First week of football practice is in the books
4/2/2010 5:53:00 PM | Football
The first week of spring ball under new head football coach Willie Fritz is in the book, and on the whole, the coach likes what he sees from the team, but knows there is still a lot of work left to do.
On Friday, the team practiced in shoulder pads for the first time and started having a little bit more contact in practice and Fritz said right now, the defense seems to have the upper hand.
"We are running the same defense as last year, so we are kind of ahead of the offense at this point," he said. "On offense it is a new system so we have been throwing a lot at them. We also have a lot of young guys on that side of the ball and everyone is learning and ready to get on the same page."
One of the things Fritz said has to be cleaned up is the players' technique as they start to learn new plays and formations.
"Right now we are just trying to get them to line up correctly and get them going where they are supposed to go," Fritz said. "When you are thinking all the time and not playing instinctively you can't play fast. That is page 2."
The Kats will continue to wear shoulder pads and shorts for the next three practices, before going full pads on April 10. That is when the team will have the first scrimmage of the spring.
Fritz said over the next three workouts starting on Monday, they will start putting in a lot more of the offense for the guys to learn.
"We are going to do some big-time installation," Fritz said. "Right now everyone's heads are swimming and they are not sure what is going on. We are having a lot of pre-snap penalties and a lot of missed assignments. We threw a lot of stuff at them and now they will start learning and getting intricate on technique and fundamentals."
One of the biggest adjustments everyone on the team is having to get used to is the speed of the practice. Everyone is running around on every play, on and off the field. That goes for the coaches as well.
"When I hired these coaches I told them how I am," Fritz said. "I think one of the reason's Bobby (Williams) hired me is he knows I am a high-energy guy. I told my coaches you are going to stick out like a sore thumb if you don't have a motor on you. We have a good group of coaches who coach hard and get after it."
The Bearkats will hold two scrimmages this spring on Saturday, April 10 and the following Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The annual Orange-White game will be played April 24 at 9:30 a.m. The Orange-White game and the scrimmages are free and open to the public.
The night before the spring game (Friday, April 23), the opportunity to coach either the Orange or the White teams will be one of the items on the block at the 22nd annual SHSU Football Dinner and Auction starting at 5:30 p.m. at the HEARTS Veterans Conference Center off state highway 75 North. Go to SHSU Football Dinner and Auction link for more information.
The rosters for the Orange and White teams and the format of the spring game will be announced during the final week of spring ball.
