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Fall camp begins at WSU to today which marks the official start to football season. It also marks the return of coachspeak. Coaches and players will say a lot during interviews over the next month, without really saying much. Considering there is no coachspeak option on Google translate, we've developed a simple guide to help you decipher what is really being said.
Coach: "Player X is healthy and happy to be here."
What this could mean: Player X doesn't like his friends and family back home, so he's just happy to be in Pullman.
What this really means: Player X is injured, maybe severely, maybe not, but either way I'm not going to tell you.
Player: "We're in much better shape this year."
What this could mean: Everyone says they are in the best shape of their life in fall camp, but we REALLY are in the best shape of our lives.
What this really means: We, like every other college football team in America, worked out during the offseason.
Coach: "I thought some guys did some good things."
What this could mean: The entire team is great, but a few guys are standing out as All-American types!
What this really means: Did you watch practice? We have a long way to go.
Player: "Guys are giving good effort and playing with a lot of energy."
What this could mean: We all love fall camp. We'd practice in 100 degree weather everyday for the entire year if we could. We're just so excited to be here.
What this really means: No one wants to have to roll the length of the field, so we practice hard enough to not get in trouble.
Player: "I thought practice went really well."
What this could mean: I watched all 104 other guys intently and thought everyone performed well, even without watching the film.
What this really means: I just spent three hours running around in full pads. I'm exhausted, want to take a shower and get something to eat. Can you please stop asking me questions.
Coach: "The offense* really had a great day today."
What this could mean: The defense wasn't bad, but the offense was just unstoppable today and would have given the best defense in the country problems.
What this really means: Sure the quarterbacks threw 27 touchdowns, but they were going against walk-ons and converted wide receivers. Still, I'm going to highlight the positive and act like we don't have to play defense this season.
*This one can work for the offense or defense
Player: "We're taking it one play at a time, one day at a time."
What this could mean: I don't even know who our first opponent is. We've been so focused none of us have even thought about the season or looked at the schedule.
What this really means: There are 20,880 minutes until we play Auburn. Fall camp can not end soon enough.