Camp Wofford

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #10

Camp Wofford

#1. Vet day off for the following players: WR Jarius Wright, DE/LB Mario Addison and LB/DE Bruce Irvin.  Players who sat out of practice due to injury: C Tyler Larsen, RB Jordan Scarlett, CB Kevon Seymour and DB Rashaan Gaulden. Excused from practice for personal reasons: LB/DE Marquis Haynes and DE Efe Obada.

#2. Players who got first team reps on defense: LB/DE Brian Burns (Edge), LB/DE Christian Miller(Edge), DB Ross Cockrell(Safety) and CB Javien Elliott(Nickel CB). Players who got first team reps on offense: LG Greg Van Roten(Center) and OL Dennis Daley(Left Guard). Daley mentioned that his job is to learn both guard and both tackle positions with the goal to develop into the ultimate “swingman” on the offensive line.

#3. Several military service members were invited onto the sidelines to watch practice today.  During a special teams period they met S Eric Reid. Reid came over to speak with them, shook hands and took several pictures together.

#4. During 1 on 1 DL vs. OL pass rush drills I was impressed with DTs Kyle Love and Vernon Butler Jr.  Both players showed amazing combination of strength, agility and quickness.  They showed the ability to quickly disengage their blocker. I was able to get a solid look at what LB/DE Christian Miller has in his arsenal. He shows plenty of strength and power with his bull rush moves. During 1 on 1 LB vs. RB pass rush drills it was simply back and forth between both position groups. RB Christian McCaffrey is showing much improved strength and effectiveness in neutralizing blitzing LBs. LB Shaq Thompson really is showing that he is can not be blocked when he blitzes. RB Elijah Holyfield has strong hands when he takes on a LB but needs to keep his feet moving. LB Andre Smith uses very good leverage to get underneath the pads of any RB but needs to work on taking quicker angles of pursuit.

#5. During 11 on 11 team drills these are the plays that stood out. CB James Bradberry made a spectacular INT on a pass from QB Cam Newton to WR DJ Moore. However the ball popped out as he hit the ground hard. CB Elliott got another INT off of a Newton pass intended for WR Chris Hogan. TE Greg Olsen tried to one hand grab a pass by Newton but it turned into a INT for CB Donte Jackson. DE Bryan Cox Jr. surprised QB Will Grier by dropping into coverage. Grier threw the ball directly to Cox but he could not hold onto the ball. CB Lorenzo Doss got an INT from a pass in the end zone by QB Kyle Allen. The offense had a few really good plays. Newton threw a TD pass to Olsen during red zone drills. Allen threw an incredible TD pass to WR Jaydon Mickens who was able to tip toe both feet at the very back of the end zone. WR Torrey Smith made one the best diving catches of camp by catching a TD pass from Allen.

#6. The overall analysis of today was that our defense is capable of being a Top 5 unit in 2019. This looks to be the fastest defense that Head Coach Ron Rivera has ever had on all three levels at defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs. However Rivera went off on the team at the end of practice due to a big pile of pushing and shoving on the very last play of team drills. Rookie LB/DE Brian Burns left the first segment of team drills with cramping in his left leg. He came back with it wrapped up and rejoined practice after sitting out an installment period. This is slowly shaping up to be a fun and exciting team to watch this fall.

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Rush Review: Training Camp Day #9

Camp Wofford

#1. The Carolina Panthers practiced lighter today by wearing their “shells” which is just wearing a football helmet and shorts. NFL Network is also here doing live updates on the team. Reporting was Maurice Jones-Drew, Andrew Siciliano and Tiffany Blackmon.

#2. The following players sat out today’s practice due to injury concerns: DB Rashaan Gaulden (sore lower back), CB Kevon Seymour (hamstring) and RB Jordan Scarlett (head). Vet day off was granted to S Eric Reid and OL Tyler Larsen. DE Efe Obada was given a personal day off to handle affairs. RB coach Jake Peetz is back at practice after his wife gave birth to their son on Friday night.

