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AstroNotes3: Bills Camp Thursday August 4

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Astrobot

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There's not a cloud in the sky, it's going up to 92 by the end of practice, 50% humidity. Hydration will be the name of the game. Up in the top row of the bleachers on the grass field today, there's a slight breeze as players drift toward the field. We see Terry Pegula wearing a Bills bucket hat (which he paid for, I'm sure), and his wife Kim both being squired around in a golf cart by Doug Whaley (with a hat hiding his buzz-cut) and, later, Russ Brandon (shouldn't he be trying to sign someone?). They are doing something with with a smartphone, which I found out was a feeble attempt at SnapChat.

 

On their way in, Watkins walks past the autograph seekers, looking straight ahead. Darby stops twice and signs for young fans, and McCoy signs one lucky fan's photo. I spot and wave at Justin Zimmer, shouting his name, and he gives me a wave back. I've been tweeting with him and his Dad since draft season, and am so glad we signed him. Lunch pail guy whose bench strength topped the Combine. Tyrod trots out again, going to the nearest pylon, and says a prayer. He joins Cardale between the back posts, with Little and Kain Colter catching for some warmup passes. EJ joins them. Last four out onto the field are Kouandjio, Corbin Bryant, Randell Johnson and DE Leger Douzable (there; I've said his name).

 

Schmidt is kicking some punts and if these are warm-ups, we're in great shape. During the punt session, Schmidt's warmup was 47 yds, then three for 60 yards apiece. Blake Annen again is the King of Calisthenics. Every exercise has Blake's twist on it. When the others kneel to one knee, Blake adds a hop, raises the opposite hand, then later pulls his opposite foot up behind him.

 

On the sidelines are Meeks, Watkins, Aaron Williams, Lattimore, and Meeks, all not participating in the calisthenics. They are, however, doing lots of stretches. During positional work, Sammy looks impressive. You see his agility in the ladder drills alternating feet quickly, then jumping, then hopping on one foot. During punt return, the gunners are the same. They will repeat punt return practice later in this 2-hour practice. Gilmore and Darby are off talking with Ed Reed. I am so impressed with the coaching style shown by Reed, as he is always dialoging with someone. I am not a fan of Bush's punt-fielding style, which involves a quick look-up at the onrushing guy bearing down on him (in this case Dowling). Field it first, secure it, then look for daylight. Arenas is more polished, Powell is fast.

 

Drill 1 puts Tyrod on the field with Clay, Woods, Little, McCoy, Felton, and Goodwin. McCoy seemed to be spelled by Jonathan Williams.

When EJ was on the field he had Gragg, Goodwin, Gillislee, Gronk, and Powell.

When Cardale came on, he had Powell, Kain Colter, Hankerson, and and Blake Annen.

 

Drill 2 was a good time to watch some OL work, as that was my biggest worry from Tuesday night. Different OLinemen pair off, and have to switch so as to deal with different styles. Chris Martin reaches too far; he loses his base and thus all of his power. No surprise that Incognito and Wood are going the most coaching. Jordan Mills and John Miller are strong; they can move their assigned guy even when stretching off core. You see Cordy Glenn's impressive hand-fighting with quick feet movement laterally. Glenn is always moving both hands and feet. Wood is the technician; he adds power with the arc of his body. He plants his feet and arcs his body so that the defenders pressure is used against him--think of pushing a doorstop harder and harder to get in.

 

Positional Drills of the TEs look different. They are practicing OVER THE MIDDLE, point-blank catches. They have to break free from their man, turn in, and catch the ball point blank. Remember this drill, because you'll see it in 11 on 11's. You see some distinction between the guys. Clay, who's known for agility, has lightning-fast reaction time to the location of the ball. Gragg creates separation through speed and agility too, but has an excellent lean to leverage some separation. Blake Annen has impressive hands, catching the ball away from his body. He's the most athletic of all the TEs with the possible exception of Clay. O'Leary was just okay at this and Gronk was with Felton on the blocking sleds. Dray doesn't have something right with one leg; he was trying to shake it between reps.

