Oct. 13, 2008
- Tech Media Luncheon Audio - Coach Sherman
- Tech Media Luncheon Audio - Coach Kines
- Tech Media Luncheon Audio - QB J. Johnson
- Tech Media Luncheon Audio - WR/QB R. Tannehill
- Tech Media Luncheon Audio - DB T. Hunter
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.
Click the MP3 links above to listen to audio from the press conference. A transcript of Coach Sherman's comments is listed below.
Can you give us an update on Stephen McGee. Did he throw at all last week?
"Very little. Very little. We'll throw him tomorrow and see what he can do tomorrow."
Did you get a chance to talk with Michael Bennett this weekend?
"I met with Michael at noon time yesterday. He'll be out there tomorrow."
Are you little disappointed in that situation or do you feel like things are okay there?
"I'm willing to move forward. We had a good conversation. He was fairly accountable. We'll move forward from there."
It looks like the offensive line did a nice job pass protecting this weekend, but they got kind of banged up...
"It was quite a juggling act during the course of game because of frequency of guys that were coming out and trying to get guys to go back in. I think (Lee) Grimes, who was also hurt in the game, ended up playing three positions for us. Obviously (Travis) Schneider and (Michael) Shumard were out, (Danny) Baker had to go in, (Robbie) Frost went in, (Vince) Williams went in, so we had quite a hodgepodge of different people that hadn't really played a whole lot together in the game. I thought communicated well and targeted well. We did have some pressure off the edges a couple of times at our tackle position, but considering the circumstances I thought they did ok."
You've only been in two conference games now, but what's your perception of the league? There's four teams in the top eight nationally in this division. Is it better than you had thought?
"Coming into it, all the preseason hype had been aimed at the teams that are up there now and deservedly so. It's not like everybody came from nowhere. These teams are well on the way to the recognition they are currently getting. I'm not surprised, I was kind of expecting it to be that way."
Can you talk about Texas Tech's offense?
"The beauty of them from a coach's standpoint is that they've been doing same thing for a long time, and once you think you have them figured out they add another element to their offense. They're constantly evolving, a little bit at a time. They still run their core offense. The thing that makes them even more explosive this year is the frequency with which they are willing to run the football. They're running the ball a little more I believe...I don't know if statistically they are, but my perception of them coming into the season is that they would throw first and run second. This year they are doing both equally well. They have a very big offensive line. There are guys 360, 340 in that group, so when they get on you they lean on you and can create some space. The receiving corps, led by (Michael) Crabtree, is an excellent one. Those other receivers are very much in same league. They are very explosive, very disciplined, and they have been doing the same thing over and over again for a number of years. They are an older group, so they've had some frequency doing it and they do it very well."
Can you talk about some of the fourth down chances that Mike Leach takes?
"I think it's a coach showing confidence in a very veteran team, and a belief in what they're doing. And also in their ability to get it. He has lot of conf they can get that first down. I think if you're able to do that with the talent that you have it sends a great message to your team."
Nebraska took them to overtime, can you take anything from that game?
"There's no question that we definitely look at all those tapes-this year, last year, we've gone back couple of years and looked at them. We studied them quite a bit in the offseason. We put together a tentative game plan way back in the springtime, in relationship to these guys. I think it's changed, as they change, things change. Now we know what we are a little better and what we have to do. You can't always do what you want to do. A lot of it is based on your personnel and their personnel. What Nebraska did, we looked at real hard. What's good for them isn't always necessarily good for you, but you try to see similarities, and what was successful, and what possibly you could employ that would help defend this group."
Is time of possession a big key in this game, keeping an offense like that off the field?
"They are so explosive...I think time of possession can sometimes be a little deceiving. You can win time of possession, but if they're scoring and you're turning the ball over...we've won time of possession a couple of games by a number, and if they're scoring, time of possession doesn't mean whole lot. I think you have to score points. I don't know if I could ever just sacrifice time on the clock and not go for the end zone and try to get points on the board. Certainly the most damaging statistic is turnovers. They are very opportunistic. If you turn the ball over to them, you give them another possession and take yourself off the field. That's more of something we need to look for than time of possession."
Knowing you have to score points, how encouraged were you by your performance last week offensively?
