training camp

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is in West Point.

www.mississippimudcats.com/31.htm

[rkb]

From Saturday's Daily Journal

www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=267491&pub=1&div=Sports

MudCats open preseason practice with title in mind
3/1/2008 5:28:20 AM
Daily Journal




BY JOHN L. PITTS
Daily Journal

WEST POINT -There were plenty of familiar faces in the room as the Mississippi MudCats assembled here Thursday night before the start of training camp on Friday.

The list of training camp signees includes about a dozen players who were members of the MudCats roster in their inaugural year of 2007.

Most importantly, the top members of the coaching staff -head coach Brian Brents, offensive coordinator and player personnel director Kirk Broussard and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson -also return.

"I'm excited to get this collection of guys here," said Broussard. "On paper, this is probably the most talented team I've been around," said Patterson.

They've all gathered on the campus of the former Mary Holmes College to take the first steps toward the American Indoor Football Association title that eluded the 12-4 MudCats last season.

"Everybody in here is talking about winning a championship, but it doesn't start with Game 1, it starts tomorrow," one of those veterans, quarterback Tommy Jones, told the assembled hopefuls. "And I'll warn you, Brents' rhymes with sprints. And we'll be doing a lot of those."

Other returning starters in camp will include two other AIFA All-Stars from a year ago, receiver Josh Smith and offensive lineman William Stewart, and returning starters Travis Johnson (defensive back from Shannon and Ole Miss) and Rico McDonald (running back and DB from Ripley and Delta State).

Receiver and kick returner Darryl Carter, a five-year veteran of indoor football who also played for the Tupelo FireAnts, is also in camp. "The only thing left for us to do is win the (championship) ring," he said Thursday.

Rookies in the camp include two former Mississippi State quarterbacks, Omarr Conner and Aries Nelson. Nelson completed his career at Mississippi Valley State, where he was a SWAC player of the year.

Three weeks of work will cut a list of 55 hopefuls down to 25 in advance of the indoor pro football team's first game, against the Fayetteville (N.C.) Guard on March 22 at the BancorpSouth Arena.

Brents and his staff must make their first cuts, down to 40, by Monday.