Three Conversations and Spring Game Revamp Ideas
This past Saturday, Charlotte finished their third week of spring practice. They held an inter-squad scrimmage and had to have around 200 people in the stands, comprised of recruits and their families. The sun was OUT according to the my sunburn. I was able to speak with running back Henry Rutledge and corner Thai Baldwin. The audio from my interviews isn’t the best, so I included a transcript of each one. In the player interviews, the other voice you hear is Davis Cuffe, student reporter for the Niner Times, Charlotte’s student-run newspaper. On a personal note, when I went back and listened to these interviews, I was really attached to the word, ‘specifically.’ That will be something I work on moving forward, really listening to myself as I’m asking questions and avoiding repeats like that. There are six practices left, ending with the spring showcase. Expect another few interviews next week, and thoughts on Charlotte’s spring practice as a whole after things wrap up. Enjoy these interviews and a few thoughts on spring ball as a whole.
Henry Rutledge
BS: How do you feel about the group?
We feel good. We’ve got some things to fix but we’re making plays.
BS: [Things to fix?] Like what?
Catching balls, finishing, who’s finishing, being more physical. So we’ve been down with some injuries so we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of our bodies and stuff.
BS: Do you have anything you do specifically for you?
I just get in the cold tub like everyday now. I used to not do that, but I get in there everyday. I stretch at night. Just doing extra stuff that I wasn’t doing.
DC: Being a vet on the team, what do you think your role is now, heading into year four right?
I feel like I’m just being a leader to the guys, answering questions. I’ve been in the position they're in, like trying to learn, schemes, doing all that, learning playbooks. I’ve had to learn like three different playbooks. It’s like the little details that take the little things.
DC: How’s the team coming together now that spring ball is starting up?
I think we’re coming together, we like our group. We like the guys we have together. We could still add more pieces, but it’s gonna work.
BS: Do you think there’s anything, when you said you were trying to help the young guys along, was there anything they are looking for specifically, or that you are trying to tell them specifically?
With the running backs? Just details or pressing, keeping pad levels low, ball security, that’s probably the most important thing, ball security. When you’re catching to make sure you’re looking at the ball.
DC: A lot of guys in the transfer portal after last year, what made you come back to Charlotte, what made you stay with the team?
Man, I’m from here, I love Charlotte. It was the best opportunity for me. I’m not regretting this.
DC: How difficult is that, seeing other guys that you worked with all season leave for other opportunities?
I mean I miss those boys. I grew up with them, especially some of those guys that I roomed with, but I’m happy for them, and they’re happy for me.
BS: New year, new coach, how are you liking the system?
I like it, I like it. It’s a little different, but football is football. It’s still fun to play, I’m making plays, so I can’t complain.
DC: With March Madness, there’s been a lot of talk about the transfer portal. A lot of people think it negatively affects the game. What do you think about the transfer portal, guys leaving, and guys getting more money?
Whatever’s best for them, I guess. If they feel like they could go somewhere else, maybe get some more money, then they can do that. For me, I’m just looking for the best opportunity for me to play.
DC: You talked about growing up with football, how do you keep the love for the game?
Football is football. I love football, I still get to play. It doesn’t really matter from winning or losing, I mean we want to win games, not lose games but bad things happen, good things happen, you’ve just got to look at it as learning from it, just baby steps.
BS: Just watching practice, it seems like you guys are bouncing outside a good bit. Do you prefer going inside or bouncing outside?
I like going wherever the holes are. If I’m supposed to take it inside, and I see a whole outside, I’ll take it outside. If I can put my shoulder down, I’ll go inside. I went inside a good amount today. I tried to lower my shoulder a little bit. I’m getting a little bigger too. It’s working, getting able to move the ball a little bit.
DC: You looked good running out there today, what are you most excited about as the season starts up?
Being able to play, being able to be out on that field, the new team, and how we’re gonna look, especially because of our schedule. I feel like we’ve got some tough competition as well. I’m excited to see how well we do. I feel like we’re going to do good.
BS: Is there anything you’re trying to work on for your game this spring?
I’m working on getting bigger. I need to keep my speed too, which is the most important thing for me, personally. I’m working on my hands, but mostly my pad level, because I tend to run high sometimes, and just the little details, you know? I’m just trying to sharpen my mind, pay attention to the little things, and becoming a litter, so that’s all on me.
Thai Baldwin
BS: How’s spring practice going for you?
It’s good man, we’re stacking everyday, building everyday.
DC: Coming from the MAC, are you familiar with the offense, the defense, that Coach Albin features?
A little bit, but it looks like it’s different pieces in a different puzzle, so we’ve still gotta learn everyday, I’m not guessing any plays. It looks brand new from my standpoint.
