Despite finishing its first two seasons under coach Carl Franks with a combined record of 3-19, the Duke football team has approached its summer workouts with energy, enthusiasm and vigor. With fall practice quickly approaching, the Blue Devils' attitude is ardently optimistic.
"It's kind of an exciting time," Franks said. "There is renewed enthusiasm, it's a brand new season, and you get a chance to start all over."
After the pain and frustration of last season's winless campaign, the Blue Devil coaches emphasized a message of collective responsibility. Offensively, every point scored was the result of the entire unit's hard work. Likewise, every touchdown allowed on defense represented the failure of all 11 men.
"Pass defense and run defense are interconnected," said Bob Trott, Duke's defensive coordinator. "If a football team gives up a lot of passing yards, it's not necessarily the corners. It's a misnomer when you talk about the secondary not being good. Defensively, if your front seven's not very good, your secondary's not going to be very successful."
To cement the idea of team unity among the players, the coaching staff spent the offseason reaffirming team cohesion. They organized team bowling outings and softball games, mixing defense with offense and freshman with seniors.
"We talked about the intangible things with our football team," Franks said. "We wanted guys that were committed to the program, that cared about each other and guys that we could trust.... You've got to care about the guys that you're playing with."
After working to create a tighter, more close-knit attitude within the team, the coaches then set about improving the Blue Devils' performance on the field. Specifically, the staff focused on correcting last year's -13 turnover margin. The coaches established competitions between the offensive and defensive units, with the hope of honing the team's ball-hawking skills.
"We had takeaway days in practice," Franks explained. "If the defense got three or more takeaways, the offense had to run at the end of the day. If the offense gave up two or less, the defense had to run. There was a great deal of emphasis on protecting the ball on offense, and, defensively, on catching interceptions, trying to strip the ball, and causing turnovers."
Although full team practices do not resume until August, the themes of the spring drills still resonate with the Blue Devil players as they sweat through summer workouts. A look inside the locker of fifth-year senior Charles Porter, a defensive tackle who registered three sacks in the final spring scrimmage, reveals a list of goals in bold-faced type. Chief among them is to cause turnovers and create havoc.
"This year our mentality on defense is to keep hitting, strip the ball and get interceptions," Porter said. "We're totally focused on that ball this year."
In addition to a heightened defensive concentration, the Blue Devils also plan on adjusting the offensive outlook. Now that starting quarterback D. Bryant has a year of playing experience, Franks hopes to tweak and adjust the offense to build on last year's successes while incorporating new ideas.
Most importantly, Franks emphasized that the Blue Devils' mentality is not one of complacent stagnation.
"You're always looking for better ways to improve yourself," Franks said. "One of the sayings I always hate to hear is Owell, that's the way we've always done it.' That's a loser-type attitude. You want to always try to find new ways, better ways, different ways."
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