1. Jarvis Jenkins continues to stand out in the early part of camp. Remember, this is a second-round pick and he was a productive player in college. He should be expected to contribute immediately. But what’s impressive is that he’s not just a big guy; he has a quick first step for a guy his size. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him put more pressure on the QB in the NFL than he did in college. At Clemson he often had to go down to the nose as the ends applied the pressure. Jenkins shot inside Trent Williams on one rush in the 11-on-11 drill; and on stretch plays to his left, Jenkins was adept at getting some penetration. One benefit to him playing nose tackle in college at times is that it likely prepared him to handle them in the NFL, as he must do in a 3-4.
2. During an 11-on-11 play, Jenkins powered into Kory Lichtensteiger, who eventually grabbed hold of him and put him on the ground. It would have been an easy holding penalty. But the kid isn’t perfect; Williams rode him out big time on another play, prompting the assistant O-line coach, Chris Morgan, to jump up and slap his hands. Ah, yes, but on the next play: Jenkins helped collapse the pocket, along with Adam Carriker, with an inside rush vs. ‘Steiger.
3. The Redskins worked Selvish Capers at left guard this morning. Did not have a chance to talk to anyone about this, but he took a couple snaps there last year as well. Capers must prove that he can play multiple positions, so this is most likely just to see what he can do inside. Saw Joe Joseph explode into him on one play, but Capers rode him out.
4. They also tried Maurice Hurt at tackle in the one-on-one work. Um, he’s not ready. Hurt went three times against fellow rookie Markus White, who got around him easily the first two times. Hurt’s footwork was not quick enough to stop White. Finally, on the third try Hurt set up a little quicker and stopped him. Hurt did play some tackle in college, but the guess is he’ll be limited to the interior.
5. Two receivers with some early drops in drill work: Anthony Armstrong and Aldrick Robinson. Niles Paul also dropped one, but he made up for it later when a Beck throw down the left sideline forced him to adjust by turning to the outside for a diving grab. Maybe this is nit-picky, but if the ball is thrown inside it’s a touchdown.
6. Beck had a better day throwing the ball in the full-team work. But his deep ball still wobbles and at times during the seven-on-seven (or eight-on-eight) he doesn’t always lead his receivers, preventing them from runs after the catch. He also didn’t do a great job on bootlegs to his left, skipping passes in front of receivers on at least two occasions. But he made some nice throws – he dropped one in over the head of safety O.J. Atogwe (playing up by the hash on the left) and just in front of DeAngelo Hall for a completion to Jabar Gaffney. Sweet throw. He also hit Robinson in stride on an out route; Robinson turned corner Dante Barnes inside-out.
7. Still, curious to see how Beck’s inconsistency in leading receivers plays out during the preseason. When people talk about accuracy in the NFL, it’s more about placing it on the correct shoulder than completion percentage. Need to give guys a chance to run after the catch. Maybe it’s a rust thing; Beck did improve on the deep ball since camp opened. And I remember in the minicamps how bad he looked initially, only to get better.
8. Rookie Leonard Hankerson showed the value of extending his arms on a reception when doing so prevented DeJon Gomes from knocking the ball away. Hankerson already has shown he can make big catches, but also has dropped a couple passes (a knock in college) and bobbled others.
9. The special teamers worked on a drill in which they ran the width of the field, using a move to avoid one stationary blocker and then engaging another one about 20 yards later. The key is staying low and using your hands properly. Hankerson did the latter, drawing praise from special teams coach Danny Smith. But fellow rookie Niles Paul wound up with his hands way too much, which Smith pointed out.
10. The Redskins don’t have a swing tackle on their roster, certainly no one better than what Stephon Heyer was in recent years. Now that’s a sentence I thought I’d never type. But it’s true. Selvish Capers is not ready, nor is anyone else. Capers allowed Darrion Scott to get inside him and earlier was moved back by Joseph. Yes, it’s early but it’s still worth mentioning. Capers and Erik Cook were really hurt by the lockout. Oh, and it appears Heyer will be signing with Oakland.
11. Artis Hicks hasn’t had a terrific start either. Adam Carriker went right around him in the one-on-ones; it was too easy. That preceded Anthony Bryant doing the same to Will Montgomery. But at least Montgomery wins his share of battles. Later, Hicks lost to Jeff Stehle; he shoved Hicks back and stood him up. Hicks had trouble staying low early in camp last year as well. Then, in a two-on-two situation, he allowed Carriker to get around him. Finally, in the full-team work Hicks couldn’t react fast enough on a blitz by London Fletcher.
12. Kory Lichtensteiger and Montgomery handled a stunt against Scott and Jenkins. Lichtensteiger and Williams were beaten on a stunt, mainly because Eric McBride – yes, the Eric McBride – got into Lichtensteiger and drove him back. They went one more time and Williams shoved McBride hard enough to knock him off-balance.
13. Brian Orakpo is really staying low on his rushes. He’s always done it, but it seems like he’s even a little lower. Helped him get the edge vs. Williams in a one-on-one; Williams shoved him to the ground and would have been flagged for holding.
14. It’s hard to measure the running backs during these early days of camp. Remember, last year many thought Larry Johnson looked decent. Turns out his speed never changed in the games while everyone else got faster. And because there’s no tackling you never know when a guy might have been tackled (or if he can break a tackle). So you can’t get a good read on them until games start. That said, I do like Roy Helu’s feet. So now you know.
