Pirates Continue Spring Work At Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
March 24, 2005 | Football
Spring Notebook No. 5
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- After enduring its first rain-out of the spring practice period Wednesday afternoon, East Carolina returned to work Thursday with a spirited two-hour session at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
The Pirates made the move over to ECU's game-day facility for the first time this season after field conditions at the Cliff Moore Practice Complex were deemed unplayable. The practice was East Carolina's fifth overall spring session and the third conducted in full pads.
First-year head coach Skip Holtz and his staff continued their evaluation period, hoping to convert ECU's pre-spring positional roster into a depth chart beginning next Monday which will help feature the Pirates' first and second-team units for the remaining six practices and three intra-squad scrimmages.
"As I said before we got started, our whole goal coming out of spring is to establish a depth chart to where we are putting our best 22 on the field that give us the best chance to win," Holtz said. "Along with that, we want to establish a good nucleus within the offense and defense and have everyone know what is going on.
"We are not where we need to be, but I can't say enough about their attitude, work ethic and intensity," Holtz added. "I've been really impressed by their retention of everything we've thrown at them. There's not a lot of missed assignments out there."
While Holtz maintained that all positions were open entering spring drills, there perhaps might not be an area in ECU's program more thinned by graduation and injuries than the Pirates' offensive line.
In addition to the departure of guard Charlie Dempsey (714 plays) and tackle Hagen Mason (754 plays) because of graduation, East Carolina has also been without senior tackle James Myrick and senior center Hunter Wood this spring. Myrick is still recovering from a season-ending ankle injury suffered in practice last Nov. 3 while Wood is rehabilitating his shoulder after off-season surgery.
In addition to Wood and Myrick, returning starters Gary Freeman (OG) and Eric Graham (OT) are considered veterans of a unit which welcomes back just three additional rostered players who experienced a combined average of 67 snaps a year ago.
Guard Trey Magee, who started the last two games of the 2004 season, recorded work in 133 plays while guard Matt Butler (58) and tackle Thomas Wingenbach (11) served reserve roles. Junior non-letterman Drew Sutton, who did not experience action last season, has benefitted from Wood's injury to gain most of the repetitions thus far during the spring. Senior Chris Sellers, who was recently moved over to the offensive side of the ball last week, has already made an impact in two practices at the tackle slot.
"So far, there have been a lot of positives from that area, although we don't have a lot of depth there," Holtz continued. "I've been pleased by the work I've seen from center Drew Sutton and Trey Magee, to name a few."
The Pirates will return to work Friday morning at 9:00 with another 120-minute session at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, which will serve as a make-up to the rained-out session earlier this week.
