Boston College Athletics
Hoffmann, Eagles Are Seeing Double
August 11, 2003 | Football
Aug. 11, 2003
The Eagle football team took to the Alumni Stadium turf at 8:45 a.m. Monday for the first day of "two-a-days" in preseason camp. The morning's session was to be followed by meals and meetings before the squad practices again at 6:00 p.m. As per NCAA mandate, the team will practice only once on Tuesday, alternating single-session days with the doubles.
Following the morning practice, senior offensive guard and co-captain Augie Hoffmann took a few moments to answer some questions about practice, the O-line and the transition to a new position coach.
Q: The offensive line seems to be one of the most talked-about units on this team. How is practice going so far?
Augie: "I think it's going really well. The format's a lot different this year with the one-a-day practices; this is our first two-a-day, today. But I think guys are excited about being out there. There are questions on the O-line, obviously, because we lost so many guys last year. But our goal is to be tough and strong and the best O-line in the BIG EAST, and I don't think there's any reason why we shouldn't be that."
Q: Obviously losing Dan Koppen at center leaves big shoes to fill, probably by Pat Ross. What's your evaluation of this position?
Augie: "I think Pat's doing real well. He's coming along, he's learning the offense, and he's learning the ins and outs of what's going on. It's all about time for him. He sat behind Danny last year, and Dan was one of the mainstays. He never got hurt, he never missed a practice. So it's just going to be about Pat getting reps and practice. He's gotten better already, in the six days we've practiced. It's just a matter of time. He'll be ready by August 30."
Q: You and Chris Snee are as solid and experienced as any two guards in the BIG EAST, but your backups are very young.
Augie: "Yeah, that's the thing we're working on right now, the young guys getting reps. They're doing well. They're getting their assignments down. It's a learning experience for them, too, because this is their second year here, and they move right into the second-string spot. Anything could happen. Someone could get hurt, God forbid, and they're going to have to play. They'll be ready if that time comes around."
Q: You have a new position coach this year in Don Horton. How's the transition going?
Augie: "We're keeping a lot of the stuff the same, but some things are changing, some of the footwork and some of the calls. Coach Horton's a great guy, he's a great X's and O's guy. He's really into film. We're watching a lot of film, and there's a lot to our meetings. There's no reason we should have any mental mistakes this year. He's a real stickler for being mentally prepared and correct, and knowing what's going on. You can tell in our meetings - we're going over a lot of things. That's one of his big things, is meeting time and walk-throughs, knowing what's going on. That should help us out a lot."
Q: A lot of fans are pretty excited about this year's defensive line. How have they been to face in practice?
Augie: "They're flying around. They're going to be one of the best in the BIG EAST, if not the best. I'll tell you right now, between Goody, Tommy, Timmy, Mathias and Phil, and you've got Jimmy Unis and Al Washington and all those guys backing them up, there's endless possibilities for stops. I can tell you we're going to get the ball on a short field, because they're going to make offenses do a lot of things they don't want to do, and they're going to have to punt. They're flying around, and our defensive backs are flying around."
Q: You just finished the first of your two-a-day practices. How did this morning go?
Augie: "It went well. The guys are really excited to be out there. It was a little different this morning; we just went straight out and practiced. We get a break in between now, so we should be fresh coming out this afternoon. We'll go have lunch, and then have meetings before practice and on the field by 6:00. So we have a good amount of time to get our legs back."
Q: How has the new practice schedule gone for you?
Augie: "It's been different to me, obviously, after going by the other schedule for four years straight. I think it's more about keeping your mind right, because you're here a little longer. There are fewer practices, but mentally, it's like we're here so much longer. Physically, I don't think it will be any harder; if anything, I think it'll be a little less strenuous. You just try to keep your mind right each day, come out and do what you've got to do."
Q: Coach O'Brien commented on Friday that the team seemed to be in good shape.
Augie: "That was a big concern of Coach O'Brien, for everyone to be in shape coming back. That's a testament to our workouts over the summer. We've got a great program going. Coach (Todd) Rice had us working hard all summer. It's optional to be here for first session, and we had a bunch of guys here first session working hard, and then everyone was back second session. It's a testament to how hard the guys wanted to work, and how much they wanted to stick to the game plan. They did, and I think we're in really good shape."
Q: What now?
Augie: "For the offensive line, the immediate goals are to be right on all our assignments, to be physical, and to be moving as well as we can. As an offense, we want to hit on all cylinders. We want to be able to pass the ball when we want to, and run the ball when we want to. We want to be able to run our offense with no hitches. I really think it's just going to be a matter of time before it all gels together, and we're going to be like a typical Boston College offensive line."
