Aug. 30, 2010
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
Talk about the progress you've seen in Jerrod Johnson over the past year...
"I've seen a lot of progress in Jerrod. I thought last year he made his biggest jump, but he had the furthest to go when we went through last season. He continues to be a student of the game even more so. He studies it even more. I see a lot of progress."
What are you most excited to see when you get back out on the field on Saturday?
"The fans. We've been practicing in empty stadiums and so forth. So to reconnect with the 12th Man and the fans will be an experience that our younger players, and older players, and new coaches, and older coaches will all get a thrill out of."
What have you seen from SFA on film?
"From an offensive perspective, everyone thinks they're a throwing team first--which they are--but they ran the ball pretty effectively for what they do. About 125 yards per game. And then throwing the ball, they throw it all over the place, about 343 yards a game. They are a pretty effective offense. Jeremy Moses is an excellent quarterback. He has a complete grasp of the offensive system and thrives in it. I think he's a two or three-time all-American, and he led them to the playoffs last year. He will be a challenge. I'd say scheme-wise, when you try to type-cast people or schemes, they are very much unique in their own way, but maybe a little more like Houston than others, from what I've seen of Houston.Â
"From a defensive standpoint Jabara Williams is an excellent middle linebacker. He'll probably play on Sundays. He's a very good player, 300 tackles, 20 for losses. So he's someone we have to reckon with in the middle from a run-game standpoint. They have big guys up front, interior guys. They play a 4-3 scheme. They're a two-shell defense, at least on last year's tape. That may have changed in the offseason but off last year's tape they start with a two-shell and go from there. They're very efficient on special teams. I think they have excellent team speed. Also with Coach Harper and his staff, they are a very well-coached group of kids."
What are your expectations for this season?
"Just to keep getting better. Get better from last season, get better today than we were on Friday, get better tomorrow than we are today. Just to get better and keep improving. The key component for our team will be the chemistry of our guys and a belief that when things aren't going well we can find our way out of it, as opposed to maybe giving in to it and saying `Oh, here we go.' And I think they're getting to that point. I think part of that comes with being able to look around the locker room and seeing a guy like Jerrod Johnson, or Von Miller, on Ryan Tannehill, or Jeff Fuller, or Lucas Patterson. You see those guys, and you see them make plays in practice, and that gives you the confidence that they are going to make the plays in a game as well. Terrence Frederick has grown up a lot. Trent Hunter has grown up a lot. So I think when you are in that locker room and look around and see players who can make plays, that gives you the confidence that you can go out there and play as a team."
Was SFA a team that you put on the schedule or one you inherited?
"I did not have anything to do with this current schedule. Schedules are what they are. They tell me who we are going to play and they ask my opinion. But (Associate A.D.) John Thornton and (Athletic Director) Bill Byrne pretty much take care of that. They always ask my opinion, which I appreciate, but we go with what we're going with."
Do you like opening up with SFA this year?
"Yeah. They are a team that last year was 10-3, went to the playoffs. They have some good players at Stephen F. Austin. Like I said they are very well-coached. We're looking forward to playing them. It's our first opponent and the kickoff of our season, so it's a big game for us."
How do you change from practice tempo to game tempo?
"We try to practice, and I talk to them all the time about this...practice is the game. In all actuality sometimes the game is even maybe a little slower than it is faster, in relationship to our performance. Now defensively, what we're going against is certainly going to be faster than maybe a service team would be. We practice a lot of situations. We go ones-versus-ones a lot. We always start practice and end practice in a competitive speed, good on good, fast on fast kind of drills, and we also have one in the middle of practice. We're always practicing those game-like situations. But what happens in a game that you can't practice is the crowd, the officials...all that plays a part in it. The distractions that may come about. Those are things you just have to go with and hope you've educated your players enough that they can handle those types of things. You give up a touchdown in practice, we come back and run the next play and we fix it. You give one up in a game, your mindset might be a little different. Those are the issues that we can't really practice until you get into the context of the game."
You list six true freshmen on your two-deep. How many do you expect to play on Saturday?
"That actually will play in the game, I'd say around that number. Maybe four, maybe eight, it all depends. But possibly as little as four and as many as eight."
Who are other two?
"I haven't even looked at the two-deep that y'all have. We should give you the one that's not the right one anyways." (laughter)
How do you feel about the specialists coming into week one?
