At UR, men at work on field and stadium

Fifty feet in the air was a worker, welding while straddling a steel beam. Another worker at the same height was riveting. There were cranes. There was smoke, the sound of motors, and every two or three minutes, the "beep-beep-beep" that comes when one of the trucks or other vehicles shifted into reverse.

The University of Richmond's First Market Stadium may be the nation's most distraction-laden football practice facility, though some players don't seem to notice. Safety Michael Ireland yesterday looked around the construction site caused by First Market Stadium's transformation to a facility for home football games starting next season and shook his head.

"To tell you the truth, the only thing that really changes for us is that we've got to come in over there," he said pointing at a new gate, "instead of over there." He motioned to the old entrance.

Last year, even before construction started, UR coach Mike London commonly played loud music during practice. So the noise produced by the construction crew each weekday until 5 p.m. doesn't seem to be a problem. The Spiders are used to competing in noisy environments on fall Saturdays.

The activity as the stadium grows daily, however, can be tempting to observe.

"There's something new every day so you try to fight looking," said defensive tackle Martin Parker. "When you get those moments when you're not taking a [repetition], you sit there looking at the construction and say 'Wow, what is that part going to turn out to be?' Or 'Oh, they didn't have that there yesterday.'"

London appreciates the visual draw of the construction scene. He acknowledges that he occasionally sneaks a peak. But not when a drill or scrimmage is under way.

"What we talk about all the time is what happens between the white lines, so regardless of girlfriends, parents, noise, quiet, whatever it is, when it's time to execute the plays on the field, that's all that matters," said London.

"Now, if by coincidence you look up and you a see a guy hanging from [a beam], you worry about his safety for a split-second, but then you go back to 'OK, I've got to block this guy' or 'I've got to cover this guy.'"

He laughed, but then was serious again.

"Hopefully, there's a lesson there. You can be aware of your surroundings, but don't allow your surroundings to dictate how you perform on the field."

IT'S THAT TIME: Two-a-days are over. School started Monday. The Spiders are still a few days from game-preparation week leading into next Saturday night's opener at Duke. This isn't the easiest time to practice.

"We're going against us. We're used to seeing us all the time," London said. "The routine has changed because school has started, and we've been going at it pretty good. The tempo at practice has been good. Guys are playing fast and staying on their feet. Injuries are down because we've learned how to practice."

But there were a few dropped passes in yesterday's second preseason intrasquad scrimmage.

"There are some things that can be corrected, and you could attribute it to heat, fatigue, whatever," London said. "We'll keep fine-tuning until 10 days from now."

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233