The Mini Camp Thread....(updated Sunday)

[Zod]

Updates coming soon....

meeks is all over every detail with the defense... Fox is letting him run the show...

Starting dl

Brayton dlewis kemo Johnson

Beason and digss are watching Conor an Anderson filling in.. Connor got an int that would have gone for six!!

Dwill and jstew are watching today... Guess they wanna see what the rooks have!

No 90 obv.

Brown smoked a backup rt and drew what would have been a sure hold or sackif not held... He's fast!! Went one step inside the rt bit and he blew by em outside... I like it!

More later.

Zod's Observations...

- Jake set the tone early for a lot of the young players. They were all walking to practice, until Jake came running by them. They then all started to hustle to the field. I guess they figure if the starting QB is not good enough to take it easy, maybe they are not either.

- Deangelo and Stewart both did not practice.

- Everyone is a bit rusty, as expected.

- Moore was third string behind McCown.

- Cantwell got no snaps and was running as a stand in WR. He has a long road ahead of him.

i went and watched from the street for about an hour and loved just seeing some football. i wish i could've seen more of the defensive line but i was on the opposite side so i saw more of the db's and receivers.

i don't know much about monk, but his size intrigues me, but i doubt he makes the team.

jarrett was looking much more polished and ryne robinson put a sick move that almost broke cj wilson's ankle, but he then proceeded to drop the pass. after smitty and moose, the battle for the slot will be competitive.

i wish we would go 4-wide b/c carter or robinson would compliment jarrett well. two big receivers and two smaller speed receivers.....though jake would probably still eye smitty anyway.

i was trying to catch some of brown on the dl, but didn't see much of him in action because of my vantage point. i did see him almost get by otah if not for the wwf chokehold otah put on him. what i did see from brown was non-stop hustle..... always sprinting and being involved.

connor looked good at lb'er and i wish there was a way to slide him to the outside and still use his talent. he, beast and davis would be phenomenal together, but oh well.

the db's looked game ready sans a little rust.

marshall looks like he is truly ready to be that starter and i have high hopes for martin.

i don't know if they plan on playing him at nickel or safety, but he is a big body and i wouldn't mind him at corner to be used against an opposing team's tall wr.

i'll be back out tomorrow...hopefully the weather stays nice and doesn't rain

There’s only so much you can tell by watching drills in helmets and shorts. Also, thanks to an early eye appointment, I didn’t get to see the whole thing. Probably the best thing I can do is just list players who I saw do something noteworthy and what they did that caught my eye.

Steve Smith: I swear, there just aren’t enough superlatives. There’s no such thing as “offseason shape” with Smith. He is in game shape year round. He put on some moves today – most notably on Chris gamble and against C J Wilson on an out route – that were textbook Smitty. He doesn’t look to have lost a step, at least not right now.

Gary Barnidge: Caught everything thrown to his area and looked good doing it. Mind you, Jeff King had some nice catches too, but this kid could be worth a look this season.

Kenny Moore: Speaking of guys that caught everything thrown to them, Moore did just that and made it look easy. Jason Carter, on the other hand, was a little inconsistent. Things might change when the pads go on, but Moore vs Carter for fifth receiver is a battle I’m keeping in the back of my mind. Ryne Robinson also dropped a very catchable ball (and dropped a very loud F-bomb immediately thereafter).

Larry Beavers: Had a nice diving near-catch at the corner of the end zone. In season, it might have gone to review to determine if it were a TD. Fast as the wind and was catching punts in ST time, but boy does his frame look slight. By contrast, Kevin McMahan has arms that make you think he could rip a phone book in half.

Kevin Brock: had a nice catch or two out there today as well. More action to the tight ends than past practices I’ve seen. Wonder if that’s an indicator of things to come.

Duke Robinson: If this career doesn’t pan out, he could probably find work as a garage door. He’s wide, for certain. Didn’t get to see the Uglys as close as I would have liked, but he’s one you’ll notice. Gerald Cadogan also looks huge, but I didn’t see him much in action.

Mike Goodson: Wasn’t doing much from what I saw. Might be recovering from something. He looks thinly built. Hope he isn’t an Eddie Kennison type guy.

Dan Connor: Looks thicker than I remember. Wonder if he bulked up while he was rehabbing.

Captain Munnerlyn: Looks even smaller in person than his listed size, but I’ll take their word for it.

Mortty Ivy: The WVU product looked to have caught a deflected pick from a ball that bounced off a receiver’s hands (Moore to Carter if I remember right on the pass, but don’t hold me to it). Looking at his name, I think his mom gave him the extra ‘t’ that I left out of my screen name.

