April 7, 2007
The Cardinal went through its third practice today at the Elliott Practice Fields, a two-and-a-half hour practice that included the first day in full pads and an appearance by former Stanford great John Elway. "After three days, I'm really impressed with our team. They are working like dogs and having fun," said Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Along with Elway, former players on hand to watch practice included Oshiomogho Atogwe, currently a member of the St. Louis Rams, former All-American Luke Powell, Brandon Harrison, Nick Frank and Mike Silva off last year's team and former two-time All-American and 15-year NFL veteran Bob Whitfield.
Elway spoke to the team at the beginning of practice. He talked of enjoying the Stanford experience, working hard to improve and make the team better, the power of a Stanford degree and the feeling of winning games with your teammates.
"It's so huge to have John Elway here and speak to our team," said Harbaugh. "We had Bill Walsh kick off our spring practice on Wednesday and that meant a lot to our team. These are just two of the type of people who are associated with the Stanford football program. It's great for our players to hear them speak."
After more than two hours of team and individual drills, the practice concluded with a two-minute drill that pitted the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense. While depth charts have not yet been established, those participating in the drill included, on offense: tackles Allen Smith and Ben Muth, guards Alex Fletcher and Mikal Brewer, center Tim Mattran, tight ends Jim Dray and Austin Gunder, receivers Mark Bradford, Michael Miller, Kelton Lynn, Stephen Carr, Marcus Rance and Nate Wilcox-Fogel, running back Anthony Kimble and quarterback T.C. Ostrander.
On defense, those participating included linemen Emmanuel Awofadeju, Udeme Udofia, Erik Lorig, Pannel Egboh, and Chris Horn, linebackers Clinton Snyder, Tom McAndrew, Will Powers, Fred Campbell, Pat Maynor, Landon Johnson and Nick Macaluso, and defensive backs Wopamo Osaisai, Nick Sanchez, Carlos McFall, Bo McNally.
Stanford returns to the practice field on Monday, April 9 from 4:00-6:30 pm
Player Comments following practice:
"Alex Fletcher is ready to go. This is the most enthusiastic camp since I've been here. I've played both center and guard in my career, but with Tim Mattran back at center, Coach needs me at guard - and I'm ready. I'm working hard and doing all I can to improve every day." - Alex Fletcher
"Enthusiasm is at an all-time high right now, but the key is to keep it going. It's easy to be excited after three practices, but we have to build on this and continue to get better every practice. Offensively, we're making strides and trying get more comfortable with the system. Coach Harbaugh has had success at the highest level and we're excited to have him help us learn the offense and get better as a team. As for me, I'm trying to be more of a leader this year." -- Anthony Kimble