Tag: Practice

Dennis Allen says Trevor Penning abandoned his technique vs. Cardinals

Trevor Penning noticeably struggled in the Saints’ preseason opener. Dennis Allen sees two reasons for his missteps:

Trevor Penning noticeably struggled in the New Orleans Saints’ preseason opener with the Arizona Cardinals. Penning entered the preseason game as a player many had an eye on, having been moved to right tackle after making too many mistakes on the left side to this point in his career. The offensive line as an unit as a unit was under the microscope, so it wasn’t difficult to notice his struggles.

It wasn’t just Penning. The offensive line struggled as a whole, but Penning’s struggles come with a heightened level of concern. Dennis Allen identified two major reasons as to why the third-year player struggled against the Cardinals: inexperience and abandonment of fundamentals.

Penning hasn’t played a lot of football, period, in the NFL. Most of his rookie year was lost to injury and he was benched early in his second season. Now, he’s switching over to a new position. Allen believes this being the first preseason game has something to do with it. The timing allows for some optimism. Penning has time to figure these things out.

But technique has to be cleared up. Allen said that he “saw some things that I hadn’t seen necessarily seen out here at practice from a technique and fundamental standpoint.”

Penning showing improvement in practice is good, but it’s irrelevant if it doesn’t translate to the game. He can’t fail to set his feet and get pushed around by opponents smaller than him. Allen knows this and stressed that he must see the improvement shown under the bright lights.

There have been doubts if Penning will ever make good on his first-round draft status. This year will likely be his last chance to quiet those doubts. He’s entering a make-or-break season while changing positions. The clock is ticking.

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A.T. Perry trending upward at the right time in Saints preseason

A.T. Perry was a star of the preseason opener. Is he beginning to hit his stride after a slow start to Saints training camp?

A.T. Perry’s arrow is trending upward for the New Orleans Saints at the right time. The second-year Perry stole the show versus the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason game on Saturday night. At Sunday’s training camp practice, Perry came back and had a strong practice.

That’s back-to-back good performances for a player who struggled at the start of training camp. Conversations about the third receiving option haven’t included Perry. This is why he needed a good performance in the first preseason game of the year. He delivered.

Dennis Allen acknowledging Perry as a willing blocker may be the most positive statement he’s made about Perry since the game. In Klint Kubiak’s offensive system, blocking is important for receivers out in space, and earning reliability in the role could help Perry hold onto his position on the depth chart behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

Perry entered the offseason on an upward trajectory. He became a part of the offense in the last eight games of his rookie year after Michael Thomas went down with an injury, and capped his debut with two touchdown catches  in the season finale. It was expected he’d be a big factor in the Saints offense.

He offered a frame the Saints lacked (at a listed 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds), but the beginning of camp put those expectations in doubt. After a strong preseason debut and a follow up practice the next day, he could be trending back to the A.T. Perry we saw at the end of 2023.

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Former Wisconsin RB, Super Bowl 52 legend visits Philadelphia Eagles training camp practice

Former Wisconsin RB, Super Bowl 52 legend visits Philadelphia Eagles training camp practice

Former Wisconsin running back and Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl 52 hero Corey Clement visited the Eagles 2024 training camp practice on Sunday.

The versatile running back is a free agent entering the 2024 NFL season after spending the last few seasons on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.

Related: Every former Wisconsin Badger currently on an NFL roster entering 2024 training camp

Clement played for Wisconsin from 2013-2016. He appeared in 39 games over those four seasons, rushing for 3,092 total yards and 36 touchdowns.

2016 was Clement’s best in his college career. He helped lead the Badgers to an 11-3 record with 1,375 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 314 carries, plus 12 receptions and 132 receiving yards.

The 2016 first-team All-Big Ten running back went unselected during the 2017 NFL draft and signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent.

Clement’s Eagles tenure was by far his best as a professional.

His rookie season in 2017 included a career-high 74 carries, 321 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He played a critical role in the Eagles’ 41-33 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, catching four passes for 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Clement’s career never took off after that. He played for the Eagles until the end of the 2020 season, primarily seeing time on special teams. He then spent 2021 with the Dallas Cowboys, and 2022 and 2023 with the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite a lack of longevity, Clement’s career will always be remembered in Philadelphia thanks to his Super Bowl performance. His third-quarter touchdown reception remains one of the more impressive, and improbable, plays in Super Bowl history.

