Observations from Camp V
Here are some more observations from training camp, this time taken from the team scrimmage. Thanks Vin
-Today's camp was a team scrimmage. The order went like this: First the team warmed up, stretched, and did some individual passing drills and such. Then the 1st string offense went up against the 2nd string D for about 20 plays. Then it was the 2nd string offense against the 1st string D for about 20 plays. Then Ken Dorsey and his mixture of 2nd/3rd stringers went up against a combination of 2nd/3rd string defense. The team then broke for a special teams practice, and came back with Smith and a 2nd string O against the 2nd string D, followed by Pickett leading the 3rd string O against the 3rd string D.
- The team seemed jazzed up to be out there in full pads, ready to hit. There was a good amount of contact and the defense was able to hit anyone except the QBs.
- I think Marcus Maxwell is doing his best rendition of Terrell Owens. The more I see of this guy the more I like. When the WRs were warming up, he had a presence to him and followed through from yesterday's practice. If we can develop this guy, he's going to be good. Full Story...
- PJ Fleck was out there, not padded up, but at least catching some passes and watching the entire scrimmage. He seemed fine.
- His fellow WR Rashaun Woods stared at the ground quite a bit, moping around by himself. Hey Woods, I know you're hurt, but would it hurt for you to show just a tad bit more interest? Catch some passes while standing? Anything????
- As the scrimmage started, the team started out with a lot of running plays between the tackle with Kevan Barlow. Barlow seemed to do alright, but was quickly stuffed up for minimal gains. He did have a very nice play where he cut back and gained about 5-7 yards.
- Alex Smith broke down and ran a lot of times on the first series. He showed a ton of quickness. On one play, the defense came for him, but he quickly rolled and ran for a few yards.
- But Smith's first drive ended in an interception on an out route when he slightly overthrew Johnnie Morton.
- Showing some poise and confidence, Smith quickly came right back on the next series and drove his team down the field. He made a nice pass on the run to Brandon Lloyd and also hit Eric Johnson. The drive culminated in a touchdown run by Kevan Barlow, as the team chose to run the ball 3 straight times from the end zone.
- Those first two series by Smith were a bit more contained. They didn't ask him to do anything too complex. He did well, but he still showed signs that he's a rookie.
- Rattay came in on the next series with the 2nd string offense against the 1st string D. He looked more poised than ever, delivering some solid passes, scanning the field, and finding guys on slant routes.
- Rattay's first pass was a deep throw to Johnnie Morton, who was guarded by Willie Middlebrooks down the sidelines. The throw was a bit off, but Middlebrooks coverage was solid and tight, giving little room for Morton to really make the catch.
- Rattay, perhaps challenged by Smith's mobility, showed a bit of elusiveness as well. He took the ball down, made a nice cut, and gained about 10 yards. Looks like that foot has healed up.
- That said, Rattay's series stalled when Maurice Hicks failed to run into the end zone from the one yard line. He was stuffed by the likes of Anthony Adams and Marques Douglas. The two previous plays were passes that were incomplete or short. On one play, Rattay hit a WR screen pass to Justin McCaddley which brought the team to the one. Rattay then seemed to have a wide open Billy Bajema in the end zone, but Rashaun Reed came out of nowhere and swatted down the pass.
- Speaking fo Rayshaun Reed, he's quickly shown terrific instict and a knack for coverage. He's stepped up and showed some skill in the scrimmage, builiding off of his solid camp thus far.
- With Tim Rattay in, with the 2nd string O, the team seemed to open up the playbook a bit more. They weren't as restrictive as with Alex Smith's turn, and Rattay responded very well, looking like a poised vet. Today, Rattay outshun Smith, which I fully expect given Rattay's experience.
- Ken Dorsey's series was nowhere near as effective as Smith or Rattay's. While Dorsey showed some comfort, he seemed to be staring down his WRs a bit too much. He did have some nice passes to Fred Amey, who really looked good out there today.
