Key said they wrapped up Thursday prep on the field and they will have one more day of stuff before they leave for Louisville on Friday. He feels like they had a really good look from the scout team this week and he is pleased with how their roster development has improved the scout team via the depth they now have on the roster and it improves the competition during practice and elevates the team while shrinking the gap between practice and the game.
Scout Team Players of the Week:
Nehemiah Chandler for the offense (playing DB for the scout D)
Patrick Screws Jr. for the defense (playing OL and apparently TE for the O) he said Screws scored a TD on a 40-yard seem route today at 330 pounds and it was a sight to behold!
Jack Collins walk-on LB
Key said the team has a collective GPA right now that is higher than the GPA they had coming out of HS enrolling at GT and the speaks volumes to how hard they are working as student athletes.
Key said they have a big challenge with Louisville coming in this week and he has the highest respect for Jeff Brohm calling him a "ball coach" and that is what you call someone who is very good at coaching in this profession.
Key said that they have good players on both sides of the ball and good special teams and GT will have to have a good day, good execution and disciplined play to go up there and have the game close in the fourth quarter with a chance to win at the end and that is what they are planning on doing.
Brody Rhodes walked by and was talking loudly and Key quipped that he was the last person he would expect to do that (TIC) and that Rhodes will be in this building for a long time as a future coach following the path of many other former players turned coaches in GT history.
I asked him about the soft coverage and if they plan to be more aggressive in the secondary this week. He danced around this a little saying they have different calls, different alignments and different things they can do, but he wants to put the defense in the best position for them to go out and execute well if that is man press or press bail or playing off the ball or creeping into press, they will do any of those and he wants them to be consistent in their execution.
Key was asked if they have a set number of QB runs planned for Haynes King each game and he said that is not part of the plan. The plan is to take what the defense is giving them each week and whatever personnel and matchups make sense to win the game. They work each week to put a plan together and what is appropriate for the types of fronts or looks on both sides of the ball and sometimes certain defenses dictate that they may run more with the QB than other games.
Key said that Louisville's defense has been very good at creating negative plays and they get after the QB and mix up their coverages and have some things up front that are challenging to block. He said that can create some opportunities however for the offense and they have to be able to get into the right calls and execute and win one-on-ones and ultimately football is a game about one-on-ones. They have the opportunity to try to win those one-on-ones in all three phases on Saturday and need to do that.
He got asked about play-action passes and if stopping the run makes that more likely (weird question) and he said well usually play-action is a result of stacking the box on D to find the weakness in the coverage and you are robbing Peter to pay Paul at some point if you are putting an extra guy in the box. Key said he would rather have one go over their heads than be nickel and dimed to death.
I asked him how Harrison Moore got into the LG rotation and what he is doing well to get some snaps and he said that he is a good football player and is going to be a good football player and his job is to get the best 11 on the field and if they don't do that they are doing a disservice to everyone else on the team so as guys continue to develop like Moore has they will be added to the rotation and be in those positions this season.
Key was about about Jordan van den Berg and he said he is tough and what you want out of a defensive lineman. He approaches every play like a street fight and he has added more technique and fundamentals coupled with his size and strength that make him good. He has a good twitch and he has been able to affect the QB more times than you would think. He isn't just a run stopper and they need to put him in a position to generate some pass rush and occupy two blockers and let the other DLs get to the QB as well.
Key was asked about the team starting slow in road games (he didn't like this question) and he said that is true but offensively he felt like they didn't start as slowly. They had a three and out at Cuse and then scored, he said he can't remember what he had for dinner let alone remember every play sequence. He explained the only thing he can remember that he eats is what he has for breakfast because his wife makes him the same thing every morning, egg white sandwich with some cream cheese and a lean protein and a yogurt with 15 grams of protein in it. Off mic he explained he eats a breakfast burrito before every game as well as a routine and had some funny stories about that.
He said on the slow starts they have to win one-on-ones early and bring energy to start the game. They've got to pass block from the jump and execute in the run game the correct schemes and defensively tackling in space has been an issue early.
I asked about Avery Boyd and his renaissance as a TE now, Key said they started working on this a few years ago with him and Boyd kept having bad luck with injuries. He said in the spring he was doing a great job and then got banged up in the last week of spring ball and it took him some time to come back and settle back into that role. He said that he is a scary dude when he gets a head of steam and he is coming off that edge and they need to find more ways to get him the ball and use him within the games. He is also playing faster now but is still a little tentative when he sees something from the defense he hasn't experienced at that position, but that is improving as well. He said he is a matchup problem now and he has the size and strength now to block and do those things with LBs and safeties but then has the speed of a WR.
I asked him about Horace Lockett and where he is at, Key said he has to bring it in practice and Horace is a great kit and he loves him to death and they practice from Sunday to Friday and he has to keep working to develop and they will put the best 11 on the field each week and consistency is a big part of that and Lockett has to continue being consistent with what he does. He is a big body guy and he can move well when he is on, he is on. It is a shame that he had the hand (arm) injury and he has another week or so with the cast on and for a younger DL dealing with that type of injury for the first time, he is learning to work back through it. He wants to see where he is in a few weeks with it off and he is fully ready to go. He has done some really good things the last couple of days and he is excited when he comes back and is fully back in the mix with everybody.
