Pirates Move One Step Closer To Full Pads Session
August 09, 2015 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- With temperatures in the mid-70's, East Carolina concluded its fourth workout of the preseason at Hight Field inside the Cliff Moore Practice Complex as head coach Ruffin McNeill guided his squad through a two-and-half hour session in shells Sunday morning.
Beginning Monday, the Pirates will enter another phase of camp by wearing full pads for the first time and continue preparations for the first of three scheduled two-a-day workouts Tuesday.
"I've been pleased with what I have seen from the team through the first four practices," McNeill said. "We have a great group of kids that have shown great effort and high enthusiasm on the field. There is also a lot of learning going on with the young guys and you can finally see it starting to click with regards to what the coaches and older players are telling them."
Sunday's practice featured coverage skills and reads (roughly 30 minutes), and ball security points of emphasis for both the offense and defense in front of an officiating crew. The Pirates offense spent the first 28 minutes on Pat & Go, Quick Game and Routes on Air, while the defense worked in individual groups before the front seven spent time on pass rushing.
The final 25 minutes were spent in a team-on-team segment that pitted the top three units on both sides of the ball against each other instead of the scout team.
"Now that were are in pads, we like to have the officials come out to one practice and make sure we are playing smart," McNeill added. "We had a couple of what I call administrative penalties, but those things are coachable. The main things is that we don't want to beat ourselves out there on the field, and the officials did a great job of working with our team and helping them understand what's going on."
Up Next:
Monday's Practice Time: 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Season Opener: Sept. 5 vs. Towson in Greenville (6 p.m. ET)