- One play called for a designed run from Dorsey. Again, he lugged his way down and didn't quit make his cut (he's more of a linear, straight line runner) but at least he did all that he could.
- Derek Smith had a really nice hit where he stuffed Bobby Puriffy, a RB trying to make the team.
- The hit of the day had to go to Dwaine Carpenter though. The team handed off to Barlow and it seemed like Barlow had a hole. Then out of nowhere, Dwaine Carpenter bullrushed Barlow and sent him flying 2-3 yards back for no gain or a loss of a yard. He drew a ton of props from Bryant Young on that one.
- Anthony Adams often found himself in the midst of all the run stuffing plays. Nice to see him be around the ball.
- The special teams practice went surprisingly well. Joe Nedney missed one kick in the 43 yard range but made up for it by consistently hitting all his other kicks, including a few from 50+ yards out. His competition, Kirk Yyliminie (I really can't spell that) also surprised everyone. While he clearly doesn't have the leg Nedney does, Kirk didn't miss a kick and he too was consistent from 43 yards out.
- Too bad the same can't be said for Andy Lee's competition. Cole Farder, the backup punter, stinks. He shanks a ton of kicks.
- Andy Lee on the other hand seems to always boom his.
- When the team broke back from special teams, Alex Smith was given another chance with the 2nd string offense. This time, the playbook seemed to open up, but Smith was nowhere near as effective as his first drive.
- Smith missed a series of throws, culminating in 3 straight incompletions. He also nearly threw an INT to Rayshaun Reed.
- Daven Holly and Derrick Johnson, two rookie CBs, were out there flying around and looking good.
- But at least Smith showed rythm and a jist for the offense, which shows that he will improve with time. The same could not be said for Cody Pickett. What was he doing out there? A few times, Pickett threw into spots where there was simply no one around....including a receiver.
- It was nice to see Issac Sopoaga in action. That's the first time I've seen him in a football type of situation and while he still has some work to do he's always moving around, in the pile, and making himself known.
- Marcus Maxwell showed that he's not a stiff, linear player. Many times he came back for the ball, and caught two low passes that required him to dive underneath to retrieve them. Not bad for a guy who stands 6'4.
- Our offensive line looked so/so. We REALLY need guys like Jennings, Newberry, and Baas back. It seemed like the o-line was running thin.
- Patrick Estes looked decent for a TE making the switch to LT. While I'm still antsy over starting him, in a few years if he bulks up and gains experience, he could be something.
- Maurice Hicks showed the quickness that allowed him to start a few games last year. He took off for a 30 yard rumble down the sidelines on a handoff from Smith.
- Kevan Barlow was wearing a visor inside his helmet. After practice I overheard him saying that it was due to lazer eye surgery that he had received in the offseason.
- I wish Barlow would have hit the hole with a bit more authority. But it's practice, so I'm not going to dog him on it until the real games begin.
- Terry Jackson hit the hole with authority.
- Overall, this was a fun practice. It was close to pre-season level, with the hitting a little less authoratative. The backup offenses have a bit of work to do, but I was impressed with Tim Rattay today. He really seems to be working hard to regain that starting role. Even Smith, despite looking like a rookie more times today than in previous practices, showed a thing or two out there. He's looking like a good rookie out there
Who's Hot:
Tim Rattay - Poised, confident, scanning the field. He even managed to march a 2nd string O to the 1 yard line against our starting defensive unit.
Anthony Adams - Quick, always in on the play, nice work.
Dwaine Carpenter - He can fly.....and hit. Just ask Kevan Barlow.
Issac Sopoaga - Big guy shows some potential in real live contact.
Who's Not:
Ken Dorsey - 2nd straight practice where he didn't really do much. He needs to stop staring down WRs. We could tell where he was throwing each time, and so could Rayshaun Reed.
Cole Farden - Backup punter shouldn't be surprised when he sees he didn't make the squad.
Rashaun Woods - Besides not being out there for the 4th or 5th practice, today he was standing alone on the sidelines with his head staring at the ground. Does this guy even have a soul?