 

 

The RBs are doing the garbage can drill, where the running lanes are between the cans. I didn't watch this much because I was paying attention to the TEs, wanting to get some distinction between them.

 

WRs are doing curl routes and comeback patterns. They are being made to touch the ground with their inside hand, forcing them to get low into their breaks. It seems an effective coaching tool. Salas, Woods, and Goodwin were the most impressive. They ran it tight, smooth, and low. Worst at it was Colter and Chambers. You can fault Colter who hasn't been here 3 days. Best hands catch was Goodwin's. When Manuel or Cardale threw, they got Chambers, Powell, Colter, and Boykin. That's likely your practice squad candidate list.

 

Cyrus Kouandjio is walking the sidelines. I am reminded of how Chris Hairston used to be doing the same thing.

 

During Red Zone drill, Cardale was notable. He overled Boykin on his first one, but then made several perfect throws in a row. Muscle Memory. The same thing with Tyrod on the fly pattern drill: He missed Woods, but then came back and hit Hankerson, Goodwin, Salas, and Dez for 40+ yard plays. After EJ came in and hit 1 for 3 on the long ball, they had Tyrod go again to make the 40+ yard pass to Woods that he missed. He put it in the sweet spot.

 

Drill 4, to the tune of "Might As Well Jump" on the PA system, was Tyrod with his starters. Out there at one time or another were Goodwin, Dez, Woods, Wood, Miller, Mills, Gillislee, and Little. EJ is out there with Hankerson and Salas. Salas has to tell Hankerson to move up because he lined up too far back; I was impressed with Salas for doing that. Colter was used as a defender on this drill; I'm sure he feels doomed. The line is not doing any pin-and-pull schemes like Cover1.net describes. It's about conserving energy and avoiding dehydration and cramps. Gragg over-reached to secure the edge in one drill. There is some repetition during this phase, and I'm afraid that some of the younger or less-knowledgeable fans are getting restless. I call them fast-food fans--they want to see the stars perform, but don't want to be bored with the practice that makes perfect.

 

The fans didn't have to wait long, though, because Drill 5 and 7 are as close to real football as you get in a practice. Tyrod throws to Powell who climbs the ladder and reels it in. Darby gets a PBU defending Greg Little, then Corey White impresses on the next play. Tyrod is relentless, though: He reels off a string of completions to Dez LEwis (Sterling Moore can't cover his height), Salas OVER THE MIDDLE with White draped all over him, then Boykin pulls one in when Arenas falls down. Hankerson has a nifty comeback route (remember that drill earlier?), Powell catches a bomb for a 40+ yard gain, then Colter makes a very aware sideline catch over his shoulder when Tyrod puts it where Butler can't get to it. Chambers makes a catch OVER THE MIDDLE , Goodwin gets Meeks with sheer speed, and finally Tyrod has an incompletion when he overthrows Dez Lewis. Sammy Seamster mirrored Lewis well, but ultimately fell down. Then two more completions, one to Little and one to Boykin. Robey made a great defensive play breaking up a pass meant for Salas, and then Sterling Moore was penalized for beating up Powell in a contested catch. Woods made a catch OVER THE MIDDLE , then Gilmore was flagged one play later. One of three Catches of the Day was the next play; Goodwin dashed off the line, raised his hand, and instantly the ball was thrown by TT for a touchdown and a penalty on the defender who'd realized he'd been beat (sorry; no number). I must praise the CB and S guys because it sounds like they weren't doing their job, but Tyrod was on fire and we have better-than-you-think WRs.

 

In Drill 6, Tyrod continued his hot streak, making 4 of the next 5. Kudos to Corey White's defense on Woods, a pair of good catches by Greg Little, and the second Catch of the Day, this one by Woods for a TD with Nickell Robey all over him. It got good applause from the half-full stands (just too hot for most, but Where Else Would You Rather Be....?)