"I'm nervous about it. I'm concerned because we haven't done it under the line of fire. I thought we made a big jump last week with field goals and punting. When we had the scrimmage in the stadium our execution was very good in relationship to our specialists. Our snappers and holders and punters and kickers performed well, and they performed well after the scrimmage. I feel better, but until we are in the stadium and playing a game, my comfort level will not be there until we do it successfully and consistently."
Do you have a lot of film on Stephen F. Austin? I know they're a Division I-AA so to speak. Is there everything available on them as you could get on another team on your schedule?
"Yes."
How do you look at it given everything's all new and they are a Division I-AA team? What can you glean from it?
"It's no different than playing Texas or Nebraska or Oklahoma or Baylor or anyone else. It's our first opponent and all the film that we have available for those games we have for this game. And we break them down exactly the same way."
How would you evaluate your offensive tackles going into the first game?
"I think we're ahead of where I thought we'd be at this time. I really like our tackles. They're a key component, obviously, in pass protection of the quarterback and our ability to get the ball off. Von Miller probably about 75 to 80 percent of the time at practice, and Von gets the best of him, but I'm hopefully Von will do that to other people as well. But Luke doesn't hold his head down. He gets back up and goes at it again. Brian Thomas has had a good camp, Jake Matthews has had a good camp. I feel like we're ahead of where I thought we'd be. You are never where you want to be, but I think we are ahead of where I thought we'd be at this time."
Do you plan on running Jerrod Johnson more or less this year with the evolution of the offense?
"I don't know if it will change a whole heck of a lot. He may have to run when he's not designed to run, so he's going to have some runs on his own. We may not have to call any of those, because he may have to do it on his own, which is when he gets his biggest plays. When we call them they're not quite as big as when he takes off and scrambles and splits the defense on his own. He'll have his opportunities without me even calling them. But we'll continue to have a couple of quarterback runs in there."
Is the defensive line as far along as you thought it would be?
"Coach (Terrell) Williams has done an outstanding job with those kids. I don't know if we have the `superstar' defensive lineman in there, but I think we have a bunch of grunts in there that have worked really hard. I'm really proud of how hard they've worked in camp in learning the new defense. And it's very much a technical position. Coaching the defensive line on this team in this scheme is very much like coaching the offensive line. Very fundamental and very technical. There's certain things you can't violate in relationship to how you play your technique, or we'll give up a big play. I'm pleased with where they are. We have to keep getting better but I'm pleased. Lucas Patterson picked up from where he was in the spring. We bounced him around a little bit from end to end to nose guard just to protect ourselves. Putting (Jonathan) Mathis at the nose guard position and he's really been a good player in there behind Eddie (Brown) at this point. Tony Jerod-Eddie is playing better than he's played. He's more sudden than he's been in the past. One of the most challenging things to do in a game is rotating the defensive line. When do you put them in, when you don't put them in, what combinations are in at the same time. Those guys do get tired. They're 300-pound men running around like linebackers or safeties. So they get worn down and you have to rotate people in there. The strength of the defensive line isn't necessarily as much in the first group as in the second group that's going to have to play. And it's scheduled to be 93 at kickoff, so it's going to be hot and we have to plan for that."
How many guys to you plan to rotate?
"Well, we're hoping we can get to the point where we have eight players. We have three positions, and we have the two-deep so that's six, and then two from that next group."
What did you think of Michael Hodges' camp and are you worried about his size and the pounding he'll take?
"Michael isn't a big man but I think he plays big. He's sudden, he's quick. He's a totally different player at this point than he was a year ago at this time. Coming off that knee, he was never 100 percent. He wasn't ready this time last year, but after three or four ballgames we ended up playing him, and he was never really 100 percent. I didn't realize that exactly until we were in spring ball, where all of sudden he was showing a pretty good burst. We have Kyle Mangan in there with him and Malcom Johnson has done a nice job, and Dominique Patterson. So we have a little bit of depth where Hodges doesn't have to play all the time like we've had to do in the past. But I'm excited about Mike. I think he's had a really good camp. He's very sudden. He's very instinctive. And he really studies the game."
How important is it to for the defense to hit the ground running Saturday in terms of confidence?
