Clearly UNC was not what we hoped for. Clearly want to play better defensively and put that behind us and learn from it and play better. Blacksburg is one of the tougher places to play in the league. They are good on defense and have good athletes, good receivers and athletes on the road.
ON THE VATECH DEFENSE
They are really athletic and will be a challenge #60 is a really good player and is playing his best football, the DE #7 is really good. They have a couple of NFL prospects at LB.
ON FREDDIE AND JUSTIN
Nothing new on those guys. We have a conference rule not to talk about injuries, it was voted on by the coaches. You will get a report on Thursday, makes it hard for you to do your deal, but it is our conference policy.
ON WHAT MAKES VATECH DOES THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE ON YOUR D
They are really physical and they create a lot of negative plays, sacks and minus yardage plays, they create a lot of field position and opportunities for their offense. They are very aggressive and have great players. Bud does a great job and has done it for a long time. They have an identity and that is how they play.
ON GT's D
In '14 we created turnovers and that was that identity, last year we were not as good, we didn't give up as many points as this year. Every team is different, if you go back all the way to 2008, that defense was good, 10,11 or 12 we were okay, it has been hit or miss.
ON ONE THING ON D
Get off the field on 3rd downs that creates most of the problems, that would solve a lot of problems. We are not making plays.
ON GUYS EXPECTING BIG PLAYS ON D
If they are covering guys you have to do something to make a play, cover guys or whatnot.
ON PEOPLE FIGURING OUT YOUR OFFENSE VS BUD'S DEFENSE
I don't pay much attention to what people say unless they know what they are talking about. If that were the case no one would run a pro-style or a 4-3 defense. Each team has their own uniqueness about what they do and how you execute it and what you do it with. All the gun offenses, run single wing it is stuff from over 40 years ago. Option was out of vogue and now back in vogue. People run some version of it including zone read and option in the NFL.
ON EVANS QB
I hope our guys aren't watching him, they need to cover their guys and not guess plays. If he is your responsibility and he is a good runner and has a lot of TDs and few interceptions.
ON BLITZING WITH MORE FOUR
There were plenty of times we sent five, six and you have to give the other team credit and they get it out fast, you have to cover a little better. You have to tie it all together. When you have six or seven blitzing you have to know it is going to come out fast, we got as good as pressure when we send 3 to 4 or 5, that is the way it has been.
ON THE DEFENSE BEING SPURRED TO PLAY BETTER
Here is what has to happen, when a game like that happens and you play that poorly. You have to be able to look at the tape and I know why this happened, my eyes were in the wrong place. IF a guy doesn't know why that is where you run into problems, kids can see what should be happening and within a modicum it can happen and I'm a 3-tech on a guard and my eyes are in the backfield. That isn't a physical ability issue, it is a leverage issue.
I think you won't hear one of those kids on defense say that. When you can look at the tape, most of my background has been offense for 30 years. I like our offense it is simple, you turn the tape on, if I got the LB and the LB is making the tackle, I know what happened. If I'm the OT and you tell me to block the LB and if a guy is holding me or squeezing me, then I know I'm asking them to do the impossible. Not if I'm supposed to cover you and I don't, then I've got to look within, maybe I need to play tight, or bump them or whatever. If they don't know who is supposed to have the guy then you have problems. I've watched the tape with the defensive coaches and then watch it again. I understand what is happening. People don't make perfect calls every time, as long as it is sound. They have coaches who get paid too, their offensive coaches are good. If we send seven then they will throw fast or check. I don't think we have those problems. That is not the issue, we just have to play better.
ON ROOF VERSUS WHERE HE IS COMPARED TO WHEN HE FIRED WOMMACK OR GROH
I let my guys coach and I'm not going to go in and micromanage and I'm gonna help though and make some suggestions, but I wouldn't want someone to do that to me on offense. I wouldn't want someone telling me to play with 12 personnel (two TEs, 1 RB), I don't want to put my name on that, I've got enough confidence on our guys to let them coach.
ON THE VATECH OFFENSE
It is different from what they've done. Similar to UNC, all those teams, I call it the NCAA offense the majority of teams run, all the stuff teams run these days.
