OPENING STATEMENT
I felt like we had a really productive offseason and spring practice. We got a lot of things done. It is always exciting to come back in and get a fresh start. I told our players there are very few things you get a fresh start at every year and football is one of them. There are no residuals from the record and nothing hangs over you. First few days of practice in shorts and stuff and we are aiming to right the ship. Today we practiced in shells for the first time and it was a little lethargic, but that is to be expected, it was a little warm out there and they are trying to get acclimatized to their first time in pads. All in all excited about the group in camp and look forward to playing this year.
ON JT PRESSING LAST YEAR
I think that happened to more than him. I think a lot of things, the perception going into last year and I was cautiously optimistic and I kept telling people we lost a lot of players and the offensive line wasn't as good as everyone was saying, we lost a lot of senior RBs, ABs and two really good receivers. When guys started getting hurt it compounded it and made it go a lot worse. One of the hardest things in coaching is keeping guys grounded both ways, it is never as good or as bad as it seems and I always tell the kids that. There is a thin line between winning and losing and you can't ever get comfortable. We are not at a place where we will have all these All-Americans and you just reload. You have to do it with blue collar and work ethic. That kind of thing. Hopefully it was a lesson a year ago.
ON BEING PICKED NEXT TO LAST IN THE COASTAL GIVING THE TEAM A CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDERS
If you are competitive it kind of gets you going good, but I think that is the nature of where we are. We are surrounded by programs with double the budgets so you have to have a chip on your shoulder to survive. You are not the same in many areas to the teams they want to compare you to. Therefore you have to go in with a chip on your shoulder or something to prove, it makes it easier for them instead of hearing you are really good and should run through that and historically we have not handled that well. I've been on both ends of it as a HC. My first experience we were 1st or 2nd or top 5 every year and we were the top and we had what we needed and had those type of kids and when you don't it is harder. Those guys have never been right picking, so I don't want to be picked at the top because they are never right.
DO YOU THINK LAST YEAR WAS A MORE INTENSE VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED IN 2010
In 2010 we lost 3 or 4 guys to the NFL and then got 3 or 4 guys hurt, but I've never had a year like last year with injuries and the way things happened. It is inventible when you are thin at certain spots that is where you get the injuries. We started the spring we lost both starting B-backs and by the third or fourth game we had lost 7 A-backs and then some defensive guys and we played 14 true freshmen, the most we have ever played and we got experience and they will be back. We only have 12 or 13 seniors, but we do have more experience. I think as a team we are in much better condition and we dropped a ton of weight and I made that an emphasis to focus on body fat percentage versus weight. One thing that drives me crazy personally is to tell someone you need to be 280 or 330. I wanted to give them norms and guidelines and I took all the body fat percentages as norms and guidelines and went here is where you need to be. Just because someone tells you to be 280, that is not good weight. If you are a DE and you came in as a speed rusher and you are 245, you won't necessarily be better at 275, you want muscle mass and strength. If you are 220 at 20% body fat and can be 245 at 15% body fat that is what you want to do. Not to be 270 at 25% body fat, that is bad weight and the Strength staff took it to heart and I think we are in great shape, but we still have a few guys.
ON PLAYING IN IRELAND
It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the kids as far as playing the game over there, I'd rather not. There are so many logstics and we are trying to find a balance. You'd like for it not to be a conference opener especially going off last year, but I think it will be a good experience. We have to find a happy medium so they get some cultural things and benefit from the trip and maybe enjoy it, but at the same time be dialed in for a football game. We come back and have to play that next Saturday and hopefully you can do that without trouble. It is an eight hour flight and I experienced it for years at Hawaii. We will have to cut back that next week to make sure you have your legs and feet under you. I don't know what it is. It is exciting for the players and a good experience they will remember the rest of their lives.
We played there in 95 or 96 at Navy to play Notre Dame and then played Delaware or someone and it was okay like an away game. It will be different. In '96 with Navy we played Notre Dame and the Irish thought we were the underdogs and how can a little school like Notre Dame beat the whole US Navy.
