The extra time between national letter of signing day and the beginning of spring practice on March 27th gave new coach Bob Toledo and his staff a chance to get on the same page before coaching the players on the field.

Toledo inherits a program that in many ways has yet to recover from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. That was evident as the Green Wave finished 2-9 in 2005 and 4-8 in 2006, leading to the firing of coach Chris Scelfo after eight seasons.

The coaching change had a lot more to do with the need for a fresh start than Scelfo's failures.

"If we can get this done, what it would be is a meaningful experience for everyone," Toledo said. "I see these kids and I know how hard they're working. I know how badly they want to win and how they're looking for someone to lead them. We need to change attitudes, and we need to change image."

Toledo's first Tulane team returns 48 letter-winners and 15 starters, but only five on an offense in need of a new quarterback to run what Toledo hopes will be an aggressive, wide-open offense. The most likely candidates are junior Scott Elliott, sophomore Anthony Scelfo and redshirt freshmen D'Metres Hill and Kevin Moore.

COACHING CAROUSEL: When new Tulane coach Bob Toledo took over on Dec. 11 he retained three coaches from former coach Chris Scelfo's staff: running backs coach Greg Davis Jr., offensive line coach Don Mahoney and defensive line coach Lorenzo Costantini.

However, Costantini left for UAB and Mahoney left for Central Michigan. Toledo has spent most of his 30-year coaching career on the West Coast, so he put together a coaching staff with a decidedly Southern background, including Thom Kaumeyer, defensive coordinator; Dan Dodd, offensive coordinator; Mark Hutson, offensive line; former LSU standout Greg Jackson, defensive backs; Doug Lichtenberger, tight ends and recruiting coordinator; Thomas Woods, wide receivers; O'Neal Gilbert, defensive line; and Fred Bleil, linebackers and specials teams. "I said I was going to hire a lot of guys from the South," Toledo said. "I had to do that. I felt that was important. We're coaching in the South, and we're going to recruit Southern players for the most part, so I didn't need to hire a bunch of West Coast guys."

SCHEDULE SITUATION: The opponents won't be pushovers, but at least Tulane opens the season with four consecutive home games against Mississippi State, Houston, Division I-AA Southeastern Louisiana and LSU. The Green Wave could pull off a win or two among three consecutive road games at Army, UAB and SMU and then return home to play Memphis, Tulsa and UTEP. Tulane closes out the season with road games at Rice and East Carolina.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's got to be entertaining and exciting. It's got to be like the circus. Well, maybe not the circus. But we'll throw it. And we'll run a bunch of reverses and double-reverse passes." -- New Tulane head coach Bob Toledo.

WR Jeremy Williams -- Williams appears ready to take the next step after earning honorable mention freshman All-America honors in 2006.

FS David Skehan -- Skehan is the Wave's top returning tackler with 80 stops and four interceptions in 2006.

LB-DB Joe Goosby -- Goosby, a senior, is a versatile player who played linebacker and nickel safety last season and finished fourth on the team with 54 tackles.

TOP NEWCOMERS: LB Lamont Simmons -- Simmons, a freshman, is already enrolled in school and should begin pushing for playing time at weak-side linebacker.

TE Tyler Helms -- Helms spent last season at Fork Union Academy and is already enrolled and participating in spring practice.

OL Joey Ray -- Tulane needs a lineman or two to come in and compete for playing time and provide depth this fall and Ray, at 6-3, 308 pounds, appears to be the best bet to fit that need.

DL Justin Adams -- Tulane also needs help on the defensive line from players who can run, get upfield and make plays. The Tulane coaches expect Adams to be able to provide some of that at end.

RB Andre Agers -- With Matt Forte entering his senior season and no other proven back waiting in the wings, the backup jobs and a future starting role could be wide open.

ROSTER REPORT: If things don't work out for redshirt freshman D'Metres Hill at quarterback, look for the coaches to move him to cornerback or free safety.

The tight ends have mostly played in short-yardage situations in recent seasons but should play a bigger role in coach Bob Toledo's West Coast offense, providing the possibilities of more opportunities for Gabriel Ratcliff, Justin Kessler and Helm.

Fullback is another position that should become more significant for Tulane, but redshirt freshman Jeremy McKinney is the only fullback on the spring roster. The new coaching staff might use backup tailback Ade Tuyo or the tight ends to supplement McKinney.