2007 Fall Camp Online Headquarters - Updated Aug. 24th

Your Online Source For Preseason News, Video, Photos and More

08/20/07 7:00PM

- This is the home for Tribe Football news, photos and more during the team's preseason camp workouts. Check back frequently as new photo galleries, player diary entries and additional information is added.

Tribe Talk - Video Interviews with the Players

All video files on this site are .mov files, which require the latest version (7) of Apple's Quick Time Player. For a free download of Apple Quick Time 7 click here or on the icon below.


Head Coach Jimmye Laycock Interview - Aug. 23
R.J. Archer Interview - Aug. 20
Jake Phillips Interview - Aug. 20
Mike Potts Interview - Aug. 20
Matt Otey Interview - Aug. 17
C.J. Herbert Interview - Aug. 17
David Caldwell Interview - Aug. 17
Tony Viola Interview - Aug. 17
Drew Atchison Interview - Aug. 16
Josh Rutter Interview - Aug. 16
T.J. O'Neill Interview - Aug. 14
Joe Nicholas Interview - Aug. 14
Derek Cox Interview - Aug. 10
Brad Stewart Interview - Aug. 10

Preseason Photo Galleries
Camp Gallery 1 - Pete Clawson and Rob Turner Photos
August 13th Photos - Mark Hoskins
August 14th Photos - Pete Clawson
Practice and Scrimmage Photos - Pete Clawson

Player Camp Diaries

Derek Cox

Third Entry - August 22nd
Last time I talked to y’all I said we were going to have a scrimmage. The scrimmage was quite impressive. I thought we played well on both sides of the ball. The offense passed the ball well while quarterback Jake Phillips commanded the offense. His performance earned him the player of the scrimmage honor. On the defensive side we had our motors running. The linebackers and defensive line created chaotic pressure through blitzes and stunts. Defensive lineman Sean Lissemore hustled well, devouring ball carriers all night. He was recognized as the defensive player of the game. We still have work to do and the coaches place a lot of emphasis on it as they push us.

We just recently moved out of the dorms and it has been a long time coming. The dorms aren’t that bad but nothing competes with your own bed. As soon as I got to my apartment I didn’t even sleep on my bed, I took a nap on my bedroom floor. It felt so good to be back at my home away from home.
The only thing you miss about the dorms is being around the fellas, they’re just a door down. We played video games together, watched t.v., listened to music, played cards, talked football, or just chilled out. Moving out of the dorms basically marks the end of preseason. No more two-a-days or super early mornings.

It has been a tough preseason, probably one of the toughest I’ve endured. Not only were the elements challenging but the practices as well. I’m proud of the team because we didn’t give in to discomfort. We pushed through adversity. It is hard, brutal, painful, and tiring, but no excuses were given and results were expected. We are beginning to focus all our attention on Delaware. I like everything I’ve seen thus far and our plan is to continue progressing.

Derek

Second Entry - August 14th
Two-a-days are well under way. We had our first on Saturday and another on Monday. I’m not going to complain about being sore or banged up because once upon a time there weren’t any practice guidelines. Team’s practiced three or four times on consecutive days. Now we can only have a two-a-day every other day. The days in between are helpful.

Sunday night the team was spoiled, as we were treated to the annual Welcome Back Dinner. Each year, during the preseason, we get to have a meal with some of the devoted Tribe football supporters. We split up into groups of four, and spend the evening at a supporter’s home and are provided with dinner and good conversation. I don’t want to get side tracked from football, but I ate like a king. I give all my gratitude to my host, Pete Tsipas, the owner of Paul’s Deli. Everybody doesn’t eat like we did, but usually most meals are impressive.

Back to football, as we are still moving along and working our way into full contact. We had one full contact play at the end of practice on Monday. Coach gave us a situation and we lined up. To my satisfaction as well as my teammates, the defense came out with a stop. That was just a sample of what is to come on this week as we are going to have our first controlled, full-contact scrimmages.

The offense and defense both look good so the scrimmage should be interesting to say the least.

Later this week I’ll talk about the scrimmage and other interesting events coming up in preseason.

Derek

First Entry - August 10th
It is that time of the year again! Your baseball team is struggling, golf becomes too tranquil, and all you want is to add some excitement to your life. You’re yearning to see guys collide like bumper cars and celebrate like super stars. All week television provides games, highlights, and inside stories. The marching band entertains and the player’s play the game. College football is about to kickoff.

August 5th was the report day for the Tribe football team. We moved into Yates dormitory and met up as a team to get an official welcome back from our head coach, Jimmye Laycock. Things didn’t get started until the next day, which is when camp intensified. Right now we only practice once a day, but on Saturday [August 11th] we will have our first two-a-day practice. Those will continue for the remainder of camp occurring every other day.

Camp is set to last for 16 days. Thus far the coach’s have seemed pleased with our conditioning, work ethic, and practices. Our sweat equity in the summer is paying off. The heat has reached passed 100 degrees but we haven’t allowed it to become a distraction. The boys grind through practice and consciously gulp down water to stay hydrated. After practice most guys cool down by sitting in a pool of ice water. Later in the afternoon we have meetings and lift weights. At night we have more meetings and soon after it is lights out.

