Aug. 16, 2001

The entire Notre Dame football team hit the practice field for the first time this season.

Irish head coach Bob Davie faced a tough decision this morning, whether to keep practice outside or to move inside into the Loftus Center, due to a steady downpour of rain.

“I wanted to get the team outside,” Davie said. “We just needed to get outside and get practice going.”

The two-hour practice took place in wet weather without any hitches.

“It is a wet field, we are playing with wet footballs but it didn’t dampen any member of this team’s spirits,” he said.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

The Irish coaching staff opted to keep the first day of practice somewhat simple.

“The NCAA allows us the opportunity to come out in shoulder pads and helmets,” Davie said. “Last year, we started the season by just coming out in t-shirts, jerseys and shorts. I like to ease into things.”

Coach Davie elaborated that by keeping the team in just the basics, it prevents any unnecessary contact during practice.

“As soon as you put shoulder pads on, some guys forget whether the practice is contact or not.”

SPECIAL TEAMS TALK MINIMIZED

While Davie maintains that a large part of his team success will depend upon the special teams, there was no talk of special teams present at the first practice.

“We are going to have a meeting tonight which will really set the standards for our special teams,” Davie said. “We have a put a lot of time in terms of planning for the meeting which will take about an hour and feature some highlight clips from last year.”