July 29, 2003
| As Texas A&M prepares for the 2003 campaign, a sense of enthusiasm and energy is evident from Coach Dennis Franchione through every person associated with Aggie football. "I'm excited about getting started," Franchione said. "We had as good of a spring as anyone could have in their first year in a program. We taught a new offense, new defense and kicking game with coaches evaluating players and both the coaches and players getting to know each other. There is so much to teach, and there is always a need for more time for a first-year coach, but our overall spring was good." From Coach Fran's first meeting with the team, through the team building activities such as a Night of Champions, a team bowling night, a tailgate barbecue before a baseball game, and attending a basketball game as a team, the 2003 Aggie squad has approached change with a positive attitude and a tremendous work ethic. "I think we're taking steps in the right direction toward the substance issues of our program: things such as work ethic, accountability, discipline, and the team concept," Franchione explained. "We're not where we want to be, and we don't know how long it is going to take, but we are taking positive steps." Coach Fran and his assistant coaches were seen in and around Netum Steed, the A&M strength and conditioning facility, and the players took notice of the importance of working hard in the weight room, as well as on the practice field and in the classroom.
"This is a physical game," Franchione said. "This is not a contact sport, this is a collision sport. Aggie football has had the trademark of being physical, and we want to be known as a physical football team." The Aggies return seven offensive starters from last year's squad and five returning starters on the defensive side of the ball. The style of practice in the spring gave a lot of youngsters plenty of reps, but several key players will be missed as the Aggies take the field in 2003. Two Wrecking Crew members were first-round NFL draft picks. Defensive lineman Ty Warren, the 13th overall selection by the New England Patriots, and cornerback Sammy Davis, the 30th overall selection by the San Diego Chargers will be missed along with the Chargers' second-round draft pick safety Terrence Kiel, who was the 62nd player chosen in the draft. All total, A&M had six players selected in the NFL draft. "You would love to have some of those players coming back," Franchione said. "But we have some young players who will have to step forward and provide steady play and leadership." The Aggies are coming off of a season where the offense struggled early before quarterbacks Dustin Long and Reggie McNeal lead the way through the air. A&M posted 3,216 yards in the passing game to set a school record. Look for the Aggies to try and balance the attack a little more in the 2003 campaign. "Offensively, we're very multiple," Franchione said. "We use lots of formations and lots of motion. Our goal is to find the play makers and find different ways to get them the ball. In looking at our squad, our strength offensively would be at the wide receiver and quarterback positions. We still want to be physical enough up front to run the football." The Wrecking Crew defense shined early but struggled in the late stages of several games in 2002 and allowed 112 fourth quarter points. A&M will not be a straight 3-4 defensive alignment, but do not be surprised to see the Aggies in multiple formations. "Defensively, we are also a multiple unit," Franchione said. "We'll come at you in a lot of different ways, with a lot of different looks. We will try and dictate tempo of the game, more than react to the tempo of our opponent's offense. We have an aggressive style of defense. "Our coaches have a good handle on what our players do best. The staff will put them in different situations-- base, 4-3, 30 looks, five or six defensive backs, down and distance as well as personnel groupings. Whatever formation will give us the best chance to be successful against different offensive sets, that's what you will see." Coach Fran's squads have always been known for outstanding special teams play. From leading the country in net punting to having one of the top kickoff return units, special teams are truly special with Coach Fran and his staff. "Special teams are just that special," Franchione said. "We led the nation in net punting a couple of times, and we've led the nation in kickoff returns. We work very hard at special teams and we spend time and have a good game plan. Everyone on this staff is involved in special teams and Coach (Mark) Tommerdahl does a good job of coordinating the units. We have skill guys, some exciting components to our return game, that will be exciting." After taking the reins of the football program in December and hauling in a terrific recruiting class, Coach Fran and his staff put the Aggies through the paces in the spring and the pace was high speed. "We want to get more done than anybody else in our practices," Franchione said. "We run more plays, get our players better prepared and better coached with high speed practices. In my (NCAA limit) 20-hour week, I want to utilize every minute to the best of our ability. "I believe players get better the more they do something. It creates an atmosphere where you work hard in practice, invest in repetitions and you get the physical training you need so you very seldom have to do conditioning after practice, which is not fun. If we practice like we should, we get our conditioning done during practice. The intensity and enthusiasm with which you practice is contagious." Franchione says practice creates a habit that can seen on gameday. "Practice is about creating a habit," Franchione said. "If you practice with those components (intensity & enthusiasm), then you create the habit to make game days a much more comfortable situation because you have prepared to the best of your ability. One thing about the way we practice, it gives us a chance to get a lot of players a lot of reps. You're getting reps preparing to play. "We're trying to develop a program that will perpetuate itself. A key is the development of your young players so that when they do play in the game, they are ready." Coach Fran and the Aggie coaching staff took a major step in the right direction with an excellent recruiting class coming to Aggieland in the fall. "We have some new faces coming into the program in the fall and we're excited about them (recruiting class) joining the team," Franchione said. "Some of these young men are going to have to furnish us some help this year. The key is how quickly they make the transition to the college level." 2003 Football Preview:
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