Everette Brown: Looks the part. Saw him rush against Geoff Schwartz one on one in a drill and get stalemated, but in fairness the pass was off quick (from Moore, I think). Coaches had him working with the punt block unit on ST. Nice guy who talked to a fan or two after practice.

Defensive Tackles: While Brown was working with STs, new DL coach Brian Baker had the DTs working on hand drills, simulating things like swim moves. Most of what I remember Sunseri doing was straight ahead “Oklahoma” type drills. Looks like baker may get more into teaching techniques. Kemo and third rounder Corvey Irvin, among others, looked to be taking it in pretty well.

Sherrod Martin: Also looks the part. Did okay from what I saw of him but got pretty badly walled out by Moose on one drill. New secondary coach Ron Milus was on him like white on rice a second later. But hey, that’s what it takes to learn.

Tony Fiammetta: I’ll refer to him from here on out as “Placido Fullbacko” since I learned just last night that his full name is Placido Anthony Fiammetta. Don’t know if he can sing tenor, but he can definitely block and is a decent runner. He and Hoover look like shape twins standing next to each other.

Quarterbacks: Delhomme is definitely the best looking of the QBs overall, but at least at this stage, there’s not as much dropoff going to McCown and Moore as you might think. When it gets to live ammo, that may change, but today they all looked decent. Hunter Cantwell looked like you’d expect a rookie in his first minicamp to look. Helmet off, he looks like a high school kid.

One big difference: I hardly ever noticed Mike McCoy on the field at prior training camps. I doubt I could even have told you where he was. From what I can remember, Jake spent most of his sideline time with Davidson, not McCoy. Rip Scherer is a different story. It looks to me like he’ll be much more of an activist as a coach. I know he’s louder than McCoy, because I heard his voice more than once (loudest when he was congratulating McCown on the timing of a pass).

Atmosphere: If you thought the volume knob might go down a notch with Sal Sunseri gone, think again. The team’s new defensive coaches seem overall to be a much louder bunch than their predecessors. Also, as was suggested previously, looks like there will be a lot more emphasis on teaching than in the past.

Didn’t see much of Williams or Stewart today. And of course, some guys were held out.

Heard from a guy I talked to that there’s another practice this afternoon (2:30 maybe). Think I’ll head back out there if it doesn’t rain.

That’s all for now. More later.

[rayzor]

Rayzor your post has been highjacked for the common good.

Welcome to socialism. Kurb

:lol:

[PowerlessDan]

Sorry Dan!

Sorry to be so long in typing this. I had a bit of a hectic day after camp.

Plus I took a load of notes (might be information overload)

(yeah, I know; get on with it)

Got there early enough to see guys walking in today but couldn’t stay for the whole thing (work). Saw most of it though. Spent a good bit of time watching the “trench” players (mostly DL but some OL too) and likely a good portion of my comments will be about them.

WALK-INS

Saw WVU LB Mortty Ivy talking to fellow rookie Mike Juergens as they walked to the field. Sounded like Ivy was asking for tips.

Big man Kemo walked up with little man Captain Munnerlyn. Quite the contrast seeing those two together.

DeAngelo Williams walked up together with rookie DL Marlon Favorite. Looked like he was trying to encourage him. Looked up a little info to see if there was any connection between them but couldn’t find anything. Maybe DeAngelo is just being kind to a rookie. In the process, I did learn that Favorite was considered by LSU teammates to be the best rapper on their team. Funny, since later in practice I heard him called “Big Fave” a couple of times (wonder if it’s a stage name).

DC Ron Meeks and DL Coach Brian Baker acknowledged fans as they were walking in. As he turned to go to the field, Baker drawled out an elongated “Aaaaallrighty then.”

Not sure if I mentioned it previously, but it looks like Hilee Taylor might have packed on a little muscle in the offseason.

Once again today, you saw Jake running to the field past some other guys who were just walking. Pretty clear Jake takes the need to “hustle” seriously. By contrast, Steve Smith arrived on a cart and hopped off right in front of me. I nodded to him, but Smith was all business (and no, I don’t think the cart or his demeanor says anything negative).

PRACTICE THOUGHTS

First up today, the offense went to one field while the defense took the next one over. Both sides were working on formations, with the offense running passes and the defense working on flowing to the ball and pursuit. Coach Davidson ran the offensive side and Coach Meeks the defense. Coach Fox stood between the two fields, overseeing and keeping a watchful eye on things but letting his coordinators take charge of their respective units.

