BLITZKRIEG
~LACUNA LEGIONS~
This first thing I noticed right off the bat, was that the practice fields have been changed. Instead of having a sideline view, we all now have endzone seats. Not that there's really anything wrong with that, I think it's actually better the way it is now than before. Made things easier to see, and you feel alittle closer to the action. Now to the report, it's long....
HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They didn't come out until around 9:15, about time!!....
They started off with their basic warm up drills, nothing major at this stage. It's just the usual stuff....
Then the OL was working the sleds, and pushing while the RB's were bursting outside. Just your every day sled drills basically, it's good for building strength in the trenches, but there's really not all that much to it based on how quickly they block / push and come off the line. Quick, short drill....
As the OL is working, I can see the QB's working on some quick dumps off's over the middle, most of these throws are going to either the TE / RB / FB. Again, this is another short lasting drill, where there is no coverage, or pressure coming, a basic warm-up type drill....
While the guys on offense are doing their various workouts, the DLmen are over alone working on some coming off the ball / line drills. More basic stuff, and not much to really see. They do this every session when it first begins. Nothing special...
The QB's then begin throwing some various passes to the WR's, some 7 yard turnarounds, some 15 yard posts, most of which are being caught, and everyone looks good here. Building some good timing is mainly the focus here, and out of all the QB's participating, I'd have to say that Henne has the most zip on his ball. It's not the most accurate, but it gets to the WR's quickly. Like I said before however, these are pretty basic, and there's no defense involved here. SALT RECOMMENDED....
While this drill was taking place, I focused mostly on Pennington / Henne, they were getting most of the work, so that made it alittle easier keeping pace while reporting. Beck participated, but once they went on to the head to head drills, he and McCown were sidelined....
Pennington looks decent all things considered, his accuracy looks solid, and he can throw a good touch pass from what I've witnessed so far in these drills. Oops, just saw him make an overthrow....an overthrow?!?!?....
Camarillo just made an awesome over the shoulder catch from Henne, it was at least 30 yards or so. Great hook up, but again, no coverage involved....
As these offensive drills take place, you guessed it, the defense is over on the opposite side doing their thing. Nothing much to report but your basic defensive schemes, and various formation drills. Defense is a hard thing to report, it's always the same stuff, and it doesn't hold your attention very long....
For a very short time now, the QB's are throwing some passes against coverage, it's kind of confusing because they're all working at the same time, but it's a fun drill to watch. One thing I can't help but keep noticing, is how good Henne looks, he stands tall, and there's just something about the way he looks when he's throwing the ball. For a rookie, I can't be more pleased with him thus far....
Don't worry Beck fans, he just threw what I would consider his best pass of the week. He dropped back and hit WR Foster with a perfectly thrown deep pass that went for about a 40 yard TD by my estimation. Best throw I've seen him make in a long time, good job!!...
Oh no!! Henne just threw a pick!! Man, just when I was starting to enjoy this drill, it ends....
=================================
11-11 Handoff Drills
--------------------
I wont waste much time reporting this, these are all various handoffs to the different RB's. Some right / left / up the middle, but for the most part, there hasn't been any room to get free. This almost looks as if it's being run for the purpose of getting the QB / RB exchange down. There is also a lot of changes being made on both sides of the ball along the OL / DL ect during this time. Lot's of in / out's....
Ricky had one nice burst to the outside where he got loose, and Cobbs had one as well where he found a small hole on the right side, but like I said, there wasn't much there. The DL is swallowing up almost everything....
===================================
FG / Kick Return Drills
-----------------------
Wake me up when these drills end.....
On a side note, these drills are basically impossible to report. There's no way to get a feel for how well / poor the ST's units are doing when it's not happening in a regular game. Sure, they look good on the practice field, but that's why it's called a "practice field"...
===================================
11-11 Passing / Running Drills
-------------------------------
P = Pennington
H = Henne
----------------
P - Hit's Brown on a short dump-off over the middle, only a few yards...
P - Ricky tried to go to the right side, but doesn't go anywhere really, no gain....
P - Play action, rollout right side, hit's TE for about 6-7 yards....
P - Drops back and hits Hagan over the middle for a long 50 yard TD. The pass went about 20, hitting Hagan perfectly in what looked to be pretty tight coverage. He was then free to go the distance. Great throw, catch, all around that's what you like to see on offense...
P - After a great throw, Chad then makes a terrible throw. It was a WR screen, and he just botched it completely. Bad throw....