Scout Team Players of the Week:
Nehemiah Chandler for the offense (playing DB for the scout D)
Patrick Screws Jr. for the defense (playing OL and apparently TE for the O) he said Screws scored a TD on a 40-yard seem route today at 330 pounds and it was a sight to behold!
Jack Collins walk-on LB
Key said the team has a collective GPA right now that is higher than the GPA they had coming out of HS enrolling at GT and the speaks volumes to how hard they are working as student athletes.
Key said they have a big challenge with Louisville coming in this week and he has the highest respect for Jeff Brohm calling him a "ball coach" and that is what you call someone who is very good at coaching in this profession.
Key said that they have good players on both sides of the ball and good special teams and GT will have to have a good day, good execution and disciplined play to go up there and have the game close in the fourth quarter with a chance to win at the end and that is what they are planning on doing.
Brody Rhodes walked by and was talking loudly and Key quipped that he was the last person he would expect to do that (TIC) and that Rhodes will be in this building for a long time as a future coach following the path of many other former players turned coaches in GT history.
I asked him about the soft coverage and if they plan to be more aggressive in the secondary this week. He danced around this a little saying they have different calls, different alignments and different things they can do, but he wants to put the defense in the best position for them to go out and execute well if that is man press or press bail or playing off the ball or creeping into press, they will do any of those and he wants them to be consistent in their execution.
Key was asked if they have a set number of QB runs planned for Haynes King each game and he said that is not part of the plan. The plan is to take what the defense is giving them each week and whatever personnel and matchups make sense to win the game. They work each week to put a plan together and what is appropriate for the types of fronts or looks on both sides of the ball and sometimes certain defenses dictate that they may run more with the QB than other games.
Key said that Louisville's defense has been very good at creating negative plays and they get after the QB and mix up their coverages and have some things up front that are challenging to block. He said that can create some opportunities however for the offense and they have to be able to get into the right calls and execute and win one-on-ones and ultimately football is a game about one-on-ones. They have the opportunity to try to win those one-on-ones in all three phases on Saturday and need to do that.
He got asked about play-action passes and if stopping the run makes that more likely (weird question) and he said well usually play-action is a result of stacking the box on D to find the weakness in the coverage and you are robbing Peter to pay Paul at some point if you are putting an extra guy in the box. Key said he would rather have one go over their heads than be nickel and dimed to death.
I asked him how Harrison Moore got into the LG rotation and what he is doing well to get some snaps and he said that he is a good football player and is going to be a good football player and his job is to get the best 11 on the field and if they don't do that they are doing a disservice to everyone else on the team so as guys continue to develop like Moore has they will be added to the rotation and be in those positions this season.
Key was about about Jordan van den Berg and he said he is tough and what you want out of a defensive lineman. He approaches every play like a street fight and he has added more technique and fundamentals coupled with his size and strength that make him good. He has a good twitch and he has been able to affect the QB more times than you would think. He isn't just a run stopper and they need to put him in a position to generate some pass rush and occupy two blockers and let the other DLs get to the QB as well.
Key was asked about the team starting slow in road games (he didn't like this question) and he said that is true but offensively he felt like they didn't start as slowly. They had a three and out at Cuse and then scored, he said he can't remember what he had for dinner let alone remember every play sequence. He explained the only thing he can remember that he eats is what he has for breakfast because his wife makes him the same thing every morning, egg white sandwich with some cream cheese and a lean protein and a yogurt with 15 grams of protein in it. Off mic he explained he eats a breakfast burrito before every game as well as a routine and had some funny stories about that.
He said on the slow starts they have to win one-on-ones early and bring energy to start the game. They've got to pass block from the jump and execute in the run game the correct schemes and defensively tackling in space has been an issue early.
I asked about Avery Boyd and his renaissance as a TE now, Key said they started working on this a few years ago with him and Boyd kept having bad luck with injuries. He said in the spring he was doing a great job and then got banged up in the last week of spring ball and it took him some time to come back and settle back into that role. He said that he is a scary dude when he gets a head of steam and he is coming off that edge and they need to find more ways to get him the ball and use him within the games. He is also playing faster now but is still a little tentative when he sees something from the defense he hasn't experienced at that position, but that is improving as well. He said he is a matchup problem now and he has the size and strength now to block and do those things with LBs and safeties but then has the speed of a WR.
I asked him about Horace Lockett and where he is at, Key said he has to bring it in practice and Horace is a great kit and he loves him to death and they practice from Sunday to Friday and he has to keep working to develop and they will put the best 11 on the field each week and consistency is a big part of that and Lockett has to continue being consistent with what he does. He is a big body guy and he can move well when he is on, he is on. It is a shame that he had the hand (arm) injury and he has another week or so with the cast on and for a younger DL dealing with that type of injury for the first time, he is learning to work back through it. He wants to see where he is in a few weeks with it off and he is fully ready to go. He has done some really good things the last couple of days and he is excited when he comes back and is fully back in the mix with everybody.
