New beginning
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Kurt Hester received high praise last Thursday during Tulane’s Pro Day, which was held at Yulman Stadium instead of the Saints’ Hall, as has been the tradition in the past.
Security Larry Brookshoping to get into the back end of the draft, or at least get some interest from free agents, stayed in New Orleans to train with Hester and liked the results.
“He got us right,” Brooks said. “All I had to do was show up and work hard and the results showed in his plan. I feel faster, stronger and faster.”
Tulane hosted a pro day at Yulman Stadium because Hester wanted control.
“If it’s with the Saints, they kind of direct it but make me do stuff,” he said. “I run the whole thing here. It’s my pace how I want to do it.
“In most schools, the strength coach doesn’t work with athletes when they’re done (their eligibility has expired). It’s like ‘go away, I never want to talk to you again’, which I think is right. They have come here for five years and I will do whatever it takes to help them achieve their dream.”
Brooks said the commitment Hester showed to the 11 players who attended Pro Day extended to the entire roster.
“He’s a game changer,” Brooks said of Hester. “He’s very smart in his mentality and the way he attacks you gets the boys going.”
No tackling dummies
After watching video of Saturday’s scrimmage, Fritz highlighted the lack of missed tackles on Tulane’s first day, where he grounded the boys during spring practice.
“We tackled better than I expected,” he said. “We made a lot of good duels on the open field.”
Although Tulane no longer has live tackle outside of scrimmages, Fritz cited the attention to detail in every practice session.
“We do a lot of drills and if you can transfer the drills to the real live situation, that can help you,” he said. “That’s why you have to develop exercises that are as realistic as possible.”
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