Eagles Back to Work on Tuesday
4/3/2013 2:52:00 AM | Football
STATESBORO, Ga. – No joke, the Georgia Southern Football team did not practice on Monday, April Fool's Day, as scheduled. The Eagles, though, returned to the banks of "Beautiful Eagle Creek" on Tuesday with a little more spring in their step. Coach Jeff Monken told the team after practice that even though there were some mistakes and mental errors, progress was made.
Coach Monken restructured the practice schedule for this week, with the team in full pads today, in meetings on Wednesday and back on the practice field Friday. The Eagles hold their second scrimmage Saturday morning at Paulson Stadium, looking to improve in areas identified by the coaching staff.
"We have a lot of guys injured, so our numbers are down, and that's taxing on those guys when they are getting all the reps and practicing day after day," said fourth-year Coach Jeff Monken. "The other thing is, we need some extra time to teach and these off days give these guys a chance to look at some film and learn, and that's positive for us."
Tuesday's practice was similar to those last week, with the Eagles working on drills, technique and footwork, with the goal of getting the fundamentals down pat. Six of the 21 periods were spent in position instruction before the offense got a chance to work against the scouts and defense. Skelly and team interaction closed out the day. And Friday, they'll have a chance to do it all over again, with the goal of improving a little bit more.
The goal of improvement, and the necessary process to achieve it, is familiar to the veterans. As the rising seniors go through their final spring as Eagles, Monken acknowledged the important role the veterans have taken on through his tenure.
"The veterans, we have always counted on them for leadership, not just because these guys have been here for four years with us, every year we have been here," Monken said. "They guys who have been around and have the experience, you hope that they do take on the leadership roles. Each year, some new guys have to find their way into those roles and we're seeing that happen with this group."
OPTION U COACHES CLINIC WEEKEND SET FOR THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
The Georgia Southern Football Coaching Staff will hold its annual Option U Coaches Clinic this weekend, Friday-Saturday, April 5-6, with coaching sessions, chalk talks and practice observation. The Option U Coaches Clinic starts Friday afternoon at the Parrish Football Center and ends Saturday morning following the Eagles' scrimmage at Paulson Stadium.
The Option U Coaches Clinic is $30 for advance registration or $40 for day-of registration.
The Option U Coaches Clinic brochure and the full schedule of events are available on the official camps and clinics website at GeorgiaSouthernFootballCamps.com with convenient online advance registration. For more information, contact Vic Cabral at (912) 478-5522, by fax at (912) 478-5059 or e-mail at vcabral@GeorgiaSouthern.edu.
EFAA AUCTION & REVERSE RAFFLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets are on sale for the sixth-annual Eagle Football Alumni Association (EFAA) Reverse Raffle and Auction to be held the night of the Blue-White Spring Game, April 13th, at the Gene Bishop Field House. Tickets must be presented at the door between 6-7 p.m. to be eligible for the $10,000 reverse raffle and each ticket admits two people for the evening's hors d' oeuvres buffet and beverages.
A silent auction with one-of-kind Georgia Southern and other football items precedes a live auction featuring exclusive experiences and memorabilia. Tickets may be purchased at the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation located in the Cowart Building Monday-Friday, or by phone at 912-478-5520 during regular 8 a.m.-5 p.m. business hours.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES ONLINE, THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA & "EAGLES GATA" MOBILE APP
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
