First day of pads is always a good one…nerves, extra energy, aggressive tendencies, and the mandatory scuffles that come with them.

It wasn't only the players getting into it as the coaches had to bust into action a couple times to quiet things down and regain control. One of those was Coach Van, who took a lump of his own, and now has his first battle scars of the pre-season. He also made it a point to mention the work new Head Strength Coach Brian Remington has done with the team in the off season, commenting on how strong the squad appears.

Coach Schnellenberger took in the session from atop the Oxley balcony, and likened it to his former mentor, Bear Bryant, whom he said never came down off of his tower unless there was something to deal with.

"From time to time over the years we try to get upstairs, and can tell the tempo better and different things", said Schnellenberger.

Too early to tell some things, but one thing that is observable is the intensity of the defense.

Yourhighnness Morgan is still not cleared and was in street clothes, and with the LB core already somewhat thin, everyone will need to stay healthy as things ramp up and the practices continue in full pads.

Coach Jackson worked with the new receivers as well as some returners, but one thing is for sure - the new guys will have a chance to contribute right away, whether that be on special teams or on offense.

He said he is looking for some guys to step it up and separate themselves from the pack and there are about seven right now in the hunt

Sounds like camp could get very interesting from the air attack perspective before it is all said and done for the back-up spots behind DeAndre Richardson and Marcus Cunningham.

The team will enjoy their first three-a-day tomorrow beginning at 8:00 a.m., and hold their first scrimmage on Friday.

Below are some shots from today's session…

Good competition in the secondary today…below Christian Milstead (R) and Treon Howard (L) get after it…

Your starting center for the day, Jordan Sessa…nice to have him back in the line-up…

And his back-up, Christopher Chappell…Jimmy Colley was not in attendance this afternoon…

Coach Schnellenberger took the action in from up high…

Old School "Bam Bam" Morris busted the moves as usual…

You can name this one…

;D

Left is Cortez Ash, currently "limited" in practice due to extra-curricular activities back home…

No, your eyes do not deceive you…that is Graham Wilbert on a QB scramble…his team mates got a tickle out of this one.

His counterpart, David Kooi, had some moments of frustration with the snap count, and occasionally the snap itself…here's one:

Back over in the coaches camp, Coach Van is busting up brawls, and taking his bruises as a result…