North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Cotchery Can't Wait
8/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 21, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Wearing his number 82 jersey, Jerricho Cotchery paces the sidelines, holding a football in his hand. He's watching his NC State teammates practice, but watching is not his style. Fidgety and anxious, the man Wolfpack wide receivers coach Doc Holliday calls "the hardest working player I've ever been around" is eager to return to work following a shoulder injury that interrupted his preseason nearly two weeks ago. Knowing that this could be a magical year for the Pack, the senior wideout won't rest easy until he can play football again.
"It's been real rough this past week," said Cotchery, who was named first-team All-ACC last season after making 67 catches for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns. "I'm the only senior in the receiving corps, so my thing is to motivate the other guys by the way I work on the field. Unfortunately, I've got an injury."
Cotchery sounds almost guilt-ridden as he talks about the sublexed shoulder that sent him to the Murphy Football Center training room on Saturday, August 9. Not surprisingly, he continued to practice that day as if nothing had happened. Evidently, playing in pain is a more tolerable option than the alternative.
"I try to do my best from the sidelines, but it's kind of hard when the defense is making plays," Cotchery said. "We had a couple of dropped balls the other day and I wasn't there to make some plays to boost their confidence."
But Jerricho will be forgiven if, as expected, he returns in time to play when it counts. With nine days remaining before the season opener against Western Carolina rolls around, it appears he'll have enough time to get himself ready-and healthy.
"I'm making great progress," said Cotchery. "I'm getting treatment three times a day. I've got my range of motion back, but Jamey (head football trainer Jamey Call) doesn't want me doing too much right now. By the end of this week I'll starting catching more balls over my head and things like that. I should be ready."
And a little less fidgety.
Kicking it around: Ask NC State football coach Chuck Amato about his placekicking situation right now and you might solicit the trace of a frown. Through 20-plus practices, two kicking scrimmages and a pair of regular scrimmages, neither senior Adam Kiker nor redshirt freshman John Deraney have distinguished themselves as a frontrunner for the job.
"That thing will probably go right down to the end," Amato said. "We've started to keep tabs on everything now."
On field goal situations during the two preseason scrimmages, both kickers have been getting a chance from the same spot. Kiker, who is the incumbent, usually goes first, followed by Deraney.
Austin Herbert, who has also kicked field goals in his career, has been used only as a punter this preseason.
Mighty Moses: The dining room staff at the Murphy Center have seen a lot of Renaldo Moses this preseason. Moses, a lean 6-6, 215-pound defensive end, is doing whatever it takes to put on a little more weight.
"I do need to gain some more weight," said the redshirt sophomore from Rockingham. "I've got a high metabolism and I'm always running the weight off. I try to get six meals in a day. Usually it varies. At dinner, I try to eat some bread, some peanut butter and about four pieces of chicken."
And when he's not attacking the dinner table, Moses has been getting after quarterbacks with regularity this preseason. Currently listed on the depth chart as a starting defensive end along with freshman Mario Williams, Moses has emerged as one of the pleasant surprises of training camp.
"I call him a blade of grass that walks and talks," joked Amato. "He has made a lot of gains and he's made a lot plays."
Most of the gains have come on the playing field. It may take a while before those extra trips to the dining hall produce the weight gains he's hoping for.
A nice problem to have, wouldn't you say?
