Tips for covering football practice

What the Steak said. It's a little easier with an NFL roster because 1) it's smaller and b) you don't get guys wearing 32 playing defensive end. You can get most of the roll taken during stretching during the NFL regular season. Little longer during camp, and I'm sure it's the same for larger college rosters. The beat writers used to split them up sometimes, too, offense and defense.

 

Depending on what team you're covering, taking roll can be a bitch. In the NFL, it's pretty easy. Most teams give you a roster at practice.

That doesn't usually happen at most college practices and a lot of times you'll have guys out there who are not on the roster that you can print out off the website.

Good luck getting the coach to tell you who missed practice.

 

Not to mention that many players change numbers at the last minute, for a variety of reasons. Or some players change positions.

Had a quarterback come in as a walk-on last year. Practiced for a while at QB and then ended up at TE for the season because of his size. Turned around this year, looks like he was back at QB for the first couple sessions.

 

Obviously, this is true. But if the guy's not on the publicly available roster, 99 times out of 100 he's not on scholarship, and thus, you shouldn't care.

 

Yeah, Steak, because walk-ons never become relevant players or make good stories. Good advice.

 

I said 99 times out of 100. If a walk-on is going to make an impact in the fall, he was usually on the team in the spring, and thus, he's on the roster (the exceptions generally being kickers/punters who are invited in at the beginning of camp, but you'll know about those guys).

But every college football team has 25-30 hobos who drift on and off the roster on an almost daily basis. They're generally not worth worrying about.

 

Thanks for all the advice, guys. If anyone's interested ...

I printed out a numerical roster and depth chart to take role. I realized quickly into my 15 available minutes that I wouldn't be able to mark off everybody, so I turned to the depth chart and tried to find as many starters and second-string guys as I could. Nobody was missing. Came back later for the brief press conference with the coach, got a couple of questions answered. Nothing revolutionary happened at the scrimmage, so the story pretty much went in the direction I anticipated at the beginning.

This thread certainly gave me some good ideas about how to go into this prepared. I definitely appreciate it. I felt like I knew how to approach it well and with confidence, and I think the story turned out pretty well, considering I'm just a temporary fill-in for the beat guy.

 

One thing I would add (I know it's a bit late as we will all soon be shifting to Week 1 coverage) is try to get a notebook as part of your coverage package. Get as many quick and painless profile ideas worked on during player/coach availabilities. If the practice isn't particularly newsworthy (it usually isn't) knock out one of the feature/profiles (how the senior running back is accepting his leadership role, the true freshman who might get to play, etc.) then inform the desk that your, ahem, trainer will be a 20-inch piece on the running back and your practice stuff will be in the notebook. Usually, they are fine with that.

 

Tell that to Zeke.

 

I would generally disagree. During August camp, I-A/FBS teams can have 105 players in camp. Period. So each roster spot holds value because it's by invitation. And they aren't yet all that concerned with scouts, because scouting only becomes relevant in game weeks and these days, that's after school starts (once school starts you get to expand your roster to, I think, 120). So, by and large, those who are in August camp are competing for some kind of role. I'm noticing this year that the team I cover has a hand full of "career scouts," in August camp, but only a few. The rest are players who are "in the mix" one way or another.

The only time where roster spots are generally open is during the spring, which can be a free-for-all of regular students who want their shot. During the season and especially during August camp, your roster is limited.

 

It's roll. Not role. ROLL. You would be "taking roll" as in roll call.

Don't forget the open-toe sandals. Let the dogs breathe.