Official 2011 Old Dominion Football Thread

[andy7171]

Just a heads up, but I will apply this mercilessly to any team in the CAA that loses to ODU.

Even Towson?

I'd imagine we'd get it the worst.

[ODUalum11]

Another update from Virginian Pilot's Rich Radford...

Let's get it on
Old Dominion's football team will get down to real business today when they strap on the shoulder pads. While it's not a full-uniform day, it's more than the helmets-only the team has gone through the past two days while also dodging the heat index.

Dodging the heat index -- practicing at 6 p.m. -- also meant that quarterback Thomas DeMarco and defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron missed the majorities of both practices as they finish summer classes that are in the evenings.

So when the whistle blows at 2:55 today, it's going to be pretty close to the real deal.

"Man, I can't wait to put some pads on," said veteran linebacker Alex Arain as he and defensive tackle Chris Burnette kneeled on the sidelines watching a drill.

Like many, Arain is a different-looking player this season. He's at 217 pounds, a far cry from the 185 he reported at as a freshman. Now a red-shirt junior, he looks the part. Another who is scary big now is 6-foot-3 tight end Kai Blanco, who reported to camp at 256 pounds. By the way, Blanco wears a size 4X receivers glove. That's the biggest size on the market. He's got some huge mitts.

* Thursday's practice will also be in shoulder pads and scouts from the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans are expected to be on hand to evaluate talent. Who will they be looking at? The likely suspects are Cameron, senior defensive end Eddie McClam and junior punter Jonathan Plisco.

* House keeping: Linebacker MIchael Williams from Norview High was dismissed from the team over the summer for coach Bobby Wilder's catch phrase, "conduct unbecoming a Monarch." Maybe one day we'll get him to say "team rules infraction." Also leaving the team for conduct: lineman Patrick McNichols.

Defensive back Donald Smith has left the team to concentrate on academics. He was coming off knee surgery.

* No. 5 gets passed around. Last year it was worn by defensive end Deron Mayo. The year before, receiver Carlos Davis. This year, red-shirt freshman Antonio Vaughan is wearing No. 5.

* Game-time announcements: The Sept. 24 game at Delaware will kick off at noon. It was moved to accomodate a CSN telecast of the game. Also, the James Madison home game on Oct. 29 will kick off at noon. Same reason

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/lets-get-it" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Day 4 Recap with video interview with head coach Bobby Wilder and linebacker Craig Wilkins plus Q&A with senior offensive linemen Jeremy Hensley...

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Let's Get Physical
Football Monarchs Don Shoulder Pads For First Time in 2011 Preseason

Aug. 10, 2011

NORFOLK, Va. -- Practice stepped up a notch for the Football Monarchs as the squad donned shoulder pads and started contact drills on Wednesday.

Video interviews today include head coach Bobby Wilder's thoughts on today's drills and linebacker Craig Wilkins (Washington, D.C.) chiming in. Wilkins was awarded the "summer workout award" in front of his teammates by Strength and Conditioning Coach Ryan Martin at the end of Wednesday's practice.

Also check out the latest Q&A with senior offensive lineman Jeremy Hensley.

MONARCH Q&A: Jeremy Hensley

Jeremy Hensley has been a stalwart of the offensive line for the Monarchs the last two seasons and after suffering a broken ankle against nationally-ranked Cal Poly and missing the final five games of the 2010 season, he is ready to lead the team into its first season of CAA action.

"I fully expect that this season Jeremy will be a top player in this league," said Wilder of his staring center. " I can see him being an All-CAA offensive lineman. He's the leader up front. He's the guy that makes it go. He's in charge of all the line calls and he knows every position up front."

In his first season with the Monarchs, the business finance major helped paved the way for Old Dominion to rank ninth among FCS school in rushing offense and 18th in total offense. Even though he only appeared in the first five contests of the 2010 campaign, Hensley was key in the Monarchs' moving up a spot in the national rankings to eighth in total offense.

