North Carolina State University Athletics
Learning quickly from mistakes
4/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 13, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- Punishment for miscues isn't any more severe during NC State's on-going spring football drills. But it is a lot swifter.
Anyone who commits a penalty or turnover is required to immediately take off on a sprint to the opposite end zone. In the past, those sprints were reserved for after practice and who made mistakes ran collectively.
But personal accountability has been an emphasis in this year's spring drills along with fundamentals, said Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato, after his team's 32 turnovers and 101 penalties contributed to a 5-6 season in 2004.
So, if someone jumps offsides or commits another mistake, he is replaced in the lineup immediately and goes out for a quick jog.
"It's nothing earth-shattering or mind-boggling," Amato said. "And we have always made a big thing out of those kinds of mistakes in the past. It's never gone unnoticed. But sometimes when it is immediate like that, you get the message across a little better."
Amato has seen a typical amount of enthusiasm throughout the spring, as the Wolfpack adjusts to having three new coaches on staff, including new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and new defensive coordinator Steve Dunlap.
The coach, who will enter his sixth season as the head coach of his alma mater this fall, has been particularly impressed with a Wolfpack defensive line that includes junior All-America candidate Mario Williams at one defensive end, senior Manny Lawson at the other, and junior John McCargo and sophomore DeMario Pressley at the tackles.
"I think probably the jump that the defensive line has made since the end of last year," Amato said when asked what he thought the top story of spring drills has been. "I shouldn't say that because I will probably eat my words on that. But it has been big."
Spring drills end on Saturday, when the Wolfpack holds its annual Red/White Spring Game at Carter-Finley Stadium.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
