Spring Practice

[FBJunkie]

Never to early to start thing about next year. First step is Spring Practice - what do you guys think? How many players will be participating.

From everything that happened this year and from everything I have heard - I'd say about 50.

[ZachTheZip]

Don't forget that some players will be eligible to play in the spring game that weren't on the team last year, such as Zack D'Orazio, Oren Wilson, and any JUCOs we sign before Jan 15th. We lose 16 seniors to graduation. According to the online roster, that leaves 66 players who will be returning, unless some have left after the season.

I think around 70 will play, adding in newcomers and a few losses.

[Zips Win!]

Be prepared for all practices to be closed to the fans. Not sure what they have to hide, but we will never know.

[InTheZone]

Be prepared for all practices to be closed to the fans. Not sure what they have to hide, but we will never know.

You would be surprised how many teams come August will be sitting in film rooms watching some scragly video shot of their opening week's opponent's spring practices. When teams open up their practices to the public, it happens, and RI knows this because I'm sure they sent some GA's out in the spring when he was at ND. After all, Charlie Weis did come from the same coaching tree as Bill Belichick.

[GP1]

Be prepared for all practices to be closed to the fans. Not sure what they have to hide, but we will never know.

Fans should get to see one Saturday morning practice and the spring game. There are things that need to take place during spring practice that don't reflect very well but are necessary. There is a lot of fighting, cursing and vomiting......and that's just the coaches. Fans, and especially grade school kids, shouldn't be party to that.

I'm not sure why the average fan would want to go to a practice. College football practices are like watching paint dry. It's boring for the players too. All the players can think about during spring practice is the day when it will all be over. The best party of the year didn't take place after the last regular season game, it took place after the spring game when the feelings of dread come to an end.

All fans deserve is what they see during the regular season. That's all that matters anyhoww.

[ZachTheZip]

Be prepared for all practices to be closed to the fans. Not sure what they have to hide, but we will never know.

You would be surprised how many teams come August will be sitting in film rooms watching some scragly video shot of their opening week's opponent's spring practices. When teams open up their practices to the public, it happens, and RI knows this because I'm sure they sent some GA's out in the spring when he was at ND. After all, Charlie Weis did come from the same coaching tree as Bill Belichick.

Our opener is OSU. I wouldn't be surprised if their spring game was broadcast on the BTN in full HD from multiple angles, and all of the practices up to that point are open to the public with a $20 gate charge. Our coaches will have no problem getting film.

[GP1]

Be prepared for all practices to be closed to the fans. Not sure what they have to hide, but we will never know.

You would be surprised how many teams come August will be sitting in film rooms watching some scragly video shot of their opening week's opponent's spring practices. When teams open up their practices to the public, it happens, and RI knows this because I'm sure they sent some GA's out in the spring when he was at ND. After all, Charlie Weis did come from the same coaching tree as Bill Belichick.

Our opener is OSU. I wouldn't be surprised if their spring game was broadcast on the BTN in full HD from multiple angles, and all of the practices up to that point are open to the public with a $20 gate charge. Our coaches will have no problem getting film.

Do you have a link for where it says this?

[Dr Z]

I'm not sure why the average fan would want to go to a practice.

I'm probably not the average fan, but I like to see what talent levels are at practice, who is working hard, who is getting yelled at, who is getting the bulk of the work, what plays are being run, what is being taught to whom. After gathering this information, it helps me enjoy the game when I attend, it gives me more things to watch. I enjoy watching specific players away from the ball to see how they are performing to see if they are helping or hurting the player with the ball. It also helps get me pumped about the upcoming season.

[ZachTheZip]

I'm not sure why the average fan would want to go to a practice.

I'm probably not the average fan, but I like to see what talent levels are at practice, who is working hard, who is getting yelled at, who is getting the bulk of the work, what plays are being run, what is being taught to whom. After gathering this information, it helps me enjoy the game when I attend, it gives me more things to watch. I enjoy watching specific players away from the ball to see how they are performing to see if they are helping or hurting the player with the ball. It also helps get me pumped about the upcoming season.

It's also interesting to see who isn't there. Who left the team and if there are any new faces we didn't know about.

[Dr Z]

Do you have a link for where it says this?

Tons of spring games were broadcasted this previous season

[InTheZone]

Well obviously spring games should be open to the public. Spring practices... for all the reasons GP1 mentioned, absolutely not.

