Well, I will start with how my entire day went!
I arrived at BDS at approximately 2 pm.
I found a decent park in the grass next to the lot in front of the stadium across from the Tutwiler building. That was cool, b/c I found one in this lot last year.
Anyway, I walked up to the front gate and noticed immediately that there was no line outside the stadium. Last year they had a line wrapped from the south end of the stadium to the north end just to get Coach Saban's autograph. So this was a pleasant surprise.
I walked in the gate which was the autograph gate. Had I read the signage, I would have known this. Anyway, I was pointed in the right direction to where the fans could sit and watch practice.
I grabbed a couple of $1 waters from the concession stands. Hmm, I don't remember anyone selling water this cheap last year. They also had sodas and chips for the same low price. I see they did a little homework this time around. Again, nice change.
I, then, walked in the sitting area of the stadium and saw that the top of the lower bowl was the shaded area. I headed straight for this area where I could not only get some shade, but get a great view of everything going on on the field.
As I waited for practice to start, I chit-chatted with a few Bama fans until the players came on the field.
The first guys to come out were the Kickers, Punters, Snappers, Holders, Punt/Kick Returners, and Quarterbacks. They all warmed up.
I noticed that BJ Scott was indeed having a little trouble fielding some of the punts. I don't know if the sun was in his eyes or what, but he dropped a couple.
Maze and Grant were fielding the punts well.
The punters were struggling a bit on hangtime, but like one poster mentioned, Heath Thomas had some of the most impressive ones. Corey Smith was not bad either from what I saw.
I didn't see how well the kickers were doing, but I did see a few of their balls go into the empty North Endzone stands.
The Quarterbacks were doing a few drills over in the corner, but I didn't pay attention to any, but the ones with them throwing to each other.
Soon the entire football team came out and began the full practice.
Before I go into what I saw from individual players, I would like to say that the team must have different drills based on the location, b/c I didn't see many of the drills that the TEs, OL, & DL do from the videos. I assume the equipment was not accessible for BDS and only used at Thomas Drew facility.
Anyway, I will give a short observation from each player that I noticed, in numerical order (Note-If I don't mention the player, it doesn't mean they weren't there. I just didn't notice them):
#1-B.J. Scott-He was shaky on a couple of returns and passes, but he runs well and was pretty smooth in the matchups against the DBs.
#2-S. Jackson-Looked good. He threw low and wide a few times, but so did many of the other QBs. I noticed that he had to tuck it and run alot when he couldn't find an open receiver in the offense versus defense drill. I hope this is just him being cautious and using his legs more than risking an interception.
#3-K. Jackson-His cover skills are pretty solid. He won most matchups, but he lost some as well.
#4-M. Maze(O)-speedy and smooth. Nice returns. Pretty good hands and leaps well. He was impressive all around to me.
#4-M. Barron(D)-Definitely passes the eye ball test and seems to be learning technique well.
#5-J. Harris(D)-Surprisingly, he got knocked down a few times, but I think he was out of position those times, I saw him. He looks like an imposing force out there and I know he will dominate once he learns his keys.
#6-D. Goode-He showed more confidence in his cuts and ran with authority. Looks to be a pretty solid running threat.
#8-J. Jones(O)-What can I say, he played up to his billing. He caught almost everything that was catchable, but there was this one moment where I had a flashback to the AL-MS All-Star game, b/c Alonzo Lawrence broke up what would have been an outstanding catch. He made plenty great catches and got his share of ooo's and ahh's from the fans. He looked like T.O. in the one-on-one drills against the DBs. Seems like he has the footwork to get off the jams. He appeared kind of gimpy late in the practice. Hopefully, that was just minor.
#9-N. Stover-Did not impress, IMO. Seemed out of shape, but he did make a couple of nice plays. He had his share of drops as well.
#10-M. Ogilvie-I only saw him in the QB/Center drills and it was interesting seeing him since there hasn't been much talk about his chances of making an impact.
#11-B. Gibson-Silky smooth route runner who made some very nice grabs. He is not a bad blocker either.