"I'm not discouraged, but don't know if I'm...I think we did some good things but there's a lot of things we have to do a lot better offensively. As I said after the game there were two possessions-the second and third of the ballgame-I wish we'd done more with that. On the first possession we had a touchdown that was taken off the board. The frustration of those things hasn't allowed me to really feel overly confident. I do believe we're making progress offensively. Our players are falling into what we are trying to accomplish, particularly from a passing-game standpoint. We have to be more efficient trying to run the football. We were in an empty backfield about 50 times in the ballgame. That can be very damaging going against a really good pass-rush group because they just have to put their ears back and rush the quarterback. We were fairly efficient at it but I don't know you can bank on that every single week. We have to control the rush better than just getting the ball out quick. I'm not discouraged, but overly encouraged? We've got to get better this week in practice. We've got a lot of work we've got to do, and I'm hopeful and confident we can get there."
Do you think you can win football games passing the football the way you did last week, moreso in looking at the problems your defense is having?
"Well, Tech has won games doing it that way. It's not my preference. My preference is to have a very balanced offense. But because of some of the injuries we have had in the offensive line, we've had to lean in certain directions that my personality and my background don't normally advocate. But you have to do what you have to do to move the football and win the game. In this one game, that's what we felt like we had to do, particularly when we got to the point where we had the blocked punt, and we were falling behind and we had to make a move. That move was in the direction of getting the ball out in space and getting it down the field."
In the last eight to 10 years Tech has had a lot of success against this program. What do you do to try to instill confidence in your team and maybe put a little bit of a chink in Tech's armor?
"I look at this as a great opportunity for us, whether it's Tech or anybody else, to play highly ranked team like Tech that has had the success they've had this year. They deserve the attention they're getting. They've done what they need to do so far. They have to come into Kyle Field, and I'm sure they're anxiously looking forward to that, and so are we. We think it's a great opportunity for us to try to do something special. I told the guys a couple of weeks ago that I don't know what it's going to be, but something special is going to happen to this team this year. We're working too hard and we're doing too many things right not to have something special. I thought that something special was a great comeback against Kansas State last week in the second half, and I told them that at halftime. That wasn't to be. Maybe it's this week, maybe the week after, I don't know. Our players are on alert that we need to prepare to do something special, and hopefully it'll be this week. It's a very well-coached team. People talk about their offense, but defensively they have a great group of coaches. They don't get the credit or the recognition because they're not putting points up, but they are playing very well on defense and do a fine job over there. We have a chance to play against a very highly-ranked team. I hope we respond to that challenge. This is a great opportunity for us to fix some ills we've had this season. We have to approach practice and this game in that matter."
(KSU Coach) Ron Prince mentioned how large they were on the defensive side of the ball, he said he was shocked at how big they were defensively when he saw them up close...
"They have big kids at just about all their positions. You go with their receivers and their offensive line and defensive line and their ends. They have a kid inside, (Colby Whitlock), that's a big old kid that plays his position real well. (Brandon) Williams on the edge can really rush the quarterback. I have concernes about him. They are very stout on either side of the ball."
If Ryan Tannehill keeps doing what he's doing, is it going to be hard to move him back to quarterback?
"He can throw himself a pass maybe. He probably could do it too, knowing him. The first pass (Brett) Favre ever threw was to himself, it was tipped and he caught it. But I gave him my word that he would go back to quarterback in the spring to compete for job, so he'll be at that position for spring."
When you decided to hire (Defensive Coordinator) Joe Kines, did you factor into the decision the success he had against Texas Tech a few years ago in that bowl game?
"You know, when the word was out that I hired Joe Kines, the first guy to call me out of the blue was Mike Shanahan, and I hadn't talked to him in a while. But he said, 'Boy, that was a great hire you made. That guy taught me football.' So I felt good about that. I had studied Joe's films when I was in the NFL whenever watched players from Alabama, and I've always impressed with how hard they played, and the scheme, and the problems they presented. That (was it) more than anything else. And then, I knew his history with Tech and how well he's done with that, and obviously that plays into it but that wasn't sole reason. If that hadn't happened and he wouldn't have played them, it wouldn't have made a difference. But it certainly didn't hurt."
Talk a little bit about Nick LaMantia and what he's meant...
