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Astro-Notes: 7-27-17 First Practice

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*** Many thanks to Jamie Nails of TSW for the tickets!***

 

We had a gutter-gusher of a rainstorm in the early afternoon, so I wasn't sure I'd be taking my wife and grand kids out to the Bills' first practice tonight, but this is a new GM, a new Head Coach, and new OC/DC. The weather gods cooperated and it was a great beginning for the undefeated 2017 Bills.

 

Out earliest on the field were Walt Powell, Joe Banyard, Cedric O'Neal, and Jonathan Williams. Nick O'Leary was playing catch with an asst coach on the sidelines while Banyard and Williams tossed the pigskin around. Jordan Mills is being stretched by a trainer. The QBs begin coming in, with TJ Yates appearing first. We notice that the kickers also are wearing red--Hauschka, Rehow, and Schmidt. My wife pronounces that the WRs who are wearing white tights look too girly-girl, especially against the green Astro Turf. I remind her why it's called "Astro" turf. I'll be making the main portion of comments.

 

Powell is first to catch punts from the JUGS machine. The punt returners were Powell, Philly Brown, Rashad Ross. The kick returners were Brandon Tate, Rashad Ross, and Philly Brown, in that order.

 

There is an urgency for players emerging late from the field house to trot (more like canter) as we near 5:30. You feel the urgency.

 

On The Dot, right exactly at 5:30, the air horn sounds and players immediately begin kickoff drill. Like within 30 seconds. Hauschka got first kick, but Rehkow also got work. Best blocks on KR were Ryan Davis, Nick O'Leary. We see McDowell high-five BT Sanders as he says something to him.

 

Period 2 is Stretching. Players seem to know EXACTLY what to do, even the precise order of stretches. There is a brisker pace, with the end of one stretch melding right into the next. The music is louder. The bass is louder still. The offense is to my right, moving left with each stretch, closer and closer to the defense. My grandson, age 10, remarks that 79 doesn't seem to be putting his whole self into the stretches. He's picked out Jordan Mills. Players that seem to be putting it out there included Cordy Glenn (PHEW!), the new OL #71, Watkins, and Banyard. A shout-out to Anthony Harrell who sprints when the last stretch is done...he just went in the wrong direction toward the offensive positional drills.

 

Positional Drills began within 25 SECONDS of the end of stretches. #33 (who I'm assuming is Rambo) is over working the ropes with a trainer, possibly in his PT test. Cedric O'Neal is impressing me. He's agile, and really sticks his moves; I have underestimated him. The QBs are in the middle of the field practicing their play-action fakes--either throwing the swing pass after faking to a back, or handing off then faking the pass. Yates impresses the most right now with his eye manipulation. The TEs are working at the near sideline, with O'Leary and Clay demonstrating as the #1s, with Croom-Towbridge trying it, while Logan Thomas and Wes Saxton watch....Later on, the order of appearance is Clay, O'Leary, Thomas, and Croom. I think they're the top four TEs right now, although Towbridge seemed to acquit himself well tonight. It's early.

 

Players run to the next play constantly. "Brisk" is the best word for it, but in an orderly way.

 

Some QB-WR combinations that worked well in positionals were Tyrod to Zay, Tyrod to Sammy, Tyrod to Brandon Reilly (who digs into his break better than any, gaining separation --good for WCO timing routes), and Tyrod to Dez Lewis, who was noticeably improved. I wonder why Walt Powell is getting so much work. He won't even count toward the 53. Wood is standing with Groy a lot. I think he's the heir apparent when Wood's contract is up next year

 

In the 11 on 11s, Yates always comes after Tyrod and before Peterman. . The first team trots out. and it's Mils, Miller, Wood, Incognito, Glenn, a pair of TEs (Clay-O'LEary), MCCoy the single back, and Watkins-Holmes as WRs. First into that mix were Jonathan Williams, Zay Jones, and Jason Croom,. with Banyard-Tolbert-Powell in after them.

 

On the sidelines, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are moving down the sidelines tossing 2 tennis balls back and forth at the same time. The eye-hand coordination is otherworldly. Darby's doing the same with an asst coach. Poyer's taller and lankier than I thought. They are now turning around at the last minute to catch a fairly-fast-thrown football.