DC: Coming from Ball State, how are you adjusting to Charlotte?
I love it. The weather is better, the area, the atmosphere, you know what I’m saying? I don’t want to throw shade on my old team, because I love them but it’s a great environment and I’m loving the atmosphere, phenomenal.
BS: How do you think you’re fitting in with the group of guys here? You getting along with everybody? Are you guys gelling as a unit?
Amazing, especially as a unit. It’s already a brotherhood in the corner room, and as a defense we’re just locking in more collectively. It’s getting better, and we’re locking in tremendously, as a unit, defensively. It’s gelling together really well. You know it’s hard at the start because it’s a new defense for everybody, but we’re putting in all the pieces together really good.
DC: With the heat and the ball, how are you guys doing out here?
I mean I’m from Virginia so it’s not really that bad. I’m glad to be back near warm weather, I hated the cold. I love the heat, I love it. It’s better than the cold and the snow.
BS: Do you think being here now is putting you in position to make some big plays this year?
Yes! It’s a different conference between the American and the MAC, people say it’s a more downfield league, a bigger place, bigger atmosphere, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to new challenges, opportunities, and plays to be made.
DC: What gets you guys out here to play this early morning, Saturday weekend?
It’s the opportunity to play football. It’s not always there, it’s not always guaranteed, so you’ve gotta put on your cleats everyday like it’s your last opportunity. Good people do what they want to, great people do what they don’t, so that’s just my message to the team.
BS: I feel like spring practice is a great time for individual development, as well as getting to know your team. Is there anything you’re working on this spring, specifically?
Collectively, I just want to work on everything, holistically. There’s not a day where I don’t want to work on something. Like today, my emphasis was pad level at the line of scrimmage and catching the hall, because I dropped a pick on Thursday and I caught one today, so that’s a great rebound. I’m stacking the days, doing it brick by brick.
DC: March Madness, a lot of people have said the Cinderella season is not coming up, blaming it on the transfer portal and NIL. You’re a guy who left Ball State to come to Charlotte, happy that you came, but what’s your opinion on guys moving around and guys getting money?
I love it man. You can’t be mad at people wanting to get better opportunities for themselves. Sometimes there might be a couple of bad things, bad events that happen to some. Sometimes it might work good. That’s really the gamble and you’ve got to take a bet on yourself and the risk on yourself. Just to make it fair game, sometimes your coach might leave on you overnight. Just make it a fair even playing field.
BS: Is there anything you do recovery-wise that you think makes you better or prepares you?
I take recovery extremely seriously. I ice my knees, because that impacts your whole nervous system in your legs. I take extreme care of my hamstrings, just all lower body extremities, you know what I mean? I make my money with my legs and my feet, therefore I take extremely good care of my lower half. I’m not saying my upper half doesn’t matter but the lower half is there the money is going.
Coach Tim Albin
Coach Albin’s Opening Statement:
This week, first day of full live with officials. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I really love their effort and I say this about every week but they’re very resilient. We’ve thrown a lot of things at them. I’m probably going to scale it back this week, we’ve got to introduce some low redzone, get ready for next week, but I’ve got to see the injury report, we’ve had a couple ankles today but you know we’re more than halfway through. I think we’ve got six practices left. I would say we’re on schedule, I mean, maybe a little bit ahead in some certain positions, so I think we’re on schedule.
DC: Putting the team together, what’s the identity you’re looking for as you assemble your position groups?
Our plan is what we call TFC; turnovers, field position, and Charlotte doesn’t beat Charlotte. I asked the officials over the last two weeks, hey, you’ve got to call it by the book, but I want you to be strict. The staff, we sat down prior to spring practices and evaluated turnover margin and you know the program, through two different staffs, has been at the bottom. No matter who’s coaching the team, if you’re losing the turnover margin you’re gonna have a hard time winning the game. Now, focusing on field position that’s focusing on special teams, that’s limiting explosives on defense, which is tackling, and offensively you want to get explosives, and then challenging our punter to flip field position. When Charlotte wins the field position battle, they’re like 12-5, and when they don’t it’s the other way. And then “Charlotte doesn’t beat Charlotte,” that’s back to the officials, that’s not having penalties. We’ve got to clean it up. Again, we’re towards the bottom of the league, and then the country. So the TFC piece of that gives us our best chance to be successful, and then we’ve got to go our there and play, but that’s my answer.
SID: Another weekend, full stands, people coming down to meet coaches and players, can you talk about the recruiting?
