Post by whoanellie on Jul 29, 2015 11:37:47 GMT -5
www.thetimesnews.com/article/20150728/SPORTS/150728870
By Adam Smith
Times-News
asmith@thetimesnews.com
Posted Jul. 28, 2015 at 11:50 PM
Updated at 11:55 PM
BALTIMORE — In terms of the framework for expectations, Elon will start this football season from the same subordinate position where it ended last season.
At the bottom of the Colonial Athletic Association pecking order.
The Phoenix, picked last in the league’s predicted order of finish, was placed in cellar-dwelling mode and left to look up at the rest of the 12-team conference Tuesday during the CAA’s media day functions at M&T Bank Stadium.
“We didn’t show them last year that we deserve to be any higher than that,” junior running back B.J. Bennett said, taking a practical approach as he inspected the preseason voting results.
That’s the type of perspective with which Elon coach Rich Skrosky saw it, too.
Coming off a 1-11 campaign that marked the school’s worst record in 88 years, still seeking its first CAA victory after going winless and becoming a tenant of the league basement during its debut season in the conference, Skrosky said he had no delusions of Elon somehow gaining higher ground in the preseason poll.
“Based on everything we know up until today, I would say that’s probably where we should be,” Skrosky said, motioning toward the teams listed in the lowest spots and invoking the supernatural.
“This isn’t a magic show. We don’t have potions we mix up and all of a sudden you’re winning nine games. It doesn’t happen that way. You want to win as many games as early as you possibly can. But the reality is the reality, and it’s a process to get there.”
Tuesday became an opportunity for Skrosky, who’s entering his second season in charge at Elon, to reiterate his focus on the future and trust in the building process that’s ongoing with the Phoenix, a program four years removed from its most recent winning season.
He said his measure of success, at least for the time being, is dependent on the following question:
Are we better today than we were yesterday?
The answer is yes, Skrosky said, while touching on the 79 players — a whopping increase compared to some past years — who stayed at Elon this summer to take classes, work jobs and internships among the community and immerse themselves in weightlifting and training for the approaching season, which starts Sept. 3 at Wake Forest.
“You have to draw from the day-to-day growths,” Skrosky said. “You truly have to believe in your vision and your plan. I see progress every day.”
To emphasize that point, Skrosky reached into his blazer Tuesday and pulled out his iPhone. He scrolled through and produced a before-and-after photo of quarterback Connor Christiansen, the type of side-by-side comparison shots compiled by strength and conditioning coach Ryan Horton that help illustrate an Elon player’s physical development.
By Adam Smith
Times-News
asmith@thetimesnews.com
Posted Jul. 28, 2015 at 11:50 PM
Updated at 11:55 PM
BALTIMORE — In terms of the framework for expectations, Elon will start this football season from the same subordinate position where it ended last season.
At the bottom of the Colonial Athletic Association pecking order.
The Phoenix, picked last in the league’s predicted order of finish, was placed in cellar-dwelling mode and left to look up at the rest of the 12-team conference Tuesday during the CAA’s media day functions at M&T Bank Stadium.
“We didn’t show them last year that we deserve to be any higher than that,” junior running back B.J. Bennett said, taking a practical approach as he inspected the preseason voting results.
That’s the type of perspective with which Elon coach Rich Skrosky saw it, too.
Coming off a 1-11 campaign that marked the school’s worst record in 88 years, still seeking its first CAA victory after going winless and becoming a tenant of the league basement during its debut season in the conference, Skrosky said he had no delusions of Elon somehow gaining higher ground in the preseason poll.
“Based on everything we know up until today, I would say that’s probably where we should be,” Skrosky said, motioning toward the teams listed in the lowest spots and invoking the supernatural.
“This isn’t a magic show. We don’t have potions we mix up and all of a sudden you’re winning nine games. It doesn’t happen that way. You want to win as many games as early as you possibly can. But the reality is the reality, and it’s a process to get there.”
Tuesday became an opportunity for Skrosky, who’s entering his second season in charge at Elon, to reiterate his focus on the future and trust in the building process that’s ongoing with the Phoenix, a program four years removed from its most recent winning season.
He said his measure of success, at least for the time being, is dependent on the following question:
Are we better today than we were yesterday?
The answer is yes, Skrosky said, while touching on the 79 players — a whopping increase compared to some past years — who stayed at Elon this summer to take classes, work jobs and internships among the community and immerse themselves in weightlifting and training for the approaching season, which starts Sept. 3 at Wake Forest.
“You have to draw from the day-to-day growths,” Skrosky said. “You truly have to believe in your vision and your plan. I see progress every day.”
To emphasize that point, Skrosky reached into his blazer Tuesday and pulled out his iPhone. He scrolled through and produced a before-and-after photo of quarterback Connor Christiansen, the type of side-by-side comparison shots compiled by strength and conditioning coach Ryan Horton that help illustrate an Elon player’s physical development.
