Training Camp Notes – Thursday, July 25

There’s a nice breeze blowing in the topmost bleacher by the far side of the press box.

The hospitality staff, all dressed in light orange, are the most friendly and welcoming that I’ve seen in my 13 years of doing this. One even  picked me up in her golf cart and took me right to the entrance. There was no line at 8:50 a.m. ET, and no over-officious jerks.

Many thanks to Joe Reagan for doing the AstroNnotes yesterday. Bloggers don’t get tickets, and I didn’t have one. I think Joe got in yesterday by walking in backwards, and they thought he was leaving.

Mike Edwards, Gable Steveson, Eduafan Ulofoshio, and Joe Andreesen are the first to arrive on the field. Shane Simon limps out to the tune of “Moves like Jagger”. Ironic.

Listed at 6’5″, 309, Tylan Grable looks like a player. Andy Isabella is on the JUGS machine early. He’s small. You can barely make him out over the cart holding the football. In contrast, the taller Shorter’s out there too, stretching on the other field.

Van Pran-Granger looks intimidating, with wider shoulders than most. Beside him, Olympian Gable Steveson looks tiny. Zach Davidson, 6-7, 251, and (in my mind) the Practice Squad tight end, looks like a beanpole. CB Keni-H Lovely made a nice PBU on a ball yesterday; don’t scratch him off your practice squad list. DeWayne Carter is having some fun with the photographer on his way in, doing a little dance, a little mugging.

Garage garage, Gouraige… is big man, too. My man, Khalil Shakir, smiles and waves up at me when I yell, “Boise State! Boise State!” It’s my son and daughter-in-law’s alma mater.  Joe got a really good picture.

Some running backs and TEs are working on the JUGS machines. Frank Gore Jr.and Tre’ McKitty stood out.

Josh Freaking Allen, WWE style with the monk’s hood, walks out with his tatooed protector, Dion Dawkins, and a trio of cameras trailing him, to an enthusiastic round of cheers. 

Barefoot Mack Hollins, dressed in a red version of the white shirt he wore yesterday, has the best hair. Head and Shoulders might want to sign him early because he’s going to be the next Polamalu.

I worry about players walking out alone, and MV-S is a loner enroute to the practice field.

There are no pads. It is not full go. Josh is just slow-trotting through each play, throwing an out to Knox. Mitch Trubisky throws to Claypool. And Shane Buechele will throw to…another opportunity to touch the football, because calisthenics have started.

Players exhibiting extra energy during cal are always noted: Today it’s Mack Hollins (just because he’s so graceful), Josh Allen, Andy Isabella, Ed Oliver, Brian Thompson, and Keon Coleman. Tyrell Shavers and Mack Hollins are two of the most Flexy, Bendy, Gumby guys out there. 

We talked about leadership, and you see it, examples all throughout practice. Congratulating. High-fiving. Bonding.

Brian Thompson trips up on the wet turf. You were supposed to run around a giant hula hoop and tackle a dummy, and you just lost the footing. The drill is supposed to be emphasizing form, but also turning on a dime. CB Daequan Hardy and LB Baylon Spector had the best tackling form in that drill, in my opinion.

This is not a Bear Bryant practice. There is a lot of standing around. Yesterday, you could’ve blamed jet lag. Today in a perfect 72° day, with Simpsons clouds and a cooling breeze, there is no excuse.

The kick returners, in no particular order, are Hamler, Ray Davis, Daequan Hardy, and Andy Isabella. Mack Hollins got down there pretty quick on the first kick return, with two kick returners back. Hardy looked pretty smooth like he knew what he was doing. Andy Isabella had a great difficulty blocking on one of the return. They are kicking away from Ray Davis.

I like Trey McKitty’s attention during the tight end drills. Even when it is not his turn, McKitty is watching everything. I like beanpole Zach Davidson for his 6’7″ height, fully a head taller than the others, and he didn’t seem to be a liability in blocking Quintin Morris.

Ray Davis, James Cook, Ty Johnson, and even Darrynton Evans all are extremely confident receivers and it’s going to make life hell covering these guys for long plays if a play becomes a scramble drill.

Jersey of the Day is a Kiko Alonso. I was going to wear my Whitner #26. Any readers remember him?

Out and up patterns by the tight ends are happening right in front of us, we’re all good with this stable of TEs. I liked Knox’s movement, a fluid, more-athletic style than we saw yesterday, and Gilliam’s acrobatic catch, which brought a applause from the crowd. Zach Davidson can really get up there, which would be an advantage in the red zone, but he did seem to get a lot of instruction from Rob Boras on arm placement while blocking. It would be hard to substitute another player for Gilliam as the fourth tight end. The order of appearance in drills always starts with Knox, with Kincaid second. A nice circus catch by Quintin Morris makes you wonder if they stash two on the practice squad

I’m sorry, but Mack Hollins is going to be a player –not only on the first or second team, but also on the special teams.

