Dec. 18, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas--Head Coach Mike Sherman and players of the team meet with members of the press to talk about the upcoming game against Georgia.
A full transcript of Coach Sherman's press conference, along with selected quotes from players, will be available soon. Audio clips are available in MP3 format to the right.
HEAD COACH Mike Sherman TRANSCRIPT
What's your philosophy in terms of this preparation in terms of getting your team ready for the game, versus just working on what you need to work on?
“Philosophically, the way I've broken it down…previous to this week, we had two weeks where we went Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and just more so Tuesday and Thursday was everybody. I gave the seniors Wednesdays off. That was just throwing and catching, blocking and tackling type of stuff, fairly generic for those first two weeks. And I thought they were very beneficial for us. As we get into this week and the ensuing week, half the practice is dedicated to just going against each other and competing, with the speed of game at a high level. Competitive-type drills. And the other half of the practice is relegated to our preparation for Georgia. The closer we get the more it leans towards Georgia. I think you have to be careful. You don't want to peak too soon and talk about it too long. It's got to be a special feeling when you're getting ready to play in a bowl game. Once we get up to Shreveport, it'll pretty much be about 80 percent and 20 percent just competing against each other to keep the speed of the game alive.”
How have you judged the excitement of your guys?
“They are very excited about playing in this ballgame. They've watched the tapes and know that we are playing a very quality team, and I've expressed that to them. I would say they are very, very excited about that.”
How hard is it to prepare your offense when you don't know necessarily what to expect from the other team's defense?
“I always think you have to worry more about yourself and how you're doing things anyways. Certainly we have every game that Georgia played this past season. How different they are going to be on game day, we can't worry about that. We'll have to make those adjustments in the course of the game. We've had to do that before, because people have changed up how they are going to cover our receivers and how they are going to play us in context of a game. I think that's what coaching is all about. That's the exciting part of coaching, being able to see and make those adjustments with our players on the sidelines. In talking about this team and their ability to do that, I think we've done good job of that with our guys. I know on the sidelines numerous times, talking to the receivers and the quarterbacks about, 'Hey, this is how they are playing us. We need to do this. We need to do that.' And they're into that part of it, what do we have to do to win this football game. The structure of the defense I'm sure has to be pretty much a certain way. I'm sure they'll have some different nuances, but we have to worry about Texas A&M, and then when we play the football game make the necessary adjustments.”
How does it help to have a couple of common opponents this year, in Oklahoma State and Arkansas?
“It helps, in the sense that you see the throwing game more so than anything else. By having those common opponents, and knowing the quality of teams that they are, lets us determine that this is a pretty talented football team we're playing.”
With so many young guys in the program, how big of a benefit will these bowl practices be for you both now and down the road?
“We're really pushing the envelope and getting everybody work. We are basically having two practices going on at the same time. We have a maroon team and a white team. The white team are the redshirt guys, and the guys that will not play in the game. They are preparing this week. I have the GAs working that end of the field with them. They have their own little game plan that's not as expansive as our game plan. They're going to have a scrimmage on Saturday, in which the offense or defense, whoever the winner is, will get an extra hour of curfew for the whole group. It's been kind of an exciting part of practice. The GAs can work against each other with their unit. Everyone's getting reps. From that standpoint, the young guys are really getting valuable practice time. They're getting video tape so we can get a look at them and see where they're at and what they need to accomplish in the spring. From the other side, we have our starters and backups working on the other end. They're getting more work against each other as well as against the looks that we perceive Georgia will give us.”
Talk about the importance of not only getting to the bowl game, but winning it…
“Every game that we enter in to is very important to win obviously. A bowl game is no exception. A bowl game is somewhat of a reward, but at the same time is a tremendous challenge for us. I know the quality of football team we are playing. It would certainly get us off on the right foot, going into spring and next season, to be able to have a victory in this game. Our guys are very excited and the coaches are very excited about being involved in this game in Shreveport.”
How have (freshman LB) Jonathan Stewart and (sophomore LB) Garrick Williams progressed as the season has gone on?
