Monday Rewind

by Brock Huard

60 degrees and raining couldn’t dampen the 12th Man, but it certainly slowed down and slickened the practice field. The team spent a good 75 minutes working through individual and group drills before the 11-on-11 team periods, and there were some more notable injuries and missed reps.

1. Courtney Taylor missed practice with a knee injury and Taylor has to be very careful about missing any opportunities as he is one of six WR’s (Kent, Obamanu, Bumpus, Payne, Hass) vying for just two roster spots. Obamanu is the most natural, Kent the unique package, Payne and Hass epitomize grit, Bumpus is solid and Taylor could easily be on the outside looking in if his knee is problematic.

2. Lawrence Jackson appeared to be battling through some leg soreness but I have yet to see in this camp any explosion off the line. DC Gus Bradley and DL Coach Dan Quinn want more from Jackson, they have pushed him through the offseason and into camp, and the four preseason games will be important for Jackson to produce and make more of an impression than he has through camp.

3. Housh was limping around this afternoon when we saw him before practice, and the ankle injury is not serious. What is serious, however, is TJ and Hasselbeck continuing to grow in their timing and feel for one another.

4. I tried really hard today to figure out which knee Burleson blew out last year and usually a smaller calf or a loss of range of motion can give you a clue, but Nate continues to impress and not miss a rep.

5. Aaron Curry was most impressive in his one on one pass rush and I will watch closely his development in that area. In the team periods he was a bit hesitant and thinking through his assignments rather than reacting, but it is fun to watch 250 pounds move so effortlessly.

6. Walter Jones will hope to be able to get some jogging and running in this week. Without him in the lineup Saturday against SD’s 3-4 defense and downhill pass rushers, I can’t imagine #8 playing very many snaps. I expect to see plenty of the young guys including Curry and Unger getting their first taste of NFL action.

7. Injuries continue to be a major theme of this camp as Spencer, Jones, Trufant, Housh and Taylor missed practice. Tatupu was held out of team drills and this offensive line continues to shuffle around its lineups. For a team so decimated with injuries a year ago, at this point in camp there has not been the catastrophic injury like the PHI Eagles have faced, but there are major contributors and starters continuing to miss valuable time.