jhodges: NU Football Commentary and Analysis

Commentary: How Much Does Spring Practice Mean?
by Jonathan Hodges

Now that Spring Practice is underway for Northwestern, the question is how much does it mean and how much of an impact will it have on the 2008 Wildcats? Typically, it is a chance for the experienced players to come back after winter workouts and get some additional team practice time before fall camp rolls around, but for this year's NU squad it will have more of an impact than usual.

First and foremost, there are 2 brand new coordinators for NU along with a new position coach. While the offense will still run some variation of the spread, new OC Mick McCall will shape the offense as he sees fit - and at the very least the players will have to adjust to new play calling and learn how to communicate effectively with their new leader. Having veteran and talented skill players returning (Bacher, Sutton, Conteh, Lane, Peterman, Brewer, Ward, and Yarbrough) helps a lot but there will still be a transition period - and now is the perfect opportunity to do that before freshmen arrive on campus and there's competition to worry about. Also on offense, the offensive line has a lot of battling to do in order to determine who the starters will be when August 30 rolls around - and even once the starters are defined there's a lot of unit cohesion left to be built.

On defense, new DC Mike Hankwitz and new DL coach Mary Long will be implementing a "new" defense - and by "new" I mean, at least, a new attitude on defense. Many expect the D to be on the attack more often under Hankwitz than NU fans have seen in recent years, and although the scheme may not be different, getting to that new attitude on the playing field means getting that attitude in practice. And that starts right now. There are also some position battles to work out (mostly for backup roles), but they key to the defense will be this new attitude. Finally, there is the question of 4-3 or 3-4 which presumably will begin to be answered in the spring.

As usual, the key players in the backfield (QBs and RBs) will most likely have the orange no-hit jerseys on, some players will be out of practice due to injury or recovery from off-season surgeries, and the incoming freshman class is still in high school, but there are a lot of implications for what the 'Cats do this spring. While there are many questions to be answered before the 2008 season begins, don't expect to see definitive answers after the Spring Game on April 26, but expect to see a lot of steps in the right direction. This year Fitz most definitely has his feet under him and "his" assistants around him, so I would also plan on seeing him really begin to shape the program with his own philosophy and attitude. If nothing else, this spring should make 'Cats fans hungry for the start of the 2008 season.

Go 'Cats!!!

e-mail: j-hodges@alumni.northwestern.edu

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