Here are some observations on the afternoon practice session. First up, here are the observations of Edgar Thompson:
-New LB Joey Porter looks to be heavily involved in the team's pass coverage schemes. Everyone knows Porter was on top pass rusher in Pittsburgh, but he also was one of the league's best cover LBs.
Porter is one of only two players, along with Clay Matthews, who has 60 sacks and 10 picks in NFL history.
-Maybe Ted Ginn doesn't run the most precise routes or needs to improve his ability to evade the CB jam at the line ... who knows. But he is a smooth, sure-handed receiver who's going to contribute as more than a returner.
-If Brandon Fields can get the basics out of the way and focus on punting, he's going to be a weapon. The guy's leg is phenomenal. He just hit a booming spiral 70 yards in the air and made it look easy.
-WR Kerry Reed is making a strong case for a roster spot with another great catch, stretching out to snag one over the middle in stride.
Reed and 6-foot-6 David Sutton look like good bets for the practice squad.
-Rookie RB Lorenzo Booker could be a terrific receiver out of the backfield. No LB matched with him had a chance.
- Speaking of Bookers, 10-year veteran Marty Booker is making his case to remain the No. 2 WR.
Booker backed up a strong morning session with a tough, leaping sideline grab over Michael Lehan off a Trent Green pass.
-Green gets rid of the ball so quickly, Dolphins receivers better be where they need to be.
Lemon sometimes hops around too much while he decides where to throw. Beck has a lot to learn. He holds onto the ball for a long time.
-Oh, oh. Green INT on the second play. Will Allen comes up with the ball on a slant route.
-Green follows a running play by Ronnie Brown with a pass out of bounds 10 feet over Chris Chambers' head. Must have been thrown away ... I hope.
And these next ones come from Kevin Clark:
-In running back receiving drills, Ronnie Brown put a pretty good move on linebacker Zach Thomas for a score.
-In the last and most interesting drill of the day, lineman picked up running backs and receivers and carried them for a few yards. All of the linemen were able to complete their task.
So that's it for day 1 of training camp. It seems as though the QBs didn't fair all that well in team drills, but it's only the first day and there was no contact. Tomorrow begins the contact, and it should be fun to watch. They plan on closing the practice tomorrow with the famous "Oklahoma" drill that has been talked about a lot. And according to Omar Kelly's blog, camp's first fight could break out because of this drill:
One warning, Crowder admits "I fight dirty."
Beginning tomorrow, camp is going to become a lot more fun to watch. And you have to love the fact that Cam Cameron is bringing intensity back into training camp.