Coach O...Thanks as always.
One of the BIG concerns seems to be the play and lack of depth in the secondary. With the experience you have watching these practices, I am curious what your thoughts are on how much is against the secondary in these practices and if that plays into account with so many of the comments I have read about them. I understand it is still early and once the pre-season begins we should start to get some more answers.
But for now.......the QB is protected and has a significantly increased amount of time to throw with the comfort of being safe...they are transitioning from one D coordinator to a new one (with what sounds to be a totally different plan of attack), the increased amount of blitzing exposes them more, the possibility that Britt has made a big difference on Quick, etc.
Just curious on your thoughts as the more I read about how well the WR are looking, the more I wonder about the secondary and if the WR are making them look bad or if the secondary is making them look good. Thanks in advance for all you do!
This is gonna sound like a cop out answer, but I honestly believe it's a little of both. The WRs are definitely improved, and would be if it weren't anyone else but Quick. But add Britt to the mix, Bailey and Austin with a year under their belt, and an obvious comfort level in the offense, and they are playing at a much higher level than this time a year ago. (Maybe Fisher and Snead knew what they were talking about).
The other thing that definitely plays a factor in this, is the way the practices are structured. They are tilted heavily in favor of the offense, in that even if 3 guys converge on the QB, he is still allowed to get the pass off, to run the play to completion. Especially against our defensive front, there are contless plays that would end up in sacks or throw aways if this were live action.
The "good and the bad", now here's the "ugly"!!!!!
Jenkins had a much better practice today, than on Sunday, and he wasn't the target of many of the bog plays today. That would be Brandon McGee, who in Tru Johnson's absence, has shown we are woefully thin at CB if he is the "next man up". Neither he or Woodard have shown much of anything, and its difficult to say which has had more struggles.
Joyner has shown to be a capable anser in the Nickel role, and Gaines has flashed some very good instincts. He just seems to "get it". He jumps routes when he reads them. He knows when to back off as to not get blown past in other routes. But even he has had his moments, especially if lined up vs. Quick or Bailey.
Reid and Roberson have been so limited in terms of the number of reps, it's impossible to evaluate them fairly. That being said, Roberson shows some coverage skills, but shies away from anything that remotely looks like anything physical. Reid just hasn't had many opportunities to show anything one way or another.