The second day of spring practice took us back to Bronco Stadium, out of doors, into the biting wind whipping though the blue-sky air.

I sat in the sun on the east side, right at the 50-yard line, four rows up. I can’t believe how good the seats are. We watch the regular-season game six stories up above the top row of the stadium. Sure, we can see the overall game better, but I admit a certain jealousy toward the fanatics who buy these seats, see the game from this angle, so close to hear the sounds of the game.

The attention to detail in drills abounds. Something as simple as footwork mid-tackle can be a determining factor in a game. So in practice, Jeff Choate’s linebackers practiced the footwork today, to make sure you leap off one foot as you try to bury a ball carrier.

If you leap off both feet, the angle won’t be right, you won’t get the lift you need to take him off his feet, smash his back against the turf. Lead off one foot, the toe-tips of one foot and you create the minute angle requisite in the maneuver.

It’s a challenge to keep my eyes trained on a single man among a hundred. But still, I watched keenly for Tyler Jackson, who I interviewed today. He switched to the offensive side of the ball, in hopes to use his speed in the slot. He may have that ‘thing’ but I’m not sure if he has the hands for receiver. Once he really commits to the change and gets that behemoth playbook under his arm into his mind, then I think we’ll see the best of him.

I also talked to Raphiel Lambert, who is now a tailback. He’s a short, stocky back, carries the ball a little high (ala Emmitt Smith) and also has that look to him, a light discomfort in the new position (he played cornerback since coming to Boise). Read the Friday Times-News to hear Lambert and Jackson tell their stories.

The offense ran today, because turnovers make Pete blow his horn (literally, he carries an air-horn in his pocket throughout practice).

Jonathan Brown (5-10, 202, redshirt freshman safety) made the play of the day, stepping in front of a Joe Southwick pass (a little tight-end 6-yard curl). Brown ripped the ball away for the sudden change. The defense (Billy Winn) recovered a fumble on the following play. The consecutive turnovers got the chatter going. This is a competition, albeit tempered. The defense tends to dominate spring practices and that’s true again this season. I didn’t see any breakaway offensive plays today (excepting a well-set-up screen to Malcolm Johnson). No touchdowns in my notes, but that’s expected in some of these drills. To score would be at least a 40-yard play. Wait for goalline drills, and red-zone scenarios, then they’ll score more.

Aaron Burks seems to have made a step. The quarterbacks trust him more, and though he’s still not getting to every ball, you can sense an innate desire to get there every time. His effort and comfort level in the offense have increased. Geraldo Hiwat also has picked up his game. Both these guys are big targets, lanky and getting stronger. They won’t be 1’s on this roster, not this year, but they will get there. Neither is a bust. You know, I can’t see any busts out there. Everyone works, again, even the injured, who did curls and jerks with 45-pound plates on weight bars, tossing them to each other. Keep it tough, challenging and different.

I have Tommy Smith, Aaron Tevis and Jamar Taylor all down for pass breakups in team drills. Quaylon Ewing got a pick — the receiver fell down and the pass was all his, but it bounced off his chest and he had to adjust, leap for the ball and scoop it just above the Blue. I wasn’t sure he caught it, but Petersen was 9 yards away and he blew the horn.

I just wanted to note the guys at nickel: Winston Venable, Hunter White, Jonathan Brown, Ebenezer Makinde and Billy Derome.

Day 2 is in the books. There’s a lot of good work getting done. The teaching and rotating drills forces each player to activate knowledge gained in the meeting rooms. They learn, then practice, then apply it on the field.

This team does it right.