“Jonathan Stewart I thought started out a little tentative, as he tried to assimilate the information we presented to him. He started to make a lot of strides, then kind of semi- hit a wall during the course of the latter part of the season. We continue to work with him and try to push him through that wall. Garrick has been injured at different parts of this season. I thought he stated out strong and continues to work at that position. He's backed up by Sean Porter, and both of those are competing during this time to see who is going to be the starter in Shreveport.”
Obviously (Georgia) Coach (Mark) Richt had his reasons for making the changes he made after the season, but when you look at their defense on film, what do you see?
“I see a very talented group of defensive players. They roll their defensive front through on a regular basis. They just have interchangeable parts in their front guys. Their linebackers, I remember when I was in Green Bay and doing the draft, if you wanted to find linebackers that can run, you go to Georgia. This is no exception. They have very fast linebackers that chase the ball and are really very, very explosive guys. Their secondary has good length. They're fast. They do a good job of getting their hands on you and footballs. I think they are a good defense.”
What's the most impressive part of their offense?
“Obviously, (A.J. Green) is a heck of a football player. I think (also) their running game, when they want to run the football and tie things down in their two-back offense, with that big offensive line. They come off the football and knock you off the ball.”
When you decided to go with this up-tempo offense, are you pleased with the results?
“I knew last year at the end of the season I had to change things up a little bit. Number one, it started with the communication process with the quarterback. I felt like we had to have some type of edge offensively over our opponents, because I knew we were going to play with a bunch of young guys. I think at some point this year we had six freshman starters. I knew I had to do something, so we started in the offseason conditioning program where we really conditioned them like a basketball team. Even now, we often times will do our gassers—our running—before we even start practice, just to wear them down a little bit before they even start so they'll have to fight through that. I think the conditioning part of it is, you look at our offensive line…I was talking to (o-line) Coach (Jim) Turner, and the fact we don't have injuries on the offensive line I think can be somewhat attributed to the fact that they're in pretty dang good shape and have been challenged to no end as far as getting ready for the next play. I do think the fact we have, next to Houston the second most plays run in the NCAA…I was concerned when we did it, because I thought I was going to put our defense in a precarious position if we were hurrying up offense and were 3-and-out with 12 seconds off the clock. That was going to be a difficult challenge, but fortunately we've been pretty good on getting first downs throughout the course of the season. But to answer your question, I feel it's helped our run game. More so than anything, if you look at our statistics—and I don't spend much time looking at that but at the end of the season I did—our passing game improved probably about 20 yards per game, but our run game more than doubled. Part of it is the fact that we're able to wear people down, and our run game in the second, third and fourth quarters was much, much improved from where it was a year ago. To answer your question, yes, I'm pleased where it is right now. And we still have a ways to go.”
You mentioned how you had talked to Coach (Chad) Morris at Lake Travis High School a little about that (communication) before the season, and how they do things. Have you kept up with his season at all this year? They are playing in the state championship…
“I talked to Coach Morris and other high school coaches about how they communicated their offense and what not. Our scheme is our scheme. We really haven't changed our scheme a whole lot. We've changed how we've communicated and adjusted. They were here the other day. I had a chance to visit with him and with the staff and just say hey. What they've accomplished over there is just phenomenal, the wins they've accrued.”
While Shreveport may not be the most exciting bowl destination, what kinds of benefits come from playing in Shreveport and being so close to home?
“Well, first of all, the bowl people over in Shreveport are going to make this game very exciting for our players. We feel honored to go over there and play this football game, particularly against the University of Georgia. We're excited about that part of it. We have a couple kids in the Shreveport area that we are currently actively recruiting. When I took the job I told (Associate AD/Football) Tim Cassidy I want to consider Louisiana as an in-state area. There are parts of Louisiana that are closer to us than parts of Texas. So I really wanted us to do a great job in Louisiana and I think we have capitalized on Louisiana. One of our freshman starters is from East St. John, Louisiana, Patrick Lewis. Jonathan Stewart (Shreveport) has been a starter for us at linebacker. We have recruits over there now that we are actively pursuing. I do think having a presence there…they can come over to practice there, if it's open to the public, but we can't communicate with them. But I know we'll have some coaches come over and visit with us. It will be a positive for us, being in Shreveport.”
How happy were you to hear Tom Rossley was named the national quarterback coach of the year?
