QBs - After the horn blew, the defense and offense coagulated into two separate groups and the scrimmage commenced. With a number of presumed starters sitting out, it was sometimes difficult to make out which units were "first team" but it appeared that Terrelle Pryor got the majority of the snaps against the #1 defense while Russell Wilson and BJ Daniels took turns against the backups. I only saw Tarvaris Jackson a little bit today, maybe just a drive or two; my guess is that Jackson is a known commodity to Pete Carroll and Darrell Bevell whereas Pryor is not. Throwing him in against the top defensive unit was probably the coaches wanting to see more of Pryor against high level competition.
Pryor, for his part, looked pretty good. I didn't see anything from him that made me catch my breath, but he seemed willing to go through his reads even in collapsing pockets and while his throwing motion is long, he generated more good throws than bad. He kind of throws like a catapult, now that I think about it, or, perhaps more accurately, like the 1:25 mark of this. He's an impressive looking dude, to be sure, and he showed his well-hailed speed on a couple of scrambles, I just don't see him running this offense at full speed with any success as long as it takes him that long to get through his throwing motion. He was very accurate when he had the luxury of stepping into his throws but was erratic when he didn't.
Wilson was his usual self, his superfluous energy bubbling just beneath his beautiful maple skin as he bounced around the field like my pug when he knows he's about to go for a walk. He delivered almost all of his passes effortlessly, spreading his passes around the entire route tree. His best throw was a 35-yard redline dart to Harvin in close coverage, a toss that Percy could have caught with his eyes closed given the teacup accuracy on the ball.
Wilson's best play of the day was also, paradoxically, his worst. With an and-goal from the opposing 10-yard line, Wilson stepped up into a pocket unchecked by the second level of the defense. Wilson could have somersaulted in for a TD before anyone touched him but he curiously chose to try and thread a pass into the back of the endzone, aiming for a thrice-covered receiver running a back-line drag.
His pass was deflected and batted high in the air. It was then that Russell did something I've never seen before: he sprinted the nearly 20 yards between him and the pack of DBs anxiously waiting to pick off the fluttering football like a bunch of cats watching you open a can of food. As the group of defensive backs jumped for the ball, Wilson flung himself into the fray in a desperate attempt to break up the interception. In fucking August.
It was not the effort of a guy who had just stepped through the door of stardom and who is one season away from a monster pay-raise, it was the effort of a scrappy, undersized QB prospect bent on proving his worth in the NFL. It was the effort of a guy who wanted to win more than anything else, even a summertime practice. The pass still got picked off though.
BJ Daniels is a pretty decent looking QB himself and would probably earn a regular paycheck on a number of teams but I just don't see how he's anything more than a practice squad guy with this roster. He is agile and accurate, but it seems that he has to lean into second- and third-level throws and that most likely won't cut it on a team devoted to winning at the redline.
RBs - If you read anything I wrote last year, or have watched any of the Hangouts I've done with Kenneth, you know that I'm a huge Christine Michael fan. I think he has superstar potential and I think we'll get to start seeing that this season. Even so, Robert Turbin was the best back on the field Saturday. Turbin has always been an impressive straight-line runner and can be very dangerous when given space but he's been hampered by a proclivity for getting tackled around his feet and struggling to move laterally in confined space. Not this day.
He received the majority of the touches during the scrimmage and ran decisively and with a lower pad level than I've seen from him to this point. Turbin broke off a couple of sharp second-level runs, including a nifty 25-yard scamper on a read-option play that required him to beat the linebacker to his angle, which he did with seeming ease. He added a very good catch on a wheel route with coverage all over him, too. He had his share of short runs and was caught for a big loss when a couple of guys came through untouched, but overall he had a great day.
Michael didn't see very many touches but even in small doses the kid still wows you. Nothing from him that would make the highlight reel during this practice but he moves around the field like a McLaren in first gear, ready to open up the engine and throttle past you in a blink. Given the coaching staff's very public support of Michael this summer, I'm curious to know why Turbin got such a big share. Not that I didn't mind seeing it, I just wonder if it's indicative of the current depth chart.
Spencer Ware is in full tailback mode this year. He runs really aggressively and absolutely does not shy away from contact. Looked every bit as good as he could've, given that his unit's O-line got completely scorched on almost every play.
Demitrius Bronson is kind of a badass too. He had a pass go just beyond his reach on a circle route when Earl Thomas blew him up. It wasn't just a little extra contact on a hot day, it was a midseason, attitude adjusting layout that left Bronson sprawled on the turf with Thomas standing over him and beating his own chest like King Kong. A few plays later, Bronson ran through the whistle on a short carry and aimed straight for Thomas, putting his shoulder directly into the sternum of Seattle's All-Pro safety.
I didn't see much worth noting from either Kiero Small or Derrick Coleman but I think a large part of that is due to the team not running many plays for the fullbacks as well as the fact that fullback assignments are hard to pay attention to when trying to keep track of everything else in a live play.
