7 on 7's and first set of 11 on 11's. Looked decisive and very accurate on all the routes he threw, including a perfect deep ball to Lee for a would be touchdown. However, during the last round of 11 on 11's, the wheels kind of fell of the wagon for him. It might have been just as much to do with the defensive play, because they really started winning battles and collapsing the pocket, but Edwards became very indecisive and slow to make reads. He threw one pick, took multiple would be sacks, and threw multiple bad balls during the latter part of practice. Bottom line: Very, very good practice for TE up until the last round of 11 on 11's which was the complete opposite. Tough to figure out.

 

- Overall, the starting offense dominated the first set of 11 on 11's and the starting defense had a stranglehold on the second set. Trent had time to pick apart the defense all over the field initially, but then the D really started bringing the heat and forced a lot of mistakes. I guess it's nice to see one side win the first time around and the defense respond the next time out.

 

- To me, Chad Jackson was the most impressive player on the field yesterday on either side of the ball. He was open all day during team work, and caught everything thrown his way. All of the quarterbacks looked to him often because he always got himself open, oftentimes on routes where he would settle into the middle of the field, provide an excellent target, and make a tough catch in traffic. Another thing that was encouraging about him was that he as on the field getting loose 45 minutes before the practice, which shows some dedication. I expect big things from him this year.

 

- Arthur Moats was the other guy on the field was Jackson before anyone else yesterday, and I tried to keep my eye on him a lot as well. The guy can hit, there's no question about that. He absolutely killed the sled in drills yesterday, more than any other linebacker out there, and looked very good in every tackling drill they went through. Problem is, Moats is clearly not picking up on coverage techniques at all, and that will probably keep him off the field for much of this year besides ST. I noticed in the pre-season so far that he seems to not be able to cover worth a lick, and it showed yesterday as well in all of the team drills. The coaches, especially George Edwards, were on him big time for it, which was nice to see because it's obviously a problem. Hopefully that can improve because he can be an impact guy if he figures it out.

 

- Are Aaron Maybin and Donte Whitner the same guy...? They both seem to have the same lackluster attitude in practice, and it shows on the field. Whitner dropped at least 3 balls in the JUGGS drill the DB's were doing, 2 of them simply because he was trying to put on a show rather than take the drill seriously like the others. He was also late on coverage in two deep routes in the 11 on 11's. As for Maybin, he was pretty much invisible all afternoon. I don't remember one pressure coming from him in any of the team work, let alone a would be sack. Yet I had the opportunity to be very close to the players, and he and Whitner were still having a damn good time before, during, and after practice, even though they struggled mightily at times. Seems like they both have a problem with prioritizing.

 

- Reggie Corner might be the smallest guy on the field, but he was making plays all over the place yesterday. Probably had about 5-6 pass deflections in 7's and 11's, 3 of which should have been interceptions if he had any hands at all. He gets great breaks on the ball, and is so fluid in doing so. I think he's a lock to be our 4th CB.

 

- CJ just plays at a different speed out there. Its obvious during any drill that they are running. You see any other guy on the team moving around with the ball, and then you see #21 and you always notice it, it's uncanny. I think last game is a good preview of what we'll see from him this year. A few no-gains or losses, and then, pop, he'll go for 60 yards.

 

- David Nelson and Marshawn Lynch were doing a lot of side-work together on the back field with the trainers, and they seemed as if they were progressing nicely. Lynch especially was moving around real good on his ankle during drills, which was nice to see. I can't imagine a scenario where a guy who was running through the drills the way he was yesterday would miss the opener on September 11th.

 

- Ryan Fitzpatrick might have the hottest wife on the team. Guess going to Harvard AND becoming an NFL quarterback really does have its advantages.

 

- All in all a good practice to watch. A ton of drills on all sides of the ball, the coaching seemed very in tune with teaching at all times, there was no wasted time what so ever, and the team played pretty well overall.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Great report. Thanks, Dan.

