Football | August 11, 2016

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Head coach P.J. Fleck characterized each of the first few days of practice this week in terms of what they bring out of coaches and players. Day one shows talent with they're being no pads and everyone is at 100 percent. Day two shows the type of character a person has after their first on-field workout of the year and getting used to being sore. Day three through the rest of camp shows the type of toughness a team has once the pads come on and the hitting goes on every single day. For the Broncos to reach the goals they have set out for themselves, it will come down to the mindset that the team displays.

When fans and media think of toughness on the football field, usually it starts with the offensive and defensive line where the most violent collisions occur. Senior defensive end Keion Adams is one of the leaders of the unit and believes that this year's team will display the type of toughness that has eluded the team from accomplishing everything it wanted to in the past.

"With [defensive line coach] Coach Williams being from the NFL, which all of us aspire to be, he preaches toughness and that's a big thing for him." Adams said. "It's been hard hearing it the last three years that we aren't doing what we're supposed to do. Every day when we come out to practice we have to show we're the big guys on the block and that we determine what our opponents do."

That mindset of establishing toughness not only applies to the defensive line, but the offensive line as well. Sophomore center John Keenoy started every game last season as a true freshman and again will be making all the calls in the middle of the line in 2016. Keenoy says the philosophy of the offensive line is very similar to that as the team as a whole, never stop improving.

"Our process this year is about physicality, and being nasty," Keenoy said. "We go in day in and day out working on getting better every day to get to the ELITE level. We're trying to 'out tough' our opponents. As a unit, the offensive line sets the pace for the team so we take it upon ourselves that the team goes as we go."

The leader of the offensive line is coach Brian Callahan, who enters his fourth season on staff. He led the Broncos to having multiple linemen earn All-MAC honors in back-to-back seasons as Taylor Moton and 2016 NFL Draft fourth round pick Willie Beavers were named last year while Beavers and Jimmy Kristof were honored in 2014. It is the first time the Broncos have had multiple linemen selected in back-to-back seasons since 1990-92.

"As a group we're always talking about changing our best, which is part of the Row the Boat culture," Callahan said. "Specifically on the offensive line we're always working to increase our physicality up front. We want to become perfectionists of our craft. The main things are to out-work and out-execute our opponent."

The Broncos have clearly stated their mission of being the tougher more physical team when they line up. For the team to achieve that ELITE level which Keenoy referred to, it requires an understanding that in the Row the Boat culture, your best is never good enough along with the mentality of being willing to change your best on a daily basis in order to achieve the common goal.