Posts Tagged ‘Ralph Friedgen’

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April 28th, 2009 | 10:32 am

The Senior Legacy

As the pro football futures of many former Terps fell into place throughout the weekend, former center Edwin Williams had his phone by his side to make sure his teammates knew he was thinking about them. 

“There’s a lot of texting,” said Williams, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins. “They don’t want me calling them on the phone, just a little shout-out of congratulations or ‘how’s it going?’ That’s how it’s always been. We’re a tight group.”

After five Terps were drafted over the weekend tying a Ralph Friedgen-era high, eight more Terps have worked out arrangements with NFL teams.

From a senior class that featured 33 seniors that led to a Pro Timing Day with 24 participants, this year’s Terps will be well-represented when NFL training camps roll around this summer.

“Having five players drafted into the National Football League is a big stamp for our senior class,” new Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker Moise Fokou said Sunday night. “Plus with some other guys hopefully catching on places in the next few days, some way somehow, we’ll make our mark on the League.”

These former Terps join 25 others already on NFL rosters. They know the challenges ahead if they hope to make an opening week roster.

While last year’s seniors fell short of their major objective of winning an ACC Championship, linebacker Dave Philistin said they can still share a new goal of representing this university at the next level.

“It’s good to see that people are getting recognition and getting signed,” said Philistin, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks. “Now it’s what you do from it now. They cut drafted players and they cut free agents. I’m sure everybody who went to a team will do their thing.”

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April 23rd, 2009 | 10:51 am

Spring Practice No. 14- What we’ve learned…

It’s all over but the spring game for the Terp football team after today’s 14th spring practice.

But in some aspects, we don’t know much more than when spring practice started.

Certain issues have been constant themes in Ralph’s post-practice chats, including the battles at the offensive line, tight end and fullback positions.

 The young offensive line has plenty of options and little experience. Without starting left tackle Bruce Campbell due to academic issues, it has been interesting to watch guys such as R.J. Dill, Paul Pinegar and Tyler Bowen practice at both tackle spots, while knowing they are essentially battling for one position. The guard race is just as jumbled with players such as Lamar Young, Andrew Gonnella and Justin Lewis showing flashes of brilliance but nothing close to winning the job.

“I expected it on the line. I thought that’s what would happen because it’s a young bunch of guys,” Friedgen said. “The tight ends, I was hoping someone would emerge. Maybe they’re just all about the same. But we’ve got to get better from a blocking and route-running standpoint.”

Friedgen’s secondary point focuses on a group that includes Matt Furstenberg, Tommy Galt, Lansford Watson and Devonte Campbell trying to earn major playing time.

Friedgen was much more pessimistic about the play of this group as it develops under new position coach Charles Bankins.

“To me, it’s put them in a bag and shake them up, and whoever comes out plays,” Friedgen said of his tight end group, which is trying to replace starter Dan Gronkowski. “That’s the way I feel right now. Nobody’s elevated themselves.”

Ditto in the race for the back-up fullback spot behind senior Corey Jackson, who has missed all of spring ball after knee surgery. The talk has been about reserves Taylor Watson and Haroon Brown, who each saw time last year. But apparently, neither has impressed Friedgen enough to separate themselves.

Today, the 9th-year coach talked about the work of Louis Berman, a linebacker who has lined up at fullback recently.

“He may win the second team job,” Friedgen said. “He was hitting people today. I like that.”

I guess the moral here is clear: Sometimes the more you see, the less you know. But when fall camp rolls around something has got to give.

Terp Notes: Da’Rel Scott had an MRI on his injured knee yesterday, and Friedgen said the results confirmed that it is a low-grade ACL strain that shouldn’t linger more than a few weeks. He won’t play in Saturday’s Red-White Game…Wide receiver Torrey Smith (hamstring) and tackle Paul Pinegar (knee) were shaken up during today’s workout. Friedgen didn’t expect either of them to be serious, but their statuses for Saturday are not known. Friedgen said he tried to limit hitting in their last workout and was disappointed there were still injuries….Because of the injuries, Friedgen said Saturday’s game could go to a running-clock format in the second half.

