Aug. 24, 2010
Photo Gallery
Bronx, N.Y. -
Today was a double session practice for the Rams, who took to Murphy Field at 9:00 a.m. this morning and are back on the practice field for their night workout. The morning workout was in helmets only while the night session consists of practice in full pads with officials. Fordham is up to its 18th practice session of camp as the Rams get ready for their season opening on Saturday, September 4th at Bryant University.
Here are some observations from today's practice:
Having Fun: After having their second scrimmage of camp on Saturday, the Rams had their first day off on Sunday and celebrated by having a BBQ lunch under the stands at Jack Coffey Field and then boarded buses to take in the Yankees-Mariners game at Yankee Stadium.
Having Fun II: The defensive line and some of the linebackers participated in a drill this morning that had the players laying out and landing on a mat. Not quite sure what the object was in the drill but it was so much fun that defensive line coach Greg Crum was the first to do it.
Having Fun III: Between practices today many members of the team came to Jack Coffey Field to cheer on the women's soccer team, 2-0 winners over Maine. The football players were heard to start some R-A-M-S chants.
Wide Receiver Competition: Wide receiver coach
Custavious Patterson was working on a drill with the wide outs where two quarterbacks would throw to a receiver on each side of the field. After successfully catching more than 20 passes during one drill, the players moved to a similar drill and Patterson again challenged them to catch 20 without dropping one. Unfortunately they couldn't repeat the feat.
Zebras Present: For most of the second week of practice, head coach Tom Masella has brought in officials to the practices. His goal is to cut down on the number of penalties called on the Rams in 2010. Last fall, Fordham was the most penalized team in the Patriot League, averaging 75 penalty yards/game.
Calling the Signals: Competition for the starting quarterback job is still wide open with sophomores Ryan Higgins and Blake Wayne both playing with the first team offense along with junior Doug Papy. All have their upsides. Papy has the experience of serving as John Skelton's back-up last year while Higgins appears to be the best passer of the three and Wayne adds another dimension to the offense with his ability to run the ball
New Ticket System: The Rams will be unveiling a new ticket system through TicketReturn.com that will give season ticket holders who can't make a game the option of selling their tickets through the site. Check FordhamSports.com tomorrow for complete information.
Locker Room Update: The sound system and brackets for the televisions are up in the Beryl and John Lyons Football Locker Room and the lounge area is just about ready for the Rams. Plans are being finalized for the two permanent lockers to honor Vince Lombardi and Bill Tierney. The room will officially be dedicated on Friday, September 24th, the day before the Homecoming game against Assumption.
Long Snapper: The Rams lost a lot more than a starting linebacker with the graduation of
James Crockett last year. They also lost their long snapper. Fordham brought in freshman
Joseph Sullivan, who served as a long snapper in high school, to compete for the job and have been working out senior defensive lineman
Will Quan at the position. Junior
Connor Hartigan also has long snapping experience for the Rams.
New Faces on Offensive Coaching Staff: The 2010 Fordham offensive coaching staff has mostly familiar faces, along with one new one. Back are offensive coordinator Bryan Volk, along with wide receiver coach Custavious Patterson, who are joined by assistant head coach/offensive line coach Patrick Moore, who moves over to the offensive side of the ball after serving as defensive coordinator in 2009 and the linebackers/special teams coach in 2007 and 2008.
New faces on the offensive coaching staff include Turner Pugh and Mike Breznicky. Pugh, who is in charge of the running backs this year, comes to Fordham after serving as an offensive intern at George State University last year. At George State, he assisted in drills working with the wide receiver as well as assisting in organizing and entertaining recruits on their official visit.
Prior to George State, Pugh was the wide receivers coach at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, in 2008. His duties included instructing the wide receivers on techniques and fundamentals as well as serving as the special teams coordinator. Pugh also assisted in the development of the Marietta passing game and was responsible for recruiting the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Texas and Florida.
Breznicky is no stranger to Rose Hill, playing for the Rams for four years and serving as a team captain of the 2007 Patriot League championship team. He helped out with the offensive line at Fordham last year before being assigned the tight ends this year.
