ySPORTS
Friday, March 27, 1981
The Michigarn Daily
Page 8
scrimmages with an eye on opener.
}By RON POLLACK
The regular season for the Michigan
football team may seem a long way off,
but don't tell that to Bo Schembechler
and his football players. The Wolverine
pursuit of perfection gives the im-
pression that their opening day game at
Wisconsin is this Saturday rather than
over five months from now.
In order to make the practices as
close to game conditions as possible,
referees and yard markers are used
during scrimmages, while a
cameraman takes in all the action from
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a tower above the practice field. It
would seem that the only thing missing
is 100,000 screaming fans.
THESE DAYS, not even the weather
can be considered a formidable foe to
practices. The Wolverines will practice
in rain, sleet or snow. But unlike the
mail man stereotype, the Michigan
gridders can go about their business in
comfort. The Wolverines' new indoor
practice facilities only require them to
walk in the cold for all of the 15 seconds
that are required to get there from the
locker room next door.
Attempts to accomplish as much as
possible during spring do not end with
cameramen, yardsticks, referees and
indoor facilities. Once these objects and
people are in place, the players them-
selves can try to emulate these attem-
pts atrealism.
When opposing players do battle
during games, it is not just a matter of
two individuals trying to beat up on
each other. In addition to the physical
aspect of the game, a tremendous
amount of technique and instinctive
knowledge is required.
PRIOR TO SCRIMMAGES, the team
breaks down into individual positions,
where technique takes priority. To the
untrained eye, each block or tackle
might look exactly alike. But this is not
the case for the Michigan coaches who
find, and try to correct, the flaws in the
players' game.
"Widen your base. Don't keep your
feet two inches apart. Keep them
wide," yelled offensive line coach Jerry
Hanlon to his players during a practice.
Although this might seem easily
corrected, flaws in technique
sometimes don't disappear as quickly
as the Wolverine coaches might hope.
"YOU'RE ALWAYS coming off the
back hip and that's a bad habit,'' said
defensive coordinator Bill McCartney
to the team's linebackers.
When not working on technique or
scrimmaging, the players are given
various situations in which they must
react quickly. During these drills the
coach calls out a play to which the
players move in response to. During
practice, a coach calls out, "70 jump,
check 40, mike, nine, nine, black,
black." To this, the player has little
time to react, making it a prerequisite
that his reaction be instinctive.
After erring on a play, a player told
Hanlon that he "thought" he was sup-
posed to do something else, prompting
the Michigan assistant to explode:
'Don't think. If you think, we're all in
trouble. You (should) know."
ALTHOUGH A significant amount of
SPORTS OF THE DAILY:
.9
Atlanta axes Brown
1
time is spent on technique and learning
to act instinctively, physical contact is.
still a large part of the practice. When
Woody Hayes spoke to the team
following a practice last week, he ex-
pressed surprise at how early in J.he
spring Michigan began hitting.
Although there are not as many bone
crushing tackles as in a game, a failure
to hit with enough intensity will draw
criticism from the coaching staff.
"Put your helmet into him Ed
(Muransky). Punish him," said
Schembechler during a scrimmage.
ATTEMPTS TO COVER all phases of
the game are evident in the other drills
used in practice. Every conceivable
situation is practiced. The offense and.
defense work on the running, passing,
and kicking games. They do this from
midfield to inside the ten yard line. An
even greater variety is incorportated@$
by running these plays from the middle
of the field along with the left and right
hash marks.
Although all the work that the football
team is now doing does not guarantee
them a return trip to the Rose Bowl, it
should assure them of at least being
well prepared next season.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -'
Atlanta Coach Hubie Brown, who led
the Hawks to the Central Division title a
year ago, was fired yesterday, the
National Basketball Association Club
announced.
The vote by the five members of the
board of directors, who met in West
Palm Beach, was unanimous, accor-
ding to Mike Gearon, president of the
NBA club.
IN A STATEMENT, Geardon said
Brown would be relieved of his duties
During f his five seasons in Atlanta,
Brown had a 199-208 record. He took
over in 1976-77 and had a 31-51 record:
his first year but improved each season
until the current one.
Washed out
0
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immediately. Assistants Mike Fratello
and Brendan Suhr would coach the
Hawks during their remaining three
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Atlanta, 31-48, victimized by injuries
this season, failed to make the playoffs
after three consecutive seasons in post-
season play under Brown.
Brown, 47, had three years remaining'
on his contract.
No corryoutoders. Applicale taxes not included.
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Special to theDaily
MIAMI, Fla. - The Michigan
baseball team migrated south to
"sunny Florida" for one reason - good
game weather. Unfortunately, this was
not the situation yesterday and the
Wolverines' game against Bowling
Green was rained out.
Michigan, who is 5-4, has four games
remaining on its spring trip before
returning to Ann Arbor for Tuesday's
home opener, a doubleheader against
Grand Valley State.
Michigan faces Glassboro State and
Miami (Fla.) today, and Florida Inter-
national and Miami again Saturday.
Weather permitting of course.
Seminoles charged
TALLAHASSEE, Fla: (AP) - Leon
CountyState Attorney Don Modesst
Thursday filed charges of aiding an
abetting a thief° against six Florida
State University football players ac-
cused of buying stolen television sets.
The third-degree felony charges
against 1979 All-American noseguard
Ron Simmons and five of his Seminole
teammates carry a maximum penalty
of five years in prison and a $5,0010 fine.
Arraignment for the players was set for
Monday.
BESIDES SIMMONS, a 21-year-old
senior from Warner Robins, Ga., other
players charged are Ken Lanier, a 21
year-old senior tackle from Columnbus
Ohio; Sam Platt, 22, a senior tailback
from Jacksonville; Eric Riley, 18, a
freshman wide receiver from Fort
Myers; Herbert Harp, a 19-year-old
defensive tackle from Winter Garden,
and Tommy Young, a junior running
back from Lake City.
The players were arrested March 11
and charged with buying 'color
television sets from Robert Harris, a 19
year-old former Seminole football
player who flunked out of school.
Modessit said he also had filed
charges of trafficking in stolen proper-
ty against Harris, in connection with
the theft of about $27,000 worth of mer-
chandise from a large department
store.
Techsters No. 1
EUGENE, Ore. CAP) - Lousiana,
Tech was named the top women's
college basketball team in the countr
for the 1980-81 season by an unanimous.
vote of the 50 women's coaches Thur-
sday.
The unbeaten Techsters, 32-0,
remained at the top all season - the>
first school to go wire-to-wire in the five:
years the poll has existed.
ii ViA
Air Force. A great way of life.
IM SCORES
WEDNESDAY
Water Polo
Fraternity Class C Playoffs
Sigma Chi 6, Sigma Phi Epislon 4
Class D Playoffs
Theta Chi 2, Zeta Psi 0 (forfeit)
' Volleyball
Womens Recreative
Daring Deltas 2, School of Nursing i
The Clones 2, Hot Legs 0
'
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14
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