By Brent Zwerneman
Updated 09:09 p.m., Saturday, March 31, 2012
Courtesy of The Houston Chronicle
COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M football was awash in newness on Saturday - starting with the Southeastern Conference patch on the Aggies' practice jerseys.
"We take a lot of pride in that," receiver Ryan Swopesaid, noting the "SEC" on his shoulder. "It's going to be an exciting year, and we're excited to start new things here."
The newness also included the first spring practice under coach Kevin Sumlin, hired from Houston to refresh a program that had wallowed in mediocrity over the past decade.
"This is great for me, because I'm off the speaking tour," a smiling Sumlin said of finally starting spring drills. "Now I get to coach football and don't have to go all over the place. That's the reason I'm here - not to make speeches and do all of that stuff but to coach football.
"For me, personally, this was a lot of fun."
Sumlin had waited longer than nearly any coach in the country to start spring practice so new strength and conditioning coach Larry Jackson could spend as much time with the players over the past two months.
"That was as important as what happened today," Sumlin said. "Because if you don't (condition properly), the tempo and things we're trying to do become a waste of time because you're not in shape to do them."
Sumlin had more reason to smile with the somewhat unexpected return of senior running backChristine Michael to the field for the first time since he suffered a torn left ACL on Nov. 5. Michael was leading the team in rushing with 899 yards and averaging 6 yards a carry.
"He's way ahead of where I thought he would be," Sumlin said of Michael's rehabilitation. "I had to tell him to go sit down (during drills), and I look back up and he's in there. He wants to play."
Meanwhile, loud music signaled the start of the Sumlin era on Saturday.
"It's an energy booster, but it also creates confusion," Sumlin said of the perpetual tunes during practice. "We don't play football in a sterile environment. It's very loud and guys have to communicate, and we wanted to start that process today."
The Aggies have 14 practices remaining, including the annual Maroon & White game at Kyle Field on April 28.
brent.zwerneman@chron.com twitter.combrentzwerneman
No comments:
Post a Comment