In 7 on 7s, coaches had Coleman, Shakir, and Hollins out there with Kincaid. Shakir gets the first catch, then Coleman gets the next one.

Then it was Hollins, Valdes-Scantling, Quintin Morris, and Bryan Thompson with M-VS snaring the pass.

The first team is back out there, with Knox instead of Kincaid, and Josh’s pass goes wide of M-VS, truly the only missed throw I saw today.

Now, it’s 11 on 11. A nice snatch by Keon and it’s second and six. Gain of one, if I’m being generous. The middle looked inpenetrable with Oliver and Daequan Jones. Josh finds Mack Hollins on a deep crosser for a nice 40-yard gain, and Josh ran further than that to congratulate him. A handoff to Ty Johnson results in a 5-yard gain, but he ran it to the end zone. A pass to Curtis Samuel over the middle brings up first down and 10. 

Second string comes in and the offensive formation causes the defense yellling, “Alert, alert”, and the defense gets Trubisky scrambling.

Third-string receivers in this drill looked like Shavers, Shorter, and Hollins –some great height there at 6’4″, 6’4″, and 6’4″. Shavers catches the pass from Buechele, and it’s an easy six. Our depth, even third string, is going to win all the preseason games.

Te’Cory Couch doesn’t look out of place at DB. He tags Zach Davidson on a run. Gable Steveson’s very good in pursuit, but he couldn’t peel off the block all that well. He’s a tad light with some speed, so if he develops the tools on the PS, he has the potential to stick around.

First-stringers return, and Oliver was lightning-quick off the jump and that play wasn’t going anywhere.

This time we’re watching Von Miller, who’s flanked by Oliver. The offense drew Oliver offside that time. On the next play, Von Miller is managed quite well by Spencer Brown as he ushers Miller wide around the arc.

Second string returns, and it is a handoff Darrynton Evans, who I recall had the advantage of more yards after contact than most RBs in the draft. With Ty Johnson, though you add better receiving ability.

A successful blitz by Damar Hamlin off the far side ends the 11 on 11.

The crowd is silent as Josh is down on the field, first in position like it’s a tight hamstring. Then he’s rolled over onto his back. Sean is walking over. They are taping Josh’s ankle area and all of us heave a sigh of relief when Josh is up and walking back to the WR and TEs.

The ones look like Mack Hollins, Khalil, Shakir, and Keon Coleman with both tight ends, and James Cook. There was a liberal sprinkling of Curtis Samuel in for Hollins.

Second 11 and 11

Defense spends most of the time on the third field away from the eyes of the public, so we try to pay some more attention to the defense. Mike Edwards and Taylor Rapp were the deep safeties, with Christian Benford the CB who was chasing Ray Davis, who was breaking free. Josh passes out wide to Hollins and he takes it the distance after the catch.

The twos come in, and a toss sweep to Ty Johnson seems to work well, as the twos continue to impress. Morris and Gilliam were in with the twos and there were two running backs in the backfield as well. Good luck with that, defensive coordinators.

There’s less pre-set motion today than there was yesterday. Buechele throws a nice 30-yard dart to TE Zach Davidson. Buechele’s passes don’t have much arc on them! Shavers on a delay and he’s is given an arms-pumping cheer from the assistant coach who’s running up to him. Love the interaction!

Back to the ones, with Hollins, Coleman, and Shakir. It’s a screen to James Cook to the right, which worked quite well because Josh’s fake handoff drew the defense left.

Dorian Williams is relentless. He’s off like a shot from his linebacker left side. He’s the fastest linebacker out there.

Ray Davis has a real nice run up the middle. He was blocked up very well by the second-string offensive line, creating an alley for Davis to gallop right through.

The ones return. They’re running a lot of Knox and Kincaid now. KJ Hamler goes in motion and the subsequent handoff to Cook goes nowhere. The defense is having a little bit better day of it today. Dawaune Smoot is noticeable again, almost getting Josh for a sack, but Josh gets rid of it just in time to Curtis Samuel.

Gilliam’s spread out wide, and runs a quick in-route, which cleared it out for Knox coming across from the other side. I like the wrinkles that the OC has added. Just then Josh fires a beautiful 40-yarder to Hollins which just might be my Catch of the Day.  Trubisky to Quintin Morris certainly was the best pass-catch I saw from the twos.

See you tomorrow, BillsMafia!

Dean Kindig, ​​on Twitter: @TCBILLS_Astro

Editor’s babble: Thank you, Dean!