Strapping on the shoulder pads and ditching Dri-FIT shorts for football pants signaled a raising of the bar on all sides of the WSU football team as Saturday’s scrimmage approaches.

As third-year Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch put the secondary through hitch and slant tackle sequences, Tuesday’s practice created a palpable sense of excitement.

“I feel like we flied around out there a lot,” senior defensive back Robert Taylor said. “We were real physical at the point of contact. Communication could have been better with the two’s and probably with the one’s a little bit, but overall, first day of pads was really good.”

The roster for Tuesday’s transition into the second week of spring practice was expected to show an influx of energy, something that Head Coach Mike Leach said was absent when addressing the team following the end of team drills.

Leach let his players have it, referencing the frequency of fumbles, blips in coverage and dropped balls amidst the three-hour downpour. After rattling off eight consecutive wins last season to follow up the program’s first bowl victory in more than a decade in 2015, a wet midweek practice had a less triumphant feel to it.

“I think we’ve got too many guys out there who are quick to act like they accomplished something,” Leach said of his offense. “Virtually every position is up for grabs. We’ve got to make sure everyone understands that, because it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ deal and we’re definitely going to gravitate toward guys who have done something lately.”

Leach also said his defense was a bit ahead of the offensive unit in terms of energy and effort, but has room for improvement.

“I thought our defense was sloppy as well, but they just weren’t as sloppy,” he said.

Last week, players and coaches applauded the seamlessness with which the team’s five early enrollees fit in and then heard Leach say the team was ahead of where it was last year. The spring’s third practice was regarded as a reversal of fortune, yet the morale post-practice remained at a high tenor.

Redshirt senior quarterback Luke Falk said it is impossible for a team to play at a high-energy level every day, and part of a team’s progression comes in balancing good days with the bad.

“If you’re at the same level each practice, then you create a flat line, and a flat line is death,” Falk said. “You’re going to have days where you’re playing at a high-energy level and others where it’s low, and it’s a matter of how you respond.”

Part of the adjustment process has been integrating new defensive line coach Jeff Phelps and inside receivers coach Derek Sage, who were brought on staff to replace vocal predecessors.

Both coaches said they have been impressed with where the team currently stands, and that part of the spring-practice process is about progressing as units. Sage said all of his players are still new to him, but he has already learned quite a bit about coaching from Leach.

“So much of it is how you watch and evaluate a play,” Sage said. “[Leach has] taught me you can’t take a play off. It doesn’t matter if it is just one play or 99 plays, because there’s always something that you can learn from each.”

The players said inconsistency was something they have been working on as the annual Crimson and Gray spring game on April 22 at Joe Albi Field draws nearer. Redshirt sophomore running back James Williams said it is a matter of focusing more and reading his playbook every day.

“Like all the coaches say, I’ve got a problem with consistency,” Williams said. “Last spring, I didn’t really have everything down, but I got used to some stuff, so this spring I’m more confident.”

Never one to shy away from delivering constructive criticism, Leach said the collective effort needs to improve across the board by the next practice.

The Cougars practice today at 2:30 in Martin Stadium.