#3. Here are the players who got first team reps today: LB Jermaine Carter Jr took the place of LB Luke Kuechly. CB Corn Elder took the place of CB Donte Jackson. S Colin Jones took the place of S Eric Reid. S Ross Cockrell took the place of DB Gaulden at S. LG Greg Van Roten took the place of OL Larsen at C on the second team. So OL Norman Price played second team reps at LG. CB Javien Elliott got first team reps at nickel CB.

#4. During 1 on 1 DL vs. OL drills, I was impressed with LB/DE Bruce Irvin using pure speed and low angles to beat RT Taylor Moton. I heard defensive coordinator Eric Washington scream out loud “Speed!” LB/DE Brian Burns, once again, is displaying how elite his get off timing is, along with taking the best angles low enough to beat his blocker. Today, it was fellow rookie and long time high school friend LT Greg Little who struggled keep Burns in check. I have noticed that Burns dominates Little during 1 on 1 drills, however in team drills Little does much better against him. C Matt Paradis and OT Daryl Williams finally did 1 on 1 pass rush drills today. Williams got lost on a spin move by DE/LB Mario Addison. Paradis got bull rushed quickly by NT Dontari Poe who has quietly had a very nice camp so far.  They did decent, but you can tell they need time to get up to expected levels of production.

#5. During 11 on 11 team drills, these were the plays that stood out to me as the defense had a strong day: CB James Bradberry made an excellent pass deflection on a ball thrown in the back of the end zone by QB Cam Newton to WR Curtis Samuel.  LB Carter Jr. made a big pass deflection in the end zone on a Newton pass to WR DJ Moore. S Tre Boston got his first pass deflection at Camp Wofford on a pass from QB Will Grier to WR DeAndrew White in the end zone. CB Elliott got an interception on a Grier pass to WR Andre Levrone. Later on Elliott got a pass deflection on a Newton pass to WR Jarius Wright. Now the offense did make some nice plays as well. TE Greg Olsen caught a wide open 25 yard pass from Newton. TE Ian Thomas also caught a nice intermediate pass from QB Kyle Allen. RB Christian McCaffrey had a strong day running between the tackles. It looks like he is hitting the holes faster than the defense can converge on him. RB Elijah Holyfield continues to improve as he displayed some nice cutting abilities to get free on a couple of decent runs.

#6. My impression overall from today is that the players are really focused on perfecting their individual crafts. Whenever a player rotated out, he would either seek coaching or seek advice from another player. One thing that has been constant throughout camp is plenty of communication between the players on both sides of the ball. It is definitely not quiet before the ball is snapped. Always nice seeing several players stay after practice to get extra work in as well. Not just rookie and long shot players, but starters and veterans.

 

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Rush Review: Fan Fest Day #8

Camp Wofford

#1. Today was the annual Fan Fest event at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Rain and storms dominated the afternoon but gradually eased up shortly after the 7:00 pm start time for practice.  It was announced that all 62,500 tickets allocated were sold.  A nice sized crowd showed up in spite of the weather.

#2. Vet day off for RG Trai Turner and DT McCoy. CB Kevon Seymour was held out due to concern over his tight hamstring. DB Rashaan Gaulden also sat out with back soreness and tightness. LB Luke Kuechly and CB Donte Jackson were limited to doing just the individual drills and were held out of team drills. RB Elijah Holyfield gave up his #33 jersey to S Tre Boston and switched to #21 jersey. First team defensive reps were played by DB Ross Cockrell at S, DB Cole Luke at nickel CB and LB Jermaine Carter Jr. at MLB. First team offensive reps were played by OL Dennis Daley at RG. S Tre Boston got second team reps on defense.

#3. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper made himself accessible to the fans as usual. He was seen in the 200 and 300 concourse areas talking with fans and also taking pictures. You can never tell this man is worth $11 billion dollars by the way he interacts with the fans. He really carries himself like the friendly next door neighbor.

#4. Carolina Panthers running backs coach, Jake Peetz, called out due to his wife going into labor. That allowed female coaching intern Jennifer King to coach the RBs for tonight. This marked the first time in Carolina Panthers franchise history that a woman has coached at this level.

