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Date Posted: 10:02:03 08/07/06 Mon
Author: J.J.
Subject: Time becomes CCSU's first opponent
In reply to: J.J. 's message, "Football" on 12:10:18 08/03/06 Thu

NB Herald
08/07/2006
By: Matt Straub, Assistant Sports Editor


NEW BRITAIN-New head coach Jeff McInerney showed a different side of himself on Sunday than most followers of the Central Connecticut football team have seen from its biggest addition of the offseason.

When last he was seen in public, McInerney was the master of ceremonies at the most jovial spring game in most observers' memories. The new leader of the Blue Devils had spent the entire winter out and about talking up the Blue Devils to anyone who would listen and had managed to turn the doldrums of spring practice into a carnival.

On Sunday, however, he was stoic. In his hand as he sat behind his desk in Central's football offices was a detailed itinerary of how each day of the Blue Devils' training camp was to be structured.

There were still numerous smiles and boundless enthusiasm from the man who uses the phrase "fired up" more than most people say hello, but now that bundle of energy was being channeled into final preparations.

It's time to go to work.

The Blue Devils reported to training camp on Sunday afternoon, and take Arute Field for the first time tonight. The NCAA puts more restrictions on what can be done during the early training sessions every year, but McInerney is ready to get the absolute most out of every minute he and his staff are allowed to spend with the 80 players who arrived in the office on Sunday.

"You have to take care of the little things," he said. "Knowing that we need the work, every minute is a pressure situation because it's a race against the clock... These next 20-some-odd days will determine the fate of your team. They will determine your condition, your team chemistry, your health. All those things will be determined in the next three weeks."

Some of those things, especially team chemistry, will have to come naturally to the Blue Devils. Team bonding, for the most part, can't be forced. Health can be aided by attention to detail and form and a good training staff, but it can't be guaranteed.

In a year when McInerney is putting in new wrinkles on offense and revamping the defense, time will be of the essence. The Blue Devils season opener against Marist was four weeks from Saturday, and in that time teaching systems will be just as important as conditioning drills.

"I know all the work it's going to take," McInerney said. "There's about 26 work days. The makeup of your team will be done in the next 21... We have to use them."
With summer seemingly racing away faster than quarterback Aubrey Norris can run up the sideline, McInerney intends to throw the Blue Devils right into the fire tonight.
"We're going to hit it and go get it," he said. "It's going to be a real physical camp. We want to be tough, and we want to be able to run the ball in the fourth quarter and yet we want to be able to open it up. We're going to be very multiple and (Offensive coordinator) Rob Likens is going to do a great job with our offense."

Then came McInerney's trademark wide smile, and out came the itinerary.

"Every practice has a plan and they're already done," he said. "They're in the book and the plans won't change unless (something drastic happens.)... Everything is modeled off of the way NFL practices are run. They say those guys are the best in the world at scheduling, but only time will tell."

McInerney has a plan, and more energy with which to execute it than most. The one thing the Blue Devils don't have much of is precious time.

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[> Re: Football -- LarryL9797, 15:17:45 08/07/06 Mon

What to watch for: 3 things to keep an eye on during CCSU's training camp
By: Matt Straub, Assistant Sports Editor
08/07/2006

CCSU's football team starts training camp tonight, and there are several things the Blue Devils must accomplish in the roughly four weeks they have to work with until the season opener against Marist on Sept. 2.

TOE THE LINE

The Blue Devils have one line that just needs to settle back into a groove and another that must find a new one. On offense, coach Jeff McInerney likes what he has inherited in his group of linemen. The front seven will be asked to serve a slightly different purpose this season, however.
A year ago they were asked to make room all over the field for quarterback Aubrey Norris to maneuver in so that he could create offense. McInerney wants to get the ball downfield more this season, but he wants to do it through the air. So now the task will be to create and maintain a pocket for Norris to throw from.
"It's not to say what we had last year was bad." McInerney said of the line. "We just have to get them gelling again and always trying to improve."
The other line will require an even bigger adjustment. McInerney has shifted CCSU's defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3, meaning the front four will have a different set of responsibilities.
"If we can develop a four-man pass rush, watch out," McInerney said. "That's the key. What we still have to do is create turnovers."
A good pass rush that forces the opposing quarterback to rush throws could do just that.

FREE INSTALlATION

McInerney seems to be revamping the offensive philosophy at least a little bit, and he is absolutely revamping the defense.
How quickly his charges can adapt to the new schemes will determine how ready the Blue Devils are when the Red Foxes come to New Britain in less than 28 days.
"If we can get an 'A' every day, we'll improve," McInerney said. "We're just going to use each day to try and get better every day. If we do that, we'll be o.k."
CCSU has a bunch of speedy receivers, including baseball player Richie Tri, who reported to camp on Sunday, but how Norris handles becoming more of a pocket passer will be the key to the Blue Devils' offense this season.
On defense, the Blue Devils seem to have enough pieces in the front seven to make any system work.
How those pieces fit together and when they do so will determine if CCSU can field the kind of game-changing defense it has in the last two seasons, which both ended with a share of the NEC championship.

CROWDED BACKFIELD

Cory Harge has won numerous NEC accolades. Jo Jo Freeman was a big part of last year's championship season. Justise Hairston has had success at the Division I-A level.
There are several weapons in the backfield, but unless McInerney puts the wishbone into his new offense scheme, at least one of the weapons will be on the bench on any given play.
How CCSU manages to get all three acclimated to the new system and keeps each one sharp while splitting practice time will be one of the biggest keys to training camp.
"We have a lot of good ones and they'll all get reps," McInerney said. "May the best man win, but they'll all play. We'll get them all touches. By having enough good backs you can balance. If you have one good back, you can wear him out in camp... You want balance for the next 26 days. You don't want to overtrain and you don't want to undertrain. You want to hit it right in the middle."
How the Blue Devils' trio of runners handles the spliting of action during the season is another matter for another day. For now, the only problem is getting everyone enough work in August.


©The Herald 2006


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