ECU Spring football notebook

Pirates Return To Work After First Scrimmage

 GREENVILLE, N.C. – After completing their first official intra-squad scrimmage of the spring Saturday, the East Carolina Pirates returned to Hight Field inside the Cliff Moore Practice Complex Monday afternoon and turned in a correction-oriented, but spirited, one-hour and 45-minute workout in shorts.

 Head coach Skip Holtz and his staff are nearing the completion of full game-tape evaluations and the development of ECU’s first public depth chart which will be released later this week.

 “We only had eight-play drives so it was hard to put together a sustained possession, but I was really pleased with the scrimmage for what it was intended to do,” Holtz said. “The last time that we really had a depth chart was at the Liberty Bowl. Since then, we have just rotated guys in and out and not really focused on putting the team together. I was able to meet with the staff for a long while today as we watched the film from the scrimmage, and I came away extremely encouraged. We are able to now start formulating the two-deep and start to work with the guys who will see most of the playing time. We have a lot of people on this team that have played a good amount of football for us.”

Monday’s session was ECU’s 11th of the spring period, leaving just four more practices remaining, including a second scrimmage scheduled for Wednesday afternoon and the playing of the Purple-Gold Game April 18.

After conducting standard individual segments to open Monday’s session, the Pirates spent the remainder of the practice covering corrective work in a team-on-team mode.

“We are not there yet, but we are close to having the chance to be a really good football team,” Holtz continued. “Now we have to raise our expectations, not only on the field, but in our minds. I think the final four practices will go a long way to establishing continuity for the fall. Today was really an important first step in that process. For example, Patrick [Pinkney] and Rob [Kass] were able to go through most of our pass schemes and were throwing to guys that they will throw to in September. Everyone needs to now hold themselves accountable in the next few months in order to make this football team the best it can be.”

NOTES: Sophomore TE Michael Byrd returned to work Monday after missing Saturday’s contest because of a head injury suffered last week … Three Pirates, who were listed as questionable for the initial scrimmage – LB Jeremy Chambliss (leg), QB Josh Jordan (hand) and DT Linval Joseph (illness) – all experienced action in the game.

EAST CAROLINA‘S 2009 SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Next Workout: Wednesday, April 8 (scrimmage)

Remaining Workouts: April 13, April 15 and April 18 (Purple-Gold Game, 3:00 p.m.)

Tom McClellan
Assistant AD/Media Relations
East Carolina University