Yeah, again, weather has been spectacular. Last week, we probably had 200 top recruits on campus, plus parents. We had another great day today and everything is springing up. Baseball is playing later today, I’m sporting my baseball shirt. I think they’ve won six or seven in a row, they’re on a streak right now, so there’s a lot happening here on campus, not to mention the expansion and things like that. The recruiting piece is getting guys to see this beautiful place. I said it last week, but seeing the team practice and how we go about it is inviting.
BS: You had a lot of success at Ohio. Is there anything you’re looking for midway through spring practice that is an indicator of success?
I think the mental aspect of this. When you make a mistake, what are you doing the next play? The thing is, along with TFC, is don’t let the previous play affect the next one. We’re focusing on the littlest things, attention to detail. We hand the official the ball. I mean as crazy as that sounds, it’s what we do. And so, we’re trying to focus on the littlest things. One thing I noticed today, you know we had no coaches on the field, for the first time all spring, and so here I am with my rabbit ears, and I can hear the communication form player to player in the huddle. I’m out there behind the offense, watching the quarterback, but I can hear the dialogue between players in both huddles and it’s positive. It’s very encouraging as a coach. As I’ve said, body language never whispers, it always screams. The communication from player to player, I like it. We’ve got a long way to go, but with that attitude it’s going to get us through when things get tougher.
DC: I heard plans about you trying to put a kitchen in or a place to eat together somewhere with the expansion. Would you talk about that?
We have an expansion starting in August. In that facility, they’re going to have a 3,000 square foot kitchen. This is something I have not shared. I met with a team of people three weeks ago, with JK, our chief of staff, and they were walking me through, “Hey coach, we can have a wedding or host an event on campus and get out of there at midnight on Saturday and have it flipped to flip and have breakfast ready for your team at 8 o’clock in the morning. Now, that’s awesome, that we’ll have a facility for our athletes, but what I want to point out is the passion of the group wanting to do that, like “I just got out of here at midnight and we’ve got to have breakfast ready for the team. You can’t put a price tag on what that is, you know, I was very excited for Charlotte, and not just for football. It’ll be a beautiful facility. It’s gonna help us enormously in recruiting and these are exciting times.
DC: Could you talk about other ways you’re trying to bring this team together, whether it be through just having them together for a meal or having them together off the field?
That’s great. I believe in the last two weeks, every position has been with their position coach, out. We’ve had groups go bowling, team bowling. The best way is through a meal. You can get together and talk about things other than assignments. It’s what’s going on in your personal life. I think that’s one of the things we do here that separates us from other programs. We let the kids know that we care. It’s that old saying, I think Lou Holtz was the guy, I heard a long time ago, people don’t care what you know until they know how much you care. I hope our guys are feeling it, I think they do because we’ve been out in the community, I got several texts yesterday when we had a group of guys, ten guys, that were in the Mooresville area, in an elementary school somewhere north and doing some Niner reading to the kids and I got a couple of texts from parents, that, the impact, and I think they’re really giving back to the community because they feel all the things that I’m trying to explain.
SID: The offensive line is kind of a puzzle for every coach. How’s that puzzle coming together? Who’s who?
They certainly are working hard. We had a couple of ankles today, but it’s a lot of moving pieces. I think it will be important, as we go to 105 roster spots, versatility is a word that we’re going to have to develop. Your left guard might be your third tackle, a tackle might come into guard, and we’ve got the center thing. I think versatility will be huge because the roster numbers are gonna do down and I think that’s the same way in the D-line. We play three safeties here, right? They’ve gotta be interchangeable. In thirty six years, I’ve had 120 to 200 and we’re gonna have to find ways to practice the right way and try to limit guys on the ground and get guys to learn multiple positions, and to do all that, which is the learning piece, you’re gonna have to keep it simple. You can’t be West Coast, the play call ←—this—→ long and vice versa on defense. We’re gonna play fast and play competent. You’re gonna have to be smart with what you install and what you ask them to do.
BS: You talk about roster changes, things like that, NIL is a thing now, realignment, the college football schedule is year around now, what’s it like coaching in a sport that used to be season to season and now seems like the whole year?
That’s a great point. I’ll try to keep it down to five minutes because I could talk to an hour on it. It is gone a year now. We’ve got so many old rules that were in place because of the way it was structured and the yearly recruiting season. Spring ball. Camp season, and now it’s official visits year around. As our staff moves through this process, I am sensitive to their time off. They need it. Conceivably, right now, with OTAs, they’re here 12 months, you know? My approach is going to be that they need time away. They’ve got to have a vacation. That’s important to us, but it is year around for the staff. I’m big on the staff being fresh. I don’t want them in there guarding their desk. Let’s get our work done and let’s go get with our families and hang out. If there’s one thing from the coach Solich era to Tim Albin and my swap, being here with our staff, that’s one thing I don’t wanna say it’s a front runner, but it’s important to me because I was an assistant for so long. I said if I’m ever in charge, this is how we’re gonna do it, for players and the coaches. We’re headed in the right direction as far as team energy and staff energy.