-Today's camp was a team scrimmage. The order went like this: First the team warmed up, stretched, and did some individual passing drills and such. Then the 1st string offense went up against the 2nd string D for about 20 plays. Then it was the 2nd string offense against the 1st string D for about 20 plays. Then Ken Dorsey and his mixture of 2nd/3rd stringers went up against a combination of 2nd/3rd string defense. The team then broke for a special teams practice, and came back with Smith and a 2nd string O against the 2nd string D, followed by Pickett leading the 3rd string O against the 3rd string D.
- The team seemed jazzed up to be out there in full pads, ready to hit. There was a good amount of contact and the defense was able to hit anyone except the QBs.
- I think Marcus Maxwell is doing his best rendition of Terrell Owens. The more I see of this guy the more I like. When the WRs were warming up, he had a presence to him and followed through from yesterday's practice. If we can develop this guy, he's going to be good. Full Story...
- PJ Fleck was out there, not padded up, but at least catching some passes and watching the entire scrimmage. He seemed fine.
- His fellow WR Rashaun Woods stared at the ground quite a bit, moping around by himself. Hey Woods, I know you're hurt, but would it hurt for you to show just a tad bit more interest? Catch some passes while standing? Anything????
- As the scrimmage started, the team started out with a lot of running plays between the tackle with Kevan Barlow. Barlow seemed to do alright, but was quickly stuffed up for minimal gains. He did have a very nice play where he cut back and gained about 5-7 yards.
- Alex Smith broke down and ran a lot of times on the first series. He showed a ton of quickness. On one play, the defense came for him, but he quickly rolled and ran for a few yards.
- But Smith's first drive ended in an interception on an out route when he slightly overthrew Johnnie Morton.
- Showing some poise and confidence, Smith quickly came right back on the next series and drove his team down the field. He made a nice pass on the run to Brandon Lloyd and also hit Eric Johnson. The drive culminated in a touchdown run by Kevan Barlow, as the team chose to run the ball 3 straight times from the end zone.
- Those first two series by Smith were a bit more contained. They didn't ask him to do anything too complex. He did well, but he still showed signs that he's a rookie.
- Rattay came in on the next series with the 2nd string offense against the 1st string D. He looked more poised than ever, delivering some solid passes, scanning the field, and finding guys on slant routes.
- Rattay's first pass was a deep throw to Johnnie Morton, who was guarded by Willie Middlebrooks down the sidelines. The throw was a bit off, but Middlebrooks coverage was solid and tight, giving little room for Morton to really make the catch.
- Rattay, perhaps challenged by Smith's mobility, showed a bit of elusiveness as well. He took the ball down, made a nice cut, and gained about 10 yards. Looks like that foot has healed up.
- That said, Rattay's series stalled when Maurice Hicks failed to run into the end zone from the one yard line. He was stuffed by the likes of Anthony Adams and Marques Douglas. The two previous plays were passes that were incomplete or short. On one play, Rattay hit a WR screen pass to Justin McCaddley which brought the team to the one. Rattay then seemed to have a wide open Billy Bajema in the end zone, but Rashaun Reed came out of nowhere and swatted down the pass.
- Speaking fo Rayshaun Reed, he's quickly shown terrific instict and a knack for coverage. He's stepped up and showed some skill in the scrimmage, builiding off of his solid camp thus far.
- With Tim Rattay in, with the 2nd string O, the team seemed to open up the playbook a bit more. They weren't as restrictive as with Alex Smith's turn, and Rattay responded very well, looking like a poised vet. Today, Rattay outshun Smith, which I fully expect given Rattay's experience.
- Ken Dorsey's series was nowhere near as effective as Smith or Rattay's. While Dorsey showed some comfort, he seemed to be staring down his WRs a bit too much. He did have some nice passes to Fred Amey, who really looked good out there today.
- One play called for a designed run from Dorsey. Again, he lugged his way down and didn't quit make his cut (he's more of a linear, straight line runner) but at least he did all that he could.