“(Laughing) I was real happy. The first thing he said was, 'Does that mean more money?' (laughter) I said, 'No, no it doesn't mean more money. It means higher expectations.' I was pleased for Tom. He and I have been together for over 10 years. His players have always been well-prepared. I never worried about that. He coaches the entire person, from his mind, to his feet, to his heart. He does the whole gamut. I'm real pleased that Tom received that award and I'm more pleased that he's working for me.”
You mentioned Georgia's special teams, can you elaborate on that?
“They might be one of the best and most dangerous teams in regard to special teams, because their kicker, their punter, their returners are at the top of anybody's category. That will be a tremendous challenge for us, because they have no weaknesses in those areas. They do a very, very good job and have excellent talent in the kicking game.”
How do you work on your special teams during this time to make them better, as they have had their problems this year?
“It's been kind of like our season, or kind of like in the Texas game…where we're covering the kickoffs, covering the kickoffs, doing a good job of containing, and then we lose one that was very costly. During the course of these practices we've punted and kicked every single practice opportunity. We've worked on technique and fundamentals and that's about all you can do right now.”
Is Dustin Harris 100 percent and how big is he in the punt-return game?
“Jordan Pugh is probably the most secure in catching the punts. We're going to continue to work with a number of guys back there and see who gives us the best opportunity to win this football game. Certainly Dustin should be healthy at that point to give us an opportunity to take a look at him as well, and we have.”
Do you consider this the end of the 2009 season or the beginning of the 2010 season?
“(laughing) It depends on how it ends up, I guess. I think it's a little bit of both. This game can certainly springboard you into a great spring and fall. At the same time, if you don't play well, you dissect it to the Nth degree. Either way, it's a good test for us, there's no question about that.”
With such a young team, the extra practices are so valuable…is the system a little bit messed up in the fact that it seems like the teams that could really use the extra practices don't get them? Like last year for you guys…
“Yeah, I thought about that last year actually and that exact same point. It seemed that it was an unfair advantage…in everything we do, whether it's in college football or the National Football League, we're always trying to bring about parity. I don't think this in particular is one of those rules that allows for that. Last year I certainly felt like if you could have taken advantage of an extra few weeks, or so many days…the irony is there's really no regulations in this time of year. You can practice. There's no hour limitation, there's no daily limitation. It's what you want to do. Of all the things that are relegated to us, (during) this part of season there really aren't a whole lot of rules and regulations.”
Do you get a chance to enjoy this, the bowl experience?
“Not yet. All our game plans are pretty much done at this point and our practice plans are going to be laid out before we get out there. There are a number of bowl functions, and my family's going to go, and we'll take advantage of that. I have tendency, as my wife says, to have kind of a one-dimensional focus when I'm getting ready to play a game. I'm sure we'll be doing something, and I'll be thinking of something else, and get in trouble for that. But that's par for the course for me.”
Assuming Dustin Harris is back, is it safe to assume he'll be starting at cornerback?
“We're going to continue to evaluate that this week and next, and we'll make that decision once we get up there. But everyone's getting reps right about now.”
On several members of the team graduating this weekend…
“There's a thing I'm really proud of, and it's really a credit to our Academic Center and what they're able to do with kids…We have seven kids graduating this weekend, which adds to another seven that have already graduated. That's really why we're here, what we're supposed to be doing. You shouldn't have to pat yourself on the back for graduating guys but it is kind of nice that we have I think 14 graduates who'll be playing or on the sidelines up in Shreveport. And that's pretty neat. Truthfully that's what it's all about. Hopefully those graduates play their butts off. (laughter)”
Can you picture yourself down three assistants? Is that a big handicap at this time?
“You know, I always get nervous when people suggest someone may be backed into a corner, back to the wall, because I think people rise to those challenges. Particularly good, quality people. I think you make do with what you have. I'm sure it's not the perfect situation, but I'm sure Coach Richt has a plan for that.”
Do you anticipate all your coaches to be back in the spring?
“At the end of every season, after our last ballgame, I sit down with them and we go through an evaluation process. We'll do that once this season is over with.”
Jordan Pugh told us earlier that he was the first on his mother's side to graduate. Is he the perfect example of what you were talking about?
