Scrimmage standouts, impressive youth and more from Narduzzi
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Pat Narduzzi recapped Saturday's scrimmage, talked about standout players and more on Monday morning.
NARDUZZI: We had a great weekend, a very, very productive scrimmage on Saturday. I’m going to guess, maybe in the 145, maybe 151 total reps that we got with special teams included. A lot of great productive work, from special teams to offense to defense; finished up exactly like we’d like to. I feel good about where we are after those 11. I think it’s important for everybody to get into Heinz Field. You get to see who kind of, you know, can play in that place, in that environment, from a corner to a quarterback to a D-tackle to a kicker. We finished up at the end in a two-minute situation and Kessman kicks a 52-yarder with the noise going crazy. It was pretty intense two-minute and then we pulled the offense and the defense, everybody, just behind him huddled up. Guys were throwing hats at him and just trying to get on him, and he put that thing right through the middle. So it was good, but it was more than good. It was through the middle and it probably would have been - it didn’t crawl over the bar. It would’ve been good from 62, 70, I don’t know what the heck. It was good. Put it that way. It wasn’t just, oh wow, he just made it. It was really good.
WHO ELSE IMPRESSED YOU ON SATURDAY?
NARDUZZI: Oh boy, there’s a lot. Who impressed me is more, ‘Who shocked you?’ more than anything. It’s like, you know, I could go through a lot of names and I’d forget somebody. Both quarterbacks impressed me. But like I said, I’ll miss somebody. So who shocked me - who showed up that you weren’t sure what was going on? Again, Damarri Mathis continues to impress at the corner spot, as well as Maddox, but the shocking is him. Patrick Jones, at defensive end, with Rashad Weaver - both have been impressive. Inside, Shane Roy has been good. Linebacker, Elijah Zeise - I probably haven’t talked about him enough. He’s been very good. And again, didn’t shock me but very, very solid.
Bryce Hargrove on the offensive line has done a nice job that you go, wow, he’s ready to go. He’s getting there. Flanagan, Clark both did a really, really nice job. And those two freshman tailbacks, AJ Davis and Todd Sibley, got a lot of reps and showed that they can make some plays with the ball in their hands. They just need more and we need to make sure that they’re doing the right thing all the time.
AT WHAT POINT ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THE TEAM WHO THE STARTING QUARTERBACK IS?
NARDUZZI: When it’s evident to everybody.
HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU’LL END UP COUNTING ON THOSE FRESHMEN ON DEFENSE, WHETHER IT’S REDSHIRT FRESHMEN OR TRUE FRESHMEN.
NARDUZZI: We’ll find out. We’re 11 days in with another 11 to go, 12 to go here until game week. So we’ll find out. But I’m not afraid to put them out there. That’s why we’re getting this practice against everybody: to find out, do you feel comfortable? And if we feel comfortable out here, we’re going to feel comfortable in a game. If we have questions now, then we’re probably not going to put them out there.
HOW HAVE WHITEHEAD AND QUINTIN WIRGINIS RESPONDED TO HAVING A ROLE THIS TRAINING CAMP?
NARDUZZI: They haven’t really had as reduced a role; they’re getting a lot of reps in and they’re getting their work in, and they’ve reacted like we would. They’re great kids and they’ve reacted like you’d like them to.
YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT THE FIELD SAFETY; WHAT ABOUT THE BOUNDARY SAFETY WITH BRIGGS AND CAMPBELL, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM THEM?
NARDUZZI: Briggs, Campbell and probably another guy - I don’t want to say shocked me, but through last week - Henry Miller has been like, the lights turned on. And they’re bright. Fluorescent. And there’s a lot of them. So Henry’s gotten himself in the mix as well. But Briggs has done a great job. So has Phil and so has Henry. They’re all - like I said, the lights came on for Henry. Phil has been doing a good job; the lights were on when camp started. Henry, the lights have turned on, and he’s a big athletic guy.
THAT’S A POSITION WHERE YOU NEED EXPERIENCE TO MAKE THE COMMUNICATION CALLS. DOES THAT GIVE BRIGGS A LITTLE BIT OF AN EDGE BECAUSE HE’S BEEN AROUND THE DEFENSE A COUPLE YEARS?
NARDUZZI: Yeah, Briggs has the edge because of experience, and experience is critical to development and the mainstay of the defense. So yeah.
DID AARON MATHEWS SCRIMMAGE WITH YOU GUYS ON SATURDAY?
NARDUZZI: He was out there.
IS PARIS FORD GETTING CLOSE TO THE POINT OF NO RETURN?
NARDUZZI: You already told me he was good last week.