December 14, 2006
Texas A&M coaches and players met with members of the press on Thursday at the final football media luncheon of the season, held at the Bright Football Complex.
The Aggies are preparing to head to San Diego for the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 28. Kickoff at Qualcomm Stadium is set for 5 p.m. (PST) and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Links to audio clips are available to the right.
TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL
Head Coach Dennis Franchione Q&A
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2006
THE QUESTION: Coach could you talk about the move that you made to look at Jamie McCoy at wide receiver during bowl practice?
COACH FRAN: Well we look at this as phase one of spring practice in some ways and with Jerrod (Johnson) going to come off his redshirt next year we have a lot of good feelings about him. We lose Ty (Branyon) but Jamie?â„¢s a good enough athlete we need to find a way to get him on the field and we do want to take a look at him as a receiver and we may play him a little bit in the bowl game at that position. That?â„¢s possible. It?â„¢s really a matter of trying to get our best athletes in position to be on the field. We felt like this year we needed to leave him at quarterback in case anything happened with Stephen (McGee) and kind of gave us a one-two with Ty and Jamie if we needed it. Now with Jerrod coming we?â„¢re giving him more reps in bowl practices at quarterback to nudge him along as far as we can. We just need to find a way to utilize Jamie?â„¢s ability.
THE QUESTION: Speaking of Jerrod do you expect him to play basketball? Is that the plan?
COACH FRAN: Yes.
THE QUESTION: Is that good, bad, indifferent? Are there any advantages or disadvantages?
COACH FRAN: Well, my only concern is I anticipate basketball season lasting for a while. We?â„¢ll probably start spring practice before basketball is over. So he would miss some days. That makes these days more critical as well.
THE QUESTION: Do you know when your spring will be yet?
COACH FRAN: Right around March 1st.
THE QUESTION: Early March?
COACH FRAN: Yeah. I don?â„¢t have the exact date.
THE QUESTION: So he could miss quite a bit.
COACH FRAN: Yeah he could miss half of it at least. It is possible we can push it back after spring break.
I?â„¢ll look at that after we get back from the bowl.
THE QUESTION: (Joking) Have you approached Billy (Gillispie) with the suggestion that maybe he should just hang this season up so ...
COACH FRAN: (Laughs) No. Hadn?â„¢t done that yet.
THE QUESTION: Jerrod hasn?â„¢t been playing quarterback very long, when did you make the decision that he would play quarterback and not wide receiver or tight end?
COACH FRAN: We have always looked at Jerrod as a quarterback. I think you can recruit him as a quarterback and say if it doesn?â„¢t work out there?â„¢s a big upside somewhere. We have always kind of thought of him that way and then his senior year reinforced all those thoughts. He had a great senior year as a quarterback. Houston Touchdown Club player of the year and everything and he hasn?â„¢t done anything to diminish those thoughts at all.
THE QUESTION: Coach right now do you feel that you are as defined as you have ever been on offense and most dangerous as an offense with each piece of the puzzle with the positions you?â„¢ve got now?
COACH FRAN: I think you can say that. You get defined as an option team because you run one, these days. A lot of people don?â„¢t run any. That?â„¢s not the true definition of what we are. That?â„¢s what a defensive coordinator today looks at and says we have to get ready for this. There are so many other components they have to be ready for too. Some of those components they see more often than what they see in our special stuff and right now with Stephen having the number of spring practices he?â„¢s had and the amount of time on the offense and our offensive line being through several games now we?â„¢re about as far along in all those areas.
THE QUESTION: Do you see your offense as maybe a little more unique in college football right now because of what you?â„¢re running as opposed to so many people who have gone to the spread a lot of pro-style but you guys are a lot different. Do you present different problems?
COACH FRAN: Well, we are different and we try to be different. We are a spread offense, but we have more
ways to get to the same things than a lot of people. The people that we study for us are Florida and West Virginia and schools like that. That?â„¢s who we?â„¢re most like, and so that?â„¢s who we study. We really are a form of the spread offense. We just have more multiplicity probably to ours than they to.
