There was a pretty good crowd at Falcon Stadium for the Kids’ Day festivities, and the scrimmage. Here’s some highlights from the football side of it:
- Outside linebacker Jamil Cooks showed up with the first-team defense again on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt said nothing should be read into that alignment, because players were getting moved around in different packages. But there is at least a little significance to Cooks’ move this late in camp. This might be the most wide open of the remaining starting position battles.
- The cornerback position opposite Anthony Wright hasn’t been settled yet, and probably won’t be until the end of next week. Steffon Batts has been with the starters all week, but Chris Miller had a nice interception Saturday. Josh Hall is also in the mix. Batts probably needs to have a good week next week to win the job.
- Parker Herrington still seems like the leader in the placekicker race. Erik Soderberg has been the primary kickoff specialist. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said those two are even for the placekicker job.
- The backup tailback spot seems to have a new leader, as Anthony LaCoste took most of the first reps with the starting offense on Saturday. Darius Jones did have a nice run of about 15 yards, followed by an 8-yard run, so he should still be a factor.
- Receiver Acey Palmer is coming on strong. He had a few very nice plays on Saturday including an impressive catch down the sideline. He does have a problem with consistency, which isn’t surprising for a young player. But he could be a factor this season if he continues to make plays.
- Brandon Hirneise made a very nice play, grabbing what would have been a 97-yard touchdown after beating the defense deep (the coaches whistled it and said it would have been a sack, but it didn’t take away from Hirneise’s play). Hirneise started camp as the primary backup to Zack Kauth, lost some ground to Mikel Hunter when he missed some days with a minor injury, but should still be a big part of the offense.
- Wes Cobb didn’t do anything to lose ground at fullback, getting a tough 10-yard touchdown.
“I think Wes Cobb is a warrior,” coach Troy Calhoun said. “He’s a rock in there.”
Mike DeWitt also had a short touchdown run later. He might enter the season as the backup, but Calhoun singled out both fullbacks when asked who has stood out in camp this week.
“Both the fullbacks, you see, are capable guys,” Calhoun said.
If there’s a third fullback getting in the mix, it could be Broam Hart, who got plenty of work Saturday.
How is the depth at nose guard? How is the depth on the defensive line?
Exciting day of football! Solid offensive and defensive performances from many of the returners. Numerous surprises from several freshmen who will definetly contribute immedaitely to the overall success of this year’s team. GO FALCONS!
What does the depth chart look like at tight end?
Its funny – I don’t worry about weakness at the positions that are undecided (OLB, CB, K) half as much as I do about the ones that are (DL. TE).
Depth chart at TE has looked the same – Joshua Freeman, then Daniel Pickett, and Devin Durden being a guy who has gotten a long look (and he has done well – he’s a key part of most special teams as well).
And yes, I don’t think “undecided” means bad. At CB, for example, I think they have a lot of intriguing options.
Depth at DL is still very unproven, IMO. They want to play a lot of guys, but most of the guys after the top 4 (Gardner, Payne, Kopacka, Kehs) just haven’t played a lot.
what about harrison mcwilliams at outside linebacker?
McWilliams has almost exclusively been with the third team, Air Force has been pretty consistent with Hennessey, Cooks, Means and Atrice on the top two teams, in some order.
Pingback: Polnische Band | Polnische Hochzeitsband | MOTET