Q: What were you up to this summer?
A: Trying to keep in shape and growing my hair out a little bit. I'm trying to catch up to Jack (Lowney). But seriously, mostly keeping in shape, working on my conditioning, and concentrating on summer school so I can graduate on time.

Q: How have you seen the team improve since first stepping foot on campus?
A: Dramatically! It's a completely different team from when I first got here. When I first got here, it was trying to get used to the atmosphere. Now, three years in, it's a lot of the same players, a lot of experience, everyone knows what they are doing. Its not people trying to showoff. Guys are here to play football and doing what they are supposed to be doing. A lot of growing up happened since I've been here.

Q: How has the offensive line improved during your time?
A: It's more of a unit. When we first got here, people were just piecing in here and there and no one really knew each other. Now after a few years of hanging out, everyone knows each other and trusts each other. You can depend on the guy next to you that they are going to do their job right and that makes a big difference on the offense line.

Q: How would you describe the o-line?
A: We might not get the recognition, like stats and stuff, but inside the o-line we recognize what's going on. We push each other to go to the limits and do the best we can. Everyone respects each other to do their thing because we know we're all watching each other and we're tyring to do the best for each other.

Q: If you walked out to practice, there's a bench with the words "Malibu Bench" stenciled on it. Where did that come from?
A: Initially there were a lot of guys from California. As we would get ready for practice a lot of us would hang out on the bench. Coach would make a joke of it telling us to pretend its Malibu and act like we're back home in California hanging out. We went along with it and there it is.

Q: How was it coming back from your ankle injury against Cal Poly?
A: It was a big thing. I've been injured before and missed half of my freshman season with an injury. This time when I got injured again, it was disappointing, but I took it serious and tried to come back as soon as possible. I rehabbed as hard as I could. I ended up coming back early and since then I've been trying to push myself to the limits and to get better than I was before and finish off my senior year strong.

Q: What type of advice would you give those coming back from an injury?
A: Make sure you do everything they tell you to do, because there is a reason behind it. Its going to help in the long run. It might not be fun at the time, but push through it and do things right and it'll pay off in the end.

Q: What is your favorite Bobby Wilder saying?
A: He's got a few of them. Right now I like "In It To Win It", because everything I do I want to win. That's my number one goal. There's no point in competing if you aren't trying to win. Right now I'm trying to win as many games as possible this year.

Q: What does PMA (positive mental attitude) mean to you?
A: When things are tough, always try and find the best things out of it. For example, when you are tired during conditioning, you've got to think that this is to help you win games next year. When you are tired, you've gotta just push through it and think this could be a game we could win, this could be the play that helps me beat the guy in front of me that helps scores a touchdown or makes a tackle to win the game. Always pushing yourself and thinking positive of why you are doing something instead of saying `man, this is hard.'

Q: Who is your favorite NFL Team?
I'd have to say the San Diego Chargers. They're close to my home (La Palma, Calif.). I haven't been to a game yet, but I'm looking forward to it sometime soon.

Q: What is your favorite moment as a Monarch?
A: I would have to say the first season, the first game, the excitement coming out of the tunnel and everyone there. That was my first time playing a big game in a stadium like that. It was a great feeling.

Q: What does it feel like to finally be playing in the CAA?
Everyone's excited. People don't know what to expect from us and we just want to do our best out there. We want to show the fans we've been working hard for this. We're not going to let them down and will be pushing ourselves out there to compete at the highest level.

[ODUalum11]

Another blog update by VP's Rich Radford. Already, a lot of the true freshman are standing out and its only the 3rd day of practice...

Heinicke gets a hard look on Day 3
Touted quarterback recruit Taylor Heinicke (Collins Hill High, Atlanta) found himself at center stage Wednesday when he took 19 reps as the trigger man for ODU’s spread offense.

Nineteen reps might not seem like a lot. But in a practice scenario where the Monarchs ran 51 plays, 19 is a lot for a true freshman.

How did Heinicke perform? He completed six of 11 passes for 58 yards and he scrambled three times for 18 yards on the Monarchs’ first day with shoulder pads.

