There were 63 players on hand for the first of two practices scheduled for this voluntary mini-camp and after stretching inside the practice bubble they headed out to the two practice fields. This was the first time in franchise history that the offense wore aqua jerseys and the defense wore white and both units wore bright orange shorts.
Philbin and his staff put the players through some standard individual drills before gathering them together for some team drills. Veteran quarterback David Garrard was among the new free agents signed this offseason that got to make an early impression, along with wide receivers Legedu Naanee and Chris Hogan and tight end Les Brown.
Over on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Gary Guyton, who signed last week the same day as Naanee, tried to blend in with returning starters Kevin Burnett and Karlos Dansby. Jamaal Westerman was another free agent signee working with the linebackers and safety Richard Marshall familiarized himself with the secondary.
Wide receivers Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, Clyde Gates, Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace all were part of last year’s offense and looked comfortable in the team drills the first go around. Gates, Hartline and Bess all made some impressive catches, while on defense cornerback Sean Smith came up with a very nice interception.
When the 90-minute session concluded the players headed back inside to prepare for the late afternoon practice – and Philbin and his staff went back to discuss what they saw.
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