UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 2, 2004

Tyrone Willingham

COACH WILLINGHAM: I don't think there's any question about that. But also I think what you have to factor in there is the fact that the young men and their perspective may change the game plan. If you look at their game plan, they do a lot of things with movement of the quarterback. But yet one of those guys, his perception, his view may be that run is the option before pass is the option. Yet it can still be the same play and the same call but a totally different option.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'm just saying include both. Because I think if you looked at those two guys, you would have different game plans for what they do well, you know. But at the same time I think the same play with two different guys looking at it, based on their skills, is equal.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes.

COACH WILLINGHAM: There is no question. We need to find more ways to incorporate our backs in our passing game. And we have to do that. That is something that hopefully we keep growing and doing so that we can do it better. We would love to have the ability to take some of our backs and do what we call the "option route," give them that choice and really make our defense vulnerable. So, I think there's some things we're going to, more screens, etc., things that we want to do more of, yes.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you almost have to include all personalities, so you can't really limit anyone on personality. But I think there's some guys that kind of are technicians and really look at the game through a different set of eyes. One you've already mentioned, Grant. I think receiver-wise, you like guys that in a sense are kind of hidden, okay, guys that you might not think anything of, okay, a guy that comes to mind would be, he's very bright, might be Michael Harris, a guy that you look back and say, hmm, oh, yes, I think he would be one. Offensive line, okay, I can think of Bob Morton would be a candidate, I would think that would be one of those kind of guys. Defensively, I think any of your linebackers you can see them fitting into that because of the leadership qualities and some of the safeties.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Those decisions haven't been finalized yet. We start the week off with what we think, as we start the week who will be the starting group, and as we progress through, we can see how they track what they do and then we'll look at it and see. In the vast majority of cases, those will probably come just before the game, once we have seen exactly how things worked out this week.

COACH WILLINGHAM: We've not been -- "struggle" I think is probably a correct word to some degree because I think we have been inconsistent. Sometimes we have done some things well, and we have had some moments where we've moved the ball and done some things, and all of a sudden we've not. It's always nice to get an infusion of new gloves or somebody with new energy to pick you up a little bit. But we've got to look at Tennessee more than anything else, and probably look and see who are our best matchups versus Tennessee, in all our areas, to make sure we are the best we can be.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you have to make some special preparations and then we've got to work around our own weather and depends what their weather will be. But I think it comes to everybody's attention that we anticipate that with 104,000 to 109,000 people, it's going to be loud. And we've got to kind of prepare our guys to be poised for that situation, and not create some of the little mistakes that can take you out of drives or create inconsistency in your offense, especially in your offense. All of a sudden you're looking up at 1st and 10 and now you're looking at first and 15. No, we will take some precautions in our practice to see if we can guard against that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes, all of the above.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think LSU was one of the ones in the southeast when I was in that part of the country. Clemson was tough. Michigan was tough. Washington was tough. Those would be a few around the country, but I hear this one is the toughest or one of, or really considered one of the toughest.

COACH WILLINGHAM: That is the goal of everybody football team, to contain them and to have a nice, quiet stadium.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would think that the extra time gives your guys a little bit more time to focus on that one opponent. Whereas you may have only three or four days of preparation for most teams, and now you have a chance to gain two additional days. Depending on how you structure your plan, that helps. That's beneficial.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I don't know how much we have improved, but I think it's going to judge how we play against another top team. I think we've got the 9th- or 11th-ranked team in the country. They play good football in all aspects. Their punter is good. Their kicker is probably maybe the one inconsistent area they have had. Defensively they are big. They are athletic up front. Their backers are extremely quick, secondary is solid. Offensively their running game is very good, so there's going to be a challenge. It's going to be a real test for us as a football team.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think we are returning in pretty good shape, but we have been fortunate we have not had any major, truly major injuries to our starters this year. We have had some bumps and bruises and nicks but we have not had anybody that's missed, truly missed -- I think Posano, the tight end, missed a week or two. Freeman may have missed some, but other than that, I think we have been by and large pretty good. So we went in not bad, but hopefully we come out a lot better.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think we're going to see. He's going to start the week working and we'll see how he progresses to the end of the week.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think it is. I think because first of all, you have to take into account the role of the senior, and the role of the senior is not just on the field, okay. It's what he provides off the field and in the locker room, and the kind of play that we have got now with Ryan has been very solid for us in all areas. It was almost I think easier for many to forget that two years ago he was a thousand-yard rusher. It's easy to overlook here. I don't know if it's his personality or the way he carries himself, but you have that tendency. But he adds a great deal to our football team in terms of pass protection and in terms of understanding pass routes where he can go, where he can't go. I think the question came up about getting backs involved. Well, he's one that knows where he's supposed to be and what he has to do, and that is very helpful.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think it would be the word understanding. I think you have to kind of understand not just the game but understand people, also, and I think he has some of that in his background.

