First of all, from my view the quarterbacks did a good job taking care of the ball for the most part during Monday's practice session. There was an interception of Brandon McIlwain that was just an excellent play by Jamarcus King more than it being a very poor play or decision on McIlwain's part.
As for McIlwain, I always take note of his arm strength when I watch him throw live. He can throw the ball with plenty of velocity and get it out quickly. Although the 11-on-11s were not fully “live” tonight, it’s pretty clear that the offense has a different element with run/pass options when McIlwain is on the field. He missed a streaking Korey Banks over the middle on one particular throw and had a couple other balls that were not totally on point, but I thought his throwing performance was solid overall. McIlwain had a nice ball that he zipped in to Christian Owens over the middle for a touchdown late in the team drills.
Orth of course will not give the running juice within the offense that McIlwain will, but he seemed to have a good command of the offense. He underthrew one deep ball and overthrew another, but turned in a practice the staff would be pleased with, I would think. The ball did not go down the field a ton today, but Kurt Roper’s offense features a lot of trying to stress the defense by throwing it both horizontally and vertically. Orth did a good job of taking advantage of quick, open passes.
When Jake Bentley was a freshman at Byrnes High, I scouted him at a seven-on-seven tournament and his team (Byrnes B) ended up splitting the title with Byrnes' A squad. In the last game I watched Bentley play inside Williams-Brice, he did not miss a pass, putting the ball wherever he wanted. Now a freshman (in college this time) and inside Williams-Brice once again, I was reminded of that performance because he was chucking it up and down the field with precision. He had more than one ball dropped that he laid in perfectly down the sideline. Oddly enough, one of his “worst” throws was the last play of practice and went for a touchdown – when he scrambled out to the right and chucked it up for walk-on Shemar Glenn.
It's important to remember a few key facts, chief among those being that Bentley is still behind McIlwain and Orth from a reps perspective and from a knowledge standpoint because of his summer arrival. He’s also been working with – and against – a lot of backups and/or third teamers during practice given that Orth and McIlwain have been splitting the first team reps. The talent, though, is undeniable. It would be hard for anyone to watch Bentley throw it around the yard and not be high on his potential. He is not afraid at all to throw it downfield and looks comfortable operating the offense and distributing it all over, even with his limited experience.
As for McIlwain, I always take note of his arm strength when I watch him throw live. He can throw the ball with plenty of velocity and get it out quickly. Although the 11-on-11s were not fully “live” tonight, it’s pretty clear that the offense has a different element with run/pass options when McIlwain is on the field. He missed a streaking Korey Banks over the middle on one particular throw and had a couple other balls that were not totally on point, but I thought his throwing performance was solid overall. McIlwain had a nice ball that he zipped in to Christian Owens over the middle for a touchdown late in the team drills.
Orth of course will not give the running juice within the offense that McIlwain will, but he seemed to have a good command of the offense. He underthrew one deep ball and overthrew another, but turned in a practice the staff would be pleased with, I would think. The ball did not go down the field a ton today, but Kurt Roper’s offense features a lot of trying to stress the defense by throwing it both horizontally and vertically. Orth did a good job of taking advantage of quick, open passes.
When Jake Bentley was a freshman at Byrnes High, I scouted him at a seven-on-seven tournament and his team (Byrnes B) ended up splitting the title with Byrnes' A squad. In the last game I watched Bentley play inside Williams-Brice, he did not miss a pass, putting the ball wherever he wanted. Now a freshman (in college this time) and inside Williams-Brice once again, I was reminded of that performance because he was chucking it up and down the field with precision. He had more than one ball dropped that he laid in perfectly down the sideline. Oddly enough, one of his “worst” throws was the last play of practice and went for a touchdown – when he scrambled out to the right and chucked it up for walk-on Shemar Glenn.
It's important to remember a few key facts, chief among those being that Bentley is still behind McIlwain and Orth from a reps perspective and from a knowledge standpoint because of his summer arrival. He’s also been working with – and against – a lot of backups and/or third teamers during practice given that Orth and McIlwain have been splitting the first team reps. The talent, though, is undeniable. It would be hard for anyone to watch Bentley throw it around the yard and not be high on his potential. He is not afraid at all to throw it downfield and looks comfortable operating the offense and distributing it all over, even with his limited experience.
