VaCatFan
Footballguy
Camp notes from friend who was there Tuesday......
First, the secondary. They were very good in coverage. I was impressed with Gamble-they don't bother going his way, which is why he is under the radar, but the job Marty and Fox and Co. did in drafting Pugh, McCain, and Stanford was phenomenal. They all had good practices; I think they feed off the competition. Wilson was solid, breaking up several passes. If you will note that reports are that Clausen is reading conservatively and throwing to the flat alot, it is because the WRs are covered. Francisco looked good as well, a smart player who is limited, but good STs. I think we have 5 cbs who could make the team from what I saw today. Stanford is an athlete. McCain is tough and scrappy. One will be on the PS, but I would hate to decide which.
Connor was solid in the middle. Very quick to read and good persuit. The same with Jamar Williams; he is one of the top 3 LBs and will be starting by the end of the year. He took no false steps, smart angles, and seemed to get his hands on the ball to try to strip on plays away from his side. Considering we would have cut Harris and TD is on the shelf, what a steal. I am thinking Culberson is the sixth LB. Norwood was on the strong side a lot, and he seems to be confident and athletic. I think he will be more versatile than people think.
I still can't tell if Corvey Irvin is working into the mix or not. He seems to be a penetrator, and was getting some penetration, but not getting to the ball. Ed Johnson was quicker than I thought, but he was worn out at the end of practice. I did get to talk to him, and he is giving it his all. He seemed humble and not arrogant, FWIW.
Jarrett is not a factor. He caught a couple balls, but he seems slow and easy to cover. LaFell dropped an easy ball in a drill, but he seems to catch passes over the middle well. K. Moore is looking good, probably at best an average WR in the NFL. If LaFell steps up, that is OK. Edwards looked green and frail. Not ready yet. He caught all of the punts I saw, but so did Moore, Witherspoon, and Munnerlyn. All split reps. Wright made a very good catch, and since he is a ST ace, he could easily be on the field during 4WR sets.
Speaking of STs, Hardy was playing gunner one play and gave the DBs fits. I am sure this was for fun, but Hardy has a motor. He is giving every drill, every play his 100% best effort. He will help this year. They ran him in with Brown alot, a pretty darn good second team. Brayton is a man-child and underrated; Charles Johnson is not impressive to me. Maybe he is a gamer. All in all, the DL is working their butts off, and Hardy and Brown are benefiting from superior coaching. Hardy might be the steal of the draft.
QBs- we have 4 pretty good ones, which is why I think Moore is using this year to audition for a job somewhere else. I think the Panthers will not match offers if he has a good year. With Clausen and Pike, we have good depth. Clausen does not have a slow delivery like Bradshaw says, but he takes care of the football. He is unfamiliar with the speed of the game and the personnel, so he throws a bit late. To compensate for this, he is trying to put more behind the throw, a bit of a windup at times. As he becomes more comfortable, he will end that. He was running 3rd team today, but got more reps than Cantwell throughout practice, from what I noticed. My son had a #2 jersey with him and held it up as Clausen walked offthe practice field. He saw it, and motioned for him to come up through the crowd. He asked my son his name, and personally signed his jersey. There were too many to sign everyone's autograph, but he stood in the 99 degree heat and signed a lot. So did Norwood.
TEs-we have some versatile athletes at TE. Barnidge is a specimen with great hands. Rosario played 3 positions today (H back/fullback, TE, and WR.
King seems to be exhibiting leadership skills.
FB was interesting today. Fiametta was playing RB and Jackson was at FB. Fiametta looked suprisingly good (Sutton, Goodson, and Stewart were out, and DeAngelo did not do to much. Jackson stopped in the hole on two occasions, looking for a block and hitting nobody. Learning.
OL: Gross (not in pads but working with the first group in warmups), Wharton, Kalil, Bernadeau, and Schwartz. Otah PUP. Schwartz gets the MVP award. His footwork was great. CJ Davis got up slowly once, but I am not sure he was seriously injured.
TD was there, walking without a limp. Smith too, very supportive and in tune with the proceedings.
I was most pleased with:
The secondary (especially the rookies)
Jamar Williams and Dan Connor
Moore has the QB swagger.
Ed Johnson's effort and attitude
HARDY's motor-steal of the draft?
Pike is so much better than during OTAs.
Norwood- got a swagger too. Loves to play football. WHat a motor.
Moore will catch 40- balls this year. So will LaFell
Wallace Wright looked good at times at WR
Fiametta- looked good at RB.
Jamar Williams will find a job on the field. Connor looks good at MLB vs. run.
Tyler Brayton-Accepting role as the leader of the DL.
Disappointments:
Armanti Edwards- not bad, but he made me angry that we traded next year's second for him. A project. I don't trust him catching punts.
Dwayne Jarrett. Was he a veteran among rookies today? No. I expect him to be cut. I would cut him now, and get him out of the way. He will get a preseason game or two.
Corvey Irving- I think they like Landri better, but I was not that focused.
R. Jackson: Stopping in the hole is not a good habit.
That is about it. All in all, our young QBs and young WRs have a long way to go. There were too many forced passes and ints. I feel better about the D, worse about the O, better about special teams.