-------------------------
H - Hands off to RB up the middle, nice 5 yards gain. I think that was #26 RB L. Hilliard....
H - Tries to throw out to the right side 5 yards down, but makes a poor attempt. It was overthrown big time....
H - Rollout right side, makes another very poor throw down the sideline over the WR's head. "Ugly" was the word I put down for that one in my notes...
H -Throws underneath to Cobbs, gets about 4-5. Nothing major, just a checkdown....
H - See above
Side Note : Henne did not look good at all during this drill. Nothing to get crazy over, just a "tell it like I see it" thing....
=================================
11-11 "3rd & 1 / Redzone Drills"
---------------------------------
They started out with "3rd & 1" drills, Here goes...
P - Handoff left side, no gain Brown....
P - Handoff right side, 2 yards. That's Another Miami Dolphins...."FIRST DOWN!!" lol....
P - Pass complete to FB on short cross pattern, gains about 6-7. It looked like Grigsby...
P - Handoff left to Ricky for no gain, maybe a loss even. Ricky alittle gimpy getting up after that one....
------------------------
H - Handoff right to Cobbs, nice 7-8 yard gain....
H - Handoff up the middle to Hilliard, no gain there, maybe a yard....
H - Play action, tries to hit TE in corner endzone with high lofter, sails too high though, could have done better....
------------------------
11-11 "Inside The 5"
-----------------------
P - Quick toss outside left to FB, it was dropped, but it was also a very low pass. Should have done better....
P - Run left, no room. There is no blocking along the OL right now it seems, they're getting owned....
P - Ricky bounces outside after hitting a wall in the middle, and proves he's still got the wheels. TD, great effort there...
P - Hit the TE on crossing route in the endzone. TD, perfect throw / touch pass....
--------------------
H - Ricky tries to go up the middle, but find only about a yard....
H - Up the middle again, but this time it looks like Cobbs getting the TD. He's solid this guy Cobbs....
H - Throws a great touch pass to TE on outside right for a TD. Henne made that look too easy....
==============================
7-7 No Pass Rush
-------------------
P - Very nice throw over the middle for about 7 yards. Can't see who caught that one....
P - WR E. Wilford make a nice sliding catch over the middle for about 7-8. Keep it up Willy!!...
P - Hits the TE over on the mid-right side for about 5 yards or so. No big thing....
P - Busted play. The throw was batted in the air, but caught over the middle for about 5-6 yards. Luck....
P - Drops back, throws checkdown to RB, very minimal gain...
P - Cross route by Bess, complete for about 5 yards. Another one of those plays where Pennington couldn't find his first option. I think Bess had to be his last outlet on that play....
-------------------------------------
H - Throws over the left-mid side, complete in traffic, and taken upfield for about 8 or more...
H - WR screen to 17 WR Dunlap, gets about 4-5 yards after the catch....
H - Quick throw to TE on the outside left, maybe a couple but that's about it....
H - Hesitates, and at last second finds Wilford open for short 4 yrad gain over mid...
H - Deep sideline pass that falls out of reach. Overthrown. One thing nobody should worry about is Henne's arm strength, he's almost looks too strong at times....
=======================================
11-11 "Redzone Drills"
-----------------------
P - Brown takes it up the middle for about 2-3 yards...
P - Dumps outside right to Grigsby, only gets about 2-3 yards....
P - From the 15, nice delay to Brown up the middle catches defense totally off-guard. TD, 15 yards....
P - From about 12, Sacked. He got the ball away just as he was getting hit, but for all purposes here, let's just call it a sack shall we?? First of the day that I saw too!!...
P - Ricky makes something out of nothing, and gets about 5 yards heading right. Great effort as usual......
P - From 10, delay to Ricky, loss of a couple. Not nice, poor execution / blocking....
P - Shotgun, hits the TE Martin for a TD in the back corner of the endzone with a perfectly thrown ball. Pennington nailed that one!! Great finish!!....
-------------------------------------
H - From the 10, tries to hit Ginn in the back corner, but it saild alittle high. It was close though....
H - From the 7, screen to Wynn, only gets a few yards. Nothing major...
H - Pass batted at LOS....
H - Drops back, avoids sack{I guess}, and takes it himself for a 5 yards TD. You could argue that he was sacked here, but I didn't hear a whistle, and neither did he....
H - TD!!! Perfectly thrown pass to Ginn. He was coming across the middle, and Chad put the pass right on the money / in stride. Couldn't have thrown a nicer pass in that situation....
