GVFootball.com

It’s hard to believe that another season of Laker football is only days away! That reality means it’s time for one and only thing, media day at Lubbers Stadium. We were all greeted with a warm and sunny morning, hopefully a good omen for the 2010 season. GVFootball.com was able to get a quick word with some of the players. Here is a brief overview of what we got.

#52 Kurt Schnittger - Long Snapper
#44 Luke Briggs - Kicker
#17 Ryan Bass - Wide Reciever
#49 Nick Lawrence - Defensive Line

First up was senior Long Snapper Kurt Schnittger. He lent his opinion with the way camp and practice was progessing, “…Lot of organization, things are going great and coach Mitch (Mitchell) is a great coach to keep the ball rolling here…”. “My role really hasn’t changed, except for the fact that I’m a senior now. So I’m trying to more vocal, and lead by example too…” said Schnittger when asked the question of what impacts coach Mitchell has had on his role.

Standing with Schnittger was first-year transfer Kicker Luke Briggs. Briggs had been with University of Pittsburgh the past three seasons and served as the team’s kickoff specialist. We asked Luke what the biggest challenge coming to GVSU was for him. He indicated that while cadance and system where a change, they weren’t big by any means, “Probably just being the new guy…at Pitt I was the veteran that knew everyone…”, implying he was just ready to get the season underway.

Now Ryan Bass as you might know made the SportsCenter Top 10 Plays list last December after a thrilling catch in the National Semi-Finals against Carson-Newman. We knew we wanted to get a word in with him. Specifically we wanted to know what challenges and changes were coming up with getting a new quarterback after several years with Brad Iciek. “…Brad Iciek was one of the smartest quarterbacks to ever play here…that experience is lacking with the new quarterbacks. I think the whole experience factor is going to be a big thing.” He also added “It’s a whole different feel as far as QB goes(with Neasman and McMahon)…Brad was more of a pocket-passer, and these guys are more of a do-it-all type in my opinion.” On a lighter note, there was one question we had to ask. “With the joining of Terrell Owen and Chad Ocho-Cinco with the Bengals, from a coaching stand-point, who would you rather have?” “…T.O. is a freak athlete, he can go up and get the ball, he can catch a screen and take it eighty yards to the house, in his prime he could go down the field and throw blocks! I think he’s a better all-around reciever than Ocho-Cinco.”

Finally senior Defensive Lineman Nick Lawrence. With the unfortunate news of Danny Richard’s season-ending knee injury, we all knew there would be changes. We listened-in as Nick commented on how the loss of Richard would impact him and the defensive line. When asked directly about the situation Lawrence stated; “I actually got moved over to Danny’s position. Obviously, you can’t replace a player like Danny but what i can do as a senior is try and get everyone else to come along and pick up their game.” With his previous position #49 had less run responsibility (covering the opponent’s running game) and more rushing the passer. “We need to work on covering the run…” Lawrence added to what still needs attention in leu of Richard’s absence. When asked what new freshman coming into the D-Line to help fill gaps impressed him he pointed a out a couple to look out for; “…Guys like Ryan Pettis and Brandon Allen…physically they’re there and are just working on them mental aspect…not taking false steps, reading their keys…”. When speaking about Richard and what the squad will be missing this year, Nick stated that Richard ” Danny has probably the most insane motor out of any football player I have ever seen.” Those are not shallow words, and Lawrence’s teammates echo his sentiment time and time again. Nor will those be easy shoes to fill. However if any team can plug the gap and make the most of such a situation, Matt Mitchell’s team can get it done.

Keep your eyes open for more pre-season news and notes before the September 2nd opener.