"It goes without saying that we have to come out of the blocks early and often in this game. They have a lot of confidence throwing the ball. Our confidence will be predicated on how good a job we match up to them. It's important we come out and have a good showing against what they do. They spread you out, try to get isolations on people and try to expose you that way."
Are your safeties relatively healthy going into this game?
"Well, as you know we've been banged up a little bit in camp. (Steven) Campbell is going to be ready to go today. Trent Hunter will be ready to go today. I think everybody else is pretty healthy at that position."
Does it worry you that Campbell missed all of camp? Is he up to game speed?
"I think it's going to take a little work, because he wasn't involved in spring football either. He's such a talented kid that we'll find a way to get him on the field. Yeah, I wish he had been able to go through spring and fall and not been injured."
How pleased are you with your staff and how cohesive they've been?
"Transition is always difficult. We had a good group of guys last year. Bringing in another group, the players have to adjust, the coaches have to adjust, coaches have to move families, buy houses. So it was a heck of a transition. I think they've done very well. They've adapted to our culture and how we want to do things. They've brought a lot of energy to our defense. Tim (DeRuyter) has done a great job of leadership over there. You're only as good as your coaches, and the other coaches have really held up their part of the bargain at this point. But we've got a long season ahead of us. I always say you can't evaluate a staff until you have adversity. Once that adversity shows, you really know what your staff is all about. But without any major adversity to this point we've done pretty well. We've meshed well. Not only are they passionate coaches but they're passionate about recruiting and about Texas A&M. They are excited to be here and it shows in how they perform their jobs."
Who's a guy that last year was maybe way down on the depth chart, or maybe an incoming freshman, that's poised for a big season?
"Bradley Stephens has really had a good camp. Bradley's done a nice job. My big thing with Bradley was holding on to the football and he's done a much better job with that. He is making great decisions. I wouldn't say he was way down on the depth chart but he wasn't necessarily in the two-deep. I'm excited about him. I guess you'd have to say Terrence McCoy would be another one that was a backup, lost his position last year, and now he's named special teams captain by the team last week and is listed right now as a starter in this game. He's made an about-face that's pretty exciting. Everyone else has probably fallen in as expected."
Is EZ (Uzoma Nwachukwu) up to full speed?
"He will be today. I think he's still a little bit sore but he's going to practice today."
How do you divide up the snaps between Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael?
"It's just a feel thing. They're both excellent running backs. Cyrus is going to return kickoffs, so that puts him in a little bit of a hole to start the game, simply because he just returned a kickoff, if we are in fact receiving. We try to be fairly balanced. If one back is hot we leave him out there a little bit longer. But we don't want him to use all the gas in his tank. We feel very comfortable using either one at any time."
Is there an effort to get them both an even number of snaps?
"No. They'll both get some even snaps early but if one back is seeing the game better or making better decisions he may play a little bit more. I think (asst. coach) Randy Jordan, who played running back in the NFL for 10 years, does a great job of balancing that out. That's not an easy thing on game day, to balance out those reps. The great thing about it is--I've never seen anything like it ever and I've seen a lot of things--is how those two guys are not selfish among each other. They support each other, help each other, cheer for each other. It's kind of a unique group. The chemistry of that group is as high as any group on the team."
Will you make it a priority for Ryan Tannehill to get some snaps at quarterback?
"The number one priority for Ryan is to help us win any way he can, whether it's as a receiver or as a quarterback. If there's ever an opportunity where he can go in and get some work then yeah, we will do that. But you have to weigh that. There was a situation last year, I think y'all questioned me why he didn't play. He had played a lot at receiver, and it was the end of a game, forget what game it was. We had the game in hand, and why didn't he play. I think he was even frustrated, he wanted to play quarterback. He had just played his heart out as a receiver and I didn't want to put him in a position of risk. But there hopefully will be some times this season where he'll get that opportunity. He had a great practice the other day."
As an offensive coach that's seen this defense every day, what are the main problems that an offensive coordinator will have with Coach DeRuyter's defense?
"I hope a lot of it is just fanatical effort to the football. If you play with that fanatical effort, it can cover up a lot of lapses in your defense. Defense is about 11 guys running to the football every single play, because you are going to make a bad call as a defensive coordinator sometimes. They are going to guess right. They are going to gash you. But your insurance policy is 11 guys running to the football. I hope we put that on tape every week, and they say, `Wow. This team really runs to the football.' Hopefully that will be our M.O."
