...All direct quotes from the originals...author isn't important in this post & it's about 7-8 different guys from more than a dozen camp reports. (If you need to know who wrote what just ask.) My "method" is to pile on if there are superlatives about any player. So if you see multiple consecutive quotations about the same guy, the point is that's coming from different observers all seeing the same things,
Emphasis on the positive.
There's A LOT different this year. You can tell that already.
To it--->
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- Players seem less “unsure.” For the first real day of football, this is where I was impressed most. When the offensive huddle broke, players knew exactly where to line up. Seems elementary, but that was not the case last season. Practices last year consisted of many receivers getting told to move because they weren’t in the right spot. Moreover, when the ball is snapped these days, the game is faster.
- Coach Jeff Fisher yanks linemen off the field when they commit false-start or offside penalties.
- The problem with the previous regime, IMO, was they seldom if EVER, lined the 1's against each other. So the Gibson's of the world would compete against the likes of J. King everyday. I am not exagerrating this one bit, last year, it didn't matter what receiver lined up against King, the ball was thrown there. And completed most of the time.
- In Gregg Williams' absence, Dave McGinnis is clearly the de facto defensive coordinator.
- Quarterback Sam Bradford is off to a promising start in this camp. I came to St. Louis wondering whether he'd need time to recover mentally and physically from the punishment he took last season. Those questions dissipated quickly. Bradford appears to be moving without limitation.
- It looks like there could be a "package" approach to the WR position. As many as 5 different guys are getting reps with the 1st unit (Amendola, Smith, Gibson; Salas; and Quick)
- Salas... last year looked like a slot wr who could play outside..this year looks like an outside wr who can play the slot...still just gets open at either spot
- J Smith has a new number, new body and new technique...might as well give him a new name..ditto Saffold...72 morphed into Dierdorf.....barely recognize J Smith..sure hope the old J Smith is dead and buried (just so much quicker in his drops)
- THe one thing that has stuck out in these first 2 days of practice is how they are running more slants, instead of the short crossing routes and arrow (option) routes that got them killed by LBs waiting to take their heads off AS SOON as they caught the ball. This offense will be much more aggressive, and even in its quick hit design, its already shown more of an attack mindset than did the Shurmer WCO.
- we have had 2 td's in 2 days on slants...Amendola and Salas...where has that rt been the last 3 years? bet we saw a dozen slants yesterday..Amendola can't run vertical but he might be a real weapon on mid range crossing rts and slants
- Pead isn't 5:10 but his style of running and speed allows him to get in behind the blockers and hide just like Gore does and I don't think a lot will get kill shots on him.
- Sims and Hayes looked very good...Hayes might be this years James Hall
- Brockers is huge...and...he is just not fat. Appears to be the biggest guy on the team....with real size and quickness. He could be a great one...
- when they went to 11 on 11 and [Langford] and Brockers lined up everyone in the crowd noticed the size difference in the middle
- The 6-6 Langford is listed at 295 pounds, but he looks every bit as large as Brockers.
- It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Finnegan would be moved inside. He excels inside, and with either Fletcher (who was the 3rd CB today) or Johnson, they have plenty of options in that package.
- Janoris Jenkins is smooth as silk. Jenkins might be the best natural runner on the team, which is doubly impressive since he did most of his work on the backpedal.
- Jenkins looked like the best athlete and player on the field..simply a WOW! athlete
- Jenkins may prove to be the best player in the team
- Jenkins is very impressive. Really low back pedal and he can flip his hips on a dime and break on a route. What quickness that kid has.
-Rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein, a sixth round pick from Missouri Western State University, wowed observers by kicking several 47 yard field goals accurately and with tremendous height and distance. In fact, he nearly hit the cameraman hoisted well about the playing field and the goal posts on multiple occasions.
- Zuerlein oh my goodness.....most kickers tend to kick low when going for distance but not him. The ball gets way up quickly and stays up....the tower guy had to be jittery.
