Lee Autry
Football Picks Up The Pace in Full Pads Practices Before Spring Break
March 09, 2017 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The pads are on this week at Mississippi State football spring practice. The Bulldogs concluded their final workout before spring break with a two-and-a-half hour practice, working on all three phases on Thursday evening at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex.
Unlike last spring, MSU has had four practices this year prior to spring break as compared to two in shorts and helmets in 2016. Head coach Dan Mullen and the staff have gradually installed the playbook with two full-padded, up-tempo practices this week.
"I like our attitude," Mullen said. "Guys are working. There are some new faces out there, so what happens is, you start okay and then it starts to compound with different installs. We got four different installs in right now. But the critical thing is that, these four installs, guys have to review them constantly over spring break, so we come back sharper right now than when we left."
Following spring break, the Bulldogs will hold two practices before going through their first spring scrimmage on Saturday, March 25.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the MSU football team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB." All-access coverage is also available on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Below are quotes from Mullen's media session:
Head Coach Dan Mullen
March 9, 2017
Opening Statement
"I like our attitude. Guys are working. There are some new faces out there, so what happens is, you start okay and then it starts to compound with different installs. We got four different installs in right now. A big key to me is this, if you are going to do the four different splits like we have done before spring break this year, we don't practice for 12 days. You have the opportunity to be healthy and come back fresh and ready to go. But the critical thing is that, these four installs, guys have to review them constantly over spring break, so we come back sharper right now than when we left. If they do nothing, they'll be confused when they come back and it will be a big problem for guys getting an opportunity to get on the field."
On how the early enrollees of the 2017 class are doing…
"It's great. It gives those guys opportunities to get reps. Those are some valuable reps that you're getting in spring practice. It's a real opportunity to go learn the offense. The guys right now are not only getting the spring, but they'll come back during the summer and kind of know what's going on. When we go on to fall camp, it's their second time through the installation. They'll be a little bit more confident and comfortable with what's going on. Whereas the new guys, it will be their first time and it will be a little bit of an overload like it is for these guys now."
On the wide receivers…
"They're doing a pretty good job. The great thing is one guy leads, but a bunch of guys that have played are back. Even though, there might not be the big name at the receiver position, there's experience at the receiver position with guys that have played some football. I think that we're going to have the opportunity to be deeper at that position this year than we were last year."
On his former players Brett Elliott and D.J. Looney coaching with him…
"It makes me feel old. I was coaching [quarterbacks coach] Brett Elliot when some of these guys that we're recruiting now were only one year old. Holy cow I'm getting old. No, but it's great. You take so much pride as a coach in what you're players do, whether it's the guys that come back to coach or whether it's guys who go start a business. I had [former quarterback] Tyler Russell come into my office the other day. I loved hearing from him about what he's doing moving forward. I take pride in my guys in the NFL. I'm proud of Timmy Tebow's golf outing last weekend and all the amazing things that he does. As a coach, you just take pride on seeing the success that these guys have as they move forward in life and knowing that maybe you had a little something to do with that. So it's great seeing those guys on a nightly basis, knowing that you helped get them there."
On the offensive line…
"We're moving some guys since we have two starters out right now. The great thing is that we're creating some depth. There's five guys treating themselves like starters this spring. There are guys that are trying to compete for the starting job and then there's two more adding to it. So you have to feel good about having ten offensive lineman which gives you the depth that you need to get through a season."
On the leaders of the defensive line…
"With the new guys, it all depends on where they're at and them being comfortable. Guys like Kobe Jones and Jeffrey Simmons have great leadership qualities with the effort that they bring every single day. We're going to look at those guys to be the leaders of that front."
On his plans for the placekicker position…
"Well we got cancelled today, so I don't know what we're going to do. I mean it's going to be a wide open race. We'll be getting another guy here this summer, [signee] Tucker [Day]. So that's another guy that can go compete for that starting place kicking spot."
On linebacker Leo Lewis' growth…
"I expect to obviously see a big jump and improvement. Last year, he got a lot of playing time as a freshman, and now that's behind him so now he's going to know what playing through a season is like. This is a big offseason for him. It is for [Nick Fitzgerald] too. They're coming into an offseason having played a lot. Now they know what the season is going to hold for them and how to prepare the right way."
On redshirt freshman wide receiver Reggie Todd…
"He's gained a few pounds. He's probably gained 15-20 pounds. Reggie is a guy that hasn't played a lot of football, so he has an opportunity now. He's gotten a lot stronger. He's never spent an offseason in the weight room. So you're seeing a guy that's become a lot stronger. He's going to be able to come in and out of routes. He has great size so that creates mismatches on the field."
On his plans for spring break…
"I'm going to spend a lot of quality time with my wife and my kids. We might go spend a couple of days out at our lake house. We're going to get away. I'll probably end up caddying. I might get to play some, too, but probably more caddying for my son. Whenever we end up playing golf together, I end up caddying a lot. I don't just get to play. I get to caddy, too."
On Keytaon Thompson's progression as a quarterback…
"I am really impressed with how he's absorbing it. The next 12 days is going to be a huge opportunity for him to sit back and absorb. We need him to put work in on his own. If he can come back and absorb those first four installations, he will be fine the rest of the way. I think this is critical for him. It starts to compound when you have all of this going in. Now he has a chance to step back and review those first four installations, he'll be fine the rest of the way. He's picked it up pretty quickly."
On what he wants to see from the tight ends…
"We need them to become playmakers. We had a really young group last year. We've got a couple of guys that have played some football now. We have to use it. We have some great mismatches there with their size and athleticism. They have got to become a bigger part of our offense. We need them to become two guys that we're trying to get the ball instead of two guys that are learning."