FINAL THOUGHTS
=============
It was a good day, not great, but good. Pennington certainly had more positives than negatives, and that's all one can really ask for at this stage. I'm leaving happy, and not too sunburned for tomorrow. Later....
IN TUNA WE TRUST......
HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They didn't come out until around 9:15, about time!!....
They started off with their basic warm up drills, nothing major at this stage. It's just the usual stuff....
Then the OL was working the sleds, and pushing while the RB's were bursting outside. Just your every day sled drills basically, it's good for building strength in the trenches, but there's really not all that much to it based on how quickly they block / push and come off the line. Quick, short drill....
As the OL is working, I can see the QB's working on some quick dumps off's over the middle, most of these throws are going to either the TE / RB / FB. Again, this is another short lasting drill, where there is no coverage, or pressure coming, a basic warm-up type drill....
While the guys on offense are doing their various workouts, the DLmen are over alone working on some coming off the ball / line drills. More basic stuff, and not much to really see. They do this every session when it first begins. Nothing special...
The QB's then begin throwing some various passes to the WR's, some 7 yard turnarounds, some 15 yard posts, most of which are being caught, and everyone looks good here. Building some good timing is mainly the focus here, and out of all the QB's participating, I'd have to say that Henne has the most zip on his ball. It's not the most accurate, but it gets to the WR's quickly. Like I said before however, these are pretty basic, and there's no defense involved here. SALT RECOMMENDED....
While this drill was taking place, I focused mostly on Pennington / Henne, they were getting most of the work, so that made it alittle easier keeping pace while reporting. Beck participated, but once they went on to the head to head drills, he and McCown were sidelined....
Pennington looks decent all things considered, his accuracy looks solid, and he can throw a good touch pass from what I've witnessed so far in these drills. Oops, just saw him make an overthrow....an overthrow?!?!?....
Camarillo just made an awesome over the shoulder catch from Henne, it was at least 30 yards or so. Great hook up, but again, no coverage involved....
As these offensive drills take place, you guessed it, the defense is over on the opposite side doing their thing. Nothing much to report but your basic defensive schemes, and various formation drills. Defense is a hard thing to report, it's always the same stuff, and it doesn't hold your attention very long....
For a very short time now, the QB's are throwing some passes against coverage, it's kind of confusing because they're all working at the same time, but it's a fun drill to watch. One thing I can't help but keep noticing, is how good Henne looks, he stands tall, and there's just something about the way he looks when he's throwing the ball. For a rookie, I can't be more pleased with him thus far....
Don't worry Beck fans, he just threw what I would consider his best pass of the week. He dropped back and hit WR Foster with a perfectly thrown deep pass that went for about a 40 yard TD by my estimation. Best throw I've seen him make in a long time, good job!!...
Oh no!! Henne just threw a pick!! Man, just when I was starting to enjoy this drill, it ends....
=================================
11-11 Handoff Drills
--------------------
I wont waste much time reporting this, these are all various handoffs to the different RB's. Some right / left / up the middle, but for the most part, there hasn't been any room to get free. This almost looks as if it's being run for the purpose of getting the QB / RB exchange down. There is also a lot of changes being made on both sides of the ball along the OL / DL ect during this time. Lot's of in / out's....
Ricky had one nice burst to the outside where he got loose, and Cobbs had one as well where he found a small hole on the right side, but like I said, there wasn't much there. The DL is swallowing up almost everything....
===================================
FG / Kick Return Drills
-----------------------
Wake me up when these drills end.....
On a side note, these drills are basically impossible to report. There's no way to get a feel for how well / poor the ST's units are doing when it's not happening in a regular game. Sure, they look good on the practice field, but that's why it's called a "practice field"...
===================================
11-11 Passing / Running Drills
-------------------------------
P = Pennington
H = Henne
----------------
P - Hit's Brown on a short dump-off over the middle, only a few yards...
P - Ricky tried to go to the right side, but doesn't go anywhere really, no gain....
P - Play action, rollout right side, hit's TE for about 6-7 yards....
P - Drops back and hits Hagan over the middle for a long 50 yard TD. The pass went about 20, hitting Hagan perfectly in what looked to be pretty tight coverage. He was then free to go the distance. Great throw, catch, all around that's what you like to see on offense...
P - After a great throw, Chad then makes a terrible throw. It was a WR screen, and he just botched it completely. Bad throw....
-------------------------
H - Hands off to RB up the middle, nice 5 yards gain. I think that was #26 RB L. Hilliard....
H - Tries to throw out to the right side 5 yards down, but makes a poor attempt. It was overthrown big time....
