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

[RainDelay]

The San Jose SaberCats had a very fruitful draft. There were plenty of areas in need of improvement, and the management team of CKRoyal92 and RainDelay was able to fill many of these holes.

One major hole existed on the offensive line. Ben Longshaw is the anchor there, but after losing guys like Tim Tebow and Daniel Robicheaux in trades, they needed some more help. So they drafted three offensive linemen. Three good ones, to boot.

On the first day of practice, Bailey Cook saw more comfort in the eyes of quarterbacks Ethan Hunt and Christian Adams. That's because they had three promising new guys blocking for them, not just the veritable stopgap Ben Longshaw. Vincent Sharpei, selected fourth overall, seemed to make an immediate impact, and is already stepping up as a team leader.

He has helped college standout Jordan Yates and under the radar prospect Braden Sharp adjust to life in the NSFL. It is quite true to say that this draft class has already had a major impact on the building of the San Jose offense, as these linemen will look to give whoever is at quarterback all the time in the world to make the best decisions on the field.

If one day of practice is any indication, this should be a fun, successful season!

[RavensFanFromOntario]

The Las Vegas Legion had an interesting first practice to say the least. Take a bunch of young people, put them in Vegas and shenanigans are bound to happen. Players got drunk, they got high, they got wasted, spent a crap ton of money gambling, inevitably lost it, although I hear Thaddeus Bullard won big at blackjack. Following the night of debauchery the prospects all had to show up bright and early for 6 am practice at The Pit (our team's PR department gets a bit extra when naming arenas, they like to stay with the motif). So Savea comes in, hung over beyond belief and asks for the day off. Naturally, we have him do wind sprints to work on his endurance, you're in Vegas rook, get that tolerance up. Cobb and Bullard come in and immediately vomit on Ramrio's feet. They get to work on boxing (yeah, we do some unique exercises) for their strength. The rest all stumble in and can manage to perform a regular practice, if incredibly sluggishly but naturally, as retribution for their foolish behaviour the team veterans plan a prank and remove the windshield from their cars so they can't drive home without a visit from CAA. Bastard will think twice before they interrupt Las Vegas Legion practice with their dumb behaviour again.

[Julio]

Rafael Reyes had an eventful training camp in Yellowknife, working closely with the coaching staff to refine his skill set. Being a run support cornerback, Reyes already has an athletic and powerful frame to deal with wide receivers, so they focused on his speed and ability to catch the football. Why work on his hands? They always did say that if a CB could catch then he'd be playing WR and that might actually be the care here. Reyes has seen sometime in a variety of positions at Kansas State and will be looking to do the same here. Learning from Josh Garden, a fellow Houston native, has helped out quite a bit. Working with the defensive back, receivers and saw some time with the running backs; but that did not go all too well. A swiss army knife type player might be what Reyes settles in as during his first season, but his sights are set on the CB position where he believes he has the talent to be a pro-bowler despite being selected in the 11th round and being an unusual defensive back.

His versatility is not surprising, and the team seems to be enjoying his competitive spirit for the time being. So much so that they rewarded him with a 3 year 12 million dollar contract after the first practice.

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[TheLastOlympian07]

My first practice in Philadelphia was just about as common as you would imagine. I was a 7th round pick in the recent draft with some hope at becoming an all star player in the future and very mild hope at a franchise quarterback. It was a nice first practice though throwing to Damien Kroetch, Fox North and co. After the practice was the best though, as someone who has not traveled that much in his life, getting shown around Philly was pretty nice. I am glad my teammates were able to go show me around. I look forward to going to Flyer games as I am a huge fan of the NHL and Hockey in general. I also look forward to checking out some Philadelphia Union, Philadelphia Phillies games as I am a huge sports fan in general. Hopefully when we go to some other cities that there is some other sports going on while we are on our off days because I am a huge sports fan.