#12-G. McElroy-Looked pretty good in the Offense vs. Defense drills. Most of his completions came on the underneath stuff, but he did make a few nice down-the-field throws. Still had his share of poorly thrown balls, but he did well for the most part.
#13-C. Reamer(D)-Did a good job from the few times I noticed him. He did have this one great interception I saw. I can't remember who he intercepted, but it was a pretty easy interception. It appeared the receiver blew his assignment.
#13-R. Ezell(O)-He is listed as a walk-on QB, but I saw him running routes at receiver. He didn't impress, but it was unusual seeing him running down field.
#14-J.P. Wilson-He made some pretty safe throws. He was patient in the pocket-almost too patient. It is a good thing they can't hit the QBs. He did make some very nice throws including a few to Julio Jones. He looks confident from my viewing point.
#15-D. Hanks(O)-Why did this guy have a black jersey on? He was phenomenal. He made pretty much every catch that was catchable. He looked great off the line and he even took his share of bumps. He looked solid.
#15-A. Lawrence(D)-He was everywhere defensively. As I mentioned he played coverage well including the pass break up against Julio. He did have a little trouble one time fielding a kick. He seemed pretty bummed out about that too. All in all, he looks like he is learning the defense well.
#16-T. Darrah-He looked good. He had great velocity on his throws. He is tall, but still on the skinny side. He should be a quality scout team guy, if not anything more.
#17-B. Smelley-He was awesome in the Offense vs Defense drill. He made some amazing catches in traffic and even while being double-covered on deep routes. On one particular play he made C. Higgenbotham look plain silly. He was a joy to watch. I think he has found a home--TE.
#18-N. Fanuzzi-Again, most of the QBs had their moments where they looked great and not so great at times. Nick did a good job in limiting silly mistakes.
#21-P. Hall-Believe it or not, I only saw him in the LB drills. He looks to be moving well despite the long lay-off. His experience will definitely be needed when we enter the SEC part of our schedule.
#22-M. Ingram-He ran like he was on a mission. He was explosive and showed tremendous burst in many of the RB drills. As many have mentioned, he has gained weight and looks ready to go.
#23-R. Green-I am not going to lie, this guy impressed me the most out of all the DBs. He hit everything on his side of the field including the Grad. Assistants. I mean, this guy laid the wood on several guys even though he is not that big in stature. He definitely needs to add more weight so he can be even more ferocious.
#24-M. Johnson-He was pretty solid, he didn't have too many moments that stood out to me except this one time I saw him with outstanding coverage on a sure catch. He broke it up nicely.
#25-R. McClain-Not much can be said about this guy, who still looks like the best LB on the field. Closed extremely well to the ball carrier. I have no complaints about him whatsoever.
#28-J. Arenas-Javy looked solid in the return game. He had his moments as I mentioned about K. Jackson in coverage. He got used and abused a few times --mostly, by Julio Jones. Still looked like a major contributor on the defensive side of the ball though.
#29-T. Grant-He made me wonder why he didn't play more in the return game. His shiftiness was evident out there on the field today. He ran very well and showed that speed burst that wowed Bama fans at the beginning of last season.
#36-C. Jordan-Alright, he looked like he was making a case for staying at the RB position. He ran very well and hit the holes hard. He showed strength and power on almost every run.
#38-G. Coffee-I didn't notice him until late in the practice, but he ran the ball very well and looks to have a firm grip on the starting role if he stays consistent. He didn't seem bothered by any injury.
#49-R. Johnson-As expected, R.J. was a leader out there for the defense. He did have this one moment where he dropped an easy pass in one of the DB drills. I was like "Come on Rashad!" I guess my expectations are too high for some of these older guys. It's like I feel they should catch everything coming their way and that's just not going to happen all of the time.
#62-T. Cody-I see why his nickname is "Mt. Cody." He looks to be a massive load. He moved very well and did most of the DL drills with ease. He did receive hand claps of appreciation for his domination in the one-on-one matchups against the OL and other DLmen. When they were doing the runs at the end, I did notice him sucking major wind. He looked like he was about to pass out, but he kept going. This guy is a warrior.
#80-M. McCoy-This guy is exceptionally smooth. He runs excellent routes and catches the ball very well. He even blocked down the field a few times. I think he is a great leader for the receiving corps.
