After the first weekend of Temple football training camp, in which players were limited to only helmets and shoulder pads and fundamental drills, coach Steve Addazio and players said they were excited for the opportunity to hit some people Monday morning at the first full-contact practice of training camp.

But following Sunday’s death of Garrett Reid, 29, son of Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Andy Reid and brother of Owls’ redshirt-freshman running back Spencer Reid and graduate assistant coach Britt Reid, with the heavy hits came heavy hearts.

“It’s been a really tough couple of days,” Addazio said. “Our hearts and prayers go out the Reid family. It’s such a tragic thing and your heart breaks for them. I don’t know what else to say.”

Addazio said Tuesday’s training camp session will be held in the afternoon so that players and coaches will have the opportunity to attend Reid’s funeral in the morning.

“Practice will be the last thing on my mind tomorrow morning,” Addazio said. “Practice and football pales in comparison to what we’re talking about here.”

As to how the Owls fared in the first day of full-contact practice, their coach would like to see some improvement as camp moves on.

“We were a little sloppy offensively out there, especially toward the end,” Addazio said. “It was the first day of contact practice, but you still have to find a way to be sharper, tougher and more tuned in. That didn’t happen today.”

Although Addazio made it clear that there is work to be done, getting back to a real practice atmosphere is a big step for his team.

“Everybody was happy to get going today,” Addazio said. “It’s hard with the non-contact stuff. You can’t hit anybody or hurt anybody, and guys aren’t wearing pads. It’s hard, once you get going with the shoulder pads on, it’s a lot easier to function and improve as a team.”

“We’re installing a lot right now and with the hitting it tends to get a little sloppy on the first day,” junior quarterback Chris Coyer said. “I feel good about where we’re going, but we still have to improve a little bit on everything. We’ll be all right.”

Coyer, who began playing regularly midway through last season, is now the starter at quarterback heading into a season for the first time. The unfamiliar role has given Coyer a new perspective heading into camp.

“In past years for me, it’s been all about winning the starting job going into camp,” Coyer said. “Now I’m a lot more focused on improving myself and improving the team so that we can be as good as we can be for that first game.”

“Practice gets a little tougher every year and every day,” Coyer added. “I feel like I’m getting a little more accurate in my passes day by day, and I’m getting better with each day.”

While Coyer’s role has been clearly identified, sophomore Jalen Fitzpatrick, who could see time this year at running back and receiver, said he’ll be happy just to contribute however his coach wants him to.

“I just want to play and contribute to this team, and wherever [Addazio] puts me, I’m going to play there and do my best to contribute,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m still a young guy and I’m still learning.”

In the learning process, Fitzpatrick has looked at senior running back Matt Brown as a role model, and likens his playing style to that of Brown’s.

“I play with an edge and I learned that from [Brown],” Fitzpatrick said. “ He’s a huge competitor and has a big chip on his shoulder, and I try to play like that and have that same chip on my shoulder.”

“I’ve been competitive my whole life,” Brown said. “I grew up in a family with a tough mentality, and that kind of attitude rubs off.”

Brown, the featured back heading into the season, believes that players have to have a certain level of toughness when it comes to football.

“I’ve always had a tough mentality,” Brown said. “If I get hurt, I feel like it’s not right to leave your team because you’re hurting, unless you really can’t play. Other than that, suck it up and be a man, that’s football. This isn’t basketball or baseball, pain is a part of this game.”

“It wouldn’t be football if the pain wasn’t a part of the game,” Brown added. “I like the pain, it makes me feel like a man.”

-Drew Parent