Aug. 15, 2009

EASTON, Pa. - This season, senior tri-captain Andrew Poulson will be taking fans inside the action of everything that is Lafayette football --practices, off-field anecdotes, road trips, games, the inside scoop on his teammates and more. Be sure to check GoLeopards.com all season to experience preseason football through the eyes of a Leopard.

The first day of practice was today bringing the upperclassmen out with the freshman. The sun seemed to find its way out just as pre-practice started which was excellent (note the sarcasm here). I felt good today. Getting the kinks out of one's game takes all of camp, but today definitely got the ball rolling.

A lot of guys working and trained hard all summer in preparation for today, but the heat added an extra kick for us to work through. Overall I was very pleased with the effort everyone put out today.

Of course there are exceptions to this, but I'm not naming names. I guess it's just frustrating to see anyone give less than their all when guys are busting their tails. It's frustrating, but sometimes it takes time for guys to get the big picture and catch up to everyone around them.

Coach Potts put us through a good workout this morning to kick off the day and then we reported to position meetings. After brunch I headed down to practice.

The first day of practice is a good day for freshman especially because they get to see all the drills done by the upperclassmen and get the feel for the kind of pace that Lafayette College football is run at. It's fast and hard-nosed. Due to NCAA rules, we are only allowed to practice in helmets for the first two days, then uppers, and eventually full pads.

Days like today are better for critiquing form and mastering technique, not toughness or speed. Coach Dougherty (the D-line Coach) ran practice with a quick pace and little down time and I expect that to be the way we will practice for the season, which is good in my opinion.

A lot of guys are cramping and tired, but that's what camp is all about; toughness and determination. Everyone realized today that this (camp) is something that can be conquered and beaten.

It's like a fight: Your body against your mind. Today the bell rang. Two weeks from now, we'll see who's still standing. Tomorrow is always another round.