April 5, 2007

The Baylor football team completed its third week of spring practice with a full-pad workout Thursday afternoon on the grass practice fields.

The Bears will be off until next Tuesday (April 10) when they hit the field for the final week of the spring. Baylor will hold workouts next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the 2007 Dodge Green & Gold Spring Game, April 14 at 1 p.m. in Floyd Casey Stadium.

Offensively, the 2007 Bears look to replace seven starters from last year's unit which averaged 23.6 points per game, Baylor's highest mark since 1996 (24.2 ppg), and 315.2 total-offense yards per contest. Baylor set school single-season records for pass attempts (510) and completions (307), as well as completion percentage (.602), passing yards per game (275.0 ypg) and touchdown passes (24). On the flip side, though, the Bears averaged just 40.2 rushing yards per game, their lowest mark since 1946.

In addition to seeking a replacement for 23-game starter Shawn Bell at quarterback, the Bears must replace their top rusher of 2006 in running back Paul Mosley (43.4 ypg), as well as six of their 10 leading receivers from a year ago, including the top two--Dominique Zeigler (54 rec.) and Trent Shelton (53 rec.). Three of the Bears' four returning starters are along the offensive line.

Earlier this week, baylorbears.com sat down with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Lee Hays to discuss the Bears' progress in year two of the spread formation.

Baylorbears.com: How much does it help that now the players have a year in your offensive system?

Hays: "It's not the plays, it's the details. It's the little things that make the play work. I think some of that is coming around. The only negative is the change with some of the skills. We lose some of the timing and some of that. We have competition, and competition makes for a fast practice. We lost some guys, but I'd rather lose skill than offensive line players. We're better."

Baylorbears.com: How is the running game progressing?

Hays: "They are doing the little things right now. It's all the little things. It's outside release instead of inside release first. This coverage or that coverage, this leverage or that leverage. Some of that you look at on tape and you think they should know better. The biggest problem is the lack of continuity between the quarterback and the outside receivers with all of the injuries to the outside slots. But that can be corrected in the summer. That's why we are working on a heavy run game, heavy pad stuff. It's a lot easier than it was last year for me."

Baylorbears.com: How is the new staff?

Hays: "This is the best coaching staff I've ever had. I've always worked with the quarterbacks until Wes Phillips took over. That first year I stayed with him a little bit. I trusted Wes and I knew he was a good quarterbacks coach. But I've always got to have my hands in it a little bit.

Everything aside, they are all unbelievable coaches. Every one of those guys could be a coordinator. They understand spatial relations, angles, why we are doing something."

Baylorbears.com: How is the quarterback situation?

"The good thing about it is that I've got a bunch, and they are all pretty solid. The sad part about it is that it is a rep based system, and I can only go with so many. That's the thing I hate about this job. They all work pretty hard. Blake (Szymanski) deserves a shot. The walk-on (Ryan Roberts) deserves a shot. He's come in here and worked his tail off. The good thing about it is they are not selfish. I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a starter named until two-a-days.

They all have their strengths. Ryan (Roberts) knows the system better than any of them. Blake is more athletic than any of them, and big Mike (Machen) is just a lot more poised and has been in so many systems he's very good at seeing defenses. But if the new guy comes in and is even with them, then I'm going with the new guy because he can go farther. Or if the young guy is even, then I'm going with the young guy. So they have to want it.

Tyler (Beatty) has done some great things, and Weed (John David) has exceptional tools. I'm seeing some flashes out of Tyler that make me think that down the road he is going to be pretty dang good because he is so athletic and so accurate. His decision making right now is still a little bit into that high school notion that he can pick a guy, follow him and laser the ball in there. Mike has some of that too, because that guy has got a gun for an arm. He has been able to get by with his fastball. He probably has one of the strongest arms I've ever seen. I've never had a guy that can throw a 70-yard post. If he's ahead or even, then I'm going with him, and they know that. But if a younger guy is even, then I'm going with the younger guy, whatever is best for Baylor. The sad part is I like them all."

Baylorbears.com: When will you narrow down the field?

"I will limit it by the end of spring, it will be two guys, and then the guy who outworks the other guy this summer will win it."

Baylorbears.com: How have the receivers progressed?

"The biggest thing right now is guys like Queito Teasley are playing fast and aggressive. Mikail Baker is playing fast and aggressive. Mikail has probably got about three knockdowns. Last year the only guy that I had that did that who finally came on was Trent (Shelton). As long as we do that for four quarters, we'll be in a lot of ball games. It all starts with that attitude."