#82-E. Alexander-He and Julio look like twins out there. They are about the same height and move very similar. Julio has the edge in the footwork, but Earl has the experience and slight height advantage.
#84-C. Peek-Man, it is a shame this guy can't play this year, assuming that he doesn't get his case for eligibility appealed. He was absolutely amazing. He caught everything. He will be a major contributor in '09!
#86-C. Scott-This guy is a walk-on, who dropped several passes right in the ole bread basket. Many fans groaned and moaned, but they may have thought that he was going to be a major contributor. I guess they see he will not be, until he catches with more consistency.
#91-A. Watkins-I was surprised at how much bigger this guy got in the off-season. He looked to have gained as much weight as Upshaw did. He should be more effective since he is more ideal LB size.
#92-D. Square-The only thing I noticed about him is that he is the most antsy as for as jumping the gun. I even noticed this in a video of the DL the previous day. I can tell he is anxious to tear something up. He will have to be patient and learn the system.
The practice ran a little over, but they transitioned from the practice to the autograph part very smoothly. I had to leave at this time, but I did walk up to the fence just to see who's line was backing up the fastest. Of course, people were in Saban's line from endzone to endzone. Julio's line was long, JPW's line was long and those were just on the offensive player side of the field. The Defense was clear on the other side so I couldn't see them.
Anyway, I left the stadium with a great feeling that this was just the beginning of something very special at the Capstone. Even though, I didn't get a single autograph, picture or video, I felt like it was time well spent and I am looking forward to the season.
In other observations:
It was good seeing Dre Kirkpatrick on the field sporting the white "wife-beater" t-shirt. I knew it was him the moment I saw him. There were other guys with him, but I couldn't make out who they were. Could have been Nico and Kendall, since they were said to be coming.
My overall visit was great. The UA/BDS staff did a great job with organization this time around. And it was good seeing all the players up close and personal. They look like an imposing team from my vantage point of view. I am definitely looking forward to seeing them play on the field!!!
Sorry for the post being so long, but RTR!!!
I arrived at BDS at approximately 2 pm.
I found a decent park in the grass next to the lot in front of the stadium across from the Tutwiler building. That was cool, b/c I found one in this lot last year.
Anyway, I walked up to the front gate and noticed immediately that there was no line outside the stadium. Last year they had a line wrapped from the south end of the stadium to the north end just to get Coach Saban's autograph. So this was a pleasant surprise.
I walked in the gate which was the autograph gate. Had I read the signage, I would have known this. Anyway, I was pointed in the right direction to where the fans could sit and watch practice.
I grabbed a couple of $1 waters from the concession stands. Hmm, I don't remember anyone selling water this cheap last year. They also had sodas and chips for the same low price. I see they did a little homework this time around. Again, nice change.
I, then, walked in the sitting area of the stadium and saw that the top of the lower bowl was the shaded area. I headed straight for this area where I could not only get some shade, but get a great view of everything going on on the field.
As I waited for practice to start, I chit-chatted with a few Bama fans until the players came on the field.
The first guys to come out were the Kickers, Punters, Snappers, Holders, Punt/Kick Returners, and Quarterbacks. They all warmed up.
I noticed that BJ Scott was indeed having a little trouble fielding some of the punts. I don't know if the sun was in his eyes or what, but he dropped a couple.
Maze and Grant were fielding the punts well.
The punters were struggling a bit on hangtime, but like one poster mentioned, Heath Thomas had some of the most impressive ones. Corey Smith was not bad either from what I saw.
I didn't see how well the kickers were doing, but I did see a few of their balls go into the empty North Endzone stands.
The Quarterbacks were doing a few drills over in the corner, but I didn't pay attention to any, but the ones with them throwing to each other.
Soon the entire football team came out and began the full practice.
Before I go into what I saw from individual players, I would like to say that the team must have different drills based on the location, b/c I didn't see many of the drills that the TEs, OL, & DL do from the videos. I assume the equipment was not accessible for BDS and only used at Thomas Drew facility.
