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Assistant Coaches Media Session
August 04, 2016 05:17 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University football coaching staff met with the media on Thursday, August 4, 2016, in the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant Coach (Safeties) Matt Caponi
On progression since the spring
Right now the guys are in a lot better shape so I think the effort for the first two days has been pretty good. I think going into camp, being able to work out those two months in the summer, they are also probably the fastest and strongest they have been at any point and time in the year so everybody has been doing a pretty good job. So far, we are healthy through two practices, but I think the guys, especially the older guys have done a great job just from a leadership role of teaching the young guys how to practice and the expectations and looking forward to building and finishing camp, taking it a day at a time to get the best we can and most prepared that we can for September 3.
On depth at the safety position
We have pretty good depth all around. We are going to have seven or eight guys that I would probably feel comfortable playing at any point in time. I have told the guys that the three best are going to start. If that means moving a guy from a certain position, I am trying to get the most skill on the field so we still have a ways to go. We haven’t even put on the pads yet but (junior safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry) has done a great job. (Redshirt senior safety Jarrod) Harp (Harper) coming back from the spring is good, (senior safety) Jeremy (Tyler), all three of those guys, they know all three positions so we can do some things. We obviously have some depth with guys that were here in the spring and some new guys that have come in and done a pretty good job too.
On leadership coming from redshirt senior safety Jarrod Harper, senior safety Jeremy Tyler and junior safety Dravon Askew-Henry
Those guys have been here the longest, they know the expectations. Whether you are a freshman or a senior I expect everybody to take control and be leaders. The younger guys get to learn from some of the best in those guys. I challenge them every day to try to take on that leadership role.
On junior safety Dravon Askew-Henry
Having a guy coming back, this will be his third year as a full time starter, helps a ton. He is a guy that knows the defense, he knows all three positions. He knows what is going on in front of him, not only from a linebacker standpoint, but he understands what the defensive line is doing too. It helps him that much, and he is great with his eyes. He makes plays in the open field, and having him back there as a leader, the free safety does a lot, just from a communication standpoint between the three guys it is good to have somebody with a ton of experience and is reliable and can make plays back there.
Assistant Coach (Defense/Special Teams) Mark Scott
On recruits being influenced by social media interaction with coaches
I did not anticipate this coming up and I understand the NCAA is trying to get away from some of the smaller infractions to make it a little easier for coaches to navigate on social media. I think there is a point where if a kid is getting a certain amount of attention from a certain school then that is going to help. It is my belief that you still have to get in and build a relationship with that kid, with his family and with his coach. Social media may catch their attention but I’m not sure if that is going to be the deciding factor. Again, every kid is different. You have to operate under the assumption that you are going to go all out and do everything you can to show that kid how much we want them at West Virginia and if it starts on social media and build to something else then I think that is a good thing.
On the punting competition in fall camp
Right now (redshirt sophomore kicker/punter) Billy (Kinney) is running with the ones just because he has more experience. Again, Billy (Kinney) has looked better technique-wise and then production-wise, the hang time and the distance on his punts. We still have to do some things to clean up. When we directional kick, we need to be more consistent there. I definitely think that (freshman kicker/punter) Jonn (Young) coming in and Billy (Kinney) seeing him, he has a great leg that’s why we recruited him, he is a really talented kid across the board especially in punting, I think that has helped push Billy (Kinney) a little bit and they are both getting better because of it.
On expectations for freshman kicker/punter Jonn Young in fall camp
He has a great leg. That’s kind of what I expected. His consistency, we will see as we go through camp. We don’t want to overload him. We don’t want to overload any of our guys volume-wise moving on. We kind of want to build up to it throughout camp. I think the main thing is that he is going to have some nerves. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low, but at the same time, this is his first time performing in this setting. When we go live or full group kicks, I have to continue to stay on him. Smooth and easy, how you do it in pre-practice should be the exact way you do it when the bullets are flying. I think as he gets more comfortable and mentally continues to grow then his performance is going to continue to get better.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Blue Adams
On starting in a new position working with guys who are starting from scratch
It’s the job. It’s awesome being able to have the opportunity to work with these young men. It’s camp. Nothing is set. We’re just kind of working right now.
On the energy he brings during drills
Man, I’m just trying to live the dream through them. I do the drills, but I don’t think I do it as well as they do. I just try to stay involved. Stay with them. Just to show them that ‘look the movements that I’m asking you to do are movements that I can do, movements that I think can make us better.’
On sharing evaluations with the players throughout camp
Not really. Every man is his own man. Every man has his own standard. Every man is working at his own pace. No one matters more than that man. He is his biggest competitor, his biggest competition, so to compare or measure him to another guy, I think is a disservice to that player.
