Thread: Montrose's AM Report 7/27

Hot day at practice today with another crowe significantly smaller than last season although I enjoy this as you get the true fans - the crowd was quite spirited today. The defense again got the better of most the action although the offense had its moments. I was very pleasantly surprised about the sharpness of the team considering the heat, I think it speaks a bit to the new character of the squad. With that:

QB: Jay looked very, very sharp today. I didn’t see him make one major mistake and he’s already gotten better at avoiding the stare-down. He gunned a few into Stokley and Royal, then put a pump on Champ that opened a little 5 yard hitch. If we could even put an average OL in front of him, I think he could have a Pro Bowl season. Interestingly, I didn’t see Ramsey take any reps although he was dressed. Hackney looked pretty solid again although he (like other short QB’s) has a nasty habit of overthrowing his WR’s which resulted in multiple INT’s, deflected off of reaching WR hands.

RB: Selvin put on a great display today, he looks like a franchise back. Running behind piss-poor blocking, he made some shifty cuts – one of which on Moss would’ve resulted in an 80-yard TD. He also put a nasty little move on Boss after receiving a pass that got Champ all over his brother. Selvin looks to be far-and-away our best back but I continue to be impressed with Andre Hall who just brings another element to our offense. I liken him to a better version of the “good” Quentin Griffin from late 2003/early 2004. Hall is our best pass catching RB and sees the entire field very well. I’d like to get him on the field more this season as he’s a real weapon. Torain had his best practice thus far, he’s very raw and susceptible to the rookie mistake (which today included a drop and a false start), but he has the best balance of the RB’s and is the most pure one-cut runner we’ve got. In the end-of practice session he made a cutback and lowered a pop on Beck that TD would’ve been proud of. I’m very pleased at our RB corps with Young and Hall as the #1 and #2 and Torain as the project. I think Pittman will be one of the first cuts. If I didn’t know it was Michael Pittman, I’d think he were camp fodder. He dropped two more passes today, has yet to look comfortable in the zone scheme and today fumbled on the end-of-practice drive to end the #2’s possession. Alridge atoned for a horrible breakdown at the beginning of practice by breaking several runs, including one quick pitch that went for big yards against the 1st defense. He looks practice squad bound to me. Sapp was Sapp today, nothing out of the ordinary. Hillis had a bad practice although he’s still the best blocking FB we’ve had since Griffith. He dropped a few passes and didn’t look very comfortable running routes.

WR: BMarsh was BMarsh today. I didn’t see one drop and while we’ve yet to see him display his YAC ability, he looked back to normal. He beat Champ on a dig route and later Foxworth on a slant, both of which would’ve went for TD’s. Also, he looks to be getting back into shape as I didn’t notice him huffing and puffing at any point. I think its still going to be very touch and go for him with the injury, but it was nice to see him in their like any other player. D-Jack had another good practice although he dropped pass on a post that would’ve went for a TD, first drop I’ve seen him have yet. He’s separated himself from the pack and looks like a clear starter for now. Stokley had a great practice making several nice plays including one on Foxworth near the sideline and an interestingly designed play where he lines up outside with BMarsh in the slot – Jay fakes a bubble screen to BMarsh while Stokley runs a skinny-slant. With so much attention payed to BMarsh, I think we can kill teams with plays like that this season. Colbert seems to be average to me, he’s had a chance to make several, tough grabs and never seems to get it done. They’re all tough ones, but if he wants to beat out D-Jack, he’s got to make those. Didn’t notice Royal a lot although he caught a rocket from Jay on a comeback and has a Rod Smith-like-tendency to turn up field quickly. Nothing of note from the other WR’s.

