Mention two-a-days to Flower Mound coach Cody Vanderford and Marcus coach Bryan Erwin, and you’re taking them back to a different era of football.
The way it is today, two-a-days really have no place at the start of fall workouts. Vanderford’s program doesn’t have them. Erwin’s program runs them as more of a 1½ format.
Preparations for the 2008 season begin in earnest for both teams on Monday with meetings and light workouts. The first time teams can conduct contact drills is Friday.
Expectations are high for each program. Marcus is no longer going to catch anyone by surprise. Advancing to the playoffs was a major step in 2007. Maintaining a standard of excellence is another.
Flower Mound is looking to put together a third consecutive playoff season. But this time, the Jaguars want to find that elusive first playoff win in school history.
High school football continues to evolve. In this era, the trend is to use the early workouts for refinement, because the heavy workout was likely accomplished during the spring.
The reason coaches can’t or won’t go through anything basic at this point is because their seasons are starting on Week 0, Aug. 29. Their first scrimmages are 10 days after they start workouts. Marcus scrimmages Irving on Aug. 21, and Flower Mound scrimmages Colleyville Heritage on Aug. 22.
"In all honesty, we do so much with 7-on-7 and summer workouts that two-a-days are just overrated," Vanderford said. "We don’t want to wear on the kids. We have 18 days to get ready for our first game [Plano East]. That’s not a lot of time."
Erwin is having morning meetings and a workout. The afternoon program is split. When linemen are outside going through contact drills or walkthrough drills, the skill players are inside, lifting. It will be the opposite the next day.
"We used our spring to really grind, so in our first week, I don’t want us to be in too much of a hurry," Erwin said. "We don’t have to be a great football team [at this point]. We just have to prepare and understand what we do well and what we need to do to get better. To be honest, your kids have to come in shape."
Most position issues are settled. However, the Marcus quarterback situation is not. Bradley L’Huillier came away from spring working with the first-team offense, while Brody Boyd was working with the second team. That may or may not mean anything, because Brandon Schuelke missed the spring with a shoulder injury and should figure into Erwin’s starting quarterback decision.
Or, Erwin may choose to go with two quarterbacks. He did that at the beginning of last year, when Jared Jacobs and Jimmy Nelson split time. Eventually, Jacobs became the full-time starter.
Vanderford’s main priority is making sure the Jaguars special teams units are set up.
"Too many games are won and lost because of field position," Vanderford said. "This is an area where you don’t want to beat yourself."