Football: Bill Stewart and Player Quotes
August 11, 2010 08:03 PM | General
August 11, 2010
West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart
Day 5 – Preseason Camp
We had some good hitting, the intensity was good; I expected it to be good. Our seniors, juniors and underclassmen did not let us down. That was neat and very good to have happen today.
We started the day off with what we call the victory drill which features three stations. Intensity 101. I was very pleased with the effort. There was some good, aggressive hitting.
Then we broke off into some special teams. I thought that went okay. Then we did some 1-on-1 drills for individual development.
As a team, we’re a little bit ahead of the pace, so what I did was our pass skeleton, while our defensive guys were rushing, and we were able to move the chains.
I wanted to put together a game simulation, offensive and defensive without just going to the same hash and the same plays. We moved down the field, and it was a productive practice. We even did a red zone practice and kicked field goals where we made two of three.
We had a pick today by Eain Smith, who made a great break on the ball and showed tremendous quickness, some savvy and scored a touchdown. We also had a strip of the ball by Darwin Cook where he demonstrated exactly what Coach Dunlap teaches.
Offensively, it was another good day. JD Woods caught a touchdown pass. The first series, the offense went 10 plays, scored a touchdown, and we played a lot of guys. The ones, twos and threes; we got everyone in there today.
Then we did another red zone drill, scored two field goals. Bitancurt made a field goal and John Howard made the other one.
We’re going to have our first two-a-day practice tomorrow for the first time of fall camp. Helmets tomorrow morning, shells in the afternoon.
On JT Thomas
He was cleared today by the medical staff. He had an MRI this morning, and he is absolutely 100 percent ready to go. There is some joint irritation and it’s causing him a little bit of pain, but there’s absolutely no disc, no small channel, no vertebrae. Everything is good: 100 percent from the MRI.
It speaks volumes to have him back, a great blessing. He brings to the table a lot of experience; with him being there it’s like a student coach on the field, and he had them all fired up. Our upperclassmen are doing a tremendous job instructing the youngsters in all positions. It’s really neat to see.
On the heat
No difference at all with how we practice. Keith Tandy lost 12 pounds and had some headaches, so we’re telling everyone to drink water, drink water, drink water. Keith couldn’t practice because of the weight loss, so we’re not going to let him practice. Our medical staff is really on top of it, pounding the fluids in you. We have meetings every night to discuss medical issues. We have water and Gatorade set up, so we want the guys to drink and replenish, but we’re not backing up an inch.
As a matter of fact, I’ve made practice tougher these first five days. The last three have been on the grass to get them out of the stadium.
On NFL scouts
I don’t mind them being here. I want them to be here.
On the right tackles
I haven’t seen enough, and I need to see more. That has to happen for us to be a good football team. It’s coming, it’s in the process of getting better, but it’s big boy ball now, and we’re not solidified yet at the position like the other four linemen.
On Coley White
He’s caught some nice balls. Coley had a good day today. He had the ball stripped from him on one play, where he caught the ball in traffic, but then Cook came in and shook it away from him. We praised Cook but then had to tell Coley, 'High and tight, high and tight.' He’ll learn all of that.
Coley already knows how to position guys so we’ve got seven on the line, so he knows what’s going on. That’s nice to have out there with some freshmen receivers.
On Joe Madsen
First of all, he’s such a competitor. He’s a fierce, fierce competitor. He plays Mountaineer football the way it’s supposed to be played, physical and hard-nosed. The tougher it gets for a guy like Joe Madsen, the better he performs. I see him as being that line leader, he and Barclay.
They’re all doing a nice job out there. Josh Jenkins is starting to talk more. They don’t say a whole lot, but they’re gelling very well together.
Barclay is a great tackle; he’s got tremendous feet. He understands blitzes and sees the corner fires. Barclay is very sharp, and I need a good left tackle to protect Geno’s backside. The blind side is so crucial and we feel he fits the position best. He might play the inside guard position on Sundays, but I’ll leave that to the experts at the NFL level. For now, he’s a tackle.
Length is so important; if you’ve got length, you can create havoc.
Mountaineer Players
Ryan Clarke
I’ll do whatever the team needs me to. I’ll block, I’ll catch passes, run routes, whatever I’m needed for, I’ll give it my best effort.
Favorite aspect of the FB position:
I just like playing football. Being in the game, blocking, catching passes, helping my team out, that’s what I’m here for.
On blocking:
You need solid footwork, a lot of hips involved, then you shoot your head in there and do your best. It’s kind of hard, kind of tough to take on, but if that’s my role, I’ll do it. If I’m doing my job and trying to get better, that’s what I’m supposed to do. If I miss a block, I know I’ve got to do better the next time around.
On practicing outside of the stadium:
It’s a little bit different with the grass, but it’s definitely nice to catch a breeze up there and not have the hot turf to run on. That’s the only difference, though.
On hitting:
It felt good to hit. Before practice, we were ready to get out there and get after each other, so it was nice to put on the pads. I like contact so it was nice to run into people with the pads on.
On the Victory Drill:
You go head on with the defender and see who’s tougher. It’s just a toughness drill where you put yourself in a position to go nowhere but forward and you try to outmuscle the other guy.
You can be happy with yourself or upset the rest of practice depending on how you do in the V-drill. It gets everyone going; we like to hit and get pumped up.
On conditioning:
We have to stay hydrated, keep drinking the water before and during practice. We’re in good shape because we’re staying hydrated, so we can deal with the heat.
Coley White
On transition to WR:
It’s been a little bit easier since I know the plays. Now I’ve got to know how to run the routes. It’s the first time I’ve played a position other than quarterback. It helps that I played quarterback, because I have to know where everyone is lined up and what everybody does, so it helps me to direct some of the other guys.
On other guys helping with the transition:
Jock has helped me out a lot. The conditioning is a lot different. You’re running different routes, banging every play, so it’s a lot different than the quarterback position.
