Football: Bill Stewart, Dave Johnson Quotes
August 16, 2010 07:10 PM | General
August 10, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart and coach Dave Johnson quotes from Monday’s fall camp:
Coach Bill Stewart
Opening Statement ...
Offensively today I think that Geno Smith threw the ball very well. I was pretty pleased with the pass protection.
We took a look at Cole Bowers in there as a guard today. He looked pretty good. Also, Stedman Bailey is just playing lights out.
Defensively today, Brandon Hogan had a tremendous pick. Eain Smith and Robert Sands, who are rotating, also played pretty well. I think Chris Neild is having a fine camp. I didn’t play him last Saturday because I know what he can do.
Quinton Spain is in town. He is big. He is as tall as (WVU radio play-by-play announcer) Tony Caridi, but outweighs him just a bit. He is a big, big man. Quinton Spain had a jersey and shorts on, and that was it but it looked like he was in full gear because of how big he is. We are glad he is here.
Today, we have a young man fighting a little home sickness right now. Jeremy Johnson is a long way from home and hopefully we can nurture him through this.
On team injuries ...
Sidney Glover is working and did not get any hits today. Trippe Hale tried to jump into some special teams but I told him to hold off until he is in a blue jersey. Bradley Starks is in a green jersey and can’t get hit.
On Quinton Spain ...
He will be in helmets only for two days. Then he will move to shoulder pads and helmets for two days. After that, on the fifth day if we are in pads, he will be in full pads.
On Cole Bowers ...
Cole Bowers jumped up there today. Competition breeds success. It is a wonderful thing. Cole received some snaps with the ones today and did well.
On special teams ...
We are putting a lot of pressure on our kickers and today Corey Smith responded better today than he ever has. Tyler Bitancurt is still No. 1, but Corey is pressing.
Offensive line coach Dave Johnson
On Cole Bowers ...
He has had a really good camp. He is so athletic for how big he is. He is learning and he is playing physical. We just wanted to test him today and see if he could handle the pressure of working with the ones and handle the communication. We tested him today and he did a nice job.
On the importance of competition ...
It is imperative. Without competition guys just kind of relax and slip into a comfort zone, that we don’t want. It is a competitive game and it is a competitive world. That is one thing that football teaches.
On Quinton Spain ...
I just feel great for him that he has that pressure off of his shoulders. He just wants to be here and wants to be with us and learn. He is a great kid to be around.
Until he gets into drills and into the flow of practice it is hard to tell if he is behind. For the short time that I have had him, it has been mostly meeting time and learning, so his head is probably swimming.
On the starting lineup ...
You evaluate the lineup every single time you are on the field. There are things that Eric Jobe brings to the table such as his knowledge and experience. Cole I thought was just doing just a little bit better. I wanted to bring him in and see how the chemistry was and how he could adjust.
On last Saturday’s scrimmage ...
I thought Jeff Braun was really good at the point of attack. I thought that his run blocking has come a long way, but we have a ways to go with pass protection and understanding angles.
On blocking defensive end Bruce Irvin ...
He makes us better. He makes us step up our game. He isn’t the only one though. With Will Clarke, Julian Miller and those guys, we have some major pressure coming and that is just going to make us better.
Bruce has good quickness off the ball and he can adjust. If you offset one way or another and you aren’t on the leverage point with him, he will slip right past you. He is very slippery. I am excited to see him play in this league.
