Football: Bill Stewart, Dave Lockwood Quotes
August 13, 2010 08:00 PM | General
August 13, 2010
Coach Bill Stewart – 2010 Football Camp Press Conference 7
Opening Statement
We had a heck of a practice today, in terms of intensity – I really liked our intensity. I don’t know what the thermometer got to, and I really don’t care, as long as it never got in harms way. We need some heat. They were so intense today.
Now, we’re making a lot of mistakes, and that’s OK to a certain degree because we are young and there are a lot of young guys getting a look early. We’re getting our freshmen a good look. That will subside after tomorrow because we’ll start looking at plans.
I was really excited about our intensity, but not really pleased with the mental part of the game. That’s probably par for week No. 1.
We had a good inside drill today. We did some pass skeleton and some red zone pass skeleton.
We worked on overtime situations today. The offense would go down by seven points, with the defense up seven, and then the offense also worked being down by eight points. We switched the scenarios both times. Both teams did well at times.
We had a really good day and the Mountaineers are working hard. They’re working in an enthusiastic manner. What I like most is the chemistry and how the older guys continue to help the younger guys. I really hope that continues.
(comparing where this team stands at this point this year to last year’s squad)
I would like to think that our defense is disguising better (this year). I like that part. I don’t know offensively because Jarrett Brown was certainly further ahead then Geno (Smith). Our offensive line looks better (this year), and our receivers are about the same. We’re probably on par with last year.
(on Jeff Braun’s position with the offensive line)
At this point, Jeff has the upper hand (at the right tackle position). He’s getting better, but has a way to go. That right tackle spot, as I said before, is not as solid as the other four positions, but it’s gaining.
(on Joe Madsen and Eric Jobe switching between guard and center)
We’re probably going to go with Joe at center and Eric at guard. Jobe can still play center. For instance, let’s say if Madsen gets injured, and our third guard comes in, it would kick Jobe in to center so we’re more solid. That’s what you do. It’s a week-to-week thing and depends upon our young guys getting better. They have to get better.
(on Madsen and Jobe flip-flopping week-to-week)
Probably not. One center snaps under center better, and one shotguns better. That’s all it is.
(on the progression of the freshmen after one week of camp)
They will tell you they are as lost as lost can be, but I think they’re doing OK. There is a lot of promise and talent there. Their heads are spinning, but that’s typical.
(on kickoffs)
I thought it went well (today). Corey Smith can really kick the ball, and that’s nice to see. They worked on pooch punts in the stadium today, too.
Kickoffs went OK – they are better. We worked on drills converging to the ball. I was really pleased with our kickoff and our hang-times. Now, we went with the wind, and the next time we’ll go into the wind. I always like to kick into the wind.
(on special teams competition)
It’s all up in the air. (Tyler) Bitancurt has been his old self these last two days. His hip flexor is doing better.
We have a heck of a battle going on at punter with Smith and Greg Pugnetti. That’s good. We have a few more weeks.
(on splitting the quarterback reps at tomorrow’s scrimmage)
Geno Smith will go with the No. 1s. When the No. 2s go, that will either be Barry Brunetti or Jeremy Johnson. When the No. 1s go again, Smith will be with them, and when the No. 2s take the field, the freshman that didn’t get the first reps will go.
(Smith) is getting at least 50 percent of the work, and maybe even a little more. We will put him in for some one-on-one stuff, too. He’s the incumbent – he’s the guy. I heard once that you should give your No. 1 guy 90 percent of the reps, but we can’t do that. Maybe that’s how the professionals do it, but you can’t do that in college.
(on whether Brunetti or Johnson has emerged as the No. 2)
Neither has one bit. One throws the ball a bit better, and one runs a bit better. Both are pretty good. We’re excited to have both.
(on the importance of Saturday’s scrimmage for the freshmen quarterbacks)
I don’t want to say (it’s) huge. It’s just the first scrimmage and they’re just freshmen. It’s big, and they know. You don’t fool young people, and we don’t try to fool them. We tell them the truth.
Tomorrow is going to be big for a lot of people, but we still have another week, and another week after that. Tomorrow will be big. That’s why it’s fun. We’ll be in the stadium.
(on the depth at cornerback)
Keith Tandy is out. He tweaked his hamstring and we don’t want to press that.
I like Brandon Hogan – he just makes plays. Brodrick Jenkins is good. Ishamel Banks is coming on, and Pat Miller has done a good job. We haven’t had corner depth like this in some time.
(on the cornerback two-deep)
At this point, we’d have Tandy out, we’d have Hogan at left corner and Jenkins at right. Miller is the back-up left corner, and Banks would be right behind Jenkins. It’s going to be OK.
