Wide receiver Andre Holmes walked away from the Blue-White scrimmage Sunday feeling good about how he felt, but not about how he played.
“I felt like it was my best practice in regard to how I felt on the field, physically,” he said. “There are some plays I should have made. I finished strong, but there’s plays I need to make.”
The plays he needs to make are all of them, but particularly the ones where he is supposed to take advantage of his 6-foot-4 height.
He went up twice for passes in the end zone and failed to come down with them either time. He leaped for a high pass at the goalpost and got his hands on it but couldn’t secure it on the way down as he was tackled. He also got his hands on a fade in the back left corner of the end zone, but cornerback Orlando Scandrick knocked the ball away as Holmes tried to secure it at his waist on the way down.
“It’s just you’ve got to come down with it,” Holmes said. “I wouldn’t say it’s technique or anything. It’s just come down with it. That’s the bottom line.”
Holmes will have to show more to move up in the line for the No. 3 receiver spot, although he does have more size than his competition for the spot. But the first-year player got out to a slow start by failing his conditioning test, which meant he missed the first three practices of camp.
Still, he’s not down on himself.
“I’m happy I got myself in position, because I feel a lot better in my routes and my running,” he said. “My third day in pads, I’m just getting myself in there. And then with the playcalling, I felt a lot better. The language is just starting to roll through my head easily.”
Other receivers had a better day. Tim Benford caught two touchdown passes, Cole Beasley caught a touchdown in seven-on-seven, and he drew a holding call in the end zone. Raymond Radway helped himself, too, although a pass for him was intercepted when Lionel Smith stepped in front of him.
“There were a couple of plays I had that I caught a couple of balls that I felt like they’re gong to notice whenever we watch film,” Radway said. “I felt like I did a good job today. There are still things I have to clean up. But that goes with all of football.”
-- Carlos Mendez
Twitter @calexmendez
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