One thing you get clearly from early on watching a Panthers practice: It’s very structured and very high energy. There’s always plenty going on and no questions who’s in charge. At the sound of the horn, players move to their next assignment like trained horses. Overall, it runs like a well-oiled machine.

That’s not to say it’s thoroughly buttoned down and no fun. Case in point: At one time during the split unit drills, both units were doing short sprints. Kemo, Lewis and the other defenders were yelling and snarling as they run. Suddenly, someone over on the offensive side (pretty sure it was Delhomme) started mimicking the defensive noises. The rest of the offensive guys joined in, and laughter ensued on both sides. For a little bit there, it was a “battle of the bands” with each unit trying to sound the more ferocious snarl (personally, I’d call it a draw).

Watching him running drills, you quickly get the impression that Ron Meeks is very detail oriented. Early in the session, he was showing the safeties at what point they were “in the box” or “out of the box”. He was also a stickler for proper alignment along the front, dictating just how far the line splits needed to be and where the linebackers needed to look.

Watch a little longer, and you’ll also get the impression that Meeks is not an easy man to please. When running defensive drills, if he doesn’t like what he sees, he wants it run again. And that’s with no respect to who’s rookie and who’s veteran. I’d add that his position coaches seem to share that philosophy.

One thing that really made me perk up, though, happened when the defense was running over to the other field. Meeks voice boomed out loud and clear the words “Where’s Richard Marshall? Where’s Richard Marshall? Is he running?” Immediately made me wonder if Meeks find’s Marshall a bit lackadaisical. All speculative, of course, but there is one thing I can say for certain from this and other things heard at practice. Meeks is a guy who will name names. Blow an assignment or a drill and you can expect he’ll call you out. And clearly, nobody is exempt from criticism.

Rookie RB Mike Goodson was practicing today, and boy is he fast. He took a pitch from Josh McCown and turned it into a really nice run. Also caught a pass over the middle from Delhomme and thoroughly burned a linebacker after the catch. If he stays healthy, there’s definitely the possibility he’ll contribute, and maybe not just on special teams.

Placido (Tony) Fiammetta caught a nice pass out of the backfield from Josh McCown in offensive drills. After the play was over, he stopped and sang an aria from La Bohème (okay I was lying about that last part, but it could happen). So maybe he didn’t sing an aria, but he did do a stirring rendition of “Mama said knock you out (or at least down)” on one play. He was singing to LB Mike Juergens, who was so affected by the performance that he wound up on the ground.

While we’re on the rookie train, let’s talk about Sherrod Martin. On one play today, he made a nice leaping pick of a pass thrown by Josh McCown. Later on he picked Jake too (more about that later).

One of the new stretches coach Jerry Simmons had the guys doing made them all look like they were doing the Wayne’s World “We’re not worthy” bit. Speaking of Simmons, he reminds me of the stereotypical high school phys-ed teacher every time I see him. Getting extra help with today’s stretching: OL Mackenzy Bernadeau.

Among the more flexible looking guys during stretching, Gary Barnidge, Dan Connor, Dante Rosario, Jason Baker, and Rhys Lloyd. I noticed during stretching today that while everyone else was following Jerry Simmons lead, John Kasay and Steve Smith hung out at the back, stretched on their own and chatted. Veteran privilege I suppose, and not likely anyone would question the effort or commitment of either guy.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Got to see a lot of the DL today, which meant hearing a lot more of Coach Brian Baker. I swear he never stops talking, and his demeanor is very much “drill sergeant”. I also have to wonder if he doesn’t have some martial arts background, because a lot of the stuff he’s teaching seems like it comes from that sort of school.

During an agility drill, he was constantly yelling at the guys to make their turns tight. “Don’t circle,” he yelled repeatedly, “We do not want to go in a circle. Plant the toe and snap the hip.” The drill in question had the guys going around a set of pylons, then rushing in and smacking a tackling dummy. The point of the way they were hitting the tackling dummy was to teach yet another technique for going for a strip. Yet again, evidence that this will be a heavy emphasis in the coming season.

It was during this drill, after jumping on Tyler Brayton for being too circular in his movements and seeing Kemo fall to the ground while going for the dummy that Baker blew a gasket. He stopped the drill and went off for over a minute on the whole bunch. Watching this, I really think we might be paying a price for having our prior DL coach be a guy whose main specialty was linebackers. Clearly, Baker thinks DL technique is lacking. And sadly, there’s evidence to back him up.

