Oct. 16, 2012
Opening Statement
“Good morning. I’m looking forward to playing this week and getting back on a regular schedule. I think the bye week was good and our team had a chance to regroup physically, taking care of bumps and bruises and that sort of thing. I think everybody is anxious to get back out on the field and play. Boston College is coming in. I know their season hasn’t been going the way they would have liked at this point either. I fully expect we’ll get their best shot on Saturday. It’s both teams’ backs against the wall. Both teams need to win to get the thing turned a little bit.”
On the timing of the bye week…
“I don’t know how you ever rank the bye weeks. Are we beat up physically? Yes, but it’s been worse other years. It depends on how we come back and play the rest of the year. It wasn’t like we were on a real hot streak. Hopefully, we’ll come back and play better after the bye week.”
On this week being different for him by being more involved in the defense…
“It’s been a lot different for me. I think our staff has spent a lot of time putting together good plays and a good plan. We’ll see how it goes.”
On the how offensive injuries sometimes prevent the continuity of having the same guy next to you…
“I think that you just get comfortable with who is beside you on calls you have to make, certain looks and what the other guy is going to do. No matter what position you are in there is a comfort level in being familiar with the guy beside you and how he is going to react to things. Other than Morgan Bailey most of the guys have been able to start most the games. We’ve lost two or three guys in certain games. We lost three guys against MTSU. We lost Jay Finch in the Clemson game. Shaquille Mason and Will Jackson have been in and out. That’s the nature of the game. You’re going to have some of that.”
On what ways has his role changed with the defense…
“I’m more involved in the planning, more involved in the practice schedules and more involved in everything. For the past two and a half years, I’ve pretty much turned everything over and let a guy do it. Charles Kelly is in charge and it will be his call, but I’m involved with the scheme of what we’re doing. I’m spending more time getting a solid defensive scheme in place that is simple where guys can play fast and they’ll know what to do. We don’t need 80 calls. We don’t need a buzz word on everything. We need guys to learn how to play and play hard.”
On the team’s reaction with the changes…
“I haven’t noticed any difference. They come to practice. There’s no difference.”
On Boston College possibly being unpredictable…
“I think they’ve got some good players and we’ll get their best shot. I don’t doubt they’ve lost some close games. They lost a game two weeks ago on the last play of the game. In pretty much all their games they’ve been right down to the end. Sometimes it just happens that way. I expect we’ll get their best shot. I don’t have reason to believe otherwise.”
On how the younger players are progressing on defense…
“I think they’re coming along. I think that what we’re doing right now it will be much easier for them to play. We’ll probably play more people on defense on Saturday than normal. Hopefully, they’ll know what to do and where to go. Are we going to be on defense on Saturday? No, but I can’t remember when we ever were. We won’t be perfect on offense either. We haven’t been all year. What you want to see is less mistakes, more effort; more guys know what they’re going to do.”