#5. Here are some highlights and standout plays from the 11 on 11 team drills: QB Cam Newton hit WR DJ Moore in the middle of the field for a TD pass. Then, Newton did his traditional “Sunday Giveaway” routine of giving the football to a fan in the front row.  Later on, Newton went deep and connected to a wide open WR Curtis Samuel down the middle of the defense.  RB Holyfield took a run and bounced it to the outside that lead to a TD as he out ran several defenders. FB Alex Armah displayed his power running abilities with a few decent runs that had him dragging a couple of defenders. RB Christian McCaffrey had a very nice one hand grab from a pass by Newton. The defense’s best play was during goal line drills when S Eric Reid stuffed RB Cameron Artis-Payne for a loss on the play.

#6. The practice ended right at 9:00 pm. Players stayed around to sign autographs to fans who were able to make it to the front rows of the different sections. Once that ended the fireworks display began, which is always exciting to watch.

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #7

Camp Wofford

#1. Several players did not practice today, most of which were given a “Vet Day”. QB Cam Newton was scheduled to have this day off. RB Christian McCaffrey, LB Luke Kuechly, TE Greg Olsen, C Matt Paradis, OT Daryl Williams and DT Kawann Short all sat out.  DB Rashaan Gaulden is dealing with some tightness in his back.

#2. G Dorian Johnson and LB Brandon Chubb were waived today due to injuries. The Panthers signed rookie G Rishard Cook, who played at UAB, and K Joey Slye, who played at Virginia Tech but has spent time with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

#3. S Tre Boston was here today. He spoke with Hurney and Rivera first. Then he spoke with the players on the sidelines,however, he spent the most time with the fans and signing autographs.

#4. QB Kyle Allen and LT Greg Little got all of the 1st team reps on offense today. CB Corn Elder got 1st team reps at nickel CB, too.

#5. During 1 on 1 DL vs. OL drills, several reserve offensive linemen got heavy reps against 1st team defenders. C Tyler Larsen, G Brandon Hearn and OL Dennis Daley actually held their ground fairly well going against NT Dontari Poe, DT Kyle Love and DE/OLB Mario Addison. I was honestly shocked by their results on some reps.

#6. During 1 on 1 WR vs. DB drills, the two standout players today were WRs Aldrick Robinson and Terry Godwin. They simply were winning at the line of scrimmage and catching the ball in stride. Robinson seems to get open with ease and Godwin just catches the ball with a smoothness that is rare for a rookie 7th rounder.

#7. Here were the following highlights during 11 on 11 team drills: WR Torrey Smith had the catch of the day with an amazing 1 hand grab from QB Kyle Allen, as he was being covered by CB Javien Elliott. WR Chris Hogan made a very difficult catch over CB Corn Elder. Today was WR DJ Moore’s time to abuse whatever CB was trying to guard him. First it was CB Donte Jackson that he just snatched the ball over. Next up was CB Josh Thorton, who gave up a few sideline grabs. One of my favorite “Wow” moments was when RB Jordan Scarlett and LB Andre Smith met at the goal line at the same time, jumped up and both came down with the ball. Credit was given to Scarlett for the score, but it honestly could’ve been an interception too. RB Elijah Holyfield finally displayed his abilities today, both running and catching the ball. I do not care about his time in the 40 yard dash. He has quickness and speed that allowed him to make at least 5 plays that resulted in 8 yards or more. It was pretty cool to see LT Greg Little and RT Taylor Moton show some aggression finishing off blocks in the running game. Words of praise kept coming from offensive line coach John Matsko during these drills. LB Christian Miller made about 3 nice plays today. He is effective dropping into coverage more than I initially thought.

#8. My overall impression on today’s practice was, there is some nice talent on the depth chart behind the 1st team players. I truly believe that some players just need to be given enough reps to impact the game. I noticed that there is a lot of communication going on between units on both sides of the ball. Players are really holding themselves accountable and are willing to teach each other techniques that can help make them better. RB Jordan Scarlett had his 1st dropped pass of training camp and you can tell it bothered him. He stayed on the JUGGS machine for 20 consecutive minutes after practice. After 7 practices, I can say that this has been a competitive training camp so far and you can see the foundation for success slowly being built. Still a ton of work left, but I feel confident enough to say that we are trending in the right direction.

