Though several players said it has been years since they last participated in similar drills, Glenn said the group has bought into his philosophy.
“The principles of this game will never change — this game is about running, blocking and tackling,” he said. “And if you don’t practice that — me as a head coach, how am I giving our guys a chance to win? The only way to get better at something is to rep it. I’m not saying we’re going to tackle every practice. But the thing is, we’re going to put ourselves in position to do it, or we’re going to do it.”
The drill once again featured some intriguing matchups and highlights. CB Sauce Gardner and WR Garrett Wilson faced off first, and a matchup between LB Quincy Williams and RB Breece Hall followed. Marcelino McCrary-Ball made an aggressive stop on WR Malachi Corley (that saw the receiver temporarily lose his helmet), and S Andre Cisco and S Jarius Monroe were more than willing to mix it up with RB Braelon Allen. Allen, who said that physicality is “a part of my game that’s already instilled in me,” embraced the reps.
“I think you’ve definitely got to tackle,” Allen said. “And I’ve got to feel getting tackled. I liked it, I enjoyed it. I have to make more people miss than I did today, so that will be the goal going forward. But it was fun for sure.”
The offensive and defensive lines also got their first taste of more contact during several drills throughout practice. Quinnen Williams showcased his explosive ability, getting inside on John Simpson on one rep, and rookie Armand Membou continued to gain valuable experience against Will McDonald IV.
Glenn continued to emphasize details and discipline. There were a few penalties during practice that Glenn said must be cleaned up as he once again delivered a clear message — “undisciplined teams lose games.”
“Obviously the first day in pads, a day that we’ve all been looking forward to,” Glenn said. “And like most teams, once you get to that first day, everybody’s thinking about the physical part of it. And actually, what goes to the wayside is the discipline and the details. That kind of showed up today, which I expected. But I thought the guys bounced back fairly well as practice started to progress. So, I’m proud of that.”
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