I felt like we had a really productive offseason and spring practice. We got a lot of things done. It is always exciting to come back in and get a fresh start. I told our players there are very few things you get a fresh start at every year and football is one of them. There are no residuals from the record and nothing hangs over you. First few days of practice in shorts and stuff and we are aiming to right the ship. Today we practiced in shells for the first time and it was a little lethargic, but that is to be expected, it was a little warm out there and they are trying to get acclimatized to their first time in pads. All in all excited about the group in camp and look forward to playing this year.
ON JT PRESSING LAST YEAR
I think that happened to more than him. I think a lot of things, the perception going into last year and I was cautiously optimistic and I kept telling people we lost a lot of players and the offensive line wasn't as good as everyone was saying, we lost a lot of senior RBs, ABs and two really good receivers. When guys started getting hurt it compounded it and made it go a lot worse. One of the hardest things in coaching is keeping guys grounded both ways, it is never as good or as bad as it seems and I always tell the kids that. There is a thin line between winning and losing and you can't ever get comfortable. We are not at a place where we will have all these All-Americans and you just reload. You have to do it with blue collar and work ethic. That kind of thing. Hopefully it was a lesson a year ago.
ON BEING PICKED NEXT TO LAST IN THE COASTAL GIVING THE TEAM A CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDERS
If you are competitive it kind of gets you going good, but I think that is the nature of where we are. We are surrounded by programs with double the budgets so you have to have a chip on your shoulder to survive. You are not the same in many areas to the teams they want to compare you to. Therefore you have to go in with a chip on your shoulder or something to prove, it makes it easier for them instead of hearing you are really good and should run through that and historically we have not handled that well. I've been on both ends of it as a HC. My first experience we were 1st or 2nd or top 5 every year and we were the top and we had what we needed and had those type of kids and when you don't it is harder. Those guys have never been right picking, so I don't want to be picked at the top because they are never right.
DO YOU THINK LAST YEAR WAS A MORE INTENSE VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED IN 2010
In 2010 we lost 3 or 4 guys to the NFL and then got 3 or 4 guys hurt, but I've never had a year like last year with injuries and the way things happened. It is inventible when you are thin at certain spots that is where you get the injuries. We started the spring we lost both starting B-backs and by the third or fourth game we had lost 7 A-backs and then some defensive guys and we played 14 true freshmen, the most we have ever played and we got experience and they will be back. We only have 12 or 13 seniors, but we do have more experience. I think as a team we are in much better condition and we dropped a ton of weight and I made that an emphasis to focus on body fat percentage versus weight. One thing that drives me crazy personally is to tell someone you need to be 280 or 330. I wanted to give them norms and guidelines and I took all the body fat percentages as norms and guidelines and went here is where you need to be. Just because someone tells you to be 280, that is not good weight. If you are a DE and you came in as a speed rusher and you are 245, you won't necessarily be better at 275, you want muscle mass and strength. If you are 220 at 20% body fat and can be 245 at 15% body fat that is what you want to do. Not to be 270 at 25% body fat, that is bad weight and the Strength staff took it to heart and I think we are in great shape, but we still have a few guys.
ON PLAYING IN IRELAND
It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the kids as far as playing the game over there, I'd rather not. There are so many logstics and we are trying to find a balance. You'd like for it not to be a conference opener especially going off last year, but I think it will be a good experience. We have to find a happy medium so they get some cultural things and benefit from the trip and maybe enjoy it, but at the same time be dialed in for a football game. We come back and have to play that next Saturday and hopefully you can do that without trouble. It is an eight hour flight and I experienced it for years at Hawaii. We will have to cut back that next week to make sure you have your legs and feet under you. I don't know what it is. It is exciting for the players and a good experience they will remember the rest of their lives.
We played there in 95 or 96 at Navy to play Notre Dame and then played Delaware or someone and it was okay like an away game. It will be different. In '96 with Navy we played Notre Dame and the Irish thought we were the underdogs and how can a little school like Notre Dame beat the whole US Navy.
