Greg Robinson Press Conference (11/29)
Head Coach Greg Robinson on if he is glad the season is over:
“No, I’m really not. I have a little left in me, and I’d like to see us keep going and see how much further we can grow. Unfortunately, it ended.”
Robinson on if it was disappointing to see the team improve in the last game of the season instead of earlier in the season:
“That was encouraging. That was not disappointing, that was encouraging. That’s what I look at really. The disappointment and frustration have set in in the past, but this was encouraging.”
Robinson on what changes he will make to the offensive staff or system:
“There’s an evaluation process that has to take place. Everything needs to be evaluated: offense, defense, kicking game, the whole gambit of things. I’m not quick to react to things. I think it’s really a matter of analyzing. I think the hardest thing in coaching is to judge. Is it an issue of a player not responding to coaching? Is it a player not having the talents or gifts to do his job? Is it a coaching issue of not getting a message across or not demanding these things? I think it’s so easy to react and say this is what this is or this is what this is. Over 31 years of coaching, I know. You know why? Because I’ve been on both sides of the fence, and I always give the example of my last year at Kansas City. That might have been my finest year as a football coach. I know that because I know what I was working with and I know what I got done. But, it wasn’t perceived by some that way, so I’m not quick to respond to anything like that. But, I know philosophically what I do want. I can’t see myself deviating much from the philosophical approach that I have towards style of offense, the style of defense, the type of profile that I’m looking for in people, coaches and players. I’m pretty strong in those areas. So, that’s what I have to do is to analyze those things: the philosophy, where are we with it? How did we implement it and so on. It might appear that I’m being evasive. I’m not, not at all. I will be very critical, and critical in the word meaning ‘critique.’ I’ve only just begun. There’s a lot involved with that. Rash, reactive changes aren’t necessary.”
Robinson on if his final year in Kansas City was his best, where would he rank this year among his others:
“I would have to say that I haven’t been able to evaluate all that. I really haven’t. I was able to go back and to truly look and check out what we had done. That’s all I’m saying. I really don’t want to get into a big deal about that, but I know when we won Super Bowls, I know what we did. When we won Rose Bowls, I know what we did. Here (Kansas City), we got beat by Indianapolis in the playoffs, but I know what we did to get to 11-0 with a team that people were not projecting to be that. I know what it was… I know game by game really what did happen. I was able to break that down and this was a good job of coaching. Not just by me, but by our whole staff. I don’t know yet. I really don’t. I know what is perceived, our record speaks for itself. I’m beginning to believe that there has been a lot established in the overall perspective. I’m a believer and I’ve made this statement. Any meaningful and lasting change comes from within. When it comes from within, sometimes it’s a gut wrenching process. I’d like to think that anything that we go on to do will be meaningful and lasting. I have to really sit down and say, ‘Hey, where are we headed?’ I can ask you what do you want me to say to make the article right? I don’t want to surrender that easy. I know… there’s a process.”
Robinson on how long it will take to evaluate:
“I’ve got to do it sooner than later. It will take me a couple of weeks. It will take me through Christmas to really have a feel of where things are.”
Robinson on why offensive coordinators are being let go around college football:
“I don’t have any idea what those situations were. At Tennessee, they’ve been together a long time. I don’t know all that happened. At Mississippi, I don’t know what transpired. I really don’t. I’m not reacting to those things. That’s their world. I’m going to do what I have to do to get our thing right. That I assure you I will do. I will get this right. I think that’s about as good as I can leave it.”
Robinson on what changes he saw in himself throughout the season:
“Again, you’re asking me to analyze something right now. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to analyze. I hate to make statements that I don’t really… the peripheral statements that are just statements and they’re not real and all of the sudden they just become something. How much have I changed? I’ve learned a lot. I think I’ve learned a lot. Give me some help. Tell me what you expect to see change.”
Robinson on what he might have overestimated this season:
“I would say I overestimated the fact that I thought we would have won more than one football game. I thought that, no doubt. How many? I didn’t know that, but I thought that we would have won more. I would have thought going into it, we would have functioned sooner as a football team. I’m not talking about offense, defense, kicking game, putting it together. I can go back and give you rationalizations for why this and why that right now. I can go into Landel (Bembo) breaking his leg, Lavar (Lobdell) was down, Rice (Moss) was down… we’re going to throw the football. That’s rationalization. It’s funny how a question was made about an injury to another player on another team to me. I say how it’s funny how nobody asks in week 10 or week 11 if Bembo wasn’t in or Lavar wasn’t in… if they were in right now would you be doing… no, they’re forgotten. They’re long forgotten. All I’m trying to do is to give you a perspective. I have to weigh all that. Why didn’t we have a game like Louisville sooner? I would have thought that it was going to happen sooner, really. We flashed in Virginia. Third-and-six, we didn’t stop that quarterback when we had a chance. Again, these are very, very tough questions and I understand that. But, I’m not just going to give you answers that become lasting statements until I really believe that I’ve got a real grasp of all this stuff. Do I want to be better? Do I want to win more? Are we planning on winning more? Absolutely. Are we going to win more? I firmly believe that.”
