Now it’s ‘real’
For the first time since being hired as Bryant’s new football coach, James Perry finally got to run his guys through drills as camp opened.
SMITHFIELD — Thursday marked James Perry’s sevenmonth anniversary as Bryant’s football coach, but the job didn’t feel real to the former Brown standout until he stepped on to the field to start his first season as a head coach.
“In a way it did become real today,” Perry said yesterday after guiding the Bulldogs through a fast-paced, two-hour session on the team’s two practice fields abutting Conaty Field. “There’s something a little different about the competition phase of this whole yearly calendar we have.
“We’ve been getting better in the winter, spring and summer, but now it’s real. This is competition. This definitely felt like the first day for me.”
During his introductory press conference on January 3, Perry made two things quite clear. The Bulldogs, just like the Princeton squads where he was the offensive coordinator during a pair of Ivy League title seasons, were going to take advantage of every square inch of the field.
Perry’s overriding message, however, was the Bulldogs were going to play fast. Bryant finally got a chance to see what that meant Thursday, as Perry took advantage of all two hours of practice to run drills, develop chemistry and increase stamina.
“When he says play fast, he means it,” junior defensive lineman Dillon Guthro said. “There’s no walking anywhere. We’re running between drills, we’re running in drills, so he’s serious about it. Like he said in his press conference, come by practice anytime. You’ll see, we play fast. This offense is moving and it’s no joke. As a defense, when they finally slow it down, it’s an advantage for us.”
Guthro is one of the team’s two elected captains, along with fellow junior defensive lineman Dylan Lazo. Perry said it’s incumbent on both players, along with the 26 seniors who populate the roster, to make sure the coach’s message is received and executed.
While there are no captains on the offensive side, Perry said he’s already seeing leadership from senior receiver Matt Sewall from Portsmouth and senior tight end Joe Fine from Cumberland. Fine’s father, Marty, stepped down as Bryant’s coach following last season’s 5-6 mark.
“Matty Sewall all summer long has worked and is in incredible shape, so he’s showing leadership that way,” Perry said. “Aaron Aryee is another guy who’s been around for a long time. Joe’s doing a great job and he works hard. He’s going to be one of those guys from a leadership perspective, no one knows this place better. The guys can’t help but respect how hard he works.”
After moving his family from New Jersey to Smithfield, Perry spent time talking to former mentors about developing a practice plan for training camp. Perry said he relied heavily on Princeton coach Bob Surace, Brown coach Phil Estes and his brother, Houston Texans tight ends coach John Perry.
“Because there are no double sessions anymore, you have to get as much as you can into your time on the field,” Perry said. “Our identity here is nobody’s going to outwork us. When we talk about playing fast, we want to get as much as we can out of a small amount of time.”
Perry’s biggest challenge between Thursday’s intial session and the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 2 against Division II Merrimac is finding a quarterback to pilot his highoctane attack. Perry, who was the 1999 Ivy League Player of the Year while quarterbacking Brown to the league title, has plenty of green options to choose from.
Because Dalton Easton took nearly every snap over the last three seasons, the only quarterback who has thrown a pass for the Black and Gold is junior Kyle Presti, who threw just one pass in three appearances last season.
The roster also features two Perry recruits – freshmen Chris Hindle, from Bishop Hendricken, and Broghean McGovern – along with sophomore Tim Graham, junior Price Wilson and senior Devin Ray.
“It will be really interesting to watch that unfold,” Perry said. “We’ve had a lot of time to set the groundwork for it. We’re always trying to get better, but now that it’s the competition phase, it is about depth chart. It is about who’s going to put us in the best position to beat Merrimac.”
The first depth-chart benchmark is Saturday, Aug. 12 when the team plays its first scrimmage after 10 practices.