The First Day Back on the Field
Friday, May 14th was the long-awaited day that Nick Sirianni and his young staff took their first steps onto the practice field. Not only was it the new coaching staff's first day on the turf, but the rookies also started Rookie Minicamps. Rookie Minicamps last ten days, and they are the perfect opportunity for Sirianni and his staff to see how good these rookies really are.
In Sirianni's Press Conference Friday afternoon, he said the staff set five goals for the players, which were to compete, learn the basics of the offense, defense, and special teams, get one percent better every day, connect with their teammates, and show the coaching staff what they can do on the field. Sirianni also stated his message to the coaches was to keep the playbook basic and simple so the players could exhibit their abilities. He added that he believes Landon Dickerson and DeVonta Smith are both culture builders and leaders that set a high example.
Sirianni said that DeVonta catches everything, and he also stated that Smith was more impressive in person than the tape showed, which is a great sign for Eagles fans. Philly has not had a receiver with the skillset of Smith's since a young DeSean Jackson was terrorizing defenses back in the early 2010's, and with Smith's work ethic and talent, he has all the makings to be an elite receiver in this league. In the clip below, we see Smith run some sharp routes and make a nice toe dragger on the sideline (which is routine for him).
Nick Sirianni has a history of developing young wideouts throughout his career, and he has said on numerous occasions that his main focus with these young receivers is to get the technique and fundamentals of route running down, because he believes sound route running is key to success. In this clip below, we see the rookie receivers run a simple drill that establishes key fundamentals of route running like sinking the hips and coming back to the football in the same path they ran through.
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