Have you see enough of that this fall?
"It's hard to get it all the time in practice because we go so fast and we wear them down pretty good. They don't get as many breaks as you do in a game. But yeah, I actually pulled some out the other day of the scrimmage and showed them exactly what we're looking for from that type of effort. And they have demonstrated that. It's constantly a challenge to get them to play that way, because it's not natural. When you're on this side of the ball, and the ball is being run over there, to be that corner and bust your butt and then come back and run the next play against the offense who's hurrying up. It's a constant challenge to do that. But it's certainly something we're working towards."
You mentioned Terrence McCoy about-face. When did you see that start and what's he done to complete it?
"Part of it last year was that he had injured his foot, and that played a small part in it. I just see a guy that the light has clicked on for him and is more determined to do things. His brother, Jamie, has left, and maybe he sees what Jamie is doing and maybe he wants to do something similar to that. And he's certainly capable. He's coming to the end of his career, and maybe has decided, `Hey, I need to do this thing.' He got beat out by a freshman last year, a really good freshman, and they'll compete this week as well. What did he do? He blocked, he caught the ball better, he played with more confidence than I remember seeing in him. I didn't think he was a real confident player last year, and part of that was due to his injury. He didn't trust himself sometimes. I think that played a part in him not being the guy last year."
Punting and punt returns...where do you see those two areas right now?
"I see them in my sleep every night when I go to bed. (laughter) My major concern are those areas, punting and overcoming some of the obstacles we had last year. We're still competing for the starting punter position in the game on Saturday. We haven't finalized that yet. Punt return, we've got a couple of guys we're looking at, and we haven't finalized that just yet. I think we made some progress in our coverage units and our return units. I feel like we've definitely dedicated more time to that part of the game. I feel like it was a factor in four ballgames last year that could have gone either way. So we've spent a lot of time on it and I hope that time will result in some productivity on Saturday."
You feeling pretty good about Randy Bullock going into the season?
"Randy had a good week. The first scrimmage not so good, but he had a good second scrimmage and a good week. He's really hitting the ball better. I think we've identified a few things that were missing with him, and he's fixed them. He worked extremely hard with his kicking coach all summer hitting the ball. He caught mononucleosis and lost a bunch of weight. I think he's finally got some of his weight back. But the last eight practices he's hit the ball pretty hard and pretty well."
Who else is in the mix at punt returner?
"Kenric McNeal would be one. Terrence Frederick, Nate Askew, Ryan Swope have been back there. We've had a few folks back there."
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
ASST HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Tim DeRuyter
On what he'd consider a good start for his defense... "I think we've got to really play fast. We're getting to the point where our guys understand our defense and are going to maximize their speed. If we do that we should be able to force some takeaways, and get off the field and get the ball back to our offense."
On what to expect from SFA... "They remind me a lot of Houston when I was at the Air Force Academy last year. They've got a great trigger guy. Their quarterback was the conference player of the year last year. Very similar to what (Case) Keenum did at Houston, I see him doing for SFA. He does a great job distributing the ball. They spread you out to get matchups. They are going to throw ball down the field as well as dink and dump, so they make you defend the whole field."
On the excitement of stepping out onto Kyle Field for the first time... "Well, that was one of the big draws of me coming here. I can't tell you how excited I am about Saturday. I've got a lot of family coming out from California for it. It's something I've really looked forward to since taking this job. I know the kind of crowd and kind of support we get, and it's going to be a big thrill for me. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping Friday night to be honest with you. I've seen pics, and not having been here I have imagined what it is going to be like a ton over the last couple of weeks."
On balancing the amount of defense you show between playing a division I-AA team and premiering a new system... "We don't look at it as who we are playing to be honest with you. It doesn't matter who is across the field from us. We're tired of seeing maroon jerseys across the field. Our guys are going to be charged with, `Hey, let's go execute our defense as well as we can as fast as we can, and let's get down the things we need to get down.' It really doesn't matter to us who we play. The only thing that matters is how we play."
On his concerns with the health of the safety position... "I really thought Steven Terrell had a good camp. I'm really pleased with where he's at. Trent (Hunter), even though he missed some fall camp, had a full spring and I think he had a really good camp also. He's got a much better understanding of what we're doing. I think a really good move for us was moving Toney Hurd from corner about halfway through camp to safety. He will be really good there. That made us sleep a lot better. We're going to have Steven Campbell back today. He needs to rep a ton this week to get our package. I don't think he will be 100 percent just yet. So it is a concern, but I think Toney is our insurance policy with the amount of reps he's gotten the last two days."