DC: A lot of different guys from a lot of different places, but what’s the value in having guys like Henry Rutledge, Jonny King, that have been here for five or six years?
All the ones that have stayed. Jonny King, as I’ve mentioned, that is the 9th O-line coach. Those guys have been resilient, they want to be good. It’s tough. Okay, this is how we’re gonna do it, and then a couple years later, this new guy, this is how we’re gonna do it, and they haven’t flinched. That speaks a lot to their character, what they stand for. They love Charlotte, right? Our fan base is obviously, as I’ve said, they don’t know they story on the crew that’s gonna be able to do it but we’re cooking. Our fanbase is very passionate and our players appreciate that and I think you’ve got a staff that’s showing them the tough love
Spring Games: Woes and Woahs
The spring game is dying. Of the P4 schools, (67 teams + Notre Dame) at least 14 have completely canceled their spring games. Some teams, including Auburn and UCF will either allow fans to attend a portion of practice or their spring showcase will mimic a traditional practice. Oklahoma will hold a “Crimson Combine,” and Ole Miss will hold their second “Grove Bowl Games.” They will hold a combination of skill contests and combine events, ending their day with fan engagement including fan pictures and autographs.
There are numerous reasons teams teams have cited when shutting down this annual fan event, including; stadium construction, worry about injury, worry about other coaches tampering, and worry about teams scouting offensive and defensive installs. The best teams are playing longer seasons due to the expanded playoff, and they will only get longer. Even teams not in contention for the CFP will want to protect their players, if only to gain a slight competitive advantage. Even as college football is barreling towards an era of player contracts and collective bargaining, players should be allowed to protect their best interests. ‘Tampering’ as it is will continue to happen, whether coaches can get their eyes on other teams or not. As coaching staffs grow, so will the amount of film watched and players scouted. As for offensive and defensive installs, no team in the history of college football has broken out the ‘good stuff’ for a spring game.
If you’re a fan who doesn’t want to attend or watch a spring game, that’s fine. Teams aren’t revolutionizing how spring practice is done. You won’t see any record-breaking offense, big hits, or over-the-top trick plays. Spring games are about fun and fan engagement. Spring games are supposed to help tide the sickos over though the long winter. Spring games mean spring practice is over, which means summer workouts are right around the corner, and by then the conferences are hosting Media Days, and before you know it, we’re basically in September, and we’re already sitting down to watch Week 1.
To make a long story short, which can’t do, I think spring games are on the way out the door. Nebraska was recently featured in a CBS article not because they canceled theirs, but because they apparently tried really hard NOT to. That got me thinking, that if I was running things at Charlotte, and the athletic department was on the fence about canceling, what would I pitch to try and stop them from doing so.
Hey Charlotte’s marketing department; call my people when you want to get serious about this.
Here’s my list:
“Closest to the pin” QB throwing contest: 10 yards, 30 yards, 50 yards.
Recreational gold panning on the sideline or in Toby Creek with Reed Gold Mine
Charlotte Athletics sponsors a “Brick-by-brick” masonry education course
Some sort of Offensive Line v Defensive Line contest; tug-of-war, hotdog eating contest post-game, lifting contest, relay race
Tailgate cookoffs
Bring your dog to the game
Let the fans call the plays via stadium wide voting on the video board
Make it flag football, but players can collect flags like war trophies
Each quarter is a different game, soccer, ultimate frisbee, field hockey, handball, lacrosse, rugby, etc.
Put Mike Hill in a dunk tank but he can only be dunked by donation objectives
Let the fans participate in witchcraft
Give out “Go Fuck Yosef” towels for the App St game.
Live bird exhibit from Carolina Raptor Center
Norm skydives into the stadium pregame with game ball
Halftime mascot battle royal/king of the mountain for Charlotte-area mascots; Norm, Sir Purr, (Panthers) Chubby, (Checkers) Homer the Dragon, (Knights) Hugo, (Hornets)
Have the players participate in carnival games
Make the game ball really, really slippery
Players vs. Coaches dance contest
Play the game with a comically large ball
Players go “zorbing”
Hold it at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Stadium-wide game of hide and seek, players vs coaches. Stream it on big screen. Put it on a timer
Position Groups Swap: Quarterbacks and running backs switch with linebackers, offensive Line switches with defensive line, wide receivers switch with defensive backs. If you really want to get crazy, put the whole squad on a rotation, where every player plays every position.
My wife’s suggestion: “paintball hunger games.”