Anyway, I will give a short observation from each player that I noticed, in numerical order (Note-If I don't mention the player, it doesn't mean they weren't there. I just didn't notice them):
#1-B.J. Scott-He was shaky on a couple of returns and passes, but he runs well and was pretty smooth in the matchups against the DBs.
#2-S. Jackson-Looked good. He threw low and wide a few times, but so did many of the other QBs. I noticed that he had to tuck it and run alot when he couldn't find an open receiver in the offense versus defense drill. I hope this is just him being cautious and using his legs more than risking an interception.
#3-K. Jackson-His cover skills are pretty solid. He won most matchups, but he lost some as well.
#4-M. Maze(O)-speedy and smooth. Nice returns. Pretty good hands and leaps well. He was impressive all around to me.
#4-M. Barron(D)-Definitely passes the eye ball test and seems to be learning technique well.
#5-J. Harris(D)-Surprisingly, he got knocked down a few times, but I think he was out of position those times, I saw him. He looks like an imposing force out there and I know he will dominate once he learns his keys.
#6-D. Goode-He showed more confidence in his cuts and ran with authority. Looks to be a pretty solid running threat.
#8-J. Jones(O)-What can I say, he played up to his billing. He caught almost everything that was catchable, but there was this one moment where I had a flashback to the AL-MS All-Star game, b/c Alonzo Lawrence broke up what would have been an outstanding catch. He made plenty great catches and got his share of ooo's and ahh's from the fans. He looked like T.O. in the one-on-one drills against the DBs. Seems like he has the footwork to get off the jams. He appeared kind of gimpy late in the practice. Hopefully, that was just minor.
#9-N. Stover-Did not impress, IMO. Seemed out of shape, but he did make a couple of nice plays. He had his share of drops as well.
#10-M. Ogilvie-I only saw him in the QB/Center drills and it was interesting seeing him since there hasn't been much talk about his chances of making an impact.
#11-B. Gibson-Silky smooth route runner who made some very nice grabs. He is not a bad blocker either.
#12-G. McElroy-Looked pretty good in the Offense vs. Defense drills. Most of his completions came on the underneath stuff, but he did make a few nice down-the-field throws. Still had his share of poorly thrown balls, but he did well for the most part.
#13-C. Reamer(D)-Did a good job from the few times I noticed him. He did have this one great interception I saw. I can't remember who he intercepted, but it was a pretty easy interception. It appeared the receiver blew his assignment.
#13-R. Ezell(O)-He is listed as a walk-on QB, but I saw him running routes at receiver. He didn't impress, but it was unusual seeing him running down field.
#14-J.P. Wilson-He made some pretty safe throws. He was patient in the pocket-almost too patient. It is a good thing they can't hit the QBs. He did make some very nice throws including a few to Julio Jones. He looks confident from my viewing point.
#15-D. Hanks(O)-Why did this guy have a black jersey on? He was phenomenal. He made pretty much every catch that was catchable. He looked great off the line and he even took his share of bumps. He looked solid.
#15-A. Lawrence(D)-He was everywhere defensively. As I mentioned he played coverage well including the pass break up against Julio. He did have a little trouble one time fielding a kick. He seemed pretty bummed out about that too. All in all, he looks like he is learning the defense well.
#16-T. Darrah-He looked good. He had great velocity on his throws. He is tall, but still on the skinny side. He should be a quality scout team guy, if not anything more.
#17-B. Smelley-He was awesome in the Offense vs Defense drill. He made some amazing catches in traffic and even while being double-covered on deep routes. On one particular play he made C. Higgenbotham look plain silly. He was a joy to watch. I think he has found a home--TE.
#18-N. Fanuzzi-Again, most of the QBs had their moments where they looked great and not so great at times. Nick did a good job in limiting silly mistakes.
#21-P. Hall-Believe it or not, I only saw him in the LB drills. He looks to be moving well despite the long lay-off. His experience will definitely be needed when we enter the SEC part of our schedule.
#22-M. Ingram-He ran like he was on a mission. He was explosive and showed tremendous burst in many of the RB drills. As many have mentioned, he has gained weight and looks ready to go.
