Camp Rantoul: First practice in pads

This was the last practice for the Blue squad (first and fourth string players) before the two squads merge tomorrow. It was also the first practice in shoulder pads -- Monday and Tuesday were helmets and shorts. They're still not in full pads, as that comes on Friday. But once the shoulder pads go on, the 11 on 11 drills become real football without the tackling. And sometimes with the tackling (i.e. "sorry coach I didn't mean to but after the receiver caught the ball I couldn't get my shoulder out of the way of his midsection").

When this happens, I always watch the line play. There might not be tackling and hitting from the skill positions, but the offensive and defensive linemen get after it. It's the first chance to see how, say, a freshman offensive lineman does against Akeem Spence.

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