Hello all, day two is in the books up on the hill and there is a ton to talk about so let's not waste time with the small talk!
Offense:
1) Quarterbacks- every single one of Utah's quarterbacks shined once again at some point during practice. Wilson has continued to make some really nice throws and overall just looks to be in a much better place than he was last year. Thompson really impressed during a drill with the running backs where they faked a hand-off. If it weren't for the knee brace I don't think anyone would have a clue at this point he's coming off of surgery and rehab. I thought Hansen looked much more comfortable throwing the ball today than he did Tuesday and I don't think he's done improving either. Cox may have been most impressive of all showing he's really capable of doing it all, now he just needs to perform like that consistently. Manning was really threading the ball into some tight spaces and I think he was frustrating the DBs a little. Isom has a gorgeous long ball, but needs to work on not over-shooting his receivers.
2) Running Backs- Booker was making those insane one handed grabs he was doing last year during games. That guy is a monster! McCormick continued to make the defense look silly which is no easy feat because they have been performing really well so far. Poole had a particularly nice day playing in the slot. He has great hands and that running back vision after the catch. Leha'uli (38) really caught my eye today as well. He was making some really great plays.
3) Tightends- Handley really shined today for this group. He was making all kinds of catches and looked really comfortable out there. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that pace up. Gonzalez also had some impressive catches for this group.
4) Offensive Line- This group did much, much better breaking Booker free today than they did Tuesday. Whittingham even praised them for doing a really nice job so far this spring. I also feel like they've been doing a good job protecting the quarterbacks and giving them time to make reads and throws.
Defense:
1) Defensive line- These guys are just nasty. I'll admit I've had a tough time picking out individuals on either line. I'm hoping to get a better look Saturday where I can be a little higher in the stadium. One guy I did notice was Ofahenguaue again. He's been playing like he hasn't played in a while (duh). He got to Hansen and almost flipped him over his shoulder on their way down. It looked like something out of WWE.
2) Linebackers- This group has also been difficult to pick out individual performers so far where they get so jumbled in with the offensive and defensive lines, plus all of the new names. One thing of note is that Norris was back practicing in limited quantities. Whit said they will see how Saturay goes and he could potentially be back full time next Tuesday which is great news.
3) Defensive Backs- Porter continues to impress and he told me after practice he isn't quite 100% yet (more to come in an article later). JT is still as aggressive and fiesty as ever. I thought Hatfield had a little bit of an off day today, but it happens on occasion. Allen is starting to look comfortable at the position and Hobbs looked much better today than he did Tuesday. I didn't feel like the safeties were tested too much today to give any real kind of feedback other than I watched Godfrey make some nice plays on the ball in drills. One thing in general I was noticing with this group today was a lot of dropped interception opportunities. They were doing a fantastic job of breaking up passes, but there were some that were theirs for the taking and that didn't happen.
In general it was another really good day of practice for the guys and the coaches were very pleased with the efforts.
Offense:
1) Quarterbacks- every single one of Utah's quarterbacks shined once again at some point during practice. Wilson has continued to make some really nice throws and overall just looks to be in a much better place than he was last year. Thompson really impressed during a drill with the running backs where they faked a hand-off. If it weren't for the knee brace I don't think anyone would have a clue at this point he's coming off of surgery and rehab. I thought Hansen looked much more comfortable throwing the ball today than he did Tuesday and I don't think he's done improving either. Cox may have been most impressive of all showing he's really capable of doing it all, now he just needs to perform like that consistently. Manning was really threading the ball into some tight spaces and I think he was frustrating the DBs a little. Isom has a gorgeous long ball, but needs to work on not over-shooting his receivers.
2) Running Backs- Booker was making those insane one handed grabs he was doing last year during games. That guy is a monster! McCormick continued to make the defense look silly which is no easy feat because they have been performing really well so far. Poole had a particularly nice day playing in the slot. He has great hands and that running back vision after the catch. Leha'uli (38) really caught my eye today as well. He was making some really great plays.
3) Tightends- Handley really shined today for this group. He was making all kinds of catches and looked really comfortable out there. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that pace up. Gonzalez also had some impressive catches for this group.
4) Offensive Line- This group did much, much better breaking Booker free today than they did Tuesday. Whittingham even praised them for doing a really nice job so far this spring. I also feel like they've been doing a good job protecting the quarterbacks and giving them time to make reads and throws.
Defense:
1) Defensive line- These guys are just nasty. I'll admit I've had a tough time picking out individuals on either line. I'm hoping to get a better look Saturday where I can be a little higher in the stadium. One guy I did notice was Ofahenguaue again. He's been playing like he hasn't played in a while (duh). He got to Hansen and almost flipped him over his shoulder on their way down. It looked like something out of WWE.
2) Linebackers- This group has also been difficult to pick out individual performers so far where they get so jumbled in with the offensive and defensive lines, plus all of the new names. One thing of note is that Norris was back practicing in limited quantities. Whit said they will see how Saturay goes and he could potentially be back full time next Tuesday which is great news.
3) Defensive Backs- Porter continues to impress and he told me after practice he isn't quite 100% yet (more to come in an article later). JT is still as aggressive and fiesty as ever. I thought Hatfield had a little bit of an off day today, but it happens on occasion. Allen is starting to look comfortable at the position and Hobbs looked much better today than he did Tuesday. I didn't feel like the safeties were tested too much today to give any real kind of feedback other than I watched Godfrey make some nice plays on the ball in drills. One thing in general I was noticing with this group today was a lot of dropped interception opportunities. They were doing a fantastic job of breaking up passes, but there were some that were theirs for the taking and that didn't happen.
In general it was another really good day of practice for the guys and the coaches were very pleased with the efforts.