 

I would only add that to me, 7 on 7 drills are a lot less meaningful than full squad work.

 

Without the linemen as visual obstructions and the need to process and track all of their movements, I think it's one of the explanations for why a player can look good in practice but not in games.

 

In 7 on 7s there's no need to feel the rush, look for passing lanes, avoid pressure, and throw over and around obstructions.

 

Basically it doesn't let the QB hone his pocket presence.

 

It IS a good drill for the QBs to develop chemistry with their receivers and understand the design of the plays however.

[JohnC]

Dan, Thanks for your excellent report. All the people who have reported on the practices have done an outstanding job.

 

As training camp goes on it gets difficult to assess the players because the defense and offense know what the other is doing. The defense certainly knows the offensive plays. The D-players are going to take advantage of the offense by anticipating the plays. What every TBD practice observer has agreed on is that although there are issues with TE he has demonstrably been better than the other qbs in practice.

[uforesircher]

nice job - good stuff - thanks

[BB2004]

Lieutenant Dan finally made his way to St. John Fisher yesterday and I wanted to share some quick observations with the TBD family. It was a no-pads practice, but still a very lively one with a lot going on, and I took away quite a bit from watching it.

 

- Lets start off with Trent. He was VERY impressive during the 7 on 7's and first set of 11 on 11's. Looked decisive and very accurate on all the routes he threw, including a perfect deep ball to Lee for a would be touchdown. However, during the last round of 11 on 11's, the wheels kind of fell of the wagon for him. It might have been just as much to do with the defensive play, because they really started winning battles and collapsing the pocket, but Edwards became very indecisive and slow to make reads. He threw one pick, took multiple would be sacks, and threw multiple bad balls during the latter part of practice. Bottom line: Very, very good practice for TE up until the last round of 11 on 11's which was the complete opposite. Tough to figure out.

 

- Overall, the starting offense dominated the first set of 11 on 11's and the starting defense had a stranglehold on the second set. Trent had time to pick apart the defense all over the field initially, but then the D really started bringing the heat and forced a lot of mistakes. I guess it's nice to see one side win the first time around and the defense respond the next time out.

 

- To me, Chad Jackson was the most impressive player on the field yesterday on either side of the ball. He was open all day during team work, and caught everything thrown his way. All of the quarterbacks looked to him often because he always got himself open, oftentimes on routes where he would settle into the middle of the field, provide an excellent target, and make a tough catch in traffic. Another thing that was encouraging about him was that he as on the field getting loose 45 minutes before the practice, which shows some dedication. I expect big things from him this year.

 

- Arthur Moats was the other guy on the field was Jackson before anyone else yesterday, and I tried to keep my eye on him a lot as well. The guy can hit, there's no question about that. He absolutely killed the sled in drills yesterday, more than any other linebacker out there, and looked very good in every tackling drill they went through. Problem is, Moats is clearly not picking up on coverage techniques at all, and that will probably keep him off the field for much of this year besides ST. I noticed in the pre-season so far that he seems to not be able to cover worth a lick, and it showed yesterday as well in all of the team drills. The coaches, especially George Edwards, were on him big time for it, which was nice to see because it's obviously a problem. Hopefully that can improve because he can be an impact guy if he figures it out.

 

- Are Aaron Maybin and Donte Whitner the same guy...? They both seem to have the same lackluster attitude in practice, and it shows on the field. Whitner dropped at least 3 balls in the JUGGS drill the DB's were doing, 2 of them simply because he was trying to put on a show rather than take the drill seriously like the others. He was also late on coverage in two deep routes in the 11 on 11's. As for Maybin, he was pretty much invisible all afternoon. I don't remember one pressure coming from him in any of the team work, let alone a would be sack. Yet I had the opportunity to be very close to the players, and he and Whitner were still having a damn good time before, during, and after practice, even though they struggled mightily at times. Seems like they both have a problem with prioritizing.

