I was at practice today. Here are a few thoughts on some things that haven't been covered already.
1. I didn't show up until 9:20 and figured I could get up to the ramps and see practice from up high. I was pleasantly surprised that the crowd was down to "just" 6 or 7,oo0 so I was able to grab my usual spot in the back row.
2. It was a great practice for me because I happened to stand next to HS coach, so we talked football stuff the entire practice.
3. This was my first practice in 2 years, so I found myself watching everything and seeing very little. Like everything the lack of practice makes you have to come back. I hope I do better as things go forward.
4. First thing that caught my eye was when the Pats were doing a drill at 3 quarter speed, where the QB is forced out of the pocket and the receivers need to reroute to adjust. I happened to see #45 playing LB, and while everyone one around him was going 3/4 speed, he was running like he was shot out a cannon. A quick check of the roster told me it was David Harris. Throughout practice he played like he was #90 on the depth chart and he desperately needed to impress someone. I loved it.
5. They might have been in full pads, but there was very little real hitting until the very end of the practice when they did a tackling drill. It was only about 5 minutes but the comp was fierce and me and the coach were both commenting on things like head on the wrong side, not squaring to the ball carrier, too low, too high, etc.
One of my pet peeves of the NFL is that most teams really suck at tackling. When I watch their technique on TV, I scream at the screen sometime when they do things routinely that I would take a kid off the field for doing the same thing in HS.
The Pats are routinely one of the best tackling teams in the league, so they only mildly suck at tackling.
6. Geeno Grissom is getting a lot of run at DE/OLB - I can't comment on the entire practice, but he set the edge very well on 3 runs I can remember. I have no clue if he can rush the passer. But he looked good against the run.
7. I can't believe how skinny Rivers is. He looks more like one of those tall WR's than a DE. He still has good quickness off the ball and plays with good pad level against the run. But on the few time I happened to notice him on a pass rush, he was getting swallowed up by the blocker one on one.
8. Was it hot? Damned right it was hot. How hot? Well I was feeling a bit lightheaded and knew I needed some hydration. Someone happened to have left a half filled bottle on the seat next to mine, so I appropriated it. It was warm, and tasted like piss, but it probably saved me from heatstroke, so thanks to the anonymous fan who left his water. ' (and yeah I know I could have just bought I bottle, but there is someing about playing $5 or whatever for a bottle of water. I guess its a generational thing.)
9. What was interesting about "the fight" was that they sent Julian off first and he was almost out of sight before Gilmore started off the field. My fellow coach suggested was a better punishment would have been to make them take a lap or two holding hands. What a great idea.
