North Carolina State University Athletics
#STATEOFGRIND: Nowhere or Now Here?
3/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - Practice No. 7 was held on the turf field after last night's thunderstorms, and the team was in `half-pack' - helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. Seemed like a ton of guys were out with various minor injuries today - which changed the dynamic at certain positions pretty dramatically. The upside? The guys who were able to go got a ton of reps.
Coach Doeren told the team in the huddle after practice that he saw "lots of guys working on the little things." That's one of the main focuses of spring practices - to fine tune the little things that make a player good and a team great.
He told them, "Opportunity is NOWHERE or opportunity is NOW HERE ... it depends on your perspective. Ask yourself, `What am I going to do in practice 8 to be better than I was in practice 7?'" Practice 8 will be Saturday's scrimmage, so the film will tell who responds to that challenge.
Coach told Jacoby Brissett to break the team down at the end of practice, and his call was "Family on three," which shows the attitude of this team.
And speaking of Jacoby, today's focus is on the guys in green: the quarterbacks. Their practice routine is a little different from some of the other positions, because their mindset is not as much on the physical during much of practice, but on the mental side of the game.
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Matt Canada spends a period or two working only with the QBs, but the rest of the time he is overlooking drills involving more of the offense. He's a hard-nosed, no-nonsense coach who is all about business on the field, but also a detailed tactician with his QBs.
During the early part of practice, the QBs work with the running backs and centers on the snap (under center and shotgun) and handoff. The timing of that seemingly simple element of the game is crucial, so an unbelievable amount of time is spent on it.
Because they're not getting hit during practice, the quarterbacks' bodies might not get as worn down, but their minds have to be razor sharp on every play. Technique, mechanics and footwork are the constant focus. They work on perfect posture for a fake. On foot position after a handoff. And of course they have to know the signals for every play in the playbook. Today during 11-on-11 drills, Josh Taylor and Woody Cornwell would signal the plays to Jacoby and Jalan McClendon as they worked with the first and second units.
Jalan is getting tons of reps this spring with the second team and is getting better every day. His arm strength is amazing, and he is working to perfect those little things that Coach Doeren spoke about. Both looked good while throwing routes with the wideouts in the red zone today.
