North Carolina State University Athletics
Annabelle's Preseason Diary - Day 1
8/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 5, 2003
I can't believe it's diary time again. It seems like just yesterday that I was packing up my laptop down in Jacksonville. I don't think our players feel the same way - after winter workouts, spring practice, summer conditioning, etc., they were ready to get back out there - you could really tell by the intensity and upbeat attitude at practice. When I saw how into it Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay and Pat Thomas were, I was glad they didn't have to wait a single day longer to get out there.
We're all in a little bit of a learning curve with the new NCAA rules about practice. Although "camp" started today, two-a-days won't start until next week. And even when they start, it's no longer permissible to have them on consecutive days. Our practices are so organized, I have no doubt that the coaches will make the most of the opportunities they have for practice. Every day's workout is scripted down to the minute before the team hits the field for maximum efficiency.
This year is also a little different because the freshmen reported at the same time as the varsity. The rookies had their own mini-workout this morning, while a good many of the varsity players attended classes (second session of summer school ends this week). The freshmen will have to learn some of the basics (where to line up for flex, how to run certain drills, etc.) on the fly, instead of in an introductory period. They did not participate this afternoon, but watched the varsity go through practice. I could tell that several of them were itching to get out there when they saw the action. Several varsity guys were also in class this afternoon, so it wasn't a full squad.
The team went out this afternoon for their conditioning run, which consists of 110-meter sprints. Coach Amato said after practice that he's going to have to come up with a new test - it's gotten too easy! It really was pretty amazing - almost every guy made his time on every run. I had to look twice to see that it was big "Tank" Tyler leading the linemen - he looked like a svelte linebacker out there with his new, trim-downed frame. Mario Williams was also making it look easy for the big guys. On the skill side, T.A. McLendon ran like he saw an endzone in front of him and Richard Washington looked like his feet weren't touching the ground. I saw Dovonte Edwards out front on a couple of runs too, but they all ran so well, it was hard to see who stood out.
We had a little drama when wide receiver Fred Span felt woozy after the runs. Jamey Coll and his great sports medicine staff decided not to take any chances, so "Spizzo" was transported to the hospital for precautionary measures. He was back out there before practice was over, but it did create some high drama for a couple of the television cameras that were waiting for practice to begin. (Today's practice is the only one of the year that is open to the media for the entire time).
After special teams, Coach Amato called the team up and talked to them about practice, they had a prayer and the whistle blew to begin the first practice of the 2003 season. The guys went for an hour and a half in helmets and shorts. After practice, I drove Mario, T.A., Jerricho and Richard back to the Murphy Center after their interviews so they wouldn't be late for their segment meetings and the topic of conversation was how intense practice had been. They weren't complaining, but commenting. There was already a lot of jawing back and forth between the offense and the defense during practice (as always, Philip is the offense's ringleader. Every time he completed a pass, he yelled, "Touchdown, Wolfpack!" By the end of practice, all of the offense was saying it.).
Practice was a lot of individual stuff today, as it always is early. There were some good one-on-one matchups between the wide receivers and defensive backs (A.J. Davis and Richard Washington had some particularly good matchups). It's weird to see Dovonte Edwards at cornerback and Chris Murray at safety! They also did some inside drills, with "thud" instead of tackling. "Thud" means the defenders have to just put their hands on the ball carrier's waist instead of tackling them. Believe me, that takes a lot of restraint for some of our guys!
Tonight, they'll have segment (position) meetings, and some guys will have study hall. Tomorrow's practice will be about the same, but the freshmen will be able to join in. One good thing about not having two-a-days is that they will have the flexibility to move the afternoon practice to the morning if the weather forecast looks bad. Whatever time they go, I'll try to get the scoop out when they're done.
