Sept. 15, 2008
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Media Luncheon Audio:
- Head Coach Mike Sherman
- Defensive Coordinator Joe Kines
- QB Stephen McGee
- QB Jerrod Johnson
- DL Michael Bennett
- DB Jordan Peterson
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Head coach Mike Sherman and selected players met with members of the press on Monday at the weekly football media luncheon on the Texas A&M campus.
MP3 audio links are available above.
A transcript of Coach Sherman's press conference is posted below.
"The first question I know you'll ask about is (quarterback) Stephen (McGee). He had rehab this weekend and threw the ball a little bit yesterday. Not a lot, just a little bit warming up, and didn't seem to have any discomfort. Today he had survived the night okay, so we're just going to take it one day at a time, see how he is on Wednesday and go from there."
Are you preparing as if he's going to be there or not at this point?
"As far as yesterday's practice was concerned, Jerrod (Johnson) took all the snaps yesterday. (Stephen) took some in the run game but we didn't ask him to make any throws to aggravate the shoulder. So as I said we'll just take it one day at a time and see how it goes. I think Wednesday and Thursday will pretty much dictate where we are with him, either as a starter or the backup."
How have you seen Jerrod progress in the last week as part of the first team?
"I think he's had a good week of preparation. Last week he really did some nice things in practice. I think when we put him in the ballgame (at New Mexico), you have to understand--and I said this after the ball game as well--we prepared him more to play receiver in that ballgame than quarterback. So when we lost Stephen, we actually lost one of our receivers and two of our packages that we had prepared for. It kind of limited things just a bit. But he jumped in there and I thought he did a fine job for us. There's some things we need to clean up with him from a game situation/management situation, but other than that I thought he managed quite well and I think this last week he's done a good job for us."
Do you feel like you have to make the decision with Stephen earlier because it does affect so many positions?
"Yeah, I'll probably make a decision on Stephen in the next couple of days."
Will Jerrod play quarterback at all this week regardless of what happens with Stephen?
"That's a possibility, but we'll have to wait and see. I don't want to have to back myself into a corner and say we're going to do this and do that without actually knowing whether Stephen can even play or not. Once I know he can play I can make the decisions to reflect that. And I don't know that for sure just yet."Talk about your other injuries...
"(Wide receiver Ryan) Tannehill is still nursing the ankle sprain so he did not do anything yesterday. He did some light running so we'll continue to evaluate him. (Running back Keondra) Smith did practice yesterday and seems like he's coming off of that foot. He had some light contact and seemed to fare pretty well with that. (Fullback Anthony) Vela probably will be out, our other fullback who started the first ballgame. He'll probably be out for this game. He has an ankle."
How is Jorvorskie progressing?
"I thought two weeks ago he had a really good week of preparation prior to our New Mexico game. We're kind of pushing the envelope on him a little bit more this week just to see where he can take us. But we need to get him out of his stance a little quicker and continue to work on his blocking. People take him down low and cut him in the hole and we need to get him to bend his knees and get underneath people."
How do you gameplan for a defense as quick as Miami is?
"Well, they've done a nice job not only recruiting but schematically as well. they've got a good defensive coordinator and they have had the offense together for a little bit here. They do have very good speed as evidenced by how well they played against Florida. There are certain plays you want to emphasize over others, whether it'll be zone cut-back type plays or what not, but we're going to have to be able to handle that part of the game, there's no question about it. They do have a lot of speed on defense and on offense."
How do you feel the open week benefitted your team?
"I wouldn't have ever picked to have the off week this week of the season. But as it turned out we probably wouldn't have played the game anyways if we had scheduled a game here at home. There's a good chance it would have been cancelled. It was somewhat fortuitous on our part to be able to have the bye week this week. It's helped us to a degree because we have had a lot of nicks and bangs and bruises and to be able to recover from that is good. That's not to say in week six or seven we won't have the same things. But we did have them at this point. We also need to get better. We need to improve as a team, and it gave us a chance to really isolate in practice some things that we need to work on. I thought we did get better in a lot of different areas in regard to our football team. But we'll continue to work on that."
Have you had to deal with a lot of distractions from the hurricane with players from Houston?
"Well we've talked about that. I talked to them yesterday about that and nobody seems to have anything major in their lives that is affecting them directly. I'm sure indirectly there's a lot of things affecting them with so many kids from the Houston area, and Houston being in a very difficult situation--not just Houston but over there in Beaumont and Galveston obviously. It does affect quite a bit of our team but it certainly didn't seem to have an effect on them in practice yesterday."
If Ryan (Tannehill) and Stephen (McGee) are unable to go does that make Tommy (Dorman) the No. 2 quarterback?
"Yes, that's true."
Can you take anything from the game A&M played against Miami a year ago?
"I think Miami offensively hit some big plays against them and when you study the tape it was the effect that those big plays had on the team as a whole that affected I think the overall outcome of the game. When you isolate five or six different plays it really made the game get well out of hand. And the reaction to those plays, maybe trying to keep it under control just a bit. It just seemed like the game got a little out of hand at one point because of the explosive plays that Miami had."
