MONDAY PRACTICE notes
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:20 pm• Just add water: A new element was added to Monday's practice ... rain. Not a lot, but just enough to make footing a little slippery at times, and to make catching the ball a little more of an adventure. Several players slipped on the wet surface, and others had passes skip through their hands, either to the ground or into the hands of waiting defenders. Cornerback Bryan McCann was bailed out by safety Rock Dennis when Dennis intercepted a pass that had flown right through McCann's hands.
• Aquaman? One player who seemed remarkably UNaffected by the damp turf was backup running back Chris Butler, who showed exceptional balance and cutting ability, to go along with his burst of speed. On several plays, Butler would start inside, bounce to the outside and then cut back and forth between defenders, as if his shoes allowed much better traction than those of the guys trying to tackle him.
• Not just because you're reading this: One of the more entertaining receivers Monday was Kellis Cunningham, the former high school wingback who sometimes steps in as a receiver or defensive back during drills. Cunningham got a little of the complete receiver experience: he caught a screen pass on the left, only to get wrapped up immediately by cornerback Bryan McCann. Moments later, he caught a screen pass on the other side, planted his feet in time to let linebacker Jason Jackson sail by and then took off upfield. He then made his catch of the day - maybe the team's catch of the day - when he went up over Chris Castro for an underthrown pass, tipped the ball up in the air and then made the catch on the rebound. Not bad for a kicker.
• Non-catch of the day: Winston Gamso fired a pass toward the right side of the field that was nowhere near being caught, because of an apparent communication interruption with his intended receiver, who broke off his route toward the inside of the field. The ball whistled out of bounds, skipped twice off the slick grass where safety Tyler Jones - who was sitting out the drill - was kneeling on the sideline. Without moving from his knee, Jones reached out and speared the wayward pass, got up and took off downfield, football in one hand and helmet still in his other hand.
• Getting settled? The first-team offensive line remained the same as it was at the end of Saturday's morning session: left tackle Kelvin Beacham, Jr., left guard Sean Lobo, center Mitch Enright, right guard Bryce Tennison and right tackle Vincent Chase; the second team had a new face, though: left tackle Kelly Turner, left guard Josh LeRibeus, center Andrew Robiskie, right guard Tommy Poynter and Zach Boyd working at right tackle.
• Matter of perspective: Offensive and defensive players often see plays differently (just ask referees, who seem to hear from one or the other on almost every play). On one early play Monday, safety De'Von Bailey drew howls of approval from teammates for knocking the ball free from receiver Bryce Lunday. But he ended up doing a few push-ups after the play, anyway - hard to say if it was because he didn't make the interception, or if it was for pass interference, as he ran over Lunday a few steps before the ball arrived.
• Going to be special: Think the new coaching staff doesn't place a premium on perfect execution on special teams? Guru Frank Gansz interrupted practice, as he normally does, for a few minutes of special teams work, and ran a drill to perfect the punt team's protection, making sure blockers were in the right place, moving at the right time, taking the right angles, etc. During the drill, seven coaches - Gansz, Dennis McKnight, Wes Suan, Derrick Odum, Bert Hill, Tim Hundley and Jeff Reinebold - were on the field at the same time, working to correct players' positioning and technique. SEVEN.
• The good hands people: Only three players took turns returning punts during Monday's drill: Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley and B.J. Lee. Whether the reduced number of candidates is an indication that the coaches are narrowing the field of punt return candidates, or just a matter of saving time for today's drill was unclear. What was clear is that these guys can catch: despite the wet conditions, only one punt was dropped ... by Sanders.
• Defensive Serge: Senior nose tackle Serge Elizee returned to the field with his teammates after missing a couple of days last week. He worked with the first-team defensive line, rotating with Zac Thomas and Mickey Dollens. Another variation on the first-team defensive line came when Adrian Dizer and Youri Yenga rotated at the right defensive end spot with the first team.
• A taste of the limelight: Transfer linebacker Alex Odiari needed 48 hours last week to move from the third team to the second, and also slid inside to the middle linebacker spot. He worked Monday with the first-team defense at middle linebacker, but it does not appear he has earned the starting spot: Odiari filled in when sophomore Justin Smart took a break from some drills.
• No leader yet: Head coach June Jones reiterated that he has not made any decisions yet about a starting quarterback, and has not shared a pecking order at the position. But for what it's worth, Justin Willis spent much of the day working with the first-team offense, followed by Logan Turner.
• Ready or not, here it comes: If nothing else, Bo Levi Mitchell has a very strong arm. At one point Monday morning, he saw Emmanuel Sanders streaking across the field. But Alex Odiari and Bryan McCann also were closing in. Mitchell fired a blistering fastball between the outstretched hands of McCann and Odiari, only to watch Sanders - perhaps surprised that it got through the traffic - drop the pass.
