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OGDEN — Fall college football training camps are the definition of a marathon.
There are often multiple practices in a day, with film sessions in between; numerous team activities that have to be attended; and many players need medical treatment on top of that. So there is a limited amount of time for players to recharge the batteries, and the entire activity is meant to separate the weak from the mentally strong.
With that being said, the collective toll does begin to rear its head before the end of the first week, and Weber State coach Jay Hill believes that fatigue is a sign of good things.
“You don’t want (players) fresh,” he said. “If they’re not fresh, that means they’re working hard enough to get better. If they’re fresh right now, then you’ve got issues. You want (players) worn down, you want them beat down, and mentally, I want them to have to get through it.”
One week into practice, the Wildcats have improved their practice habits consistently as the week has gone on, and Hill said he is pleased with the team’s progress.
BYU transfer Billy Green took the majority of snaps for the first-team in Saturday's Weber State practice.
“I still think we’re getting better, as far as our toughness and our discipline,” he said. “We’re starting to see some guys wilt a little bit. It’s getting hard on them. We’ve got to make sure that we get the least committed guys caught up to the most committed guys, and that’s where we see a little bit of a discrepancy.
“Our execution, as far as when the ball’s snapped, is better than it was 15 practices into spring ball, so that’s good to see that they picked up where they left off. And, I see us getting better.”
The uncertainty at the quarterback position is the biggest issue that has been discussed with Weber. Returner Jadrian Clark was listed as the top quarterback coming into fall camp but suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the week, moving BYU transfer Billy Green to the top of the depth chart.
Green said his goal is to continue the progress the offense has made.
“The offense is looking good,” said Green, who took the first-team repetitions at Saturday’s practice. “I’m excited where we’re at. We’re moving right along, and I’m really excited where it’s going.”
After spending much of last season on the Cougars’ bench, Green said the new energy at Weber persuaded him to transfer to Ogden.
“When I transferred from BYU, I had no idea where I was going to go,” he said. “But I knew Coach (Jason) Kaufusi from BYU and Coach (Brent) Myers from when he recruited me when he was at UNLV, so I knew two familiar faces here. Then, some recommendations from people, telling me the coaching staff is brand new (and) they’re turning the program around ... So, I thought it was a great fit for me.”
Weber offensive coordinator Steve Clark has coached some tremendous quarterbacks, including San Diego Chargers quarterback Brad Sorensen at Southern Utah University. Clark said Green possesses several tools that have impressed the Wildcats’ coaching staff.
“What he does really well is he understands what we want to get done, and he knows what to do,” Clark said. “What I’d like to see him do better is just get the ball out. Sometimes he wants to be too good, and it’s a team sport. He’s got to rely on other guys to make plays for him."
While the offense is improving, Hill said there are some areas that still need to be addressed as the team prepares for an off day on Sunday.
“We’ve got be more disciplined,” he said. “We’re still having penalties that are just thoughtless penalties. We’re not getting lined up right, or we’re taking delay of game penalties. Those kinds of penalties will kill you, so we’ve got to get better in that area.”