Offensive coordinator Brian Scott was impressed. Scott also played quarterback in college and recalls not being able to “remember the snap cadence, much less what to do once I got the ball.”

“Taylor Heinicke is out there going through the progression of his first option, second option, third option like a veteran,” Scott said. “And this is our third practice.”

On Tuesday, Heinicke hit receiver Chris Lovitt for a 25-yard strike in the right corner of the end zone on a fade route.

It is becoming obvious that if the Monarchs need to go further than senior starting QB Thomas DeMarco or backup junior college transfer Nate Ong, the coaching staff will very likely strip the red-shirt off of Heinicke and let him play as a true freshman.

Red-shirt sophomore receiver Marquel Thomas has been held out of workouts so far with a tweaked ankle. But after watching true freshman receiver Blair Roberts (Trinity-Pawling, Pawling, N.Y.) the past three days, Thomas wants to get back on the field quickly, lest his job might be in jeopardy.

Roberts was recruited by Temple and Buffalo before opting for the Monarchs. Even Syracuse took a look at Roberts. He body type screams “future star.” If he can build his upper body strength, he will bear a strong resemblance to NFL standout Terrell Owens.

“I should be back either by Saturday or Monday,” Thomas said. “Blair is the real deal. I realized that during summer workouts. I need to get back on the field.”

Roberts showed his abilities Wednesday on a perfectly timed crossing route where he caught a 13-yard strike from Heinicke in stride and in traffic.

Working with the first team on offense to start Wednesday’s practice: receivers Antonio Vaughan, Reid Evans and Prentice Gill, tight end Kai Blanco, tailback Mario Crawford, quarterback Nate Ong, and linemen Jack Lowney, Brandon Carr, Jeremy Hensley, David Born and Ryan Jensen.

Working with the first team on defense: defensive ends Chad King and Eddie McClam, defensive tackles Chris Burnette and Ronnie Cameron, linebackers John Darr, J.J. Williams and Craig Wilkins, cornerbacks Aaron Evans and Eriq Lewis, and safeties Devon Simmons and Carvin Powell.

Punter Jonathan Plisco averaged 52 yards a punt on his 10 punts in a controlled scrimmage environment.

The Monarchs worked on their “mayday” field goal attempts, replicating late-game situations with 21 seconds remaining Wednesday. In the drill, the team runs and play, then the kicking unit scrambles to get off a field goal attempt. Jarod Brown made both of his attempts, from 34 and 42 yards.

Coach Bobby Wilder is so excited about his newest recruiting class that he reserved part of his scrimmage reps for what he is calling the “Young bucks.”

True freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and a few sophomores were used in the “Young bucks” series.

The Monarchs squeezed off 51 reps in scrimmage setting Wednesday. It was a far cry from the days of 2008 when the Monarchs held a red-shirt practice season.

“Rich, you’ve got to stop reminding me about 2008,” Wilder said. “I’m trying to forget 2008.

“That year, we had so many offsides in practice or totally blown assignments that we’d be lucky to get off 30 to 36 plays during our scrimmage time.

“On Monday, we got off 53 reps. On Tuesday it was 49 reps. We are so far past where we were.”

The running back depth chart: Mario Crawford, Angus Harper, Colby Goodwyn, Malik Jackson (Archbishop Carroll, Washington, D.C.) and Tyree Lee (Phoebus, Hampton).

Don’t look for Lee to play this season, despite the fact that he gained 2,500 yards a year ago and was the Group AAA state player of the year. A broken ankle sustained in late December has not fully healed and he is limping, at times considerably, during practice.

A favorite drill to watch at practice is “Monster.” It pits offensive players against defensive players in a one-on-one matchup where they essentially have to overpower one another while staying in a lane area.

Offensive lineman Connor Mewbourne (First Colonial, Virginia Beach) and defensive end Dontez Tyler (Hertford County, Ahoskie, N.C.) put on a show of “young bucks.” Tyler won the first matchup between the highly touted freshmen while Mewbourne won the second go.

