LU Dons the Pads for the First Time on Monday
8/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Countdown to Kickoff Central Page
After running the first four practices in helmets and shoulder pads, Liberty took to the turf at Williams Stadium, Monday afternoon, for the first time this training camp wearing full pads in practice No. 5 of the preseason workout sessions.
"We are where we need to be, but I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint," commented head coach Danny Rocco following Monday's practice. "Camp is hard and grueling, which it should be. We just got to continue to fight our way through it and we will be better for it."
Today, the Flames ran their second-to-last practice where they will focus primarily on first and second-down plays, as well as a time of emphasis on the fundamentals and key techniques of the game.
Liberty took complete advantage of being in full gear on Monday, taking time for several group and individual contact sessions. During the first half of practice, Liberty ran "chutes" and "box tackle" drills, giving players one-on-one opportunities to clash with one another.
During "chutes", two offensive players were pitted against a single defender. A lead blocker tried to fend off the tackling efforts of the defender, allowing the ball carrier to successfully advance the ball approximately 10 yards.
During the early stages of the drill, four different stations run almost simultaneously, keeping the action alive between the 30-yard lines. The drill concluded when each station collapsed to the South side 40-yard line, where a trio of players became center stage.
Rocco ran 10-straight plays to finish off the teaching time, with Rashad Jennings and Wes Cheek evading their defenders to "score" on the drill's first two plays. The defenders banded together the next four times the whistle blew, getting stops by Soeren Wendland, Ian Childress and Patrick Bannon.
However, the white-jersey players prevailed in the end, reeling off four successful runs, including a nice cut to the left by Zach Terrell and a drill-clinching run by Cheek to enable the offense to prove victorious six out of the 10 plays.
After some individual skill workout time, showcasing the quarterbacks, Liberty once again placed the cones on the field to create a 10-yard tackling box. The "box tackle" drill's goal was for the charging ball carrier to avoid the defender, finding enough run to pass the would-be tackler and advance the ball 10 yards.
The skill session saw players in both white and blue jerseys shine, including Bannon for the defense and Jennings on offense.
Despite being "where we need to be," Rocco did relay some frustration both to his team during their final practice huddle and following the workout session because of some injuries.
"Our guys tried really hard today, but it was awfully hot out here and we had a pretty aggressive practice scheduled for the team," commented Rocco. "I'm a bit frustrated by some injuries, as some hamstring and groin pulls are hindering our practice schedule.
"It is just hard to run the type of practice we want to run, if we don't have the number of guys to put out on the field. It just puts such a burden on the team, as you don't want too many guys getting too many reps. We as coaches just need to manage our plays better until we get a bit healthier."
Liberty hits the field twice tomorrow for its first two-a-day session of August training camp. The Flames will be on the turf during the morning, for a two-hour practice which begins at 9 a.m. In the afternoon, Liberty returns for its second two-hour session at 3 p.m.
"The dog days of camp begin tomorrow morning," concluded Rocco. "I like this time of year. It is a grind, but it shows what a team is really made of."
During the morning, the Flames will recap their first and second-down play situations once more, before moving onto their third-down plays, like their nickel package, in the afternoon.
Flames Fact from Today's Practice:
• During the middle part of the afternoon practice, the agility of Liberty's quarterbacks was tested as Brock Smith, Spencer Landis and Mike Brown were all called up to practice makes throws on the run. The trio of hurlers consistently found their targets, hitting wide receivers on short, medium and long-range pass plays.
• Liberty maintained an upbeat tempo during the entire afternoon practice, so much that the Flames concluded practice 25 minutes early.
• Rocco is very pleased with some of his skill position players. Offensively, the third-year head coach says that Smith, Jennings, Terrell and Dominic Bolden look "sharp", along with offensive linemen Britt Stone and Mike Godsil.
• On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Nick Hursky and Ian Childress have "put together five solid practices", along with defensive backs Ryan Greiser and Chris Rocco.
• During the team drills, quarterback Brock Smith showcased more than just the muscles in his left arm, as the southpaw demonstrated his increased mobility by getting outside the pocket for several nice runs.
• Rocco is very pleased with the depth his squad has on the defensive line saying "we are getting eight or nine guys reps right now, but we should start to define the position more clearly very soon. We know what Colin Dugan and Kevin Richard are capable of doing, but we are giving a lot of other guys a chance to show us how they can contribute on the line this year."
• Countdown to Kickoff coverage returns Tuesday and Wednesday for consecutive Coach's Corner segments.
• Tomorrow, the web site's preseason coverage will feature an in-depth look at Liberty's offensive line, including an audio interview with offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Scott Wachenheim.
• On Wednesday, LibertyFlames.com will take a closer look at players like Corey Rasberry, Will Quarles and Tommy Shaver as the web site previews the tight end position. The feature will also including an audio interview with associate head coach Pete Sundheim, who is currently in his 20th year with the program.
• Williams Stadium is starting to take shape for the upcoming season, as the midway at the top of both sides of the facility has been completely resurfaced.
• Also during the weekend, the first of several deliveries began with parts for the return of the portable luxury suites. The remainder of the deliveries are expected by the end the week, with the suites scheduled to be fully assembled by middle of August.
After running the first four practices in helmets and shoulder pads, Liberty took to the turf at Williams Stadium, Monday afternoon, for the first time this training camp wearing full pads in practice No. 5 of the preseason workout sessions.
