I'm sorry that this report is coming out a bit late, but I had to grill about 40 steaks tonight. I have not been writing as detailed practice reports lately or as often due to several reasons. I have had to go visit family, and sometimes it is really hard to write about practice when you really can't see too many changes. It might be sudden news to people who don't go to practice, but I see it pretty much everyday and fail to notice big changes sometimes. I only have about two more reports to write, so I'll try to step up my game. Also, after the last report, I'll take a question and answer session about practice and the team covering anything you want to know that I failed to write about. If you have anything you want me to notice or take a look at during practice, let me know and I'll write about it.
There were some nice shaded areas today since it was at 3PM. The players looked energized and ready to go. If they were slacking today, I couldn't really notice. CPJ obviously felt what I didn't when he made the players do sprints after practice reminding them of the LSU game. Ouch.
1. I could about 7 players on the beach. I didn't see any real injuries today, but it wouldn't surprise me to see one big guy on the beach tomorrow. I don't think it was anything serious though.
2. The team started off by working on kickoff returns. They mainly worked on setting blocks and providing a good wedge. Allen and Wright were the two main returners. They didn't practice any live returns even though they were all in pads.
3. The team then broke up into position drills. The WRs and the DBs worked on the towel drill some more. Bay-Bay's guy has virtually no shot. Stephen Hill made one really nice block on a DB even when he got his helmet knocked off. That is the kind of blocking that will get him on the field. That is the only major thing that usually keeps WRs from not playing in CPJ's system. Blocking by the WRs is essential.
4. The offense and defense worked on some one on one passing drills. Nesbitt, Shaw, and Henry worked with the WRs against the DBs. Nesbitt looked great and put the ball where it needed to go. The WRs made some nice catches here and there, but once again, there were several major drops. Jaybo looked like he hadn't missed a beat. He started off a little hazy, but quickly sharpened up. Sims and Washington worked with the A-backs against the linebackers. It was hard to watch both sets of QBs, but I could tell that Sims and Washington were looking fairly good. Sims has definitely improved over the last couple of practices. He still overthrows some, but you can see the talent.
5. The offense and defense had a scrimmage. Hitting was kept to a minimum. Nesbitt made a correct read every time. The offensive line provided enough room for Nesbitt to make a couple of nice plays on the ground. Dwyer looked good even though he was used sparingly. Preston Lyons showed why he deserves to be the #2 B-back by consistently moving the ball upfield and never stops moving his legs. Jaybo looked smooth and in control. I was impressed that he didn't look rusty at all considering he has been out for several days. Tevin looked fine. The defense looked in control.
6. They later did some 7-on-7 drills that looked okay. Nesbitt threw several picks, but still looked like he was in control and making the right calls. Jaybo struggled slightly. They later worked on running the two minute offense. They first started off without a defense. Josh looked fine, but Jaybo looked unstoppable. Jaybo seemed calm and delivered very nice passes. There was no defense though.
7. The team really ended practice today doing a 80 yard two minute drill. After Josh threw an interception (which should have been a catch by Bay-Bay, but he popped it up) to Cooper Taylor, he began to get things rolling. He made several nice completions down the field before finally being stopped down inside the other teams twenty. Jaybo struggled a little more and his team ran out of downs inside the opponents 30. The rest of practice involved CPJ yelling at the players and having them run sprints.
I'm sorry for the crappy quality of the reports lately. Hopefully, I can power through the next couple of days and provide you with some good information and analysis. I refuse to take notes because I want to watch the complete practice while keeping the big picture in focus.