 

Now you see the orange Gatorade coolers and runners bringing water or Gatorade to the players. Some highlights of the rest of the session include a nice catch along the sidelines by Blake Annen, two holes created by our interior line for one run apiece for McCoy and Bush, and Cardale Jones dump-off pass to O'Leary. On one play, Lorenzo Alexander and Randell Johnson looked like NFL All-Pros, and Boykin looked like a goo PS candidate. Cardale has a pass that gets there quick, and Powell and Boykin made the catch. Cardale will learn "touch pass" at some point. One pass was so far past the end zone you could hear Bob Euker say, "Just a bit outside..."

 

They're using vanilla blocking scheme, but it's clear they have begun getting ready for Preseason Game 1. They practiced a "hurry-up" offense in Session 7, with impressive catch and YAC by Clay. He's going to be a key ingredient to this recipe. Miller impresses me; he's clearly worked on his strength in the offseason, but also his trechnique as he stays square to his man. The D is trying some stunting; Preston Brown looks like he's coming, but Lorenzo Alexander does instead. Another time, Striker blitzed, making quick work of his man (Lalk?), and making one of the quickest closings on Manuel I'd seen in person. Dowling on a Safety blitz was dealt with, but kudos to both lines. The defense is talking to each other. One time it resulted in a PBU by Darby because they read it right.

 

Cardale showed a lot in hurry up. He got a pass to Powell, lined up the troops and spiked the ball quickly. In another situation, the D was showing blitz, and Cardale checked to a play that worked, throwing it underneath to Walter Powell, who had run that comeback play from earlier in practice.

 

After punt practice, Tyrod had 2 backs, 2, TEs. Annen motioned, and Dez Lewis and Goodwin cleared out the coverage, leaving Gragg wide open for a TD. On the play, Felton blocked Meeks so hard, Meeks tapped out, and I didn't notice if he returned. Catch of the Day 3 was a 40+ yard bomb to Salas, who dove to catch it. You notice that Felton does a lot to keep the pocket clean. I don't see this position in debate. It's Felton. He has twice the muscle of Baby Gronk.

 

Max Valles, who turns 22 tomorrow, showed good wheels and a great angle to cut off Goodwin's end-around play. He's another PS candidate for sure.

 

Finally, 52 and 59. Preston and Ragland are developing chemistry. It's Powell making the call, but they are definitely learning how to work to be greater than the sum of them.

 

Go Bills!

--Astro

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eball Hall of Famer

eball

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1. As always, thank you, Astro.

 

2. Sammy Watkins really is a dick.

 

Or perhaps he's focused on, you know, getting his work in so he can start practicing.

 

Autographs are dumb anyway.

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Gugny Hall of Famer

Gugny

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Or perhaps he's focused on, you know, getting his work in so he can start practicing.

 

Autographs are dumb anyway.

 

No. He's a dick. It's not like it's gameday. It's practice. He's a dick.

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eball Hall of Famer

eball

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No. He's a dick. It's not like it's gameday. It's practice. He's a dick.

 

Have you met him? Have you seen him treat people poorly, aside from his frustrated Instagram rant? Not signing an autograph doesn't qualify a person as a dick.

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Gugny Hall of Famer

Gugny

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Have you met him? Have you seen him treat people poorly, aside from his frustrated Instagram rant? Not signing an autograph doesn't qualify a person as a dick.

 

Since he was drafted, he's done nothing but show how much of a dick he is.

 

And not signing an autograph in training camp is a complete dick move. I don't want to hijack Astro's thread anymore (apologies, Astro), but Watkins is an ignorant, pompous, arrogant ass - but I still want him to do well for the Bills.

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CommonCents All Pro

CommonCents

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Or perhaps he's focused on, you know, getting his work in so he can start practicing.

 

Autographs are dumb anyway.

Autographs are dumb for grown men but stopping and signing a few things for kids wouldn't be that much to ask would it? Hopefully he has the sense to do that for the younger fans. Edited by Commonsense
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eball Hall of Famer

eball

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Since he was drafted, he's done nothing but show how much of a dick he is.