Robinson on how much injuries made a difference this season:
“It played a role, there’s no question. There’s no doubt. We were dysfunctional all through training camp on the offensive side of the ball with the receiving corps. Lavar (Lobdell) went down early in camp, then came back right before the first game. Rice Moss missed 11 days of training camp. Now, you’re wearing people out. All of the sudden, I’m moving Nick Chestnut over at the Buffalo game. He’s never played a snap of offense in college in his life, but now he’s a savior because he moved over. We’re kidding ourselves. No, you’re at step one in an offense that needs those integral parts working for you. The running game is the running game, but each week it crept closer and closer and closer to the line of scrimmage. There was a reason for that. And when we got Rice back, he wasn’t at 100 percent movement wise, and on top of that, we worked him out. We were getting down to where it was just young… I hate to use the word children, but in the game of football, that’s where a number of our young players were, at that part of it. Joe Kowalewski, on and off, that was tough. He had the certain skills that we were looking for at the tight end position that was different than any of the other guys had. Those are tangible things that are real. Quarterbacks try to get in the flow of things, but it’s not flowing. I see as time went on, we went to the Rutgers game when all of the sudden I see spacing, but now we drop some balls. We’re 4-for-4 passing, then we drop two in a row. 6-for-6 is a good start. We run for 12 yards and then we fumble the football. So now we’re into a whole other issue. Kicking game went through that early… kickoff return we had to live through that world of the FSU game. It just took us right out of the football game. I don’t want to make excuses for our football team. You’re getting me to go back and reflect on what was. I know what was, but you can’t dwell on that stuff. You have to keep working forward and try to massage these young players and get them right and try to limit it down. It was frustrating for everybody involved. That’s why I’m not quick to judge or pass judgment on people and young players. They’re trying. They don’t know what they don’t know. So often somebody will ask me a question, ‘Well, one of the players said this…’ I chuckle. He’s a kid. They don’t know.”
Robinson on if there will be any major changes next season:
“I’m going to give you the standard answer. I’m going to evaluate all of the coaches. I’m going to do whatever I need to do to keep our program going in the direction it needs to go. I will also qualify that by saying I don’t see myself as somebody that’s going to make a quick decision on somebody like that in coaching. I know better. I’ve seen examples of that. I always remember, I came home from Super Bowl II, flew out to Palm Springs, and I played golf with Chuck Knox. I rode around in a golf cart with him, there he was a retired football coach. I had a great day with him. The thing I got out of him, that he was most proud of, in 20 some years of being a head football coach, he only let one coach go in his whole career. He was proud of the fact that he coached coaches. I look back, and I remember he was comparing it to Dan Reeves. Dan is a fine football coach, but he’s had a lot of coaches. Now this comes out and they’ll probably both contact me and get after me for it. But you know what? It stood in my mind. I’ll never forget it. I don’t take that lightly. If I feel that in any situation, I don’t care what position it is or whatever, if it’s the right thing to do, that’s part of my job. I think that’s where I stand with it, and it’s about as good as I can do right now.”
Robinson on if a freshman quarterback could play next season or if he is pursuing other quarterbacks for next season:
“I think this: a good example in that regard, is what I think happened at the University of Arizona this year, a young man by the name of Willie Tuitama. I know the name because his father, Louie Tuitama, I played college football with at Pacific. Willie went to Arizona. I think their intent was to redshirt him, and that’s what they did for a number of weeks. In week five or six, Willie went in and played and did very, very well and sparked them. I got to watch the game against UCLA where he had a fantastic game. What I give you an example of is a very good football player that went to a place, grew, developed, and was thrust into a situation that at one time it wasn’t planned to be that way and had success. If I’m not mistaken, he played pretty well last week against Arizona State but I think Arizona State came back in the end and got them. I started to follow Willie’s success because first of all, I know his dad so there was a vested interest in the kid and I was happy for him. My intent is not just to throw someone into the fire that’s not tested some. That’s all speculation. I would do it if it looked like something that was the best thing to do.”
Robinson on if he is looking at the junior college level for talent:
“I really am not. A year ago we headed down that path and it didn’t work out. The timing of that might have been better. Right now, I have a perspective of where we’re heading and that’s not really our intention right now.”
Robinson on if he pursuing other quarterbacks:
“Not at this time. We’ve kept our eyes on quarterbacks because you never know what can happen in the recruiting world. But, we have not offered another scholarship to a quarterback and at this time that’s not the plan.”
Robinson on what his ideal recruiting class would be:
“Our intent is to have a young quarterback who fits the profile of what I particularly see as a quarterback. I think I stated to you long ago what I see. I see a young man who first of all has great leadership skills. A commander who has the ability to show the promise to be a true passer. A passer is more than just a thrower, and that means an understanding of the passing game. Having the ability to deliver the ball to others is the first prerequisite as far as the physical skills that we’re looking for. His legs can take him and help him to maneuver and create on his own at times. That’s even better. That’s basically number one. Every coach wants to have, down the road, his quarterback in the program. I look forward to that day when I can say that this is the young man who I recruited and believe in and we’ll go from there. We have a need, obviously, in the offensive line. It’s a high priority and I think we’re making very good progress in that area. We’re looking for a running back or two that have a dimension. When I look at the skilled positions, I want players who have a dimension. Not just he’s good at this or he’s good at that, no. He has a dimension. Either they have the explosive speed, rare cutting or vision ability, downhill power runner, but a dimension. That’s what we’re looking for at the running back position.