ON MIKELL
He should be back this week, just didn't play.
ON THE VATECH DEFENSE
They are really athletic and will be a challenge #60 is a really good player and is playing his best football, the DE #7 is really good. They have a couple of NFL prospects at LB.
ON FREDDIE AND JUSTIN
Nothing new on those guys. We have a conference rule not to talk about injuries, it was voted on by the coaches. You will get a report on Thursday, makes it hard for you to do your deal, but it is our conference policy.
ON WHAT MAKES VATECH DOES THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE ON YOUR D
They are really physical and they create a lot of negative plays, sacks and minus yardage plays, they create a lot of field position and opportunities for their offense. They are very aggressive and have great players. Bud does a great job and has done it for a long time. They have an identity and that is how they play.
ON GT's D
In '14 we created turnovers and that was that identity, last year we were not as good, we didn't give up as many points as this year. Every team is different, if you go back all the way to 2008, that defense was good, 10,11 or 12 we were okay, it has been hit or miss.
ON ONE THING ON D
Get off the field on 3rd downs that creates most of the problems, that would solve a lot of problems. We are not making plays.
ON GUYS EXPECTING BIG PLAYS ON D
If they are covering guys you have to do something to make a play, cover guys or whatnot.
ON PEOPLE FIGURING OUT YOUR OFFENSE VS BUD'S DEFENSE
I don't pay much attention to what people say unless they know what they are talking about. If that were the case no one would run a pro-style or a 4-3 defense. Each team has their own uniqueness about what they do and how you execute it and what you do it with. All the gun offenses, run single wing it is stuff from over 40 years ago. Option was out of vogue and now back in vogue. People run some version of it including zone read and option in the NFL.
ON EVANS QB
I hope our guys aren't watching him, they need to cover their guys and not guess plays. If he is your responsibility and he is a good runner and has a lot of TDs and few interceptions.
ON BLITZING WITH MORE FOUR
There were plenty of times we sent five, six and you have to give the other team credit and they get it out fast, you have to cover a little better. You have to tie it all together. When you have six or seven blitzing you have to know it is going to come out fast, we got as good as pressure when we send 3 to 4 or 5, that is the way it has been.
ON THE DEFENSE BEING SPURRED TO PLAY BETTER
Here is what has to happen, when a game like that happens and you play that poorly. You have to be able to look at the tape and I know why this happened, my eyes were in the wrong place. IF a guy doesn't know why that is where you run into problems, kids can see what should be happening and within a modicum it can happen and I'm a 3-tech on a guard and my eyes are in the backfield. That isn't a physical ability issue, it is a leverage issue.
I think you won't hear one of those kids on defense say that. When you can look at the tape, most of my background has been offense for 30 years. I like our offense it is simple, you turn the tape on, if I got the LB and the LB is making the tackle, I know what happened. If I'm the OT and you tell me to block the LB and if a guy is holding me or squeezing me, then I know I'm asking them to do the impossible. Not if I'm supposed to cover you and I don't, then I've got to look within, maybe I need to play tight, or bump them or whatever. If they don't know who is supposed to have the guy then you have problems. I've watched the tape with the defensive coaches and then watch it again. I understand what is happening. People don't make perfect calls every time, as long as it is sound. They have coaches who get paid too, their offensive coaches are good. If we send seven then they will throw fast or check. I don't think we have those problems. That is not the issue, we just have to play better.
ON ROOF VERSUS WHERE HE IS COMPARED TO WHEN HE FIRED WOMMACK OR GROH
I let my guys coach and I'm not going to go in and micromanage and I'm gonna help though and make some suggestions, but I wouldn't want someone to do that to me on offense. I wouldn't want someone telling me to play with 12 personnel (two TEs, 1 RB), I don't want to put my name on that, I've got enough confidence on our guys to let them coach.
ON THE VATECH OFFENSE
It is different from what they've done. Similar to UNC, all those teams, I call it the NCAA offense the majority of teams run, all the stuff teams run these days.
ON MIKELL
He should be back this week, just didn't play.