[JBLAZE_THE_BOSS]

The first training camp with the rookies was just another day at the office for me. I was happy to see that they came in with a pretty serious attitude, even if it was just the first practice. With the way last season ended, and after losing some important players to expansion, we have a big battle ahead of us this season. We need our rookies to play hard and play smart to make sure we can take the next step in this league. I've been working hard for the entire off season and I hope that I personally can improve my play and that the others on the team follow. Rookie Greg Clegane was welcomed back with open arms and I'm always happy to keep a hoss on the offensive line. Since he was a big time first round pick, I had him buy me a delicious steak dinner. He's making big money now and can absolutely afford it. I know that he will make a difference on the line for us this season, just like he did last season. The rookies mixed in with some guys we've got via trade or free agency made for an interesting combination for our first practice.


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[Deusolis]

With Tackle Ben Longshaw, WR Bailey Cook and recently-acquired back Jack Durden to name a few, the SaberCats offense is studded with veteran leaders who can provide leadership to the incoming class. Unfortunately, that wealth of experience doesn't translate to the less glamorous side of the ball. With the exception of a vet-heavy secondary, the Cats defense is notoriously light on experience. While less than ideal, DL Dan Miller and LB A.C. Hackett are seizing the opportunity to mentor younger players.

"THAT'S NOT A 3-POINT STANCE!" More foghorn than man, Dan Miller has made it his personal mission to make sure that the raw D-line shapes up. He leads by example to be sure,  but make no bones about it, he's louder than the coaches on each practice snap. Whatever the rookies lose in terms of auditory clarity they more than make up in newly acquired football knowledge.

On the other side of the leadership coin is linebacker A.C. Hackett. With All-Pro MLB Alexander Selich electing to skip camp, the burden fell to Hackett to instruct the new linebackers. He's not nearly as vocal as the defense scrimmages, but in-between plays he speaks with the surety of a prophet. Lacking the perspective of an elite athletic specimen, Hackett works to teach the game within the game, after all, it doesn't matter how fast you are if you don't know where you're going. He's taken a particular liking to Noah Parker, a player who he's said has flashes of himself.

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[theFlock]

Practice always goes the same way in Arizona. There's a few guys who show up way earlier than everybody, and the rest that show up right on time. In Arizona, its hot as hell. We workout inside, practice inside, eat inside, everything inside. Everybody that comes to the facility, regardless of what they drive, try to find some shade to park in, and keep their windows down. We like to be cool long enough to start them up and get those air conditioners running when we leave.

The rookies are very serious when it comes to showing up on time, but everybody makes mistakes, right? Right guys?

Wrong. Unintentional Holdout, and Rookie Safety, Allen Davis, decided to miss the first day of Rookie Minicamp, and show up late to the first day of OTAs, the vets, mainly Flock and Ernston, decided to teach him a lesson. While he won't mention this out of embarrassment, the two vets waited for Davis to hit the showers before putting their plan into action.

Flock and Ernston went out and found Davis car, windows down obviously, and hopped in to get to work. They filled the AC with powdered sugar went back inside to wash up. We all know Davis always has to look good when he leaves practice, so they anticipate him taking his time getting ready. When the two are finished, Davis is sure enough still not ready, so they head outside for Phase Two. Ernston is waiting with two jumbo bottles of syrup, and Flock with a box of cherries.

When Davis makes his way out, he is ready to leave out, getting into the car and putting his windows up, followed by turning on the AC. What happens next could be described as a "whiteout" as the entirety of his car is a smokescreen of white powder. As he exits the vehicle, Ernston douses him in the Syrup, while Flock unloads all of the cherries on top of him, managing to get quite a lot of them stuck to the rookie.

"How sweet of you to show up to this practice on time for once!" chirped Ernston, "See you on Sundae, bright and Early!" joked Flock.

It's been quite some time since then, but we can assure you that Davis is one of the first people to leave, and a little more cautious when leaving. He leaves his windows down when he turns the AC on, and is supposedly still smelling the sweet air of defeat while driving home.

