canes614
Sophomore
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2016
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- 2,205
I mentioned this a few days ago exactly what I wanted to hear!
forums
1st Practice
- Thread starter dingdong
- Start date
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- Dec 16, 2011
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- 3,609
One could say that he "moved gracefully".
Yes, Gracefully.
Billy D Williams
Senior
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2013
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- 8,756
Would love to be at every practice! Gotta be exciting to see the guys being properly coached. Keep the practice info coming.
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252cane
All-ACC
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2013
- Messages
- 15,894
Who said he was actually 220 last year? Grace has said it's hard for him to add weight because he is a very picky eater. Then they been doing mat drills and just working out in general and I'm not surprised at his weight.
Samson Doyo
Junior
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- Oct 19, 2012
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- 3,285
QSTOKES
Sophomore
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2012
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- 1,245
Recapping Mark Richt's first practice as Canes coach and eye-opening comments from players rejuvenated by coaching change
Mark Richt ushered in a new era of Hurricanes football on Tuesday, holding a practice that was up-tempo, intense and filled with lots of individual instruction.
“Little bit of butterflies going into Day one,” Richt said, returning to coach his alma mater after 15 years at Georgia. “It was an emotional time. I didn’t sleep hardly at all last night. I didn’t think I would be that way. I got my eyes closed but I couldn’t sleep.
Got to sleep sometimes after midnight. Up at 5. A lot of anticipation. A lot of things running through my mind, making sure all the drills were right.”
But on the day Richt conducted his first full practice as Hurricanes coach, the biggest takeaway was how his players have responded to Richt and this staff.
Yes, they’re still in the honeymoon period, but conversations with several players revealed this roster has been very much rejuvenated by this coaching change, a genuine joy apparent from several of them.
“We embraced it,” defensive end Al Quadin Muhammad said, before raving about Richt.
Enthusiasm is natural with a coaching change, but why to this extent? Let them explain:
• Linebacker Jermaine Grace: “Everyone is having fun. I feel like I’m back in high school, having fun. The coach is letting us play. There’s no yelling and screaming. [In the past], we got a lot of that, yelling and screaming, expecting us to know everything right then and there. It’s just fun. Coach allows the mess ups and we’ll correct it later.”
• Receiver Stacy Coley: “We’re having fun. Last year, we didn’t have fun. Playing with more swag, talking more, going at it every play, even on break. We’re competing, we’re talking trash to each other. We did [talk trash before] but it was limited. We’re
looser. Coach Richt,… everything he said was truthful and he stuck to it. I’m very confident in coach Richt, what he contributed at Georgia and the players he developed into the league, like AJ Green. I’m very confident in him and what he can add to this offense.”
• Offensive lineman Kc McDermott: “The very first thing coach Richt said to us [was] ‘I will treat you like men. If you guys want to be men, act like men, I will treat you like men. If you guys want to act like children, I will treat you like a child, take things away from you, make sure you guys don’t go out.'
“That spoke so much to everybody on this team. We were like, ‘Wow, he considers us grown men.’ He’s not going to come in and say, ‘You have 10 o clock curfew the night before practice.’ You are grown men. You’ve done this before. You know what you got to do. The young guys that just came in, take them under your wing, show them the way. That’s what everyone is doing now. That’s what makes being here so fun right now. There is a sense of they’re treating us like men. There’s no pressure. We can be ourselves.”
In many ways, Muhammad is the embodiment of this roster’s excitement about the change in coaching staffs, partly because he said coordinator Manny Diaz’s new attacking defense, which allows players to play more instinctively, is “beneficial to everyone [and] great for me.”
When he was deciding whether to turn pro, Muhammad met with Richt shortly after he was hired.
“We talked a bout a lot,” Muhammad said. “He’s so relaxed, so straight forward. He sees more in me than I see in myself. What’s better than that? It was a no-brainer [to return]. I love it here."
As for the first practice, Grace confirmed it was more intense and conducted at a faster tempo than early spring practices under Al Golden.
“Everyone adjusted to it,” Grace said.
During the 20 minutes that reporters were permitted to observe practice, Diaz pushed his players hard, having them do up-downs (similar to push ups) immediately before pursuit drills, where they chased down receivers and ball-carriers.
“I expect you to make every play! Got it?” defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski said.
On the adjacent field, Richt stood behind the quarterbacks, watching intently and offering instruction as they threw to receivers.
“I like that a lot,” Richt said, while praising Brad Kaaya’s work in the classroom and on the field Monday. “Coached quarterbacks my whole career. At Georgia, when I turned it over seven, eight years into it, it was different. I stayed far enough away because I know it’s not good to have two cooks in the kitchen.
“I know how important it is to speak the same language and have a lead guy. I missed it and now I’m having a chance to do it
again, not only coaching the QBs but heavily involved in the installation of the offense, calling the offensive plays. It’s going to be fun and a challenge, but that’s kind of what got me here to begin with.”
• Center Nick Linder missed practice with a shoulder injury, and Darrion Owens (knee) and Sonny Odogwu (knee) were limited. Gus Edwards, who missed last season with a foot injury, was full-go, Richt said.
Mark Richt ushered in a new era of Hurricanes football on Tuesday, holding a practice that was up-tempo, intense and filled with lots of individual instruction.
“Little bit of butterflies going into Day one,” Richt said, returning to coach his alma mater after 15 years at Georgia. “It was an emotional time. I didn’t sleep hardly at all last night. I didn’t think I would be that way. I got my eyes closed but I couldn’t sleep.
Got to sleep sometimes after midnight. Up at 5. A lot of anticipation. A lot of things running through my mind, making sure all the drills were right.”
But on the day Richt conducted his first full practice as Hurricanes coach, the biggest takeaway was how his players have responded to Richt and this staff.
