NEWPORT-A day of firsts resulted in plenty of excitement and some mistakes for the Cocke County High School Fighting Cocks football team on Wednesday afternoon.

The team opened its preparation for the 2008 football season with its first spring practice session on Wednesday under the direction of new head coach Casey Kelley, a former Cocke County letterman and longtime assistant coach.

The third coach in four seasons for Cocke County High has made wholesale changes to the team's offensive and defensive schemes and a bulk of Wednesday's session was dedicated to teaching and installing the new system.

Kelley plans to reintroduce the split-back veer offense to Big Red football, while also implementing a variety of defensive schemes to suit the team's strengths this fall.

"We had a very typical first day of running a brand new offense and defense," Kelley said. "The biggest thing I told the kids was to be patient (because) it's all new.

"We are going to learn it and when they start they learning, they're going to start being more aggressive," Kelley said.

The team began the practice session with individual work and drills, interrupted with a period of instruction about the team's new schemes on both sides of the ball. In addition to the individual instruction, the team had two period of live action, which showed the uncertainties that a new offense and personnel can bring.

Offensively the team had issues surrounding ball security, with numerous center-quarterback exchange problems and several fumbles resulting from awry pitches in the veer system. Defensively, the unit showed plenty of enthusiasm as rising senior Chris James had several big hits in the practice session.

Kelley showed little concern at the issues, attributing those to the first day of practice and new personnel in new places.

Personnel management will be a key issue during the spring period for Kelley and his coaching staff, as they look to see what players fit best in the team's new system.

"We're in a situation as coaches where we have to evaluate every player and decide where they fit in this offense and defense best," Kelley said. "It's all new and we've not seen them play in this type of offense and defense.

"We're now in a situation of evaluation, that's our job (as coaches) to be evaluators and that's what we're going to do right now," Kelley said.

The team has just over a week to ready itself for its only scrimmage of the spring period, which comes on May 16 against Pigeon Forge High School.

Kelley considers the key issues to prepare for headed into that scrimmage are improved quarterback and offensive line play.

Cocke County is currently undergoing auditions for the quarterback position with only one player on the roster with limited varsity experience under center. Rising junior Drew Crawford started five games under center for the Big Red last fall, but has elected to focus on his baseball career.

Rising senior Lee Adams saw the bulk of action under center on Wednesday and figures to be the likely starter at quarterback in 2008. Adams played sparingly at the position in a backup role to John Norwood as a freshman in the 2005 season.

Casey Ragan, William Carmichael and James also received some work at the position either in live action or in individual drills in the practice session.

The offensive line also has several new faces after losing most of its personnel to graduation after last season.

"We have to continue to get better at the quarterback position and the offensive line has to learn the scheme," Kelley said. "Once they learn that they can start going forward and getting better."

Establishing a two-deep depth chart is also of importance to the new coach, as it helps to identify who the team can play where as they prepare for the upcoming season.

"We are looking to find at least two deep at every position. We are not there yet. That's where the evaluation of players comes in," Kelley said. "We're going to have our work cut out for us over the next six days, but next Friday when we scrimmage Pigeon Forge we'll have a good product out on the field."

The spring season will run through May 20, concluding with the annual Red and White intrasquad scrimmage.