It has a very different feel coming to EverBank Field these days. When I arrived at the stadium this morning for the first rookie mini-camp practice of 2014, there was a nice crowd already waiting to get into the practice Florida Blue practice fields. It was a picture perfect day here in Jacksonville with a nice breeze blowing across the sports complex. There was a real buzz around the stadium as people were getting their first look at the construction around the stadium, and it was the first chance to look at the shiny new tools Gus Bradly and Dave Caldwell have brought to Jacksonville to compete for roster spots.


The new ticket requirement to get into the facility made things a little sluggish in getting people in, but once they got the bugs worked out, everything went smoothly. A word to the wise if you plan to attend tomorrow. Go to jaguars.com/register and fill out the form, then print the email. It makes things much easier.


The crowd today was outstanding. Both bleachers were pretty much filled to capacity as people took an opportunity to sneak out of the office to play hooky on a beautiful day.


When the Jaguars took the field, they were greeted by one of the largest media gatherings I have seen for a practice in a long time. All of the locals were there, but there were also representatives from the NFL Network and ESPN lurking among the local yokels during the practice.


For anyone doubting there is a buzz around this team, the turnout by fans today should put that to rest. Couple that with the media turnout and the pre and post-practice interviews Blake Bortles had to do, the Jaguars are getting a lot of attention.


On the field, it was nothing but rookies and players invited to an open audition for an opportunity to be here for training camp. The draft picks were all there, including Aaron Colvin, who was injured, but in attendance nonetheless.


As is the routine since Gus Bradley took over as head coach, the practices have a soundtrack as they’re playing music throughout. It adds to the tempo of the session as you could see some players warming up to the beat of anything from classic rock to hip hop to Michael Jackson. It adds to the entertainment value for the fans, especially when Jaxson De Ville shows up and starts doing the dance routine from the “Beat It” video.


Did I mention there was a practice going on?

Individual Drills:


Yeah, it started off slowly with the typical individual drills and special teams work on kickoffs. Marqise Lee and Storm Johnson alternated receiving the kicks. The one thing we got to see during this session was how smoothly Lee covers the field. He’s got a long stride, and he runs almost like he’s gliding, but he’s quick. By comparison, the other second round receiver, Allen Robinson runs with a more choppy style. It’s interesting to watch both of them going through the motions.


During individual drills, the receiving drill was really the one that drew the most interest. They had a pretty large grouping out there working with the position coaches, but what was most notable during the individual drills was the specific attention Jerry Sullivan paid to both Robinson and Lee. He had them running hook routes coming back to the QB, and it is immediately apparent why Sullivan is as good a coach as he is. The attention to detail is meticulous. He’s instructing the players, showing them what is expected, and then breaking it down at the end of each route. More than once during the individual drills, Sullivan pulled both draft picks aside while the other players continued to work the routes so that he could give them very specific instruction on where their hands, head, and eyes needed to be, as well as how to adjust their hips and their footwork as they cut off their routes.

This very dedicated coaching specifically aimed at the two second round selections was something many of us in the stands found quite interesting to watch. The other guys got instruction, but the two picks got attention from Sullivan. That continued into the larger team drills. What was interesting is you could see the receivers picking it up and doing as instructed. If they had other quirks, he would stop them and walk through what they needed to change, and then have them run it again. They’re not wasting any time getting these two guys under the microscope to prepare them for the season.


The quarterbacks were working on very specific items, taking snaps from under center and working on their footwork. Since it was just Bortles and Stephen Morris out there, they were getting a considerable amount of attention.


One of the workout rookies, Greg Childs, was a tall guy. They list him at 217 on the information sheets they distributed, but the guy looked like a twig out there. He had a few high and low moments during the practice session. More on that later.


When the quarterbacks and receivers got together, Allen Hurns and Damian Copeland both started off the drill by muffing passes that hit them squarely in the hands on quick slants they were running. The drops didn’t stop there as Marqise Lee and Chad Bumphis also dropped routine passes. Even Allen Robinson got in on the act, dropping a ball that hit him squarely in the hands on a little curl route.


The quarterbacks were not as rusty as I had anticipated. Granted, they weren’t perfect, or in mid-season form, but they appeared to be far more accurate than expected. Still, there were misses by both Bortles and Morris as they worked with the receiving group. Bortles missed high on a couple of quick outs, and Morris was behind on a couple of crossing routes during the drills.

There were also some nice flashes during the drill. On one particular play, both Bortles and Morris were dropping back and throwing to their perspective receivers. In both cases, the receivers were running deep seam routes. Both quarterbacks were spot on with their passes with great accuracy.

