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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 2, 2008David BrutonMaurice CrumMAURICE CRUM, JR.: More so a mentality that we practice because you never know when the guy could have blocked -- tackle in the Michigan game, that guy made the difference of scoring a touchdown. So we always try the first opportunity we see, the best way to make sure they don't make a tackle is to put them on the ground so it's kind of a mentality. Q. Could you talk about what Stanford brings to the table that's different from what you've seen the first four weeks? DAVID BRUTON: They bring an athletic quarterback, somebody who can run, and also throw in a rush. So we have could keep him contained. He did pretty well against us last year and we just have to make sure we get him on the ground and stop him from getting his feet. Q. Why do you think it is that you guys haven't been able to catch them? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: I mean, it could be a combination of things. I was talking about it last week a little bit. I mean, we could have a little bit of timing, but at the same time, people know that they were going to try to get after the quarterback, and obviously they are trying to get the ball out quick and we just try to counter that. So we just have to try to time it up and get it as fast as we can, but at the same time, we are still dictating to them, because it's a lot of dink and dunk kind of stuff. Q. At the start of the game -- during the games, like every Saturday -- inaudible? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Yeah, again they are always trying to counteract what it is that we are doing which is part of our philosophy that we want to dictate to them. So if we can get them out of their comfort zone and we just have to find a way to counteract that. Q. Getting a little more yardage this year than last year but the red zone you've been much more successful, what's been the key to the red zone success? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Again, we don't like being in the red zone obviously, but in football, when that situation presented itself as a defense, your back is against the wall so to speak, small field, it's a very, very small room -- well, there's no room for error, because any error can give up the touchdown. So we just kind of make sure that we tune in and try not to give us a touchdown. Q. Is this a complicated defense that you guys are still learning it? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: I don't think it's complicated at all. I think most of it's comfort. With any defense, it's all about just being comfortable and being able to adjust and grow in the system and know what you're seeing from an opponent. Q. Do you think it should be -- it seems like a break the defense -- should you need that or do you hope that eventually you're cutting down the number of runs. MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Obviously as a defense, you don't want to give up much, but again, as our confidence level grows, I think you'll see less yardage being given up. Q. You've seen the evolution of Stanford football the last couple of years, what have you seen on tape that has allowed them to have the additional success? DAVID BRUTON: What I've seen on tape, they have three good running backs. They have Gerhart, they have Stewart, they have Kimble that they have all brought a different mentality to their running game. You have one who is a better jumper; one who is a heavier back that can get the extra yards putting their shoulder down. They are just showing the ability to get the tough yardage to the outside and the O-line doesn't have very many holes from what I've seen. Q. Is their offensive line more physical than it was a couple years ago? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Yeah, definitely. I think any time when it comes to running the ball, that's where it starts. Obviously the backs can't do much with the ball if there's nowhere to go. So again, you have to give credit to the offensive line. Q. Getting back to not getting the sacks, we were talking to Coach Brown yesterday and he was talking about completion percentage, which is relatively low completion percentage on third down conversion, can you take solace in those kind of numbers, that you're not getting enough pressure on the quarterback? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Yeah, I mean, obviously got to take what you can get. Those are good things and those are things that as a defense, you have to do, you have to try to give up the field on third down. But at the end of the day, it's all about production and how many points they put up on the board. Q. How much of the secondary -- inaudible. DAVID BRUTON: Especially when you're playing middle field, like you said, you don't have much to worry about behind you. So with the extra linebacker, you get a chance to hard read on the run. And pass defense, you get a chance to rob and help the corners out in some way with the quick route. Just how I'm able to play in the red zone, it makes it a lot easier, because I don't have to worry about deep threats or anything getting behind me. As long as the ball it behind me, it's only, what, nine yards behind me, so I still have a chance to make a play. Q. Is there anything that you guys have done since training camp that -- inaudible? DAVID BRUTON: I believe you know, how we've always had full speed red zone carries, with the ball's on the lower end or the ball is like on the ten or something like that, it's helped us keep the speed of the game and also helped build that emotion throughout the offense or the defense. Q. (Inaudible). DAVID BRUTON: Tackles -- Q. Some bizarre quotes about Notre Dame and how -- inaudible -- all that stuff, how much does that stuff actually fire you up, or how much of a factor is it? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Well, for me, I mean, it's not that much of a deal. I could care less what goes on in the papers and what's said in the papers, because that's not where the game is played. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. DAVID BRUTON: I'm not affected by it anyway, so I'll just sit back and we'll see what happens on game day. Q. Getting back to that full-court stuff, do you guys actually -- maybe it doesn't get back to you, but is that stuff actually up in the locker room at times and are you aware that some people are motivated by something like that? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: You know, I'm sure at some point in time they will probably post it somewhere in the locker room, but for most of our guys, I mean, it doesn't really matter to us, because all we really care about, it's this Saturday. Q. I understand that, but say you're up three touchdowns late in the game, would you like to rub it into the guy or would you whistle to have somebody point him out? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: No. I think if you're up by that and the game is going our way or something, they should already feel bad, because you already like put it out there or whatever. So now it's like different. Q. David, you don't want to taunt anybody when you're up with a three-touchdown lead? DAVID BRUTON: I'm not going to say anything. I think yeah, if we're up by three touchdowns, I believe that says enough. Q. Just talk about the running game, can you just talk about their offense as a whole and have you really seen that this year, their style of offense this year? MAURICE CRUM, JR.: Yeah, they have done a lot of different things, just to try to get the ball to the playmaker. Obviously it starts with the running game and they didn't mention the quarterback has done a good job of helping them out with his feet, so that's obviously an added dimension to the game. But then you've got the different running backs, so essentially that's four different guys you've got to worry about carrying the ball, and then the offensive line has done a really good job of getting up on guys and giving those guys good seams to run through. Q. Are these different than most offenses you guys have faced this year, or is there one team that you've faced already? DAVID BRUTON: I believe they are different in some aspects. They shift a lot. They do a lot of moving, so as a safety and as a linebacker, we have to get our checks ready and our communication right. But at the end of the day, we've seen split passes, we've seen zone, we've reads, we've seen double moves in the secondary, everything; it's just they are doing it in a different personnel. So I believe they are different in some ways but other ways they are the same as any other team we play. End of FastScripts |
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