Greg Schiano Press Conference Quotes - September 21, 2010
Sep 21 | Football
Opening Statement:
“Thanks for coming guys. Good week off, good bye week. Opportunity to work on some fundamental things and get into North Carolina preparation and that’s where we find ourselves now. Good football team that’s lost two games, had a chance to win them both on the last drive. Certainly it’s well documented, the suspensions and things. They’ve done a great job of overcoming that adversity and playing very good football.”
On perceived weaknesses in the secondary as a result of suspensions:
“So what, probably. I don’t know. There are good players back there. You watch them on the two films, they play well so they recruited very well there. Even though they maybe backups, they’re good players and they’re playing well. Again, it’s all about what you do on Saturday’s in those three, three and a half hours. We’re going to need to throw the ball anyway. They’re a stout run defense, linebackers are extremely talented. If we can’t throw the ball effectively, it’s going to be real hard to run the ball effectively. I think those two things are going to play off one another.”
On whether defense is prepared for ‘double moves’ used by wide receivers in 2008 matchup:
“We better be. I can’t promise that we are, but we’re working on it. They do a great job, in an organized manner, creating big play opportunities. That’s what they’ve done. [T.J. Yates] is a guy that can make those plays. I think it starts and ends with him. They’re averaging 310 yards a game passing over these first two games and he’s throwing the ball all over the lot. They’ve got talented receivers. You look at their wide receivers and they look like clones. They’re all 6-3, 6-4, tall, good looking guys that can run.
On the benefit of watching film from the game two years ago:
“I think the only reason that you watch it, is all the coordinators are the same. There are a lot of similarities of what they’re doing now and what they did then, and the same thing goes for us. It’s great, if in fact there are similarities to watch yourself.”
On progression of Antwan Lowery from the start of the bye week to now:
“He’s getting better. He’s getting more confident in doing what he’s supposed to do. He’s a young guy. He’s played the position for a spring, training camp and two games, but he’s a very talent young guy so we need to keep progressing him. As he gets more and more comfortable, I think he’s going to get better and better.”
On injury concerns:
“We have a couple concerns. Yesterday we lost Edmond Laryea for the year. It’s a knee, he’s going to need to get surgery eventually. That’s two guys now out for the year, and actually three guys with Rob Horrell, a true freshman, so that starts to pile up on you. We have guys that are trying to come back from some injuries. Joe Martinek. Like I’ve said all along, I don’t know if he’s going to be able to make it back, it’s going to be real close. Can he make it back? Sure, he can go stand and play, but can he play at the level we need to compete with that defense, I’m not sure. We’re going to have to wait and see. That will be a game time decision.”
On whether Laryea would be eligible for a sixth year:
“They’re looking into that now. I’m not sure.”
On the impact losing Laryea will have:
“Since he was playing both ways, it definitely impacts us. We’ll move one of the linebackers up, I don’t know. They’re all working right now. [Marvin] Booker is working, Jim Dumont obviously has been backing up all season. Dave Milewski might break into the fold, we’re still trying to decide that. Offensively, Paul Carrezola will work some fullback and we’ll see who else.”
On big plays turned in by the defense:
“I think defensively we’re playing with tremendous effort. We’re not always playing technically sound though. The first game we were better talent-wise so we were able to cover up some mistakes. The second game I thought they were a talented team that could run very well and their skill guys could expose your mistakes and we made some. We need to take that effort that we’re giving and sharpen it up. Hopefully we did that in the bye week but no matter what you do in practice, that’s all very important, but it still comes down to your performance in those three, three and a half hours.”
“We have good players, we have some experienced players. I always say when a guy is experienced then he doesn’t have to think about what he’s doing so now he can think about some other things, like ‘that’s a cut split right there, they’re probably going to run that under route that we saw on tape’ and he can anticipate it a little bit. When you’re young and you’re trying to remember your job, ‘now what do I do again on this’, you’re not thinking about anything other than what am I doing. So that’s where experience comes into play. You know, they get a different blocking scheme, ‘oh yeah, that’s what Maryland did last year, we just have to get over the top. We’ll make that play.’ A guy who’s never seen it, they don’t get it fixed until they get to the sideline. We have a good mix of experience and youth. Hopefully the young guys will get it a little bit better each time we do it and be able to reach up and grab those experienced guys.”
“It is about seeing it. Defense is a reactionary thing. Now we try to take the fight to them as much as possible but you’re still defending the formations and sets the offense gives you. You need to be able to adjust. Against a team like North Carolina, they shift and motion a great deal. They’re going to force defenses to move their feet and think right before the snap and we need to be ready to do that. We also need to make sure that we have our eyes in the right place. Someone asked about the double moves. Double moves are just that, if you take your eyes off and get curious and look at the quarterback, next thing you’ll see is a touchdown. Can we have eye discipline, can we adjust? Those are the things we have to find out.”
On how Jordan Thomas will handle first college start if Joe Martinek is unavailable:
“I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m very confident in Jordan. I don’t know, maybe I’m getting old, but I don’t put as much stock on the starting part. The guy knows he’s going to play, he’s going to face that opponent but I probably am. I probably lose sight of it a little bit. I think he’ll do fine no matter what his role is. I think Jordan is getting better by the day. He has made a big leap from the end of the FIU game until today. I think he’s improved.”
On possible moves on the offensive line:
“Just what we’ve been doing all along. Antwan Lowery is going to be in the mix. Where Caleb Ruch shows up, that’s to be determined. The tackles are pretty much set with Devon Watkis now coming back. He’s practiced two days now, he’s not 100 percent but I think by the end of the week he’ll be pretty close. So we’ll have a little more depth which creates a little more competition in practice and it gives you options if things are not going the way you like.”
On the importance of the wildcat formation in the offensive gameplan:
“I think as you’ve seen, it’s important to us. It’s not a mainstay but it’s something that we do interject. I think what it does, is it changes up the tempo a little bit. How much it comes out, you never know. Some games you go in with the plan to run it five, six times and you end up running it 15 times. Other games you think it’s going to be a big part of the plan and they stop it. Ebbs and flows as an offensive play call, you’re going to have to have a feel for the game.”
On familiarity with Butch Davis and anticipating his tendencies:
“I don’t think [it plays into it] because Butch is not calling the plays on his side and I’m not calling the plays on my side. Game strategy maybe, we probably have a pretty good idea. Not only did I work for Butch but we visited, we were on each other’s schedule and I always asked his opinion of stuff so I think a big part of my philosophy in coaching, even though I never worked for Jim Johnson comes off that tree. Having worked for Dave (Wannstedt) and Butch, I know that’s where they cut their teeth with coach Johnson so a lot of our beliefs are the same. We agree on a lot. I don’t think there’s any advantage there other than he’s a little more experienced than I am but I think we both have similar philosophies.”
On Freeny’s transition to an every-down defensive end:
“He’s playing at a high level. He doesn’t wear down. We rest him, Sorie [Bayoh] has been able to go in there and take some plays of his plate, we need to do that. He’s still a great third down pass rusher but I think he’s become an every–down guy.”