#23-R. Green-I am not going to lie, this guy impressed me the most out of all the DBs. He hit everything on his side of the field including the Grad. Assistants. I mean, this guy laid the wood on several guys even though he is not that big in stature. He definitely needs to add more weight so he can be even more ferocious.
#24-M. Johnson-He was pretty solid, he didn't have too many moments that stood out to me except this one time I saw him with outstanding coverage on a sure catch. He broke it up nicely.
#25-R. McClain-Not much can be said about this guy, who still looks like the best LB on the field. Closed extremely well to the ball carrier. I have no complaints about him whatsoever.
#28-J. Arenas-Javy looked solid in the return game. He had his moments as I mentioned about K. Jackson in coverage. He got used and abused a few times --mostly, by Julio Jones. Still looked like a major contributor on the defensive side of the ball though.
#29-T. Grant-He made me wonder why he didn't play more in the return game. His shiftiness was evident out there on the field today. He ran very well and showed that speed burst that wowed Bama fans at the beginning of last season.
#36-C. Jordan-Alright, he looked like he was making a case for staying at the RB position. He ran very well and hit the holes hard. He showed strength and power on almost every run.
#38-G. Coffee-I didn't notice him until late in the practice, but he ran the ball very well and looks to have a firm grip on the starting role if he stays consistent. He didn't seem bothered by any injury.
#49-R. Johnson-As expected, R.J. was a leader out there for the defense. He did have this one moment where he dropped an easy pass in one of the DB drills. I was like "Come on Rashad!" I guess my expectations are too high for some of these older guys. It's like I feel they should catch everything coming their way and that's just not going to happen all of the time.
#62-T. Cody-I see why his nickname is "Mt. Cody." He looks to be a massive load. He moved very well and did most of the DL drills with ease. He did receive hand claps of appreciation for his domination in the one-on-one matchups against the OL and other DLmen. When they were doing the runs at the end, I did notice him sucking major wind. He looked like he was about to pass out, but he kept going. This guy is a warrior.
#80-M. McCoy-This guy is exceptionally smooth. He runs excellent routes and catches the ball very well. He even blocked down the field a few times. I think he is a great leader for the receiving corps.
#82-E. Alexander-He and Julio look like twins out there. They are about the same height and move very similar. Julio has the edge in the footwork, but Earl has the experience and slight height advantage.
#84-C. Peek-Man, it is a shame this guy can't play this year, assuming that he doesn't get his case for eligibility appealed. He was absolutely amazing. He caught everything. He will be a major contributor in '09!
#86-C. Scott-This guy is a walk-on, who dropped several passes right in the ole bread basket. Many fans groaned and moaned, but they may have thought that he was going to be a major contributor. I guess they see he will not be, until he catches with more consistency.
#91-A. Watkins-I was surprised at how much bigger this guy got in the off-season. He looked to have gained as much weight as Upshaw did. He should be more effective since he is more ideal LB size.
#92-D. Square-The only thing I noticed about him is that he is the most antsy as for as jumping the gun. I even noticed this in a video of the DL the previous day. I can tell he is anxious to tear something up. He will have to be patient and learn the system.
The practice ran a little over, but they transitioned from the practice to the autograph part very smoothly. I had to leave at this time, but I did walk up to the fence just to see who's line was backing up the fastest. Of course, people were in Saban's line from endzone to endzone. Julio's line was long, JPW's line was long and those were just on the offensive player side of the field. The Defense was clear on the other side so I couldn't see them.
Anyway, I left the stadium with a great feeling that this was just the beginning of something very special at the Capstone. Even though, I didn't get a single autograph, picture or video, I felt like it was time well spent and I am looking forward to the season.
In other observations:
It was good seeing Dre Kirkpatrick on the field sporting the white "wife-beater" t-shirt. I knew it was him the moment I saw him. There were other guys with him, but I couldn't make out who they were. Could have been Nico and Kendall, since they were said to be coming.
My overall visit was great. The UA/BDS staff did a great job with organization this time around. And it was good seeing all the players up close and personal. They look like an imposing team from my vantage point of view. I am definitely looking forward to seeing them play on the field!!!
Sorry for the post being so long, but RTR!!!
