Photo by: Brian Morse
CATS IN CAMP DAY 7: Bobcats Set to 'Play Football, Have Fun' on Saturday
8/12/2016 5:53:00 PM | Football
MSU stages live segments in Saturday's closed practice
Jeff Choate has done a lot of pushing and prodding, analyzing and evaluating, during his first week of fall camp as Montana State's head football coach. Saturday, he's looking forward to something different.
"I just want to see those guys play football and have fun."
Montana State's practice on Saturday, closed to the general public and media, intersperses three 25-play-at-a-time live periods throughout a conventional practice. While not a traditional line-up-and-go scrimmage, Choate says it does carry a little stronger meaning in the evaluation process as he and his staff sort through the team's personnel in the next two weeks.
"I think it's a body of work," Choate said. "You're taking into account the body of work up to this point in time and you're putting a little more weight on that competitive situation because we're going to grade it and go over it with a little more of a fine-tooth comb from a staff standpoint… We will weigh the scrimmage more heavily."
Choate's perspective during this month's scrimmage segments is different than in his previous role as a position coach and coordinator. "It is a little bit," he said. "Obviously I gravitate a little bit toward the defense and in particular the defensive line. But I've coached linebackers, I've coached running backs, I've done special teams for a long time and I think I understand football."
Choate likes where his team stands after a week of drills, capped by Friday's work. "I thought this was a really good practice," he said. "You could tell at the end, it was very interesting, we put them in an overtime situation on a little bit of a warm day at the end of practice eight, and (we saw) exactly what you see when you're not in shape or condition at the end of a game. Some mental errors took place, we blew a protection, a bad snap. We had some things, again, that I think are great teachable moments. I suspect the next time we come back and hit that situation we're going to clean that up. Yesterday afternoon when we hit the two-minute stuff again it was a lot different."
Along with watching his team play, Choate is looking for a couple of simple elements. "Comeptitiveness, physicality, that's what I'm looking for."
And one more thing: "And no injuries."
"I just want to see those guys play football and have fun."
Montana State's practice on Saturday, closed to the general public and media, intersperses three 25-play-at-a-time live periods throughout a conventional practice. While not a traditional line-up-and-go scrimmage, Choate says it does carry a little stronger meaning in the evaluation process as he and his staff sort through the team's personnel in the next two weeks.
"I think it's a body of work," Choate said. "You're taking into account the body of work up to this point in time and you're putting a little more weight on that competitive situation because we're going to grade it and go over it with a little more of a fine-tooth comb from a staff standpoint… We will weigh the scrimmage more heavily."
Choate's perspective during this month's scrimmage segments is different than in his previous role as a position coach and coordinator. "It is a little bit," he said. "Obviously I gravitate a little bit toward the defense and in particular the defensive line. But I've coached linebackers, I've coached running backs, I've done special teams for a long time and I think I understand football."
Choate likes where his team stands after a week of drills, capped by Friday's work. "I thought this was a really good practice," he said. "You could tell at the end, it was very interesting, we put them in an overtime situation on a little bit of a warm day at the end of practice eight, and (we saw) exactly what you see when you're not in shape or condition at the end of a game. Some mental errors took place, we blew a protection, a bad snap. We had some things, again, that I think are great teachable moments. I suspect the next time we come back and hit that situation we're going to clean that up. Yesterday afternoon when we hit the two-minute stuff again it was a lot different."
Along with watching his team play, Choate is looking for a couple of simple elements. "Comeptitiveness, physicality, that's what I'm looking for."
And one more thing: "And no injuries."
Thursday, July 31
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Wednesday, May 03
