Mid-week practice finds Nichols’ Eagles "sluggish"
August 20, 2008
After two days of stellar performance on the practice field, Faulkner head football coach Jim Nichols found himself less than enthused with Wednesday’s practice.
"We looked sluggish today," commented Nichols shortly after practice concluded at Cramton Bowl. "It’s hot and it’s tough on the guys being in the heat and on the turf, but we have to learn to work hard every day."
In addition to regular drills and conditioning, the Eagles started using their scout team on Wednesday in preparation for the season opener in Birmingham Sept. 6 against Samford. "We are doing some good things, but we still have to find a kicker," said Nichols. Competition for the starting job is fierce with three players - Jared Corder, Paul Cink, and Win Knight - all working to get the nod.
Nichols hopes to have all starters in place after Sunday afternoon’s closed to the public scrimmage. He also plans to announce the backup quarterback.
Nichols and his staff are also trying to fill some linebacker spots as well. "We moved Matt Fleck over to linebacker from running back today and he looks pretty good. It looks like Matt might be a good fit for us on the defensive side of the ball." Offensively Jurrell Williams has also had a good string of practices for the Eagles at wide receiver. "Jurrell has worked really hard and has done a really good job for us so far," commented Nichols.
"We are going to try to get the guys some rest sometime soon," concluded Nichols. "They have been putting in a lot of time and deserve a little downtime."
The Eagles begin the 2008 season at Samford in Birmingham on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. The home opener is the following week at Cramton Bowl when the Eagles host cross-town rival Huntingdon at 7 p.m.