Football Practice Blog #1
August 06, 2009 | Football
Aug. 6, 2009
Louisville, Ky. - - It's football season back in the 'Ville as the 2009 Cardinals took to the practice field for the first time.
There was a different feeling at the start of practice. The players were excited as period one started with the wide receivers leading the way. Under receiver coach, Jeff Lewis, the Cardinal wide outs were the most vocal group led by Trent Guy and Scott Long. It was great to see this group, which could be the deepest unit on the team, playing with a lot of emotion and intensity.
Special teams was the focus at the beginning of practice with the coaches teaching the fundamentals. Antonio Goss is the head of special teams units and there was a lot of attention put in that area at the start of the drills. The first three periods were devoted to special teams.
I liked the look at some of the new players. Defensive backs Zed Evans and Shenard Holton, who have only been here about a month, showed they could break to the football. While they might not know where to line up quite yet, they showed athletic ability and speed. Newcomers Preston Pace and Anthony Conner shined during 1 on 1 pass drills. SEnior Johnny Patrick and sophomore Karldell Dunning were steady as usual.
Senior linebacker Stephen Garr had an interception on a tipped pass, while senior LD Scott also recorded an interception.
I liked the play and development of Andrell Smith. Smith, who participated in spring drills, weighed in today at 230 pounds and continues to progress each day he is on the field.
There were a lot of young players out there this afternoon who did some good things. Jeremy Wright, who just arrived to campus on Tuesday, showed that he is a natural at catching punts.
"Yeah, I liked what I saw for the first day," said head coach Steve Kragthorpe. "We came out with a lot of intensity and focus. I saw a lot good things, but we have a lot of things we need to get better at to be a good football team. I want to see us be better out there in front of the fans on Friday night."
Friday's practice will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the Fan Fest festivities beginning at 6:30 p.m. The team will sign autographs immediately following practice.