“Yeah. I think they're all different in their own ways. Jordan Pugh, DeMaurier Thompson…all these guys are getting their degrees this weekend. It's kind of neat. Jordan Pugh's special in his way, but each guy is special in his own way.”
With all the All-America awards that have came in for Von Miller, have you guys talked about that?
“No, I haven't made a big deal about it. I'm sure he's being patted on the back enough by everybody else. If it's not team related, I usually don't put a whole lot into it, to be honest with you. He and I have had numerous conversations, but never about those accolades.”
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Joe Kines
“Looking at the University of Georgia…a classic SEC football team. A huge offensive line. Really coached well. They're big. They do a good job with their running scheme. A stable of backs. There have been a couple of times through the years that the second guy at Georgia got drafted pretty high. They've always had really fine running backs. They have strong blocking fullbacks to facilitate the inside running game. The wide receiver, A.J. Green, is a classic wide receiver. He was probably number one or two in the country early but got hurt. We expect him to be back and expect him to play. They do a really good job with their offensive system. They're not very complicated. Someone told me a long time ago, the easier they are to break down, the harder they are to beat, because they know what they're doing and they just stick with their base offense. They're a really, really strong offensive football team.”
On playing in the Independence Bowl…
“We're excited about being in the bowl game. The best thing about a bowl experience, especially for a young team, is what is happening to us right now. We've had really good work in the couple of days we have worked. We're looking forward to going to Shreveport and continuing to work, that way the young guys will just continue to get better. We're very excited about going. They are really good people in Shreveport. Their bowl committee does a great job. The community gets in there behind it. It will be a good experience and we're looking forward to going down and being a part of that.”
In all the years you've been to bowl games, there's a psychology involved with the team in going…how do you prepare the team to be excited and ready to go to the bowl?
“You know, I think Coach Sherman has an excellent plan in place for this group of young men. When you're young, there's the excitement of going to your first bowl, with a lot of freshmen and sophomores involved in it, and the excitement level has been good. Coach told them right from the get go that we are going to work and then we are going to enjoy the bowl. You keep the two separate, and they've been able to do that. Once you go out on the practice field, it's time to practice. When you're involved in the other activities, it's time to relax and enjoy that. As long as you keep those two separate…and this group has done a good job of doing that. Coach has kind of laid it out for them right down the road. Knowing what to expect is part of how you handle things and Coach Sherman has done a good job of laying that out. You know, half the folks in the country are home, are through. The fact that we're not through and we are still working and can still get better, it has a rippling effect. It affects spring practice and the off-season program. This time last year, the guys had already finished exams and gone home. It's hard to get them better when they are home. We're here and working, and that's the good part of it.”
Does Joe Cox remind you of any quarterback you've played this year? Who would you compare him to?
“It's hard to compare guys team to team. He's a classic SEC quarterback and does a really good job moving the offense. He probably has one of the best feels for the deep ball than anyone we've played. They do an excellent job with the play-action pass. When you run ball as well as they do, the play-action pass becomes a big part of your offense and a big weapon for you. You've got two choices: you can stack up the box and play the run, or you can stay back and play the pass. Either one you choose, if you don't do it well, you're in a mess. He does a real good job running the offense. (Offensive Coordinator) Mike Bobo was a quarterback when we were there. He's a football person. He grew up in football family. His father was an excellent guy. Mike played the position and is just a super young mind. He's got a great future ahead of him. Mark (Richt) has been a quarterback coach forever. They understand what they are doing. They understand how to move the ball.”
You have any special memories of your days in Athens?
“You know, God's been good to me. I've been blessed to be at a lot of good places, and Athens is a classic little old college town. There's some resemblance to A&M in that there's no heavy industry around, it's just a little college town. They really get in behind the school. It's a good atmosphere there.”
Have your workouts been focused more on you or Georgia?
“Again, Coach has got a really great plan. Early he has asked us to focus on us and getting us better, and then integrate the game plan as you go. If you don't improve the things you're weakest on right now it doesn't matter what you do on game day. It's an excellent time to work on fundamentals and get yourself in a situation where you can improve your football team.”
What's your focus been defensively?