I see Jenkins being a guy that can come into the game and give us a fast ball when we need it. He’s a change of pace guy. He may win the starting job – he’s not out of the mix.
(on camp injuries)
(Sidney Glover) did not practice. He and Tandy are dinged up. Brad Starks was also held out with a groin today. Those guys run so much. The other day, we ran the guys in the heat, and we told the corners and the receivers to take a knee and do ball drills while the other guys ran. We really run a lot here.
(on whether Bitancurt will be a part of kickoffs)
He will not be a part. I don’t want him to over-kick or over-strain. Smith can really kick the ball, and I think John Howard will factor in as well.
(on the team’s excitement level for tomorrow’s scrimmage)
From what I heard today, they are pretty excited. Every time we do a drill, we compete. That’s why we play hard. Today was a physical day. I wanted to push them in the heat. Tomorrow, we’ll go light in the morning – just helmets. Then, we’ll go full pads in the stadium.
They really wanted to go after it (today), and we backed up a little at the end because it was going well. I reward them when practice goes well.
Tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day and they’re looking forward to having fun.
(on what would make Coach Stewart happy tomorrow)
Head coaches are never happy. I think I’ll be happy if I continue to see and hear the leadership out of the older guys. That’s what makes me happy. I love our chemistry right now. It’s not supposed to be fun, it’s just supposed to be a brotherhood. I like what I see.
I’d also be really happy if our young freshmen quarterbacks don’t get frazzled. I like big plays on the offense, but I don’t want to see Banks or Jenkins get beat deep.
I just want to see solid play and if we are better tomorrow then we were last Saturday. That’s all I care about.
(on the status of JT Thomas)
He asked for a blue jersey, but (football athletic trainer) David Kerns is in a gradual build-up and is doing some things with his neck. JT is flying around. He did everything but scrimmage. We did some hitting today. We were after it. It was fun.
(on the play of Stedman Bailey)
I see Stedman as a guy that can go out there and play like any of our wide receivers, yet he has the shiftiness to play slot, too. I don’t like to say he’s a ‘tweener’, but he’s such an athlete, that he can vertically stretch the field on the outside, yet he has that shiftiness to get in those middle routes and find the digs and open areas. He’s a game kind of player. I think you will see him lineup in various spots.
(on whether one of the freshmen quarterbacks will redshirt this season)
I’ve been talking to some people in the game that I really respect, and I just don’t know what I’m going to do yet. We may play both, or we may just play one. What’s the advantage if you play one, and one sits, and then Geno goes down? The other guy doesn’t have the reps. If you play them both, do you redshirt one next year? I’ll leave that up to you all (the media).
(on the growth of Ivan McCartney and his immediate impact)
He has shown me that he has the ability to go and get the ball. He has strong hands and a big-framed body. He has the chance to be really good down the road if he continues to progress. I see him as a guy that we’re going to get out on the field early and see what he can do. He can really stretch the field.
Since we have a guy like Starks, we don’t have to play him all four quarters. That first game, Ivan needs to get out there and work. Will it be behind Starks or Bailey? I like to think that we can put Ivan in the game early – that’s our plan. That would put Bailey behind Tavon (Austin). We can play about six of those guys interchangeably.
Ivan has really shown us a lot. Again, his head is spinning, but there’s a lot of talent.
Closing Statement
Tomorrow afternoon, we’re going to tee it up and get it. It will be hot. We love excitement. The guys need to be in the stadium. They need to learn how to play Mountaineer football in the arena and they need to learn how to compete and what it means to carry the Old Gold and Blue.
I look for a big day. I hope we come out injury free.
Defensive backs coach Dave Lockwood
(on the depth in the secondary)
Obviously, it’s going to be huge (this season). In one play, your No. 2s become your No. 1s, and your No. 3s become your No. 2s. Hopefully, you don’t have to be in a situation in a game where your No. 2 becomes your No. 1 and he hasn’t had the reps.
It’s hard when someone isn’t out there, but it gives us a chance to look at the younger guys.
(on the seriousness of in-camp injuries)
I know with Tandy and Glover, it’s a hamstring deal, and it’s a deal that you get with skill guys. They do a lot of running and those legs get tired. It’s more wear and tear. In the long haul, they’ll be OK. I don’t think it was anything serious. We’re just taking precautionary matters.
(on Jenkins’ progress)
He’s making progress. He’s a guy that is getting a little dinged himself. He has a groin that’s been nagging him, but he went out there and fought through it today. We just have to be smart with him. We’ll make sure tomorrow that he gets the majority of his reps in the second practice.
The good thing is he went out there today and tried to fight through it. He didn’t try to get out of practice. He’s coming along. If you asked him, he’d tell you that he had his worst day two days ago. To me, that has to happen – he has to get run by and he has to miss a tackle in order for him to realize what he needs to do and to gain experience for when he’s on the field during game time.