On not wanting the players to get focused on being starters or backups
No. Right now I see it as defensive back position or corner position by committee. Some things that one guy does really well, the next guy may not do as well and vice versa. At the end of the day I would like the entire room to be game ready. That’s different coaching points for different guys. We’re just working right now. Ultimately, I want to get everyone to where, if I throw you out there on game day, I feel good about it.
Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson
On if the guys up front are doing well
Yes they are. I like (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Noble (Nwachukwu) a lot. Obviously he’s a guy that brings a lot to the table in a run game or in passing game. He does everything the right way. Plays hard. Right now he has a lot of confidence in what he’s doing, so I like him. (Redshirt senior defensive lineman) Christian (Brown) is in the best shape, the strongest he’s ever been, so I like him and (senior defensive lineman) Darrien Howard. We’re set up front with our first three guys. Right now we’re in the process trying to find another nose.
On redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jaleel Fields
Losing (redshirt sophomore defensive lineman) Jaleel (Fields) is going to hurt us because we’ve spent so much time with him, even last fall, getting him ready for this season and for him to go down that hurts us.
On who might replace redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jaleel Fields this season
Well, (redshirt junior defensive end) (Jon) Jonny Lewis and (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Christian Brown. Just trying to get guys like that ready who might have to go in and maybe play 10 to 15 snaps.
On rotating the defensive line
Just to be able to get maybe five snaps, 10 snaps, out of different guys to give (senior defensive lineman) Darrien (Howard) a breather when he needs it.
On if redshirt senior defensive lineman Noble Nwachukwu could record more than 10 sacks
He could. It’s just are we going to put him in the situation to do that yet? I’m sure everyone in the league knows about him as well so we are going to get some double teams. They are going to chip with the back coming out of the backfield on him. When he gets one on one with anybody in the country I think he is good enough to beat them. We will see how everyone tries to protect with him.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On the difference between last year and this year
Well I think last year we were hardly ever talked about. I always joked with our guys that we were the X factor, so we ended up becoming the factor. This year we became the experienced group, so then we get a lead up front. That’s where it does start. That’s where we need to build everything and take advantage of our experience. You can’t simulate experience, but now we have it.
On the differences between senior defensive lineman Darrien Howard and Kyle Rose
I think you know, experience was obviously good to have. I thought I had a great one-two punch with those guys. It was good mixture because they were different styles of players. I think (senior defensive lineman) Darrien (Howard) is one of the most athletic nose guards I’ve ever coached, so there’s a lot of things you can do with him, being a former linebacker. He is a very talented player, and I think he gives us a great get off. With that experience, I think it will play out for him too.
On having depth on the defensive line
Yeah I think you like to have depth, honestly, because you’re banging every play. There’s contact on every single snap and because of the pace of the game everyone is going no huddle, you have to have a lot of fresh bodies. The whole key is to be fresh, so to play six guys a game is almost expected. It could be even more, and the more the guys progress the more we will play them.
On senior defensive lineman Christian Brown possibly playing at the nose position
We could. Obviously he’s played it, and it’s an easy transition for him. We could rotate him in there. There’s no question about it. We haven’t made any plans just yet on exactly what our rotation is going to be, but yes that’s not a problem for us.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Ron Crook
On hype surrounding redshirt senior center Tyler Orlosky
I think the reason you hear people saying that stuff is because he is experienced. He has played at a pretty high level for a while. He understands our offense, so if there is something uncertain going on out there he can redirect things and communicate and make sure everyone is on the same page. Like you said, all of that stuff doesn’t really mean a lot. All that means is he has the potential to be a good player. That doesn’t mean anything right now. He’s taking it as such. He is continuing to use a good work ethic to improve, and he’s continuing to work on leadership and things like that. It’s more important to him to see us have success than it is for him to get personal things.
On how much coaches rely on leadership on the field
That is the greatest advantage of having experienced guys. Not just guys that have played a lot but that have played a lot in our system so that the communication is the same. They understand how I am seeing things now and how I communicate things so having guys that can do that on the field, you can’t replace that.
On splitting offensive line responsibilities with Assistant Coach (offensive coordinator/fullbacks-tight ends) Joe Wickline
Again, half the time you will see us working half of the line. He will take half the line, I will take half of the line. Sometimes he takes the tackles and tight ends and I have the centers and guards, so we work on what we need to work on and decide how we are going to break it up that way. It’s not really ‘you have this and I have this, it’s hey we are working together.’ The bottom line is if we aren’t good enough to get things done than we will both be in some trouble from a professional standpoint so we kind of sit down and talk about here is what we need to get done, here is what we need to improve on, here is what we have time to work on today so you take this and I will take this.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Fullbacks-Tight Ends) Joe Wickline
On who is working with the tight ends
We have several coaches and immediately I am over the tight ends and (offensive graduate assistant/ offensive line) coach Dalton Williams, who is a new coach with us, is also working with them, but as a staff we are all kind of pitching in there in different areas and going over the passing game and running game, but we are all working with them.