"I told our football team yesterday, it’s my responsibility to bring in the best talent I can possibly bring in to enter that room with the young men already there and create as much competition as I possibly can. The receiver position: we’ll take a receiver or two to go along with the group that we have. We’d like a speed receiver, someone who can blow the top off of the defense. Our offense, we like the Jerry Rice, John Taylor, the big receiver. We have some people in our program who I like, but we will continue to always pursue those types. On the defensive side of the ball, we have a need at our defensive end position. We’re working hard at that. The linebacking corps, same thing. You can’t have enough cornerbacks. At the safety position, I’m very particular about the safety. The safety is a quarterback back there, the last line. I really think it’s about judgment, toughness, all of those things. Don’t get me wrong, I want skill and I want talent, but I also want a person who is a field general at safety. Sometimes, that’s overlooked.”
"I told our football team yesterday, it’s my responsibility to bring in the best talent I can possibly bring in to enter that room with the young men already there and create as much competition as I possibly can. The receiver position: we’ll take a receiver or two to go along with the group that we have. We’d like a speed receiver, someone who can blow the top off of the defense. Our offense, we like the Jerry Rice, John Taylor, the big receiver. We have some people in our program who I like, but we will continue to always pursue those types. On the defensive side of the ball, we have a need at our defensive end position. We’re working hard at that. The linebacking corps, same thing. You can’t have enough cornerbacks. At the safety position, I’m very particular about the safety. The safety is a quarterback back there, the last line. I really think it’s about judgment, toughness, all of those things. Don’t get me wrong, I want skill and I want talent, but I also want a person who is a field general at safety. Sometimes, that’s overlooked.”
Robinson on his style of recruiting:
“Let me say this. I have been on those Rose Bowl championship teams and I’ve seen where we lost some that didn’t think there was an opportunity to play. I think it’s all about a perspective that you develop, and I think there is opportunity for young people to have an impact on a program early in their career. There are many young people in high school coming to play college football that would like that chance. To be coached by what I think is an outstanding coaching staff. To be developed in a pro system, and when I say pro system, we’re not pro football. We are going to be able to do things. Our defensive style lends itself to being a professional football player some day. Our offensive system lends itself to help young people to develop into professional football players. That’s one side of it. Then, when you start to take in the history and tradition of this program, and the support of the Syracuse University community as well as the Central New York community, and then the University as a whole which I’ve talked about. I’m amazed how much more I constantly learn. I think I told you a story last week. I’m talking to Kevin Kopko, and I was looking to see where we rank in engineering. I can’t tell you where civil engineering ranks, but then I find out that chemical engineering is one of the top eight programs in the country. I never knew that. When you start to specify, and look into bits and pieces of this university, there are some great things to sell. As it comes across as a university that is very difficult, at the same time, we graduate people. I think our support system and how we work, and monitor, and follow the path of our student-athletes, it ranks right there at the very top of the country. It goes back to the 80s when the program was implemented, way ahead of most schools. Syracuse, Nebraska, they were out in the forefront. I remember that. They were developing programs and things so these are all part of the recruiting process. I’m not going to get hung on 1-10. I’m going to show why we’re building something here. You come in and check it out. All I can do is lay it out. It isn’t really selling. It’s laying it out and making sure that we make it specific to each individual we’re recruiting and showing them and answering the questions that they’re really looking for. Then, let them decide. I had a conversation with a parent last night, his son is looking at other schools but he’s visited this school. He’s visiting other schools that are outstanding academic and athletic institutions. This kid believes that we are headed in the right direction and he liked everything about his visit here. Straight up. That’s a good feeling. I’m not taking anything for granted, but I heard that last night. His son was in bed and he’s telling me that. That’s a good thing.”
Robinson on if he takes comfort from the struggles of other first year head coaches:
“They’ve been calling. Mack Brown told me he was 1-10 at North Carolina. He said he made a big mistake though. He said he heard Lou Holtz one time say, ‘I’m going to win twice as many games as I did last year.’ Unfortunately, Mack went 1-10 again at North Carolina. I told Mack not to tell me those things. Ron Turner called me and reminded me he was 1-10 in his first year and I think he was at the Sugar Bowl a couple years later. They’re friends and they’re trying to be supportive, but I don’t like hearing it to be honest with you. I do now. I didn’t like hearing it three weeks ago. I really don’t worry. All I can do is drive forward and keep working, keep analyzing, keep critiquing. That’s what we’re going to do. I’m not going to deviate really quick and come off of this or come off of that. I’ve been through too much. I’ve been through enough of all of this that I can see it all happening. I really can. I just have to keep it going and do the things you’re talking about; making tough decisions, critiquing and analyzing, and evaluating, but being real. If no change is necessary except doing what we continue to do and to keep getting talent, I’ll do that too. I’m not going to be knee-jerked.”