COACH WILLINGHAM: The first thing would I say is that for most of the student athletes, it is a roller coaster. I mean hopefully there are a lot more good days than bad days, but there are going to be moments, moments that you don't shine, moments that it's difficult to understand what's going on and what the process holds for you. But I think what Ryan has done that, and I think what he might say, if I could say it for him, is that the Notre Dame experience has helped make him a man and it's helped mature him so that he learn to really understand the ups and downs of football and hopefully he can take that into life.

COACH WILLINGHAM: First of all scream at, Coach Willingham: "Get him healthy and get him in the lineup." That would be No. 1. No. 2, though, it would give you, and you can't always put all of it on one person because as you we all know that's not the game of football. That's not the real beauty of the game, but we do know that one person does make a difference, and I think that is what it say, it can make a difference to his leadership and how he impacts a football team with his performance.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I said that the best thing about Brady is that I think he's a winner. And I continue to see all of those qualities exhibited, not just in his play, but also in how he interacts with his teammates, etc. What I would like to see, though, is the continued improvement, continued growth in Brady; and the word that I always say to our quarterbacks and especially to Brady, which I think is some of the most key words that you can ever tell a quarterback, always take what they give you. And that is something that sometimes you want to press the action, you want to make things happen. But if you take what they give you, you usually end up with a great deal.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think first of all, he's a quality quarterback, and is a quarterback I think that he understands their system and to a certain degree. I don't think he understands all of it yet, but he has a pretty good grasp on what he is asked to do in their system, and hopefully he is not doing things outside of the system, which allows him to be successful and the team to be successful. Then I think he is successful because he has a pretty good supporting cast around him. So if you don't score many points against them, which their defense, it makes it a little bit easier for our offense to have success.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, they have continued to do all of the things that I ask them to do, which is No. 1, work hard, and set the tone for what our football team and the direction our football team wants to go, and I think they have continued to do that all year, not just the last ten days.

COACH WILLINGHAM: The reception has been pretty much the same. I did not personally go on the road. We did have, I think it was six of our coaches on the road around the country talking to high school players and coaches and viewing their games, and I think the reception was well.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would think that what Carlyle is trying to do is really finish strong with these three remaining games that we have, seeing as he can make his impact in the special teams, really special in these last three ballgames. And in our role, it will be to see if we can find ways to implement him a little bit more in the offensive scheme.

COACH WILLINGHAM: He's right in the middle of our strong safety situation. He and Tommy will probably, I won't say trade time, but I think there are some things that may happen that did a maybe give him a lit bit more time on the field.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think you'd like to have him involved some more, yes. But at the same time, I think we have done a pretty good job of distributing the ball to Shelton, to McKnight and even Stoval and on top of that, Posano, so it is only one ball, okay. But I do think there are some things that he can do and we think he can do, and we just need to give him that opportunity.

COACH WILLINGHAM: You need both and the key is to do it in a timely manner, so that you can insert that guy, that can give you the big play at the right time, based on what you're seeing from their defense. And yet at the same time, you do need a certain amount of consistency because we want to keep the ball in our hands as much as possible.

COACH WILLINGHAM: If you notice, their time of possession is about even, if I'm correct, and maybe even the opponents lead in that. So my big thing is going to be, yes that's important. But the whole key is going to be score, touchdowns when you have opportunities.

COACH WILLINGHAM: The first thing is that you always talk about the attitude, the attitude. You've got to get where your whole defensive team is flying around and zipping around for the football. That's No. 1. When you start getting more young men around the ball, you can get one guy to tackle and one guy to grip for the ball or you get better breaks on your pass routes if everybody is focused and seeing things in your zone coverage and even tighter man coverage. So first thing is attitude. And second is you practice the fundamentals and techniques of trying to get those turnovers.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. We are always trying to get it. I think our players go out every game. But it's always a point of emphasis to refocus your team on those things; strive to get those things all the time.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes, I did. I stood in the poll line from 6:15 until I think it was 6:45.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think we probably -- in most minds, you look to Maurice when he arrived and probably thought that this was a young man that was already fully developed and already there. So I think your expectations probably may be exceeded his youth because when Maurice came to us. I think if I'm correct, he was late 16-year-old, maybe late 17-year-old in that area. So he was still very young for a young man to be in his position. And what I've seen from him is just continued growth and continued development, not just mentally but physically. And I think now he is starting to really approach the kind of football career that I think he can have.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Justin has a lot of prerequisites that you look for. I think the quickness, the explosiveness, he has a lot of that, and I think down the road we are going to see some things from him in that area. I think the thing that he needs to continue to do is learn the systems are understand the system, and I think there's going to be some mature in him that's going to take place that's really going to allow him to be the player that he can be.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It's not just having him in the flat because sometimes they are in the flat, but sometimes it's there, getting the ball to them and then having them do something with it, okay. That's the whole key is the yards after the kick that makes all the difference in that kind of route and that kind of involvement in your offensive system.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It is. It's hard to do that, so I can't do it. But would it help? Absolutely. Because it gives you another option.

COACH WILLINGHAM: He does that all the time.

COACH WILLINGHAM: You know what, I'm not sure. But because I think that times have changed since then. Sometimes you see it happen sooner, based on the variables, and sometimes it doesn't.

