Flames Practice Recap: Monday (Aug. 15)
8/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Following a day off on Sunday, the team's first since the 2011 Football Training Camp opened on Aug. 4, the Flames returned to the practice field on Monday for an afternoon workout.
Liberty, who earlier in the day received a preseason ranking of No. 22 by the Sports Network, ran a series of 10-play drives during the two-plus hour practice session.
Eight different team periods were evenly divided through the practice session, testing the ability of Liberty's offensive units to move the ball downfield on its defensive counterparts. Unlike previous team periods during last week's training camp practices, today's periods were unscripted and the offense was forced to punt the ball away if it did not pick up a new set of downs.
During the first half of practice, Liberty's first-team offense competed against the Flames' first-team defense, followed by the Flames' second-team units competing against each other.
Following two periods of special teams drills, which strongly emphasized punting and punt returns, Liberty held its final four periods. This time around, head coach Danny Rocco allowed his first-team offense to go against his second-team defense and second-team offense against his first-team defensive unit.
Despite some injuries that are keeping several players from fully participating in current workouts, Rocco is pleased with the effort he is seeing from those who are on the field. Rocco, who is entering his sixth season with the program, felt that yesterday's day off helped rejuvenate the players that participated in practice No. 13 of training camp today.
Liberty completed the afternoon workout with some live field goal drills, the third time this August the Flames have practice live on field goal formations. Rocco was scheduled to hold a segment of two minute drills to conclude the practice, but decided to cut practice 15 minutes short.
Liberty will hold its third and final two-a-day practice of training camp tomorrow. The Flames will hold a more intense practice in full pads during the morning (9:00 to 10:55), while working out in "shells" during the afternoon (3:00 to 4:55).