TE: Good day for the group, Graham was killing guys in the one-on-ones (although these do favor the offense). I do believe if we had a stronger OL, Graham could be a bigger part of the passing game but he’s such a strong blocker, he stonewalled Louis Green straight to the ground on a blitz and has made Dumervil eat dirt a few times. Scheffler had a fantastic day, he makes everything look so effortless. He destroyed every safety they put on him in one-on-ones and outside of Champ and one occasion with Abdullah, no one on our team can really cover him in team situations. If he can stay healthy and out OL is just competent, he could have 80-plus catches easily. Nate Jackson worked in with the 1st team a lot as well, they’re liking him as a split-out on running plays but he may have the best hands on the entire team.

OL: Note: I didn't see any of the OL/DL one-on-ones. Holland was again working the sled so Kuper and Harris manned the right side of the line. Guys, I’m very concerned about the OL outside of Clady who has probably been the best player I’ve seen on the field during camp thus far. While Clady is beginning to look dominant, my section was joking that Dumervil is becoming his little bi*ch, protection on the 1st group is consistently breaking down and unless Young makes a great move – the OL isn’t getting any movement on our “vaunted” defensive front. While I think our D has improved a great deal – there have been a lot of breakdowns including on a critical 3rd down during the end-of-practice drill when a blitz completely confused the right side of the OL and would’ve gotten Cutler killed in a real game. Hamilton is Hamilton, often on roller skates although he didn’t have to deal with Robertson today. Nalen still looks fine but Harris and Kuper don’t yet look comfortable to me. On the 2nd unit, I like our depth with Pears, Polumbus, Gandy, Alexander and Wiegmann. The 2nd unit is holding their own against the 1st Defense although they’ve yet to control Moss, DJ and Boss.

DL: Note: Again, I didn't see any of the OL/DL one-on-onesRobertson was given the morning off so McKinley filled in for him on the 1st team next to Peterson while Mallard took his spot on the 1st team nickel group. The group looks to be an over-achieving but less-talented group than past years. Ekuban is working mostly at DT and his quickness fits right in line with Peterson and Mallard in the attacking scheme. Peterson and Mallard had solid days with Mallard destroying the 3rd team OL on several occasions and Peterson giving Hamilton all he could handle. Engelberger continued to give Harris fits as Harris simply can’t handle Engelberger’s pass rush moves (that’s not a joke). Moss continued to be the most impressive DL in camp, getting better and better against the run and showing good pass rushing ability. Thomas and Crowder had good days as well, their well-suited to come in rotationally as they’ve got great motors but aren’t yet ready for big-time PT. I’m really disappointed with Dumervil. He continues to be eaten alive in the run game, today Pears drove him right into Webster two straight plays which allowed Hall to gain yardage. Worse, his pass rushing isn’t quite there either, although he seems to get frequently matched up with Clady – and I don’t think a DL in this league could beat him the way he’s played these last two days. I’m pretty concerned about the position, if for no other reason that I don’t like the way we’re rotating our guys. Engelberger, Ekuban, Crowder, Robertson and Peterson should be out there on 1st downs with Dumervil, Moss, Thomas and Mallard on 3rd downs. I only hope this is shown in the preseason.

