Training Camp Day 2 (July 29) Notes & Observations

By: Robbie Duncan

Day 2 is officially in the books of Redskins training camp 2016 and thankfully it was not nearly as hot as it was yesterday. With the weather being cooler, I expected to see more energy out of the team and they delivered. Today was certainly more physical than yesterday. The defense won the day today. The running game was clicking in the early part of practice but then the defense picked it up and started to shut things down. In the second segment of team reps, the defense was getting consistent pressure (a lot of would be sacks as well). The other noticeable thing was that the defenses coverage seemed to be doing really well. They forced a couple would be sacks on the offense because nothing was open. They also forced a lot of check down throws; nothing deep was open. But now it’s time to get to the specifics:

Colt McCoy didn’t have a great day today. Threw one really bad pass into double coverage that got picked off and later threw another one to Su’a Cravens on an attempted check down dump off to the RB. Other throws looked forced an inaccurate but it should be noted that he was getting a lot of pressure up front.

Brandon Scherff struggled during the OL vs. DL one on one’s today. Lost both of his reps due to struggling to anchor against the bull rush. This may change when the pads come on but was not a good showing by him.

Bashaud Breeland continues to look like the top dog of the corners right now. Had some great matchups against DeSean Jackson in one on one’s today. The first rep, Jackson won the rep on a quick comeback but Breeland was right there with solid coverage. The next rep against Jackson, Breeland bit on a double move with Jackson running freely to the end zone for what should’ve been a touchdown, but Breeland recovered enough to be there to break up the pass. I think the pass to Jackson had too much touch on it which allowed Breeland to recover in time to be there to for the pass breakup.

A lot of talk about how Josh Norman is getting worked by DeSean Jackson in camp right now. Before anyone hits the panic button or claims that this was a bust signing, people need to realize that DeSean Jackson is an elite talent. He’s one of the fastest and most elusive receivers in the league so nobody should be shocked to see that DeSean is getting the better of Norman right now. Norman is a smart player and working against Jackson is only going to make him better. He’ll adjust and find a way to stop Jackson here and there. As long as he locks down the other teams’ receivers who cares? I don’t.

Rookie Su’a Cravens flashed his play making abilities in today’s practice. I mentioned his pick on Colt McCoy earlier but how he got it is more impressive. He was covering the RB in the flat, Colt had nowhere else to go, saw the separation the RB had on Cravens, or so he thought. Cravens had baited McCoy to make that throw. Colt tried to float the ball over Cravens to the RB and Cravens jumped up real high to pluck it out of the air for what would’ve been a pick-6. Later on Cravens was covering Vernon Davis on a pass across the middle. Cravens was beat but as Davis was running away with the ball, Cravens easily punched the ball out of his hands for a forced fumble. His football IQ and natural instincts as a football player are evident. I think he’s a star in the making.

Ryan Kerrigan was getting the better of Morgan Moses today. Kerrigan seems more explosive than last year in camp; firing off the ball quicker and getting around the edge easier too. Moses versus Kerrigan will be a fun matchup to watch all camp.

Sophomore Arie Kouandjio got some reps with the first team offensive line today. He definitely has more strength and power to his game than Spencer Long. Didn’t see anything bad from him there. Kouandjio also had a decent outing in the OL vs. DL one on one’s. Locked up Ricky Jean-Francois on one rep and later put him on the ground. Jean-Francois however was able to get back up and still rush. Kouandjio needs to work on finishing the rep, can’t let your man get back up. Offensive linemen are coached to fall on his man when they’re down. He’s fighting and competing though, that much is evident.

A lot of the pressure on defense that I talked about came from the interior. Jerrell Powe, Ziggy Hood, and Stephen Paea all were making big pushes up front to give the QB’s trouble. Interior OL needs to do a better job of not getting pushed back.

Kirk continues to be smooth and confident as the the QB of this team. He did a great job of reading the field and taking what the defense gives him. Their were times where the defense’s coverage was too good and Kirk had nowhere to go with the ball. One play he held on to the ball for a really long time because nothing was open and he took off running down the sideline. The fans may have loved it but the play undoubtedly would’ve ended in a sack in a real game. It was only one play though.

That’s about it for practice today. You can definitely feel the physicality and intensity from the players. The team is hungry and looks to be set on proving that last year’s division title wasn’t a fluke. The pads come on tomorrow for Saturday’s practice. That’s where everything ramps up a bit and you can really judge how players are doing. See you tomorrow! HTTR.