Eagle Players Still Students of the System
8/6/2010 3:11:00 AM | Football
STATESBORO, Ga. - Time in the football "classroom" is just as important as time on the field.
While Georgia Southern Football players are on the field about two hours during a standard practice in the preseason, they will also spend plenty of time studying playbooks and watching film. Preparation for practice begins well before they take their first steps on the field.
The playbooks the Eagles carry around - 37 pages and counting for defense alone -- are packed with plays, diagrams and assignments. As preseason progresses, more pages are added to both the offensive and defensive binders and they will continue to grow through the 2010 season. Playbooks are brought to meetings, taken along to dinner and referenced continuously. The playbook as well as many hours spent watching film or digital cut-ups, prove to be important tools for helping the Eagles improve.
The hits were a little harder as the team continued to work in its first week of preseason practice. The second day of shoulder pads and helmets was a precursor to Friday's first day in full pads. Coach Monken promised his team after practice that no one would outwork the Eagles. He reinforced three elements necessary for the team's success: working hard, caring about each other and being tough.
"We have our standards set very high and right now, I'm sure they are struggling because it's hot, physically they are tired and mentally they are getting tapped out," said Eagles Head Coach Jeff Monken after practice. "There is a lot of information coming at them and in each of these last four days, we have installed a major part of our defensive scheme and offensive schemes and I'm sure it's starting to wear on them mentally. I just hope we continue to get better each day and don't have any of those days when we fall back. Tomorrow we'll get the pads on and I think we'll find out a little more."
The coaching staff will watch the day's practice film and evaluate the drills and performances before finalizing the practice schedule for the next day. During preseason camp, players can watch specific cut-ups after dinner, go to meetings and spend more time studying their playbooks.
"We have to meet, show film and teach -- it's like any class, you learn, you study, you read the textbook, and you take a test and it shows that you know the information," Monken said. "On the football field, if they don't know the information, if they can't translate the work they do in the meeting rooms and film and bring it out here and be able to run their assignments correctly, it would be difficult for them to be successful. Every bit of it is as important as the other. The meeting time is crucial to us."
Providing feedback -- immediately on the field - and while watching film is another critical component of the learning process.
"There is a real power in a guy being able to watch himself on film, when he can watch his own mistakes, and a coach can talk to him about it," Monken said. "That is certainly the most valuable information that player is getting. Hopefully, they are also mature enough to listen to a coach correcting other guys and not make those same mistakes when they get on the field."
ROSTER UPDATES: Senior E.J. Webb moved from the safety position to outside linebacker Thursday and Jawaun Luckey, who spent the spring and the first three days of camp at the quarterback spot, spent practice with the slotbacks. A senior from Augusta, Ga., who joined the team prior to sping ball, Luckey started at QB for the White team in the Blue-White game and scored two rushing touchdowns. Senior offensive guard Paul Gourdeau and sophomore wide receiver Patrick Barker will miss a few practices with injuries. Gourdeau has an abdominal strain and Baker has a hamstring strain. Sophomore defensive tackle Jack Whittle decided not to remain with the team and junior Brent Thomas returns to Statesboro to bring the squad list back to 90.
PRESEASON SHOW PREMIERES AUG. 14: Georgia Southern fans will get an up-close look at Head Coach Jeff Monken's first Eagle team during a special preseason edition of "Inside Georgia Southern Football" on WGSA-TV (CW-13) in Savannah. The 30-minute preview show will debut Saturday, August 14, and air nine times prior to the Eagles' Sept. 4 season opener against Savannah State. "Inside Georgia Southern Football" will also be available on the www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com website.
Coach Monken will join host and former Eagle standout Terry Harvin to give an in-depth look at the 2010 Eagles and discuss all things Georgia Southern football. The preview show will also feature Georgia Southern Offensive Coordinator Brent Davis, Defensive Coordinator Brent Pry and Director of Athletics Sam Baker.
Air Times for "Inside Georgia Southern Football" Preview Show:
Saturday, August 14, 6 p.m.; Tuesday, August 17, 8 a.m.; Thursday, August 19, 8 a.m.; Saturday, August 21, 6 p.m.; Tuesday, August 24, 8 a.m.; Thursday, August 26, 8 a.m.; Saturday, August 28, 6 p.m.; Tuesday, August 31, 8 a.m.; Thursday, September 2, 8 a.m.
FULL GEAR: Georgia Southern will don full gear on Friday for the 2:45 p.m. practice. This is the first session for the Eagles in full pads since the April 17th Spring Game.
Fall Camp Practice Times: Sessions are open to Eagle fans and will be held at the Georgia Southern practice fields unless indicated.
August 6, 2010 - 2:45 p.m. (first day in full pads)
August 7, 2010 - practice 1 9 a.m., practice 2 4:33 p.m.
August 8, 2010 - 3:55 p.m.
August 9, 2010 - practice 1 9 a.m., practice 2 4:33 p.m.
August 10, 2010 - No practice
August 11, 2010 - practice 1 9 a.m., practice 2 4:33 p.m.
August 12, 2010 - 2:45 p.m.
August 13, 2010 - 2:45 p.m.
August 14, 2010 - 10:05 a.m- 12 p.m. practice at Paulson Stadium
4-5:30 p.m. "Meet the Eagles" event at Paulson Stadium