Unlike last spring, MSU has had four practices this year prior to spring break as compared to two in shorts and helmets in 2016. Head coach Dan Mullen and the staff have gradually installed the playbook with two full-padded, up-tempo practices this week.
"I like our attitude," Mullen said. "Guys are working. There are some new faces out there, so what happens is, you start okay and then it starts to compound with different installs. We got four different installs in right now. But the critical thing is that, these four installs, guys have to review them constantly over spring break, so we come back sharper right now than when we left."
Following spring break, the Bulldogs will hold two practices before going through their first spring scrimmage on Saturday, March 25.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the MSU football team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB." All-access coverage is also available on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Below are quotes from Mullen's media session:
Head Coach Dan Mullen
March 9, 2017
Opening Statement
"I like our attitude. Guys are working. There are some new faces out there, so what happens is, you start okay and then it starts to compound with different installs. We got four different installs in right now. A big key to me is this, if you are going to do the four different splits like we have done before spring break this year, we don't practice for 12 days. You have the opportunity to be healthy and come back fresh and ready to go. But the critical thing is that, these four installs, guys have to review them constantly over spring break, so we come back sharper right now than when we left. If they do nothing, they'll be confused when they come back and it will be a big problem for guys getting an opportunity to get on the field."
On how the early enrollees of the 2017 class are doing…
"It's great. It gives those guys opportunities to get reps. Those are some valuable reps that you're getting in spring practice. It's a real opportunity to go learn the offense. The guys right now are not only getting the spring, but they'll come back during the summer and kind of know what's going on. When we go on to fall camp, it's their second time through the installation. They'll be a little bit more confident and comfortable with what's going on. Whereas the new guys, it will be their first time and it will be a little bit of an overload like it is for these guys now."
On the wide receivers…
"They're doing a pretty good job. The great thing is one guy leads, but a bunch of guys that have played are back. Even though, there might not be the big name at the receiver position, there's experience at the receiver position with guys that have played some football. I think that we're going to have the opportunity to be deeper at that position this year than we were last year."
On his former players Brett Elliott and D.J. Looney coaching with him…
"It makes me feel old. I was coaching [quarterbacks coach] Brett Elliot when some of these guys that we're recruiting now were only one year old. Holy cow I'm getting old. No, but it's great. You take so much pride as a coach in what you're players do, whether it's the guys that come back to coach or whether it's guys who go start a business. I had [former quarterback] Tyler Russell come into my office the other day. I loved hearing from him about what he's doing moving forward. I take pride in my guys in the NFL. I'm proud of Timmy Tebow's golf outing last weekend and all the amazing things that he does. As a coach, you just take pride on seeing the success that these guys have as they move forward in life and knowing that maybe you had a little something to do with that. So it's great seeing those guys on a nightly basis, knowing that you helped get them there."
On the offensive line…
"We're moving some guys since we have two starters out right now. The great thing is that we're creating some depth. There's five guys treating themselves like starters this spring. There are guys that are trying to compete for the starting job and then there's two more adding to it. So you have to feel good about having ten offensive lineman which gives you the depth that you need to get through a season."
On the leaders of the defensive line…
"With the new guys, it all depends on where they're at and them being comfortable. Guys like Kobe Jones and Jeffrey Simmons have great leadership qualities with the effort that they bring every single day. We're going to look at those guys to be the leaders of that front."
On his plans for the placekicker position…
"Well we got cancelled today, so I don't know what we're going to do. I mean it's going to be a wide open race. We'll be getting another guy here this summer, [signee] Tucker [Day]. So that's another guy that can go compete for that starting place kicking spot."
On linebacker Leo Lewis' growth…
"I expect to obviously see a big jump and improvement. Last year, he got a lot of playing time as a freshman, and now that's behind him so now he's going to know what playing through a season is like. This is a big offseason for him. It is for [Nick Fitzgerald] too. They're coming into an offseason having played a lot. Now they know what the season is going to hold for them and how to prepare the right way."
On redshirt freshman wide receiver Reggie Todd…
"He's gained a few pounds. He's probably gained 15-20 pounds. Reggie is a guy that hasn't played a lot of football, so he has an opportunity now. He's gotten a lot stronger. He's never spent an offseason in the weight room. So you're seeing a guy that's become a lot stronger. He's going to be able to come in and out of routes. He has great size so that creates mismatches on the field."
On his plans for spring break…
"I'm going to spend a lot of quality time with my wife and my kids. We might go spend a couple of days out at our lake house. We're going to get away. I'll probably end up caddying. I might get to play some, too, but probably more caddying for my son. Whenever we end up playing golf together, I end up caddying a lot. I don't just get to play. I get to caddy, too."
On Keytaon Thompson's progression as a quarterback…
"I am really impressed with how he's absorbing it. The next 12 days is going to be a huge opportunity for him to sit back and absorb. We need him to put work in on his own. If he can come back and absorb those first four installations, he will be fine the rest of the way. I think this is critical for him. It starts to compound when you have all of this going in. Now he has a chance to step back and review those first four installations, he'll be fine the rest of the way. He's picked it up pretty quickly."
On what he wants to see from the tight ends…
"We need them to become playmakers. We had a really young group last year. We've got a couple of guys that have played some football now. We have to use it. We have some great mismatches there with their size and athleticism. They have got to become a bigger part of our offense. We need them to become two guys that we're trying to get the ball instead of two guys that are learning."
Players Mentioned
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