(S2) - Weekend PT #2 - Rookies first practice

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Today the Philadelphia Liberty held what is not only the first practice for their new rookies, but also the first full practice in team history. The bleachers were packed with reporters from all over Philadelphia hoping to catch a glimpse of the promising young talent this team has to work with. The defense looked really sharp on the field, led by now starting Safety Lincoln Jefferson who seems to have made a dramatic turnaround after his car accident and subsequent surgery. It's amazing to see what he and starting rookie linebacker Tucker Perry have done to get ready for the season after transitioning to defense shortly after the S2 draft. The secondary looks like it could be one of the best in the league already, they were playing hard and fast out there.

On the other side of the ball, however, is where more of the interesting preseason storylines for this team lie. The notable absence of rookie holdout Matt James has been well documented in statements by James himself and his agent. Regardless, rookie first round pick Micah Hendrix hopes to anchor this line and pull together whatever talent is available to have a good showing in the preseason. But, the most alluring show will be the QB camp battle between likely starter Jameis Christ and rookie Shawn Brady. If Brady shows well early on the team may have a tough decision of who to start for week 1 of the regular season. Both players looked good in drills, but neither was without their miscues. Christ seems to have good command of the offense, but made some foolish mistakes such as a deep pass into triple coverage that was easily picked off by Tyler Oles. Brady on the other hand looked nervous being out there for the first time and had trouble handling a few snaps early on. He had a good practice once he got more comfortable but it's clear from a development standpoint he is still behind Jameis. If he can find his composure in the preseason he could be the surprise starter week 1. It will be interesting to see how this team does in it's first season, but for now it seems like building chemistry between players who have never played with each other, rookies and veterans alike, is the main goal.

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