Landry Jones turning the corner?
- [Ravens] Defensive tackle Casey Walker was placed on active PUP because of knee tendinitis.
- Don't look now but ... [Steelers QB] Landry Jones has put together two solid days in a row. He's looked crisp, no glaring mistakes, the decision-making is there. It's early, but that has to be encouraging for him after an uneven offseason workouts performance and a slow start to camp.
- Landry Jones has had a rough go of it since the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the fourth round in 2013, but, if Friday night was any indication, that may be changing.
Jones enjoyed what may have been his finest practice with the team as the primary quarterback. Subbing once again for Ben Roethlisberger, and of course Bruce Gradkowski, who's on the PUP list, Jones completed at least his last 10 passes during full team scrimmages. The counting didn't begin until the start of the second of three such scrimmages.
"Yeah, I felt pretty good," said Jones. "It seems like there's just always those one or two plays a day. Today there really wasn't. We'll see on film tomorrow, but yeah I thought I had a pretty decent day."
Jones has been quarterbacking the first team much of this week, since he's likely to see most of the work in the Hall of Fame Game next Sunday.
While Thursday's practice was an improvement over Wednesday's workout, Friday's practice was even better. He was asked if the ball ever hit the ground Friday night.
"Yeah in those seven shots it did," he said of the two-point conversion drill that opens each practice. "That was probably one of a couple of plays."
Jones threw mainly short passes early, but once he found his rhythm the passes traveled further. His final two passes gained 15 yards (to Will Johnson) and 20 yards (to Markus Wheaton). Not only was he accurate with his short and intermediate throws, he zipped a couple of passes complete to the far sideline, and he's never looked so decisive.
"It's all coming together," Jones said. "I'm seeing the plays better and I'm feeling more comfortable inside the offense."
- Your impressions of Landry Jones so far?
[Steelers HC Tomlin:] I thought he had a good day today. Just largely I haven’t quantified it in any way. He did some nice things with the extra snaps we gave him today. That’s all you’re looking for when you take the time to give a guy an extra snap or two. You’d like to see him take advantage of it with execution, and I thought he did that.
- Landry Jones got all the first-team snaps for the ‘7 shots' drill to start practice. In the drill, the ball is placed at the 2-yard line. Jones converted 2 of 3 attempts — a pass to Jesse James and a slant to Antonio Brown. The second-team didn't have as much success, only punching it in — with a DeAngelo Williams run — in four tries.
- [Jags Position Battles to Watch] ] No. 2 Cornerback
The Jaguars signed Davon House to be a starter and that is undeniable. After him though, there remains a bit of a mystery. Demetrius McCray ended last season as a starter and Dwayne Gratz has started throughout his career, so the team has starting experience on the roster. The unit also has intriguing second-year defensive back Aaron Colvin who has gained a lot of traction since recovering from ACL surgery late last season. Those three players are the main combatants for the spot opposite House.
Of the group, Gratz has the most experience, McCray has the ideal size and Colvin has the most potential. It should be an interesting battle as Gratz told First Coast News that all three rotated during the offseason program. The losers of the battle will become nickel or dime defenders, which in today's NFL, are pretty heavy gigs. McCray or Colvin seem to be the fanbase's preference but don't rule out Gratz who has done all he can this offseason to become more versatile and consistent.
Winner Prediction: Aaron Colvin
- [JAGS PLAYER] MOST LIKELY TO BREAK OUT (DEFENSE)
Cornerback Aaron Colvin got a taste of the NFL last year, making it back from a January 2014 ACL injury to play in the final six games, during which he showed a nose for the football and a willingness to stick his helmet into mix while playing the run. He starts camp as the nickel (slot) cornerback, but if he gets a chance and then shows up playing outside, the Jaguars shouldn’t hesitate making him an every-down player.
Colvin played in only six games, including one start, as a rookie in 2014, and the Jaguars couldn’t be happier with what they saw out of the former Oklahoma standout.
He made 25 tackles, knocked down two passes and returned a fumble for a touchdown. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider the fact that Colvin didn’t even begin practicing until Oct. 22 and didn’t make his first appearance in a game until Nov. 23.
That came 10 months after he suffered a torn ACL during Senior Bowl week, an injury that caused him to drop from being a potential second-round pick (Mel Kiper Jr. rated Colvin fourth among corners) to a fourth-round pick. That could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft.
The Jaguars plan to play the 6-foot, 186-pound Colvin at nickel back, which is essentially another starter because the Jaguars started five defensive backs seven times in 2014. He’s an aggressive, physical corner- but athletic and speedy enough to handle slot receivers as well as tight ends.
The thing to like most about Colvin is the fact that he makes plays. His two pass breakups in 256 snaps were just one fewer than what starter Demetrius McCray managed in 789 snaps. His fumble recovery went for a 41-yard touchdown that gave the Jaguars a 22-21 fourth-quarter lead over the Giants in a game they would eventually win 25-24.
That was one of three defensive touchdowns the Jaguars scored in 2014. Cornerback Dwayne Gratz and linebacker J.T. Thomas had one each. Gratz played in 15 games and Thomas in 16.
Now that Colvin has had a full offseason to work out, participate in OTAs and minicamp, and continue to learn the defense, the expectations for his second season are pretty high for a player OU coach Bob Stoops called one of the best defensive backs to play for the Sooners in Stoops’ 16 seasons.
If he meets those expectations, he’ll be the defense’s breakout player.
