Day 3 was the first training camp practice open to fans, who packed the hill and brought the energy on Friday.
Perhaps the most interesting note to come out of Friday is that Kevin Stefanski does plan on playing starters in the first and third preseason games. He said there will be limits on how long they play depending on a variety of factors, but it is good for them to get some contact before the season starts. Prior to the second game will be the joint practices with Indianapolis, and Stefanski said starters will get most of the run
against the Colts in those practices, and guys farther down the depth chart will be featured in that second preseason game.
Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t a full go on Friday, but he was able to get some work in team drills and looked pretty comfortable moving around out there. Stefanski said after practice that the back issue that’s flared up is not going to be a long-term issue for Tagovailoa, and Tagovailoa confirmed that himself.
Penix, unsurprisingly, was even less of a full go, but did get in some 7-on-7 work.
After practice, Kevin Stefanski explained that the team works with the medical staff to determine the practice plan for Penix to make sure they’re protecting his recovery while letting him get some reps and work on his timing, anticipation and connection with his receivers.
Our own Kevin Knight is also here for the next few days, and he’ll have plenty of takes and analysis and clips from practice for y’all, and may be adding some thoughts to this story later as well. If you’re free Friday night, we are heading to Fun Spot America Atlanta to ride the Arieforce One coaster before it’s gone forever. You are more than welcome to join us, and what better place for a Falcoholic meetup than a shady amusement park?
As always, my full reporting from Friday’s activities can be found right here in the Falcoholic’s Feed.
Here are the rest of my (Jeanna’s) observations from Day 3 of camp.
- Jack Strand was running with the 1s in 11-on-11s quite a bit on Friday. The caliber of talent he’s going up against at this level compared to his NAIA college career is vastly different, but Stefanski said he’s coming along nicely. On one play, it looked like a handoff to Brian Robinson, who got caught up in the backfield, but Strand adjusted and completed a catch to a receiver (couldn’t see the number).
- Cooper Rush also got plenty of run in 11-on-11s, with mixed results. He did toss a beautiful ball to Austin Hooper, which I’m calling a Coop-to-Hoop.
- Cash Jones stood out to me on Friday. He caught an absolute duck of a ball from Rush in 11-on-11s, and recovered well enough for some yards after the catch, and he caught another nice one from Strand on a short out-route, where he hit a spin move to break loose for some YAC again. Stefanski said after practice that Jones’ abilities as a receiver out of the backfield are a big part of the reason they thought he’d be a good fit, and that Jones is also working hard on special teams, which is obviously important for a young player making a case for a roster spot.
- Penix’s 7-on-7s were … not great. I did some sloppy, quick charting, and it’s possible I missed a throw or two, but according to my count, he completed just one pass the entire time he was in there. There are caveats, as there always are in training camp. We know he’s not medically cleared for full practice or contact. He wasn’t dropping back with full weight on his recovering leg or at anything close to full speed, and that does impact pass velocity and accuracy. I’m not worried about the performance because of those caveats, and because Tua appears to be making progress physically. We already know it’s very unlikely Penix will be ready to start the season, and there’s no question Tua’s the best option of the other three, no shade to Cooper Rush or Jack Strand.
- One thing I found interesting was the coaching staff’s use of a fitness/exercise ball for those Penix 7-on-7s. Since they can’t take a risk of any other player falling into Penix’s recovering leg and setting his recovery back, they rolled the exercise ball toward Penix to simulate pressure and create some urgency so he could work on his timing.
- Tyler Goodson broke loose for a really nice gain in Penix’s 7-on-7s.
- Penix did have a nice-looking pass intended for Drake London, but AJ Terrell got there quicker for the PBU.
- Not to be outdone by his big brother, Aveion Terrell picked off Cooper Rush toward the end of practice.
- Bijan Robinson is still holding in, but he’s extremely engaged with his coaches and teammates during practice, encouraging teammates to keep the energy up on Friday. My preference would be to pay the man whatever he wants.
- Tua Tagovailoa has been very impressed with Zachariah Branch! “You can put him anywhere (in the formation,” he said of the rookie out of UGA.
- Kyle Pitts said basically the same thing about Branch, and that he’s not a typical rookie. Kirby’s players always come into the league with more of a pro mindset.
Kevin and Adnan Ikic will be here to cover every aspect of camp on Saturday, so ya girl is staying home to catch up on some season prep and not get up at 5:30 a.m. on a weekend. Gotta stay fresh; training camp is a marathon, not a sprint. I’ll be back at it Monday, and look for the fellas’ takes on Saturday!