Marqise Lee got a little individual coaching from Jerry Sullivan after running a curl route only to turn around and try to body catch a pass from Bortles. The ball ended up on the ground, and Lee landed next to his position coach.


Terrance Cobb was working as a receiver in this drill and also managed to demonstrate an ability to find ways to put a perfectly delivered pass securely on the ground. On a simple crossing route, he stoned a pass from Bortles that was squarely on the numbers.


Morris hit Reggie Jordan on a deep fade route showing nice touch on the pass that went for about 25 yards.


Not to be outdone, Bortles connected with Allen Robinson on a deep post route dropping the ball over the top of the receiver, who made a nice overhead grab for a 35 yard touchdown.


Bortles came back and connected with Greg Childs on another deep sideline pass showing real touch in hitting his receiver without having to break stride. Another 35 yard touchdown was the end result.

11 x 11 (Part 1):


We got our first real look at Storm Johnson during the team drills. Considering he is a seventh round pick, he was really impressive during this drill. What was NOT impressive during the team drills were the rookie snappers. There were an alarming number of muffed snaps during the drill.

Nate Richards and Matt Stankiewitch both had multiple bad snaps from the shotgun formation. It seemed like neither one could quite dial in the shotgun. In most cases they were bailed out by Bortles and Morris who were able to at least grab the overhead snaps, but there were a couple that hit the ground, and based on how the coaches reacted, they weren’t happy at all with this.

When the snaps hit their target, we had some nice plays out there. It started with a little dump off from Bortles to his guy, Storm Johnson. It was just an outlet pass, but Johnson showed some outstanding footwork navigating in traffic.


One of the notable defensive standouts from practice was Chris Smith. It’s tough to get a real sense for what we’ve got there obviously because there are no pads and not a whole lot of contact, but on multiple plays, Smith was in Bortles or Morris’ ear hole before the ball got out of the backfield. He has a nice first step and showed some decent moves in getting to the passer. Had there been contact, he would have had a couple of sacks, and a couple of more hurries to his credit.


Chris Pickett, one of the workout rookies got the attention of the coaches. Bortles targeted D.J. Tialevea on a deep seam route. Picket came in as the tight end was hauling in the pass and knocked it out with good clean contact that got him attaboys from his position coach, and more importantly, the head coach.


Bortles got him back on the very next play going back to Tialevea on a deep crossing route. This time, the tight end hauled the pass in with triple coverage surrounding him.


Morris showed decent mobility and the ability to throw on the run as he rolled out to the right and hit Damian Copeland on a pass down the sideline.

They ran a couple of running plays with Marqise Lee rolling into the backfield. In one instance,


Chris Smith blew the play up. The next time they tried it, he wasn’t on the field, and Lee was able to turn it into a nice gain.


Bortles was trying to get to Lee on deep passes throughout the session. The timing isn’t there yet, and he wound up overthrowing his target, but the two are already starting to develop some chemistry as he hit him a few times on some deeper crossing routes and post patterns.


Allen Robinson showed some decent body adjustment on a skinny post route that was delivered low into double coverage by Bortles. Robinson went to the ground to make the play, coming up with a solid gain.

6 x 7:


Jerome Junior had a moment where he got the attention of the coaches on a quick out Morris intended to hit Storm on. Junior jumped the route and was able to bat the pass away.

Allen Robinson showed up well in several plays during the drill, including hauling in a pass from Morris on a skinny post that was slightly overthrown. Robinson was able to go up and get the pass and secure the ball in coverage.


A couple of things you really don’t want to have happen if you’re a workout rookie: fumble, or trip over your own feet with a lot of green space between you and the next defender. Beau Blakenship ran into trouble with both, fumbling a hand off that was perfectly delivered, then tripping on an end around where the yardage was there to generate a big play.


Bortles connected with Allen Robinson on a deep cross in traffic. Robinson showed some nifty footwork, and sneaky speed in blowing through the coverage and turning the play into a bigger gain.


Blake came back and hit Allen Hurns on a deep post route that was dropped into double coverage. Hurns showed great concentration, and hauled in the big gain.


Damian Copeland hauled in a deep Morris pass on a post route. It was one of those highlight type catches over the top that went for a big gain.


Morris also showed his gun, threading a pass into coverage and connecting with Chad Bumphis on a quick crossing route.


They ended the drill on a deep sideline pass to Marqise Lee. Bortles was still just a little over the top as he missed his mark long, but only barely. To his credit, Lee made a diving attempt to bring the pass home, but couldn’t quite get there.

