Observations/Predictions from Camp

[skins009]

Fellow brothers of the warpath, as the “self proclaimed” guru of this forum I give you my in-site and observations from my one visit to training camp this year.

The Good
1. Cooley looks unstoppable. He has trimmed down a bit to about 250 lbs, but the biggest improvement seems to be his understanding of the offence and his route running ability. Most importantly he is catching the ball really well.

2. Brandon Lloyd is in incredible shape. I hate to say this but at first glance he almost looks like a mini TO. I’m expecting big things. The only problem is that the guy in front of him on the depth chart, Randle El looks great too. This of course is a GOOD problem for the skins.

3. JC looks to have quickened his release and has really improved the accuracy of his throws. Their has been a lot of media reports on this so I won’t go into further detail.

The Bad
1. Todd Wade is not a guard. This is not going to work guys. I consistently saw dlinemen get under his pads and drive him back. He just doesn’t have the leverage to play guard. My prediction is that he will not be starting at left guard by week 1. If he does it’s because of a lack of an adequate replacement. This is by far by biggest concern on the offensive side of the ball.

2. Don’t believe the Rocky McIntosh hype. This guy looks average at best. He missed a tackle against Todd Heap in the Scrimmage and clearly can’t cover Cooley. I really hope I’m wrong on this but I don’t see the qualities required of an elite LB in the NFL.

3. Buzzbee will not make the team. Every year coaches hope to find a hidden gem. Well let me give it too you straight, this guy doesn’t have it.

[irish]

I hope JC has quickened his delivery and improved his throwing motion because I just dont have confidence in his delivery style.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by irish

I hope JC has quickened his delivery and improved his throwing motion because I just dont have confidence in his delivery style.

Why not? Do you REALLY have a good reason to poopoo his delivery?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Why not? Do you REALLY have a good reason to poopoo his delivery?

Let's not even get into it.

We've had enough retarded conversations around here lately.

[irish]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Why not? Do you REALLY have a good reason to poopoo his delivery?

I think his delivery is too long in developing as he cocks his arm back. Not quite the buggy whip of Kerry Collins but close.

I'd like to see him tighten his delivery for a quicker release of the ball.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by irish

I'd like to see him tighten his delivery for a quicker release of the ball.

He already has from all accounts.

[irish]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

He already has from all accounts.

Oh, what I saw in last week's scrimmage vs Balt didnt look too tight. I have not seen it compared to last year but IMO it still looks pretty long.

[JDALY27]

NO LB can cover Cooley one on one......

My prediction is Cooley leads the team in receptions and TD's.

Campbell's safety blanket so to speak!

[Bstanley]

All I know is Brunell's handle bars and Yoder's Civil war chops ALL started my man Cooley is the best thing outta camp...

[chrisl13]

I hope the Todd Wade stuff isn't true.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by skins009

Fellow brothers of the warpath, as the “self proclaimed” guru of this forum I give you my in-site and observations from my one visit to training camp this year.

The Good
1. Cooley looks unstoppable. He has trimmed down a bit to about 250 lbs, but the biggest improvement seems to be his understanding of the offence and his route running ability. Most importantly he is catching the ball really well.

2. Brandon Lloyd is in incredible shape. I hate to say this but at first glance he almost looks like a mini TO. I’m expecting big things. The only problem is that the guy in front of him on the depth chart, Randle El looks great too. This of course is a GOOD problem for the skins.

3. JC looks to have quickened his release and has really improved the accuracy of his throws. Their has been a lot of media reports on this so I won’t go into further detail.

The Bad
1. Todd Wade is not a guard. This is not going to work guys. I consistently saw dlinemen get under his pads and drive him back. He just doesn’t have the leverage to play guard. My prediction is that he will not be starting at left guard by week 1. If he does it’s because of a lack of an adequate replacement. This is by far by biggest concern on the offensive side of the ball.

2. Don’t believe the Rocky McIntosh hype. This guy looks average at best. He missed a tackle against Todd Heap in the Scrimmage and clearly can’t cover Cooley. I really hope I’m wrong on this but I don’t see the qualities required of an elite LB in the NFL.

3. Buzzbee will not make the team. Every year coaches hope to find a hidden gem. Well let me give it too you straight, this guy doesn’t have it.

Your right on about Wade and Rocky. I trust Buges but I gotta question him on this. I know he believes you put your 5 best guys out there. But I think they are putting way to much into Wade's one start at RT last year. I mean the guy was an average to below average player who could barely cut it at RT and now we want to put him at LG where he has never played in his life? I hope this works but I have a bad feeling about it.

As far as Rocky goes I was hoping for him and Marshall to compete for the position. But it looks like the staff has given the job to Rocky. He had a couple of bad plays against Heap. But like JC, he is a young guy and we are going to have to live with his mistakes. He has a lot of upside and he is probably more of a playmaker than Marshall. And that is what we need on the front 7. Some playmakers who can cause some turnovers.

[bridaman51]

I really wish I could watch the preseason game so i could judge. I watched the scrimmage and yes at times Rocky looked bad, (he wiffed on T. Heap) but Heap is a really good TE. I do believe Rocky has the athletic ability, he just needs to hone his skills, but without getting to watch to much I could not make a fair assesment.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by bridaman51

I really wish I could watch the preseason game so i could judge. I watched the scrimmage and yes at times Rocky looked bad, (he wiffed on T. Heap) but Heap is a really good TE. I do believe Rocky has the athletic ability, he just needs to hone his skills, but without getting to watch to much I could not make a fair assesment.

I watched the scrimage last night and I do not see how anyone could take but so much from them. They stop rushing the QB when they get close, they do not tackle after the catch (I saw 5 or six playes that after the catch the WR would have been stopped for just a couple yards but they ran it out making it look like a big play) without the rush QB's had extra time to throw. I also noticed that the lines on both sides played kind of soft to avoid people from fallen over against another player and avoiding leg injuries. The only thing that seemed to go full speed were running plays and rout running by the WR's but again the cover guys seemed to avoid hitting. I guess my point is that in the scrimage it was very obvious that they wanted to avoid contact whenever a player could so to judge anyone from a scrimage is just not fair. The only thing you could really judge would be the rout running by WR's and their timing with the QB.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I watched the scrimage last night and I do not see how anyone could take but so much from them. They stop rushing the QB when they get close, they do not tackle after the catch (I saw 5 or six playes that after the catch the WR would have been stopped for just a couple yards but they ran it out making it look like a big play) without the rush QB's had extra time to throw. I also noticed that the lines on both sides played kind of soft to avoid people from fallen over against another player and avoiding leg injuries. The only thing that seemed to go full speed were running plays and rout running by the WR's but again the cover guys seemed to avoid hitting. I guess my point is that in the scrimage it was very obvious that they wanted to avoid contact whenever a player could so to judge anyone from a scrimage is just not fair. The only thing you could really judge would be the rout running by WR's and their timing with the QB.

You're right, First. There's not much you can take away from these at all. They don't even tackle the QB, they have to touch him. It's almost like flag football.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

I'm hoping that Stephon Heyer (sp?) will beat out Todd Wade at guard. At least then we'll have some youth on the line to build around, when the time comes for the others to be replaced.

Also, how many games has Rocky started? I looked but I can't find it. It can't be more than just a few. Can somebody confirm this? I'm not too concerned about Rocky right now, because of his lack of experience. I have a feeling he'll come around, once he gets comfortable. He's got the athletic ability. He just needs to get his head right. Hopefully, Fletcher can help him there. Also, he's got some good guys playing around him, and that should help.