Yes, they’re still in the honeymoon period, but conversations with several players revealed this roster has been very much rejuvenated by this coaching change, a genuine joy apparent from several of them.
“We embraced it,” defensive end Al Quadin Muhammad said, before raving about Richt.
Enthusiasm is natural with a coaching change, but why to this extent? Let them explain:
• Linebacker Jermaine Grace: “Everyone is having fun. I feel like I’m back in high school, having fun. The coach is letting us play. There’s no yelling and screaming. [In the past], we got a lot of that, yelling and screaming, expecting us to know everything right then and there. It’s just fun. Coach allows the mess ups and we’ll correct it later.”
• Receiver Stacy Coley: “We’re having fun. Last year, we didn’t have fun. Playing with more swag, talking more, going at it every play, even on break. We’re competing, we’re talking trash to each other. We did [talk trash before] but it was limited. We’re
looser. Coach Richt,… everything he said was truthful and he stuck to it. I’m very confident in coach Richt, what he contributed at Georgia and the players he developed into the league, like AJ Green. I’m very confident in him and what he can add to this offense.”
• Offensive lineman Kc McDermott: “The very first thing coach Richt said to us [was] ‘I will treat you like men. If you guys want to be men, act like men, I will treat you like men. If you guys want to act like children, I will treat you like a child, take things away from you, make sure you guys don’t go out.'
“That spoke so much to everybody on this team. We were like, ‘Wow, he considers us grown men.’ He’s not going to come in and say, ‘You have 10 o clock curfew the night before practice.’ You are grown men. You’ve done this before. You know what you got to do. The young guys that just came in, take them under your wing, show them the way. That’s what everyone is doing now. That’s what makes being here so fun right now. There is a sense of they’re treating us like men. There’s no pressure. We can be ourselves.”
In many ways, Muhammad is the embodiment of this roster’s excitement about the change in coaching staffs, partly because he said coordinator Manny Diaz’s new attacking defense, which allows players to play more instinctively, is “beneficial to everyone [and] great for me.”
When he was deciding whether to turn pro, Muhammad met with Richt shortly after he was hired.
“We talked a bout a lot,” Muhammad said. “He’s so relaxed, so straight forward. He sees more in me than I see in myself. What’s better than that? It was a no-brainer [to return]. I love it here."
As for the first practice, Grace confirmed it was more intense and conducted at a faster tempo than early spring practices under Al Golden.
“Everyone adjusted to it,” Grace said.
During the 20 minutes that reporters were permitted to observe practice, Diaz pushed his players hard, having them do up-downs (similar to push ups) immediately before pursuit drills, where they chased down receivers and ball-carriers.
“I expect you to make every play! Got it?” defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski said.
On the adjacent field, Richt stood behind the quarterbacks, watching intently and offering instruction as they threw to receivers.
“I like that a lot,” Richt said, while praising Brad Kaaya’s work in the classroom and on the field Monday. “Coached quarterbacks my whole career. At Georgia, when I turned it over seven, eight years into it, it was different. I stayed far enough away because I know it’s not good to have two cooks in the kitchen.
“I know how important it is to speak the same language and have a lead guy. I missed it and now I’m having a chance to do it
again, not only coaching the QBs but heavily involved in the installation of the offense, calling the offensive plays. It’s going to be fun and a challenge, but that’s kind of what got me here to begin with.”
• Center Nick Linder missed practice with a shoulder injury, and Darrion Owens (knee) and Sonny Odogwu (knee) were limited. Gus Edwards, who missed last season with a foot injury, was full-go, Richt said.
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cane since birth
All-ACC
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2012
- Messages
- 9,419
was he ever fast to begin with?
Good stuff.
Glad to see our O-linemen losing weight.
Man, 18 more pounds on Moten.
RJ at DT...like it
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2011
- Messages
- 16,739
"Receiver Stacy Coley: “We’re having fun. Last year, we didn’t have fun. Playing with more swag, talking more, going at it every play, even on break. We’re competing, we’re talking trash to each other. We did [talk trash before] but it was limited. We’re looser."
Savages will be loose
Savages will be loose
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B.B.B
Oh wait.....
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2015
- Messages
- 869
Richt admitted he was still learning his players. All of the players had their names taped to the front and back of their helmets. “I am trying to learn 100 names and little by little I am getting there,” Richt said with a laugh.
Haaa! Just do it like Ole Bobby did "oh that boy number 4 sure did look good out there today"
Haaa! Just do it like Ole Bobby did "oh that boy number 4 sure did look good out there today"
Bennubird
Senior
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2011
- Messages
- 4,029
Exactly, never understood why Golden would take a kid whose one elite ability is his lateral quickness and try to turn him into a straight north south runner. He needed to put on weight coming out of high school, but he would be fine at 190-195 breaking ankles in open areas and being even more of a mismatch nightmare for LBs.
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- Oct 6, 2015
- Messages
- 938
I like the veteran safeties we got returning...they compliment each other perfectly. Rayshawn is more the playmaker and Carter is the enforcer. I think the entire secondary is going to benefit the most with Coach Kool running the trenches.
Joe Yearby was never fast, but his burst and accelaration is top notch. He's a very good rb that will only get better... BUT IMO Gus Edwards is the freak athlete that could still the show from Kaaya as far as carrying the offense.
Joe Yearby was never fast, but his burst and accelaration is top notch. He's a very good rb that will only get better... BUT IMO Gus Edwards is the freak athlete that could still the show from Kaaya as far as carrying the offense.
canes614
Sophomore
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2016
- Messages
- 2,205
Not necessarily true, depends on how he put it on this time. He added bulk too quickly last time a big percentage was prolly water and fat. If done correctly, you can actually get faster in the process gaining weight....Every frame is different, let's just hope his body is mature enough to handle it now.
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