• PRACTICE CLOSED: Tuesday's afternoon practice is closed to the public and to the media.
• Aquaman? One player who seemed remarkably UNaffected by the damp turf was backup running back Chris Butler, who showed exceptional balance and cutting ability, to go along with his burst of speed. On several plays, Butler would start inside, bounce to the outside and then cut back and forth between defenders, as if his shoes allowed much better traction than those of the guys trying to tackle him.
• Not just because you're reading this: One of the more entertaining receivers Monday was Kellis Cunningham, the former high school wingback who sometimes steps in as a receiver or defensive back during drills. Cunningham got a little of the complete receiver experience: he caught a screen pass on the left, only to get wrapped up immediately by cornerback Bryan McCann. Moments later, he caught a screen pass on the other side, planted his feet in time to let linebacker Jason Jackson sail by and then took off upfield. He then made his catch of the day - maybe the team's catch of the day - when he went up over Chris Castro for an underthrown pass, tipped the ball up in the air and then made the catch on the rebound. Not bad for a kicker.
• Non-catch of the day: Winston Gamso fired a pass toward the right side of the field that was nowhere near being caught, because of an apparent communication interruption with his intended receiver, who broke off his route toward the inside of the field. The ball whistled out of bounds, skipped twice off the slick grass where safety Tyler Jones - who was sitting out the drill - was kneeling on the sideline. Without moving from his knee, Jones reached out and speared the wayward pass, got up and took off downfield, football in one hand and helmet still in his other hand.
• Getting settled? The first-team offensive line remained the same as it was at the end of Saturday's morning session: left tackle Kelvin Beacham, Jr., left guard Sean Lobo, center Mitch Enright, right guard Bryce Tennison and right tackle Vincent Chase; the second team had a new face, though: left tackle Kelly Turner, left guard Josh LeRibeus, center Andrew Robiskie, right guard Tommy Poynter and Zach Boyd working at right tackle.
• Matter of perspective: Offensive and defensive players often see plays differently (just ask referees, who seem to hear from one or the other on almost every play). On one early play Monday, safety De'Von Bailey drew howls of approval from teammates for knocking the ball free from receiver Bryce Lunday. But he ended up doing a few push-ups after the play, anyway - hard to say if it was because he didn't make the interception, or if it was for pass interference, as he ran over Lunday a few steps before the ball arrived.
• Going to be special: Think the new coaching staff doesn't place a premium on perfect execution on special teams? Guru Frank Gansz interrupted practice, as he normally does, for a few minutes of special teams work, and ran a drill to perfect the punt team's protection, making sure blockers were in the right place, moving at the right time, taking the right angles, etc. During the drill, seven coaches - Gansz, Dennis McKnight, Wes Suan, Derrick Odum, Bert Hill, Tim Hundley and Jeff Reinebold - were on the field at the same time, working to correct players' positioning and technique. SEVEN.
• The good hands people: Only three players took turns returning punts during Monday's drill: Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley and B.J. Lee. Whether the reduced number of candidates is an indication that the coaches are narrowing the field of punt return candidates, or just a matter of saving time for today's drill was unclear. What was clear is that these guys can catch: despite the wet conditions, only one punt was dropped ... by Sanders.
• Defensive Serge: Senior nose tackle Serge Elizee returned to the field with his teammates after missing a couple of days last week. He worked with the first-team defensive line, rotating with Zac Thomas and Mickey Dollens. Another variation on the first-team defensive line came when Adrian Dizer and Youri Yenga rotated at the right defensive end spot with the first team.
• A taste of the limelight: Transfer linebacker Alex Odiari needed 48 hours last week to move from the third team to the second, and also slid inside to the middle linebacker spot. He worked Monday with the first-team defense at middle linebacker, but it does not appear he has earned the starting spot: Odiari filled in when sophomore Justin Smart took a break from some drills.
• No leader yet: Head coach June Jones reiterated that he has not made any decisions yet about a starting quarterback, and has not shared a pecking order at the position. But for what it's worth, Justin Willis spent much of the day working with the first-team offense, followed by Logan Turner.
• Ready or not, here it comes: If nothing else, Bo Levi Mitchell has a very strong arm. At one point Monday morning, he saw Emmanuel Sanders streaking across the field. But Alex Odiari and Bryan McCann also were closing in. Mitchell fired a blistering fastball between the outstretched hands of McCann and Odiari, only to watch Sanders - perhaps surprised that it got through the traffic - drop the pass.
• PRACTICE CLOSED: Tuesday's afternoon practice is closed to the public and to the media.
