At some point later tonight or tomorrow, I'll get the audio posted from our interviews with linebackers coach Andrew Thacker and linebackers Shaun Bradley, William Kwenkeu and Chapelle Russell, who said he feels about 95 percent recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in the week leading up to the Tulane game back in November.
So, as we always say, I offer this disclaimer: we get to see about the last 20-25 minutes of practice. And when the staff says they try to mix in different personnel groups, they mean it. So take this for what it's worth -- an observation in early August while position battles continue to play out.
In the first portion of practice we saw, Frank Nutile and Logan Marchi were working with what looked like first- and second-team units, while Anthony Russo and Todd Centeio worked with what we could reasonably assume were third- and fourth-string players.
At one point, both Nutile and Marchi were working behind this offensive line:
Cole Boozer LT; Brian Carter LG; Matt Hennessy C; Adrian Sullivan RG; Jaelin Robinson RT
On one play, Nutile was rushed, rolled to his right and hit Isaiah Wright with a pass that should have been caught, but Wright dropped it. Marchi came in soon after, working with that first-team offensive line but what looked like second-team skill guys and was sacked.
David Hood was getting reps at that end behind Ryquell Armstead, while Jager Gardner was getting reps at the other end of the field with Russo and Centeio. Tyliek Raynor did not practice today and was moving around on crutches, but I don't know if it's anything serious. It didn't look that way. We did not get a chance to talk to Geoff Collins today, and I'll look for an update this weekend.
The team ended practice with a scenario that was described as such on the loud speaker: Threes are up, 1:12 on the clock.
In that session, Nutile eventually hit wideout Branden Mack over the middle for what was about a 35-yard touchdown pass. The defense, which took an earful from the staff after, was a bit soft on the play, but Nutile threw it on a rope and it was a crisp route from Mack.
Marchi was up next and just didn't do well. He had one pass batted down by Karamo Dioubate. Then he had Wright open but underthrew him. On another play, his pass got tipped but eventually ended up in the hands of Travon Williams to keep the series going, but then he threw incomplete and low to Freddie Johnson, overthrew Mack and then overthrew Williams high over the middle.
Russo was up next and fared slightly better. He hit David Hood and Brodrick Yancy on consecutive short throws. He hit Adonis Jennings over the middle on a bit of a wobbly throw, but it hit Jennings in stride and got there. He was rushed on the next play, rolled right and hit Johnson. Then he threw incomplete to Yancy on the next play, and his last throw ended up in the arms of Sean Chandler, who either got credit for the interception or was ruled out of bounds before practice ended.
The one thing that stands out from today's interviews is this: Andrew Thacker has been very, very impressed with Shaun Bradley.
"He's talented," Thacker said. "He's really talented. He's got ability to run. He's got ability to strike. ... More so than anything, I've been really, really impressed with the intangible part of Shaun. To be a sophomore and to not have the amount of starter game reps that he's had, he's becoming a vocal leader on our defense. We talk about setting the standard, the way they carry themselves on and off the field - he's becoming one of those guys. When we get to the point to where it's player-led and not coach-led as much, he's one of those guys and just kind of has the charisma and has the juice. He has the energy, has the presence to take hold of that group, so I've been really pleased with him mixing in with some of the seniors, and he fits. He's a confident young man. All the physical stuff and all the success he's having on the field, and all the success he had in the offseason in terms of preparing and getting bigger, faster and stronger, he's really gaining confidence from the intangible side."
So, as we always say, I offer this disclaimer: we get to see about the last 20-25 minutes of practice. And when the staff says they try to mix in different personnel groups, they mean it. So take this for what it's worth -- an observation in early August while position battles continue to play out.
In the first portion of practice we saw, Frank Nutile and Logan Marchi were working with what looked like first- and second-team units, while Anthony Russo and Todd Centeio worked with what we could reasonably assume were third- and fourth-string players.
At one point, both Nutile and Marchi were working behind this offensive line:
Cole Boozer LT; Brian Carter LG; Matt Hennessy C; Adrian Sullivan RG; Jaelin Robinson RT
On one play, Nutile was rushed, rolled to his right and hit Isaiah Wright with a pass that should have been caught, but Wright dropped it. Marchi came in soon after, working with that first-team offensive line but what looked like second-team skill guys and was sacked.
David Hood was getting reps at that end behind Ryquell Armstead, while Jager Gardner was getting reps at the other end of the field with Russo and Centeio. Tyliek Raynor did not practice today and was moving around on crutches, but I don't know if it's anything serious. It didn't look that way. We did not get a chance to talk to Geoff Collins today, and I'll look for an update this weekend.
The team ended practice with a scenario that was described as such on the loud speaker: Threes are up, 1:12 on the clock.
In that session, Nutile eventually hit wideout Branden Mack over the middle for what was about a 35-yard touchdown pass. The defense, which took an earful from the staff after, was a bit soft on the play, but Nutile threw it on a rope and it was a crisp route from Mack.
Marchi was up next and just didn't do well. He had one pass batted down by Karamo Dioubate. Then he had Wright open but underthrew him. On another play, his pass got tipped but eventually ended up in the hands of Travon Williams to keep the series going, but then he threw incomplete and low to Freddie Johnson, overthrew Mack and then overthrew Williams high over the middle.
Russo was up next and fared slightly better. He hit David Hood and Brodrick Yancy on consecutive short throws. He hit Adonis Jennings over the middle on a bit of a wobbly throw, but it hit Jennings in stride and got there. He was rushed on the next play, rolled right and hit Johnson. Then he threw incomplete to Yancy on the next play, and his last throw ended up in the arms of Sean Chandler, who either got credit for the interception or was ruled out of bounds before practice ended.
The one thing that stands out from today's interviews is this: Andrew Thacker has been very, very impressed with Shaun Bradley.
"He's talented," Thacker said. "He's really talented. He's got ability to run. He's got ability to strike. ... More so than anything, I've been really, really impressed with the intangible part of Shaun. To be a sophomore and to not have the amount of starter game reps that he's had, he's becoming a vocal leader on our defense. We talk about setting the standard, the way they carry themselves on and off the field - he's becoming one of those guys. When we get to the point to where it's player-led and not coach-led as much, he's one of those guys and just kind of has the charisma and has the juice. He has the energy, has the presence to take hold of that group, so I've been really pleased with him mixing in with some of the seniors, and he fits. He's a confident young man. All the physical stuff and all the success he's having on the field, and all the success he had in the offseason in terms of preparing and getting bigger, faster and stronger, he's really gaining confidence from the intangible side."
