Photo: FAMU Receivers Coach Gary HarrellBy Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
The Florida A&M sideline was filled with injured key offensive players during the Rattlers' practice Monday morning.
Among the walking wounded were potential starters Anthony Collins and Robert Okeafor from the offensive line, running backs Anthony Edwards and Demitric Henry and wide receiver Derek Williams.
Although the first game of the season is less than three weeks away, head coach Rubin Carter isn't ready to hit the panic button yet and neither are his players.
"This is training camp and that is what occurs in camp," Carter said about injuries. "Sometimes the next best player has to step in and give you the best effort that they can."
Senior quarterback Leon Camel, who takes snaps with the first-team offense, said these injuries should not derail the team's efforts to get ready for the upcoming season.
"We would love to have them guys out on the field, but we can't worry about the guys who are hurt right now," Camel said. "We just have to keep moving forward with what we have on the field.
"We're not going to stress about those guys. When they come back we'll be better, but it's camp. We have time to learn. We are not playing a team tomorrow or even next week."
Carter and Camel said they both saw this situation as an opportunity to develop more depth.
"We have time to build those guys up," Camel said. "When the other guys come back it will only make us stronger. It may be hurting us in the short term today, but it will help us in the long run."
Early risers
The Florida A&M sideline was filled with injured key offensive players during the Rattlers' practice Monday morning.
Among the walking wounded were potential starters Anthony Collins and Robert Okeafor from the offensive line, running backs Anthony Edwards and Demitric Henry and wide receiver Derek Williams.
Although the first game of the season is less than three weeks away, head coach Rubin Carter isn't ready to hit the panic button yet and neither are his players.
"This is training camp and that is what occurs in camp," Carter said about injuries. "Sometimes the next best player has to step in and give you the best effort that they can."
Senior quarterback Leon Camel, who takes snaps with the first-team offense, said these injuries should not derail the team's efforts to get ready for the upcoming season.
"We would love to have them guys out on the field, but we can't worry about the guys who are hurt right now," Camel said. "We just have to keep moving forward with what we have on the field.
"We're not going to stress about those guys. When they come back we'll be better, but it's camp. We have time to learn. We are not playing a team tomorrow or even next week."
Carter and Camel said they both saw this situation as an opportunity to develop more depth.
"We have time to build those guys up," Camel said. "When the other guys come back it will only make us stronger. It may be hurting us in the short term today, but it will help us in the long run."
Early risers
Carter said the team looked much improved after a sluggish first half of practice Monday morning.
"I thought it was a good practice," Carter said. "I thought it was much improved over yesterday's morning practice. Anytime you practice two-a-days that is normally the situation. Players focus on the the afternoon practice and lose focus in the morning."
To the NFL and back
FAMU receivers coach Gary Harrell said his participation in the National Football League's Minority Coaching Fellowship this summer was a good experience for him.
Harrell spent nine days working with Houston Texans' coaching staff during the start of the team's preseason camp.
Harrell got the opportunity perform some of the duties of a full-time NFL assistant coach, including planning and directing workouts, formulating scrimmage and preseason-game strategies, breaking down videotape and evaluating players.
"It gave me an opportunity to go to a higher level and see how they operate," Harrell said. "I wanted to see how they practice as professionals so I could come back here and show Willie Hayward and Derek Williams how a professional like Andre Johnson does it.
"As far as the organization and how they do things, I didn't feel out of place because it is the same way they do things here under coach Carter. We don't waste any time in our practices. We are trying to get better every minute."
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