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April 21st, 2009 | 03:22 pm

Spring Practice No. 13- Thinking Red & White

The Terp football team began the process of closing its spring practice season with a media luncheon this afternoon at Gossett Team House.

Coach Ralph Friedgen gave his usual run-down of the positional battles without getting too specific and unsurprisingly, went on at length about how much he enjoys coaching this particular group of guys.

More interestingly, he addressed preparing for a spring game that will be a little different than previous years.

While Friedgen still has a full slate of events planned for Friday and Saturday, including a public autograph session beginning at 12:30 pm on Saturday, construction to Byrd Stadium will cause some changes.

There will be no public address announcer for the game. It will not be broadcast on television or radio as in past years, and coaches will not be able to take their normal posts in the booth, eliminating a veritable trial run for the season.

Yet some things won’t change.

“What I’ve learned in the time I’ve been here is we kind of simplify things,” Friedgen said. “We don’t know whose going to be there. In the past it’s been on TV, so we don’t show a lot.”

Friedgen has once again made an effort to reach out to local teams to bring in a large crowd to the free admission game, and the team pumped crowd noise into Tuesday morning’s practice as they sometimes do in the fall.

For his young team, which Friedgen said has gotten more scrimmage reps this spring than any other to give them needed experience, it will still provide a good measuring stick.

“One of the things that always surprises me is they get nervous,” Friedgen said. “They get jitters in that game. I’m anxious to see how all our young players react in that situation. I think it gives a lot of experience because I’d like to find out now before the first game next year.

This year’s game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. For those of you keeping score at home, the red has won the last three contests, including a 27-3 win in last year’s game.

Terp Notes: Cornerback Nolan Carroll, who was taken to the hospital with a neck injury following a scary collision with running back Da’Rel Scott during Saturday’s scrimmage, may be available for the Red-White Game. Scott, however, will miss the game with an ACL strain and none of the other players who have missed significant time with injury are expected to play, including defensive tackle Travis Ivey, who is still feeling the effects from a concussion. 

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April 16th, 2009 | 03:34 pm

Spring Practice No. 10 – No Rest for the Hungry

This morning the Terp football team had the first of three successive days of workouts.

The rains this week washed out Tuesday’s practice. And coach Ralph Friedgen was forced to slide in a workout tomorrow afternoon before Saturday’s scrimmage to keep the team on schedule for its 15 spring practices, which will culminate in the Red-White game next weekend.

The ninth-year coach lamented the tough scheduling following the practice, saying his hands were tied given the weather and class schedules. With the compressed schedule, the team’s time in the film room will be cut short, according to Friedgen.

“I’m running out of days,” he said.

To make matters worse, Friedgen said he noticed his team tiring at the end of the workout for the first time this spring. He blamed the problem on not making sure the players finished breakfast, which may have contributed to low blood sugar and a lack of focus.

At a press conference to kick off the spring, Friedgen talked about making sure the players got a good breakfast, even with the early morning workouts and suggested he would add extra breakfast lines to streamline the process.

So Friedgen is mindful of the stress weeks like this cause on his players. He noted that it would’ve been easier for scheduling purposes to stick with a similar schedule that involved practicing on Friday, when there are fewer classes to plan around.

But Friedgen, apparently, isn’t that cruel.

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt those three-day weekends,” Friedgen said.

TERP NOTE: Best play of the day came courtesy Da’Rel Scott. The junior running back calmly lobbed a halfback pass to Torrey Smith during the full-team portion of practice that completely fooled the defense. It was reminiscent of his 9-yard touchdown pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey against Wake Forest and provided a reminder that he finished last season with more passing yards than former Terp quarterback Josh Portis.
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April 10th, 2009 | 05:48 pm

Scrimmage time change

Tomorrow’s Terp football scrimmage has been pushed back to 1 p.m. due to the threat of rain, the team said in a press release.

It will be held at Byrd Stadium and is open to the public. Both units will get about 50 plays a piece with drives starting at different places on the field.