11 x 11 (Part II):


Bortles and Lee immediately connected on a deep post route in traffic. Lee showed great hands going up and grabbing the pass, maintaining stride all the while.


Marques Aiken had a nice defensive play on a dump off in the backfield. Bortles tossed the pass out to the flat for Storm Johnson. As soon as he caught the pass, Aiken was there to shut it down.

Not to be outdone, Tim Williams blew up a play, forcing Bortles out of the pocket.


Storm Robinson showed real quickness, and decisive running on a sweep to the right. He cut through the traffic and displayed a burst that was quite impressive. Unfortunately, at the end of the play, as he was walking back to the huddle, it appeared he tweaked something. The way he was carrying himself, it looked like a possible groin injury? I guess we shall see. Hopefully it was nothing serious.


The session ended on a low note as Morris rolled out on a play and dumped the pass off to Brandon Wimberly. The ball hit the receiver squarely in the hands, but somehow still wound up on the turf.

Final thoughts:


All in all, it was a good practice. There will be a lot of growing that needs to happen, but there were a few workout players who seemed to stand out, and the guys we drafted, particularly at the top of the draft? This team is going to be better because of them over the long haul.


We will have to wait and see how the big uglies pan out. It is difficult to get a sense for how the rookies look on the lines until pads are on. But, we did see some nice things from Chris Smith. Brandon Linder is a big, athletic looking guy. How that translates remains to be seen, but he looks the part.


Some of the receivers flashed, and floundered. Greg Childs is one in particular who showed some great things, but then would drop a pass here or there. I’m not sure if he did enough to secure a spot for training camp, but he was an interesting prospect out there.


Tomorrow should have a circus atmosphere as the Jags are expecting a big turnout from the fans. There is a lot of optimism among the fan base, and after getting my first look at the rookie class, I can’t wait to see these guys on the field with the rest of the team. Good things are coming for this franchise.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Great read, thanks Tim.

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Thanks Tim, from those of us that had day jobs that can't be avoided... Lol.

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Signature goes here.

Thanks Tim, from those of us that had day jobs that can't be avoided... Lol.

 

It's nice to have a little flexibility, that's for sure. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Thanks for the breakdown. Being from Massachusetts its tough to get this type of info up here.

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Thanks for the full report on the rookie camp.

 

Nice read.

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I survived the Gus Bradley Error.

Ah, my favorite message board tradition returns. Thank you sir.

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From the sounds of it, all in all not too bad.

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From the sounds of it, all in all not too bad.

 

Considering it was just rookies and players invited to work out for the team, it wasn't bad at all.  It'll be nice when we've got the entire team out there.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

That's a pretty elaborate write-up for a rookie mini-camp. Great job! Will you be there tomorrow as well?

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LEONARD FOURNETTE FAN CLUB PRESIDENT. I WAS BEHIND HIM WHEN YOU ALL SAID HE WAS BRANDON JACOBS. QUIT HATING ON THE JAGUARS. GUS IS GONE. COUGHLIN HAS RESTORED ORDER. FOURNETTE IS FRED TAYLOR. DONT BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH.

That's a pretty elaborate write-up for a rookie mini-camp. Great job! Will you be there tomorrow as well?

 

Nope.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Nope.

 

No worries. I wonder if we have an even larger crowd tomorrow.

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LEONARD FOURNETTE FAN CLUB PRESIDENT. I WAS BEHIND HIM WHEN YOU ALL SAID HE WAS BRANDON JACOBS. QUIT HATING ON THE JAGUARS. GUS IS GONE. COUGHLIN HAS RESTORED ORDER. FOURNETTE IS FRED TAYLOR. DONT BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH.

No worries. I wonder if we have an even larger crowd tomorrow.

I think you can count on it.  They've been promoting it for tomorrow, and they're bringing in former Jags to do autograph signings.  I would imagine tomorrow will have a more circus like atmosphere. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Love camping with the boss no ghost stories Tim

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Nice write up as usual. Thanks.

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Looking to troll? Don't bother, we supply our own.

 

 

thank you so much Tim. Us out of town jags fans really appieriatte it when you o this.

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snowwolf titans owner in madden.

note titans owner means im undeafted againest them. 

It has a very different feel coming to EverBank Field these days.  When I arrived at the stadium this morning for the first rookie mini-camp practice of 2015

So how is Doc Brown doing these days?

 

Seriously though, impressive write-up. Nice to see such optimism.

 

Did Chad Zucchini do any work?

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Appreciate that FBT I always look forward to your write ups every year.

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot."

Nice read. Tyvm.

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Thanks for the writeup. 

 

From the live tweets of the practice it sounded like Robinson and Telvin were the standouts. 

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