THE QUESTION: Last thing on that: With Stephen coming out of high school so highly regarded as a passer, has he developed into the kind of passer that you thought he would be? Or have you just been so surprised and impressed with how well he has run that things have just kept progressing in that direction?
COACH FRAN: Yeah. We threw it 51 times against Kansas and we have a lot of confidence in his ability. You know, throw 300 balls only throw two interceptions I think you have to acknowledge that with him. Obviously he?â„¢s a much better runner and faster than we anticipated he would be. This offense is built around him and his skills and it?â„¢s a quarterback friendly offense because he gets to do a lot of things and the ball?â„¢s placed in his hand to make a lot of decisions. Obviously our tailbacks are going to be highlighted, too. What we have offensively is that we can play to strengths. If we have tailbacks we can play to their strengths if we have receivers we can play more to their strengths and with Stephen?â„¢s ability to do both we can certainly do that.
THE QUESTION: Are you surprised how much the win over Texas has done for your team? That win seems to have really changed things around here.
COACH FRAN: You know, I probably don?â„¢t have a complete awareness of how much it?â„¢s done, but I know that any time you beat your rival, you win your last game of the year in rivalry week and win it in the way that we were able to, and end a streak of losses, it adds a little bounce in everybody?â„¢s step certainly. I?â„¢ve been so focused on so many other things right now but I know that it?â„¢s made a lot of people feel pretty good.
THE QUESTION: How about your coaching staff especially the guys that have been around all four years. It has been an up and down four years and I?â„¢m sure it had to be a nice scene afterwards just to get that one and not go through the November situation and all that kind of thing.
COACH FRAN: Well, it was. It was a great locker room after the game and it?â„¢s been a great feeling by
our coaches and I think they?â„¢ve been received well on the road recruiting because of that. I think we?â„¢ve heard from a lot of people and they?â„¢ve heard from a lot of coaches out there that have told them ?hey good job, we knew you guys would do it sooner or later? and stuff like that which is really good. First week back out on the road they said you need to come out and recruit you would feel pretty good. They got a lot of good feelings fed to them.
THE QUESTION: Coach, can you talk about the development of your receiving corps? Has that group developed to where you thought it would to this point?
COACH FRAN: I think they?â„¢ve performed like I thought they would for the most part. Certainly I have no disappointments in them. I think as a coach you always want them to do as well as they can and always feel like they can do more. I have no disappointments in any of our guys.
THE QUESTION: Do you have the speed that you?â„¢re looking for yet at that position?
COACH FRAN: I think you?â„¢re always trying to improve that. We?â„¢re still working to do that.
THE QUESTION: The reason I ask that is because you were talking a little bit earlier about playing to the strength of what you have. It seemed like the strength this season has been your ground attack. Certainly you?â„¢ve made some strides receiving wise but I was wondering if consistency has been there.
COACH FRAN: Well, I think you hit it mostly correct, Terrence, in that those two tailbacks are pretty good. Stephen?â„¢s done a good job dispersing the ball with them. Our formula even though we were the last team in the nation to be averaging 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing. We lost that in the last game. Going into the Texas game we were the only team in the nation with 200/200. You know those tailbacks had a major impact on the season. Our ability to convert on third downs, our ability to win the time of possession battle so demonstratively. You know, I couldn?â„¢t have sat here in August and said Michael Goodson for sure would have this kind of year. I knew he could, I just didn?â„¢t know if he would as a freshman. You knew what you had with Jorvorskie (Lane) but you need more dimensions with Jorvorski than just him to have a successful ground attack. He?â„¢s a big component to it. As the season wore on that became a pretty good constant for us week in and week out.
THE QUESTION: What kind of role did Chris Alexander play or what role did he have in that versatility?
COACH FRAN: Huge. I call him kind of an unsung hero on our offense. A lot of things that he has done this year most of you and fans probably don?â„¢t notice Chris?â„¢ performance as well as his teammates and coaches have. The winning touchdown in the Texas game, he knocks the linebacker on his back to pave the way. On Michael Goodson?â„¢s score he knocks the safety to the sideline. So timing again when he?â„¢s performed well has made our offense better and better and he?â„¢s had a good year. I really felt like he deserved to be the first team all-conference fullback.