Coach Ralph Friedgen discussed the possible time change on Thursday, saying he couldn’t afford to get behind if the weather wasn’t going to cooperate with his plans. He noted that three of the seven workouts left are scrimmages, making it important to get a lot accomplished in the game scenarios.

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April 9th, 2009 | 03:20 pm

Spring practice No. 8: Ralph Says ‘Run’

When I rolled up to Terp football practice today, I thought I must have been late. The team was running, like it would at the conclusion of practice. Turns out, coach Ralph Friedgen was just trying to send his guys a message about finishing plays.

Friedgen was upset because during the full-team portion of the practice, he was waiting to blow the play dead when all of his defenders ran to the ball carrier, taking the proper pursuit angles. Finally, Friedgen had enough and sent the entire team on a pair of full-field sprints.

“What happens is we get in bad habits, and then we start decelerating and all of the sudden we lose our angles,” Friedgen said. “I’m bound and determined to get that where it needs to be. I’ve been fighting it for the last three years.”

The main reason for this, according to Friedgen, is to create more turnovers. He cited missed opportunities at fumble recoveries in recent years because of players stopping before the play was over, particularly mentioning the team’s loss at Florida State two seasons ago when the Terps failed to recover five Seminole fumbles.

“That’s just effort,” Friedgen said. “We can get effort. We’re going to demand effort, and I’m going to get my coaches to get them to get effort or we’re going to keep running and running until we get it done. This is a young team that’s got to learn how to practice.”

The Terps may have gotten off lucky today. Friedgen said he makes not of how hard players are running their sprints, and if it’s not up to his standards, he may send the players on 10 full-field runs next time.

That doesn’t sound like something they might be interested in at 9 am on a weekday morning.

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April 7th, 2009 | 06:32 pm

Spring Practice No. 7: Rising and Falling

With spring practice nearly half complete, Terp coach Ralph Friedgen has started adjusting his depth chart a little bit. Here’s a run-down of some of the points he made sure to mention today.

Rising:

Morgan Green: The junior running back fumbled during goal line drills on Saturday, but Friedgen said he has been doing enough in practice to earn more carries. He will get more looks with the second team, taking away work from sophomore Davin Meggett.

Kevin Dorsey: The redshirt freshman wide out has been one of the talks of spring practice so far with his play-making ability. He was stuck behind Torrey Smith on the depth chart, but he is now learning to play the “Z” position with Emani Lee-Odai moving to the “X” position. Don’t be surprised if Dorsey, who missed last season after serious ankle surgery, makes a splash in ‘09.

Masengo Kabongo: The redshirt freshman defensive end has moved into a virtual tie with Derek Drummond for the starting end spot. This is a little surprising given that Friedgen has had some good things to say about Drummond, who is making the transition from the LEO position. But today, Friedgen was gushing about Kabongo, a former four-star recruit from Connecticut, and he deserved it with some nice plays during the practice-ending Oklahoma Drill.

Falling:

Dion Armstrong: Friedgen continues to be less than optimistic about the defensive tackle’s chances to be academically eligible next season. Armstrong continues to sit out to work on his grades, but Friedgen seems to get more pesimistic by the day about getting him back on the field. In related news, A.J. Francis, one of the leading candidates to replace him in the starting lineup, made a really nice play in the backfield on Da’Rel Scott in full-team play this morning.

Paul Pinegar: The right tackle who is one of the leading candidates to get a spot on the inexperienced line next season has not gotten a lot of love from Friedgen recently. Pinegar continues to work with the first team, but every time he is asked about Pinegar, he mentions tackle Tyler Bowen, who is trying to play his way back from injury. Today, we learned that Bowen has dropped 25-pounds from his 6-foot-8 frame in the offseason, and he did some good work in the Oklahoma Drill. R.J. Dill, who has been working at left tackle in Bruce Campbell’s stead, also has a chance to compete for the right tackle spot, so the competition is very much on right now.

A final word from Friedgen on all of these spots that are up for grabs (This particular quote came in regards to the Dorsey move, but it can be applied universally, and it means Friedgen isn’t about to give anyone a free pass in camp.):

“We’re trying to get our guys that can make plays in position to make them, get the best players on the field.”

