Under cloud cover the Bruins hit the field this morning as they prepare to host a big scrimmage later tonight. As you can imagine, it was a very light practice in order to save the players for this evening. Even with it being a light practice, Jim Mora managed to get the most out of his practice time. Here were the notes for the morning:
-The Bruins worked on a ton of situational football, most of which was special teams situations. Matt Mengel got a chance to punt a few and while I feel he's locked up the punting job, he needs to be more consistent. More often than not, he'll hit a beauty, but every now and again it's a duck. Adam Searl doesn't have nearly the leg of Mengel, but he is a little more accurate with his placement. Ka'imi Fairbairn was giving Mengel some pointers on how to fine tune his ball drop before he punts the ball away.
-Jerry Neuheisel began the first team portion of 11-on-11 with the first team and Josh Rosen with the second team. However, after about an hour of special teams work, there was a second team portion with Rosen taking snaps with the ones. Neither threw the ball more than twice and everything was essentially situational football. Tonight will be the most pivotal opportunity for one of them to seize the starting job.
-Andre James was working off to the side early in practice snapping the ball. He hasn't looked awful as a tackle and has improved in the past two weeks but versatility is key for offensive linemen. He did look pretty good snapping the ball and staying low out of his stance.
-Mossi Johnson and Stephen Johnson were your kick returners today, both displaying speed and cutting ability. I personally like Stephen Johnson back there more, especially when he displays the ability to set up defenders and cut away from them, often leaving them grabbing air. He's clearly a very impressive athlete and Coach Yarber has been pleased with him. He's not the only one apparently with Yarber having to fight off Coach Meat who wants him in the secondary. With Mossi's role on offense expected to expand this year, I could see coaches putting him back there sparingly.
-The big moment of practice today was Alex Redmond and Carl Hulick getting into a little bit of a scrum fresh out of stretching. Not sure what set it off, but after both going to the ground it was over as soon as it began. Mora pulled Redmond over and the two talked for a few minutes but parted ways with everything seeming to be good.
-Tevita Halalilo returned to practice and seemed to be OK but about 45 minutes into practice he wandered over to the trainer's table, clearly not over his symptoms yet. Concussions can be really tricky so hopefully he is being honest with the staff and not pushing himself too hard.
-Chris Clark did individual drills today but then worked with coach Sal Alosi for about 30 minutes before heading to the locker room. He did not return to practice. We'll see if he comes out tonight, although he surely will not play.
For as long as practice was today, it was a very slow day as the players prepare for tonight. The Bruins return to the field tonight at 5 p.m. for a live scrimmage between the blue and white teams. Neuheisel and Rosen will more than likely be facing off against each other tonight.
-The Bruins worked on a ton of situational football, most of which was special teams situations. Matt Mengel got a chance to punt a few and while I feel he's locked up the punting job, he needs to be more consistent. More often than not, he'll hit a beauty, but every now and again it's a duck. Adam Searl doesn't have nearly the leg of Mengel, but he is a little more accurate with his placement. Ka'imi Fairbairn was giving Mengel some pointers on how to fine tune his ball drop before he punts the ball away.
-Jerry Neuheisel began the first team portion of 11-on-11 with the first team and Josh Rosen with the second team. However, after about an hour of special teams work, there was a second team portion with Rosen taking snaps with the ones. Neither threw the ball more than twice and everything was essentially situational football. Tonight will be the most pivotal opportunity for one of them to seize the starting job.
-Andre James was working off to the side early in practice snapping the ball. He hasn't looked awful as a tackle and has improved in the past two weeks but versatility is key for offensive linemen. He did look pretty good snapping the ball and staying low out of his stance.
-Mossi Johnson and Stephen Johnson were your kick returners today, both displaying speed and cutting ability. I personally like Stephen Johnson back there more, especially when he displays the ability to set up defenders and cut away from them, often leaving them grabbing air. He's clearly a very impressive athlete and Coach Yarber has been pleased with him. He's not the only one apparently with Yarber having to fight off Coach Meat who wants him in the secondary. With Mossi's role on offense expected to expand this year, I could see coaches putting him back there sparingly.
-The big moment of practice today was Alex Redmond and Carl Hulick getting into a little bit of a scrum fresh out of stretching. Not sure what set it off, but after both going to the ground it was over as soon as it began. Mora pulled Redmond over and the two talked for a few minutes but parted ways with everything seeming to be good.
-Tevita Halalilo returned to practice and seemed to be OK but about 45 minutes into practice he wandered over to the trainer's table, clearly not over his symptoms yet. Concussions can be really tricky so hopefully he is being honest with the staff and not pushing himself too hard.
-Chris Clark did individual drills today but then worked with coach Sal Alosi for about 30 minutes before heading to the locker room. He did not return to practice. We'll see if he comes out tonight, although he surely will not play.
For as long as practice was today, it was a very slow day as the players prepare for tonight. The Bruins return to the field tonight at 5 p.m. for a live scrimmage between the blue and white teams. Neuheisel and Rosen will more than likely be facing off against each other tonight.