"We are where we need to be, but I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint," commented head coach Danny Rocco following Monday's practice. "Camp is hard and grueling, which it should be. We just got to continue to fight our way through it and we will be better for it."
Today, the Flames ran their second-to-last practice where they will focus primarily on first and second-down plays, as well as a time of emphasis on the fundamentals and key techniques of the game.
Liberty took complete advantage of being in full gear on Monday, taking time for several group and individual contact sessions. During the first half of practice, Liberty ran "chutes" and "box tackle" drills, giving players one-on-one opportunities to clash with one another.
During "chutes", two offensive players were pitted against a single defender. A lead blocker tried to fend off the tackling efforts of the defender, allowing the ball carrier to successfully advance the ball approximately 10 yards.
During the early stages of the drill, four different stations run almost simultaneously, keeping the action alive between the 30-yard lines. The drill concluded when each station collapsed to the South side 40-yard line, where a trio of players became center stage.
Rocco ran 10-straight plays to finish off the teaching time, with Rashad Jennings and Wes Cheek evading their defenders to "score" on the drill's first two plays. The defenders banded together the next four times the whistle blew, getting stops by Soeren Wendland, Ian Childress and Patrick Bannon.
However, the white-jersey players prevailed in the end, reeling off four successful runs, including a nice cut to the left by Zach Terrell and a drill-clinching run by Cheek to enable the offense to prove victorious six out of the 10 plays.
After some individual skill workout time, showcasing the quarterbacks, Liberty once again placed the cones on the field to create a 10-yard tackling box. The "box tackle" drill's goal was for the charging ball carrier to avoid the defender, finding enough run to pass the would-be tackler and advance the ball 10 yards.
The skill session saw players in both white and blue jerseys shine, including Bannon for the defense and Jennings on offense.
Despite being "where we need to be," Rocco did relay some frustration both to his team during their final practice huddle and following the workout session because of some injuries.
"Our guys tried really hard today, but it was awfully hot out here and we had a pretty aggressive practice scheduled for the team," commented Rocco. "I'm a bit frustrated by some injuries, as some hamstring and groin pulls are hindering our practice schedule.
"It is just hard to run the type of practice we want to run, if we don't have the number of guys to put out on the field. It just puts such a burden on the team, as you don't want too many guys getting too many reps. We as coaches just need to manage our plays better until we get a bit healthier."
Liberty hits the field twice tomorrow for its first two-a-day session of August training camp. The Flames will be on the turf during the morning, for a two-hour practice which begins at 9 a.m. In the afternoon, Liberty returns for its second two-hour session at 3 p.m.
"The dog days of camp begin tomorrow morning," concluded Rocco. "I like this time of year. It is a grind, but it shows what a team is really made of."
During the morning, the Flames will recap their first and second-down play situations once more, before moving onto their third-down plays, like their nickel package, in the afternoon.
Flames Fact from Today's Practice:
• During the middle part of the afternoon practice, the agility of Liberty's quarterbacks was tested as Brock Smith, Spencer Landis and Mike Brown were all called up to practice makes throws on the run. The trio of hurlers consistently found their targets, hitting wide receivers on short, medium and long-range pass plays.
• Liberty maintained an upbeat tempo during the entire afternoon practice, so much that the Flames concluded practice 25 minutes early.
• Rocco is very pleased with some of his skill position players. Offensively, the third-year head coach says that Smith, Jennings, Terrell and Dominic Bolden look "sharp", along with offensive linemen Britt Stone and Mike Godsil.
• On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Nick Hursky and Ian Childress have "put together five solid practices", along with defensive backs Ryan Greiser and Chris Rocco.
• During the team drills, quarterback Brock Smith showcased more than just the muscles in his left arm, as the southpaw demonstrated his increased mobility by getting outside the pocket for several nice runs.
• Rocco is very pleased with the depth his squad has on the defensive line saying "we are getting eight or nine guys reps right now, but we should start to define the position more clearly very soon. We know what Colin Dugan and Kevin Richard are capable of doing, but we are giving a lot of other guys a chance to show us how they can contribute on the line this year."
• Countdown to Kickoff coverage returns Tuesday and Wednesday for consecutive Coach's Corner segments.
• Tomorrow, the web site's preseason coverage will feature an in-depth look at Liberty's offensive line, including an audio interview with offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Scott Wachenheim.
• On Wednesday, LibertyFlames.com will take a closer look at players like Corey Rasberry, Will Quarles and Tommy Shaver as the web site previews the tight end position. The feature will also including an audio interview with associate head coach Pete Sundheim, who is currently in his 20th year with the program.
• Williams Stadium is starting to take shape for the upcoming season, as the midway at the top of both sides of the facility has been completely resurfaced.
• Also during the weekend, the first of several deliveries began with parts for the return of the portable luxury suites. The remainder of the deliveries are expected by the end the week, with the suites scheduled to be fully assembled by middle of August.
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| B.J. Hayes cuts to the outside during an individual |
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| Bryan Mosier holds his ground as the |
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| Spencer Landis works on a passing drill as passing |
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| Quarterback Brock Smith breaks free from defensive |
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| Rashad Jennings tries to find a hole in the line to gain some ground during one of Liberty's "team" session late during practice. |
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Friday, April 24