JoeDaSchmoe
08-05-2006, 12:40 AM
Don't have time for the full thing tonight, so we'll do this a slightly different way.
The Good
Andre Carter: This guy routinely makes our tackles seem like they're not even there. He's a fantastic combination of power and quickness, and his speed around the edge is absurd. There were several times today that he easily would have gotten a sack if the golden jerseys weren't on.
Anthony Montgomery: Enormous, gigantic, behemoth of a man who's got plenty of quickness of his own. Montgomery made some excellent pushes today, including one fantastic play in which he basically shoved aside both Mike Pucillo and Ikechuku Ndukwe before reaching Jason Campbell. The rumors are true - Montgomery's a stud, and will give us excellent depth at DT.
Mark Brunell: Today was the first time in camp that the offense has been in a real rhythm, and it was mostly because of Brunell. He was hitting timing patterns perfectly, threw a few lasers, and made a fantastic throw to Moss about forty-five yards down the sideline. Moss had burnt Springs, and managed to get ahead of Sean Taylor for a touchdown. Beautiful play.
Reed Doughty: His straight-line speed was in question after the draft, but Doughty's got a knack for the game. He was extremely quick to the ball all day, looking good in coverage and blowing up a couple runs in the backfield. Doughty will probably be nothing more than a special-teamer this year, but he's the kind of guy we can quietly keep on the roster and groom into a very solid contributor. He can also free up Pierson Prioleau to play corner if needed.
The Bad
Backup O-Line: Someone needs to step up here in a jiffy. The backup D-line routinely destroys their offensive counterparts, and the situation is made infinitely worse in the face of a blitz. Our sixth-round pick, Kili Lefotu, appears to be a total waste. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that he's the worst player out there. The run blocking's at least defense, but the pass blocking is downright horrendous. If I had to pick a bright spot, it'd be undrafted rookie Jasper Harvey, who's been getting a lot of time at center and does a decent job there. He's also the man who took over #56.
Spencer Havner: Apparently there's a lot to like about Havner, but when he was in today he was tested with a lot of outside runs and didn't fare very well. He had problems flowing with traffic, often taking bad angles and not being able to persue sideline-to-sideline. I doubt he'll be off the team entirely given the good stuff we've heard about him from the coaching staff, but I doubt he'll make it beyond the practice squad unless he's a preposterously good special teams player.
The Ugly
Jason Campbell vs. The Blitz: This almost isn't fair, because Campbell has to deal with defenders in the backfield within two seconds of the snap. But it's be nice to see him hit a hot route or two. The coaches clearly tested Campbell with five or six blitzes off the bat when he got his first reps during the 11-on-11s, and twice he didn't even throw the ball after being tapped by so many rushers while holding the ball for far too long. This is the hardest part of the game for a young QB to master, but he's going to need to show some improvement over the next month.
Dropsies: The backs weren't particularly adept at catching out of the backfield today, with several balls hitting the ground for no good reason, including two on consecutive plays thanks to the shaky hands of Kerry Carter and Clinton Portis. This is Todd Collins' bread-and-butter, so the offense really can't go anywhere when he's in unless the swing pass and check-down are working effectively.
As always, ask away if you've got questions.
The Good
Andre Carter: This guy routinely makes our tackles seem like they're not even there. He's a fantastic combination of power and quickness, and his speed around the edge is absurd. There were several times today that he easily would have gotten a sack if the golden jerseys weren't on.
Anthony Montgomery: Enormous, gigantic, behemoth of a man who's got plenty of quickness of his own. Montgomery made some excellent pushes today, including one fantastic play in which he basically shoved aside both Mike Pucillo and Ikechuku Ndukwe before reaching Jason Campbell. The rumors are true - Montgomery's a stud, and will give us excellent depth at DT.
Mark Brunell: Today was the first time in camp that the offense has been in a real rhythm, and it was mostly because of Brunell. He was hitting timing patterns perfectly, threw a few lasers, and made a fantastic throw to Moss about forty-five yards down the sideline. Moss had burnt Springs, and managed to get ahead of Sean Taylor for a touchdown. Beautiful play.
Reed Doughty: His straight-line speed was in question after the draft, but Doughty's got a knack for the game. He was extremely quick to the ball all day, looking good in coverage and blowing up a couple runs in the backfield. Doughty will probably be nothing more than a special-teamer this year, but he's the kind of guy we can quietly keep on the roster and groom into a very solid contributor. He can also free up Pierson Prioleau to play corner if needed.
The Bad
Backup O-Line: Someone needs to step up here in a jiffy. The backup D-line routinely destroys their offensive counterparts, and the situation is made infinitely worse in the face of a blitz. Our sixth-round pick, Kili Lefotu, appears to be a total waste. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that he's the worst player out there. The run blocking's at least defense, but the pass blocking is downright horrendous. If I had to pick a bright spot, it'd be undrafted rookie Jasper Harvey, who's been getting a lot of time at center and does a decent job there. He's also the man who took over #56.
Spencer Havner: Apparently there's a lot to like about Havner, but when he was in today he was tested with a lot of outside runs and didn't fare very well. He had problems flowing with traffic, often taking bad angles and not being able to persue sideline-to-sideline. I doubt he'll be off the team entirely given the good stuff we've heard about him from the coaching staff, but I doubt he'll make it beyond the practice squad unless he's a preposterously good special teams player.
The Ugly
Jason Campbell vs. The Blitz: This almost isn't fair, because Campbell has to deal with defenders in the backfield within two seconds of the snap. But it's be nice to see him hit a hot route or two. The coaches clearly tested Campbell with five or six blitzes off the bat when he got his first reps during the 11-on-11s, and twice he didn't even throw the ball after being tapped by so many rushers while holding the ball for far too long. This is the hardest part of the game for a young QB to master, but he's going to need to show some improvement over the next month.
Dropsies: The backs weren't particularly adept at catching out of the backfield today, with several balls hitting the ground for no good reason, including two on consecutive plays thanks to the shaky hands of Kerry Carter and Clinton Portis. This is Todd Collins' bread-and-butter, so the offense really can't go anywhere when he's in unless the swing pass and check-down are working effectively.
As always, ask away if you've got questions.