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BOSTON COLLEGE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEAugust 3, 2017Connor StrachanBoston, Massachusetts Q. Connor, when Jim Reid was up here I asked him a little bit about the cohesion between the linebackers and the offensive line. In terms of when you're pre-snap or even in play, when you look at the defensive line or see how a play develops, what are some of the things you take away from being able to work with the defensive line within the defensive scheme? CONNOR STRACHAN: Yeah, well, it's really important that the linebackers and the D-line are a cohesive unit because in run and pass we're working together in everything we do, whether we're rushing or running. Before the snap we're talking the whole time, they're talking to me, I'm talking to them. But knowing their technique and what they're taught to do is really important so that you can play off of what they're doing and work together. Q. You've played a lot with Ty Schwab; how has it been playing with him and especially this season, what are some of the things that he does that you're able to play off of? CONNOR STRACHAN: Yeah, I mean, it has been a while, yeah, coming up on the fourth year. But yeah, he's a great player who -- he loves to attack the run like I do. He's not -- there's no hit -- like sometimes with kids you're worried if they have hit courage, if they back off or shy away from blowing someone out. Any time you have that it's fun to play with. I remember the first snap against Clemson last year, he destroyed some receiver and the ball went flying. It's that kind of stuff. Having guys like that on the team that get the juice going and the tempo going. So it's always fun to play with him. Q. When you step back into coverage from the linebacker position and you start working a little bit back on either a tight end or on a wide receiver, what are kind of some of the things that you have to look for from your position, either pre-snap or in the play to know where you have to be? CONNOR STRACHAN: Yeah, a lot of stuff you can study, like game plan-wise, based on alignments and splits. But in our coverage, it kind of works as a unit. I mean, in man coverage, you're playing man, so there's times where you've got this guy and it's who's better, and those are the times you've got to be excited for it and love that opportunity, but then there's times where, you know, you have an idea what kind of route they're running and you have help over here or you have help behind you so you kind of reroute them and force them there. It just kind of depends what you're in really. Q. What is the bar that's set for this defense? Talk about maintaining that consistency and that level. CONNOR STRACHAN: Yeah, I mean, I think it's really like as far as the linebacker standpoint, it started -- I remember freshman year looking up to Josh Keyes, and sophomore year I had Steve Daniel really showing the rope for me, and then this past year I got to kind of take control of the linebacker room with Milano still there, and then every year we've had guys going to the NFL from our room. You look at the linebackers, it's kind of like the center of the defense, but it's really expanded. We had John Johnson last year, unbelievable player. For the defensive backs this year leading their room this year you've got Cam and Isaac. On the D-line you've got Harold, you've got Noah, you've got buy at, Zach. It kind of started as these big leaders when we were young, but a lot of guys are stepping up to take those roles and seeing how it's done and put the work in to -- you've seen it before, so it's really just leadership continuing to pass it down. Q. Watching some of the plays last year it seemed like you were in the hole as quick as the back. Is that just film or what gets you there so quick? CONNOR STRACHAN: Yeah, a lot of it you've got to study. Football, for the person in the stands, is just you show up on Saturday and you're playing football, but it's all week. It's preparing. You can't imagine how much goes into each game. But that, and you've got to be able to react. You've got to be quick twitch and fly in there, and seeing like when you see something on film that's a play or something and you recognize it on the field and you can explode on it, that's what's fun because you'll beat everyone there. It's exciting. Q. I think Truman, Milano and Jack Johnson accounted for 181 tackles last year. Coach seems confident that Zach Allen and you guys can duplicate, find those same numbers? CONNOR STRACHAN: Yeah, absolutely. They're definitely big spots to fill. All great players. It's just an opportunity for younger guys to step up and fill those shoes. Everyone else around them is a year older, even more experience. It's not like someone who's never played before. The whole unit is still there, same coaches. Really just filling those spots. The guys that are filling the roles have seen it all before. They're in practice every day with those guys, seeing how they work and how they prepare for games. It'll be fun. It'll be fun for some guys to get an opportunity. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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