Aug. 11, 2009

By Adam Longueville
www.SIUSalukis.com

Daily Camp Blog -- Daily Photo Gallery

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki football team practiced at McAndrew Stadium on Tuesday, a day after heavy rains fell on the grass fields. Here is Coach Lennon's post-practice Q&A:

How many days in training camp does it take to install your offensive and defensive packages?
We should have most of our package in the first five days. But we constantly have to revamp it, so by practice 15, that's where you put out all the packages that you want for a season.

Do you find that the defense is usually ahead of the offense at this stage of training camp?
Defense will definitely have the upper hand at this stage, because it's more about aggression, whereas offense is more about timing. It can be tough when you're trying to install both sides of the ball. You have multiple components, and sometimes they aren't compatible. You just try to do what you need to do both offensively and defensively.

How hard is it to integrate the incoming freshmen into the practice routine, since they have no experience at this level?
You do a lot of coaching on the run. You want them to be in the huddle and get a feel for it, so a lot of times, I find myself in the huddle telling them what to do. Hopefully, through repetition, they learn it.

How much thought do you have to give to the weather conditions, whether it be thunderstorms like last night or extreme heat and humidity?
You try not to pay too much attention. If it's a heat spell, naturally you will hold your guys back. But for the most part, you have your agenda, and you try to accomplish it, regardless of the weather.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of practicing on the stadium turf compared to the grass fields?
With the turf surface, it's always constant. When you need to make sure that you'll have a good practice, you'll go on the turf. Sometimes, when you go on the grass it's a little muddy. Players will find themselves slipping around, which makes for a tough practice.