Trojans Open Spring Practice

Today was one of those early spring days that Southern California is famous for. It reminded you that it is time to get out the beach gear and swimwear.

The temperature on Howard Jones Field was hovering around 83 degrees. Without a clould in the sky, the sun hit the back of my neck like a surgical laser.

I can imagine how the Trojan football team felt wearing helmets and shoulder pads. This was a day for the beach not one to be running pass routes and rushing to block kicks.

But the beach will have to wait. Now is the time to get down to business – the business of competing. And the heat is just one more thing a player must compete with.

As for myself, I would not have gone to the beach anyway. Being packed along the sidelines amid a crowd of a thousand or so onlookers in this heat was much less of an ordeal than the way I spend my Saturday and often Sunday mornings.

Moving along a hundred-yard stretch of cracked and lumpy asphalt parking lot in Pasadena six or seven times while practicing xing yi (also spelled hsing-i) is certainly no piece of cake. But then again, I don’t have to wear a helmet and pads.

I mentioned this to one of my xing yi partners, who used to be a fighter pilot in Argentina. He commented that American football was boring – too many stops. He had played rugby for eight years and thought that our brand of football was way too specialized.

In rugby, although players hold different field positions, all of them need to know how to run, kick, tackle and block. I couldn’t help but think of his comment as I watched the Trojans undergo their first official team practice of the 2009 campaign.

There were the punters and punt returners receiving instruction from the new special teams coordinator, Brian Schneider.

Under the shadow of the goalposts, head coach Pete Carroll and Jeremy Bates, the new quarterbacks’ coach, were looking over the quarterbacks who were tossing to the running backs and tight ends.

Down by the other end zone, newly-appointed offensive coordinator, John Morton, was stressing to his wide receivers the importance of catching a pass to the mid-section with their hands and not craddling it in their arms.

Beyond the goal posts on the adjacent field, the best O-line coach in college football, Pat Ruel, was seeing what his horses could do. Ruel was carefully scrutinizing each one to see if any had lost the edge from last season.

A short distance away, Jethro Franklin, starting his second tour of duty with the Trojans, has the distinct task of evaluating the head-to-head competition at every spot on the D-line. No one has been penciled in as a definite starter yet.

Back on the main field, assistant head coach Ken Norton, Jr. has the same task as Franklin with his linebacking corps. Not only does Norton need to replace all three starters plus the elephant, Clay Matthews, but all four are expected to be first-day NFL draft choices next month.

Nearby Norton’s linebackers was newly-appointed defensive coordinator, Rocky Seto, the defensive backfield coach. It was obvious to see that Seto has already added a few new wrinkles.

I thought of xing yi and bagua as I watched Seto explain a new backing up drill to his DBs with footwork that is very similar to kind we have in martial arts. Then later, he had them practice a rip-away drill that used the same leverage techniques one would apply in aikido or taiji.

Yes, indeed, American football is so very specialized, and that is precisely what makes it such a unique and fascinating sport.

Although any player on the field might have to tackle or run with the ball in certain situations, for the most part, every technique, drill and conditioning exercise whether on the field or in the weight room is designed to meet the specialized requirements of a particular position.

And that is what was so very special about today’s practice. While other reporters may tell you who made a spectacular catch or broke a touchdown run or put a huge hit on a wide receiver, I realize that today’s practice wasn’t about that.

NEWS FLASH: In the competition at quarterback, no one was selected as the 2009 starter today.

Yes, I’m being facetious. In fact, no positions were won or lost today. All the quarterbacks got good looks. All of them hit on some passes and missed on others. The wide receivers had a few nice catches especially Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson. But they also had some drops.

The running backs? Stafon Johnson looks ready to go, and I really think #22 Curtis McNeal is going to win the hearts of Trojan fans everywhere if he can stay healthy. He reminds me of Jaquizz Rodgers, the Oregon State running back that propelled the Beavers to an upset win over the Trojans.

Does Joe McKnight have anything to worry about? McNeal ran everything out today. Even when the whistle blew, he kept going. If his running skills come anywhere near to matching his heart, McKnight will see his PT cut way down.

But today’s practice was about a different kind of competition.

Winning the starting assignment at any position is not about one good day. It is about consistency – which player can put in the same good effort day after day.

Today’s competition wasn’t about the players at all. It was about the coaching staff. How well did the new coaches fit in with their players? How well did they communicate? How well did the staff work together? How much energy did each coach and the staff as a whole display?

You see, today’s competition pitted Pete Carroll and staff against competitors who weren’t even there. Against Mike Riley and staff, against Chip Kelly and staff, against Jeff Tedford and staff. And yes, even against Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer.

How well did they perform? We probably won’t know the answer to that question until next January. But from a pure energy standpoint, this staff looks even better than last year’s. They came out firing on all cylinders. But above all, they came out ready to teach and ready to encourage.