Quick Quotes
ON RAY'S TERMINATION
We weren't great in special teams and I felt like we need two OL coaches in my old model and we will have special teams have in the staff. It will be decided after four years of special teams coach I didn't see any differences. I'll name a special teams coach.
ON RAY'S REPLACEMENT
Could be a younger guy or older, could be someone who fits. It is hard for one guy in any system to coach five guys and to watch them in the games. It is the dead period until Monday and we have our guys set up for visits and it is not a big deal. We've guy, Brad Waggonner could go on the road and would do a good job.
ON WHY HE MADE THE DECISION
I think if you do it you should see results and the results are not as good as they were without it. Ray is very knowledgeable special teams guy. I envisioned him being an OL guy and the results there weren't very good.
ON WHY HE LIKES TWO OL COACHES
Most offensives have two, OT and TE coach so it is virtually two, one might be the TE coach, coaches both OTs and TEs. It is just something we have done and Preston had been here three years and he has been here three years, Blake played in the system was new, but I feel more comfortable with two guys there, if we were top 25 with them, production wasn't there and I'm a firm believer more guys coaching, more emphasis, LB coach has punt team more guys will be on it.
OL wise we have all but one guy returning basically after all the injuries, Freddie was hurt, Shamire has his challenges and we know what they were, Trey Braun was the only consistent starter who played all season and wasn't hurt, some redshirt guys and some other freshmen. Jake Whitley was hurt all year, Andrew Marshall has never had an offseason to lift weights and we need to work on that .
I don't see any staff changes, but it changes daily.
ON QB POSITION
Matt and Christian are two scholarship guys, Jaylend will be in Jan, but I can't imagine he will be cleared, those guys will get a ton of reps. We need to do a better job of protecting him, he took a pounding in games, we didn't really hit him in practice and it was in pass pro and not just OL, backs and stuff. I'm excited about B-backs, Benson, CJ, Quaide and both Marcuses so that should be the deepest position and (Mills).
ON PASS PRO
It wasn't good, the scheme, the way we teach it, unfair to blame it all on the OL, slots, B-backs and it is a combination of things. We have to take a hard look at it and fix it.
ON SPRING BALL
Everyone but Freddie Burden and Nathan Cottrell should be cleared.
ON ATTRITION
No one has left the team.
ON POSITION CHANGES
Will be a few, be spring before we do that, there will be some changes. TaQuon may to QB, he was recruited there, wanted him at A-back for his first year. We don't have to play anyone in the spring and we can move him there. We will have slew of those guys back who have played. JJ Green, Qua, Lynn Griffin learned where to go, so it won't be as easy to play, Cottrell kid will be back in the fall. Some of those guys could slide to another position.
ON PASS PRO
Scheme, how we teach, do we need to add protection, do we change. We just watch it and if it isn't successful you need to change it, keep your body inside your framework. We spend way more time on pass pro than people think, it wasn't all blitzes, sometimes you have to win the individual battles and our QB is hard to sack and his mobility is great, he needs to be able to set his feet.
ON SECONDARY TURNOVER
A lot of those guys played, AJ, Corey Griffin, Austin boys both played, one kid sitting out from USC we think is good, Meiko and Dorian are good, a lot of those guys can.
ON DEFENSE
It wasn't good, the offense was way worse than we expect and the defense wasn't as improved as we would have liked, they were better than the offense but nothing to write home about, I break it down by possessions, pass rush was abysmal, we had seven or eight sacks after the first two games. We didn't get sacked a lot, it wasn't because we passed a lot though.
ON DEFENSE PASS RUSH
You have to simplify it, the teams that are really good are simple and we have to look at our blitzes and they weren't effective even though we blitzed 20% of the time, define it, it is five-man or zone or whatever, we need to man-up and blitz hard and bring 7, look at some of that, you will get killed doing that every snap too. You need to play to the type of kids you got.
ON PASS PRO SCHEMES
Some of it was stuff we have been doing 30 years and guys have been firing on our hot guy and we have to do a better job of teaching our protection, we have gap protection and three turn to the left and two to the right, or linemen run block on pass plays, that is youth, you can't fix that, we need everyone on the same page and has a better understanding. Gap protection is gap protection you step up or step back, if you turn the wrong way or you let a guy run by you, you have to look at the scheme.
