Just as some players disappoint in the public eye at All-Star games in January, there are also some who aren’t household names, yet they step up and stand out. After rewatching the Shrine Game telecast and reviewing practice notes, I have a group of such players I wanted to highlight for you. TYLER JONES OG NC STATE 6’3/298… Read More »
No rain, sunshine, cool but not frigid…. Yeah, let’s play some football. More than likely the media and NFL scouts were very happy to see decent conditions to watch the final two practices of the week. I am still struggling to find new grounds to establish QB separation down here. It feels like every time I see something… Read More »
Today, being Sunday, is my day of rest before steering my car the 500 miles from Clermont, FL to Mobile, AL on Monday, MLK Day, to cover Senior Bowl week. Like many of you I will be watching NFL Play-Off games today, but before doing that and packing, I wanted to wrap up Shrine Week for you. The… Read More »
The last day of full practices had a lovely weather start in the morning for the East squad. Temps were in the low 50’s with a bright warm sun shining down. Wednesday is the last day of full contact practice for this game, so the intensity level is high given that it’s the last chance for some guys… Read More »
On the ground again in St. Petersburg, FL for Day One of the 2018 Shrine Game practices. Because of the morning National Scouting player weigh-in, which the press is strangely barred from, both Monday practices are in the afternoon. The temps had risen to the low 60’s with mostly clear skies and warm sunshine. The EAST took the… Read More »
Its an off-day for the East-West Shrine squads so let me take this opportunity to post my Shrine All-Practice Team for the week. Offense QB ALEK TORGERSEN/PENN 6’2/215 #15 RB JOE WILLIAMS/UTAH 5/11/202 #28 RB De’VEON SMITH/MICHIGAN 5’11/224 #2 WR AUSTIN CARR/NORTHWESTERN 6’0/201 #80 WR DEANGELO YANCEY/PURDUE 6’1/220 #88 TE ERIC SAUBERT/DRAKE 6’5/247 #85 T SAM TEVI/UTAH 6’5/312… Read More »
Today was the peak practice day of the week. Thursday will begin the wind down as the teams get prepared to play a game on Saturday with game planning and walk-throughs. Spirited play and hard hitting contact highlighted both practices Wednesday. But first let me mention the most shocking thing about this week in my world. For the… Read More »
For some reason, and unlike next week’s Senior Bowl, Monday’s weigh-in session at the East-West Shrine game currently underway in St. Petersburg is not open to the media. Of course, the numbers always eventually leak out – here courtesy of the Sporting News is this year’s data – but there really doesn’t seem to be any reason for… Read More »
Another sunny and warmer than normal January day in Central Florida and just before the East morning practice began the field was invaded by a complete crew of area referees to oversee practices and give players tips on what penalties might have been called and why. Good idea says Pigskin Paul. The more I see of Kansas S/Fish… Read More »
Monday marked the first day of practices for Shrine Week in St. Pete. Partly cloudy skies which gave way to full sunshine by late afternoon and a high temp of about 78F. The EAST SQUAD took the practice field at Shore Crest Academy on the North side of town. A miscellaneous group of mostly young NFL assistant coaches… Read More »
Players will begin showing up for the Shrine Week activities this weekend, with the game scheduled for the 21st. Sunday will be the day that players find out what this game is really all about with visits to the Shriners’ Children’s Hospital in Tampa. ‘Strong legs run, so weak legs may walk’. This year’s event will mark the… Read More »
by Pigskin Paul Guillemette That faint echo you hear is the wailing and gnashing of teeth around the NFL in Personnel Departments as they pore over game tape from yesterday’s SHRINE GAME action and realize there is no way to deny the poor quality of QB play Saturday, other than the lone exception of VERNON ADAMS/Oregon. And with… Read More »
by Grumpy Lindsay, GBN Editor and Publisher The small SHALL inherit the earth … That was the theme of the football sermon during Saturday’s East-West Shrine all-star game in St. Petersburg where Oregon QB Vernon Adams was the unquestioned star of the game. Indeed, while the other QBs all struggled to one degree or another, Adams who looked… Read More »
Hopefully you have been following my practice reports all week and have some ideas of what to watch for this afternoon. But at the risk of shooting myself in the foot let me start the gameday coverage with some projections and other last minute observations. The good news for most fans is that I still expect both Head… Read More »
Thursday was the final day of real practices, and was spent mostly on Special Teams work. Both practice sessions looked like ghost towns compared to earlier in the week. NFL Personnel people pretty much all left town Wednesday night or Thursday morning. NO doubt most are headed home to see their families before jumping back into things next… Read More »
Wednesday is always the highlight day of Shrine Week. The players have had three days to meet with their coaches and absorb football information. Hopefully they have assimilated that information and can execute on the grass based upon it. So today is the day that the coaches ramp up the intensity and pace of practice. And of course… Read More »
It was a crisp and windy morning in St. Pete Tuesday with temps in the low 40’s as the East practice began. Being almost on the bay meant the wind was coming in crisply across the cold Winter water of Tampa Bay. I ran into PACKERS GM TED THOMPSON entering the field area. When I asked him how… Read More »
SHRINE WEEK has begun, with perhaps the best overall quality rosters in over a decade. Being a former teacher one of my first tasks at each practice is to take roster attendance. Everyone present and accounted for at the East practice session. However, one big absence later on at the West practice. Perhaps the No. 1 Draft prospect… Read More »