 

On the field, Rashad Ross fakes inside, then dekes to the boundary, fooling everybody. IF he can catch, he's already better than Goodwin.

 

Shaq Lawson is my defensive feature player. He and the other DL are practicing a pretty savage under move, lifting the would be Tackle's outside shoulder. In the 11 on 11's that come next, he just abuses Mills and he and Dareus are in on Tyrod lightning fast.

 

Hughes is offsides on the second 11 on 11 play. The OL is able to hold off the intense DL pressure on the next play, but Tyrod has nobody to throw to. The fourth play is a completion to Tolbert, probaably my offensive feature player. Tolbert makes an awkward catch while backpedaling out of bounds. He makes more nice grabs later.

 

Yates comes in, and hands off You note Jonathan Williams' shiftiness on a nice long run. He's more North and South than Shady, but that may be a good thing. On the second Yates play, Ryan davis scoops aup a ball going the other way, running it down to the end zone. Eddie Yarbrough comes in at DE as the substitute Lorenzo, I believe.

 

Peterman comes in. You notice the downfield vision, and his first pass is a long one ti Daikiel Shorts. Peterman's handoff to Jordan Johnson shows us that Johnson can get lower than Shady or Jon Williams, and relies on patience and blocks unfolding in front of him. The DL looks stout, certainly a strength along the starters, but even some nice work from Nigel Williams and Jerel Worthy. Yarbrough also was noticed. The DBs are moving all over pre-snap.

 

Fluidly, the team goes back into positional drills. Jason Croom drops a sure catch by taking his eyes off of it. Dez Lewis runs nice routes and secures the catch; you can tell he's been working hard off-season.

 

Some Looks:

-Watkins looks healed and slippery.

-Streater looks spindly, loping, and Lofton-like.

-Clay looks healthy, sure-handed, and unfazed.

Reilly looks quick to turn upfield, quick and agile.

Daikiel Shorts looks skilled with his hand.

Zay looks fast, but could use some weight-room work on them spindles for legs. He's taller than I expected.

Towbridge looks the part over the middle.

Jon Williams looks like the love-child of Shady and Karlos.

 

In the second 11 on 11, Ducasse and Dawkins are able to hold off serious D-Line pressure. Holmes looks disappointing on an incompletion deep, and gets dinged up on a second deep pass. PReston Brown mixes it up with the defense (didn't catch the guy's number), and Yates throws a sweet 30-yarder to Zay Jones. Yep, he'll be all right. Banyard shows some agility but the defense (especially the line) isn't giving them anything between the tackles. Dawkins will be all thaqt Mills can handle; I noticed Dawkins having his way more than Mills was. Jordan Johnson is one feisty RB. Peterman threw a little high on a great rollout to Towbridge. Peterman was INT'd on a tip right into the hands of Charles James, and Tre White scoops up a loose ball. Nice swing pass to Shady nexts a long run, with Ramon Humber too far inside. Nigel Williams looked good on a defensive stop, we had another false start (this one's on the OL). Yates threw a spot pass to a spot on the field, but nobody (Jeremy Butler?) was close by. Ragland was calling the D signals by now. Petrerman threw a bomb to Rashad Ross, pretty nice throw, but incomplete. Another bomb to Holmes falls incomplete and Holmes leaves the field and gets looked at. Yates throws a pass behind Banyard, a bowling ball shaped back. He catches it. Croom recovers his own fumble ond then snares a Peterman pass; he looks good. Tolbert, my offensive player of the day, looks especially good on the edge after catching a pass from Peterman, I'd have called PI on Marcus Sayles for the second to last pass; he was all over Butler. The last play in 11 on 11 was the best, a Peterman-to-DiMarco deep completion, which drew the most applause.

 

I left after that, as it looked like the grandkids had had enough.

 

Hope you have, too. I'll see you tomorrow.

 

-Astro

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Tough to disagree just because of new administration, but I remember liking how he played last training camp and preseason. Could see him landing as WR5 or 6 and a returner.

 

He has a suspension to serve and that certainly won't help his cause.

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