Usually when we see a clip of players during OTA's, they look like they're sleepwalking through the reps at half-speed at best.

It's hard to get excited about them.

It is guys in shorts. I think about all the coaches get out of this is who is absorbing the playbook and how is keeping themselves in shape. Not a lot else can be done when you are limited to how much you can even use a football.

To me, the most important aspect of these OTAs is something we can't see...and that is how will this coaching staff bring about a tougher mindset.
All the strategic positioning of players , right spot at the right time will enhance the team's performance. What it won't do is build up their will to win. So I'm interested in the skill side comparing position players against each other, but that's not what it will take to bring the SB trophy back to where it belongs.
JMHO

Thank you, Cory, for writing a more reasonable, organized, and less Hawt Take piece.

OTAs are like band camp in HS: it's more about getting the feel of the music and learning where you're supposed to be on the field and how to get there without running into each other. As Sav says, there's no hitting and there's very little run at tempo.

Jordan Love--you meant "now entering his third full year" as starter? Because, you know, it's really his fourth.

Gannon--sometimes players blossom and sometimes they fade with a change in scheme and mindset. This defense needs to play with even more swagger, and it needs to play four full quarters. If LVN is ever going to step up and go from being an average player to being a really good one, this would be the time (you make it sound like he's never played with a hand on the ground). If it doesn't happen now, it's not going to. Edgerrin Cooper needs to be used to the best his talents have to offer. We can all pick players we're watching, but the group needs to move forward together.

Secondary--why do none of the talking chuckleheads even mention St. Juste? He was signed because he's a good fit for what Gannon wants to do, and he's a step up over Valentine. Even if he doesn't play as well as in LA last season, I think he starts across from Nixon to open the season and Valentine is relegated to #4 CB behind Cisse. No doubt they'll need all 4 of these guys this season.

OL--at this point, I think the starters are set. So while the coaching staff will experiment a little--they always do and we're used to the stories about "RT player X getting snaps at C in OTAs" that don't go anywhere in camp--it seems unlikely that anything aside from injury will lead to a change before the games count in September. You'll have to be more specific about who's going to push whom in the competition to watch along the line because the depth on the OL is woefully thin and unproven--the competition is going to be to find 4-5 guys to go on the 53 who can be uncringey backups.

I am more interested and hoping that we go thru this off-season with no major injuries, and that we keep getting positive updates on last seasons injured players, including the always injured Marshawn Lloyd. What a bonus it would be to get Lloyd healthy for a season. Other wild cards would be getting production from Skyy Moore other than what's expected returning kicks. Bonus on top of bonus would be some of the potential showing up for our young backup Edge rushers and our backup WRs.

There is actually plenty to be excited about, I will choose to not go thru the off season acting like Debby Downer with every post.

Pretty much all one can see in OTAs is who is out there and when, and, of course, if anyone is not. This is vanilla stuff in shorts. Maybe some insight into foot technique or a glimpse of explosion or speed. This year though, the interesting thing is what the D will look like. Even if possibly exclusively always in base or vanilla, we should get some insight into formations and coverage approach as well as who is where and when.

Individually the stars should be the smaller, faster types if they do anything at near full speed. There is no contact so WRs and scat backs with speed are typically the most likely to grab attention. How accurate are the back up QBs. Is any WR/TE seemingly forming a connection with a QB? Who is on the second and even third OL and where? On D, which CBs are able to run with WRs at least (though the WRs have a huge advantage without contact, incidental as we as at the catch point)?

One thing I’m hoping to see is how big Cooper looks? Has he retained the size he added last year, that I’m not convinced proved beneficial. Has Oliver added weight? Has anyone else dramatically reshaped their bodies? Is McClellan larger than the slimmed down version at the combine? Are any of the injured active running on the sidelines?

Aaron Rodgers said something recently that resonated with me. It is difficult to determine how effective a player will be until they put on pads.

Paraphrasing:
Rodgers pointed out that while some players speed up and gain massive confidence, others slow down or play with noticeable trepidation once the physical contact element is introduced. It impacts the Offensive Line First: "The biggest and most immediate shift happens at the line of scrimmage, where true blocking, leverage, and rush-pockets can only be determined with pads on"

I hadn't read a Cory article in awhile. This one was going along okay until Cory mentioned the switch to a 4-3 defense, which I thought could be dismissed as a typo until he mentioned the need for Lukas Van Ness to practice rushing from a three-point stance. Yikes.

OTAs are equivalent to shadow boxing, where each player shadow boxes the other. What should matter most in OTA's is which player gets hurt without getting hit by a devastating shadow body blow.

Love needs Time- Period.
New Defense-
Success depends on when Parsons comes back.
Secondary shuffle-
Nixon and Valentine Are still are best bets.
OL - Changes
Morgan needs a
"Underdog Super Energy Pill."
to boost his superpowers.
He'll need it with Banks playing next to him.
The biggest need is DT-
How can anybody forget that.