Memphis Express Daily Update
January 16, 2019 - Alliance of American Football (AAF)
Memphis Express News Release
Brad Wing of the Memphis Express
(Memphis Express)
TODAY'S HEADLINES
- The Express started practice at 10:15 am CT on Wednesday at Cornerstone Christian School.
- The Express did not wear pads on Wednesday as the team prepares for back-to-back joint practices against the Atlanta Legends and Salt Lake Stallions on Thursday and Friday.
TRANSACTIONS
- WR Dontez Byrd (Tennessee Tech) and DB Martay Maddox (Mars Hill) were added to the Memphis Express reserve list.
HIGHLIGHTS
- With the threat of a pass rush removed due to pads being off, the quarterbacks had no trouble picking apart the secondary in the two-minute drill. QB Troy Cook (UT-Martin) was the first man through, converting five first downs through the air to the tune of 67 yards before a pass break-up by CB Justin Martin (Tennessee) on a fade intended for WR Reece Horn (Indianapolis) ended the drive at the three yard line.
- QB Christian Hackenberg (Penn State) converted two first downs before finding WR Reece Horn (Indianapolis) for a 35-yard touchdown strike up the right sideline. QB Brandon Silvers (Troy) hit WR Xavier Rush (Tulane) over the shoulder for 36 yards, then WR Reece Horn (Indianapolis) for 18 over the middle, and finished the drive from the 16 on a throw to WR Fabian Guerra (Sioux Falls), who dragged his toes in the right corner for a touchdown.
- QB Zach Mettenberger (LSU) needed just three plays to score, finding WR Reece Horn (Indianapolis) down the right sideline for a contested, one-handed grab with a corner draped in coverage. On the very next play, Horn drew a pass interference call in the end zone. RB Jahad Thomas (Temple) finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run on a draw out of shotgun.
QUOTES
- Head Coach Mike Singletary on the offense's performance in the two-minute drill: "Our quarterbacks threw the ball well. It helps when you've got receivers fighting for the ball. I thought our receivers did a great job today, going after the ball, fighting and competing. That's what we've got to see downfield."
- Head Coach Mike Singletary on the decisions to go padless: "I wanted to make sure we didn't have anybody nicked, anybody with sore legs or anything like that. We just wanted to give them an opportunity to have a mental day, to get their legs back underneath them, and get ready to go."
- QB Christian Hackenberg (Penn State) on the value of running through the offense without pads: "We weren't wearing shoulder pads today, so we didn't have a pass rush, and that takes an element out of it. To get out there and not worry about sacks getting called, see guys running their routes, being able to move the ball down the field, managing the clock. Taking that one element out helps us get our legs underneath us, and we'll continue to build upon that."
- QB Troy Cook (UT-Martin) on the improving communication with the receiver group: "We're getting more reps with them. These guys are all very talented players. At first, you may miss a couple of throws because you don't know where they're running or how fast they are. Now, coming into week two, we're starting to feel them out, and that's why they're starting to show out."
- QB Troy Cook (UT-Martin) on the competition inside the quarterback room: "We're all good friends and we all love competition. That's why we play quarterback and why we play football. It's been good competition. Everybody's been nice to each other and there hasn't been any bad blood. It's just been a good, friendly competition."
Images from this story
 Memphis Express quarterback Troy Cook |
 Memphis Express Head Coach Mike Singletary addresses the team at practice |
 Brad Wing of the Memphis Express |
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