Yesterday, it was Marlon Favorite who took most of Baker’s wrath. Today, pretty much no one was exempt. Kemo, Corvey Irvin, Everette Brown, Tyler Brayton, Hilee Taylor, each of them got at least one talking to. He actually had Everette Brown walk through one drill just to make certain he got the technique right, telling him “it’s not a race, get it right.”

About the only people who got off without getting jumped on by Coach Baker were Charles Johnson (who was absent), Julius Peppers (ditto, for different reasons) and me (though he looked at me once or twice and probably would have said something had I not hidden behind a tree).

Speaking of Julius, you have to wonder how he’d bear up under a fire breathing coach like Baker. Doubt we’ll ever find out, but I’d pay to see it.

Couple of times I heard Baker saying “Take the air out.” I’m sure he explained what that meant to his guys, but I wasn’t privy to it, so I don’t know what it meant. What I do know is that he definitely “Took the air out” of the DL guys. They were sucking wind pretty badly during drills.

Fatigue came partially because anybody that messed up had to go again, and if they were working as a unit and one guy messed up, the whole unit had to go again. This happened a lot as they were hitting the blocking sled. Baker especially got on to Kemo, Irvin and Brown during this part, getting down and showing them exactly what he wanted in a first step and fire out. At one point, he even demonstrated a movement and smacked Everette Brown across the gut (and here I thought these practices were non-contact). He was clear in this bit, telling them in no uncertain terms “That’s how I want it done.”

[Jangler]

CONTINUED:

Other sayings over heard from Coach Baker:

“Gotta work hard. Gotta work hard to be a defensive lineman.”

“Hit and get. Hit and get.”

“It’s one...two…three. We have to hit the guy by three or the ball will be gone.”

“Kemo, I told you not to go lateral in your first step.”

“Hit that thing right in the crotch.” (referring to the blocking sled)

“This technique goes A…B…C. Not A…C.”

“Corvey, you ain’t fast enough to do all that gymnastics.”

“Hips are the most important thing for a D-Lineman.” (ugh, I don’t wanna think about Kemo’s hips)

“We are going to do this thing again because Marlon does not want to go forward.”

“Am I speaking a different language here? Will someone please come and interpret?”

“In this league, you hit a guy like that, they are going to look at you and do this.” (mockingly shakes his head)

“Eyes up, Tyler. Do not look at the ground. There is nothing on the ground but dirt.”

“Day two, and you guys are already killing me, but just remember I won’t die alone.”

OFFENSIVE LINE

Going over to watch Coach Dave Magazu is a very different experience. Magazu is quiet, but very focused. Don’t let that make you think he isn’t intense though. At one point today during a fire out drill, Magazu told the men running it “Guys, that is absolute horse s—t!” If you think it was rookies getting this ire, guess again. It was the starting five. Ryan Kalil and Keydrick Vincent got special attention at that point.

Noticed also that Magazu liked having a “tight end” at the end of the line during drills. Geoff Schwartz was the guy who spent most of his time in that spot.

I was told by another guy there that Duke Robinson drew some fire from Coach Magazu while I was watching the DL. Apparently, Magazu made Robinson run a drill repeatedly until he got it right. If you think that sounds like a common theme across today’s practice, you’re correct.

Not as much of note about the offensive line, though I imagine that’ll pick up once they’re allowed to hit. Magazu fielded what was arguably one of the best units in the league last season. He may not be loud or quotable, but he apparently knows what he’s doing.

QUARTERBACKS

Took some time and watched Rip Scherer coaching the quarterbacks too. Looks like he’s really stressing the fundamentals. Clear also that he’s a big believer in hard counts and quarterbacks finishing out running plays with pass fakes. And again, he’s no respecter of persons. After a bad pass by Delhomme that got picked by Sherrod Martin, and after that one Jake was called back to explain himself. Moore, McCown and Cantwell had similar moments. Looks like nobody is going to get off easy with Scherer.

SNAPSHOTS

Jake Delhomme’s first pass of the day was a nicely thrown strike to, of course, Steve Smith. Likely would have been a big play in a game.

Delhomme later threw a nice deep pass to Kenny Moore, who had a clear step on the DB covering him (Wilson, I think). Moore continues to impress me as I watch him (without pads, anyway).

There was also a nice play on a fake pitch which then went back to the other side as a pass to Gary Barnidge. Can’t recall seeing that play before. Might be a new wrinkle for the coming season.

Decori Birmingham fumbled during an early offensive drill. Rookie tackle Gerald Cadogan scooped it up and ran with it (maybe he’ll get a shot to be our big return man, filling the void left by Geoff Hangartner).

