Head Coach Doug Marrone Press Conference Transcript (Aug. 19, 2010)
Opening Statement:
“We’re going through these practices and it is a situation with coaches and players that we just need to keep pushing ourselves. Our staff and myself needs to keep getting the players to finish plays and do the best that they can. Sometimes when you get to these situations with practice after practice, we have to continue to have the enthusiasm when we come out to make us better.
“With the wide receiver position we feel comfortable with three players that we have there, Alec Lemon, (Aaron) Weaver and Van Chew and there is a battle for that fourth position. You have Dorian Graham and Marcus Sales, but the guy who has been playing well is Cody Morgan. He is a walk-on for us and I don’t know where it is going to end in camp, but right now he is doing a heck of a job, so we’re happy with him.
“The tight end position, we have (Jose) Cruz, (Nick) Provo, Beckett Wales and David Stevens. For a freshman Beckett Wales has done some nice things out there. We think that he’ll come in and he can earn some playing time.
“This is a critical week and this is where people do separate themselves, they show you where their mental toughness is to push through these types of days. We’ll start separating this team quickly after this Saturday.”
On the injury to defensive back Ri’Shard Anderson:
“I feel bad and the reason why is because Ri’Shard had worked so hard and really was playing well. He was going to be playing on special teams, and I don’t know if he would have started at corner or not but he is right in the mix, that was the level he was playing at. We sat down, we spoke to him, we have the doctors and the coaches involved, and we’re supporting him because it is hard. He was planning on playing this year and we were planning on him playing. It is a tough situation. It’s part of this game, unfortunately, but he will come back and he will work hard. Obviously this will be a redshirt year for him and again, we’ll have him for three more years and hopefully he’ll be our starting corner when we have some graduation at that position.”
On whether the injury to Ri’Shard Anderson means a safety will move to cornerback:
“We have some numbers coming back. Kevyn Scott, Shamarko Thomas and Zach McCarrell are coming back. They are close. I feel comfortable where that is. We’re going to keep Phillip (Thomas) at the safety position, but if we ever get caught in a bind we can move him. I’m not concerned about the numbers at that position for the year and the season. We also have a walk-on out there in (Joe) Nassib who did some nice things today.”
On freshman defensive back Jeremi Wilkes:
“He has really made a couple plays lately. In the first couple days there might have been other things that I was looking for, but he is going to be a fine player for us. In the last two days I really watched him at that position because of the depth there and he has been able to make some plays. We have a very good football player and now is a great time for him, he is getting more reps, he is getting his hands on a lot of balls and that is what we want at that position. I’m more excited about him now that I’ve been focusing on some of the perimeter stuff.”
On moving wide receiver Dorian Graham back to defensive back:
“This is a corner problem right now and it is one that will take itself out. We don’t need to make crazy decisions right now because we have players coming back. If all those players were out and we were making those types of moves, that would show we had to do it to back ourselves up. We’re still good with the depth right now. We’re not at that point where we have to do something that drastic.”
On the competition between offensive linemen Zack Chibane and Adam Rosner:
“Right now they’re in a battle. Rosner has a bump so we held him out. When you’re equal with someone and one person starts to practice more and play more it can create separation. Right now I’m not ready to say Zack Chibane is our starting left guard, but he has the edge because he is the one who is playing. Sometimes in this game it’s unfortunate, but we talk about one of the key things for players is availability. Sometimes you can’t help being available if you’re injured. If you’re available and you have the talent, you have more reps and more coaching. We expect that player to be better.”
On whether the injury to Ri’Shard Anderson puts pressure on bringing Shamarko Thomas back from injury sooner:
“We never do that because with our trainers and doctors, who we feel are the best, they’re on a schedule. As that schedule goes sometimes they can come back a little bit sooner, sometimes they come back a little bit later, but right now (Shamarko) is right on schedule for when he is coming back.”
