Post by krazykev on Aug 11, 2007 7:08:11 GMT -5
By Rob Daniels
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO -- For the N.C. A&T Aggies, the 2006 football season was like that class reunion you didn't really want to attend but felt obligated to drop by anyway. Everywhere they looked, they saw somebody more successful than they were.
But coach Lee Fobbs has some reason to believe his second team can scan the crowd with considerably more confidence. Maybe even walk up to the beautiful people and offer an introduction.
After an 0-11 disaster in which they led for less than three minutes of playing time all year, the Aggies have greater depth at running back, wide receiver, linebacker and in the secondary. If the heat is the most obvious element of the preseason's first 10 practices, the competition is running a close second.
"I tried to get this thing cleaned up last year and then move forward," Fobbs said. "We've still got a long way to go, but we did accomplish some things in the offseason."
That was apparent in the spring, when the Aggies had enough healthy bodies to conduct normal practices. That wasn't always the case in 2006, when considerable attrition gutted the roster and foretold the fall.
Fobbs said he wondered about how his team would take to offseason conditioning after such a disappointing campaign, but those fears were allayed.
"It was very tough," he said. "You have to motivate the kids to get into the workouts, but they were willing because of what had happened."
The best piece of offseason news came when Demerick Chancellor, who ran for 276 yards on 45 carries as a Clemson Tiger in 2006, transferred in time for the spring semester. A sprinter from Miami, Chancellor wanted an immediate opportunity to play, and A&T undeniably provided it.
"He has gained eight pounds of muscle since he has been here," Fobbs said. "A lot of quickness. We're very impressed with him."
Michael Ferguson, who missed chunks of each of the past two seasons with injuries, is back and healthy, which explains why running backs coach George Ragsdale is often seen grinning around the offices these days.
The biggest concern in the next three weeks is the offensive line, at which two or three backups must assert themselves as viable contributors. The backs needs holes, of course, but an even greater issue is protection for Herb Miller, the only quarterback with any experience in the program.
Defensively, the coaches think the secondary has been fortified with the arrival of transfers Brandon Croley, another former Clemson player; Ihsan Shaheed, who attended at the College of the Sequoias in California; and Michael Pace of Hinds (Miss.) Junior College.
Fobbs likes his team's offensive and defensive systems and believes they simply need time and continuity. The defensive depth chart in particular is far harder to fill out than it was a year ago because there appear to be more candidates for each spot.
The Aggies will conduct intrasquad scrimmages in the coming days, but the specific schedule remains up in the air -- along with the humidity. A&T opens the season Sept. 1 at Winston-Salem State.
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO -- For the N.C. A&T Aggies, the 2006 football season was like that class reunion you didn't really want to attend but felt obligated to drop by anyway. Everywhere they looked, they saw somebody more successful than they were.
But coach Lee Fobbs has some reason to believe his second team can scan the crowd with considerably more confidence. Maybe even walk up to the beautiful people and offer an introduction.
After an 0-11 disaster in which they led for less than three minutes of playing time all year, the Aggies have greater depth at running back, wide receiver, linebacker and in the secondary. If the heat is the most obvious element of the preseason's first 10 practices, the competition is running a close second.
"I tried to get this thing cleaned up last year and then move forward," Fobbs said. "We've still got a long way to go, but we did accomplish some things in the offseason."
That was apparent in the spring, when the Aggies had enough healthy bodies to conduct normal practices. That wasn't always the case in 2006, when considerable attrition gutted the roster and foretold the fall.
Fobbs said he wondered about how his team would take to offseason conditioning after such a disappointing campaign, but those fears were allayed.
"It was very tough," he said. "You have to motivate the kids to get into the workouts, but they were willing because of what had happened."
The best piece of offseason news came when Demerick Chancellor, who ran for 276 yards on 45 carries as a Clemson Tiger in 2006, transferred in time for the spring semester. A sprinter from Miami, Chancellor wanted an immediate opportunity to play, and A&T undeniably provided it.
"He has gained eight pounds of muscle since he has been here," Fobbs said. "A lot of quickness. We're very impressed with him."
Michael Ferguson, who missed chunks of each of the past two seasons with injuries, is back and healthy, which explains why running backs coach George Ragsdale is often seen grinning around the offices these days.
The biggest concern in the next three weeks is the offensive line, at which two or three backups must assert themselves as viable contributors. The backs needs holes, of course, but an even greater issue is protection for Herb Miller, the only quarterback with any experience in the program.
Defensively, the coaches think the secondary has been fortified with the arrival of transfers Brandon Croley, another former Clemson player; Ihsan Shaheed, who attended at the College of the Sequoias in California; and Michael Pace of Hinds (Miss.) Junior College.
Fobbs likes his team's offensive and defensive systems and believes they simply need time and continuity. The defensive depth chart in particular is far harder to fill out than it was a year ago because there appear to be more candidates for each spot.
The Aggies will conduct intrasquad scrimmages in the coming days, but the specific schedule remains up in the air -- along with the humidity. A&T opens the season Sept. 1 at Winston-Salem State.
