Tight ends expect bigger roles in FAMU's offense

Gray installing pro-style offense in 2013
(Courtesy FAMU Athletics)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Edwin Pata is seldom short on words on the practice field, but when he decided to let the tight ends on FAMU’s football team know their value, he got right to the point.

“I tell them there is nobody out here trying to run-block like you and (also) be a receiver,” Pata said.

Pata wasn’t just trying to amp up his small group of players. He wanted them to realize that they will be getting more touches now that offensive coordinator Quinn Gray has turned to a pro-style offense.

The expanded role calls for big, athletic players, and the two Rattlers that are being counted on have size. Senior Michael Etheridge is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, while third-year sophomore Michael Morris is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds.

Morris and Etheridge said they are eager to get into the mix more often.

“Coach Gray, coming from the NFL, knows that tight ends slip through a whole lot of defenses so he’s put that in the playbook and we have more options now.”

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