LB: Webster worked with the 1st team at MLB, which didn’t surprise me given his great practice yesterday. With that, Niko had a great practice today filling holes and bringing the wood. Webster looked good as well and I’m actually quite relieved at the prospects of the MLB position after seeing a few practices. I’d give the edge to Niko today, but would’ve given it to Webster yesterday. It’s obvious Niko’s not very comfortable in coverage and lacks great sideline-to-sideline speed, but has a great understanding of the game and best of all – is a very good tackler. Niko put a hit on Pittman that caused a fumble and shed several blocking attempts by Kuper and Sapp. Webster plays much more recklessly which creates a lot of big hits and gets the defense fired up, but he makes mental mistakes now and then including being caught on a bootleg that allowed Hackney to find Nate Jackson for a big gain. Webster’s clearly the more athletic while Niko is the headier player. I could see a scenario where they share time at the position as both were being used on special teams. Moving DJ back to WILL is a godsend. He’s absolutely everywhere, much better than he was during his stellar 2004 rookie campaign at the position. If Clady’s been the best player of camp thus far, DJ’s been #2. He knocked down a few passes to the flats and would’ve decapitated Sapp at one point had the play been live. He’s become the leader of the defense and I’d be shocked if we’re not hearing about an extension soon. Boss had a great practice as well, making up for his getting beat by Graham in one-on-ones, he broke up a pass in the team drill. He’s been flying to the football, laying some big hits and seems to be a fantastic fit with our scheme. I’m very excited about our LB’s this year if you can’t already tell. They’re not world-beaters, but hard working guys who I think will surprise people this year. I can’t understate how natural Boss looks at Sam, Niko and Nate at Mike, and DJ at Will – for the 1st time in years we’ve got players playing their natural positions. Winborn and Green are playing well with the 2nd unit, Winborn had a particularly nice day blowing up a few plays at the line of scrimmage. I didn’t see much of Larsen although he looked great against Hillis in the one-on-ones.

DB: Champ was again Champ. He only got beat cleanly twice, one on the dig by BMarsh and one on the little pump-and-hitch play that would’ve only given up about 5 yards. After that play Champ was P.O.ed at himself and you could hear Shanahan yelling “That’s all you can do two, four – you played it exactly right.” I didn’t see much of Bly today although his dropping of a water bottle cause a groan and laugh from the crowd. Foxworth had a rough day following a great practice yesterday. Stokley worked him over a few times and I just feel bad for him when Marshall comes over. Paymah looked pretty solid, although he struggles against Stokley and Royal. Jack “Mother ****ing” Williams had another solid practice. I think he’s going to be a player, he reminds me of a poor-man’s D-Will. Not as fast and doesn’t have the hops, but a similar build and he loves to fly to the football and get his nose dirty. He put a little pop on Samie Parker today that brought an “Ooooh” from the crowd. I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of Lynch in coverage as he’s barely working with the 2nd team nickel unit and he got undressed by Scheffler in the one-on-ones. He’s still the best tackler on the team though and continues to find himself in the middle of the action in the run game. Abdullah’s got very good range, he’s making the QB’s think twice about throwing in his direction and I’d say he’s the clear #1 safety we’ve got at this time. McCree looks like he did in San Diego, a bit inconsistent but generally – a good player. Scheffler and Jackson got after him a bit and Graham spun him around once in one-on-ones but all together he should be an upgrade in the nickel. Manual looked good today getting his nose into the action often and Rogers had a nice afternoon with two INT’s after tipped balls. I didn’t notice Barrett too much but I’d say his 40 speed may be a bit overrated as he doesn’t appear to be overly speedy on the field.

ST: Only kickoff return today, with no contact to judge. Prater was booming the kickoffs into the endzone (which were being taken out for practice purposes) while Paulescu and Kern bombed some free punts.

I plan on making the afternoon practice and will have a report thereafter

Great reports, keep up the good work, it's much appreciated.

Sounds like Moss is going to be a player for us this year.

Great job! Thanks for the reports. I really appreciate them!!!

Interestingly, as I pulled in the car in front of me had a University of MD license plate cover. Being from MD, I began chatting with the middle-aged couple after parking and came to find out they were Domonique Foxworth's family and they moved out to CO when Foxy was drafted here. Turns out he's from a suburb about 10 minutes from where I grew up and he played with one of my former buddies at UMD - so we got to talking about them. The Foxworth's were extremely nice and it's not hard to see where Foxy gets his class from. Just wanted to share that little story. Anyway...

The afternoon practice was basically a walkthrough so not a ton to report. The offense was on the other field, so we basically watched the defense run through some plays, then they worked kickoff return and went back to working plays. Here are a few nuggets:

* Champ, Lynch, D-Rob and Nalen sat out practice. Lynch had a wrap on his right calf. They were replaced on the 1st team by Foxy, McCree, McKinley and Wiegmann.

