Alright I made it a point to figure out who was taking snaps where on defense today. First, Daniel Jackson was out of practice with an ankle injury. He stepped on a teammate during drills on Friday. Not sure how severe the injury is, but wouldn't expect him back right away.

Okay, the first team defense is Left End: Darryll Stinson; Defensive Tackles: Sean Murnane and John Williams; Right End: Kashawn Fraser; Will LB: Matt Berning; Mike LB: Nick Bellore; Sam LB: Alex Smith; Left CB: Vince Agnew; Right CB: Lorenzo White; Safeties: Jahleel Addae and Bobby Seay.

The second team defense is Left End: Joe Kinville; Defensive Tackles: Odino Etienne and Steve Winston (Jackson in here probably); Right End: Caesar Rodriguez; Will LB: Shamari Benton; Mike LB: Mike Petrucci; Sam LB: Armond Staten; Left CB: Anthony Hollis; Right CB: Lavarus Williams; Safeties: Dannie Bolden and John Carr.

There really isn't enough bodies to put an entire third team unit together. I would expect to see all of the defensive linemen cycle in and out during the season and in most nickel packages, Bolden came in for the first team to play the third corner position.

Here are some observations and notes:
-While Taylor Bradley has the coaches praise, right now Matt Torres is with the first team and he made some nice catches in traffic during 11-on-11 drills.
-The quarterbacks threw the ball down field a lot during drills and Derek Rifenbury had a few nice passes to Bradley. Rifenbury looked better to me today than yesterday and seemed to have more confidence.
-Bradley has a lot of speed and agility. He made a nice move on Lavarus Williams on a short pass to break into open field. I think Bradley will be a huge asset in the passing game this year.
-The staff continues to use David Blackburn down field in the passing game. I think he will have a really big year if he stays healthy. The MAC has been notorious for struggling to cover athletic tight ends that can stretch the field.
-One interesting note was there were some frustrations from the defensive line during 11-on-11's and DL line coach Tim Daoust encouraged his guys to talk it out with the rest of the first team defense. They did just that and performed better the next series. I think it is good to have the players take some responsibility with their performance and not just blame other teammates and sulk.
-The kicking game looks to be a little touchy but Richie Hogan does indeed look to be the starter. Freshmen Paul Mudgett and Connor Gagnon also are in the mix, but Hogan seems to be the most consistent.
-On a sad note, don't expect to see Tim Phillips much if at all this season. I guess his arm injury is pretty serious and will have him out a while. The positive in that is that he does have a redshirt year available, so if he is to miss the whole season, he wouldn't lose a year of eligibility.