On redshirt sophomore tight end Trevon Wesco
Well it’s hard to tell, it is all new to him with the offensive system and obviously the playbook and the snap count, the formations so a lot of it is brand new. You can’t tell a whole lot when you’re in shorts and helmets in terms of trying to make an estimation of where he is at. We will start knowing a lot more as he starts to absorb the offense and as we get into some pads and start making decisions and things start changing and playing real fast.
On creating a bigger pocket in pass protection
Really, we are just taking what (assistant coach offensive line) Ron (Crook) has already done and taking the system and the protection fundamentals and the mechanics, we are all just tweaking some things. In any protection scenario the inside guys have the depth of the pocket, they are responsible for keeping the pocket short and shallow and not getting pushed inside. As a tackle you have the width of the pocket. We may tilt their shoulders a little bit. We may expand their sets a little bit. We may kind of challenge them to be a little quicker and do some different things, basically just tweaking some things.
On different coaching philosophies at offensive line
There are different ways to skin a cat, you know. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong, it’s all what works. It just kind of morphed into what is happening. Are you going to be a vertical set football team? Are you going to be an escape, jump-set football team? Where is your quarterback releasing the ball? How long is he holding it? There are a lot of variables that go into that so when you kind of put it all together and you study, I’m learning all the time what the quarterbacks doing, the routes, the depth, the timing and we are all kind of putting it all together. I think our guys have bought into it. A lot of it has to do with our players. When you get older and you have been around a little bit, it doesn’t matter who is coaching because you start to feel things that work a little bit better. To answer your question I would say it is something that we just morphed into and it’s kind of a work in progress.
Assistant Coach (Running Backs) Ja’Juan Seider
On comparing and contrasting the styles of running backs
Potentially, I hate doing it this early, but this room could be as good as we’ve had because of the size, the speed, the ability to catch the ball, able to pick up blitzes with these guys. Their bodies can hold up as good as I’ve been around. I know that’s saying a lot having what we had, but collectively already seeing these guys and the way they can pick stuff up is fun. (Freshman running back) Kennedy (McKoy), he’s well beyond his years being a freshman. He acts like a seasoned vet. The pleasant surprise is how fast (junior running back) Justin (Crawford) came in and picked up the system. He didn’t have a lot of bust early. That’s why the summer has been good for him. He was able to get out here and understand stuff early and to pick it up. Probably a little bit behind, but he’s a fast learner. He’s a kid that plays fast. He doesn’t play slow. Very excited from where we are, seeing the older guys pick up from where they left off spring. The summer has been good too.
On redshirt senior running back Rushel Shell III entering his last season
Well, just seeing that he picked up from where he left off in the spring. I thought he had a really good spring. He’s already right back in the fall, running the ball the way we want to see him, downhill, physical, attacking the defense, and that’s the whole make up of our whole room. We’re going to be more of attack, and get at the guys and put them on our heels and start being on our heels. That’s been the mindset going into this camp. Start early. This is how we’re going to play.
On making some guys miss instead of making them lower their shoulders and knock them down
Yes. We want to set it up first. We want to pound. Marshawn Lynch said it best right? Running right through the guy’s face. That has to be our mentality early. If you do that enough, guys are going to come up different. They’re not going to want to attack. They’re going to be sitting back because they don’t want to get hit in the face, but then that’s when you start setting them up with a change of direction move or whatever it may be. Our attitude is to press the defense. Put them on their heels instead of them making us guess. We want to make them guess. That’s going to be our mentality going forward with this group of guys.
Assistant Coach (Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On dividing reps in practice
Well, we kind of spread it out a little bit, so we have guys four wide. We are doing a little four wide right now, and guys are getting equal reps so it’s not as hard.
On what a bigger receiver brings
Body-wise, it’s a bigger target first of all. My big guys are tough as crap. You know anything that comes around them they catch. Whoever is trying to deliver the blow has to be prepared for it because they going to bring it right back to them. Those guys intimidate the guys on the other side of the ball.
On getting involved in drills
Today will be my first day out with the cleats on. I’m going to put my cleats on so I can demonstrate a little bit more. I try not to because they say ‘coach you are trying to show us up,’ so I’m not going to try to do too much but I will, I definitely will when I need to.
On getting receivers mentally prepared
Well you don’t put too much of a load on those guys. You make it easy. I’m fortunate to have a lot of older guys that know what it’s about. You make it real easy for them and the older guys will help them with a little bit of fine tuning and of course I’m still fine tuning those older guys too. I just don’t put much on them at all. I don’t put anything on them and give them about two or three routes, two or three plays a day and everything you’re supposed to be do in there and just let them go with it.
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