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ORLANDO -- Bill Parcells was among the NFL personnel men to take in the first practice of the East-West Shrine Game week Monday. The Dolphins' Executive Vice President of Football Operations was joined by the likes of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley and general manager Scott Pioli and Packers general manager Ted Thompson.
Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, a local product out of Central Florida, was also on the sidelines of the practice field across the street from the Citrus Bowl, where Saturday's game will be held.
The teams did not wear pads Monday, but there was still plenty of contact in the trenches and opportunities for players to showcase their athleticism.
East practice
Bowling Green wide receiver Freddie Barnes was one of the stars of the day. He snatched several balls out of the air, adjusting to passes thrown high, low and wide. Toledo strong safety Barry Church found out what it would be like to cover an NFL receiver when Barnes gave him a nice head fake while running down the seam, stopping Church in his tracks and blowing by him. Though Barnes did drop one or two when allowing the ball to get too far into his chest and could be faster out of his breaks, overall he was clearly the best receiver on either squad.
Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless greatly improved his stock over the course of the season, and continued upon that track Monday by looking fluid as a receiver and repeating the success he showed as a blocker.
Quarless' quarterback, Daryll Clark, did not have a good day. He lacked accuracy, understandably pressing in front of his potential future employers. One of the few deep sideline balls he threw was picked off by Clemson's Chris Chancellor because it was underthrown to the inside. He also had troubles taking the snap from under center, allowing multiple balls to hit the ground. The two Nittany Lions connected a couple of times on shorter throws, but scouts were not impressed with Clark on any level.
Two years ago, Joe Flacco went from Delaware to the Senior Bowl and proved himself among the draft's top talent. This year's version of Flacco, Fordham's 6-5, 245-pound John Skelton, displayed good footwork in drills, a cannon arm and tight spiral. He was a bit tight, sailing a few passes over the heads of his receivers on the sideline and putting a bit much on shorter throws. However, his stock is only likely to rise after a strong week here -- especially given this year's average to below-average quarterback class.
Indiana offensive tackle Rodger Saffold is a player to watch. The explosion he displayed coming out of his stance and his mobility to the second level were impressive, even without pads. On one play, he gave Purdue defensive tackle Mike Neal a good ride off the snap, and Neal has plenty of strength himself. Saffold possesses the strength and footwork to be among the 10 tackles potentially selected in the top 100 this year.
Andre Dixon had his issues off the field at UConn, but has always been a tough runner. The quick feet he showed through inside holes during drills was a nice complement to his ability to lower his pads to run through arm tackles.
The most unlikely participant in this week's game is Ole Miss defensive end Greg Hardy. Most expected him to be in Mobile for the Senior Bowl next week, but injuries and inconsistent effort have caused his stock to drop. He showed flashes of talent Monday, jumping inside off the snap to get across the face of the tackle and disrupt a run play to the opposite side. But Quarless locked him up on the edge a couple of times, even though Hardy has a 25-pound weight advantage. Those are the sort of matchups the SEC star needs to win if he wants to get into the draft's second round.
In linebacker drills, Wisconsin's O'Brien Schofield showed he has a ways to go before owning the fluid movement needed to play in space at the next level. Boston College middle linebacker Mike McLaughlin displayed instant leadership, talking his teammates through their assignments and getting them to chatter while standing on the sideline. He also displayed his limitations athletically, getting beat on crossing routes and failing to get down the seam.
Western Illinois cornerback Patrick Stoudamire looked fluid in his backpedal and has the ability to mirror receivers and break on the ball. Northwestern's Sherrick McManis, on the other hand, did not stay with his man often enough, losing his balance and closing late on one play as Michigan State receiver Blair White ran an average intermediate out pattern.
West practices
Oklahoma cornerback Brian Jackson did close well on a couple of passes, knocking the ball away by reaching in front of a receiver running a slant pattern without interfering. His 6-2, 205-pound frame makes him an intriguing press corner.