(on Jenkins’ starting potential)
Right now, no one is out of the running (to start). Tandy isn’t out there right now, so Jenkins is out there with the No. 1s. That’s the situation right now. It helps him gain confidence – he knows he can get out there and play with the No. 1s. When you have to go out there and cover Noel (Devine) and Tavon (Austin) every day, you have to feel pretty good that you can do that.
(on the importance of tomorrow’s scrimmage)
Tomorrow is huge, but at the same time, it’s not that important because it’s the first scrimmage. We don’t play until Sept. 4, and we have a few more practices until then to get better.
You want to see everyone get in situations. I like to stand back and not coach as much and let the guys go out there and play and react. Game time, I can’t stand out there in center field and give them a heads-up. It is huge. As the season gets closer and closer, you start to hone in on the guys that are going to make the bus and the guys that you are going to work with throughout the year.
(on adjustments when the defense plays a four-man front)
We’re taking the backers out, and moving the safeties to backers. Then, we’ll take the third corner and he becomes the high safety. We switch them.
Other teams, when they get in their nickel, they take their nickel guy and play him down. Usually, he’s your best defensive back. Now, you’re blitzing him, and you have the same match-up you have in regular defense, and you have a slot receiver on the safety.
We switch our guys. We put the down safety down and put our corner high. He’s the guy that’s playing man and has the cover skills. We’ll have three corners.
We’ve spent a lot of time with that. It’s part of our package and gives us a chance to get some speed on the field and get some guys out there that can pass rush.
(on if Tandy and Hogan are No. 1s)
I don’t know. Right now, we are picking up where we left off in the spring, and that was Jenkins and Tandy. If we had to play today, it would be Jenkins and Hogan. It could be Hogan and Miller if Jenkins is out.
It remains to be seen. The nice thing is we don’t have to make that decision right now. These guys have the chance to prove themselves and get it down.
Bottom line – we’d like to get out of camp with three or four corners. Then, we’ll take it from there.
(on if the left and right corners are interchangeable)
They are. We did away with (specialization). When I first got here, we had three field corners and two boundary corners. What if someone gets hurt? It’s a little different. With the lack of numbers, we just went right and left, and now they are interchangeable. Now, the next best guy goes into the game instead of worrying about field and boundary. I think, in the long run, it makes us better.
(on Banks’ potential)
He has a chance, just like all of our young guys. He has a lot to learn, but he’s getting a lot of reps. He’s got a chance to help us.
(on this year’s depth compared to the past two years’)
It doesn’t compare. Not even close. Coming out of it, I do feel a lot better that we have some guys that can help us get better. Two guys that are getting better are Brantwon Bowser and Lawrence Smith. When we go with three corners in, Brantwon has been the third corner, and he’s done a good job. That makes me feel good because it shows we have some depth.
We have some young guys in the safety room, so we may end up with three or four corners on the field. With those two guys coming along, it gives us more depth.
(on the one-on-one drill between the DBs and the receivers)
It’s fun. Coach Galloway and I got together on it. We just do a simple hits drill during the first five minutes of individuals. If we aren’t wearing pads, we’ll come up and tap off; if we’re in full pads, we want to wrap them up.
To me, an open field tackle is one of the hardest for a DB to make. What this does is give them experience, so when they get put in that situation, they feel more comfortable. At the same time, it helps the wide outs – they want to make you miss the tackle and go score.
It’s fun. We don’t want to lose. Coach Galloway and I will get into it a little bit and get the guys going. It’s fun. It’s something else. Camp is camp – no one likes camp. Although, it’s a lot easier now then back when I played.
I think another thing it does is gets the guys going. Hopefully they feed off of it and it gives them an opportunity to have a good practice.
(The drill) was a collaborative decision. The DB coach and the receiver coach always try to hook up. When you don’t hook up with one another, you have to work out with the scout guys, and you don’t get the same look. We try to get good-on-good as much as we can. We do different drills, try to save our legs and get good looks against good people.
(on the best open field tackler)
Hogan. Tandy isn’t far behind him. Those two guys have played the most. It’s hard to say right now what Jenkins can do. Hopefully he’s going to get better and prove that he can do it.
(on if he wishes he knew when he played what he knows now as a coach)
I wish I did, as a player, know what I know now. When you break it down, and look at our technology now, you can go and just watch yourself. I do a lot of the work now for them, so it shouldn’t be too hard, for a player, to figure out what he has to do or what the other team likes to do. It’s not like you have to come in and find it.
(on if he thought he knew more as a player)
We thought back then that we knew everything.