"Well, I tell all the guys, 'Hey listen, we're all in this thing together.' We don't have walk-ons or scholarship players. Maybe that hierarchy exists in the locker room. I don't want it to. But my expectations out of everybody is that you have to have a role on this team to be on the team. There's no one here that is just on the team to be on the team. And Nick embodies that. He has a huge role, as a fullback, on special teams and as a leader. When he gets up and speaks, no one sees anything but leadership, character, try-hard, toughness. He embodies all that spirit, which is part of an embodiment of the 12th Man, but hopefully other players in the locker room as well. He brings a lot of stuff to the football team. He's been someone I've gone to a number of times and talked to him about where we are and what we're doing in relationship to the chemistry of the locker room. He's been great a conduit for me to the team."
Could you evaluate the play of the secondary so far?
"I think we've had good games and some not so good games. I didn't think we played particularly well against Oklahoma State. We made some not so great coverage calls on the field this past week that exploited us just a little bit. I thought our corners in this game, except for a couple of occasions where we were playing off the receiver a little more than I wanted to, and there was some miscommunication to I think Jordan Pugh, Danny Gorrer and Jordan Peterson, which has hurt us in the development of that group. We're getting better, but we still have a ways to go in order to cover the group we need to cover right here. This is a very unique, very confident offense that's coming into town. We have to not be afraid to challenge them. We can't be afraid to make a mistake. When we make our mistakes is when we don't attack things we should attack. We're a little bit hesitant. I would like us to be a little less fearful of making mistakes. That doesn't mean I want a bunch of mistakes out there but I think the hesitancy doesn't allow us to play to the level we have to play at to be successful."
How do you handle Michael Crabtree?
"It's very difficult to just identify him because there is an assortment of weapons they have. To say we're going to stop him, they go right to somebody else. It just seems like they very methodically go through their list, of this guy's getting the ball, this guy's getting the ball and this guy's getting the ball, and then they start over again. It seems like they want a great balance in their offense as to who's touching the football. They spread it around where everybody's a part. It's very much an offense, in relationship to ownership, that I would like ours to have. Everybody has a role in the offense and everyone touches the ball. To say you're going to stop this guy, there'll be someone else that they'll go to in a heartbeat. I don't know if you stop them as much as you try to contain them, and the run after the catch and all that stuff."
Can you give an update on Michael Shumard and Travis Schneider?
"They both were in boots yesterday. I don't know what their availability will be this weekend just yet."
Can you talk about the chemistry in the locker room?
"It's always something I look at real hard. Whenever new coach comes in, that doesn't make one way better than the other way, but there's just certain elements I want in there. I believe you have to have energy, you have to have passion, and I believe you have to be positive. Sometimes we have that, and sometimes we don't to the degree I want. I think we're getting closer. Some of the younger guys are stepping up and bringing the energy in locker room that we need. The seniors are adapting. They haven't been with me. They've been doing it a certain way, and just trying to learn a new way is kind of hard sometimes and challenging. We're getting there. I wouldn't say we are where we need to be right now. That's nothing I haven't told the team, I told him the same thing."
Can you talk about taking the redshirt off of K.J. Williams?
"I just felt like if anything ever happened to (Jamie) McCoy we needed a receiving tight end. I think he gives us that. He's a ways away from being the player he needs to be at this point, but until a guy's thrown into the game, and he was thrown in there the other day and will continue to be thrown in, they're not going to assume that level until they're actually at the hotel, in the meetings, getting ready for the game, in pregame, and then get thrown into the ballgame. We're going to continue to push the envelope with him. We really don't have a true tight end that's been up there. Jamie McCoy is a converted quarterback/receiver/tight end. KJ is, as far as the guys we travel with, the most close to being a tight end. There are things we have to clean up on him, but the idea was he's going to have to play at some point this year, and we're going to need him next year, let's get him in the mix and see where he's at."
With Graham Harrell not necessarily being as mobile as some of the quarterbacks you've played this season, does that help a little bit?
"Well, he' s just so dang accurate. He gets rid of the ball. I don't look at him and say he can't run. I think he can run. They even snap the ball to the back and run the read option with the back which is a nice little thing they do to take that off of him. I think that just says they want him to be out there and not be banged up. He has the ability to run around and make plays, no question about that. Does it change up (preparation)? No, I don't think so. His strengths are the knowledge of the passing attack, a quick release and is very accurate."
If Stephen (McGee) is healthy how much will we see him and Jerrod out on the field together?
