North Carolina State University Athletics
2002 Football Preseason Diary, Day 5
8/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 3, 2002
The morning was a long one for the Pack, with the annual running test and the first varsity practice all taking place before lunch. It was a long morning, but the players seemed to be handling it pretty well in terms of conditioning and the sports medicine staff made sure they took plenty of breaks. Coach Amato remarked afterwards that the team was in the best physical shape they've been in since he's been here by far.
The team took the field at 8:30 for the running test, which is made up of 16 110-yard sprints. The big fellas went first and had to make their runs in 18 seconds. The difference in the this group between now and the 2000 test is unbelievable. These guys are big, but are built to Amato standards - they're lean, without a lot of excess weight. I remarked to Coach Amato how much different these guys looked while they were running (he watched from up in the stands at the Paul Derr Track) and he agreed. He said that last night he had both starting lines get up in front of the whole team and told everyone that to win, we've got to win up front. He bragged on the strength of both groups (their bench press marks are pretty unbelievable) and the progress that they have made. Sean Price was the leader of just about every sprint for the linemen (although noone seemed to be struggling too much). I called Price "The Freak of Nature" in this year's media guide. He runs a 4.4 40-yard dash (fifth-fastest among returning players), vertical jumps 37 inches (best on the team) and bench presses 440 pounds (best on the team).
The linebackers, tight ends, quarterbacks, punters and kickers went next, with a time of 17 seconds to make. Different players stood out in this group on different sprints, but I saw Adam Kiker, Chance Moyer, Sean Burton and several others out in front. The surprise of this group was Manny Lawson, who ran every sprint, even though the freshmen don't have to run. "I just want to get better," he told me after practice when I commended him on it. I think our coaches already think he's pretty good, so if he works this hard to get better, his name is one that you'll hear a lot.
The skill guys make it look so easy when it's their turn. Most of these guys probably ran sprints in high school, and they seem to glide down the field. Terrence Holt, Bryan Peterson, Andre Maddox, Troy Graham - the list of the guys here who led the way was long. (Of course, Holt should probably be commended the most, because he stood in the endzone while the other groups ran instead of resting under the tent, and he danced in the endzone between every sprint his group ran).
Practice began right after the test, with the team working out for 24 shortened periods (3-1/2 minutes instead of the usual 5 minutes). The big story of the day was Greg Golden's move from cornerback to tailback. With a couple of tailbacks concentrating on academics as summer school winds down (Cotra Jackson and Carlos Doggett), Golden got plenty of reps today. Golden told the media after practice, "Look at our offensive line. With them up front, I know I can play!" When he was getting mic-ed up to do a television interview, Philip Rivers walked by and said, "Tell them I had the ball off good!"
Drills were mostly individual work today, with some inside drills and 11-on-11 action. We're not in pads yet, so it's not full contact, but there were a lot of thumps and thuds. When Coach Amato called them up afterwards, he remarked that in three weeks and 45 minutes, they would be sitting down to pregame meal. He told them that they had a lot of work to do, but that he really liked what he saw today in practice.
I heard wide receiver Chris Murray tell some folks afterwards that he really liked the "togetherness" of this team, and that there was a "lot of team unity." It's really obvious when you're around this group that they enjoy being around each other, on the field and off.
The guys are catching a few hours of rest this afternoon before heading back out for the second workout. They won't get off the field until close to 9:00, so if anything happens tonight, I'll post it tomorrow. If not, the team and the media relations are off tomorrow, so I'll write on Monday!
