Observations from practice (8/8/21)
Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2021 4:07 pm• My main takeaway from Sunday's workout was that QB Tanner Mordecai was outstanding — he didn't even resemble himself from 24 hours earlier. Not sure if he was throwing underhand in the spring and changeups Saturday, but he looked different Sunday. He was quick and decisive, threw over/through pressure to reach receivers. He opened practice by rolling away from pressure and throwing on the run, a rope of more than 40 yards. It fell incomplete, but it was on target and delivered under duress. Best pass of the day came late in practice when he again rolled away from pressure and fired a gorgeous strike of maybe 30 yards over the outside shoulder of WR Danny Gray. The cornerback chasing Gray was in great position, and could do nothing about it as Gray calmly pulled the pass in and trotted in to the end zone.
• Since the spring, comments about QB Preston Stone have talked about his poise and maturity, and how he "doesn't look like a freshman." One thing that underscored that sentiment Sunday was the number of times he was able to stare down pressure and fake a defender off his feet and then step to one side or the other to deliver a pass. It's not a technique that appears in a box score, but it's important, and Stone did it on the run and when standing in the pocket. Everyone who plays quarterback understands the need to do it, but understanding it and doing it, especially as a freshman in camp for the first time against college defenders, are two different things.
• The kicking game got a look Sunday and did not get off to a great start — transfer K Jake Mazza hooked his first attempt wide left, and K Brendan Hall sent his first effort wide right — but they got on track after that. Mazza was particularly impressive after that, converting four straight (one of which doinked off the left upright but went through).
Hall also did some punting alongside holdover Matt Fraanje, and it's safe to say no leader could be identified after Sunday's session. I wasn't in position to measure yardage, but to the eyeball test, Fraanje was more consistent, as Hall shanked a couple. But Hall also uncorked a couple of bombs with outstanding distance and hang time. Both have talent and strong legs, and both need more consistency. Hall, when he gets ahold of one, can send it into orbit.
• In the early 11-on-11 session, several WRs dropped catchable passes. More often than not, the coaches didn't have to say anything, as the receivers were their own worst critics, sometimes punishing themselves with on-field push-ups.
• It can be hard to evaluate the running game in preseason camp, since teams generally limit full-scale hitting. Several running backs had some measure of success Sunday, but Tyler Lavine stood out. A year ago, he demonstrated his powerful running style, and that clearly remains, as he ran through a number of arm tackles in 11-on-11 team sessions. But he also juked away from would-be tackles more than he often did last season. Is some of that because his defensive teammates were not going at top speed to try to bury him in the ground with the season opener just 27 days away? Sure — nobody is trying to hurt a teammate this close to the season. But there were multiple occasions when Lavine left a defender back on his heels, meaning that if it weren't practice, he would have room to keep running.
• The improved size of the offensive line remains eye-catching. Guys like T Marcus Bryant (6-8, 314), T Dalton Purdue (6-7, 336) and T Thalen Robinson (6-6, 354) are not finished products, of course, but when they get their hands on defenders, especially smaller linebackers, they basically swallow up the defenders.
• Arguably the toughest part about playing in the secondary is that a mistake can result in the opponent cruising in to the end zone; therefore, it's not uncommon for new defensive backs to be a little tentative when they face college receivers for the first time. DBs Jahari Rogers and Bryce McMorris don't appear to suffer from that problem. Yes, they're a little more experienced than others — Rogers transferred to SMU after a year at Florida, and McMorris enrolled early on the Hilltop and took part in the Mustangs' spring workouts — but they're still young. As impressive as the plays they made was their apparent short memories. When beaten by a receiver, which happens to every DB at every level, neither changed his body language, pressing up on receivers and knocking passes away on later plays.
• Since the spring, comments about QB Preston Stone have talked about his poise and maturity, and how he "doesn't look like a freshman." One thing that underscored that sentiment Sunday was the number of times he was able to stare down pressure and fake a defender off his feet and then step to one side or the other to deliver a pass. It's not a technique that appears in a box score, but it's important, and Stone did it on the run and when standing in the pocket. Everyone who plays quarterback understands the need to do it, but understanding it and doing it, especially as a freshman in camp for the first time against college defenders, are two different things.
• The kicking game got a look Sunday and did not get off to a great start — transfer K Jake Mazza hooked his first attempt wide left, and K Brendan Hall sent his first effort wide right — but they got on track after that. Mazza was particularly impressive after that, converting four straight (one of which doinked off the left upright but went through).
Hall also did some punting alongside holdover Matt Fraanje, and it's safe to say no leader could be identified after Sunday's session. I wasn't in position to measure yardage, but to the eyeball test, Fraanje was more consistent, as Hall shanked a couple. But Hall also uncorked a couple of bombs with outstanding distance and hang time. Both have talent and strong legs, and both need more consistency. Hall, when he gets ahold of one, can send it into orbit.
• In the early 11-on-11 session, several WRs dropped catchable passes. More often than not, the coaches didn't have to say anything, as the receivers were their own worst critics, sometimes punishing themselves with on-field push-ups.
• It can be hard to evaluate the running game in preseason camp, since teams generally limit full-scale hitting. Several running backs had some measure of success Sunday, but Tyler Lavine stood out. A year ago, he demonstrated his powerful running style, and that clearly remains, as he ran through a number of arm tackles in 11-on-11 team sessions. But he also juked away from would-be tackles more than he often did last season. Is some of that because his defensive teammates were not going at top speed to try to bury him in the ground with the season opener just 27 days away? Sure — nobody is trying to hurt a teammate this close to the season. But there were multiple occasions when Lavine left a defender back on his heels, meaning that if it weren't practice, he would have room to keep running.
• The improved size of the offensive line remains eye-catching. Guys like T Marcus Bryant (6-8, 314), T Dalton Purdue (6-7, 336) and T Thalen Robinson (6-6, 354) are not finished products, of course, but when they get their hands on defenders, especially smaller linebackers, they basically swallow up the defenders.
• Arguably the toughest part about playing in the secondary is that a mistake can result in the opponent cruising in to the end zone; therefore, it's not uncommon for new defensive backs to be a little tentative when they face college receivers for the first time. DBs Jahari Rogers and Bryce McMorris don't appear to suffer from that problem. Yes, they're a little more experienced than others — Rogers transferred to SMU after a year at Florida, and McMorris enrolled early on the Hilltop and took part in the Mustangs' spring workouts — but they're still young. As impressive as the plays they made was their apparent short memories. When beaten by a receiver, which happens to every DB at every level, neither changed his body language, pressing up on receivers and knocking passes away on later plays.