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We are just a few days away from the beginning of spring practice for the upcoming 2007 football season. It’s a slightly different atmosphere in the hallways of the Bryan Fitness and Wellness Center this year as players go through their off-season weight lifting regiments with an eye on getting back on the field next month for 15 rather intense practices within the allowable 20 day period. Coach Lee Fobbs has to be feeling considerably better leading up to spring practice this year than he did a year ago when he literally knew nothing about his personnel, little of how his new and youthful coaching staff would mesh and what adjustments he would have to make in his first term as a head coach after 25 years as a assistant. Trouble Spots (1) Sixty some odd freshmen and sophomores with little or no playing experience. But in the end, there were essentially three dominant contributing factors -all but one exclusively on the defensive side of the football- that stood tallest when all the dust had settled late last November. First was the lack of strength within both interior lines and the inability to at least hold or gain ground up front in the trenches. Secondly, a lack of speed in the defensive secondary to stop the deep pass and to close quickly enough to help against the run. And finally, the inability to wrap up and tackle people and to generate any defensive penetration at the point of attack. Bright Spots Having 50-odd lettermen returning usually means fans can be on the lookout for marked improvement from the previous year. The Aggies bring back 19 starters from a year ago -again sporting only a handful of seniors- but will be a more junior-sophomore laden team that will have a lot of playing time under its belt at nearly every starting position as well at all the backup spots. Also, a very ambitious training program under the watchful eye new strength coach Kerry Harbor has produced remarkable improvement in the physical attributes of the returning players, especially defensively. A&T is also going to be at an advantage this spring of having some key transfers readily available for spring practice, a luxury it has not been afforded itself in many years. This will allow Fobbs and his staff to integrate the new personnel in with the returnees and help speed things along considerably by eliminating much of the transition time normally used in learning the playbook. With that being the case, the Aggies should be ready to hit the practice field in high gear in few months in preparation for the season’s opener against Winston Salem State on Labor Day weekend. What’s New for March? Red shirt quarterback Shelton Morgan will force both Herb Miller and Wayne Campbell to step up their game considerably if either one wants to be named the starter this fall. Morgan is not shy either in his abilities or his confidence and that make for a very interesting competition for the starting job. The Aggies will also have a significant number of new players who sat out last season as red shirts that will have a impact in vastly improving the talent level at some key spots along the defensive line, linebacker, and at wide out. While Fobbs recruited four very powerful offensive linemen who physically can play right away along with his five returning starters and the bulk of his reserves, the defense remains the biggest question mark going into spring ball. Transfer cornerback Ihsan Shaheed (College of the Sequoias) and strong safety Brandon Croley (Clemson) will have an immediate impact on the secondary not only because of their speed but their physicality. Both are big hitters who play extremely well in man-to-man coverages. There has been signifcant movement of personnel from their previous offensive positions to the defensive side of ball which the coaching staff feels will give them some players that are better suited to help improve the rushing defense. Three large and quick red-shirted offensive linemen were moved over to bolster the defensive line, as just one example. Zeroing in on putting the pieces of the puzzle together in an attempt to shore up the rush defense will be the number one priority in spring practice and the real key in turning around the A&T football fortunes this fall. Here’s a glimpse of just some key returning players and newcomers that we believe just might deserve some special "eye-ballin" from the fans by the conclusion of the spring game. On Offense: On Defense: On Special Teams: J.J. Yates, Rashard Richardson, Curtis Walls Schemes Defensively, the defense varied between a 4-3 and a 3-4 with the latter becoming more predominant as the year went on because of the scarcity of defensive linemen. Now with the migration of more size from the offensive side of the ball, A&T seems to be a good fit to perhaps try more of a 4-4 or 46 flex type defensive set because of the anticipation of a vastly improved secondary, a distinctly stronger defensive line and a very experienced linebacker corps. The Skinny A&T will enter the spring with some justified enthusiasm for expecting substantial improvement in 2007.
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