- Jul 30, 2014
- 10,131
- 16,377
I don’t care about their opinions or feelings. They won’t care about the team while SOS is coach anyway.
New spring football league resurrects washed up QBs
- Thread starter MidwestChomp
- Start date
I don’t care about their opinions or feelings. They won’t care about the team while SOS is coach anyway.
- Sep 8, 2014
- 25,430
- 59,356
Not wanting to start another thread on this league....but Spurrier's team had their first practice this weekend:
First game is Feb 9th vs. the Atlanta team:
Coach Steve Spurrier sees bright future for Orlando Apollos after team's first practice
Coach Steve Spurrier sees bright future for Orlando Apollos after team's first practice
Ahead of the first session of a three-day mini-camp for the Orlando Apollos, head coach Steve Spurrier noticed something about the chatter from his team on the bus ride from the hotel where it had been staying to Jones High School, where the practice was held.
Or, rather, he noticed an absence of chatter.
“I said, ‘These guys act like it’s a ballgame.’ They were ready to practice and do their thing,” Spurrier recalled. “They want to play. They realize it’s an opportunity for them.”
The two-hour session Saturday evening was the first practice for the Apollos, one of eight franchises in the upstart Alliance of American Football.
The non-contact practice was the first of four sessions spanning the three-day mini-camp and was the only one that was open to the public, with a small gathering of fans lining the sideline at Jones High to get a first look Orlando’s new team.
It was also the first time in a little more than three years that Spurrier, 73, led a team through a practice.
Spurrier last coached at the University of South Carolina, where he resigned midway through the 2015 season and began a short-lived retirement, which he came out of earlier this year when he was announced as the Apollos’ first head coach.
“Just coaching again was a lot of fun,” Spurrier said after the team’s first practice. “We’ve had about three days to meet and they’ve absorbed everything we’re trying to teach.”
Around 85 players were invited to the mini-camp for the Orlando franchise, with players who competed at the college level in Florida — such as former UCF receiver Rannell Hall — dominating the roster.
For each player, the unique chance to play pro football is not lost upon them.
“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of players out here to revive our football careers at a professional level,” Hall said. “The atmosphere out here was great.”
The three-day camp, which will continue through Monday, was preceded by individual meetings and sessions as players arrived in Orlando.
Spurrier had high praise for the enthusiasm the group brought to learning the playbook and getting to work, remarking that he and his coaching staff were able to install more during the first two-hour session than they expected.
“That might have been the best first practice that I’ve ever had as a head coach,” Spurrier said. “If we had to play a game tomorrow, we could play.”
Donning a bright orange Apollos shirt, Spurrier spent much of the session working with the four quarterbacks invited to the mini-camp — especially former SMU standout Garrett Gilbert, whom the team selected in the AAF’s Quarterback Draft last month.
“It’s awesome. I’ve been looking forward to [working with Spurrier] ever since the draft,” Gilbert said.
After the final session of the team’s mini-camp Monday morning, the roster is expected to be trimmed to 75 players. Those players will join the team when it heads to San Antonio in January for the AAF’s league-wide training camp that will begin Jan. 4 and run through Jan. 28.
The final roster for the inaugural 10-game season will be whittled to 52 players.
The Apollos will host the Atlanta Legends at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Spectrum Stadium to kick off the season.
And while that first whistle remains a little ways away, the Head Ball Coach felt confident enough after getting his first extended look at his new team to make a bold proclamation for fans of the upstart franchise.
“Fans are really going to like this team,” Spurrier said. “I’m going to predict that right now.”
First game is Feb 9th vs. the Atlanta team:
Coach Steve Spurrier sees bright future for Orlando Apollos after team's first practice
Coach Steve Spurrier sees bright future for Orlando Apollos after team's first practice
Ahead of the first session of a three-day mini-camp for the Orlando Apollos, head coach Steve Spurrier noticed something about the chatter from his team on the bus ride from the hotel where it had been staying to Jones High School, where the practice was held.
Or, rather, he noticed an absence of chatter.
“I said, ‘These guys act like it’s a ballgame.’ They were ready to practice and do their thing,” Spurrier recalled. “They want to play. They realize it’s an opportunity for them.”
The two-hour session Saturday evening was the first practice for the Apollos, one of eight franchises in the upstart Alliance of American Football.
The non-contact practice was the first of four sessions spanning the three-day mini-camp and was the only one that was open to the public, with a small gathering of fans lining the sideline at Jones High to get a first look Orlando’s new team.
It was also the first time in a little more than three years that Spurrier, 73, led a team through a practice.
Spurrier last coached at the University of South Carolina, where he resigned midway through the 2015 season and began a short-lived retirement, which he came out of earlier this year when he was announced as the Apollos’ first head coach.
“Just coaching again was a lot of fun,” Spurrier said after the team’s first practice. “We’ve had about three days to meet and they’ve absorbed everything we’re trying to teach.”
Around 85 players were invited to the mini-camp for the Orlando franchise, with players who competed at the college level in Florida — such as former UCF receiver Rannell Hall — dominating the roster.
For each player, the unique chance to play pro football is not lost upon them.
“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of players out here to revive our football careers at a professional level,” Hall said. “The atmosphere out here was great.”
The three-day camp, which will continue through Monday, was preceded by individual meetings and sessions as players arrived in Orlando.
Spurrier had high praise for the enthusiasm the group brought to learning the playbook and getting to work, remarking that he and his coaching staff were able to install more during the first two-hour session than they expected.
“That might have been the best first practice that I’ve ever had as a head coach,” Spurrier said. “If we had to play a game tomorrow, we could play.”
Donning a bright orange Apollos shirt, Spurrier spent much of the session working with the four quarterbacks invited to the mini-camp — especially former SMU standout Garrett Gilbert, whom the team selected in the AAF’s Quarterback Draft last month.
“It’s awesome. I’ve been looking forward to [working with Spurrier] ever since the draft,” Gilbert said.
After the final session of the team’s mini-camp Monday morning, the roster is expected to be trimmed to 75 players. Those players will join the team when it heads to San Antonio in January for the AAF’s league-wide training camp that will begin Jan. 4 and run through Jan. 28.
The final roster for the inaugural 10-game season will be whittled to 52 players.
The Apollos will host the Atlanta Legends at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Spectrum Stadium to kick off the season.
And while that first whistle remains a little ways away, the Head Ball Coach felt confident enough after getting his first extended look at his new team to make a bold proclamation for fans of the upstart franchise.
“Fans are really going to like this team,” Spurrier said. “I’m going to predict that right now.”
- Jul 16, 2018
- 911
- 2,211
Where is ole Johnny Brantley on this list?
