BATON ROUGE — LSU held its first day of football practice on Saturday as the veterans went through a morning workout followed by an afternoon session for the rookies.
Saturday’s workout had the Tigers going just over two hours in each session in a practice that had the team in shorts and helmets. The Tigers will keep the same routine on Sunday. The Tigers will add shoulder pads on Monday and Tuesday before going in full pads for the first time on Wednesday.
“The morning practice was filled with veterans and guys who have played a lot of football and they looked pretty sharp,” LSU coach Les Miles said following the afternoon session. “We really had a nice start. The defense played well and was fast to the ball. Offensively, it looked like it was a pretty strong day. The afternoon practice was filled with some veterans and some young guys that we need to teach the offense, defense and special teams to. That was a very talented practice as well.”
“The speed of the game was much quicker this morning. First of all, there are more players and it is a veteran practice. This afternoon, it was a little more of a teaching tempo.”
“We’re in helmets. There is not really time to say who’s looking good and who’s not looking good. I can tell you at both practices there is some talent. The older guys are a little ahead of the younger guys. Things are going well. I think (wide receiver) Brandon LaFell really had a great summer as did (defensive end) Tremaine Johnson. (Quarterback) Matt Flynn looks every bit ready to lead this team. It is a good club, and I look forward to coaching them during the year.”
Saturday’s workout also saw the return of senior offensive lineman Will Arnold, who has been out of action since early last year. Arnold, a preseason All-America pick going into 2007, missed most of last year with knee and ankle injuries.
“Will went through most of the practice,” Miles said. “He was a little leg weary but nothing serious. He probably overextended himself a little bit in that one practice. I think he will be fine. We will practice him tomorrow. It really was a good sign.”
Miles said that any snaps that they can get out of Arnold will be a plus for the Tigers. LSU lost two starters on the right side of the offensive line a year ago and Arnold is expected to help bolster either the right guard or right tackle position this year.
“Any snaps that we will get from him will really benefit us because he has so much experience, and he is a big, powerful man,” Miles said. “We need to do smart things for his body and make sure we get him healthy. He will have all of the intangibles – the intensity, the experience under fire. He will have all of that. That will not be an issue. Ideally, you would like to say you would get a half (from him) in the first game. He might build up as the season goes on. You’ll get full games out of him late in the year.”
As far as the freshmen were concerned, Miles said he was pleased with the effort during the first workout.
“This is a very comparable group,” Miles said. “A lot of the guys got it very quickly. Some of the guys were saying they didn’t know it would be this hard. That’s normal. That is just the way it is. We had less-than-perfect sprints at the end of practice. I think they ran about eight. They have to learn because we require that things be done at a very high level. It’s a great lesson for them.”
LSU opens its third season under Miles on Thursday, Aug. 30 when the second-ranked Tigers travel to Starkville, Miss., to face Mississippi State in a nationally televised contest on ESPN.
LSU Player Quotes following first day of practice
QB Matt Flynn
On the first day of practice…
“It’s good to be back. The team’s just been looking to me to keep my form and get out there and take a leadership role. We’ve had a lot of fun, just going out there and playing some football. We’ve been talking about it for a long time so it feels good to finally get out there and play.”
On the new offense…
“There’s going to be some changes but its not really going to be anything that people are going to step back and say, ?Wow, that’s so much different from what they’ve done in the past.’ We’re going to incorporate some of Coach Crowton’s plays that he’s dealt with for years, but we’re also going to keep some of Coach (Jimbo) Fisher’s stuff because a lot of older guys were comfortable with that and its been successful. There’s no need to change something that’s been successful. There’s been an even mixture of Coach Crowton’s stuff and Coach Fisher’s stuff and its working. There may be a little more shotgun, and a little more running with the backs and just trying to get people in different holes down the field.”
On high pre-season expectations…
“We’ve set expectations for ourselves, as a team. As a team we haven’t taken a snap yet against an opponent. We know how good we can be, and its going to be a lot of hard work. Every year there’s high expectations for this team so a lot of us older guys have learned to deal with it. We can’t listen to what people are saying and what people are projecting us to do. You’ve just got to be confident in yourself and your teammates and go out there and work hard and meet those expectations.”
DT Glenn Dorsey
On the first day…
“It was hot today. We like coming out when it’s hot because it’s going to be hot in the games. Everyone was very excited to be here. I told the guys that I missed being with them during the spring. I think everyone had a good tempo. It was a very good day.”
On Coach Miles being pleased about the first day…
“He seemed to be pleased, but there is always room for improvement. He took it easy on us today, but I know tomorrow it’s going to be harder. We are really looking forward to tomorrow’s practice. That’s how you win games outside in the heat where it’s hard.”
On expectations for this season…
“We are not really concerned about the expectations. We just come out one day at a time. That’s the only way we are going to win. We want to improve on the little things because the little things become big things. If you get better individually then the whole team gets better. So we just take it one day at a time and improve as much as we can.”
On not going to the NFL…
“I want to win a SEC Championship here at LSU then a National Championship. I’m really excited about the season. Getting back on the field and battling with my guys. I love the feeling before the game when I get goose bumps in my stomach. I love preparing for the games. I’m looking forward to this season.”
On Coach Pelini…
“Coach Pelini is a mastermind. He makes the defense really simple. He drills us and drills us trying to get in our heads. That way we won’t be thinking that much on the field, we just run the play. He let’s us show our athleticism and let’s us move around a lot. It’s all about working hard and attacking. ”
On the young guys coming in…
“I know the young guys coming in are really stepping up. If we are tried and bending over they might think it’s ok for them to be tired and bent over. So we try to put our best foot forward and lead by example.”