 

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Carson Wentz, Skyy Moore building chemistry at Chiefs training camp

Check out this video of Carson Wentz and Skyy Moore building chemistry at #Chiefs training camp ahead of Kansas City’s preseason kickoff.

On Thursday, fans were treated to more explosive highlights from the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp, with two unlikely heroes taking center stage.

Backup quarterback Carson Wentz and third-year receiver Skyy Moore were the latest players to be featured on the Chiefs’ social media pages after the pair connected for a long gain against Kansas City’s superb secondary during practice in St. Joseph earlier this week.

Check out this video, which was posted by the Chiefs’ official Twitter account, of Wentz’s outstanding connecting with Moore, which featured a beautiful grab from the rising receiver after a beautiful pass by the Super Bowl LII champion:

 

Exceptional throws like this have become routine for Wentz during the Chiefs’ workouts at Missouri Western State University, and while fans in Kansas City will hope that he isn’t forced into action in 2024, the former first-round pick seems to be in rare form heading into the preseason,

Expect Wentz to continue looking Moore’s way during the Chiefs’ exhibition tilt against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Patrick Mahomes at training camp practice: ‘Dude, I didn’t put my pants on’

Patrick Mahomes had an… interesting wardrobe malfunction during a recent practice session at #Chiefs training camp.

Everyone has forgotten something important while getting ready to leave the house for work at least once, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is no exception to that rule.

At a recent training camp practice, the veteran quarterback took to the field without his pants pads, and hilariously realized his mistake on the field at Missouri Western State University, telling his teammates:

“Oh dude, I didn’t put my pants on… [Do] you think anyone notices?”

The humorous moment was caught on video and shared to the Chiefs’ official Twitter account, where fans were quick to get in on the joke after Mahomes explained his embarrassing mistake on camera:

Though Mahomes was able to get his wardrobe corrected on the sideline, he isn’t likely to live down this hysterical gaffe any time soon.

Expect to see the reigning Super Bowl MVP (fully dressed, including his pants pads) take the field this Saturday when the Chiefs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first preseason exhibition.

WATCH: Patrick Mahomes connects with Mecole Hardman on tricky shovel pass

Patrick Mahomes had to go deep into his bag of tricks to connect with Mecole Hardman during this impressive play at #Chiefs training camp.

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering a crucial phase of their training camp in St. Joseph, and Andy Reid’s offense appears to be firing on all cylinders ahead of the team’s first preseason matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week.

Between one-on-one drills and the dreaded ‘long drive’, which is a staple of Reid’s training camps, the defending Super Bowl champions have been hard at work striving to replicate last season’s success.

Patrick Mahomes gave fans at practice a great look at what the team has been up to in recent weeks during Kansas City’s workouts on Friday when he completed a tricky shovel pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman during throwing drills.

Take a look at this video of the play below, which was posted by KC Sports Network on Twitter:

 

With two new receivers in Andy Reid’s intricately designed offense, Mahomes may be forced to call on this kind of quick thinking and scrambling ability to help lift the Chiefs to victory next season.

WATCH: Speedy WR makes leaping catch at Chiefs training camp

Take a look at Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown’s latest highlight-reel play from #Chiefs training camp.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed veteran wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown during the 2024 offseason to bolster their struggling receiving corps.

Brown is not expected to eclipse second-year receiver Rashee Rice on Kansas City’s depth chart, but the team hopes the former first-round pick will be able to compete for targets from Patrick Mahomes on Sundays.

At Chiefs training camp practice on Friday, Brown showed off his exceptional speed and jumping ability while hauling in a pretty throw from Mahomes during passing drills.

Take a look at this video of Brown’s spectacular leaping catch, which was posted to Twitter by user @EddieHigh:

Brown has been one of the most impressive players on the field at Missouri Western State University, and the chemistry he is building with Mahomes in St. Joseph will surely benefit the defending champions during the regular season.

Keep your eye on Brown during the Chiefs’ preparations for their first preseason matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 10.

