Frogs Complete Day Two of Workouts
8/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 1, 2001
The Horned Frogs football team underwent its second day of practice on the TCU campus on Wednesday. It was the first of the two-a-day practices for the newcomers.
"Everyone looked much more comfortable today, as the players are more used to their coaches," said Head Football Coach Gary Patterson. "There is a lot of teaching going on right now. On the defensive side, we basically give them the entire package in the first three or four practices. Offensively, they are getting more comfortable with the techniques we're teaching. These early practices allow us more individual instruction for these young players and they'll have a better understanding of what's going on when the veterans come in on Saturday."
The Texas heat was the topic of the day as several television crews stopped by the TCU practices in light of the heat-related death of Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer.
"We really work hard to get our players ready for two-a-day practices," said Patterson. "We start in January and continue through the summer getting the players used to the heat. We supply water at every station and take every precaution with the players. If anyone even appears to be having a problem (with the heat), we pull them out."
"We want to keep the players hydrated, so we really push the fluids on them," added Associate Athletics Trainer Todd Nalder. "We don't let them go without water. I stress to them that if they get to the point where they're thirsty, they're setting themselves up for problems. We attempt to get four bottles of liquid into them even before they get onto the field, then make it available throughout and following the practice sessions."
The freshmen will have the next two days off from the practice fields. They will spend much of the day on Thursday in meetings, while the varsity players report for the first time.
The Frogs will host their annual Media Day on Friday, then begin two-a-day workouts on Saturday, August 4. The first full squad practice is set for 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Frogs open their 2001 season on August 25 when they travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Pigskin Classic.
-tcu-