“Getting off blocks and tackling. Against an option team, there's lot of guys that are unblocked and then they have to make the play off the read. Against a power football team, you've got to whip somebody and get off the block before you do anything. It's been the thing we've concentrated on the most, that and the play-action pass, so you train your eyes to look at the right things there.”
Talk a little bit more about A.J. Green, is he similar to anyone you've faced?
“In our conference the person he'd probably remind you of is probably Dez (Bryant) at Oklahoma State, that caliber of guy. He's got all the tools that a wide receiver needs. He's got height, speed and hands. He and that little youngster over at Alabama are probably number one and two in the country in a lot of people's minds recruiting-wise coming out. He's a classic wide receiver. He about 6-4, 207 pounds, and can really get down the field quick.”
Talk about Georgia's running game. They've been very effective, especially in that last game against Georgia Tech…
“You know, against Tech they just lined the ball up and ran it. They weren't really interested in a lot of stats. If you don't stop the run, we're not going to quit running it. That's the approach that Mark has taken most of his career. If they are on track and running it, they just keep right on running it. They lined up and ran the ball at Tech. Georgia was able to control the ball on them. That was probably the simplest game plan they had all year, they were just going to run the ball until they stopped it. They did a good job with the screen and the play-action pass off of it.
Are you thinking they might try and do that?
“Well, they've tried to do it all year long to most everybody. Sometimes it's out of two-back, sometimes it's out of one-back. But they're going to run the ball first and throw it second.”
JUNIOR QB Jerrod Johnson
On the excitement of playing in a bowl…
“We're more excited to just be able to play one more game with each other. I came in with this senior class, a lot of them didn't redshirt. If I hadn't redshirted this would be my last game as well, so we're excited to get another chance to play. On top of that you go to a bowl game to play football. We're excited to play a good SEC football team in Georgia.”
Is this the end of this year or the beginning of next?
“It's a little bit of both. Coach Sherman has mixed things up. He's developing young guys, and working on new thoughts for the bowl game and next year, but at the same time he doesn't want to cheat those seniors at all, so we're working on Georgia as well. I want to go out on top with these seniors, but at the same time if we do that it will put us on track for next year as well.”
SENIOR DB Jordan Pugh
On playing Georgia in a bowl...
“We're excited. To play in a bowl game, that's your goal. Last year we didn't get to experience that for the first time in my career. Being back now it's exciting and we're looking forward to it, especially playing a team like Georgia. To be with these guys for two more weeks, it's everything that you want.”
What do you expect from Georgia?
“We expect them to run it. They are a running team, an I-pro team, just go at it and stop them. They'll have A.J. Green back, an explosive receiver, he reminds you of Dez Bryant. They are explosive, they're big, they're strong, they're fast. We have to be able to stop the run. If we contain that I think we'll be fine.”
SENIOR OL Michael Shumard
On the importance of getting to a bowl game...
“You have to get to a bowl game, because it helps, especially with a young team. We're scrimmaging trying to figure out some of what we're doing next year along with practicing for Georgia. It gives the seniors a chance to win another game. It gives us a chance to have a positive record. It helps with continuity and getting ready for next year.”
What are the differences in preparing for this bowl?
“We didn't practice as much under Coach Fran as we do now. We're scrimmaging a lot, we're working on us. We have started with Georgia, looking at film, but we've been able to go back to fundamentals, and basics of the game to improve us.”
SOPHOMORE DB Trent Hunter
What does the extra practice do for the team?
“It sets you ahead for the next year. Obviously this will cap of this year, but it will also set the standard for next year. You want to grow every year, and this is a step ahead from last year. Hopefully next year we can add on to these extra practices. It's like an extra two weeks of spring ball.”
On the importance of winning the bowl...
“It sets the precedent for next year. We ended the year last year with a loss to Texas, it's heartfelt, you think about that for a whole year. Hopefully this coming year will get to think about this win against Georgia.”
SOPHOMORE WR Jeff Fuller
On the importance of winning the bowl...
“It's been a while. To win a bowl game would be huge. Coming off a loss to Texas, we just want to improve. Everyone's talking about next year, and how good we're going to be next year, I really feel like it starts with the bowl game.”
How much does this help considering your injury?
“It's just another opportunity to go out and perform. I'm really looking forward to that since I missed out on almost six games.”