Max Henson: OTA Observations Day 4

[Saca312]

The Panthers hosted their fourth annual OTA session today, with Curtis Samuel making his first appearance. Max Henson of Panthers.com breaks down important events of today in bullet points in the following:

http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Panthers-OTA-Observations-Day-4/c2279649-712d-4fe6-a219-ed9794342778

Top 5 points of interest:

• Rookie wide receiver Curtis Samuel participated in his first OTA session Tuesday after missing the first week for a family matter. Samuel got off to a great start, making a pair of nifty catches away from his body during an individual drill. As expected for a newcomer, he was rotated in during team periods and spent a lot of time chatting with assistant wide receivers coach Jerricho Cotchery.
• Wide receiver Devin Funchess was back in action after rolling his ankle last week. Funchess had a strong day, making several tough grabs and finding the end zone on a crisp slant pattern in front of safety Mike Adams, who jokingly told Funchess it was “all luck” after practice.
• Undrafted rookie linebacker Ben Boulware is slowly getting more opportunities in team drills, and he’s taking command of the huddle when he’s out there. This isn’t a shocking development considering the leadership and moxie he displayed at Clemson.
• Rookie kicker Harrison Butker easily banged through a 60-yard field goal attempt while the specialists worked on the side field. He seems to be adjusting well to the bigger ball at the pro level.
• Undrafted rookie wide receiver Austin Duke had arguably the play of the day, hauling in deep ball down the sideline from quarterback Joe Webb, much to the delight of quarterback Cam Newton. Duke also earned praise from head coach Ron Rivera for an effective block to spring a big gain on an end-around.

Discuss

[LinvilleGorge]

I honestly had no idea until right now that the NFL uses a bigger ball than the college game.

[Saca312]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I honestly had no idea until right now that the NFL uses a bigger ball than the college game.

Might explain why that Buc 2nd round kicker is straight up garbage.

[LinvilleGorge]

16 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

Might explain why that Buc 2nd round kicker is straight up garbage.

He was always wildly inconsistent from 40+ in college, but was absolutely money inside 40. But, that's assumed at the NFL level. What separates the good kickers from the rest in the NFL is the ability to hit the long ones and the clutch ones. If you arent automatic inside 40, you're not gonna have a job for long.

It definitely explains the NFL's obsession with hand size for ball carriers. Hand size is a huge factor when evaluating QBs and a significant factor for WRs and RBs. Less so for TEs simply because when you're that big, you're probably gonna have pretty decent sized hands by default.

[bleedsgreenandgold]

29 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

 

• Undrafted rookie wide receiver Austin Duke had arguably the play of the day, hauling in deep ball down the sideline from quarterback Joe Webb, much to the delight of quarterback Cam Newton. Duke also earned praise from head coach Ron Rivera for an effective block to spring a big gain on an end-around.

Discuss

 

I didn't give Austin Duke much of chance to make the PS but he so far he is proving me wrong.

[bobsfoodbasics]

Quote

• Rookie kicker Harrison Butker easily banged through a 60-yard field goal attempt while the specialists worked on the side field. He seems to be adjusting well to the bigger ball at the pro level.

[Esch30]

39 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

 

• Rookie kicker Harrison Butker easily banged through a 60-yard field goal attempt while the specialists worked on the side field. He seems to be adjusting well to the bigger ball at the pro level.

Discuss

I always think of this scene from The Office when I see his name.

[Hogmolliesmaht]

34 minutes ago, bleedsgreenandgold said:

I didn't give Austin Duke much of chance to make the PS but he so far he is proving me wrong.

He seems to be making more plays than Byrd right now. We will see how it goes when they put the pads on though.

[ladypanther]

2 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I honestly had no idea until right now that the NFL uses a bigger ball than the college game.

Many years ago, 1st round draft pick Heath Shuler, qb from UT was a bust..initially blamed his problems on the pro ball.

[dpm0409]

1 hour ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I honestly had no idea until right now that the NFL uses a bigger ball than the college game.

I literally said out loud as I was reading the OP "I had no idea the NFL football wasn't the same size as an NCAA football".  Makes me feel better that I wasn't the only one. lol

[csx]

I found something via Google where Matt Barkley discussed the difference. He said it seemed to be bigger bear the ends...between laces and tips...and was easier to throw than college ball.

[ThPantherFan]

2 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I honestly had no idea until right now that the NFL uses a bigger ball than the college game.

Size matters.

[shaqattaq]

2 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I honestly had no idea until right now that the NFL uses a bigger ball than the college game.

 

[UpstatePanther]

4 hours ago, Hogmolliesmaht said:

He seems to be making more plays than Byrd right now. We will see how it goes when they put the pads on though.

Who is taller/more muscular?