- [Ravens] Defensive tackle Casey Walker was placed on active PUP because of knee tendinitis.
- Don't look now but ... [Steelers QB] Landry Jones has put together two solid days in a row. He's looked crisp, no glaring mistakes, the decision-making is there. It's early, but that has to be encouraging for him after an uneven offseason workouts performance and a slow start to camp.
- Landry Jones has had a rough go of it since the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the fourth round in 2013, but, if Friday night was any indication, that may be changing.
Jones enjoyed what may have been his finest practice with the team as the primary quarterback. Subbing once again for Ben Roethlisberger, and of course Bruce Gradkowski, who's on the PUP list, Jones completed at least his last 10 passes during full team scrimmages. The counting didn't begin until the start of the second of three such scrimmages.
"Yeah, I felt pretty good," said Jones. "It seems like there's just always those one or two plays a day. Today there really wasn't. We'll see on film tomorrow, but yeah I thought I had a pretty decent day."
Jones has been quarterbacking the first team much of this week, since he's likely to see most of the work in the Hall of Fame Game next Sunday.
While Thursday's practice was an improvement over Wednesday's workout, Friday's practice was even better. He was asked if the ball ever hit the ground Friday night.
"Yeah in those seven shots it did," he said of the two-point conversion drill that opens each practice. "That was probably one of a couple of plays."
Jones threw mainly short passes early, but once he found his rhythm the passes traveled further. His final two passes gained 15 yards (to Will Johnson) and 20 yards (to Markus Wheaton). Not only was he accurate with his short and intermediate throws, he zipped a couple of passes complete to the far sideline, and he's never looked so decisive.
"It's all coming together," Jones said. "I'm seeing the plays better and I'm feeling more comfortable inside the offense."
- Your impressions of Landry Jones so far?
[Steelers HC Tomlin:] I thought he had a good day today. Just largely I haven’t quantified it in any way. He did some nice things with the extra snaps we gave him today. That’s all you’re looking for when you take the time to give a guy an extra snap or two. You’d like to see him take advantage of it with execution, and I thought he did that.
- Landry Jones got all the first-team snaps for the ‘7 shots' drill to start practice. In the drill, the ball is placed at the 2-yard line. Jones converted 2 of 3 attempts — a pass to Jesse James and a slant to Antonio Brown. The second-team didn't have as much success, only punching it in — with a DeAngelo Williams run — in four tries.
- [Jags Position Battles to Watch] ] No. 2 Cornerback
The Jaguars signed Davon House to be a starter and that is undeniable. After him though, there remains a bit of a mystery. Demetrius McCray ended last season as a starter and Dwayne Gratz has started throughout his career, so the team has starting experience on the roster. The unit also has intriguing second-year defensive back Aaron Colvin who has gained a lot of traction since recovering from ACL surgery late last season. Those three players are the main combatants for the spot opposite House.
Of the group, Gratz has the most experience, McCray has the ideal size and Colvin has the most potential. It should be an interesting battle as Gratz told First Coast News that all three rotated during the offseason program. The losers of the battle will become nickel or dime defenders, which in today's NFL, are pretty heavy gigs. McCray or Colvin seem to be the fanbase's preference but don't rule out Gratz who has done all he can this offseason to become more versatile and consistent.
Winner Prediction: Aaron Colvin
- [JAGS PLAYER] MOST LIKELY TO BREAK OUT (DEFENSE)
Cornerback Aaron Colvin got a taste of the NFL last year, making it back from a January 2014 ACL injury to play in the final six games, during which he showed a nose for the football and a willingness to stick his helmet into mix while playing the run. He starts camp as the nickel (slot) cornerback, but if he gets a chance and then shows up playing outside, the Jaguars shouldn’t hesitate making him an every-down player.
Colvin played in only six games, including one start, as a rookie in 2014, and the Jaguars couldn’t be happier with what they saw out of the former Oklahoma standout.
He made 25 tackles, knocked down two passes and returned a fumble for a touchdown. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider the fact that Colvin didn’t even begin practicing until Oct. 22 and didn’t make his first appearance in a game until Nov. 23.
That came 10 months after he suffered a torn ACL during Senior Bowl week, an injury that caused him to drop from being a potential second-round pick (Mel Kiper Jr. rated Colvin fourth among corners) to a fourth-round pick. That could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft.
The Jaguars plan to play the 6-foot, 186-pound Colvin at nickel back, which is essentially another starter because the Jaguars started five defensive backs seven times in 2014. He’s an aggressive, physical corner- but athletic and speedy enough to handle slot receivers as well as tight ends.
The thing to like most about Colvin is the fact that he makes plays. His two pass breakups in 256 snaps were just one fewer than what starter Demetrius McCray managed in 789 snaps. His fumble recovery went for a 41-yard touchdown that gave the Jaguars a 22-21 fourth-quarter lead over the Giants in a game they would eventually win 25-24.
That was one of three defensive touchdowns the Jaguars scored in 2014. Cornerback Dwayne Gratz and linebacker J.T. Thomas had one each. Gratz played in 15 games and Thomas in 16.
Now that Colvin has had a full offseason to work out, participate in OTAs and minicamp, and continue to learn the defense, the expectations for his second season are pretty high for a player OU coach Bob Stoops called one of the best defensive backs to play for the Sooners in Stoops’ 16 seasons.
If he meets those expectations, he’ll be the defense’s breakout player.