@XxpurplepurpsxX @Valtookan

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[Kronen]

Don't let the cuddly and cute mascot lull you into thinking otherwise: Otters are fearsome competitors and hard workers. This story is entirely my own and can serve as a warning for rookies entering the league.

As I unloaded my pack of the rather posh team bus from the airport, the warm welcome of the administrative staff and the brief tour of the facilities was cute short by this monster of a man storming into our board room. With a fist slammed down onto the table, we were told in no uncertain terms that we had 15 minutes to be in helmets and cleats, low contact practice gear, or we would wish we were. Angus Winchester is not someone you forget when you meet him for the first time. I certainly will never forget our first meeting and the grueling practice that came after.

All my weaknesses were out on display. I was told that in no unequivocally that I was already falling behind my other safety drafted Isaiah McGinn. His hands and his taking skill put mine to shame! But Angus focused fist on my lack of speed. This first practice was devoted entirely to shoring up thus weakness. I focused hard, ran my ass off, pushed myself and was able to increase my speed by a sizable portion this first week. It's not enough though...I'm going to need a lot of work in the coming weeks to not let my otter brothers down.

[dave]

For any team, the first few practices before the preseason can be rather eye opening. Maybe that rookie picked in round two isn't as good as you thought they were, or maybe that guy all the way down in round 11 is making plays like a champ. For a young team like the Philadelphia Liberty, these first few practices mean even more than they mean to almost any other team. Being an expansion team, the Liberty only have a handful of players who played in season one. The bulk of the Lib's roster is made up of rookies from the season two draft. While other teams have a pretty good idea of what to expect going into these early practices, for a young team such as the Liberty, the results can be surprising. One player who has made waves within the organization is none other than first round pick Fox North. After the shocking position change that brought Lincoln Jefferson over to the defensive side of the ball at safety, North looks to be the WR 1 going into season two. Despite being young, the way North is playing you wouldn't be able to pick him out of a group of five year veterans. North has already built up the speed and agility required for him to make quick cuts along routes that he runs, and North has great hands, rarely letting a ball slip once he gets a glove on it. Practice is looking like a game in the park for North as he makes big play after big play. Although it is still early on in the year, make sure to keep an eye on Fox North as the Liberty's season progresses.

[loco]

BIG BOT ARCHIVE: YETI TRAINING SESSION ONE

>> target acquired: torque_lewith, quarterback

BIG BOT: PREPARING FOR QUARTERBACK TERMINATION.

>> tackling routine initiated

TL: Please stop, please stop!

BIG BOT: QUARTERBACK'S MUST BE TERMINATED.

TL: I'LL SWITCH I'LL SWITCH!

BIG BOT: TO WHAT.

TL: SAFETY.

BIG BOT: SAFETY.... DEFENSE.... GRANTED.

>> tackling routine cancelled

Coach: We really need to find a way to keep him from killing our quarterbacks. Like. If these keeps up we're going to have no quarterbacks left.

Jon Ross: I have some spare programming knowledge. I can maybe fix that.

>> humor protocol engaged

BIG BOT: HAHA. IT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME YOU THREW A BLOCK FOR A QUARTERBACK. HAHA.

>> entering sleep mode

>> waking up

Coach: Thanks Ross. Get back in there Big Bot.

BIG BOT: I WILL NOW KILL THE QUARTERBACK

>> initiating tackling protocol

BIG BOT: PREPARE TO BE TACKLED.

>> tackle finished

BIG BOT: QUARTERBACK IS STILL ALIVE. WHY IS QUARTERBACK STILL ALICE.

Coach: Seriously. Thanks Ross.

Ross: No problem. Can I be moved up in the lineup?

Coach: You would have to catch a pass first.

>> humor protocol engaged

BIG BOT: HAHA. IT IS FUNNY BECAUSE YOU ARE BAD. HAHA.

Coach: Thanks BIG BOT. Just please stop trying to kill your teammates.

>> recording ended