COACH WILLINGHAM: We do. I think we've seen some improvement in some areas and in some areas not.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think that the nature of the kid and the progress that I think we're making on the field, even though inconsistent, but I think there is.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say probably yes on that. Because I think it's that -- it keeps you from being the consistent winner and creating that momentum that you need.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, you know, for this program, I would think 16 years is a long time to go without a National Championship.

COACH WILLINGHAM: 16 years is a long time to go without a National Championship.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think that's going to be important for us to keep this particular team off balance. I think because of their style of play and the athletes that they have in their system, we just can't go and pound it at them. We have to have the ability yes, to return, but at the same time, include in there all aspects of our offense and keep them off balance and hopefully stay one step ahead of them.

COACH WILLINGHAM: As you mentioned, I have not seen him on the field and we'll do that this afternoon. But just in talking with Ryan, I think he says that he feels the best he has felt prior to the injury.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, what you lose if he's not in there is a guy that instantly puts pressure on every aspect of your defense. His ability to come in and run the football really gives you almost like another half-back in the lineup. Sitting watching football with my son on Saturday, the thing we are talking about is one of those plays that you can use to rub out the clock or one of those plays that you can gain an advantage with is just a simple quarterback sweep, because now you have the additional blocker in the backfield; so you gain one. And when you have Schaeffer in the lineup that is a play that becomes very active even though they don't necessarily run a quarterback sweep, but they do it with his drop-back; and maybe his first option is not to pass, but to run.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I don't know if you ever truly accomplish that in the first year. I think it's a real learning process that the young man goes through because the first time you step in that huddle, obviously for most of the guys in that huddle, you have not done anything for them to feel that comfortable with. But in time, you have success and they grow to become very comfortable with and you trust your leadership. So I think what they are doing is going through those stages right now. But the No. 1 thing is if you can have good plays and not make a lot of mistakes, and I think that's the one thing that you've seen from I am him, he's been capable of not creating a big play turnaround mistake for them that's allowed them to be successful.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think there are some things to include in there because we have tried very diligently on our part to make sure we have had a fresh Justin Tuck in there. So we have rotated him in many of those ballgames to make sure he's at his best and is also having the opportunity to really recover from his knee injury a year ago. And we've done that both with Kyle and Justin. But I think what you see in Justin is you feel his explosiveness creates a problem for our offense, and so you have to kind of keep a back aware of him. You have to make sure that they turn the protection to him and sometimes that affects the numbers. But it does not affect Justin's attitude and the manner which he plays the game. When you can play it hard that will bring a real example to your teammates of how you play the game and he's done that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: When you have any clue of that nature, can probably tell you exactly what's taken place, particularly in the area of run or pass. And that little clue can help the other guy know what's coming; and therefore, be better prepared to react so had hopefully makes our entire defense a lot quicker and exposes what the offense is trying to do.

COACH WILLINGHAM: In our case, the No. 1 thing you want to do is get healthy. My players will probably dispute that in terms of my focus. But that is goal No. 1 to try to get healthy. Goal No. 2 is try to work on, at least your upcoming opponent and maybe someone else that you factor into your system. And then No. 3 is to try to get some work for our young men that have not received a lot of work, which many of our freshmen and some of our backups, try to get them some game like situations that they can hopefully grow in. So that is what we try to do in this particular bye week.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, it could be. We probably put more of our attention more of our focus on Tennessee than health and development issues

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, there's no question. We've known from day one that we've faced probably the second toughest schedule in the country when we started, and at some point it turned into the toughest schedule in the country. So we've known that aspect has always been there. The thing that Boston College would have given us, it would have given us our six wins and put us Bowl eligible right then and there. So it's delayed that process and now we've got to go out against two, I think No. 1 and No. 9 or No. 11-ranked teams in the country the next three weeks and put ourselves in a Bowl position.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, it's something that is obviously there because at some point our guys read or listen and hear things that are said. But you have to be able to respond to that. But I think our young men coming to Notre Dame kind of prepares you, or at least sets the table for that kind of preparation; that this is a big-time environment and you are always under scrutiny on the eye of the media, in the eye of the Notre Dame family. So I think our young men are kind of prepared for that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: And you were saying cornerback, is that right?

COACH WILLINGHAM: Defensively?

COACH WILLINGHAM: Okay. Thank you. You like a guy that is extremely tough, extremely resilient. I think the term that most people use when they talk about that position is that he has a short memory, because you recognize at some point that he's on an island and that he is vulnerable. And if he does get beat, you want to have him have the type of personality that he can bounce back as though nothing ever happened.

COACH WILLINGHAM: You know what, I don't know if he can. I think it's something that's really displayed over time. You really start to get to know the young man and find out really his makeup. Some have it. Some don't have it. Some do it better than others.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think we've had some ups and downs and we're continuing to work hard and try to get give their absolute best.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'm always expecting more, and I think that I feel very comfortable that those two guys are not satisfied with what they have given themselves or our football team as of today.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say that -- I don't know if I would call them the comedians of the defense, but I do think they have those moments that they can raise every one's humor bone.