One of the more impressive performances came from TCU offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who lined up at both tackle and guard positions and was effective at each. Whether taking on a strong defender like Kansas State's Jeffrey Fitzgerald on the line or moving to the linebackers, Newhouse showed nice footwork and strength. He did not always hit a target when getting to space, however, which is something for him to work on.
Brandon Carter, the tattooed behemoth from Texas Tech, showed scouts he could come out of a three-point stance, something not often done at Tech. He got into his man's jersey and moved him to either side, also trapping effectively on inside runs. Fellow Big 12 offensive lineman Reggie Stephens (Iowa State) looked fairly strong when run blocking but failed to move his feet in pass protection, giving up too much penetration to Arizona defensive tackle Earl Mitchell.
The West quarterbacks include Todd Reesing (Kansas) and Max Hall (BYU), two undersized but intelligent signal-callers whose arm strength was lacking. Eastern Washington's Matt Nichols has better size and displayed better arm strength than both of the "big-school" quarterbacks, seemingly getting more comfortable in front of NFL scouts as practice progressed. He could be on the way up draft boards if he continues to improve.
Nichols is half of another QB-TE combination. Nathan Overbay caught nearly everything thrown his way and was fluid when on the move over the middle. But he was very slow coming out of a three-point stance, allowing Washington defensive end Daniel Te'o Nesheim to almost knock him backward on one run play. BYU tight end Dennis Pitta also grabbed several passes away from his body, but failed to put aside the notion that his lack of speed will hold him back.
A defender trying to change positions this week is Arizona State's Dexter Davis. The former defensive end played linebacker Monday, but was very slow in coverage, failing to trail tight ends -- like Colorado's Riar Geer -- effectively. He also dropped an interception opportunity; it was above his head, but still very catchable.
Oregon's T.J. Ward is a 5-10 safety a lot of teams still like because of his hitting ability and agility in the back half. Even he got coached up a bit, though, as the defensive backs coach chided him for getting too nosy inside against the run, allowing a cutback lane to the outside that would likely give up six points.
Monday's practices were more about this sort of teaching than anything else. The pads come on Tuesday, when things really start to get going.
Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, a local product out of Central Florida, was also on the sidelines of the practice field across the street from the Citrus Bowl, where Saturday's game will be held.
The teams did not wear pads Monday, but there was still plenty of contact in the trenches and opportunities for players to showcase their athleticism.
East practice
Bowling Green wide receiver Freddie Barnes was one of the stars of the day. He snatched several balls out of the air, adjusting to passes thrown high, low and wide. Toledo strong safety Barry Church found out what it would be like to cover an NFL receiver when Barnes gave him a nice head fake while running down the seam, stopping Church in his tracks and blowing by him. Though Barnes did drop one or two when allowing the ball to get too far into his chest and could be faster out of his breaks, overall he was clearly the best receiver on either squad.
Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless greatly improved his stock over the course of the season, and continued upon that track Monday by looking fluid as a receiver and repeating the success he showed as a blocker.
Quarless' quarterback, Daryll Clark, did not have a good day. He lacked accuracy, understandably pressing in front of his potential future employers. One of the few deep sideline balls he threw was picked off by Clemson's Chris Chancellor because it was underthrown to the inside. He also had troubles taking the snap from under center, allowing multiple balls to hit the ground. The two Nittany Lions connected a couple of times on shorter throws, but scouts were not impressed with Clark on any level.
Two years ago, Joe Flacco went from Delaware to the Senior Bowl and proved himself among the draft's top talent. This year's version of Flacco, Fordham's 6-5, 245-pound John Skelton, displayed good footwork in drills, a cannon arm and tight spiral. He was a bit tight, sailing a few passes over the heads of his receivers on the sideline and putting a bit much on shorter throws. However, his stock is only likely to rise after a strong week here -- especially given this year's average to below-average quarterback class.
