Coffey sets goals higher after breakout season in '04

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- At 6-foot-5, Missouri wide receiver Sean Coffey often relies on his lanky frame to out-jump smaller defenders so he can grab passes.

Coffey blossomed in the Tigers' pass-heavy offense in 2004, producing career highs in receptions, touchdowns and yards. His progression pleased him, but as spring practice progresses he still has some goals.

''Last year, I set goals and accomplished some and didn't accomplish some,'' he said. ''You just got to set them higher. You can't ever be satisfied as long as you're playing. You've got to go from year to year and just not be satisfied.''

Coffey finished with 39 receptions for 648 yards. And although he didn't reach his goal to catch 12 touchdowns in 2004, he still caught a school-record 10 TDs.

''Now I'm raising my standards even higher,'' he said. ''Even though I didn't reach 12, I'm raising everything up. Twelve is not even the touchdown number anymore. I haven't even figured out what I want to do for next year.''

Coffey also plans to focus on being consistent. Earlier in his career, Coffey disappeared from the offense because of dropped passes.

''You're trying to be perfect every day,'' he said. ''I still drop passes. I just want to eliminate that. That's almost impossible to eliminate, but everything is always out of reach.''

During spring practice, Missouri has worked with a spread offensive set, especially in 11-on-11 practice periods. Although the specific formations might not transfer to the season, the philosophy likely will.

The Tigers lack a powerful back to run straight ahead. Both Marcus Woods and Tony Temple, the leading candidates for the tailback position, weigh less than 200 pounds, and the Tigers rarely use a fullback.

Although his own development is a major motivation for him this spring, Coffey said he can't forget about the struggles that dropped his team from the Top 25 to a 5-6 record.

''It's a big motivation, because who wants to lose? Nobody wants to lose,'' he said. ''We ended up with a losing season overall, and that's very disappointing. We just got to go out and gain our respect back. That should be everybody's motivation.''