Hey, I just got back from camp and let me tell you, for the first practice i was impressed.
Quarterbacks-
John Beck and Josh McCown were the only two quarterbacks at practice today, so they each got to have time with the first team. McCown didn't waste time, starting out hot, while in the beginning Beck looked to be a bit off target. As practice progressed Beck showed more and more that he was ready for the job, hitting receivers left and right in near perfection. McCown threw an interception at the end of practice, meaning day 1 so far is leaning towards Beck.
Running backs-
Ricky and Ronnie were both showing off their skills and showing that they were healthy enough for the season. A small scare occurred when Brown appeared to limp out of a pile after being taken to the ground, but he quickly shook off the limps and got back in there. It is too early to determine which of the other backs has the upper hand in gaining a roster spot. Parmele and Cobbs both looked fairly agile and quick hitting holes and open spaces with conviction.
Tight Ends-
The play of the day goes to Anthony Fasano, who leaped to make a one handed grab on the sidelines, which hopefully will be a consistent sight through the season.
Receivers-
I tip my hat to all of the receivers that were out there, and especially to devonne bess. It is only the first day in practice, but with the way things went today i would say that Bess would have the upper hand on the other receivers fighting for a roster spot. Bess caught every ball that came his way, no matter how high or low or how many defenders were around him. I saw one noticeable drop my ginn, and Wilford's size is definitely going to be a plus. This entire group gets my award for effort, they just did not stop out there.
Offensive line-
Hard to tell how well the line did when full contact is not involved, but Long in the beginning looked to be a bit nervous, getting late off a snap on one play and on the very next jumping too soon. The staff had none of this and he was sent on a punishment run to the other side of the field and back. Besides those two plays long looked fairly good. He still has to work on adjusting to the NFL level.
Defensive line-
I'm pretty excited about this group. They seem to plug up the hole nicely. Ferguson will be a pretty good nose tackle and hopefully roth will show why he was a second round pick. Randy starks will also see some playing time rotating with Holiday and Roth.
Linebackers-
Joey Porter was not in practice today (reasons to be determined) and he was being replaced by Quentin Moses and Rob Ninkovich. Charlie anderson took Jason Taylors spot at outside linebacker
Defensive Backs-
It really got me excited when i saw how good our safeties could be this year, with yeremiah bell lining up next to jason allen. Michael Lehan was out because of the ankle injury and was being replaced mainly by andre goodman. The lone interception of the day was taken by Nathan Jones(correct me if i'm wrong) on a lousy pass by Josh McCown.
Special Teams-
Feely and Carpenter went back and forth in a small field goal duel in front of the stands, feely missed a few easy ones and didn't seem to be getting all of the ball where Carpenter showed off his leg strength, clearing the goal posts easily.
Overall-
I would say a good practice overall. I'm still worried about ronnie's knee and the lack of depth this team has but there was definite potential for this team out on the field today. Hopefully this evenings session says the same thing.
Quarterbacks-
John Beck and Josh McCown were the only two quarterbacks at practice today, so they each got to have time with the first team. McCown didn't waste time, starting out hot, while in the beginning Beck looked to be a bit off target. As practice progressed Beck showed more and more that he was ready for the job, hitting receivers left and right in near perfection. McCown threw an interception at the end of practice, meaning day 1 so far is leaning towards Beck.
Running backs-
Ricky and Ronnie were both showing off their skills and showing that they were healthy enough for the season. A small scare occurred when Brown appeared to limp out of a pile after being taken to the ground, but he quickly shook off the limps and got back in there. It is too early to determine which of the other backs has the upper hand in gaining a roster spot. Parmele and Cobbs both looked fairly agile and quick hitting holes and open spaces with conviction.
Tight Ends-
The play of the day goes to Anthony Fasano, who leaped to make a one handed grab on the sidelines, which hopefully will be a consistent sight through the season.
Receivers-
I tip my hat to all of the receivers that were out there, and especially to devonne bess. It is only the first day in practice, but with the way things went today i would say that Bess would have the upper hand on the other receivers fighting for a roster spot. Bess caught every ball that came his way, no matter how high or low or how many defenders were around him. I saw one noticeable drop my ginn, and Wilford's size is definitely going to be a plus. This entire group gets my award for effort, they just did not stop out there.
Offensive line-
Hard to tell how well the line did when full contact is not involved, but Long in the beginning looked to be a bit nervous, getting late off a snap on one play and on the very next jumping too soon. The staff had none of this and he was sent on a punishment run to the other side of the field and back. Besides those two plays long looked fairly good. He still has to work on adjusting to the NFL level.
Defensive line-
I'm pretty excited about this group. They seem to plug up the hole nicely. Ferguson will be a pretty good nose tackle and hopefully roth will show why he was a second round pick. Randy starks will also see some playing time rotating with Holiday and Roth.
Linebackers-
Joey Porter was not in practice today (reasons to be determined) and he was being replaced by Quentin Moses and Rob Ninkovich. Charlie anderson took Jason Taylors spot at outside linebacker
Defensive Backs-
It really got me excited when i saw how good our safeties could be this year, with yeremiah bell lining up next to jason allen. Michael Lehan was out because of the ankle injury and was being replaced mainly by andre goodman. The lone interception of the day was taken by Nathan Jones(correct me if i'm wrong) on a lousy pass by Josh McCown.
Special Teams-
Feely and Carpenter went back and forth in a small field goal duel in front of the stands, feely missed a few easy ones and didn't seem to be getting all of the ball where Carpenter showed off his leg strength, clearing the goal posts easily.
Overall-
I would say a good practice overall. I'm still worried about ronnie's knee and the lack of depth this team has but there was definite potential for this team out on the field today. Hopefully this evenings session says the same thing.
