It’s only the second week of spring practice, but already head coach Mike Bellotti has been doing a lot of coaching.
Bellotti has high expectations for his football team. He knows the type of talent his team possesses and wants to see that talent at its full potential — even in the spring.
After last week’s first round of practices, Bellotti described his mood as “disappointed.” On Tuesday, however, Bellotti admitted that he may have jumped the gun a bit in his evaluation.
“I think my initial reaction was disappointment,” said Bellotti, who has compiled a 39-20 record in his five seasons at Oregon. “Although the more I thought about it, I realized that my expectations were probably a little bit unrealistic.”
Bellotti acknowledged that the program’s success over the past few years has “certainly raised the bar around here.”
One player in particular who doesn’t mind such high expectations is quarterback Joey Harrington. The sophomore, fresh off his role as a McArthur Court fanatic for the men’s basketball team, is just excited to be out there in pads.
He speaks highly of his quarterback counterpart A.J. Feeley, and the two are making crisp passes and clean hand-offs during practice.
“Things are going really well,” Harrington said. “And this week we’re getting back in there and we got the rust off. A.J. and I definitely have shown that we have a year under our belts.”
Bellotti has said that Harrington is listed as the number one quarterback this spring, although the starting job for the fall is still up for grabs. The coach said that he will not worry about deciding on a starter until fall camp.
Both quarterbacks have proven that they can start in the Pacific-10 Conference, but were forced at times to take on the role of cheerleader. Harrington knows how much the experience of being both a starter and a back-up will help him and Feeley this year.
“I think we learned a lot last year,” Harrington said. “I think we learned how to handle the situation, how to deal with ourselves and how to compete against each other. And I think we’ve kind of settled into a comfort level here.”
NFL Draft Update
Saturday is only three days away. It marks the opening day of the 2000 NFL Draft, and it could be an especially sweet weekend for at least six Oregon seniors.
Head coach Mike Bellotti is hoping for the best for tailback Reuben Droughns, linebacker Peter Sirmon, rover Michael Fletcher, placekicker Nathan Villegas, linebacker Dietrich Moore and wide receiver Tony Hartley.
“Those kids have all been some of the greatest players that we’ve had here,” Bellotti said. “They are great performers and contributors. I think what they’re looking for is a chance that they can do it at the next level. And I think given that opportunity, they will surprise some people.”
Bellotti has said that he has heard projections of Droughns being picked in the second-to-third round range and Sirmon being selected in the third-to-fifth round area.
“I think the others might be late rounds, but [also] might be free agents,” said Bellotti, who has had contact with many of his former players this past week. “There has been some interest in them. They just have to keep in shape and keep working hard.”
Harrington said he’s excited to see where his former teammates go.
“I’m sure they’re going to get a chance to play somewhere because they’re exceptional athletes, and bring a lot to a team,” Harrington said.
Harrington said that Fletcher and Moore, specifically, may not be as widely known on the national scene.
“Fletch has a great work ethic,” Harrington said. “That combined with his attitude on the field and his physical talent will get him a spot. Dietrich is very underrated. He’s very fast and very agile, and can knock the crap out of you. He’ll get picked up.”
The draft begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and is expected to last until 7 p.m. or after the third round is completed. It resumes on Sunday at 8 a.m. and will likely end at 2 p.m.