North Carolina State University Athletics
Annabelle's Preseason Diary
8/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 14, 2003
Back to one-a-days this afternoon - the guys were in shells for a couple of hours after lifting weights and having meetings earlier in the day. There was lightning and dark clouds in the distance, but all that we got on the practice fields was a little shower and temperatures that dropped significantly from the start of practice to the end.
The team is putting in much more of its offensive and defensive schemes (which means less for me to write about). Tomorrow, they'll have a kicking scrimmage for the morning workout and have the first regular scrimmage tomorrow evening (sorry, it's closed to the public). Coach Amato said he's told the coaching staff that he "doesn't want a lot of thinking" in the scrimmage. "I want them to go out there and cut it loose. We'll call a play and let them go at each other." I'll put some stats up after they're done tomorrow.
Coach singled out the defensive backs after today's practice. I've heard nothing but positive things about this group: Andre Maddox, Troy Graham, Greg Golden, Lamont Reid, Marcus Hudson, Dovonte Edwards, A.J. Davis, Victor Stephens, Garland Heath, J.J. Jones ... talk about some speed! Coach Amato is pleased that the depth in the secondary is going to make the players "interchangeable." He reallly likes their confidence and says that "as a unit, they think they're something else and I'm not going to tell them otherwise."
It's been good to see Sterling Hicks back after his shoulder injury in the spring. He's been catching almost everything that's thrown at him, including some pretty acrobatic ones. He also looks faster than ever.
Our new offensive coordinator, Noel Mazzone, has quickly become popular with our players and support staff. He's not a big screamer on the field, his style is more like a teacher. He seems to fit in very well with our staff and our team. All of our coaches have different styles, but they seem to complement each other.
While we're on the field, you can see preparations going on over at the stadium. Trucks are going in and out with different equipment to get the game ready for the season opener with Western Carolina. Speaking of WCU, remember the 1998 secondary that called themselves the "Rough Riders?" Rodney Redd, who played safety and picked off several passes that season, is now the Catamounts' running backs coach.
I'll have scrimmage highlights tomorrow night.