ON MERRIWEATHER
You hope he can compete, he shouldn't have played two years ago, because of the rules and just like Kyle Henderson, we got 7 games in and lose everyone and had you known you would have eased him in, you never know with injuries and last year was the craziest year i've ever had. We tried to keep MLD out and then he starts a game from playing zero to 40 snaps.
ON WHO IS YOUR HOT
Someone is always unblocked unless you hold slots so someone is always hot, you know who it is before the snap by protection, you throw hot. If you watch the bowl games, bubble screens a lot of that is hot and the hot guy has to change can't be the same guy every time. That wasn't our problem, our problem was turning the wrong way or run blocking at the wrong time. It is a combination or problems, there is a jailbreak when that happens on option plays to turn loose guys against VaTech instead of pass, they said I thought, most of the time it is guys who haven't played much and a lot during no huddle stuff.
ON DECEMBER
I watched most of tape and we weren't good at most of the positions and we didn't have the experience we used and we struggled up the middle and that is where you need to be really good especially on offense. Freddie had a lot of stuff off the field and played hurt and hope he plays well, most kids couldn't have played with what he went through. Patrick came in and was virtually a freshman and Marcus Marshall was in HS a year ago playing Garner HS so it was tough compared to fourth and fifth year seniors.
ON WHAT TO FIX
Every game but Clemson and Miami got away from us after we were going up. Special teams was a fiasco and I can't tell you how many snaps started inside our 38 yard line, when we did force punts and you have a young team playing with 9-10 possessions it hurts when you turn it over. Going into ND we were flying high and got shell shocked and we got a couple of suspect calls and all the sudden we get beat. At Duke we self destruct on special teams give up a punt and a kickoff. UNC start out good, get stopped on the goal line hold them and we fumble, a year ago they fumble, they score six of 8 times and you lose. Pitt game we lose on 56-yd FG and we made a first down and got an offensive PI driving to win the game, we fumble on our sidelines going up on them to blow them out. Usually it averages out and this year it didn't. You tell me on last year's team if you have once chance on the 30 or give it them and see who could score to win, a year ago it would be an easy answer, there wasn't enough either way to carry it. Two years ago would've said give me the ball, such a fine line between winning and losing.
ON RAY'S TERMINATION
We weren't great in special teams and I felt like we need two OL coaches in my old model and we will have special teams have in the staff. It will be decided after four years of special teams coach I didn't see any differences. I'll name a special teams coach.
ON RAY'S REPLACEMENT
Could be a younger guy or older, could be someone who fits. It is hard for one guy in any system to coach five guys and to watch them in the games. It is the dead period until Monday and we have our guys set up for visits and it is not a big deal. We've guy, Brad Waggonner could go on the road and would do a good job.
ON WHY HE MADE THE DECISION
I think if you do it you should see results and the results are not as good as they were without it. Ray is very knowledgeable special teams guy. I envisioned him being an OL guy and the results there weren't very good.
ON WHY HE LIKES TWO OL COACHES
Most offensives have two, OT and TE coach so it is virtually two, one might be the TE coach, coaches both OTs and TEs. It is just something we have done and Preston had been here three years and he has been here three years, Blake played in the system was new, but I feel more comfortable with two guys there, if we were top 25 with them, production wasn't there and I'm a firm believer more guys coaching, more emphasis, LB coach has punt team more guys will be on it.
OL wise we have all but one guy returning basically after all the injuries, Freddie was hurt, Shamire has his challenges and we know what they were, Trey Braun was the only consistent starter who played all season and wasn't hurt, some redshirt guys and some other freshmen. Jake Whitley was hurt all year, Andrew Marshall has never had an offseason to lift weights and we need to work on that .
I don't see any staff changes, but it changes daily.
ON QB POSITION
Matt and Christian are two scholarship guys, Jaylend will be in Jan, but I can't imagine he will be cleared, those guys will get a ton of reps. We need to do a better job of protecting him, he took a pounding in games, we didn't really hit him in practice and it was in pass pro and not just OL, backs and stuff. I'm excited about B-backs, Benson, CJ, Quaide and both Marcuses so that should be the deepest position and (Mills).
ON PASS PRO
It wasn't good, the scheme, the way we teach it, unfair to blame it all on the OL, slots, B-backs and it is a combination of things. We have to take a hard look at it and fix it.