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #6

Camp Wofford

#1. WR Chris Hogan is back after missing Monday’s practice with tightness in his back. NFL referees were here today to make calls during team drills. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is here as well speaking to media and to the fans.

#2. LB Luke Kuechly walked off the field after a solid collision during 9 vs. 7 drills.  He spent several minutes on the sidelines speaking with head trainer Ryan Vermillion but he never went in the tent to be examined. Vermillion then went to speak with head coach Ron Rivera and LB coach Steve Russ. Kuechly remained on the sidelines the rest of the practice but seemed just fine.

#3. CB Ross Cockrell got all 1st team reps at safety beside S Eric Reid. S Rashaan Gaulden got all 1st team reps at nickel CB. LB Jermaine Carter Jr. got all 1st team reps at MLB in place of Kuechly. CB Kevon Seymour got most of the 1st team reps at outside CB opposite of CB James Bradberry.

#4. WRs DJ Moore, Jaydon Mickens, Chris Hogan and Terry Godwin were sharing all of the punt return reps.

#5. During 1 on 1 DL vs. OL drills, it was an impressive sight watching DT Gerald McCoy and LB/DE Bruce Irvin going against RG Trai Turner and RT Taylor Moton. So many combinations of moves and countermoves were on full display. If this was a best of five basketball series in the playoffs, then McCoy and Irvin won the reps 3 to 2. I felt like I saw the best of all 4 players during this exchange. Also, LB/DE Marquis Haynes, DE Efe Obada, DT Dontari Poe and DT Vernon Butler Jr. were also winning a majority of reps during these drills as well.

#6. During 1 on 1 WR vs. DB drills, Curtis Samuel, once again, shined the brightest among other bright receivers. He did a “shake & bake” move on CB James Bradberry on a slant route that was just sick and so disrespectful. There was literally nothing Bradberry could do but chase Samuel after the catch. WR Torrey Smith got CB Donte Jackson on what looked like a “SLUGO” route aka Slant N Go and beat him deep for a TD score.  Also, WRs Jarius Wright, Chris Hogan, Aldrick Robinson and Terry Godwin looked nice beating coverage to get open as well.

#7. During 11 on 11 team drills, there were plenty of highlights and “Wow” plays made. Let’s start with CB Bradberry picking off a QB Cam Newton pass to WR Curtis Samuel.  I could hear Newton cursing at himself afterwards for making that throw. TE Greg Olsen made a great diving catch on a pass from QB Newton as he was being tightly covered by CB Jackson. S Rashaan Gaulden picked off a deep pass thrown by QB Kyle Allen intended for WR Smith. But next time up QB Allen threw a TD pass to TE Ian Thomas. WR DJ Moore split the double team by CB Seymour and CB Bradberry for a deep TD catch from QB Newton. CB Seymour almost had an interception while covering WR Wright on a QB Will Grier pass. CB Lorenzo Doss made an amazing pass deflection on an intermediate pass to WR Robinson on a QB Grier pass.  S Gaulden had 5 pass deflections rotating back and forth from nickel and safety. S Eric Reid gave a solid hit on TE Olsen to dislodge the ball as he ended up falling on his back. They shook hands afterwards. One of my favorite moments was some pancake blocks by LG Greg Van Roten on LB Jared Norris that lead to a big run by RB Cameron Artis-Payne. OL Dennis Daley also got himself a huge pancake block on DT Kawann Short that got everyone on offense excited, as it sprung RB Christian McCaffrey free for a nice run on the right side of the line.

#8. My overall assessment is that, based on this practice, this team is looking to make each other better. You saw veteran defensive players giving tips and pointing out things that can help offensive players. I’d say, at least 20 players are putting in work after practice is over. The feeling seems to be that they believe the pieces are in place to build a special team. Team chemistry is always strong but it seems to get stronger. I would give today’s “win” to the defense overall. But the offense is also connecting on playmaking “haymakers” as well, to challenge them back. I enjoyed watching this practice a lot.

