3. Plays of the Day:
In a day mostly dominated by the defense, two plays stood out. The first was an explosive one during the first team period when Spencer Rattler aired one out down the left sideline to Rashid Shaheedwho beat good coverage by cornerback Quincy Riley. Shaheed would haul in the perfect pass for about a 55-yard gain, easily the biggest play yardage wise of Monday’s practice. The one I’m going with though was much more innocent, but equally as important as far as the development of a young quarterback. All three quarterbacks faced repeated defensive pressure Monday, something they got none of in the first four practices. This play took place in Tyler Shough‘s last set of reps during team period. On rep No. 2, Shough again faced pretty solid pressure including an extra blitzer from the outside. However, the first team offensive line provided great protection, forming a tight pocket around Shough, who stepped up inside the chaos, and calmly delivered a perfect strike 20 yards downfield to wide receiver Brandin Cooks who was streaking from right to left across the field. The patience, lack of happy feet, and the accurate throw to a viable weapon might not have been the flashiest play of Monday’s practice, but the most important when you consider a rookie quarterback trying to gain confidence with each passing day. Good stuff.