THE QUESTION: Did you know from the start that he would be a receiving threat? I mean, you knew he could catch the ball obviously?
COACH FRAN: Chris has got above average hands. We felt like we could utilize him in the backfield. What?â„¢s
happened is with Jorvorski?â„¢s divergence on the power plays slipping Chris out there has become a threat. If they?â„¢re going to defend this this way then this is what we?â„¢re going to do with Chris. It?â„¢s added to the flexibility of what we?â„¢ve been able to do.
THE QUESTION: What kind of guy does it take to play the role that he plays? Kind of an unsung role?
COACH FRAN: Unselfish, which has been a trademark of this entire football team and he understands his role and he?â„¢s ready every week and does a good job with it and he does a great job for us on special teams. You can pretty well count on the kind of performance you are going to get out of Chris.
THE QUESTION: The fullback has become kind of obsolete for a lot of people these days, is it nice to have a big bruising fullback that you can use out in the flats?
COACH FRAN: Well, so many of us have our one back attack and some people are only one back and so they don?â„¢t utilize a fullback but I really think for us the multiplicity that we strive for offensively being able to have Chris has really added to what Jeff was talking about with all the components of our offense. He?â„¢s enabled us with his play this year to maybe broaden our scope of what we?â„¢ve done with the fullback in the game certainly.
THE QUESTION: Looking at defense and looking ahead to next year, it will be the first time in your tenure here you?â„¢re going to have a defense loaded with juniors and seniors. Coming off the type of year they?â„¢ve had this year what?â„¢s the potential that this group has and what does it mean to have experience on defense?
COACH FRAN: It?â„¢s a nice feeling to have. As you mention we haven?â„¢t had a lot of experience coming back on that side of the football and with tremendous improvement they made this year part of our thought process as we go through bowl practice and then into spring practice is now how can we take another step with this group and we did a great job this year better than I could have anticipated on that side of the ball but I don?â„¢t think we, and I think Coach Darnell would say this, too, probably have taken our scheme as far as we want to yet. As we got into the season I think Coach felt like our guys were confident in this amount and that?â„¢s how much he did in a year of transition. To his credit I think he always kept his defense in a confident situation in their calls and sometimes probably wished he had a few more little calls or blitzes or whatever it may have been so now as
we go through these practices I don?â„¢t know how much that will impact the California game but as we head into spring practice what we want to do is identify how can we take another step with this defense and take it a little farther.
THE QUESTION: With that, your two seniors (Justin Warren and Melvin Bullitt), I assume players tend to follow players and you have a new coach coming in. How integral were Melvin and Justin as leaders through the transition?
COACH FRAN: Well, those guys were rocks to build around. You know Melvin had the best year he?â„¢s had since he?â„¢s been here which you would always hope your seniors are going to do that. Justin had a great year and Justin to his credit fought through some injuries that maybe in the past he might have been more limited with. He started August out with getting his knee scoped and missed a couple of weeks there and came back very quickly. So he had a real mission to his mentality this year and I think that him and Melvin and then you have to throw Bryce Reed into there, too. Those three guys, that mission or that purpose that they brought probably filtered through to the other guys.
THE QUESTION: After looking at the California tapes, what are the challenges they?â„¢re going to present to you?
COACH FRAN: They?â„¢re good. You don?â„¢t play bad teams this time of year but I think the first thing that you notice is their skill and their speed. They have the Pac-10 offensive player and defensive player of the year. Great tailback in Marshawn Lynch a Heisman Trophy candidate for next year and probably close to being there this year. They have good receivers. They?â„¢re always able to throw the ball pretty good at Cal. Jeff (Tedford) does a great job with the passing game and has every place he?â„¢s been. They?â„¢ve got multiple ways to move the football. They are hard to defend from that standpoint. Offensive line is solid. Defensively they?â„¢ve got good athletes, good speed, good quickness. Once in a while on tape you see them get out of position and their closing speed is really good. That kind of makes up for it when they get out of position. Great punt returner, their kicking game is solid. So they?â„¢re a pretty complete ball club I think. They?â„¢re not just an offensive team, even though they are really good on that side of the ball.
