THURSDAY (July 10) CONDITIONING WORKOUT report
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:16 pmOne way to break up the monotony of offseason workouts: make them into a competition. After lifting and running sprints, the team was split into freshmen and upperclassmen, and a representative was chosen from each for a race, the gist of which was a five-yard run through a ladder that was stretched out on the field, then sideways high-stepping over a series of foam pads, followed by another five-yard run through a ladder. The upperclassmen were represented by wide receiver Aldrick Robinson, who many feel is the fastest pure sprinter on the team, while the freshmen were represented by B.J. Lee. The pair got off to a fairly even start, but when they got to the foam pads, Robinson pulled ahead. Once he got to the second ladder, he started to gain real separation from Lee  who had run a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash Monday .... with presumably dead legs after lifting weights before taking the field. Robinson "won" by more than five yards, only to be disqualified after it was determined that he had missed a couple of "rungs" in the second ladder. The event was re-run, and in the second heat, CB Bryan McCann smoked fellow DB Ryan Smith.
• Learn from your elders: While the skill-position guys worked in their seven-on-seven format, many of the linemen call it a day and head for the air conditioning inside Ford Stadium. But while the quarterbacks and receivers and defensive backs ran around in the heat, senior noseguard Serge Elizee was holding a one-on-one tutorial with freshman Evan Huahulu. Elizee showed Huahulu specific hand techniques and footwork to help shed blockers and pointed out how to get into offensive line gaps more quickly.
• Watch where you're going: Much of the attention has gone to the guys throwing and catching the passes, but the defense also is getting used to each other, specifically in the secondary. On one play, receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Simeon Thomas got crossed up, allowing safety DeMikel Shankle to camp out under the ball and make the interception.
• Bombs away: He sat out spring practice, but Justin Willis hasn't lost any arm strength  a trait he showed off early in the drills when he fired a 55-yard strike in the back of the end zone to Aldrick Robinson, who had blown by a pair of defensive backs to gain several yards of breathing room by the time he got to the goal line.
• Space isn't everything: Of course, getting open is only half the battle. B.J. Lee did the same thing, blazing past the defense into the end zone, but before the ball arrived, DB Chris Banjo  seven or eight yards in front of Lee  shot up in the air to knock the ball down.
• Don't shoot! Part of being a successful quarterback is not only making an array of passes, but knowing which passes not to make. In the first few days of seven-on-seven drills, the quarterbacks fired passes downfield, almost without regard to coverage. They were visibly more careful Thursday, tucking the ball several times, not risking what would have been sacks in a regular game.
• On target: The quarterbacks appeared more accurate Thursday, probably in part because they're getting used to their new receivers. Notably more accurate was Justin Willis, who was the sharpest of the passers Thursday, throwing some with a lot of velocity and others with touch  but more with accuracy than he had been before during earlier sessions.
• Learn from your elders: While the skill-position guys worked in their seven-on-seven format, many of the linemen call it a day and head for the air conditioning inside Ford Stadium. But while the quarterbacks and receivers and defensive backs ran around in the heat, senior noseguard Serge Elizee was holding a one-on-one tutorial with freshman Evan Huahulu. Elizee showed Huahulu specific hand techniques and footwork to help shed blockers and pointed out how to get into offensive line gaps more quickly.
• Watch where you're going: Much of the attention has gone to the guys throwing and catching the passes, but the defense also is getting used to each other, specifically in the secondary. On one play, receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Simeon Thomas got crossed up, allowing safety DeMikel Shankle to camp out under the ball and make the interception.
• Bombs away: He sat out spring practice, but Justin Willis hasn't lost any arm strength  a trait he showed off early in the drills when he fired a 55-yard strike in the back of the end zone to Aldrick Robinson, who had blown by a pair of defensive backs to gain several yards of breathing room by the time he got to the goal line.
• Space isn't everything: Of course, getting open is only half the battle. B.J. Lee did the same thing, blazing past the defense into the end zone, but before the ball arrived, DB Chris Banjo  seven or eight yards in front of Lee  shot up in the air to knock the ball down.
• Don't shoot! Part of being a successful quarterback is not only making an array of passes, but knowing which passes not to make. In the first few days of seven-on-seven drills, the quarterbacks fired passes downfield, almost without regard to coverage. They were visibly more careful Thursday, tucking the ball several times, not risking what would have been sacks in a regular game.
• On target: The quarterbacks appeared more accurate Thursday, probably in part because they're getting used to their new receivers. Notably more accurate was Justin Willis, who was the sharpest of the passers Thursday, throwing some with a lot of velocity and others with touch  but more with accuracy than he had been before during earlier sessions.