Wilder, in assessing his receiving corps: “I feel like we have hit on our last six wide receiver recruits.”

Those six would be Prentice Gill, Antonio Vaughan, Larry Pinkard, Blain Roberts, Kirk Spellman (Indian River, Chesapeake) and Jakwail Bailey (Pail VI, Haddonfield, N.J.).

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/heinick ... look-day-3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ALSO, ODU's Media Day on Friday will be video streamed on Monarchs All-Access (ODUsports.com)....

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Day 4 recap of Preseason camp. Again video interview with head coach Bobby Wilder and Rich Radford's newest blog post...

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Keeping the Energy Flowing
Monarchs Gearing Up for Full Pads and Media Day

NORFOLK, Va. -- No lull in the energy at Monarch football camp on Thursday as the squad worked out in shoulder pads again and NFL scouts from the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers were on hand.

Typically at this point in the preseason, many camps need to find a way to keep the energy flowing as the student-athletes are getting eager to put on full pads and go at full speed, but that certainly wasn't the case for the Monarchs.

"They had less interest in running than in practicing football," joked head coach Bobby Wilder as his team knew that there would be some "Monarch Reminders" or extra conditioning involved for not bringing the tempo the coaching staff was looking for.

"I've also been really impressed with the energy level of our new players," noted Wilder.

It was also another "first" for the Old Dominion program as NFL scouts came to camp to look at in particular defensive tackles Ronnie Cameron and Edmon McClam.

The Monarchs put on full pads for the first time in Preseason 2011 in the morning before heading over to ODU Football Media Day at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. While the event is closed to the public, the 12th Monarch can view media day for free live on ODUSports.com beginning at 2 p.m.

http://www.odusports.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jensen getting used to playing the blind side
Ryan Jensen’s red-shirt year wasn’t exactly what he had planned on when he arrived at Old Dominion.

The offensive tackle had planned to play two years and celebrate his senior season last fall. But a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery shelved him for 2010.

The silver lining is he gets to play this year, the year of the CAA at ODU. Yes, the Monarchs are playing their first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and Jensen finds himself playing left tackle, the position made more famous than it already was by Michael Ore and the movie “The Blind Side.”

“Yeah, even my mom calls me Michael Ore now,” said the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Jensen.

Two years ago, Jensen played right tackle for the Monarchs. Now it’s left tackle. The biggest difference? He now finds himself in a lot of one-on-one situations where he better win the battle or quarterback Thomas DeMarco could pay the price.

Jensen says he’s ready for the challenge. He lowered his body fat to 22 percent while increasing his weight by 20 pounds since arriving at ODU as a junior college transfer.

“That’s all about getting rid of the fat,” Jensen said.

Jensen is replacing Tobin Cameron at left tackle and as Jensen said, “Those are pretty big shoes to fill.”

But since Cameron and Jensen are the best of friends, he’s not feeling a lot of pressure.

“As a lineman, you always want to be the guy who is counted on,” Jensen said.

Asked to assess the talents of newest additions to the line Josh Mann and Connor Mewbourne, Jensen shared a great line from offensive line coach Bill Dee: “Coach Dee said, ‘If they bite when they are puppies, then they are going to bite when they are full grown.’ And those two puppies bite.”

Scouts from the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans were on hand for Thursday’s practice. Lee Jissendaner, a 14-year veteran of the Packers, and Ryan Cavanaugh, who has been with the Texans for three years after close to a decade with the Indianapolis Colts, were on hand and focused on defensive end Eddie McClam and defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron.

The Monarchs expect no fewer than five scouts to drop in on practice this preseason.

“While it’s good for our seniors to be seen, it’s also good for our younger players to understand that they can also be seen by NFL scouts and have a chance to some day impress,” coach Bobby Wilder said.

The Monarchs will practice Friday morning before going through Media Day at Foreman Field in the afternoon.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/jensen- ... blind-side" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

ODU had their media day today and numerous stories and videos...

