-- COACHES PLEASED: Both coaches liked what they saw in their teams' final full practices Thursday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Each team will have a one-hour walk-through today.
"It was a good day," Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of his North squad. "I think they showed a lot of improvement in everything. We went through work in a lot of situations in getting ready for Saturday. ... It's been a good week."
South coach Jack Del Rio of Jacksonville said his team is ready to go.
"We competed really hard the first three days and we backed them off today so we can kind of get ready for Saturday night," Del Rio said after the South's practice Thursday afternoon. "As coaches, you can never get enough time, but we're keeping it simple and the guys have come in and really worked hard. We're ready to put on a good show."
-- CHANGES: The South team lost four players to injuries after Wednesday's practices and replaced just one of them. Receivers Mohamed Massaquoi of Georgia (ankle) and Kenny McKinley of South Carolina (hamstring), running back Arian Foster of Tennessee (hamstring) and offensive lineman Anthony Parker of Tennessee (ankle) will not play in Saturday night's game. Florida State running back Antone Smith was added to the roster.
"None of them are too serious from what I've been told," Del Rio said of the injuries. "We'll adjust, but both teams are having to do that. That's part of what you do."
The North squad lost one player after Wednesday's workout, as Washington State wide receiver Brandon Gibson suffered a hamstring injury and won't play.
-- HIT AND RUN: West Virginia standout and Vigor alum Ellis Lankster's mission this week has been simple: to prove he is an all-around player.
"I want to show the pro scouts that I'm a cover corner and an aggressive corner too, all in one," Lankster said. "Most cover cornerbacks won't hit, but the aggressive corners can't really cover that well. I'm just trying to show the NFL scouts that I'm both." Del Rio compared Lankster to another player on the South roster ? highly touted Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith.
"He's been competitive and has shown some instinct," Del Rio said. "Much like Alphonso, you can tell they've both been well-coached and understand what they're doing."
-- STAYING UNDER CENTER: Despite hints from Del Rio that he might get some reps elsewhere, Daphne native Pat White has worn a yellow jersey all week and stayed with the quarterbacks. Despite a record-setting career at West Virginia, where he broke the NCAA mark for career rushing yards by a quarterback, many analysts see White as a receiver in the NFL.
"We weren't really going to force anything," Del Rio said Thursday. "Wherever he wanted to play, we were going to give him exposure. He wanted to compete at quarterback and he's done a nice job for us. In terms of other people wanting that look (of White at receiver) at some point, that's between them and him."
-- PLUGGING THE GAPS: Two of the more impressive players in Mobile this week have been a pair of defensive tackles ? Boston College's B.J. Raji on the North squad and Ole Miss' Peria Jerry for the South.
Both Raji and Jerry were projected to be first-round picks before this week and neither has disappointed. Although both played in 4-3 fronts in college, their coaches this week said both would be well-suited to a 3-4 scheme, as well.
"B.J. has explosiveness, he's got strength, he's got that compactness in his body," Lewis said of Raji. "I'm not sure what his reach is off hand, but it doesn't seem to hinder him, whatever it is."
Jerry said despite his high draft projections, he wanted to come to Mobile to compete against the best players in the country.
"I've been getting better each day," he said. "I would say I've had a pretty decent week. I could get better at some things, but you've just got to keep working."
-- LOVE THAT SWAGGER: Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim seems like a mild-mannered guy, which makes it curious that the NFL player he tries to model his game after is none other than Miami's Joey Porter.
"He has a certain swagger to himself," Sintim said of the Dolphins' ultra-confident sack master. "He's almost indestructible ? that's how he comes out. I'd like to try to play with that same swagger. When you step between those white lines, you want to feel like you're the best player out there."
Sintim admitted, however, that his off-the-field demeanor differs greatly from Porter, who is famous for being opinionated.
"His off-the-field thing is a little different than mine," Sintim said. "The way he does it is a little different than the way I do it."
"It was a good day," Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of his North squad. "I think they showed a lot of improvement in everything. We went through work in a lot of situations in getting ready for Saturday. ... It's been a good week."
South coach Jack Del Rio of Jacksonville said his team is ready to go.
"We competed really hard the first three days and we backed them off today so we can kind of get ready for Saturday night," Del Rio said after the South's practice Thursday afternoon. "As coaches, you can never get enough time, but we're keeping it simple and the guys have come in and really worked hard. We're ready to put on a good show."
-- CHANGES: The South team lost four players to injuries after Wednesday's practices and replaced just one of them. Receivers Mohamed Massaquoi of Georgia (ankle) and Kenny McKinley of South Carolina (hamstring), running back Arian Foster of Tennessee (hamstring) and offensive lineman Anthony Parker of Tennessee (ankle) will not play in Saturday night's game. Florida State running back Antone Smith was added to the roster.
"None of them are too serious from what I've been told," Del Rio said of the injuries. "We'll adjust, but both teams are having to do that. That's part of what you do."
The North squad lost one player after Wednesday's workout, as Washington State wide receiver Brandon Gibson suffered a hamstring injury and won't play.
-- HIT AND RUN: West Virginia standout and Vigor alum Ellis Lankster's mission this week has been simple: to prove he is an all-around player.
"I want to show the pro scouts that I'm a cover corner and an aggressive corner too, all in one," Lankster said. "Most cover cornerbacks won't hit, but the aggressive corners can't really cover that well. I'm just trying to show the NFL scouts that I'm both." Del Rio compared Lankster to another player on the South roster ? highly touted Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith.
"He's been competitive and has shown some instinct," Del Rio said. "Much like Alphonso, you can tell they've both been well-coached and understand what they're doing."
-- STAYING UNDER CENTER: Despite hints from Del Rio that he might get some reps elsewhere, Daphne native Pat White has worn a yellow jersey all week and stayed with the quarterbacks. Despite a record-setting career at West Virginia, where he broke the NCAA mark for career rushing yards by a quarterback, many analysts see White as a receiver in the NFL.
"We weren't really going to force anything," Del Rio said Thursday. "Wherever he wanted to play, we were going to give him exposure. He wanted to compete at quarterback and he's done a nice job for us. In terms of other people wanting that look (of White at receiver) at some point, that's between them and him."
-- PLUGGING THE GAPS: Two of the more impressive players in Mobile this week have been a pair of defensive tackles ? Boston College's B.J. Raji on the North squad and Ole Miss' Peria Jerry for the South.
Both Raji and Jerry were projected to be first-round picks before this week and neither has disappointed. Although both played in 4-3 fronts in college, their coaches this week said both would be well-suited to a 3-4 scheme, as well.
"B.J. has explosiveness, he's got strength, he's got that compactness in his body," Lewis said of Raji. "I'm not sure what his reach is off hand, but it doesn't seem to hinder him, whatever it is."
Jerry said despite his high draft projections, he wanted to come to Mobile to compete against the best players in the country.
"I've been getting better each day," he said. "I would say I've had a pretty decent week. I could get better at some things, but you've just got to keep working."
-- LOVE THAT SWAGGER: Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim seems like a mild-mannered guy, which makes it curious that the NFL player he tries to model his game after is none other than Miami's Joey Porter.
"He has a certain swagger to himself," Sintim said of the Dolphins' ultra-confident sack master. "He's almost indestructible ? that's how he comes out. I'd like to try to play with that same swagger. When you step between those white lines, you want to feel like you're the best player out there."
Sintim admitted, however, that his off-the-field demeanor differs greatly from Porter, who is famous for being opinionated.
"His off-the-field thing is a little different than mine," Sintim said. "The way he does it is a little different than the way I do it."
