Eagles Practice in Full Pads for First Time
Aug. 11, 2008
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The 7th-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles donned full pads for the first time during a two-hour, Monday morning practice.
Eagle head coach Ken Sparks thought the effort in the team's first full-contact work out was where it needed to be.
"We're out here hungry and flying after it," said Sparks. "This hasn't been a shy group, and it showed today. There have been some good collisions."
Safety Denares Waites (Alma, Ga.), a first team All-SAC selection and three-year starter, has been waiting for the chance to hit someone.
"It feels good to hit and get hit," said Waites. "It finally feels like football practice, and we'll start to feel it as the week goes on. Our legs will get heavy, but we've got to battle through."
Sparks has been pleased with his team's intangibles thus far, but remains quick to point out it's a four-month process.
"I like this team's sense of urgency," noted Sparks. "They're willing to do the work to get there, and that's encouraging, but we still have a very long way to go."
The Eagles will work out in full pads in each of their morning workouts this week, before holding their first scrimmage of the fall on Friday morning. The Eagles will also scrimmage on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. Both scrimmages are in Burke-Tar Stadium and open to the public.
