At the conclusion of his inaugural spring practice in March, first-year Grambling State University head coach Rod Broadway let it be known where the Tigers’ strengths and weaknesses were going into the 2007 season. After observing Grambling State’s third day of practice on Tuesday morning, little has changed to sway Broadway’s mind as the athletes at GSU’s skill positions are standing out while the offensive line is a work in progress.
“Our skill guys are working hard on the field and that’s expected but a lot of our offensive linemen have reported out of shape,” said Broadway. “Even though the skill guys aren’t carrying as much weight, they worked the hardest during the summer and it has shown because they’re running hard and playing fast. Guys such as (wide receivers) Clyde Edwards, Larry Kerlegan, Terrance Dunn and defensive backs (Zaire) Wilborn and Jeffrey Jack are working hard out there.”
Despite the condition GSU’s offensive line is in at this point, Broadway expects the unit to bounce back over the duration of camp.
“If we can get the linemen to match the effort our skill position players are showing then we’ll have a chance to be a pretty good football team.”
The Tigers will have two more days of non-contact football before dressing out in full pads on Friday and scrimmaging on Saturday morning. Broadway said the scrimmage will be very important to the team as it’ll provide a chance for his newcomers to see live action and gain valuable experience.
“We have to get a lot of scrimmage work in because we’re a young football team,” he said. “We’re going to hit on Saturday but we’ll keep a close watch on the players to make sure they remain healthy as the season approaches. Our newcomers will get a lot of snaps under game-type situations so we can determine how many will be able to help us this season.”
The team will return to the practice field once again at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning at the Robinson Stadium Support Facility practice fields.
