Saturday, August 4, 2007

Practice Wrap - 8/4

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun spent most of Saturday’s practice up in a filming tower, Dan Devine-style.

But Calhoun said he’d only do that “once in a while. It just makes it where you can see a whole field. Especially on days where you’ve just got so much going on on different fields, it just makes it so much easier to observe.”

Onto some thoughts:

Who stood out: Freshman cornerback Reggie Rembert. I wrote about this in a notebook that will appear in Sunday’s Gazette, but it bears repeating here. This kid was impressive. He’s fast, he’s quick and he has the instincts to help him stay all over receivers. He has the skills to play the press coverage Air Force wants to employ, and don’t be surprised if he sees a lot of playing time in the secondary this year.

Calhoun also noted that Rembert might return some kicks. Now you’re talking. If Rembert can catch punts consistently, he could be a great weapon this year for the Falcons.

Lasting image: Sophomore strong safety Chris Thomas smashing into tight end Travis Dekker and putting Dekker on the ground. Not that notable except for the fact that the Falcons still aren’t in full pads. Thomas just can’t wait to hit. I get the feeling if the equipment staff forgot to bring his helmet and shoulder pads to the stadium for a game, Thomas would play without them.

Coach’s quote: “The thing with football that’s a constant is you’re always evaluating. It’s every single day. You better do something as a player or as a coach to make yourself a little bit better. And if what you did yesterday starts to look too good to you, that means you haven’t done anything today. That’s football.” – Troy Calhoun, in talking about players who are sitting out practice who shouldn’t be.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jake...great comments. I made most of yesterdays practice and noticed the upbeat attitude and the fire on the defensive side of the ball as you've commented on. Yes...it's no pads...but it's not 'no contact'. Alot of interesting things going on on both sides of the ball. The biggest thing I noticed on defense was the talk between the players...directing movement before the play, critiquing each other after the play, high fives and 'next time try this..."...Good stuff. Oh...and I'm not sure who get more excited after a good play...the players or the coaches!! Thanks for the words!!

jake.schaller said...

All true. There have been plenty of big hits - Thomas' was one of many - the first few days of practice. I'm looking forward to full pads and the "lightning" drill that coach Calhoun has promised to run 30 minutes into Monday's practice.
Time, as one player said, to separate the men from the boys.

Anonymous said...

Jake:

first and foremost, thanks for your comments and this blog...its absolute greatness!

secondly, what are the chances of reggie rembert starting this season? is making that kind of a push and, if so, do you think it might happen for the first game of the season?

V9

jake.schaller said...

V9 -

Thanks for the note. As for your question, I think it's definitely within the realm of possibility that Reggie Rembert cracks the starting lineup this season. He stood out from the moment he first touched the field. He has great speed, but even more impressive is his recovery ability - when a receiver cuts, he can stop on a dime and go with him. More importantly, the coaches seem really excited about him. And Calhoun has made it clear that he ahs no problem starting freshmen if they are ready to play.
Now, all that said, if I had to wager on it, I'd say Carson Bird and Garrett Rybak - both of whom have looked good so far in practice - will hang onto their starting positions.
Even if Rembert doesn't start, however, I'm sure he'll see the field as part of some nickel packages or in reserve duty. And perhaps as a returner.
Thanks again for the note.