THE QUESTION: You said before that you talked to Jeff and I was thinking about how last time maybe they didn?â„¢t want to go to the Holiday Bowl when they played Texas Tech. Have you guys talked about what a win in this game could mean for your programs?
COACH FRAN: I saw Jeff at the Holiday Bowl banquet we attended a week or so ago. We haven?â„¢t talked about that. I have seen comments from his players, I know that they?â„¢ll go into this game with a much different mentality than they did two years ago and that?â„¢s very understandable. That had to be a difficult situation for them to be denied the opportunity to go to the Rose Bowl and play in the BCS and a little disheartening and I think they go into this game with a totally different mental approach than they did two years ago.
THE QUESTION: How much do the Ben Bitners of the world help during practice? How much do they help you get things done and is it fun to have guys like that around as well?
COACH FRAN: I?â„¢ve said this many times: The scout team probably impacts the outcome of a game more than the second team because they prepare your offense and defense and kicking game all week and they do a good job of imitating your opponent?â„¢s style, then you?â„¢re going to be more prepared on Saturday. And for the most part your first offense and defense plays the majority of the game some of your seconds do obviously. So the scout team has what I think a tremendous impact on the outcome of the game. I think one of the great things about Texas A&M is we?â„¢re the home of the 12th Man and every one of those guys would like to wear No. 12 sometime during their career. So they all are very purposeful about coming out and doing a good job so that just helps your football team all the way around and they know their role and they know what they?â„¢re trying to do to help their team and I know that they do understand the significance of that role because we honor them on Sundays with our awards just as much as we honor anyone else.
THE QUESTION: What was it you saw in Ben that you said I?â„¢ll keep this guy around and he can help us out?
COACH FRAN: (Laughs) Well, obviously it wasn?â„¢t height. Ben is the consummate team guy and he has a willingness to do anything to help his team. He works very hard in practice every Tuesday and Wednesday and
Thursday is game day for Ben and he gives our guys a good look. He takes great pride in doing that and he always puts his best foot forward. He always tries his best. You never have to think Ben will be down about anything. He?â„¢s going to pick the others up. He?â„¢s going to push them along, he?â„¢s going to prod the scout team to do better to do their best. He?â„¢s a little bit of a leader on our team in his own right.
THE QUESTION: Coach can you talk about the job Gary Darnell has done with the defense, what has that been like for you knowing the relationship that you two have to see him have this kind of success?
COACH FRAN: I?â„¢m not surprised. I went through an extensive process last year in December and I had a file about that thick and I talked to hundreds of people and no matter what I did I still came back to Gary. He always kept nudging back to me. It just became vivid to me that this was the best guy for our situation. He has even exceeded my expectations this year I have to be honest. I don?â„¢t know if you could have sat here last January, February, or March and said we?â„¢re going to improve this much defensively this year. Obviously we could have hoped for that but realistically I don?â„¢t think you could have said this is what?â„¢s going to happen to the
defense. I?â„¢m not surprised that Gary has been able to do that because I?â„¢ve seen him do this before with defenses and I think the real key as much as anything has been the connection that he and the defensive guys had as well as with Van Malone and Bill Clay. I know our defensive guys believe in their coaches right now.
THE QUESTION: Is it difficult in this business to hire your friends, with the pressures at this level?
COACH FRAN: Well, hiring my friend was a bonus. I hired the coach. I just knew the guy and knew what kind of person he was and I knew quality and I knew characteristics a little deeper level than maybe I would if I had hired some other people. Those were comfortable things to have in addition to knowing that I was hiring a top-notch defensive coach.
THE QUESTION: Coach, one other thing about Jamie McCoy. Are you looking at him as an inside guy or an outside guy?
COACH FRAN: Right now he?â„¢s playing inside but I probably haven?â„¢t identified that completely yet Randy. I think we?â„¢re going to look at him as our inside guy here for a while and maybe decide he needs to move outside.
