Saturday (3/29) practice observations

[PonyPride]

Practice makes perfect? Quarterback Braden Smith made the drive over from Rockwall for practice Saturday morning. He's been at every practice I've attended, and several players have said he has made all the others that I missed (probably means he's more likely to earn playing time than I am). Seems like a great way to make an impression on his future coaches.

Bonilla Will be back: Linebacker Will Bonilla sat out his fourth straight day with a tweaked hamstring, but expects to be back on the practice field with his teammates Monday.

Rave reviews: Two players who didn't play on the defensive line last year earned praise from new defensive line coach Bert Hill for their improved technique. When Hill put his charges through a series if swim moves speed rush drills, he singled out Adrian Dizer - who missed last season with back injuries - and Patrick Fleming, who had been playing wide receiver two days earlier. Hill praised his (virtual) newcomers, saying of their improved performance "that'll pay dividends!"

Nowhere to run: Special teams coach Frank Gansz continued his daily coverage drills, working on making sure players race downfield in the proper lanes, at the proper angles, etc. Initially it was two players at a time, and then up to four, who would race downfield at a return specialist, who tries to split the coverage up the middle or race to one sideline and turn upfield. The best coverage of the day was turned in when CB Derrius Bell, DE Patrick Fleming, LB Pete Fleps and DB Chase Courtney took aim at WR Alrdick Robinson. The group got downfield so fast, and in such perfect position, that Robinson took a couple of small steps and just stopped as the quartet wrapped him up.

Mustangs unveil secret weapon: Players have raved about Gansz, not just for his obvious knowledge and his pedigree as an accomplished veteran coach, but also about his ability to keep practice fun through creative drills and constant positive reinforcement. The excitement he instills reached a new high at the end of Saturday's coverage drills, when he sent OLs Josh LeRibeus (6-4, 332) and Sean Lobo (6-3, 300) back deep as return specialists. As teammates howled from the sidelines, four managers/equipment guys came downfield as the coverage unit. Lobo took the ball and headed upfield. As he came upfield, Lobo actually made a cut and changed direction toward the outside, and one of the managers (who, to be fair, was wearing flat sneakers on wet grass), lost his footing and ended up on his ... backside. Funniest moment of practice this spring.

High standards: One fan asked me if the team was spending too much time on the special teams coverage drill. My response was that I'm not a coach and Coach Gansz has coached in the NFL, so I'll defer to his expertise, or something like that. Then, as if to answer the question himself, Gansz said through his omnipresent headset/P.A. that the Mustangs' coverage was getting much better, but better wasn't good enough. "That's very good," he said several times, "but very good isn't good enough. We're going to have the best coverage teams."

Fashion show: The new coaches seem to allow the players a little more individuality in their personal style. Unlike in years past, several players practice with earrings in. Also, while players in years past had the option of wearing one of those elastic skull caps underneath their helmets, several players also are sporting various blue or red bandanas when they take their helmets off for a breather.

Take what the defense gives: Sometimes coaches use that phrase as an explanation for a boring, conservative offense, but that is exactly what QB Logan Turner had to do. On one 7-on-7 drill, defensive tackle Szymon Czerniak (all 6-5, 255 pounds of him) shot through the line at Turner. Didn't know Czerniak could jump? Neither did I, but he got really high off the ground and stretched his long arms out, so the prospect of Turner (6-0, 179) throwing over Czerniak looked daunting, at best. Turner made the adjustment, dropped his arm down almost to a sidearm release slot and fired a quick pass out to Emmanuel Sanders on the right sideline, hitting him in stride.

[indianmustang]

thanks for report

[max the wonder dog]

Video of the Sean Lobo return is on the "Saturday Practice results" thread. Looks like everyone was having a good time.

[Otto]

Bonilla WILL be back?

You've been saving that one, haven't you?

Thanks for all these updates, Pride!