Some could see camp as being a dreadful time, but I’ve always enjoyed it; camp is just football and more football. No other distractions to worry about and the entire team can focus on improving together.

Early next week I’ll talk more about what is going on defensively for the Tribe and share some of the camp fun.

Derek

Elliott Mack

Third Entry - August 14th
As the end of preseason camp is upon us, I am pleased to say that at this point, we have really come far as a team since we reported on August 5th. This holds true both on and off the field. We’ve become better football players and more importantly, a better team. There is much camaraderie within the 2007 Tribe Football team which will pay huge dividends starting August 30th.

I promised to let you all know how the talent show went (last Friday evening) and it was entertaining to say the least. We were broken up into six different teams based on our position groups. Each group had something original and funny to offer the crowd [which consisted of fellow team members, athletic trainers, coaches and equipment staff]. In the end, we all had a good time at the event and it was a good warm-up to the scrimmage that was to come the next night. (If you were wondering who won the talent show, it was the big offensive lineman who pulled the upset over the linebackers.)

Saturday was finally upon us and we were all up for the scrimmage that evening. That entire day felt like a game day where we were anxious and excited to get out there under the lights to show how far we’ve progressed up to that point. It was fun to bang heads with, and try to beat, some of our good friends in an extremely intense and competitive environment. The offense and defense both played well with players from both sides making big plays. We had a good fan turnout also; thank you to all of our loyal fans and supporters who came out to watch!

We ended our two and a half week stay in the dorms on Tuesday. Being in the dorms was a very positive and important experience for all of us. We had the opportunity to spend a lot of time together building our chemistry for the upcoming season.

Delaware is now squarely on the horizon.

I hope you are all excited as much as we are!

Until next time…

E-Mack #2


Second Entry - August 14th
Hello! Just checking back in. Camp is going extremely well. At this point, we are essentially halfway through. Coach Laycock and his staff are doing a great job of installing our offensive and defensive packages and schemes as well as special teams. As the days progress, so does the intensity, number of practices and meetings, and level of competition. We have been going against each other more and more in practice with both sides of the ball getting their share of victories and with more contact. I know the defensive guys have been eager to tackle the offensive players, and they got their chance this morning.

We had a short scrimmage towards the end of practice that lasted for about 35 minutes. The offense and defense both played well. All in all, we have made large offensive strides since August 5th. Our offensive line is coming together, providing a stable starting block for our offense to operate from. Our quarterbacks are all playing well and they know the ins and outs of our offense, which makes it easier for the other players to get lined up and play football. The running backs and fullbacks are running the ball hard and the receiving corps is also playing well. A strong point to our offense is that different guys are making positive contributions at all positions.

Although we go against each other in highly competitive drills such as 1 on 1’s, perimeter, and team, we still know that football is a game that we enjoy and play because it is fun. We also remember that come August 30th and for the rest of the season that we are one family pulling harder than ever for each other to play our very best. In fact, we often break the team huddle at the end of practice with words such as “TEAM” and “FAMILY”.

As you know, camp is a fast-paced, hard-hitting time where the coaches and players alike handle things with a business approach. As mentioned earlier, it is still fun so we do what we can to keep the fun in it. In fact, we have a talent show this Friday night after a morning and evening practice. That should be fun. I’ll fill you in on how that night goes. I’m sure it will be a good time!

Thanks for supporting the Tribe, it means a lot to us. Until next time…

E-Mack #2

First Entry - August 10th
Hello everyone! My name is Elliott Mack and I am a junior wide receiver from Irvington, New Jersey. I will be keeping you updated with an insider perspective on the Tribe this preseason.

We opened camp this past Sunday, August 5th here in Williamsburg. As we open up preseason practice, my teammates and I are filled with much excitement and have positive thoughts about the upcoming season. We moved into the dorms on the first day of camp and then we had our first team meeting of the year later on in the evening.

Aside from all of the football related activities, staying in the dorms is a big part of our preseason. It gives the older players a great opportunity to get to know each other even better, while also acclimating ourselves with the freshman class. It was good to see all of the guys together again.

The second day of camp was picture and media day, which was held at Zable Stadium. Our first practice of the 2007 season was soon to follow in the afternoon.

We worked extremely hard over the summer in our strength and conditioning preparation and now the time has finally come to do what we love to do: play football and compete. Once we got onto the practice fields on Monday afternoon, we were flying around in the extreme heat conditions. Although the temperature at camp has been over 100 degrees, it has not affected our performance thus far.

One of our goals this past summer was to come into camp highly conditioned with the intention of moving full speed ahead from day one and that is a goal we have achieved up to this point. This is a testament to the hard work we put in over the summer with Coach Sauer, our strength and conditioning coach. Not much needs to be said about last season, so not much is said amongst the players. It’s all about actions, and as mentioned earlier, we are working hard and competing. Don’t miss Tribe Football this season; it will definitely be something exciting to see! Until next time…

E-Mack
Elliott Mack #2