Daily Press Video...

http://www.dailypress.com/videogallery/ ... otball-Day" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

QB DeMarco the linchpin of ODU's first top-level football season in CAA

"I feel very strongly that he is, potentially, one of the best quarterbacks in the league," ODU head coach Bobby Wilder said. "If we're going to win this year, he has to be an All-CAA player.

"If you look up at the end of the year and we're 5-6 or 4-7, there's a good chance DeMarco didn't play well, that he didn't have a good season. If you look up and he's an all-conference guy and throwing for a high number every game, then I think we can compete with the best teams in this league."

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt ... 3348.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Media day for the Monarchs
Day 5 of football for ODU

NORFOLK, Va., (Wavy.com) - Ninety-five, that's how many players smiled for the team photo.

It's the largest squad Head Coach Bobby Wilder has had in ODU's short three year football history.

The first day of practice was Monday and now with five days in the books the team is getting closer and closer to its first season of CAA competition.

Coach says his team is getting used to media day.

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/sports/wavy-med ... onarchs-al" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ODU football ready for year number three

After a week of practice ODU football had their media day. The major topic of conversation... entering the CAA for conference play for the first time.

http://www.wvec.com/video?id=127618348&sec=577832" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Virginian Pilot's Rich Radford....

[youtube][/youtube]

Recap of Day 6 from Preseason camp and video interview with head coach Bobby Wilder. ODU will have Sunday off from practice...

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Rain Forces Sudden Change
Monarchs Managed To Get In Scrimmage Situations in the Morning Before Rain Stops First Two-A-Day Short

NORFOLK, Va. -- Saturday's first two-a-day proved to be a sudden change for the Football Monarchs with a spirited morning session and rain changing afternoon plans.

"Coming off yesterday's practice, which was a very physical practice, I was very excited with the way they came out and competed," said head coach Bobby Wilder. "We really challenged them in this morning's scrimmages."

Back in full pads for the morning session, the Monarchs were working on more scrimmage situations with both sides of the ball putting in several notable moments.

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aaa.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[93henfan]

Holy shit! They sent me season tickets again this year!! FOOTBALL IS BACK AT DELAWARE TOO!!!!

<High fives all around.>

[tampajag]

FOOTBALL'S BACK! FOOTBALL'S BACK!

In case no one gets it:
[youtube][/youtube]

been resisting the need to highjack this thread with that. Carry on..........

[∞∞∞]

[youtube][/youtube]

Gotta love McClam stopping at Raymond James Stadium to start talking to it.

I'm excited for this season. You can tell our guys are loose and ready to have fun out there!

[ODUalum11]

[youtube][/youtube]

Gotta love McClam stopping at Raymond James Stadium to start talking to it.

I'm excited for this season. You can tell our guys are loose and ready to have fun out there!

Raymond James Stadium?

[∞∞∞]

Gotta love McClam stopping at Raymond James Stadium to start talking to it.

I'm excited for this season. You can tell our guys are loose and ready to have fun out there!

Raymond James Stadium?

I saw the FB pics you posted a few days ago, and that you posted the video above, so my only explanation is that my subconscious got mixed up and connected everything together.

[ODUalum11]

ODU coach plans to red-shirt touted freshman QB

In his first week of his first preseason camp, quarterback Taylor Heinicke has given just about everyone at Old Dominion's practices reason to cheer, even the defensive players who are trying to stop him each day in practice.

On Saturday morning, during the Monarchs' first two-a-day practice session of this preseason, Heinicke was at it again as he connected with Larry Pinkard on a deep fade route down the left sideline for a 37-yard touchdown pass.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/odu-coa ... reshman-qb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sounds like the real deal and he's only a freshman. Hopefully he's redshirted and the CAA will have to see 4 years of Heinicke.

[SloStang]

Best of luck to ODU. Great program that is going to make some noise in the years to come. I was real disappointed when I could not make the trip last year to see Cal Poly play ODU. Heard from the fans that did make the trip that the fans from ODU are first class hosts and the game day experience was awesome.

