Thoughts on Rookies in Preseason 1

I finally got to watch the game this morning and I thought we showed some really good promise overall- I certainly didn't see the doom and gloom that others mentioned. Yes, we were weak against the run and yes, our quarterbacks did see some pressure at times, but it most cases it was our 2nd string vs Tampa's starters. Tannehill and the starting O-line were only on the field for one series and I thought we looked pretty good for just two weeks of practice.

I really wanted to talk about the rookies and free agents though because that's where I saw the most potential.

Let's start on defense, where I kept my eyes on Fitzpatrick and Baker the whole time. Seriously, I never once looked at Tampa's QB or even the LOS because I wanted to see the reaction and pursuit of these two individuals more than anything. And honestly, they were both incredibly impressive after just two weeks of practice- both looked to be in playing shape and moved around the field excellent.

One series in particular stands out- on 1st and 10, Tampa sets up a little screen pass. Baker sees it before the ball is even thrown and he slashes between the two lead blockers to make contact as the ball arrives. He stays low and wraps the legs, and ended up hanging onto an ankle for dear life as he makes the stop 1 yard behind the LOS. Not a perfect play by any means but excellent read, excellent explosion and pursuit....you couldn't ask for much more.

On the very next play, it's a deep route along the left sideline and somebody had blown their coverage (I don't know who because I was only watching Fitz/Baker at this point). Fitzpatrick is near the center of the field as the ball is thrown, way out of position to do anything about it, yet he pursues the receiver at the correct angle and is about a yard past him as he makes the catch. Fitz not only tackles him at full speed, but he also throws an uppercut between the receiver's two arms and knocks the ball loose for an incompletion. AMAZING PLAY that told me all I needed to know- he has speed, vision, pursuit, technique...he looked like a 5th year vet on this play.

So it's now 3rd and ten and it's about a 6-7 yard pass over the middle. Who's the first to make contact? Fitz. He crushes the receiver for awesome back to back plays and prevents any yardage after the catch. Throughout the day, you rarely saw a play where Fitzpatrick wasn't within 1 yard of the ball carrier by the time the whistle blew....he was everywhere.

Another quick note- Fitz stayed in covering the slot receiver and you could just see his instincts. Sometimes he played press coverage. Sometimes he stayed 5-6 yard off the LOS, but then at times he'd bull-rush the receiver anticipating a screen (and a pick-6). He was reading the Tampa QB's beautifully all day and was almost never out of position.

Back to Baker. His stat line wasn't huge but the guy was in the backfield all day long stalling out plays. He seems to have a nose for the ball and was always in motion- the kid plays very fast and I wouldn't be shocked to see him as a day one starter on the weak side. He's a baller.

Over to offense, I'm going to pass commenting on Gisecki and Amendola because they were used sparingly. Gore didn't play at all so no comment there either. Our rookie TE could have had two different TD catches but the ball was thrown poorly both times...he did his job though and that's about all I have there. I didn't watch him on run downs on the first watch-thru so I'll save that for later...I'm sure he looked like a rookie TE that's not a good blocker though.

Although many had high praise for Ballage, I personally didn't love him. He's a one cut power back with very nice speed and I will say he was hitting the holes hard. The only time he really tried to make anyone miss was a hurdle attempt where he fumbled mid-air...the rest of the time he just pounded forward and went as far as the D allowed him to go. I think he did okay for his first preseason game so I'll save judgement for down the road.

Perry however, that kid looked like a stud. He's a Barry Sanders type runner who can cut at will without losing speed and he was juking people out of their cleats. I thought he was out best offensive performer on the entire day and I'm crossing my fingers that he makes the roster.

Wilson was also impressive playing all over the field and making the most out of each catch. Although we brought him in as a Landry-like replacement, it's clear that they are two very different players. He's not going to run over anyone....he's going to make you miss and then smoke everyone down the sidelines.

Overall, all our early round rookies had pretty good days....Fitz and Baker had amazing days for their first time out.

For the QB competition, both Fales and Osweiller were off....Osweiller was way off though and couldn't seem to find any rhythm at all. He looked awkward scrambling, he missed multiple TD passes (under-threw Grant, missed Gisecki) and it felt like I was watching a rookie who was over his head. I'm rooting for the guy but he had no energy at all in the huddle and just looked like a defeated player out there...he would be one of my first cuts.

And of course, we have to say something about Tannehill. His very first play was a naked bootleg pass....which is the same play he tore his ACL on last season. I almost guarantee you that he asked to run that play and he executed flawlessly. RT looked really solid and you could feel the energy in the huddle- I am very excited to see him play this season.

As others have pointed out, it was very vanilla play calling all day long to evaluate the team. I thought we did a really good job in most facets of the game. Again, run defense choked a few times but it's week one with 2nd stringers...I'm not that worried just yet. Fitz is going to be a superstar though and Baker will be a long-term fixture on the outside, plus you can see Gisecki becoming a household name as well. I don't think we could have done better in the first three rounds of the draft at this point.

 

To me, Osweiler was painful to watch on those early drives...I'd take Fales or Petty over him in a heartbeat. Brock did a little better in the 4th quarter but I still couldn't see him in a real game for any team. I was very disappointed.

One surprise I didn't mention was WR Owasu....who was everyone's favorite target in the 2nd half. It seemed like the game plan was to run it or throw the bomb to Owasu; we really didn't see anything else. I doubt he makes the roster but he put up a decent case to be considered anyway. He looked like a solid practice squad player anyways if someone doesn't snag him for this size/hands.

 

He was 4 for 6 on one drive mainly with players he's only been around for two weeks. To me, that's impressive. My comment was more about how he was moving and reading the field though- it's obvious he's 100% back and that's all any of us wanted.

On the defensive side of the ball, remember that several starters did not play....and two of the starters were rookies (3 if you count McMillian). It wasn't a good showing by any means but I did see promise for being two weeks in.

 

Several analysts thought Fitz was the #1 defender in the draft.....possibly the #1 player in the draft. Everyone knew that there was going to be a run on QB's early and that Chubb would probably go top-3 as well, but even so Minkah had no business still being on that board at 11. He really shouldn't have been there at 5...which is why I think a lot of folks passed on him (they already had someone else in mind since they figured he'd be gone already). It wasn't a position of need but I have a feeling that we'll be saying that we can't live without him in a few seasons. He really feels like a generational player and I'm thrilled we have him.

Baker is nowhere near that level- I just loved his instincts, speed and pursuit. He has a lot to work on but I have a good feeling that he'll get there and be a solid contributor for awhile.