Game On: Day 1 Fall Practice Pictures

by Menelaus on Aug 5, 2008 5:23 PM PDT

Can you feel it?

You've gorged on pre-season previews. You have your tickets in hand. You know the roster like the back of your hand. You wake up at night in a cold sweat rhythmically repeating "stay healthy" along with "Olson" and the names of each of the Bruin's offensive linemen.

It's just about go time, fellas.

And, today, our boys are back in action.

Well, practice is probably still in progress. But, I was able to spend a half hour or so at Spaulding Field. I wasn't there long to report much, though it was interesting to see that the only QB's to attempt a pass while I was there were No. 7 above, and No. 14 Kevin Prince:

More pictures after the jump. Whether the coming season is up and down, or just plain sideways. I. Can't. Wait.

GO BRUINS.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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oooooooh man

Great stuff M!!!!

by Nestor on Aug 5, 2008 5:29 PM PDT 0 recs

I just got back

and here are a few notes:

- The first teams practiced and were off the field by 5:00. After that the second teams took over and we got to see Craft, Crissman and Rashaan all get some reps.
- Crissman was sharp on the shorter routes, but his passes hung up a bit when he went deep. Craft made some good throws, but didn’t make quick decisions and had it been a game would have likely been sacked. Rashaan looked comfortable and got rid of it quickly, but the ball didn’t find the intended receiver on a consistent basis.
- Moutra and Rosario have all the tools. They can both run like the wind and their size will make them a tough matchup, but their routes were a bit sloppy and they heard it from the coaches.
- The offensive line was as advertised. They did some drills against the d-line and got dominated on nearly every rep.
- Aaron Perez had the most impressive day of anyone IMO. During the punt drills he was booming punts with great direction. I’ve never seen him punt the ball so far before and he did it punt after punt. Locke was a bit disappointing as he had trouble getting any distance, but I don’t expect much out of a freshman who will redshirt.
- Austin and Graves took turns returning punts, but there wasn’t much of an emphasis on getting the cover teams downfield so it was tough to get a feel for their return skills. Both caught the ball fine though.

It was a hectic practice as it seemed like the coaches were more interested in setting the tone than anything else. In the next few days I expect the quality of play to pick up though and we se should get a better feel for how each player looks.

by ryebreadraz on Aug 5, 2008 6:48 PM PDT 0 recs

A couple things to add

- Raymond Carter looked very good. He was by far the quickest back on the field and showed no sign of fatigued or weak knee. The same was true for Bell although he didn’t get nearly as much work as Carter.
- The first and third teams practice the first half (close to first third) of practice and the second and fourth teams finished out the practice. Currently Olson is the first string, Craft second, Prince third and Crissman fourth.

by ryebreadraz on Aug 5, 2008 6:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

How did Prince look?

by Nestor on Aug 5, 2008 6:58 PM PDT up 0 recs

He has the skills

When he calmed down and made the throws they were very good. Early on in the practice he looked flustered and surprised by the speed of the DB’s. About halfway through the he calmed down and looked better than either Crissman or Craft. If his play early in the practice was due to nerves in his first practice and his play in the second half of practice is more indicative of what kind of player he is then there’s a lot of reason to be optimistic about his future.

by ryebreadraz on Aug 5, 2008 7:08 PM PDT up 0 recs

Good stuff

Thanks R.

by Nestor on Aug 5, 2008 7:14 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yep

Going to have to get used to the new practice format. I was there about 4-4:30ish, and apparently just saw the 1’s and 3’s.

And thanks much for the notes. I can usually focus on taking half way decent pictures (with a completely inadequate camera), or player performance and number, but not both. Glad you were able to add some good commentary to my few images.

by Menelaus on Aug 6, 2008 11:14 AM PDT up 0 recs

Just curious,

but where is Chris Forcier in the mix? Is Crissman ahead of him already?

by Bruinut on Aug 6, 2008 11:44 AM PDT up 0 recs

Crissman's ahead of him

I didn’t see Forcier take any reps. He did some passing drills and stood with some of the QB’s when Chow was talking to them, but he got even less time than Rashaan.

by ryebreadraz on Aug 6, 2008 12:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

I was there!

For about an hour. I saw one good deep pass that resulted in a completion when the WR went up over the DB and ripped it out of his hands.

It was really cool to see CRN, Chow and Walker on the field, doing their thing. CRN actually came down to our sideline to greet some big guy that he and another coach seemed to know. They were definitely glad to see him there.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Aug 5, 2008 7:12 PM PDT 0 recs

That was Dominique Johnson

who went up and took it away from Rahim Moore. It was a hell of a play and hopefully we see more of it this year.

by ryebreadraz on Aug 5, 2008 10:37 PM PDT up 0 recs

so excited!!!

anyone know if we can go out tomorrow to Spaulding and watch?

by bruin95 on Aug 6, 2008 6:54 PM PDT 0 recs

Here's the schedule for the rest of camp

All of it is open to the public:

Thursday, Aug. 7 – 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 8 – 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 9 – 4:30-6:45 pm (First day of full pads)
Sunday, August 10 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 5:15-7:30 p.m.
Monday, August 11 -3:30-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 12 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 5:15-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 13 – 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 14 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 5:15-7:30 p.m.
Friday, August 15 – 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 16 – 5:15 p.m. (Scrimmage at Drake Stadium)
Sunday, August 17 – No practice or interviews
Monday, August 18 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 5:15-7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 19 – 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 20 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 5:15-7:30 p.m.

by ryebreadraz on Aug 6, 2008 7:02 PM PDT up 0 recs