	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 19, 2018

Paul Johnson

Greensboro, North Carolina

PAUL JOHNSON: Good morning. We're looking forward to concluding spring practice with our annual gold light game tomorrow night. I think we had a productive spring. We had to install a new defensive scheme which I think we got a jump start on and overall, for the most part, we stayed fairly healthy during the spring, which was a positive. So got a lot of good work in and looking forward to finishing up in the off-season and getting ready to play this fall.

Q. To take a look at the new defensive coordinator, what can you say through the spring what he has done and assimilating into the team?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think our kids are excited. Like we said, it's a new scheme and you know, we didn't get a whole lot in depth this spring into the defense. Kept it really simple and I think our guys played pretty fast and enjoyed playing in it. We'll see as we move along. But I've been pleased with what I've seen this spring.

Q. As far as the receiving core, people want to talk about what you do running the ball, but receives blocking downfield, what they have been able to do and how that can create opportunities for them at the next level. Can you expand on the offense and personnel and their ability not just to catch the ball but to create in the rushing game, as well.
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, we have nine starters returning on offense. We lost one receiver, Ricky, who was a big part of our team a year ago. Brad Stewart is a three-year starter. He'll be returning. Jalen Camp has had a really good spring practice. He's a physical guy. Got a lot of tools.

Stephen Dolphus has had a good spring. He's a bigger kid. He's 6-5. Brings some length and size to the position. Overall, just continue to work there like we do everywhere offensively and got to be better in the throwing game but it's a big part of what we do offensively is asking those guys to do some blocking, as well.

Q. What was the process you went through in figuring out what to do with the tenth assistant and how did Jerome fit what you wanted?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, actually what happened was you know, I had thought that I was going to probably hire somebody and let them just basically do special teams. And when I hired Nate and we talked about the breakdown, he felt like that he needed five coaches over there and that's what ended up happening. We just added the tenth coach to defense.

We added two secondary coaches which we had before, but the big change is the linebacker, because Nate it the outside linebacker coach, and we have inside linebacker and Jerome was actually hired to be the D-Line coach. So he was going to be here regardless. We had to have a D-Line coach. But that's what happened. We ended up adding the extra coach on defense.

Q. What do you think about the new kickoff rule and have you started to think of if there's any new strategies with it?
PAUL JOHNSON: I think probably what's going to happen is the teams that are pretty good at returning kicks. May not be a whole lot of change other than try to gauge the height of the kick. Teams probably not as good returning will probably fair catch as many balls as they can.

Q. How has it helped your players to have specific position coaches for safeties, DBs and inside/outside linebackers?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, we've had two coaches in the secondary for a while. That's not any different. The difference in scheme is we've got four linebackers instead of two, so what's happened is the positions are a little bit different. So you have a different coach for each, and I think having four guys to coach is probably too many for one person. You know, we've always had two offensive line coaches and with four guys, you probably need two guys because the outside and insides are different enough that it's a different skill-set.

Q. How will the defense look different beyond just the alignment and the scheme? What are you looking for out of this unit with the new coordinator?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think we'll probably be a little more aggressive, a little more movement. In the past, Nate's history is they have created a lot of negative plays and sacks and that's an area we lacked in and have for a while. You know, to me, I think it's hard to play now if you don't get some creation negative plays and hopefully we'll be able to do more of that.

Q. Have you seen more of that this spring?
PAUL JOHNSON: Yeah, I think so. I mean, a couple of scrimmages ago, we had a 100-play scrimmage and we probably had 20 tackles for loss now. Some of that's on the offense but that's more than we probably had all of last year. So I think it's aggressive. There's a lot of movement, a lot of things going on. You know, hopefully it will carry over. I think his teams in the past have had a pretty good track record of that.

Q. Good morning. Obviously another off-season development for you guys was you getting a contract extension. How important or gratifying was that to you?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, I think any time that happens, you have to be appreciative. That thing was actually pretty much agreed on in December, or right after the season. So it just took awhile for it to get out or to release or whatever to go through.

We've been here a long time and it's certainly nice to see that the president and athletic director appreciate what we've done.

Q. And as far as the running game is concerned, as you wrap up spring practice with some familiar names back, what's your assessment of how the running game has looked this spring?
PAUL JOHNSON: I think it's been good at times. You know, we've got -- like for the game tomorrow night, we're probably going to have four starting offensive linemen out. Not with anything serious, just bumps and bruises and quite honestly, I see no reason to play the guys that I know have played a lot in the games if they are not healthy.

So we'll see. But I'm not as worried about that as I am a lot of other things. I think our running game will be fine. We have a return at QB, the top two B backs, top three A backs. So we should be okay in that category and four of the five offensive linemen. If everybody's healthy that, should be okay.

Q. What's the big goal you have going into spring practice?
PAUL JOHNSON: Just to get better. No different than probably any other team. Try to set the depth and for the guys who played to get reps and to get better at what we do.

So it's probably not any different than what everybody team goes into spring looking to do, actually.

Q. What's the hardest position to develop during spring practice?
PAUL JOHNSON: You know, that's a good question. I'm not sure. I think it just varies on the people. It's probably different, depending on the personnel you have. You know, certainly there's a lot of moving parts for the quarterback no matter what the offense is. That's probably the most complicated position for any team, I would think.

Q. Just talk about Marshall, what did you see from him during spring ball?
PAUL JOHNSON: I think that he had a good spring. You know, I think that we had some individual things that we were trying to work on, getting comfortable in the pocket and being improving in our throwing motions in game, and you know, I think he accomplished some of those things and clearly he's got -- after playing for a year, he's got a better understanding overall of what we're trying to do and accomplish and can put the offense into some good situations with checks and that kind of thing.

Q. And the follow-up, what is one thing you have to work on this year to get some wins? Last year you had some tough losses, like Miami. What do you have to do to improve?
PAUL JOHNSON: One, we need to be a little luckier. And two, I think that, you know, we've got to get better everywhere. Special teams killed us a year ago, especially the return game and kicking the ball. The punter was good but other than that, we were terrible.

We gave up a lot of scores at the end of halves and at the end of games that hopefully we can get away from some of that. And you know, it's a fine line between winning and losing, as you mentioned in the Miami game; we didn't get far enough ahead and they played a play on fourth and 15 that you wouldn't think you could make, but they did. So you have to give them credit. There are some other games. I think we were ahead by two scores in the second half in four games, three of which we lost.

So got to keep scoring and got to do better keeping the other team from scoring.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297