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April 3rd, 2009 | 12:55 pm

What to Watch For: Saturday’s Scrimmage

Terp coach Ralph Friedgen doesn’t really know what to expect when his team has its first intrasquad scrimmage of the spring tomorrow at 10 a.m.

It makes sense. His team has to replace 12 starters, and several more key players are sitting out the spring with injuries. His starting middle linebacker right now, Drew Gloster, played tight end last season. But Saturday provides a chance for Gloster and other inexperienced players to get valuable reps in game-like situations.

There are a variety of things to look out for, from Don Brown’s new defense to Jamarr Robinson’s quest to win the back-up quarterback spot.

Friedgen said he’s hoping to see a good effort from his young offensive line, which has been inconsistent through the first five workouts. Left tackle Bruce Campbell, who is sitting out the midweek workouts to focus on his school work, is expected to participate.

“We got corrected what we didn’t do right Tuesday, but then some more issues came up,” Friedgen said Thursday.

That goes along with his major emphasis for the scrimmage, which will be running the ball and stopping the run. While they seem to be opposing ideas, it means expect plenty of hitting during the scrimmage, which will consist of between 35-40 plays for each of the three offensive and defensive units.

That’s good news for at least one player. Tight end Lansford Watson said he’s looking forward to the chance to get after his teammates a little bit.

“That’s when the real football players show up,” Watson said. “Right now, when we’re not hitting, everybody is going to look good. But when you get your first hit, that’s when you find out who the real football players are on the team.”

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April 2nd, 2009 | 03:34 pm

Spring Practice Session No. 5 – The Offense Strikes Back

Terp coach Ralph Friedgen likes to say that at this point in the year, the defense is usually well ahead of the offense.

At the end of today’s practice, the Terp wide receivers and quarterbacks got a chance to prove him wrong.

In the final period of the day, Friedgen set up a drill in which the receivers squared off against the defensive backs with the rest of the team watching to decide which unit would run at the end of practice.

The defense got a chance to practice the style of press-man-to-man coverage that new defensive coordinator Don Brown favors. Terp quarterbacks Chris Turner and Jamarr Robinson showed they are pretty comfortable with the young receiving corps.

Cornerback Nolan Carroll intercepted Turner on the drill’s opening play, but the offense rebounded behind big plays from Torrey Smith, Quintin McCree, Adrian Cannon and a non-contact jersey wearing Ronnie Tyler to force the defense to close the practice running. Cornerback Michael Carter pulled up lame with an apparent leg injury after being beaten by Smith on a go-route straight down field.

Although Friedgen praised his defensive backs after practice for their efforts, he said the real test will be Saturday’s scrimmage.

“That’s real sexy to play press-man, but you’re out there on an island, and you better be able to do it,” Friedgen said.

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March 31st, 2009 | 03:18 pm

Many Happy Returns?

Today, Terp football coach Ralph Friedgen made a mention of new special teams coordinator Charles Bankins’ prowess at leading effective kick-off return units. Earlier in the spring, Friedgen said wide receiver Torrey Smith, who established a new ACC record for kick return yards last season, is again slated to handle return duties this year.

It would seem like a no-brainer to let the proven guy continue to grow into the position, but it’s not that easy of a decision when considering Smith will be asked to take a bigger role in the receiving game this year with the loss of the Terps’ top three receiving targets.

For his part, Smith, who took over as a starter mid-way through last season, doesn’t think it will be a problem. He pointed to the Boston College game last season when he stepped in as the No. 1 receiver for an injured Darrius Heyward-Bey and grabbed eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

“My body felt it at the end of the game,” Smith acknowledged. “But we have a bunch of capable guys, so if I need a breather or two someone will step right in and play as well as me and better.”

Smith might need a few breathers if the season goes well. He said Bankins goal for him is to be the NCAA leader in all-purpose yards. That’s a lofty goal, but Smith is optimistic he can build off last season’s success.

“I’ve never had a record before, so that’s pretty cool, especially with all the elite players that have been through our conference,” Smith said. “But that was last year, and I’ve got to do a better job this year and beat it.”

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