 

And not signing an autograph in training camp is a complete dick move. I don't want to hijack Astro's thread anymore (apologies, Astro), but Watkins is an ignorant, pompous, arrogant ass - but I still want him to do well for the Bills.

 

Like when he did this?

 

Or maybe this?

 

Or perhaps this?

 

Get off your high horse, dude. And YES, I'd certainly tell you that to your face.

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LeGOATski Hall of Famer

LeGOATski

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Since he was drafted, he's done nothing but show how much of a dick he is.

 

And not signing an autograph in training camp is a complete dick move. I don't want to hijack Astro's thread anymore (apologies, Astro), but Watkins is an ignorant, pompous, arrogant ass - but I still want him to do well for the Bills.

You still bought his jersey, though, right?

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merlin Rookie

merlin

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Thanks so much, Astro! We "exiles" always look forward to your TC descriptions. :worthy:

 

(Just hope you aren't going against any "official Bills reporting policies" - sure can't afford to have you get banned from camp!)

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Gugny Hall of Famer

Gugny

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Astro,

 

Thanks again for another great and detailed report!

 

Question, any truth to this from Mike Rodak about Dez Lewis?

I'm seeing a bit of regression from WR Dez Lewis so far in Bills camp. Hasn't done much to stand out first week... http://es.pn/2axYYHW

 

 

If Astro confirms that this is more BS from Rodak, I move that TBD blocks any/all links to Rodak's twitter account.

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EmotionallyUnstable All Pro

EmotionallyUnstable

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FWIW, my thoughts on practice today:

 

1. Tyrod looked cool, calm and collected. Even when the pocket collapsed, he showed good awareness and was extremely mobile in the pocket. EJ, from what I saw, had a decent day. His mechanics are noticeably different, although the nose of the fb always seems to be pointing down. Cardale is a monster but I didn't really notice anything special from the pocket from him.

 

2. On the WR battle.I'm not sure what the Dez Lewis hype early on was about. To me, he appears to be jag. He is a long strider and is slow out of his breaks. He did not show anything to make me think otherwise. Although I've been a critic, I thought Goodwin looked on point today. He made a number of catches while creating NFL size separation with defenders. Hopefully the guy can stay healthy. Walter Powell made a few nice catches but also dropped a ball and jumped offsides. I wonder if special teams value will strengthen his run at a roster spot.

 

3. Ragland. First off, what a massive man. Although they weren't love tackling, I often noticed him near the ball. He dropped into zone coverage a number of times, but did not see him in man.

 

4. Schmitt. He really kicks the hell out of it.

 

5. RB rotation: though I aren't sure what it was specifically. It looks to me as if 1.McCoy 2a. Bush 2b. Gillislee 3. Wilder. I noticed the Twos seemed to rotate backs. I wouldn't be surprised to see these four on the roster as the RBs for the first 4 weeks of the season. When Karlos returns, Gillislee may draw the short straw. I saw nothing of note from J Williams.

 

6. Gilmore and Darby are an excellent 1/2 punch. Both consistently showed excellent breaks on the ball. I am confident in these two on islands. Unfortunately, our depth at CB seems slim. No one else impressed, today at least, IMO.

 

7. TE is a weird bird this year. I approch this position by trying to think about what G Ro will want from this position this year. With the number of motions and shifts today, I think he is leaning more towards a versatile player and less towards a one trick pony (thank god Matthew Mulligan is no longer a Bill). I like Clay as the one and Gragg second in. Aside from that, it gets blurry. Preseason will be telling.

 

8. Hughes consistently showed up in the backfield today. Not a flashy player, but I expect 10 plus sacks from him this year no problem.

 

9. I don't know a whole lot about our safetys, but I can't help but thinking that they've improved simply by having Ed Reed with them. This guy seems to be always involved in conversation with a man in blue.

 

10. I may be wrong but I think there is a serious lack of fundamentals being practiced. It could be I missed them, it could be because they are professionals but I am not noticing any of the basics being drilled. I was hoping to see home technical drills (form tackling, blocking, pursuit, etc).

 

Anyways just some thoughts for those unable to attend. Go Bills.

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