ON SPRING BALL
Everyone but Freddie Burden and Nathan Cottrell should be cleared.
ON ATTRITION
No one has left the team.
ON POSITION CHANGES
Will be a few, be spring before we do that, there will be some changes. TaQuon may to QB, he was recruited there, wanted him at A-back for his first year. We don't have to play anyone in the spring and we can move him there. We will have slew of those guys back who have played. JJ Green, Qua, Lynn Griffin learned where to go, so it won't be as easy to play, Cottrell kid will be back in the fall. Some of those guys could slide to another position.
ON PASS PRO
Scheme, how we teach, do we need to add protection, do we change. We just watch it and if it isn't successful you need to change it, keep your body inside your framework. We spend way more time on pass pro than people think, it wasn't all blitzes, sometimes you have to win the individual battles and our QB is hard to sack and his mobility is great, he needs to be able to set his feet.
ON SECONDARY TURNOVER
A lot of those guys played, AJ, Corey Griffin, Austin boys both played, one kid sitting out from USC we think is good, Meiko and Dorian are good, a lot of those guys can.
ON DEFENSE
It wasn't good, the offense was way worse than we expect and the defense wasn't as improved as we would have liked, they were better than the offense but nothing to write home about, I break it down by possessions, pass rush was abysmal, we had seven or eight sacks after the first two games. We didn't get sacked a lot, it wasn't because we passed a lot though.
ON DEFENSE PASS RUSH
You have to simplify it, the teams that are really good are simple and we have to look at our blitzes and they weren't effective even though we blitzed 20% of the time, define it, it is five-man or zone or whatever, we need to man-up and blitz hard and bring 7, look at some of that, you will get killed doing that every snap too. You need to play to the type of kids you got.
ON PASS PRO SCHEMES
Some of it was stuff we have been doing 30 years and guys have been firing on our hot guy and we have to do a better job of teaching our protection, we have gap protection and three turn to the left and two to the right, or linemen run block on pass plays, that is youth, you can't fix that, we need everyone on the same page and has a better understanding. Gap protection is gap protection you step up or step back, if you turn the wrong way or you let a guy run by you, you have to look at the scheme.
ON MERRIWEATHER
You hope he can compete, he shouldn't have played two years ago, because of the rules and just like Kyle Henderson, we got 7 games in and lose everyone and had you known you would have eased him in, you never know with injuries and last year was the craziest year i've ever had. We tried to keep MLD out and then he starts a game from playing zero to 40 snaps.
ON WHO IS YOUR HOT
Someone is always unblocked unless you hold slots so someone is always hot, you know who it is before the snap by protection, you throw hot. If you watch the bowl games, bubble screens a lot of that is hot and the hot guy has to change can't be the same guy every time. That wasn't our problem, our problem was turning the wrong way or run blocking at the wrong time. It is a combination or problems, there is a jailbreak when that happens on option plays to turn loose guys against VaTech instead of pass, they said I thought, most of the time it is guys who haven't played much and a lot during no huddle stuff.
ON DECEMBER
I watched most of tape and we weren't good at most of the positions and we didn't have the experience we used and we struggled up the middle and that is where you need to be really good especially on offense. Freddie had a lot of stuff off the field and played hurt and hope he plays well, most kids couldn't have played with what he went through. Patrick came in and was virtually a freshman and Marcus Marshall was in HS a year ago playing Garner HS so it was tough compared to fourth and fifth year seniors.
ON WHAT TO FIX
Every game but Clemson and Miami got away from us after we were going up. Special teams was a fiasco and I can't tell you how many snaps started inside our 38 yard line, when we did force punts and you have a young team playing with 9-10 possessions it hurts when you turn it over. Going into ND we were flying high and got shell shocked and we got a couple of suspect calls and all the sudden we get beat. At Duke we self destruct on special teams give up a punt and a kickoff. UNC start out good, get stopped on the goal line hold them and we fumble, a year ago they fumble, they score six of 8 times and you lose. Pitt game we lose on 56-yd FG and we made a first down and got an offensive PI driving to win the game, we fumble on our sidelines going up on them to blow them out. Usually it averages out and this year it didn't. You tell me on last year's team if you have once chance on the 30 or give it them and see who could score to win, a year ago it would be an easy answer, there wasn't enough either way to carry it. Two years ago would've said give me the ball, such a fine line between winning and losing.
