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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 6, 2013Randy EdsallTHE MODERATOR: We're joined by Randy Edsall. COACH EDSALL: We're looking forward to getting back on the field this weekend. And I thought we used our bye week very, very well. We were able to get some guys healed up and got them healthy and we were able to get some practicing done to clean up some things that we needed to do. So looking forward to playing Syracuse and, like I said, getting back at it on Saturday. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Talk about briefly your trip to Syracuse last week. What was it like seeing Donovan McNabb getting his jersey retired? COACH EDSALL: I didn't see that part. I wasn't in the building at halftime. But it was a good weekend. My wife got honored by the Varsity Club of Syracuse University as a Letter Winner of Distinction along with Art Monk, Craig Bingham, John Nicholson and the '83 Lacrosse national championship team. It was a nice dinner on Friday night we were able to attend, since we had the bye week. And then on Saturday we were able to be in the dome before the game started where before kickoff they recognized them and as soon as that was over we left. And I just can't thank the people of Syracuse and administration enough to getting things put together so I could be there with my wife and help her celebrate her accomplishments. But because of NCAA rules we're not allowed to scout. And so we had to leave before the game started. Q.  Talk about Syracuse, what have you seen on film this week? Another up‑and‑coming team in the ACC, two games or two points away from being a .500 club, what have you seen? COACH EDSALL: They're a tough, physical, aggressive defense that brings a lot of blitzes. Jay Bromley has eight sacks on the season and very disruptive from the defensive tackle position. Their three linebackers, Cameron Lynch and Marquis Spruill, Dyshawn Davis do a great job of blitzing and running around, and Durell Eskridge is a really good safety. So gotta know where they're coming from, gotta be able to block them. And they do a good job. Offensively, they're a team that wants to run the ball. You can see them getting better from week‑to‑week. I think Terrel Hunt is really improving. Jerome Smith and Tyson Gulley, two outstanding backs they like to give the ball to quite a bit. Their line's anchored by Macky MacPherson up front, playing really well, and they got a receiving corps that they're taking advantage of with a lot of the bubble screens and doing things along those lines. So they do a really good job and, like I said, you watch them on film and they're a tough, hard‑nosed football team. Q. Questions about your time at Syracuse, what are some of the things you remember most about playing there and is it cool to get to see them on the field again? COACH EDSALL: Well, I played in Archibald Stadium which is a lot different than the Carrier Dome. But the people I met there, my teammates that you had there, I played with some of the greats, all time greats there at Syracuse and we just always had a good time and always a situation where the fans always supported you and I'm thankful I was given that opportunity at Syracuse there to go there and be part of the football program and then to start my coaching career there and being there for a total of 15 years, four playing, and 11 coaching. I root for them every time except when I've had to play them. And like I said met my wife there so it's a very special place for me and my family. Q. You mentioned the coaching. What made you stick around so long, and what exactly did‑‑ what about Syracuse helped you become the coach you are today? COACH EDSALL: Well, Frank Maloney was my coach and he offered me to come on and be a graduate assistant. I really didn't think I wanted to go work for a living right away, I wanted to stay in coaching and stayed there. I was fortunate, when Dick MacPherson came in, I worked with him for 10 years. When he left that's when I left and went and worked with Tom Coughlin, Syracuse grad at DC and Jacksonville. So there's a lot of things that Syracuse taught me and that I took with me and I use today and like I said forever grateful for the opportunity that they gave me. Q. What's the status of C.J. Brown for this week and if he does return how much you expect that to make a difference for you guys offensively? COACH EDSALL: C.J.'s, he's ready to go. We don't foresee anything that hopefully nothing happens either today or tomorrow in practice or anything. But he's cleared. He's practiced last week and he needed that time off to get himself healed up. And again I think just his leadership, but C.J.'s got‑‑ everybody else has to do their job. We're down a few guys that he doesn't have in there with him that we had earlier in the season. But like I said he's a really good leader and he's a guy that knows the offense, understands it and has experience. So that means a lot to us, and like I said hopefully we can continue to‑‑ he can continue to stay healthy. Q. Other injuries you have on offense, do you feel this is a team that kind of needs to‑‑ you gotta keep it in the 20s I guess the rest of the way or you kind of take maybe, you can possibly get back to the offense you had earlier in the season production‑wise? COACH EDSALL: We got a lot of confidence in all the guys going to be in there playing and now those receivers are getting a little bit more experience, and I think Levern Jacobs showed he's got the ability to make big plays. We've just got to be more consistent. The big thing for us it's got to be consistency and it's got to be not turning the ball over. If we do that then we're capable of being able to put points on the board. Q. You mentioned Jacobs. I was wondering, with the injuries in the passing game, especially two top wide receivers, the running game, obviously, must assume a little more importance. Brandon Ross has been the number one guy, but can you talk about the development of the run balance with Jacobs now contributing more? COACH EDSALL: Again, we want to be balanced all the time. We don't want to be known as a running team or throwing team. We want to be known as a team that has balance. Because I think the more balance you can have, the better your serve to attack and defenses and you get in more problems that way. Like I said, we want to run the ball effectively and efficiently. And we want to throw the ball effectively and efficiently. Again, it's one thing we're striving for and continue to strive for that. If you're two‑dimensional, you put more pressure on the defense rather than if you're one‑dimensional. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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