'Green and White Days' premier provides peek behind MSU curtain
EAST LANSING – A digital countdown from the West Shaw Lane walk sign ticks away on Michigan State’s dark campus.
That’s when you learn it is 4:13 a.m. on Aug. 3, and the Spartans are preparing to file into the Duffy Daugherty Football Building for one of strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie’s legendary preseason conditioning tests.
“The ‘Earn the Jersey’ mentality goes for everything we do around here,” says Mannie, the first voice you hear as cameras pan across MSU’s empty weight room. “Every single day that you’re here, we expect you to have that mentality. You want more reps in practice? Earn it. You want playing time? Earn in it. Every day. I feel that anybody that has that attitude cannot help but be successful.”
Cut to sunrise over Spartan Stadium. It’s as if coach Mark Dantonio is actually directing the Big Ten Network’s “Green and White Days: Inside Michigan State Training Camp.”
The first of the three half-hour episodes chronicling the defending Big Ten champion Spartans’ preseason workouts debuted Thursday night, giving a rare glimpse into Dantonio’s program as he prepares to begin his 10th season at MSU.
Actor Jeff Daniels narrates the episode, which gives behind-the-scenes looks at players as they prepare for preseason camp, move into Case Hall, go through Mannie’s interval test and hit the field for the first practice of camp.
“This is about Michigan State, this is about Spartans, this is about what we’re doing in 2016,” Dantonio says to his players in front of the cameras. “Make no mistake about it – the bar has been set high.”
After Mannie’s intro, Spartan players are shown shaking hands and laughing as they prepare for their conditioning test. They aren’t for long, as the running visibly takes its toll on them as they dash from sideline to sideline, over and over.
The second segment flashes back to a few days earlier, with MSU’s coaches together on the beach at Lake Michigan enjoying the end of their summer. Dantonio is shown on a standup paddleboard moving around the water.
“When this day comes, it means that camp is right here,” co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett says. “It’s bittersweet in that, hey man, vacation is over, but also the season is here, so let’s get it on.”
Flash back to East Lansing, where a few of the players – including Riley Bullough, Tyler O’Connor and Matt Macksood – are shown out on the golf course. Bullough struggles. The scene shifts to defensive backs at Barnett’s house and more cornhole.
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Eventually, veteran players start moving from their apartments into the dorms. Freshmen show up with all their possessions. They get to show some of their personality while talking about the season ahead.
“You don’t come to Michigan State to just sit there and watch someone else play,” says O’Connor, wearing a Drew Stanton High 5ive Foundation shirt while talking about losing the battle for the starting quarterback job in 2013 to Connor Cook.
Then it’s on to the football, but it’s a rough start for O’Connor, who now is considered the man to beat for MSU’s vacant starting QB job this time. The fifth-year senior gets intercepted by cornerback Darian Hicks on the first pass shown.
But O’Connor and the offense, narrator Daniels says, “would have the final laugh.” Receiver Monty Madaris dives for a deep pass in the back right corner of the end zone, catching it over cornerback Josh Butler while tapping his feet in bounds.
Practice ends, with Bullough demanding more from his defensive teammates. Players shed their pads and climb into the ice baths. Bullough and fellow linebacker Chris Frey keep their jerseys on as they dip into the rubber tubs.
“I think had a lot of retention from spring,” Bullough says. “Defense was hype out there. I think the offense was a little rattled out there today.”
As everyone else is gone from the field, the camera pans to sophomore Andrew Dowell attacking a blocking sled alone.
“Satisfaction is always temporary. Each day requires improvement,” Daniels says, “A never-ending quest to earn the jersey.”
Fade to black.