- Derek Smith had a really nice hit where he stuffed Bobby Puriffy, a RB trying to make the team.
- The hit of the day had to go to Dwaine Carpenter though. The team handed off to Barlow and it seemed like Barlow had a hole. Then out of nowhere, Dwaine Carpenter bullrushed Barlow and sent him flying 2-3 yards back for no gain or a loss of a yard. He drew a ton of props from Bryant Young on that one.
- Anthony Adams often found himself in the midst of all the run stuffing plays. Nice to see him be around the ball.
- The special teams practice went surprisingly well. Joe Nedney missed one kick in the 43 yard range but made up for it by consistently hitting all his other kicks, including a few from 50+ yards out. His competition, Kirk Yyliminie (I really can't spell that) also surprised everyone. While he clearly doesn't have the leg Nedney does, Kirk didn't miss a kick and he too was consistent from 43 yards out.
- Too bad the same can't be said for Andy Lee's competition. Cole Farder, the backup punter, stinks. He shanks a ton of kicks.
- Andy Lee on the other hand seems to always boom his.
- When the team broke back from special teams, Alex Smith was given another chance with the 2nd string offense. This time, the playbook seemed to open up, but Smith was nowhere near as effective as his first drive.
- Smith missed a series of throws, culminating in 3 straight incompletions. He also nearly threw an INT to Rayshaun Reed.
- Daven Holly and Derrick Johnson, two rookie CBs, were out there flying around and looking good.
- But at least Smith showed rythm and a jist for the offense, which shows that he will improve with time. The same could not be said for Cody Pickett. What was he doing out there? A few times, Pickett threw into spots where there was simply no one around....including a receiver.
- It was nice to see Issac Sopoaga in action. That's the first time I've seen him in a football type of situation and while he still has some work to do he's always moving around, in the pile, and making himself known.
- Marcus Maxwell showed that he's not a stiff, linear player. Many times he came back for the ball, and caught two low passes that required him to dive underneath to retrieve them. Not bad for a guy who stands 6'4.
- Our offensive line looked so/so. We REALLY need guys like Jennings, Newberry, and Baas back. It seemed like the o-line was running thin.
- Patrick Estes looked decent for a TE making the switch to LT. While I'm still antsy over starting him, in a few years if he bulks up and gains experience, he could be something.
- Maurice Hicks showed the quickness that allowed him to start a few games last year. He took off for a 30 yard rumble down the sidelines on a handoff from Smith.
- Kevan Barlow was wearing a visor inside his helmet. After practice I overheard him saying that it was due to lazer eye surgery that he had received in the offseason.
- I wish Barlow would have hit the hole with a bit more authority. But it's practice, so I'm not going to dog him on it until the real games begin.
- Terry Jackson hit the hole with authority.
- Overall, this was a fun practice. It was close to pre-season level, with the hitting a little less authoratative. The backup offenses have a bit of work to do, but I was impressed with Tim Rattay today. He really seems to be working hard to regain that starting role. Even Smith, despite looking like a rookie more times today than in previous practices, showed a thing or two out there. He's looking like a good rookie out there
Who's Hot:
Tim Rattay - Poised, confident, scanning the field. He even managed to march a 2nd string O to the 1 yard line against our starting defensive unit.
Anthony Adams - Quick, always in on the play, nice work.
Dwaine Carpenter - He can fly.....and hit. Just ask Kevan Barlow.
Issac Sopoaga - Big guy shows some potential in real live contact.
Who's Not:
Ken Dorsey - 2nd straight practice where he didn't really do much. He needs to stop staring down WRs. We could tell where he was throwing each time, and so could Rayshaun Reed.
Cole Farden - Backup punter shouldn't be surprised when he sees he didn't make the squad.
Rashaun Woods - Besides not being out there for the 4th or 5th practice, today he was standing alone on the sidelines with his head staring at the ground. Does this guy even have a soul?
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