They have been struggling some offensively this year, what would you attribute that to?
"Well it's like anything else, they have transition. Their starting quarterback didn't play in the first game, he did play in the second ballgame. And he's new, I think he's a redshirt freshman. They started a freshman the first ballgame and they were very conservative with him. They have a new group of receivers. They have an excellent running back who got hurt, but they have a stable of running backs. And, they have a big offensive line that seems to have pretty good experience. But at their skill positions primarily they are relatively young."
Are you preparing for both quarterbacks?
"Yes. Both played in the last ballgame, though I think (Robert) Marve will be the starter. But I think we'll see both of them."
How does it benefit you that (A&M def. coordinator) Joe Kines knows that kid pretty well?
"Certainly any knowledge of someone that you have can help you in preparation, what his strengths are and so forth. I would say it helps. But Joe's not going to tackle anybody. Not that I know of, although he did get tackled on the sideline at New Mexico...but he shouldn't be on the field."
Is there any mental factor that you have to look at? Some people look at the Miami game last year and say it started a tumultuous chain of events here. I don't know if that's in the players' heads at all...
"If it is I try to wipe it out. Every year is a new year and every game is a new game. You look at UCLA for example. You have to be able to flush that stuff out pretty quickly. I think as a coach that's my job to make sure no ill effects are on my team in response to last year's loss to Miami and the damage it might have had on the season. I think one game is one game. I've always looked at it that way and treated it that way. I think players pretty much react to how the coach reacts. If I'm in a panicky state about it they will be too. So I think a lot of it is a reflection of how I handle it. We won't address a whole lot about last year's game. It's a new season, a new year, and we certainly give Miami their due. They played a whale of a ballgame last year against A&M, but this is a new time and we're playing here at home. We're looking forward to the ballgame."
Any differences in the Miami defense looking at the tape from last year to this year, with all the freshman playing and the defensive coordinator?
"(Miami Defensive Coordinator) Bill (Young) is a very good fundamental defensive coach that does a great job of coordinating the defense. They're very sound. Because they have such good athletes they are not a high-risk defense. They let the guys play with great technique and they can. They have a big group up front. Their two inside people are very big and they control the line of scrimmage very well. They've got good linebackers and a good secondary."
This starts a stretch of a lot of games without a break...is this one maybe a little more important to set the tone for that long stretch?
"I haven't looked past this game to be honest with you. We just have to take care of this one week and we'll worry about the following ones when we get to those weeks. I know that's kind of a coaching axiom but I truly live that way...just worry about today's practice. Let's take care of today's practice, then we'll worry about the next practice and when we get to the game we'll worry about the game. My biggest concern is today's practice and make sure we practice with great preparation and energy, the way we need to play when we take Kyle Field."
In terms of speed and athleticism, are they as good a team as you'll see this year?
"That's hard to say without having played them. I'd be able to better answer that after we've played them or after the end of the season when we've played other teams. But they are a talented football team, there's no question about that from watching them on tape."
Are there a few guys that jump off the table at you when you're looking at film?
"Well the running back, certainly, (Javarris) James is a special, special player. I'm not sure of his status at this time. The defensive line is very active, they do a great job as well. But to pinpoint one over the other would be a disservice. They have a good group of players on both sides of the ball. Offensive line is as big a group as we'll play, 350, 330, 315."
How do you keep your guys from playing against "The U" and Miami, and not just playing against the guys that are on the field?
"Good question. I worry more about us than them. I worry about how we're doing things. I can't control that mystique and what they are, but we can control what we think about ourselves. I don't think that's going to play into it. We're playing a team in 2008 on this field, and it has nothing to do with the past. It has everything to do with how we play. If we play well, we'll do well. If we don't we won't. It's as simple as that."
In all your years of coaching have you ever coached against Miami?
"Not the Miami Hurricanes, no."
Is their speed really the overriding concern you have on both sides of the ball?
"Well, they are a well-coached team. It's one thing to have speed, it's another to have it going in the right direction. And I think they have it going in the right direction. I think they're well coached. There are a lot of fast teams out there that aren't good teams, but this team connects. On offense they have different guys doing different things. They have different packages with different players and they do a good job getting them in and out of the game. They have a great plan for what they do. Defensively they're very much a fundamental football team that has very good athletes, which is a difficult combination at times."
Coach (R.C.) Slocum is being inducted this weekend into the A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. Would you like to comment on that?
"Well, I think it wouldn't be a hall of fame at A&M if R.C. wasn't in it, after all he's done here--as a head coach, an assistant coach and now as an administrator. I'm very happy for him. Obviously he's had an impact on my career in many, many ways. I couldn't be more thrilled and I know he is too. He'll downplay it a little bit but I know it's very important to him, as it should be."
What has been the biggest challenge moving from the pros back to college?
"I think the biggest challenge for any pro coach coming back to college is the limitation on the time you have with your players, where you go from a minimum of a 40-hour week to a maximum of a 20-hour week. I would say that's one of the major challenges you have. And if you don't figure that out you're going to be behind the 8-ball."