[CAA Flagship]

Best of luck to ODU. Great program that is going to make some noise in the years to come. I was real disappointed when I could not make the trip last year to see Cal Poly play ODU. Heard from the fans that did make the trip that the fans from ODU are first class hosts and the game day experience was awesome.

I was one of many Old Dominion fans that went over to the CP section after the game to congratulate the fans and family members who made the long trip. They were all gracious winners and said that they were treated very well. Several CP players came over to see family members and were very excited about the win. I heard one player say that he wished every game they played could have the same atmosphere. That helped take the sting out of the loss.

[ODUalum11]

Best of luck to ODU. Great program that is going to make some noise in the years to come. I was real disappointed when I could not make the trip last year to see Cal Poly play ODU. Heard from the fans that did make the trip that the fans from ODU are first class hosts and the game day experience was awesome.

Best of luck to CP as well. Disappointing the series with CP couldn't be extended but a cross-country series would have been a little difficult and probably a financial burden on both schools.

CAA's First Look - Old Dominion's Thomas Demarco and Craig Wilkins

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/user/CAAFootball ... 7c6M4XJLC4[/youtube]

The wait is now officially over for Old Dominion. One of the most successful FCS start-ups in recent history, the Monarchs will open their bid for their first conference championship as they join CAA Football this fall. CAA First Look caught up with ODU's Thomas DeMarco and Craig Wilkins as they reflect on the beginning stages of the program and what the rest of the league can expect from the Monarchs.

http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.db ... =205243366" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Recaps from Preseason Camp Day #8. Apparently there's been another freshman performing well in practice and he's a walk-on....

In Monday's practice, Castleberry was at it again, turning heads. He's 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, and is trying desperately to keep every pound of that on his body through preseason workouts. If he does that, he'll accomplish one of the three things coach Bobby Wilder said is vital to his chances of playing this season.

He picked ODU after turning down similar walk-on invites to James Madison, UMass, Maine and Coastal Carolina.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/turning-heads" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Goal Line Live
Monarchs Work on Goal Line Situation and Punt Block Prior to Tomorrow's Scrimmage at the Stadium

NORFOLK, Va. -- Monday saw the Football Monarchs with a morning practice and starting to gear up for its first scrimmage on Tuesday night. Sporting shoulder pads for preseason practice number eight, the Monarchs installed their punt block unit and worked on goal line situations.

"The play was very physical," said head coach Bobby Wilder of the goal line drill, "but both sides won a segment."

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aaa.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Virginian Pilot update from today's scrimmage...ODU fans are seeing a lot of what will be the future after Thomas Demarco graduates.

It took Taylor Heinicke all of nine plays to show why Old Dominion’s coaching staff is so high on the true freshman quarterback.

Georgia’s AAAAA state player of the year from Collins Hill High outside of Atlanta hit a streaking Larry Pinkard in stride down the left sideline and Pinkard coasted the last 20 yards for a 61-yard touchdown pass as the Monarchs scrimmaged with game officials on hand Tuesday evening.

The only fans that saw it were the dozen or so hanging out on the upper floors of the parking deck beside Foreman Field. It was a closed scrimmage.

But everyone who saw it knew they’d seen the future of ODU’s program.

Heinicke finished the night completing 9 of 14 passes for 133 yards. He also tucked the ball and scrambled twice for 24 yards.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/tuesday ... mmage-news" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Recap from Day #9 in Monarchs Preseason Camp, included is video interview with head coach Bobby Wilder...

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Scrimmage Time
A Mix of Monarchs Involved with the Presason's First Scrimmage

NORFOLK, Va. -- The ODU Football Monarchs had their first preseason scrimmage of the 2011 preseason giving the coaching staff a glimpse of what has come together through the first 10 practices.

1,2,3...The Monarchs are definitely showing signs of depth. While past Monarch preseasons and spring practices have mentioned the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses and defenses, tonight's scrimmage also featured the third string. All three got in about a total of 90 reps tonight in helping solidify the two-deep for the upcoming season opener against Campbell on September 3rd.