On when (safety) Shamarko Thomas will be back:
“He will be back sometime after this weekend. He will not play in this weekend’s scrimmage.”
On quarterbacks/passing game coach Nathaniel Hackett:
“I’m still going to make sure that I’m coordinating what is going on with the offense. I work with him every day. During the spring we worked together where I would call some schemes and he would call some. We would talk about what we liked in a certain situation. He has been brought up the same way I’ve been brought up with a belief in the system so I have no issues at all with it. If anything it has given me the ability to be a better head coach and that is what I’m hired to do.”
On whether the offensive line has started to develop a personality:
“We’re trying to. It isn’t just getting developed on the field. It gets developed in the meeting room. During this preseason we’ve invited speakers in and I’ve talked about before that we were going to implement a leadership program beginning in our preseason practice. That gives us, as coaches, a lot to think about ourselves, about how we can motivate the players. And, it gives our players information on how they can be motivated. I do see a little bit more of that confidence that might have been lacking last year. I see some young kids now who have potential. If you look at it now when you go out there you look left and see Zack Chibane, Justin Pugh, (Ryan) Bartholomew is a senior, (Andrew) Tiller and (Michael) Hay, behind them you have (Sean) Hickey and (Ian) Allport at tackles. (Center) Macky MacPherson has really done a nice job for us, that is a pleasant surprise and that is a good situation. Jarel Lowery wasn’t at practice today, he had a family issue that he is dealing with. Ryan Gillum same situation, they’re with their families and we expect them to be back here by tomorrow.”
On whether the injury to Ri’Shard Anderson was cumulative:
“It wa. At first he had the injury and he tried to tough it out. Then we saw something at film and saw it wasn’t right so we went ahead to get an MRI and the MRI showed it. We appreciated him trying to tough it out but we need to be smart when it comes to injuries and then move on. That shows a lot about that type of kid Ri’Shard is, trying to tough out that injury.”
On the whether any other group stood out like the wide receivers:
“I’m not saying they’re standing out. I like to come out here (with the media) every day and talk about where the competition is and I’ve been very pleased with the three players who we’ve talked about and we’re looking for someone to step up and be the fourth. The only reason why I mentioned that is because no one would really know unless they were at practice for the full time. That is why I’m out here saying Cody Morgan is doing a heck of a job and as of right now, today, he is heavily in that mix. He is going after it and I give him a lot of credit. He has worked extremely hard.”
On what the coaching staff is looking for in the next few days:
“The effort, the enthusiasm, body language and mental toughness is really what we’re looking for. We’re looking for the weaknesses in the schemes that we’re running to identify them and make sure we’re working on it. Then really teaching the players exactly what we want in terms of, just a burst, just a finish, just the little things now that get you beat. We’re really working from the ground up as far as the foundation and really harping on what needs to get done. It is important because we do have a lot of new players on this team so we’re making sure they know exactly how we practice knowing that it will carry over into the game.”
On the Manley Field House renovation:
“Honestly I’ve only seen it once, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been by there. Obviously, it is something that we’re proud of. We’re proud of our Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross and our development staff for what they’ve done. We feel that it is going to be a critical piece for our players and what is available to them, and we’re hoping to have that available on September 1. There are a lot of good people on this campus who don’t get a lot of credit, (senior associate athletics director for facilities) Pete Sala does a lot and we appreciate his efforts in getting that done. There are a lot of people who work on these projects. It starts with our Athletics Director, then our development people and then everyone else who is working on it to get it done. You can always use everything. Now we have two indoor facilities, one at the Carrier Dome and now one in Manley. It will be a good piece for us in recruiting, which will help us. What happens is our players are now going to have an area where they can go and practice all year round, which is important. They aren’t going to be any coaches there but if Ryan Nassib decides to go out and throw a football to Alec Lemon we have that space available for them. It is going to help all of our other athletics programs, as well. It is going to be a multi-use facility to help our whole athletics department, not just football.
