By nature, spring football practice ties together two ends.
On one side, returning contributors work to tune up adjustments made over their offseason regiments.
On the other, a new crop of players try to impress their coaches in a new year of opportunity.
Growth happens where the two ends meet.
This season the ASU football team returns 19 starters from a squad that nearly upset three top-10 opponents.
The experience of the elder Sun Devils translates into 19 quasi-coaches on the practice field.
“Our guys want to get this program turned around,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “They want to make a difference. Tradition hasn’t been here, and that’s our goal.”
And that aspiration is accomplished by making the whole team better, from starting quarterback to walk-on reserve.
“There’s a lot of guys working around this squad trying to help the young guys get better,” ASU junior quarterback Brock Osweiler said. “It’s a role I like to take on and it’s fun. I hope they feed off of it.”
Even for injured Sun Devils, the chance to make a difference in spring practice is there.
“It’s kind of cool coaching from a knowledge aspect,” said ASU redshirt junior cornerback Deveron Carr, who underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason. “When you’re playing you don’t get to watch everything. It’s kind of like challenging yourself to see if you really know what you’re supposed to know out there.”
Despite retiring due to concussion related symptoms, last year’s starting quarterback for the majority of the season, Steven Threet, can be found on the sidelines of every practice signaling plays into the huddle.
“It’s been great to have him around,” Erickson said. “Steven can talk to those guys about what he learned last year.”
Undisputed
Last year, Erickson waited until the last Monday before the season began to name his starting quarterback.
With Threet out of the picture this season, no such delay is needed.
Barring injury, Osweiler will be starting under center when the Sun Devils take the field Sept. 1 against UC Davis.
“Brock has taken things over,” Erickson said. “It’s good to have a leader. It’s shown on the field and in the offseason.”
Without having to compete in a drawn out competition, Osweiler can focus on himself and his new role with the team.
“It’s a lot of weight off me,” he said. “My job right now is to not steer the ship in the wrong direction, it’s on course.”
The sophomore started the final two games of 2010 for ASU, winning both, including a thrilling overtime contest against UA in Tucson.
The beauty of returning so many playmakers is that Osweiler won’t need to shoulder all the pressure on himself.
“Does he have to win games himself? No,” Erickson said. “The biggest thing is he has to do is play within himself. Last year we turned it over too much.”
Throughout the winter, Osweiler worked to speed up his delivery in the pocket to help the already up-tempo offense run faster.
“I tried to make myself more compact as a thrower,” he said. “It’s easy for me to get lengthy in my throw. So being compact allows me to get the ball out quicker - I did a lot of drills in front of mirrors.”
Injury update
Notable Sun Devils limited by injuries throughout the first week of spring practice are receiver Aaron Pflugrad, receiver Mike Willie, safety Keelan Johnson, safety Eddie Elder, defensive end Junior Onyeali, cornerback Deveron Carr and running back Deantre Lewis.
Carr can’t participate in contact drills due to his offseason surgery, but is on-track for the fall.
“This is my second year repeating the same surgery pretty much, but I’m fine,” he said. “I do my rehab everyday and I have the right mindset.”
Lewis, who was shot by a stray bullet while visiting family in Southern California, will likely miss most, if not all, of spring practice.
“He’s been sore so we’re taking him slow,” Erickson said. “If he’s here in the spring, that’s great, if not, that’s okay too because he’ll be here in the fall.”
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
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