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Broncos back at it: Petersen discusses first spring practice and game plan
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Bronco Stadium and the blue turf welcomed back Boise State football and head coach Chris Petersen Monday as they begin preparation for the 2009 football season.
The Broncos will be in a unique position with a very young team that possesses only five seniors.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team as a player or as a coach that only had five seniors,” Petersen said.
Only two of those seniors, fullback/tight end Richie Brockel and cornerback Kyle Wilson, have seen extensive playing time.
Wilson had to make a difficult decision following the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl about whether or not to continue his collegiate career as a senior or transition to the NFL.
“I think it’s a great move for Kyle, for our team and just for him personally,” Petersen said. “The upside is much greater than the downside. There’s so much money being thrown around it’s very hard for those guys to remain patient. I really believe those guys who can do that are going to reap the rewards and benefits of it.”
Among the few seniors is the standout sophomore quarterback, Kellen Moore. Despite his strong performance, his movement to the forefront of leadership during the 2008-09 season all but solidified the QB position moving into the next year for the first time since Jared Zabransky.
“The quarterback is certainly a really important component to what we do,” Petersen said. “There’s still issues at quarterback. The quarterbacks need to get better. We’re anxious to see Kellen take the next step.”
Petersen and the coaches will take the time to work out the kinks in the well-oiled machine that is Broncos football. Though it is difficult to gauge the team’s chemistry and strengths, and even more its weaknesses, they have already begun to evaluate their status.
“We had time to analyze the practice,” Petersen said, “think through some things, catch our breath a little bit. We’re always tweaking things to make it a little bit better. We’ll see at the end of this thing how it works out.”
A position the BSU coaching staff will be paying close attention to is the linebackers. BSU utilized former seniors Dallas Dobbs, Kyle Gingg and Tim Brady for much of the last year. This year the Broncos will not have those senior classman but will bring experience from players who shined during 2008.
“Guys like Derrel Acrey, Hunter White and Aaron Tevis, they really got their feet wet last year,” Petersen said, “and you could see it out there [Monday], that there’s a big spark to those guys, just really being through the ringer a couple of years . they’re starting to get it.”
The Broncos will see the return of wide receiver standout Titus Young who was dismissed from the team last season due to undisclosed problems with the team. Petersen appeared confident that Young was ready to take the next step to reclaim the position in which he is known as a playmaker.
“Titus is an explosive, explosive player, as everyone knows,” Petersen said. “Hopefully all the stuff we went through last year, him, me, us as a team . that we’ve all learned from it, got better from it. And then, if we have, all those hard things we went through are worth it. It’s all about growing and getting better. Time will tell all those things. Nobody is more hopeful than me that this things works out for all of us.”
Petersen also mentioned that Young was a top performer in the weight room during the offseason, an aspect of his preparation that was once dismissed by Young.
“Titus is a natural, gifted athlete,” Petersen said. “The weight room as never been his thing. Titus performed as well as anyone in the weight room this winter.”
The 17 percent hike in ticket prices this season played a role in Petersen’s discussion Tuesday. It could be summed up in three words. Disappointed. Frustrated. Concerned.
“We truly understand that a lot of what we’ve been able to do here is because of Bronco nation,” Petersen said. “We know we can’t continue to do what we’ve done, if we don’t have that backing at every home game, and even on the road.”
The team’s annual spring game will be April 17 at 6 p.m.
KIRK BELL
Sports Coordinator