 

 

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #5

Camp Wofford

#1. DTs Gerald McCoy and Kyle Love both returned to practice today after being off for Sunday’s practice. WR Chris Hogan did not practice today after leaving early yesterday with having tightness in his back.

#2. In the last two practices, CB Ross Cockrell has been getting work at safety with the 1st team. Head Coach Ron Rivera said that Cockrell’s ability to read a QB’s eyes and track the ball should allow him to be a playmaker with our new, much anticipated pass rush. **This has NOTHING to do with S Rashaan Gaulden not performing well.** Players are given chances in multiple roles, as Rivera is looking for position flexibility. Plus, the Panthers are using a lot of sub-packages on defense using three safeties as well.

#3. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said that Cam Newton has so many weapons and playmakers at his disposal, that being “Superman” all the time is no longer needed. However, he did say that he will still let “Cam be Cam” when the matchup favors his skill sets.

#4. During 1 on 1 drills for DL vs. OL today, DE/LB Mario Addison showed some power against LT Greg Little and was able to push him back. IMHO Little will be just fine. I have already seen a lot of fans saying that he is a bust or not a good pick. Be open minded that Little may take a while to perform. Same thing happened with Moton as a rookie in 2017. LB/DE Christian Miller showed some success going against RT Taylor Moton using speed and power moves. LG Greg Van Roten actually locked down DT Gerald McCoy a few times. RG Trai Turner and DT Kawann Short basically took turns beating each other up. There was plenty of trashing talking too.

#5. During 1 on 1 drills for LB vs. RB today, LB Luke Kuechly won one and lost one against RB Christian McCaffrey. Even when McCaffrey lost that round, he showed strong effort. I can tell he has worked on being better at pass protecting. LB Shaq Thompson just ran through RB Jordan Scarlett. It was almost comical. Scarlett definitely needs to spend time in the weight room. The loudest pops came from LB Jermaine Carter Jr. going against RB Cameron Artis-Payne. Artis-Payne won battle but the collision by both was very loud.

#6. During 1 on 1 drills for WR vs. DB today, CB James Bradberry made a smooth pass deflection on a ball that was intended for WR Jarius Wright. CB Kevon Seymour showed great recovery speed on a deep ball in the end zone for Torrey Smith that he swatted away at the very last second. WR Curtis Samuel continues to put on a clinic on getting a release downfield to make big catches. It doesn’t seem to matter who covers him, because he will get open and put himself into position to catch the ball. WR Aldrick Robinson is scary quick and fast. His ability to get deep quickly is simply amazing.

#7. During 11 on 11 team drills of offense vs defense, I saw that LB/DE Marquis Haynes, LB Jermaine Carter Jr. DB Luke Cole got several reps with the 1st team defense. Cam Newton looked sharp throwing the ball today. He threw a pretty pass to WR DJ Moore that he caught one handed in the end zone. He also threw two more TD passes to Curtis Samuel as well. RB Christian caught a quick pass out of the backfield and out ran both LBs Kuechly and Thompson who was chasing him hard. A few plays later, McCaffrey broke free down the sidelines and LB/DE Bruce Irvin chased him down, knocked the ball out and recovered it. As expected, everyone went crazy. I also noticed that the defensive line was getting quick, heavy pressure that would have at least 5 sacks and 3 near interceptions. NT Dontari Poe looks like the Pro Bowl version of himself in Kansas City. You can tell he loves being directly over the center. I saw several run plays using FB Alex Armah to lead block for RBs, especially in the red zone.

#8. Since the team will be off tomorrow, I noticed several trends. If I had to gauge the ratio of the number of times the defense uses the 3-4 philosophy vs. 4-3 philosophy, I would say it is 55/45. I think that we will use whichever alignment that matches up the best with the offensive personnel on the field. I noticed that several players are rotating in and out of the front 7. I also noticed that we are using many different offensive formations and different personnel groupings. I saw everything from 2 TE sets to having 5 WR sets. The goal is clearly to create favorable matchups on both sides of the ball. I am looking forward to practice #6 on Wednesday.

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