On his defensive staff... "It's the best staff I've been around. We're very lucky to have a breadth of experience in these guys who know this package and are tremendous teachers. Our players feel that. The coaches are very, very demanding, but they are kind of guys who will love our players up when they do well and kick them in the butt when they don't do well. We've got no egos on our staff, just guys who want to go out and win every game for Texas A&M."
On the leadership of Von Miller... "He's been a tremendous leader. When I first got here, I talked to him about being a leader his senior year and leading us to bring this Wrecking Crew back. At first he was a little apprehensive. He didn't see himself in that light. He liked being the guy who led by example and being productive, but not be the voice of a team. But over the last six months or so he's become that. He's starting to relish that role and mature as a leader."
JUNIOR DB Trent Hunter
How anxious are you to premier the new defense?  "Very anxious. We've had a really good camp and made a lot of good strides. We should be really effective this year. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do against another team."
On when he feels the defense clicked... "I feel like it was late spring. In the beginning of the spring we were installing, going over things and getting a whole lot of reps. When we got to the end we got to play within the scheme. So definitely late in the spring."
Is eight wins a reasonable expectation at minimum? "We're going to shoot for the stars. We're going for 12 and going for the BCS this year. I feel the sky is the limit for this team. I've seen the way we play and the way we practice. There's a lot of intensity in practice and the competition is up. There's nothing that really says we can't go all the way this year."
SENIOR QB Jerrod Johnson
On his excitement of starting the season... Â "I'm super excited. We had a long spring, a long summer, and a long camp beating up on each other. It's good to get to play against someone else."
On what he wants to see out of the offense on Saturday... "Execution and tempo. With practice and substitutions it's kind of hard to simulate that tempo. I'm looking forward to getting into the rhythm of things in a game and into what we do. If we can find that tempo, I think we'll be successful."
On the challenges of SFA defense... Â "They run well, run to the ball really well, play hard and match up well. They are a very well-coached football team and we understand that. We know they hustle and we know we have to protect the ball. We know there will always be guys swarming to the ball and we have to be ready for it."
Expectations for the season... "They're high. We're going into this year with a lot of steam and a lot of expectations. The sky is the limit for us. We feel we can beat anyone in the country, but at the same time we know we also could lose to anyone in the country. The sky's the limit, but we just have to go out there and make it happen."
On the wide receiver depth... "I always say I'm blessed. Coach Sherman has done a great job recruiting guys and finding the right spots to put them on the field. We have everything you need to succeed out there, we just have to get the ball to them and execute. It should be a good situation for us."
On having statistical goals for the season... "Statistically, no. I just want to win. I didn't have those goals last year. If my stats can put me in the record book, that's fine. But at the end of the day I think you're remembered by how many games you win and how your team does. I'm all about winning games. If the stats come they come, but as long as we win I'll be happy."
SENIOR JOKER Von Miller
On being anxious for Saturday to get here... "I'm just taking it day by day. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, just take it day by day and play by play. I'm excited to go out there and hit someone other than our offense though."
On defining a good season as matching last year's sack total... "Just winning games is what I'm concerned about. I'll do whatever I can do to win, and if sacks are included then I'll get sacks. But I just want to win."
On progressing in his pass defense... "As far as dropping back into coverages, I always like going against our receivers and stepping out there with them. I always liked doing that in 7-on-7 as a defensive lineman. Now there's more responsibility."
On what he wants to see out of the defense... "I just want us to take advantage of our opportunities. In a football game you're going to be presented with all types of opportunities. I just want us to capitalize on those opportunities so we can get the ball back to the offense. We have a really explosive offense. If we can get the ball back to them we are going to give ourselves a really good chance to win games."
On team and personal goals... "Our goal is to win the Big 12. Every team in the league has that goal and we have the same one. Personally I just want to win, and I want to be playing at Cowboys Stadium in December."
On SFA... "Today's the first day when we look at them on film, but I know they have a really, really good offense and a very good team. We're going to have to play our best. It's not going to be an easy game. They have a couple of All-Americans on offense. We're going to have to mind our Ps and Qs in order to beat them."