Wednesday (4/2) practice obervations

[PonyPride]

RED/BLUE SCRIMMAGE NOTE: Most of the offensive drills at Saturday's 1 p.m. scrimmage will take place at the north end of the field, so fans who want to get a good view of the new offense are invited to sit near the north end zone.

For Pete's sake: Coaches often talk about players who wait their turn behind older starters and then seemingly burst on to the scene as "where did he come from?" players. Who will fit that description this year remains to be seen, but LB Pete Fleps looks leaner, stronger and faster, and seems very comfortable in the drills being run by the new coaches. Another player who looks vastly improved over last season is CB Tim Crosby, who appears to have won the confidence of defensive backs coach Derrick Odom and defensive coordinator Tom Mason. How that translates in the fall, of course, remains to be seen. Stay tuned...

Quick learner: One of the more visible newcomers on the team is walk-on defensive end Robert Quick (6-6, 235) of San Diego (Bishop), Calif. The first thing you'll notice is his size, but he appears to be a solid athlete, too. Last week, he got up in the air and used his enormous wingspan to tip and then intercept a shovel pass. In Wednesday's practice, he dropped back into coverage and crept forward from an outside linebacker spot. If he drops to OLB in certain situations, he could cut a very imposing figure when rushing the passer. When he fills out his frame, he'll be a very impressive looking DE, regardless of how well he plays.

Ahead of the game? Quarterback Logan Turner said one of the attributes that will allow a QB to enjoy success in the new offense is the ability to make quick reads of what the defense is trying to do. It appears he's following his own advice, making much quicker reads Wednesday than he did last week. Sometimes he identified the defense and got rid of the ball so quickly the ball sailed over or in front of his intended receiver before they even looked up.

Tackle of the day: Chris Butler is a strong runner who is not prone to being dragged down easily. But one of the most amusing sights this spring took place when LB John Nwisienyi chased after Butler and dove — and came up with a fistful of Butler's shorts. Butler kept running for a while, imploring Nwisienyi to let go of his shorts and then swinging at Nwisienyi's hand ... until both players bailed on the play because they were laughing too hard.

The world according to Morstead: P/K Thomas Morstead is nothing if not opinionated (just listen to him critique Kellis Cunningham's coverage skills when Cunningham fills in as an extra defensive back). Morstead announced Wednesday that the Mustangs' breakout player in 2008 — or at least one of them — will be KR/RB/SR Jessie Henderson. "He's finally healthy, and everyone knows how he can run when he's healthy," Morstead said. "The thing I like about him is that he's always going full-speed. It doesn't matter who's coming up to hit him — he'll lower his shoulder and hit the guy. Sometimes someone will miss a block, and he'll get blasted, but part of what makes him so good is he doesn't remember the big hits. He'll try to run by or run over the next guy, too. Now that he's healthy, watch him this year — he's going to have a big year."

[ponywhupp9202]

As always, thanks for the update. I can tell you enjoy writing it and I know everyone who has not been able to attend a practice certainly appreciates the information.

[PonyPride]

No problem. I would have written WAR AND PEACE, like JasonB did, but I have to take a zillion pictures to get one that actually can be used, so I didn't get to take the most extensive notes. (We'll have a real photographer there Saturday, though...)