First, the secondary. They were very good in coverage. I was impressed with Gamble-they don't bother going his way, which is why he is under the radar, but the job Marty and Fox and Co. did in drafting Pugh, McCain, and Stanford was phenomenal. They all had good practices; I think they feed off the competition. Wilson was solid, breaking up several passes. If you will note that reports are that Clausen is reading conservatively and throwing to the flat alot, it is because the WRs are covered. Francisco looked good as well, a smart player who is limited, but good STs. I think we have 5 cbs who could make the team from what I saw today. Stanford is an athlete. McCain is tough and scrappy. One will be on the PS, but I would hate to decide which.
Connor was solid in the middle. Very quick to read and good persuit. The same with Jamar Williams; he is one of the top 3 LBs and will be starting by the end of the year. He took no false steps, smart angles, and seemed to get his hands on the ball to try to strip on plays away from his side. Considering we would have cut Harris and TD is on the shelf, what a steal. I am thinking Culberson is the sixth LB. Norwood was on the strong side a lot, and he seems to be confident and athletic. I think he will be more versatile than people think.
I still can't tell if Corvey Irvin is working into the mix or not. He seems to be a penetrator, and was getting some penetration, but not getting to the ball. Ed Johnson was quicker than I thought, but he was worn out at the end of practice. I did get to talk to him, and he is giving it his all. He seemed humble and not arrogant, FWIW.
Jarrett is not a factor. He caught a couple balls, but he seems slow and easy to cover. LaFell dropped an easy ball in a drill, but he seems to catch passes over the middle well. K. Moore is looking good, probably at best an average WR in the NFL. If LaFell steps up, that is OK. Edwards looked green and frail. Not ready yet. He caught all of the punts I saw, but so did Moore, Witherspoon, and Munnerlyn. All split reps. Wright made a very good catch, and since he is a ST ace, he could easily be on the field during 4WR sets.
Speaking of STs, Hardy was playing gunner one play and gave the DBs fits. I am sure this was for fun, but Hardy has a motor. He is giving every drill, every play his 100% best effort. He will help this year. They ran him in with Brown alot, a pretty darn good second team. Brayton is a man-child and underrated; Charles Johnson is not impressive to me. Maybe he is a gamer. All in all, the DL is working their butts off, and Hardy and Brown are benefiting from superior coaching. Hardy might be the steal of the draft.
QBs- we have 4 pretty good ones, which is why I think Moore is using this year to audition for a job somewhere else. I think the Panthers will not match offers if he has a good year. With Clausen and Pike, we have good depth. Clausen does not have a slow delivery like Bradshaw says, but he takes care of the football. He is unfamiliar with the speed of the game and the personnel, so he throws a bit late. To compensate for this, he is trying to put more behind the throw, a bit of a windup at times. As he becomes more comfortable, he will end that. He was running 3rd team today, but got more reps than Cantwell throughout practice, from what I noticed. My son had a #2 jersey with him and held it up as Clausen walked offthe practice field. He saw it, and motioned for him to come up through the crowd. He asked my son his name, and personally signed his jersey. There were too many to sign everyone's autograph, but he stood in the 99 degree heat and signed a lot. So did Norwood.
TEs-we have some versatile athletes at TE. Barnidge is a specimen with great hands. Rosario played 3 positions today (H back/fullback, TE, and WR.
King seems to be exhibiting leadership skills.
FB was interesting today. Fiametta was playing RB and Jackson was at FB. Fiametta looked suprisingly good (Sutton, Goodson, and Stewart were out, and DeAngelo did not do to much. Jackson stopped in the hole on two occasions, looking for a block and hitting nobody. Learning.
OL: Gross (not in pads but working with the first group in warmups), Wharton, Kalil, Bernadeau, and Schwartz. Otah PUP. Schwartz gets the MVP award. His footwork was great. CJ Davis got up slowly once, but I am not sure he was seriously injured.
TD was there, walking without a limp. Smith too, very supportive and in tune with the proceedings.
I was most pleased with:
The secondary (especially the rookies)
Jamar Williams and Dan Connor
Moore has the QB swagger.
Ed Johnson's effort and attitude
HARDY's motor-steal of the draft?
Pike is so much better than during OTAs.
Norwood- got a swagger too. Loves to play football. WHat a motor.
Moore will catch 40- balls this year. So will LaFell
Wallace Wright looked good at times at WR
Fiametta- looked good at RB.
Jamar Williams will find a job on the field. Connor looks good at MLB vs. run.
Tyler Brayton-Accepting role as the leader of the DL.
Disappointments:
Armanti Edwards- not bad, but he made me angry that we traded next year's second for him. A project. I don't trust him catching punts.
Dwayne Jarrett. Was he a veteran among rookies today? No. I expect him to be cut. I would cut him now, and get him out of the way. He will get a preseason game or two.
Corvey Irving- I think they like Landri better, but I was not that focused.
R. Jackson: Stopping in the hole is not a good habit.
That is about it. All in all, our young QBs and young WRs have a long way to go. There were too many forced passes and ints. I feel better about the D, worse about the O, better about special teams.