H - Rollout right side, makes another very poor throw down the sideline over the WR's head. "Ugly" was the word I put down for that one in my notes...
H -Throws underneath to Cobbs, gets about 4-5. Nothing major, just a checkdown....
H - See above
Side Note : Henne did not look good at all during this drill. Nothing to get crazy over, just a "tell it like I see it" thing....
=================================
11-11 "3rd & 1 / Redzone Drills"
---------------------------------
They started out with "3rd & 1" drills, Here goes...
P - Handoff left side, no gain Brown....
P - Handoff right side, 2 yards. That's Another Miami Dolphins...."FIRST DOWN!!" lol....
P - Pass complete to FB on short cross pattern, gains about 6-7. It looked like Grigsby...
P - Handoff left to Ricky for no gain, maybe a loss even. Ricky alittle gimpy getting up after that one....
------------------------
H - Handoff right to Cobbs, nice 7-8 yard gain....
H - Handoff up the middle to Hilliard, no gain there, maybe a yard....
H - Play action, tries to hit TE in corner endzone with high lofter, sails too high though, could have done better....
------------------------
11-11 "Inside The 5"
-----------------------
P - Quick toss outside left to FB, it was dropped, but it was also a very low pass. Should have done better....
P - Run left, no room. There is no blocking along the OL right now it seems, they're getting owned....
P - Ricky bounces outside after hitting a wall in the middle, and proves he's still got the wheels. TD, great effort there...
P - Hit the TE on crossing route in the endzone. TD, perfect throw / touch pass....
--------------------
H - Ricky tries to go up the middle, but find only about a yard....
H - Up the middle again, but this time it looks like Cobbs getting the TD. He's solid this guy Cobbs....
H - Throws a great touch pass to TE on outside right for a TD. Henne made that look too easy....
==============================
7-7 No Pass Rush
-------------------
P - Very nice throw over the middle for about 7 yards. Can't see who caught that one....
P - WR E. Wilford make a nice sliding catch over the middle for about 7-8. Keep it up Willy!!...
P - Hits the TE over on the mid-right side for about 5 yards or so. No big thing....
P - Busted play. The throw was batted in the air, but caught over the middle for about 5-6 yards. Luck....
P - Drops back, throws checkdown to RB, very minimal gain...
P - Cross route by Bess, complete for about 5 yards. Another one of those plays where Pennington couldn't find his first option. I think Bess had to be his last outlet on that play....
-------------------------------------
H - Throws over the left-mid side, complete in traffic, and taken upfield for about 8 or more...
H - WR screen to 17 WR Dunlap, gets about 4-5 yards after the catch....
H - Quick throw to TE on the outside left, maybe a couple but that's about it....
H - Hesitates, and at last second finds Wilford open for short 4 yrad gain over mid...
H - Deep sideline pass that falls out of reach. Overthrown. One thing nobody should worry about is Henne's arm strength, he's almost looks too strong at times....
=======================================
11-11 "Redzone Drills"
-----------------------
P - Brown takes it up the middle for about 2-3 yards...
P - Dumps outside right to Grigsby, only gets about 2-3 yards....
P - From the 15, nice delay to Brown up the middle catches defense totally off-guard. TD, 15 yards....
P - From about 12, Sacked. He got the ball away just as he was getting hit, but for all purposes here, let's just call it a sack shall we?? First of the day that I saw too!!...
P - Ricky makes something out of nothing, and gets about 5 yards heading right. Great effort as usual......
P - From 10, delay to Ricky, loss of a couple. Not nice, poor execution / blocking....
P - Shotgun, hits the TE Martin for a TD in the back corner of the endzone with a perfectly thrown ball. Pennington nailed that one!! Great finish!!....
-------------------------------------
H - From the 10, tries to hit Ginn in the back corner, but it saild alittle high. It was close though....
H - From the 7, screen to Wynn, only gets a few yards. Nothing major...
H - Pass batted at LOS....
H - Drops back, avoids sack{I guess}, and takes it himself for a 5 yards TD. You could argue that he was sacked here, but I didn't hear a whistle, and neither did he....
H - TD!!! Perfectly thrown pass to Ginn. He was coming across the middle, and Chad put the pass right on the money / in stride. Couldn't have thrown a nicer pass in that situation....
FINAL THOUGHTS
=============
It was a good day, not great, but good. Pennington certainly had more positives than negatives, and that's all one can really ask for at this stage. I'm leaving happy, and not too sunburned for tomorrow. Later....
IN TUNA WE TRUST......