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aab.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[clenz]

Exactly Andy, and I think thats what cost us against Jacksonville last year but a couple costly turnovers from Demarco didnt help either...1 in the endzone and then another 1 on JU's side of the field. Like you said, the coaches having the players go through 'thud' has me concerned a little bit because like you said lineman can't just turn the switch on when its gameday so thats why I'm hoping playing Campbell will help in week 1. Plus Wilder can always change the schedule and having more practices that will be in full pads.

Well way back when in the early 90's when I was playing, there was a certain number of days we HAD to be in just helemts and shoulder pads. And a certain number of day we could go full pads. We used to go full pads the max number of times unless the trainer shut it down to helmets only due to heat and humidity. While the two a days were grueling, we'd only have 15-20 minutes of actual full speed contact one-one or 3 spot run blocking drills per session. The rest of practice was technique/going over plays/conditioning. So while those aspects sucked in their own right, it wasn't like we were murdering each other the whole 2 hour practice.

I realize I'm way late on this...but...

At the D3 I was at (yes I'm aware this may be different than FCS but still)

Preseason - first three days were skulls only. After that it was full pads every night practice, and mornings were thuds during two a days. During the season the week was:

Saturday - Game
Sunday - 10 AM lift/training room
Monday - Meetings and Skulls only
Tuesday - Full
Wednesday - Full
Thursday - Thud
Friday - skulls/final walk through.

[ODUalum11]

ODU's blueprint for success includes QB coach

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/odus-bl ... s-qb-coach" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Recap from the last two days (Wednesday and Thursay)....

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Mental Toughness
Check out the Latest Monarch Q&A With Wide Receiver Reid Evans

NORFOLK, Va. -- The coaching staff knew coming off a scrimmage and with one of the hottest afternoons of practice to date that Wednesday's practice was not only going to be physically tough, but mentally as well.

Wanting the Monarchs to remember to keep disciplined and focus through any adverse conditions they may face, head coach Bobby Wilder put the team on the sidelines at the end of practice and ran the team.

"It was a learning lesson for us today on how to react after a scrimmage," said head coach Bobby Wilder. "We are going to have to learn from it and grow from it."

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aad.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: All-Star Workout
Monarchs' Two-A-Day Includes Reps with the Punt Team

NORFOLK, Va. - Coming off what was the most challenging practice to date, the Football Monarchs returned to the Powhatan Sports Complex practice fields on Thursday for another two-a-day.

"They came out today with a purpose and an attitude," said head coach Bobby Wilder. "I feel like we had two real good practices today and got better as a team."

The effects of the Great Dismal Swamp fire were evident in the morning's practice with smoky air surrounding the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area. While it was a bit of concern to the staff, it did not get to the point where it was unsafe for the Monarchs to take the field.

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aae.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Plus Virginian Pilot's Rich Radford...

"Getting Under Center"

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/getting-under-center" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"ODU's blueprint for success includes QB Coach"

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/odus-bl ... s-qb-coach" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Recap from Friday....

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Fire Drill
Smoke from the Great Dismal Swamp Fire Pushes Practice to the Afternoon

NORFOLK, Va. -- While the smoke conditions from the Great Dismal Swamp fire didn't interfere with practice yesterday, it certainly did on Friday as the Football Monarchs had to postpone practice until the afternoon.

"I didn't want the players going through the rigorous practice we had planned with not having the ability to breath the fresh air," said head coach Bobby Wilder. "It wasn't a good situation for our players, coaches, trainers, managers, anybody."

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aab.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

Recap from the 2nd scrimmage....

PRESEASON PRACTICE UPDATE: Scrimmage #2
Monarchs' Second Scrimmage Sees Mix of Veterans and Newcomers

Check back for highlights and interviews

NORFOLK, Va. - It was a mix of old and new during Saturday evening's scrimmage for the Football Monarchs at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.

Head coach Bobby Wilder and staff used a combination of No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 offenses and defenses in various drills utilizing both the veterans and newcomers in looking to solidify the two-deep for the season.

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footb ... 11aaa.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Ivytalk]

Good luck to ODU! The more, the merrier in CAA!