* Nic Clemons worked a lot with the 2nd team at DT. Webster remained on the 1st team at MLB with Niko on the 2nd team. DJ is still calling the plays for the defense.

* The only thing worth noting of the defensive walkthrough was Thomas jumping offsides and getting an earfull.

* During the kickoff return portion, Royal, Hall, Martinez and Parker returned kicks with Pittman as the upback. The only thing worth noting was that the scout kickoff team threw an onside kick that caught the return team by surprise as the ball skipped through Sapp's legs and would've been recovered by the kicking team had they pursued.

* After practice each unit had it's own breakdown - the best of which were the DB's as all of the vets slid out simultaneously leaving their helmets in a pile with an unsuspecting Josh Barrett and JMFW left to pick them up. While some believe it is a ritual for rookie's to carry helmets it is my belief that the veteran DB's felt a need to present their most valuable possessions - their helmets - as a gift to JMFW for taking mercy upon their souls.

* On a similar note, I must give myself an atta boy and transcribe this dialogue between myself and a female fan as three fans walked by all wearing #26 jerseys (2 Portis, 1 Bell)

Fan: "Number 26 must think it's funny seeing people wear his jersey knowing it's not his name."

Montrose: "The truth is that both Clinton Portis and Tatum Bell only wore #26 knowing that the man you just called #26 would wear it one day."

Fan: "What do you mean?"

Montrose: "You see, they knew that there was no way a rookie could have his jersey printed in time for the masses to be worn and they feared for their own lives if the man you call #26 couldn't see his jersey number in the crowd from day one."

Fan (Completely eating it up): "Really? Why would they be so scared of him?"

Montrose: "Because the man you refer to as #26, is Jack "Mother ****ing" Williams."

Fan (Confused)

Montrose (Walks away laughing)

I found it funny that Holland came into camp and said "I didn't make 'weight'".

Shanny in an interview said he was 20-25 pounds overweight and won't practice till he loses it or till his body can't lose anymore.


Hopefully, he will get his act right or JMFW might have to pay him a visit.

Wow, great articles Montrose; thanks for posting these, italianmobstr7!

I'm really glad Clady is great at pass protection. Elvis is a pretty strong, fast guy, with long arms, and great leverage. For Clady to own him is impressive indeed. I'm concerned about the OL though; the other younger players don't seem to be getting it.

Great news about the LBs. I think I'd rather have Niko than Webster as the mike, as he's the headier player. No matter, this crew sounds real good.

Selvin is doing real well.

Holland better be an upgrade to our OL when he gets back. If this line can't run block well, it's gonna be a long season.

Originally Posted by omac

Wow, great articles Montrose; thanks for posting these, italianmobstr7!

I'm really glad Clady is great at pass protection. Elvis is a pretty strong, fast guy, with long arms, and great leverage. For Clady to own him is impressive indeed. I'm concerned about the OL though; the other younger players don't seem to be getting it.

Great news about the LBs. I think I'd rather have Niko than Webster as the mike, as he's the headier player. No matter, this crew sounds real good.

Selvin is doing real well.

Holland better be an upgrade to our OL when he gets back. If this line can't run block well, it's gonna be a long season.

I think run blocking is less the problem than Nalen and Hamilton in particular pass blocking for the drop back pass.

I think the term I have heard is being on roller skates when they describe Hamilton and his ability to keep the DT out of the backfield..

MONTROSE, youre awesome. I dont care what Beef said about you.

Youre A-OK.




Thanks for all the hard work buddy, and more than that, for sharing it with us.

May the God of this world bless you with PEACE to you and your family, not only for this generation, but for generations past and future. May your horn overflow. May your cup runneth over. May your bank account be filled beyond capacity.

......in laymans terms..


cool dude.


(and LOVED the fan interaction. Truly spoken from the point of one who knows what others dont.........lol............)