Cut by Steelers, Marquez Callaway flew home and learned he was joining Saints

Cut by the Steelers this week, Marquez Callaway took a flight home and learned he was joining the Saints when he disembarked:

It’s a good thing he already had his luggage. Marquez Callaway was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, July 30, and caught a flight home to Las Vegas the next day. Four hours in the air later, he told FOX 8’s Garland Gillen, he disembarked and took a call from his agent — who told him the New Orleans Saints were interested in bringing him in for the rest of training camp.

So Callaway turned right around and boarded another flight bound for Los Angeles, joining the Saints at UC Irvine in time for their Aug. 2 practice session. He picked the No. 82 jersey after previously wearing Nos. 12, 1, and 10.

“I’ve got kind of a tie to this city, so the conversation wasn’t bad,” Callaway told reporters after practice on Friday. “They called me and told me they needed me, and come here.”

Callaway spent the 2023 season on the Saints practice squad, and he only joined the Steelers back in January, but he returned to a very different team from the one he knew. This is his third stint with the Saints and he’s met his fourth position coach. Keith Williams was hired this spring, replacing Kodi Burns, who was hired after Curtis Johnson took over when Ronald Curry moved to work with the quarterbacks. Longtime teammates like Michael Thomas and Keith Kirkwood aren’t in the room anymore. Neither are youngsters he took under his wing like Shaq Davis. It’s Klint Kubiak writing his playbook, not Pete Carmichael.

He’s facing a tough path to a roster spot, but at this stage in the summer all guys like Callaway can hope for is the opportunity to make his case: “Nothing is guaranteed, still got to work, still got to compete out here. That’s what everybody is doing out here. As long as we get a chance, go out there and show them, all we can do is pray and show what we can do.”

Four receivers are dealing with injuries right now, which prompted the Saints to re-sign Callaway and bring in Samson Nacua. Cedrick Wilson Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown, and rookie draft pick Bub Means were each banged up this week and missed practice. Another rookie, Jermaine Jackson, left Friday’s practice early with an undisclosed injury. It’s a good bet that Callaway could get on the field in next week’s preseason game with the Arizona Cardinals. And if he can make a couple plays? At that point it’s anyone’s guess.

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WATCH: Louis Rees-Zammit makes outstanding catch at Chiefs training camp

#Chiefs RB Louis Rees-Zammit looked like a seasoned veteran during training camp after hauling in this impressive catch at practice.

The Kansas City Chiefs are taking a brief break from training camp on Saturday before making a final push to prepare for their first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week.

Before their short breather on Saturday, Chiefs players put on a show during workouts earlier in the week, showing fans what they should expect during Kansas City’s Super Bowl defense campaign in 2024.

During Friday’s practice session on the field at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, promising young running back Louis Rees-Zammit made an incredible catch deep downfield in one-on-one drills.

Check out this video of Rees-Zammit’s impressive grab that was posted by @ArrowheadLive on Twitter:

Though Rees-Zammit isn’t likely to push Isiah Pacheco for a starting spot in Andy Reid’s offense, plays like this are a good indication that he is adjusting well to life in the NFL as a rookie, and may make an impact for the team as a backup this season.

WATCH: Patrick Mahomes throws while blindfolded, dizzy at training camp

Patrick Mahomes took his trick passes to another level on Friday after Kansas City’s practice session at #Chiefs training camp.

Patrick Mahomes has been a rock for the Kansas City Chiefs during his six years as the team’s starting quarterback but may be in for a challenge this season if he is forced to implement a new trick pass that he practiced after workouts concluded at training camp on Friday.

While fooling around with his teammates in St. Joseph, Mahomes tried his hand at throwing while dizzy and blindfolded, and found moderate success given the unique circumstances.

Check out this video of Mahomes’ outrageous attempt to maintain his accuracy while disoriented, which was posted by KC Sports Network on Twitter:

Despite missing the target on his first attempt, Mahomes was quick to rebound after getting acquainted with his surroundings and settling into a rhythm with the help of fans who cheered him on.

Expect to see more antics like this during Chiefs training camp as Kansas City’s players prepare for a Super Bowl defense campaign in the NFL’s 2024 season.