This was a good place to start him in to see how he does and then work from there. Not out of the realm of possibility. When we talked to Jamie about moving we asked if he would want to try receiver or safety. He said he?â„¢d like to try receiver first and obviously knows the offense so that?â„¢s a little bit easier transition for him. He might even be able to play him some in the bowl game because of that. Another thing, I don?â„¢t know if Les or Gary has talked about is that the bowl practices have allowed us to look at Kenny Brown who played receiver all fall at safety, and he has really caught our eye. He made a great interception at practice yesterday. Kenny?â„¢s a big tall good looking guy out there and so Jamie going to receiver kind of helped us feel good about taking a look at Kenny at safety. Now are any of these positions permanent right now? No, they?â„¢re not. But these practices give us the benefit of being able to take a look at this.
THE QUESTION: As far as DeSean Jackson goes, how much during game planning do you have to scheme for a punt returner of his level.
COACH FRAN: You have to game plan for this guy because I don?â„¢t remember now off the top of my head how many he?â„¢s taken back but as much as anybody in the nation. He is great, every time he touches it. So you have to have a plan to try to defend that aspect of the game.
THE QUESTION: How accepting was Jamie with the move when you approached him?
COACH FRAN: Jamie was receptive. I talked to him about what we would liked to and I think Jamie understands that he wants to play. He understands where Stephen is and he knows that the big guy is back there coming too. I don?â„¢t think he just conceded that he won?â„¢t be a quarterback here but I think he wants to play and he wants to get on the field and again, when we signed Jamie we felt like if he wasn?â„¢t a quarterback that he had a lot of upside in other places. That?â„¢s the great thing about signing a guy that?â„¢s an athletic quarterback that can throw and run because if he?â„¢s not your quarterback?... I?â„¢ve been places where your 6-5, 230-pound guy who couldn?â„¢t move if he wasn?â„¢t your quarterback, there wasn?â„¢t much he was. Just a transfer maybe. In Jamie?â„¢s case he?â„¢s an athlete and it?â„¢s our job as coaches now to see how we can fit him into the 22 best players on our team.
THE QUESTION: He had a nice run against one of those Louisiana schools.
COACH FRAN: He?â„¢s about 220. He can probably be a running back. There?â„¢s no doubt about his ability to make people miss and all those things. It?â„¢s exciting to see what we are going through. It?â„¢s like we?â„¢ve got another athlete out on the field even though we had him at quarterback that was a little harnessed now we?â„¢ve unharnessed that a little bit and it?â„¢s exciting to see what the possibilities might be.
THE QUESTION: Coach bowl games are thought of as kind of jumping off point for next season according to a lot of coaches. If that?â„¢s the case when you look back at the Cotton Bowl is there any type of hang over do you think after that? How important is a game such as this one where the program is starting on that upswing and?...
COACH FRAN: You know, I wasn?â„¢t going to let anything that happened in the Cotton Bowl be anything but a positive. I think that?â„¢s what has to come out of the bowl games. There?â„¢s so much more that you derive out of playing this game than just the game. We?â„¢re going to spend Christmas together. We?â„¢re going to spend a week together as a team. This team is pretty close but just that time together is really special. What they?â„¢ve gone through here in these practices and what they?â„¢re going to go through on the trip those are really strong team building opportunities for us. We?â„¢re going to draw names and exchange gifts. Just the ability to bring your team closer and closer together through this process is a pivotal part of it and I think winning the game certainly sends you into the off-season on a positive note. If we don?â„¢t win the game I?â„¢m not going to let us end any other way than on a positive note. I think this team will be very focused on this game and getting ready to play well. The time to do that hasn?â„¢t really gotten here but it?â„¢s getting close now because we?â„¢ll practice Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, let them go home for Christmas for a few days before they report to San Diego so this weekend?â„¢s practices start focusing a little bit more on the game. The last few days that we?â„¢ve had practice have been primarily about staying sharp and not losing their edge and working with the young guys and fundamentals and those kind of issues.