BLOG 8: Film review remains important for coaching staff

Ferris State placekicker Jim Yates watches his field goal attempt out of a hold by Cole Meredith (85) on Saturday during a scrimmage in Big Rapids. (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

By Sandy Gholston

Big Rapids - - What takes place on the practice field is not where it ends once pads come off the players back at the Ewigleben Sports Complex and players go through mostly normal treatments with the athletic training staff.

After scrimmages and practices, coaches spend time reviewing film of the sessions to evaluate performances and begin to make judgments of how the depth chart is going to shape up for the fall. There are still plenty of decisions left to be made with regard to who will be starting quarterback, who will fill in holes opened up by the graduations of Kurt Hout and Erik Schumacher on the defensive line and who will fill in the spot once occupied by Bill Bourdlais on the offensive line. Those are just a handful of decisions the coaching staff will continue to ponder through the final week of spring and then into the summer in preparation for the fall.

“We’re going to be spending time going over the film and making some evaluations as we go into this final week of practice,” said Ferris head coach Jeff Pierce, whose team enters its final week of practice gearing up for the April 25 Crimson and Gold Spring Game which begins at 6 p.m. at Top Taggart Field. “We know there are going to also be a lot of things that we’re going to have to clean up before we end spring practice and get ready for the fall.”

The coaches are using the film, particularly as they get more of their offensive and defensive packages installed, to begin to make some of their decisions a little more concrete. It’s still only the spring, but this time of the year is important for the veterans as a new crop of rookies enter the picture in the fall. Spring is to the advantage of the younger vets. As part of that, the coaches have used springtime to drill back into the players the basics of being a football player: hitting, footwork, tackling, catching, running, agility, blocking, route running and more.

Ferris State quarterback Tom Schneider (8) drops back to pass during the team’s Saturday scrimmage in Big Rapids. (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

“We know we’re not going to be ready for our first game of the season right now, but we’re working toward that,” said Pierce, whose staff of coaches will continue these evaluations through the balance of the spring and then look ahead to the fall when the freshmen and transfer recruits arrive in Big Rapids to spice up the competition for spots on the depth chart. “We’re not a well-oiled machine yet, but we’re working to make some more progress this week and to have the machine running better.”

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com