 

- Reggie Corner might be the smallest guy on the field, but he was making plays all over the place yesterday. Probably had about 5-6 pass deflections in 7's and 11's, 3 of which should have been interceptions if he had any hands at all. He gets great breaks on the ball, and is so fluid in doing so. I think he's a lock to be our 4th CB.

 

- CJ just plays at a different speed out there. Its obvious during any drill that they are running. You see any other guy on the team moving around with the ball, and then you see #21 and you always notice it, it's uncanny. I think last game is a good preview of what we'll see from him this year. A few no-gains or losses, and then, pop, he'll go for 60 yards.

 

- David Nelson and Marshawn Lynch were doing a lot of side-work together on the back field with the trainers, and they seemed as if they were progressing nicely. Lynch especially was moving around real good on his ankle during drills, which was nice to see. I can't imagine a scenario where a guy who was running through the drills the way he was yesterday would miss the opener on September 11th.

 

- Ryan Fitzpatrick might have the hottest wife on the team. Guess going to Harvard AND becoming an NFL quarterback really does have its advantages.

 

- All in all a good practice to watch. A ton of drills on all sides of the ball, the coaching seemed very in tune with teaching at all times, there was no wasted time what so ever, and the team played pretty well overall.

 

Nice report Lt. Dan. Do you have a picture of Fitzpatrick's wife?

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

Nice report Lt. Dan. Do you have a picture of Fitzpatrick's wife?

 

Unfortunately, I do not, and now that you mentioned this I hate myself for not snapping one when I had the opportunity. Thanks for ruining my day! lol

[Wooderson]

Wooderson also attended TC yesterday with the Lieutenant. Pretty much agree with everything he had to say.

 

Lt. Dan, myself, and a few friends were playing catch on the field after practice and Fitzy walked by and told me that I had a "cannon for an arm". I should've challenged him to a throw-off, haha.

[Fixxxer]

Thanks Lt. Dan, great report.

[flomoe]

Great report LT. If there is a next time, don't dilly dally and get the picture of Fity's wife, just for curiosity's sake.

 

One thing that concerns me is Nelson hangning with Marshawn. Maybe we can put 2 + 2 together here and come up with the reason for the suspension.

 

Thanks again for the report.

[Phil Hansen Forever]

Lieutenant Dan finally made his way to St. John Fisher yesterday and I wanted to share some quick observations with the TBD family. It was a no-pads practice, but still a very lively one with a lot going on, and I took away quite a bit from watching it.

 

- Lets start off with Trent. He was VERY impressive during the 7 on 7's and first set of 11 on 11's. Looked decisive and very accurate on all the routes he threw, including a perfect deep ball to Lee for a would be touchdown. However, during the last round of 11 on 11's, the wheels kind of fell of the wagon for him. It might have been just as much to do with the defensive play, because they really started winning battles and collapsing the pocket, but Edwards became very indecisive and slow to make reads. He threw one pick, took multiple would be sacks, and threw multiple bad balls during the latter part of practice. Bottom line: Very, very good practice for TE up until the last round of 11 on 11's which was the complete opposite. Tough to figure out.

 

Trent always good when nobody is trying to plant him in the ground. The boy is gunshy and I don't think their is anything, anyone can do about it.

[JohnC]

Trent always good when nobody is trying to plant him in the ground. The boy is gunshy and I don't think their is anything, anyone can do about it.

 

How about giving him better protection? It might prove beneficial.

[Glory Bound]

Unfortunately, I do not, and now that you mentioned this I hate myself for not snapping one when I had the opportunity. Thanks for ruining my day! lol

Thanx Dan...great stuff! I say we cut Fitz, but keep his wife! Dang, we'll need something to look at when we're down by three touchdowns.

[BobbyC81]

One thing that concerns me is Nelson hangning with Marshawn. Maybe we can put 2 + 2 together here and come up with the reason for the suspension.

 

Thanks again for the report.

 

He said it was "David" Nelson with Lynch. (You know, Ozzie's kid). "Shawn" Nelson is the suspended player.