GREENVILLE — Wednesday marked the beginning of spring workouts for the East Carolina football team. The Pirates, led by first-year head coach Scottie Montgomery and his mostly-new staff, hit the grass for the first time after what Montgomery described as a successful winter conditioning period.

Montgomery’s approach to the spring is somewhat untraditional in that much of his initial focus is on special teams.

“So many people begin spring practice talking about offense and defense, but I am going to begin by talking about special teams,” Montgomery said at Tuesday’s press conference. “I really feel that this is a place where we will be able to produce a lot of energy and an atmosphere conducive to creating competition among our best players.”

Of course, the Pirates know first hand how special teams can shift the momentum of a game. They need not look any further than last season’s meeting with Temple in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

The Owls, undefeated and ranked 22nd in the nation at the time, trailed ECU 14-10 in the fourth quarter. Sharif Finch blocked punt attempts by Worth Gregory on back-to-back possessions. His team went on to score touchdowns on both subsequent drives, ultimately producing a 24-14 win.

Indeed, those players are well aware of how special teams can affect a game. Still, Montgomery took it one step further by challenging the Pirate specialists to put their stamp on games in the form of a touchdown.

“What you have heard me say is that if you want to have a direct effect on a football game, you are going to score us a touchdown on special teams,” he said.

Montgomery added, “I must say I have been very impressed with Shannon Moore’s attention to detail. He is one of the most detailed and driven guys I have been around from a special teams standpoint. Our players have also noticed that. They need to understand how important special teams are to winning football games.”

The result oftentimes won’t be a touchdown. Whether it’s field position to help out the high-powered offense that will still be a staple of this football program, or three points via a field goal, it plays into Montgomery’s ultimate goal: points on the board.

The focus on special teams also follows suit with Montgomery’s mantra of developing players that can go on to play professionally. Plenty of players get their starts on special teams before getting to demonstrate their talents at other positions.

Pirate alumnus Dwayne Harris is a notable example. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the sixth round in 2011. He was featured as a return specialist there, even garnering NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012.

He then signed with the New York Giants as an unrestricted free agent. He finished last season with 36 catches for 396 yards and four touchdowns.

“They will also hear me say that if you want to play in the National Football League, you need to build a special teams resume,” Montgomery said.

Naturally, the punt unit was an emphasis of Wednesday’s first day of practice.

ECU held its second practice on Friday. The spring sessions culminate with the April 16 Purple-Gold scrimmage.