"Well, if you were the coach and you are in my situation and have any competitive advantage whatsoever over Tech, are you going to tilt the only thing you have? (laughter) If I can hold that over them and that'll get me through the week I'll hold on to that (laughing). You know, I don't have a whole lot of secrets. We're going to try to Stephen out tomorrow and see where he's at, and then we'll make that decision as we go through this thing. Jerrod did some nice things in the game. A couple of times he missed his progression, and I was critical of that. He needs to protect the ball better, and he's done a better job of that. After the first quarter, he ran north and south more than east and west. He made a lot improvement, no question. We're going to keep working with both of those guys. It's been proven that we need both of them to win this year."
You talk about the team being due for something big...how important would it be for that to happen against Tech? If there's such a thing as karma the team is about due for some good karma...
"Yeah, they're about due. The coach is due for some good karma too (laughing). This would be great. Certainly there's the challenge of playing a team that's ranked as high as they're ranked and what the future holds for that football team...to be able to compete with them and work to beat them, that'd be a great thing for our players and our program-there's no question about that."
Are there any other redshirts we can expect to come off?
"Our kicker's (Randy Bullock) came off in the ballgame. K.J. (Williams) we talked about. There's really nobody else at this point. (QB) Tommy Dorman was on the bubble for a while there, but if Stephen can get back this week then we'll keep him in the back and not push for him. (Other than that) Maybe one of the offensive linemen, maybe even two of them, depending on how this week comes out."
Do you know who will kick this week?
"Randy will kick again this week."
What do you remember about the series with Tech from your time here?
"It was so long ago. One thing I do remember is R.C. (Slocum) going out there with some red stuff on his back, some whoop ass he was throwing around the locker room. I didn't know what the heck that was, I just saw some red paint on his back or something. That was one thing I remember. I remember them throwing tortillas at us one time when we were out there. I hate to see that wasted food on the field like that (laughing). Other than that...I remember throwing an interception and Zach Thomas picking it off for a touchdown, and then having played that same player in the NFL and him doing same thing. He's an amazing player. Those are probably my most readily available memories."
Do you like the fact that even though your team has gotten down, they have never quit?
"Well, I appreciate that. There's some value to that, there's no question. But I don't take a whole lot of solace in that. If you play for the Fightin' Texas Aggies, you shouldn't, and if you do, you're not going to be here. I appreciate you saying that, and it is true, we have tried to get back into ballgames. On the sideline, we thought we had a chance to get back into that ballgame, and make a run at it. We didn't make that fourth down play on the goal line, and that's my fault, running same play twice. I thought we would get a yard on the first one and then just bang it in, but it just didn't happen. I thought we could make a run at the game, and I thought they did too. They didn't give up on it. But we don't need to be that far behind. We don't need to put ourselves in that kind of hole."
What happened on the blocked punt?
"It was a couple of guys working together and not communicating correctly. Those are things that get you beat. Those are the things we can't have happen. We can't afford that. It happened early in the game and you have to overcome it."
Can you clarify the kicking situation?
"Richie (Bean) is still hurt. I thought Randy did a nice job. His hang time on kickoffs was very good. Except for the extra point he did a nice job. When Richie comes back we will have competition again. Every week those two compete against each other. This week Randy wasn't going to do kickoffs but was going to do field goals, because I feel he performed better in practice before Richie got hurt."
What do you make of the season as a whole so far?
"I'm proud of our guys. They are working hard and trying to get better. I'm proud of our coaches, they are doing everything they possibly can to help us win football games. We're obviously in some tough times. We're struggling right now and we need to get out of this hole. I told the guys our backs are so far up against the wall that we've got splinters up our butts. We need to fight our way out of this thing. That's the only way we can do it. After the game I told them, 'Hey, mom and dad, your sister and brother, grandma, your uncle, and the media...they can't fix our problems. They think they can, but they can't. The only people that can fix our problems are us in this room, and we've got to get it right.' I think they are buying in to what we are trying to do, slowly but surely. There's still a ways to go there. I wish we were further ahead than we are. I'm disappointed for the A&M fans that come to Kyle Field and don't go home with a win, driving back to Beaumont or Austin or Corpus Christi and their Aggies haven't won. I hope when they look at it they'll see guys coaching hard and playing hard and trying to do the right things, even though we've made our share of mistakes for a season already. It's disappointing that we're not better, but it's not discouraging. I see a bright future for us. We're playing lots of guys that will be playmakers for us in the years to come."