Indiana offensive tackle Rodger Saffold is a player to watch. The explosion he displayed coming out of his stance and his mobility to the second level were impressive, even without pads. On one play, he gave Purdue defensive tackle Mike Neal a good ride off the snap, and Neal has plenty of strength himself. Saffold possesses the strength and footwork to be among the 10 tackles potentially selected in the top 100 this year.
Andre Dixon had his issues off the field at UConn, but has always been a tough runner. The quick feet he showed through inside holes during drills was a nice complement to his ability to lower his pads to run through arm tackles.
The most unlikely participant in this week's game is Ole Miss defensive end Greg Hardy. Most expected him to be in Mobile for the Senior Bowl next week, but injuries and inconsistent effort have caused his stock to drop. He showed flashes of talent Monday, jumping inside off the snap to get across the face of the tackle and disrupt a run play to the opposite side. But Quarless locked him up on the edge a couple of times, even though Hardy has a 25-pound weight advantage. Those are the sort of matchups the SEC star needs to win if he wants to get into the draft's second round.
In linebacker drills, Wisconsin's O'Brien Schofield showed he has a ways to go before owning the fluid movement needed to play in space at the next level. Boston College middle linebacker Mike McLaughlin displayed instant leadership, talking his teammates through their assignments and getting them to chatter while standing on the sideline. He also displayed his limitations athletically, getting beat on crossing routes and failing to get down the seam.
Western Illinois cornerback Patrick Stoudamire looked fluid in his backpedal and has the ability to mirror receivers and break on the ball. Northwestern's Sherrick McManis, on the other hand, did not stay with his man often enough, losing his balance and closing late on one play as Michigan State receiver Blair White ran an average intermediate out pattern.
West practices
Oklahoma cornerback Brian Jackson did close well on a couple of passes, knocking the ball away by reaching in front of a receiver running a slant pattern without interfering. His 6-2, 205-pound frame makes him an intriguing press corner.
One of the more impressive performances came from TCU offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who lined up at both tackle and guard positions and was effective at each. Whether taking on a strong defender like Kansas State's Jeffrey Fitzgerald on the line or moving to the linebackers, Newhouse showed nice footwork and strength. He did not always hit a target when getting to space, however, which is something for him to work on.
Brandon Carter, the tattooed behemoth from Texas Tech, showed scouts he could come out of a three-point stance, something not often done at Tech. He got into his man's jersey and moved him to either side, also trapping effectively on inside runs. Fellow Big 12 offensive lineman Reggie Stephens (Iowa State) looked fairly strong when run blocking but failed to move his feet in pass protection, giving up too much penetration to Arizona defensive tackle Earl Mitchell.
The West quarterbacks include Todd Reesing (Kansas) and Max Hall (BYU), two undersized but intelligent signal-callers whose arm strength was lacking. Eastern Washington's Matt Nichols has better size and displayed better arm strength than both of the "big-school" quarterbacks, seemingly getting more comfortable in front of NFL scouts as practice progressed. He could be on the way up draft boards if he continues to improve.
Nichols is half of another QB-TE combination. Nathan Overbay caught nearly everything thrown his way and was fluid when on the move over the middle. But he was very slow coming out of a three-point stance, allowing Washington defensive end Daniel Te'o Nesheim to almost knock him backward on one run play. BYU tight end Dennis Pitta also grabbed several passes away from his body, but failed to put aside the notion that his lack of speed will hold him back.
A defender trying to change positions this week is Arizona State's Dexter Davis. The former defensive end played linebacker Monday, but was very slow in coverage, failing to trail tight ends -- like Colorado's Riar Geer -- effectively. He also dropped an interception opportunity; it was above his head, but still very catchable.
Oregon's T.J. Ward is a 5-10 safety a lot of teams still like because of his hitting ability and agility in the back half. Even he got coached up a bit, though, as the defensive backs coach chided him for getting too nosy inside against the run, allowing a cutback lane to the outside that would likely give up six points.
Monday's practices were more about this sort of teaching than anything else. The pads come on Tuesday, when things really start to get going.
