I kept an eye on the quarterbacks during our media window, and it was definitely very interesting to watch.
--- I have to start with the thing that stood out most, which was freshman quarterback Roschon Johnson. Maybe he is battling a shoulder injury. It could be the coaches are tinkering with his throwing motion. Honestly, I hope one of those potential reasons might explain what I saw on Friday.
Johnson struggled as a passer during practice. There was no zip on the ball, the passes floated high in the air, and his throwing motion looked forced. During simple play-action drills, he missed a receiver standing still three straight times.
Honestly, I do not want to say anything negative about a young man. I will just say Johnson is definitely a project, and this has to be a learning year for him.
--- Overall, junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger looked good throughout practice. He missed one receiver on a deep pass, but he had great zip on his balls, his throwing motion looks great, and Ehlinger looked like a seasoned veteran during practice.
--- Ehlinger had a nice pass 25-yard pass to Brennan Eagles with no defenders. Ehlinger also rolled left during one drill and connected with Devin Duvernay, who had a spectacular catch with his fingertips before turning up the field.
--- During play-action drills, Ehlinger looked great. At one point, running backs coach Stan Drayton stopped the drills because he wanted the quarterbacks to hold onto the ball longer before throwing a pass. There was a noticeable difference once the quarterbacks slowed down. It was easier to imagine defenders freezing because they were unsure what was about to happen on that play after Drayton’s coaching.
--- Casey Thompson definitely looked a lot better in training camp. He definitely has a strong arm, and his mobility will be an asset if he needs to play this season. We did not get to see him participate in 11-on-11 drills, but the skills I saw should be transferrable during the team portion.
--- Thompson started off slow in practice before heating up. He easily found John Burt and Brennan Eagles in stride on deep passes.
--- I have to start with the thing that stood out most, which was freshman quarterback Roschon Johnson. Maybe he is battling a shoulder injury. It could be the coaches are tinkering with his throwing motion. Honestly, I hope one of those potential reasons might explain what I saw on Friday.
Johnson struggled as a passer during practice. There was no zip on the ball, the passes floated high in the air, and his throwing motion looked forced. During simple play-action drills, he missed a receiver standing still three straight times.
Honestly, I do not want to say anything negative about a young man. I will just say Johnson is definitely a project, and this has to be a learning year for him.
--- Overall, junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger looked good throughout practice. He missed one receiver on a deep pass, but he had great zip on his balls, his throwing motion looks great, and Ehlinger looked like a seasoned veteran during practice.
--- Ehlinger had a nice pass 25-yard pass to Brennan Eagles with no defenders. Ehlinger also rolled left during one drill and connected with Devin Duvernay, who had a spectacular catch with his fingertips before turning up the field.
--- During play-action drills, Ehlinger looked great. At one point, running backs coach Stan Drayton stopped the drills because he wanted the quarterbacks to hold onto the ball longer before throwing a pass. There was a noticeable difference once the quarterbacks slowed down. It was easier to imagine defenders freezing because they were unsure what was about to happen on that play after Drayton’s coaching.
--- Casey Thompson definitely looked a lot better in training camp. He definitely has a strong arm, and his mobility will be an asset if he needs to play this season. We did not get to see him participate in 11-on-11 drills, but the skills I saw should be transferrable during the team portion.
--- Thompson started off slow in practice before heating up. He easily found John Burt and Brennan Eagles in stride on deep passes.
