Dukes Open Fall Camp With ‘Good Energy’

James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti has waited for the Dukes to return to the field since the spring game concluded in late April.
The fifth-year coach is a football lifer, and the offseason isn't the easiest thing for him to sit through.
He couldn't wait to return to the gridiron through the summer, and that changed two days into August.
JMU hit the practice field for the first time this fall as a complete team, coaches and all, inside Bridgeforth Stadium on a cool summer Wednesday morning.
Cignetti embraces the little things that come with running a Sun Belt Conference team, especially one looking to repeat what it did last fall: finish atop the East Division.
"It's a total process for me," Cignetti said. "I'm excited to be back into it: program philosophy, practice one, the grind — I like it, love it, don't know what to do without it. Excited about it."
The Dukes, selected first in the Sun Belt's preseason poll, returned to the practice field ready to work, and Cignetti said he liked the energy that the team brought on day one.
"I thought there was a good energy level," Cignetti said. "It was business-like, it wasn't over the top, which was fine. … They know what's coming tomorrow, they know what's coming a week from now, so it wasn't overzealous or anything like that."
The Dukes were on the artificial turf surface with purple and white practice jerseys, black shorts, and gold logoless helmets for the opening day of fall camp.
JMU's pads will have to wait, which doesn't provide a game-like situation. Thus, Cignetti didn't draw too many conclusions from the first day.
"We're out there, no pads, in our pajamas, so it's not real football, but we try to simulate real football," Cignetti said. "Ball was only on the ground one time. It seemed like both sides of the ball were decent, I'm sure there were mistakes."
Cignetti said the Dukes' first day of fall camp was better than their first day of spring practice, which is to be expected.
He added that the early stages of practice are about stacking days and being as steady as possible.
"Just consistency in performance," Cignetti said of what he's looking for in the early weeks of practice. "Practice to a high standard, create good practice habits, play winning football. Execute on offense, protect the football. Defense, stop the run, try to get turnovers. … So getting 11 guys to execute and do their job every single play."
A year ago, the Dukes had multiple skill-position players sidelined with minor injuries sustained over the summer.
But this fall, it's not like that, as the Dukes appear healthy on the field. Cignetti said the Dukes learned from last season's experience and tweaked some things in their summer program.
As JMU opened fall camp on Wednesday, it returned with a few question marks in key positions on offense — quarterback and wide receiver. The Dukes will have a new face under center as the competition between Arizona transfer Jordan McCloud and redshirt freshman Alonza Barnett III continues, and they'll be throwing to a new stable of wideouts.
On day one, McCloud started with the first team, while Barnett worked with the primary reserves. Cignetti said the quarterback situation will be looked at daily, and the coaching staff will evaluate it after each practice.
Regarding the wide receivers, a group that returned with just two players that logged at least one catch last fall, Cignetti is still working through that group, and pads will help in the evaluation process.
"Still evaluating that group," Cignetti said. "There's a lot of new guys, saw some things today, but it's only the first day and there's no pads. Sometimes guys look like superstars with no pads on and then you put the pads on and you're looking for them all the time."
This time last season, the early stages of camp were focused on refining the small details. For Cignetti, that has stayed the same, but instead of focusing on it, it's expected as JMU works through 16 practices this month before the first game week, with Bucknell looming on Sept. 2.
"What it takes to be your best never changes," Cignetti said. "There's standards, you have to have great focus, you have to control the controllables, eliminate the clutter. … Don't be affected by success, don't be affected by failure, avoid complacency, do the little things — those things never change."