Matt Moore seemed a tad off to me early on, but got better as practice continued. He threw a beautiful strike downfield over a couple of defenders to Ryne Robinson during later drills.

Third string OL: Garry Williams, Jonathan Palmer, Keith Gray, C J Davis and Gerald Cadogan

Jason Carter made a nice reception on a pass from McCown that was tipped (by Charles Godfrey, I think).

Rookie LB Brit Miller made a nice one handed, falling down pick that would have made highlight reel material in season.

Nate Salley caught a ball as the defense was practicing pass coverage, which was followed by Ron Meeks yelling “Go Nate Salley. Go Nate Salley.”

Special teams again had only Robinson and Larry beavers catching punts (not doing much on returns really, just catching).

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Undrafted RB Jamall Lee runs with good pad level (even without pads)

Jake Delhomme has the loudest cadence among the QBs, with the quietest being backup Josh McCown. Even rookie Hunter Cantwell is louder (at least at practice).

Saw a new name on the field early, Manson. Later learned it was Markus Manson. Must have just been signed last night. I thought we were at the limit where someone would have to be cut if another player was signed, but I haven’t seen word of anyone being let go.

Heard DB Coach Ron Milus on a play yelling at C J Wilson to “get square”.

Gerald Cadogan was primarily on the right side today, although there’s speculation he could end up being this year’s Frank Omiyale (backup left tackle).

Saw Coach Fox have a brief chat with Dante Rosario and then high five him.

Marty Hurney was out watching today’s practice as well.

Kemoeatu is pretty fast for his size. When he really gets going he looks like a Mack truck.

And last, got to meet two guys from the online boards today. “Jack of all Trades” from the Huddle and “Meatpile” from This Board Rocks. Both were very cool. Also met Meatpile’s miniature horse (he claims it’s a dog).

That’s it for me. I didn’t get to attend the afternoon session due to work and won’t get to attend tomorrow per church and being out of town. Hope you enjoyed the info.

tooshort!

[rayzor]

Will noodle arm be there? LBF called him that, thought it was kind of funny. Of course I wouldn't know that if people would stop quoting him!!! *hint hint*

you put him back on ignore?

[Jangler]

Yeah, it was just easier than getting pissed all teh time and trying not to say something to him.

[CBDellinger]

meeks is all over every detail with the defense... Fox is letting him run the show...

Starting dl

Brayton dlewis kemo Johnson

Beason and digss are watching Conor an Anderson filling in.. Connor got an int that would have gone for six!!

Dwill and jstew are watching today... Guess they wanna see what the rooks have!

No 90 obv.

Brown smoked a backup rt and drew what would have been a sure hold or sackif not held... He's fast!! Went one step inside the rt bit and he blew by em outside... I like it!

More later.

[Fireball77]

Good stuff CB! Thanks!

Interesting about Meeks.

Sometimes rooks have to be told by the vets to slow it down a bit in camps. Not a problem I mind their having though, "too much" enthusiasm & energy.

[prowler2k8]

meeks is all over every detail with the defense... Fox is letting him run the show...

Starting dl

Brayton dlewis kemo Johnson

Beason and digss are watching Conor an Anderson filling in.. Connor got an int that would have gone for six!!

Dwill and jstew are watching today... Guess they wanna see what the rooks have!

No 90 obv.

Brown smoked a backup rt and drew what would have been a sure hold or sackif not held... He's fast!! Went one step inside the rt bit and he blew by em outside... I like it!

More later.

Awesome, CBD. Encouraged about Meeks running the D and actually thought it would be this way. Look for to further updates. Thanks 4 sharing.

[CRA]

Dan Connor will find a way to get some reps this year and he will have an impact.

[Kurb]

Beason and digss are watching Conor an Anderson filling in.. Connor got an int that would have gone for six!!

Was he wearing a red jersey when he got it ?

[eight ball]

Just thank what the newbies will grow into and what kind of energy that the competition with each other will bring out

[dexterpyro]

I tell you i am more excited about this year than i was last year....Hearing good things Thanx CB

[Phoenaxe]

meeks is all over every detail with the defense... Fox is letting him run the show...

Starting dl

Brayton dlewis kemo Johnson

Beason and digss are watching Conor an Anderson filling in.. Connor got an int that would have gone for six!!

Dwill and jstew are watching today... Guess they wanna see what the rooks have!

No 90 obv.

Brown smoked a backup rt and drew what would have been a sure hold or sackif not held... He's fast!! Went one step inside the rt bit and he blew by em outside... I like it!

More later.

Who threw the pick?