FanPost

Training Camp Observations 8/12/2013

USA TODAY Sports

Hello WCG!

Yesterday I made my annual trip to Bourbonnais to check out the team. You can browse my photos on Flickr.

I'll keep my observations brief.

  1. The Pace. The pace was very fast. Players moved on and off the field quickly, but more importantly the entire team was engaged throughout the day. Coaches were everywhere, giving feedback and teaching.
  2. The Confidence. This is a hungry team. Drills were at near full speed. Receivers attack the ball in the air and the team has some swagger that I haven't seen since Cutler's first camp. Offense and defense are battling more than ever before. In past years, the defense was obviously dominant, this year the offense has some fight.
  3. The Collaboration. This is my fourth training camp. In all that time I have never seen what I saw yesterday. I watched the line drills - 5-on-4 and 2-on-2. After many of the plays, the coaches would pull players aside and give feedback to both offense and defense. But what really stood out to me was that the players were giving each other pointers. In past years the offense and defense would separate at the whistle, with no interaction. The competition was fierce, but the collaboration was cool to see.

I can't say enough about Training Camp. I am so glad the team continues to provide such a great team outreach for free. For my family, there is no better way to connect with the team.


**side note** My daughter almost got a Cutler autograph. She was in the middle of a pack of kids when he stopped to sign. Unfortunately, she was one of the shorter kids in the group and he never saw her football. She was disappointed, but since she really only wanted Robbie Gould's autograph, it turned out okay :)

Editor: If anyone else made it out to camp, drop us some info in the comment section.

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This Fanpost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.