Before I get started I have to warn you that this was my first visit to Training Camp, so I didn't have a game plan on what I wanted to focus on. These are going to be my impressions from what I witnessed.
- I was really disappointed to learn that Sanders Commings was injured and wouldn't participate. In my mind he is going to be the new breed in NFL safeties, a guy with the size to play safety and the speed and coverage ability of a CB.
- When the team went to 7 on 7 drills, I was on the side of the field that had the OL and RB against DL and S. Starting OL was Fisher, Allen, Hudson, Rishaw and Stephenson. They did a nice job of opening holes for the RB's. Fisher is going to need a little time to get re-acclimated to the left side. The good news for him is that if he can hold his own against Hali, Houston and Ford, he can do it against any team in the league.
- In 11 on 11, I wanted to watch the QB's and WR's. Alex is far and away the best QB. His reads are quick and the ball gets out of his hand in a hurry. It is startling how much taller Bray is compared to the other QB's. On one play the protection broke down and Bray started scrambling to his right. I noticed that he has really heavy feet, he plods when he runs. Maybe Coach Feb can work on his calves to make him lighter on his feet. I'm going to be real interested to see how the battle for the backup QB ends up. My impression is that Bray has a chance.
- I missed Harrison's great catch, so the stars of the day for me were A.J. Jenkins and Albert Wilson. Those 2 seemed to make every catch and some of the plays would have gone for big yardage. I know I only saw one practice, but I think Dressler is going to have a hard time making the team. Hemmingway went to the injury tent and it didn't look good. I read today that they are calling it a hamstring, but when they were working on him I would have guessed he injured his hip.
- Defensively, I think the star of the day was Kevin Rutland. He was playing against the 2's and 3's, but he was all over the field making plays. I think he had 2 INT's. It's funny, but I really didn't pay any attention to Hali, Houston or Ford. Maybe its because I just expect them to be awesome, so I was only focusing on areas that are concerning to me.
- The last drill of the day was 1v1. The group on my end of the field was the TE's and LB's, except Hali and Houston weren't in this group. The guy that won the drill was Travis Kelce and that isn't just my opinion. The position coach said the same thing. As much as I'm rooting for Demetrius Harris, he still has work to do to be a good blocking TE. He did show some good quickness, though.
Overall, going to Training Camp was a great experience. My one regret is that I didn't make it to the media tent to meet Joel. I would have, but my wife fell asleep in the lawn chair and I didn't want to leave her there. Poor girl, I absolutely wore her out this weekend.