Before I get to reviewing either of
this weekend's college all-star games, there's actually eight hours
of ESPNU coverage of team practices for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl to
run down. ESPN offered a little more on-the-field action than last
year, but they're still nowhere close to NFL Network's in-depth
coverage of Senior Bowl practices. A little 11-on-11, very little
1-on-1 pass-blocking drills or receiving drills. ESPN covers the
coaches of this game almost as much as the players and spends a lot
of time rehashing its analysts' ratings, laughing at its own jokes
and having Bill Polian tell us how the NFL is the ultimate
meritocracy. Here then, are some Rams-focused notes and opinions from
taking it all in...
* Dick Vermeil is coaching the
Nationals team again this year, going for his third straight win. He
once again brought Jim Hanifan in to coach o-line, Terry Shea as QB
coach and offensive coordinator and Frank Gansz Jr. on special teams.
John Bunting is the DC and LBs coach. DV also had Billy Long do the
“gotta go to work” shtick, for both teams. No Isaac Bruce this
year, though; Charlie Joiner was on staff to work with wide receivers
instead. Taking it a generation further, Ray Agnew, Jr., a fullback
out of Southern Illinois, is on the Nationals' roster. Amp Lee is
coaching the Americans' running backs again this year, this time
under head coach Dennis Green.
*
The quarterbacks for this game are a very mixed bag. Brendon Kay
(Cincinnati) threw behind receivers in a simple 7-on-0 passing drill.
Kolton Browning (Louisiana-Monroe) gets the ball out quickly, and
he'd better, because he throws it like a shot put. He threw bad out
routes, was picked off at least once and near-picked a half-dozen
other times. Ohio State backup Kenny Guiton got good reviews from the
analysts despite a terrible semi-Tebow throwing motion of his own.
Popgun-armed Sean Schroeder (Hawaii) had a nice Wednesday nailing
shorter throws but struggled Thursday when he had to test his arm.
James Franklin (Mizzou) was so bad at the end of Thursday's practice,
throwing nose-down passes and terrible interceptions, that Denny
Green gave him a quick hook, and the ESPN guys started suggesting he
should be a WR or even a RB instead. Wow. Also, almost every QB there
has his durability questioned because of being slight-framed, and
they're mostly described as pretty-accurate short-to-intermediate
range throwers without very good deep balls. Should be thrilling
night of screens and checkdowns when they play the actual game, huh.
*
It does get a little better at QB. RamView likes South Carolina QB
Connor Shaw, for a lot of the reasons I liked Austin Davis a couple
of years ago. He holds all his school's passing records. Threw 24 TDs
last year vs. 1 INT. Mentally and physically tough and got better
every year in college. Steve Spurrier said Shaw's the best QB he ever
coached. He's mobile, though he needs better pocket presence. He also
threw one of the prettiest balls we saw on TV the whole time on a
deep corner route to TE Asante Cleveland. And though it isn't
considered his strength, Shaw showed nice accuracy on everything I
saw. McShay said Dustin Vaughn, an heir of the West Texas A&M QB
factory that produced Keith Null, was the QB who impressed the scouts
the most. He's a big 6'5” 220, throws a tight spiral with good
technique, has a strong arm and a quick release and picked up the
offense quickly. Set the Division II season passing record last year.
Could be a sleeper to watch. Caleb Herring of UNLV had the best deep
ball but could be an adventure at times.
*
Other players who stood out:
-
Kenneth Acker, CB, SMU. Intercepted one pass in 11-on-11s and broke
up several others. Had 7 INTs last season. Good size at 6'0 185.
Excellent instincts and closing speed, very sticky in man coverage.
Best DB there, getting 3rd-4th
round projections from McShay.
-
Isaiah Burse, WR, Fresno State. 6'0 187. Productive slot receiver and
daredevil punt returner. No fear going over the middle, natural hands
catcher. As Mike Mayock would say if he were here, “quicker than
fast,” but he ran excellent routes (better than most Rams WRs).
Very fluid, good after the catch, and has a high football IQ. Looked
good on WR screens. I'd like to think I'd say there's a lot of Isaac
Bruce in his game even if he didn't have a very similar name and wear
#80. McShay listed him as one of the players who had the best
practice weeks.
-
Khyri Thornton, DT, Southern Miss. Dominated 1-on-1 drills. Also
cited for having one of the best weeks in practice. Showed
impressively strong hands and ability to recover pass pressure after an initial
punch. McShay also credited him for his raw power and quick first
step.
-
Brian Clarke, G, Bloomsburg. Was both a wall and a mauler in 1-on-1s
and opened up a big hole for teammate Franklin Quiteh during
11-on-11. Never beaten in 1-on-1s.
-
Tony Washington, WR. Made tough catches and one of the prettiest
catches on either broadcast. While well-covered, turned for a deep
catch at the goal line, made a great adjustment, a better hands catch
and got down in bounds for a TD. The only problem: I didn't mention
his school till now because it's Appalachian State, Brian Quick's
alma mater. How long's it going to take this AppState product to
learn on the job? ESPN says he's the most natural receiver in this
game, that he has great body control and runs good routes.
* My “please avoid” list:
- Jake Metz, DE, Shippensburg: got good
reviews from the TV crew, even got compared to Grant Wistrom, but
blew tackles and got pushed around and pancaked in 11-on-11.
- Roy Finch, RB, Oklahoma: no. Just no.
ESPN wouldn't shut up about him. He's like 5'5. He almost didn't take
any run where it was supposed to go. On one sweep in 11-on-11, he
tried to launch himself into a safety but bounced off and landed hard
and flat on his back. He's so herky-jerky and hard to find I'd try
him as a punt returner, but that's about it.
- WR Gerald Ford, Valdosta State, or Greg Hardin, North Dakota.
Drop machines. Ford dropped at least two passes, including one that would have been a TD.
- Vicenzo D'Amato, K, California.
Duck-hooked a short FG attempt at the end of Wednesday's practice.
RamView actually skipped a few players,
believe it or not, and if we went just on all-star game practices,
Ziggy Ansah wouldn't even have gotten drafted last year, so the next
step will be to review this actual game. I hope to have that and the
East-West Shrine Game recapped before the holiday weekend's over.
-$-
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