I remember going into my sophomore year, we were having a spring practice out at the Rubber Bowl and Owens had a bunch of recruits and their parents out there watching practice. We were in Inside Drill, which always gets heated, when a linebacker and an offensive lineman got into it, ripped each other's helmets off, and started swinging right in front of where all these people where standing. Two seconds later the entire offense and defense was running over there and throwin down. I was hurt at the time and not practicing, so I was standing over away from the action taking it all in. Parents were running away in horror, mothers were screaming, and the kids were split: half were laughing and seemed to be enjoying the show, while the other half looked petrified. It was quite a scene.

The fight got broken up eventually, Owens went over and made some jokes and smoothed things over with the moms in that politician sort of way he had, and practice resumed. At the end of practice, shortly after the recruits and fam were ushered out of the bowl, Owens absolutely ran the team's asses off. I don't think I ever saw him so pissed off in 5 years. I was glad I was on crutches.

THAT's why you don't open spring practice to the public. There are a lot of things that happen in spring practice that goes into making a football team that's not for public eyes. And then there are also legitimate spying concerns. If OSU opens all their practices to the public, they are idiots. Spring games are fine and are just for show. You only run your basics in the spring game that everyone knows you have in the playbook anyways and the film doesn't even get evaluated by the coaches, so the guys aren't that fired up and you rarely see fights breaking out, swearing, vommiting, verbal dress downs and abuse from coaches, and all that fun stuff.

[Blue & Gold]

Well obviously spring games should be open to the public. Spring practices... for all the reasons GP1 mentioned, absolutely not.

I remember going into my sophomore year, we were having a spring practice out at the Rubber Bowl and Owens had a bunch of recruits and their parents out there watching practice. We were in Inside Drill, which always gets heated, when a linebacker and an offensive lineman got into it, ripped each other's helmets off, and started swinging right in front of where all these people where standing. Two seconds later the entire offense and defense was running over there and throwin down. I was hurt at the time and not practicing, so I was standing over away from the action taking it all in. Parents were running away in horror, mothers were screaming, and the kids were split: half were laughing and seemed to be enjoying the show, while the other half looked petrified. It was quite a scene.

The fight got broken up eventually, Owens went over and made some jokes and smoothed things over with the moms in that politician sort of way he had, and practice resumed. At the end of practice, shortly after the recruits and fam were ushered out of the bowl, Owens absolutely ran the team's asses off. I don't think I ever saw him so pissed off in 5 years. I was glad I was on crutches.

THAT's why you don't open spring practice to the public. There are a lot of things that happen in spring practice that goes into making a football team that's not for public eyes. And then there are also legitimate spying concerns. If OSU opens all their practices to the public, they are idiots. Spring games are fine and are just for show. You only run your basics in the spring game that everyone knows you have in the playbook anyways and the film doesn't even get evaluated by the coaches, so the guys aren't that fired up and you rarely see fights breaking out, swearing, vommiting, verbal dress downs and abuse from coaches, and all that fun stuff.

Priceless!!!

Thank you, ITZ!

[GP1]

We were in Inside Drill, which always gets heated,

For those of you who may not know, the Inside Drill is when every play is run between the tackles. There are no passing plays and the defense knows it is coming. It is the most brutal 20 minutes of any practice. Goal line is a close second, but there are passing plays on goal line offense so the brutality isn't there. What makes it brutal during spring is the first team offenses and defenses play against each other.

[GP1]

I'm probably not the average fan, but I like to see what talent levels are at practice, who is working hard, who is getting yelled at, who is getting the bulk of the work, what plays are being run, what is being taught to whom. After gathering this information,

I hate to come off as a dick to one of my favorite posters, but what makes you or any of us qualified evaluators of what is going on at a college football practice? Most fans really don't know who is good or bad. Most don't understand why a game plan is put together the way it is. Most don't understand why certain plays are being called. Most don't know if when a play fails if it was a bad play call or did one player break down. Most don't understand why certain players are used above other.

Most don't even know who is working hard or not. A player can work hard and not be a good player. Another player can look lazy, but he is working hard and is so good the physical action looks effortless.

Fans should not be allowed into practices, except for one and the spring game. It's D-1A college football, not a high school team where you can walk down to the stadium to watch them practice.