Framingham State, which enters the season off back-to-back 5-5 seasons, will field its biggest and deepest team in four seasons following a 4-41 stretch from 2002-2006. With over 60 players suiting up, greater depth and competitiveness has given coaches and players reason to believe this season has the potential to be the most successful one in several years.

"I think we're ahead of where we were last year," Kelley said. "Our players are a little bit better and the competition is a little more fierce. We did see a jump in numbers and we've seen another jump in quality of players we've got out here. We keep raising the bar. We're making a push into Connecticut with recruiting and we've got some good transfers."

"We're going two and three deep now that we can get on the field. We've got a lot of upperclassmen playing for jobs on the football team and that's a healthy thing for the team."

The 2010 campaign begins on Sept. 4 as the Rams take on New England Conference opponent Endicott in a cross-division matchup.

"Things are coming together on both sides of the ball," said sophomore wide receiver Alex Avery of Milford. "Our offense is starting to click and our defense is as good as it's always been. We lost a couple people there, but guys are stepping up and filling in."

In recent seasons Ram players knew they had to go beyond their expected roles because of roster limitations. With a roster which Kelley thinks he can go comfortably three-deep, there is new-found confidence that the team can surpass the break-even records it posted in 2008 and 2009.

"There's definitely a lot more talent this year than we've ever had. We've got more talent and more depth and that's going to really pay off as we get into the middle of the season and beyond," said senior captain and linebacker Joe Treacy. "With this team, we're going to accomplish more on both sides of the ball and that means a stronger team than what we've had before."

The last three seasons have been learning experiences for a relatively young team. Yet, even Kelley acknowledged last year's .500 finish, which included losses in three of the last four games, was a step back and he expects his team to learn from last year's inconsistencies.

"(Last season) was a disappointment as far as I'm concerned. (Getting over .500) is one of the rallying points for this team," said Kelley. "The coaches' poll came out and it had us seeded sixth in our division. I think the guys take it personally. In fact, I hope they do. It will make us hungrier."

The team, in turn, has responded. Hard-hitting double sessions despite this week's sloppy conditions and extra efforts in the weight room have helped prepare the Rams for the upcoming season.

"Everyone has been working very, very hard," said senior linebacker and captain Anthony Pappagallo. "Guys are coming out and getting after it. We want to out-work everyone else and win the day, every day. What makes us a better team today? That's the approach we're trying to take."

There is a desire in the Rams locker room to command respect from the opposition. But first, the team must generate a high level of self-respect born from a non-stop, collaborative effort to improve.

"We talk about playing with respect for ourselves and playing so that other teams are forced to respect us," said Avery. "All we want to do is get wins that allow us to spell out respect and then get that big win at the end that allows us to add the exclamation point."

The respect the Rams seek will only be attained through quality of play and victories, but the attitude at Tuesday's practice spoke of a team ready to cast aside past shortcomings and emerge stronger this year.

"We have higher expectations of ourselves," said Pappagallo. "There's no more time to be thinking about anything else except how to win more games."