Notes from Wednesday's practice
Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:25 pmNice sight: While their teammates practiced, offensive tackle J.T. Brooks and guard-turned-center Bryce Tennison were running across the field. They weren't sprinting, and they weren't hitting anyone along the way, but for guys coming off knee surgery (Brooks) and shoulder surgery and a broken foot (Tennison), it still was a welcome site. Brooks claimed to be the likely replacement for Emmanuel Sanders, while Tennison said he was going after Shawnbrey McNeal's job.
Strip club: The Ponies go through special teams drills every day, and nobody is exempt. The drills usually are the old Frank Gansz drill, in which a "returner" looks into an oncoming wave of four players racing down the field in coverage, and tries to get to the sideline to turn upfield, or to split a pair of defenders. The coverage team, meanwhile, is trying for a perfect formation, in which they basically encircle the return man. Wednesday's drill, however, had players focused on stripping the ball to create turnovers. Time after time, players would hold the return man upright while a teammate reached in and yanked the ball free.
Dropping by: The first part of practice was marked by several dropped passes, as numerous passes from QBs Kyle Padron and J.J. McDermott hit their targets ... only to then hit the ground. To be fair, the defense wasn't perfect either — safety Brett Haness dropped (!) to the ground for some self-imposed push-ups after dropping what should have been an easy interception — but the receiving improved a lot in the second half of practice. That includes the defense, where linebacker Cameron Rogers made a nice, reaching interception of a McDermott pass just before it hit the ground.
Defensive play of the day: Cornerback Chris Castro isn't normally thought of as someone who should be tangling with bigger receivers, but he more than held his own on one play, when he dropped into a backpedal before turning and running with receiver Brad Haynes on a deep route down the sideline. As the ball arrived — albeit slightly underthrown — Castro climbed the ladder to fight Haynes for the ball. He didn't make the interception, but the fact that he got up and ripped the ball away from Haynes — who is seven inches taller and close to 40 pounds heavier — was impressive, nonetheless.
Nickel package: Defensive coordinator Tom Mason and defensive line coach Bert Hill always have said they would have their three best pass rushers on the field in obvious passing situations. In drills Wednesday, that included the same trio who filled that role in 2009: Taylor Thompson and Margus Hunt at the defensive end spots, with Marquis Frazier sliding inside to the nose tackle position.
Strip club: The Ponies go through special teams drills every day, and nobody is exempt. The drills usually are the old Frank Gansz drill, in which a "returner" looks into an oncoming wave of four players racing down the field in coverage, and tries to get to the sideline to turn upfield, or to split a pair of defenders. The coverage team, meanwhile, is trying for a perfect formation, in which they basically encircle the return man. Wednesday's drill, however, had players focused on stripping the ball to create turnovers. Time after time, players would hold the return man upright while a teammate reached in and yanked the ball free.
Dropping by: The first part of practice was marked by several dropped passes, as numerous passes from QBs Kyle Padron and J.J. McDermott hit their targets ... only to then hit the ground. To be fair, the defense wasn't perfect either — safety Brett Haness dropped (!) to the ground for some self-imposed push-ups after dropping what should have been an easy interception — but the receiving improved a lot in the second half of practice. That includes the defense, where linebacker Cameron Rogers made a nice, reaching interception of a McDermott pass just before it hit the ground.
Defensive play of the day: Cornerback Chris Castro isn't normally thought of as someone who should be tangling with bigger receivers, but he more than held his own on one play, when he dropped into a backpedal before turning and running with receiver Brad Haynes on a deep route down the sideline. As the ball arrived — albeit slightly underthrown — Castro climbed the ladder to fight Haynes for the ball. He didn't make the interception, but the fact that he got up and ripped the ball away from Haynes — who is seven inches taller and close to 40 pounds heavier — was impressive, nonetheless.
Nickel package: Defensive coordinator Tom Mason and defensive line coach Bert Hill always have said they would have their three best pass rushers on the field in obvious passing situations. In drills Wednesday, that included the same trio who filled that role in 2009: Taylor Thompson and Margus Hunt at the defensive end spots, with Marquis Frazier sliding inside to the nose tackle position.
