Since the beginning of our training camp, we have been practicing indoors inside a dome. It was a great way to get some practices and training done while there was still snow on the fields outside, however it doesn’t accurately simulate the environment and conditions we will be playing in during the season.
Our last practice was held outdoors at the Carleton University outdoor turf field. The turf itself was in great shape so there weren’t any issues there; however the CIS field was much wider than we’re used to. A very wide 65 yards, the dimensions worked great for the offense as they were able to space us out on defense, and attack holes much easier. During the scrimmage this led to more outside running plays than normal and it really stretched out the defense quite a bit. As such we really were gashed up between the 20’s; once it came to the red zone it was a different story. Defensively we finally buckled down and made plays to stop a touch down; we bent but we didn’t break.
An observation I’ve made in these past few practices is that you’ll rarely see a guy who has it all at this level. In high school there were many players who just dominated the game in all levels, the same just isn’t true here. With the level of competition being so high many players stick within their comfort zones not wishing to look stupid. Defensive ends won’t try to do too many pass rush moves, running backs will look more to run straight than to try and adlib a play. So far everyone has been far too conservative in their play, something I chalk up to just being nervous about the competition and not wanting to make any mistakes. Most of the guys here, I included, are not used to having to compete for a position; there are 7 players trying-out for 3 starting Linebacker spots.
Another new thing, at least to me, is the number of reps you receive per practice. Every three plays you have players switching in and out, so everyone gets a chance to be on the field. This means you really have to make an impact in those few plays. In the past I’ve been used to playing the entire time without really looking over my shoulder at whose coming up behind. It is something that’s new to me but not entirely unwanted as I love the competition aspect about it. It’s as they say, competition breeds success.
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