TALLAHASSEE, Fla.| The Florida A&M University football team wrapped up its first week of spring practice with an upbeat two-hour session on Saturday afternoon at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Saturday's practice was the third of 15 the Rattlers will hold this Spring.
Focusing on detail and execution were the key focal points for players and staff as players sprinted from drill-to-drill as quickly as possible. Head coach
Willie Simmons was pleased with his team's effort but wants his guys to clean up some minor miscues.
"Obviously you're trying to learn plays, you're trying to compete at a high level and sometimes the details fall by the wayside," Simmons said. "We're really just focusing on cleaning up the small things. The better we are at that, the better we'll be as a football team overall."
In the latter half of practice, the Rattlers held a mixed scrimmage with both the offense and defense taking turns making plays. The most important takeaway, however, is how healthy participating players have been through the early parts of the Spring.
"For the most part, guys that have been practicing are healthy," Simmons said. "We're doing a good job of staying healthy, relatively speaking, but we've got to get the guys who came into the spring post-injury, post-rehab and post- surgery, we've got to get them back as quickly as possible."
In addition to getting guys back healthy, another key piece this spring is trying to replace Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Year,
Ryan Stanley.
Rasean McKay and newly-transferred Kansas State quarterback John Holcombe have stepped up to the challenge and will be competing for the starting spot.
"So far all of our quarterbacks are doing good, but we still have areas we need to improve on," Simmons said. "With John just transferring here we have to get him acclimated to our offense and in general how we do things here, but overall this is why we have practice so we can fix the things that need to be fixed."
Florida A&M will return to field for its fourth practice on Sunday.
The Rattlers will hold their annual Orange & Green Spring Game on Saturday, March 28. Kickoff for the spring game is set for 2 p.m.
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