Football: Coach Stewart Quotes
August 11, 2009 07:58 PM | General
August 11, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Quotes from WVU football coach Bill Stewart and safeties coach Steve Dunlap from day four of fall training camp.
Coach Bill Stewart
Opening Statement:
The football staff and I went out today with the intentions of trying to accomplish three major goals:
Number one, we worked on our third down package. We were 43 percent last season, but some of the short yardage in third downs was not as good as it needed be. Therefore, today we really scrutinized those situations.
Number two, we worked on our blitz. We want to get off the field on third down, and felt like that was something we needed to get on top of early in camp.
Number three, we worked on all phases of our kicking game, which was pretty intense even though we were not in pads. For day four, I felt pretty good with our kicking game. We have a long road to go, but I felt pretty good about what we accomplished.
On Robert Sands and Wes Lyons blocking field goals
They did a very nice job today and they are close to becoming a center fixture. I want to look at Ryan Nehlen as well. Sands blocked a field goal today and did it in fine fashion. Lyons is also another name; he is 6-foot-8 and can jump. They will probably be the focal point.
Najee Goode also blocked a field goal. He came off the edge and our defense attacked well in the kicking situation. I wanted to pressure the kickers and we did. When he shot through the gap I thought he had a chance and he got to the ball.
On the kicking game
I thought field goals today, except for those two blocks, showed that the kickers are doing pretty well. We have a big special teams meeting tomorrow to correct any mistakes from today or the previous days. I feel OK at this point, but not great.
Kicking the ball we tried Tyler Bitancurt, Josh Lider, Cameron Starke and Gregg Pungnetti.
A good hang time is around 4.0. I have talked to some pros this summer and they said it is not the distance to the endzone, it’s the hang time, the coverage team and how they converge to the ball. If you get them hang time, then they can converge to the ball.
On the kickoff coverage
I do believe that hang time was a factor, however I will never finger point our kicker. I think we lost leverage on the ball in crucial situations because we avoided some blocks at the contact time. If we can leverage the football and do drill work in that and keep those guys contained with the ball, they can’t go far.
On not having Pat McAfee
I think our punters now are better roll punters than they are straight down the line punters, just for hang time. We are going to continue to work on that very diligently, like we did today. We spent time on situations and live rushes.
On Anthony Leonard
Anthony Leonard is a team player, he is a character and in my opinion he knows that Reed Williams is a heck of a football player. This is the hand that he has been dealt. He is not as good as Reed Williams, but he has effort like Williams. If Reed gets hurt or needs a break, he will be ready to go.
On the defense
The defense had four turnovers today. We had two field goals blocked and we had two picks. Nate Sowers came out of no where and made a great interception today, as did Robert Sands.
On the offense doing more
We want to get the fullback into the game a little bit more this year. We have not had a fullback here at WVU for a long time. We had a good one in Owen Schmitt, but usually he was a spilt back.
If you go back to the Fiesta Bowl when I put in the I formation, it went pretty well. Owen Schmitt took the belly play in for a long touchdown and Noel Devine took two top sweeps downhill for touchdowns. I am an I formation guy; I think it goes with our spread.
On Ovid Goulbourne
Here is a guy that can run, he is fast, he is tough and he is a great guy and student. I hope this being his senior and his final year that he will have a challenging yet fun last season.
Safeties coach Steve Dunlap
On Robert Sands He is heavier than he was last season and people don’t realize he has only been here a year. There are a lot of things he can still learn. He didn’t get any picks last year, but he has the potential to be a good player. He just has to put his hard hat on and go to work.
On Nate Sowers
Nate was a guy that bounced around positions when he got here. He came in as a quarterback, and then he was a wide receiver; now I am glad he is with me. He is a senior and he knows who he is and what he is going to do. I don’t know if you guys realize this but he played about 250 plays last year. He was a major factor for us. He started the bowl game and played extremely well. I am very proud of Nate and he is the epitome of a Mountaineer player.
On the safety position
In our regular defense with a four man front and two safeties, if you notice these safeties are not the same size as most you see. They are tall, rangy guys and they have to be very versatile.
It is hard to take a freshman and throw him in the fire from the start. You want him to be mentally and physically ready; mainly mentally ready so that he can come in and not make a bunch of mistakes. There is no where to hide back there, so if you make a mistake, everyone knows who did it.
On the leaders in the safety position
Hopefully our three older guys will be the leaders. Nate Sowers, Boogie Allen and Sidney Glover, those guys are the most experienced and the most knowledgeable. Knowledge is the thing that the older players pass on, so being a leader is a combination of what you do and how you act, and also “I show you the way, you follow me.”
On the size of safeties
It is unusual to have guys as tall and athletic as Robert is, because he does have a high center of gravity. But he does have the ability to bend and change directions. He is a rare bird when it comes to that.
