Frogs Open Spring Drills
3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 5, 2005
The TCU Horned Frog football team went through a two-hour practice session in shorts and helmets Saturday afternoon, their first of 15 spring practices, which will culminate with the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 9.
"I thought it was a great effort day," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson. "We did a lot of learning today. We have to learn to play fast, and to do that, you have to know what to do and play with great effort. I saw that today. I thought defensively, we broke better on the ball than I've seen in a long time. I think we had five or six interceptions. Individually, I thought Donald Massey, who has moved back to wide receiver, showed great speed and did a great job of catching the football. Defensively, I thought (safety) Eric Buchanan and (cornerback) Quincy Butler had good days," added Patterson.
"It's good to be back on the offensive side," said Massey, who was used at cornerback as a true freshman last fall. "But I don't think I had that good of a day. I didn't perform as good as I can. I'm still trying to learn the position."
"I felt pretty good," said senior quarterback Tye Gunn, who has battled injuries for much of his TCU career. "Usually I'm a little rusty on the first day of practice, but today I actually felt pretty sharp. Physically, I felt good," added Gunn. "But the key isn't to just feel good after one day of practice, but to be able to hold up over the long haul - through 15 spring practices and through the season."
One of the concerns for the Frogs this spring is replacing three starters along the offensive line, including a pair of all-conference performers in Anthony Alabi and Chase Johnson.
"We may not be the same as last year," said senior offensive lineman Ben Angeley, "but we'll figure out a different way to be good. We have four seniors and we're a close-knit group. I think our work ethic in the weight room has carried over to the field. We have more people taking on responsibilities and accountablity."
The Frogs will be on the practice field four times next week, beginning Monday afternoon. They will take the following week off for spring break before concluding their final 10 spring practices.
