|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYSJuly 23, 2014Sonny DykesLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Just want to start out by saying I think we're all excited to be here at media day for the Pac‑12.ﾃつ It's an exciting time of the year.ﾃつ This signifies the kickoff of college football season really for coaches and players in so many different ways just because we're out there now talking about the game we love so much and about next season and all the hopes and expectations around every program.ﾃつ Everybody's had a good off‑season.ﾃつ We feel like we're no different.ﾃつ We've had a tremendous off‑season.ﾃつ Our players have really worked hard.ﾃつ We're excited about getting started and obviously we have a bad taste in our mouth from last season, and we want to get it out of our mouth as quickly as we possibly can.ﾃつ The only way you can do that is by getting out there and competing and playing and improving.ﾃつ We're excited about the opportunity to do that.ﾃつ I have two really remarkable young men with me that have come with me for media day.ﾃつ I think they exemplify everything that's good about college football and student‑athletes.ﾃつ They're really good people.ﾃつ They're obviously really good football players.ﾃつ So I'm going to introduce them, that's Stefan McClure and Jared Goff.ﾃつ And they'll be available for questions and will do a great job representing our program.ﾃつ So we're anxious to get started. Q.ﾃつ (No microphone). COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Had a really good freshman year last year, thought he played well as a true freshman.ﾃつ We played a lot of young guys last year.ﾃつ We didn't have him last year in football.ﾃつ He was playing at a high level.ﾃつ But come back this summer, and we expect better things out of him in the future.ﾃつ [We might use him as] a wide receiver.ﾃつ We think if he does that, we'll utilize him a lot of different ways.ﾃつ Playing in the slot, and getting him in space and expand his role in the game. Q.ﾃつ When you look at the conference, as good as it is, did it occur to you to (No microphone)? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, you know, I think that with last year, that it's going to be, I think the improvements going to be pretty high because we weren't very competitive last year a lot of times, and I think that's going to be our biggest issue.ﾃつ Getting in the game and giving ourselves an opportunity to win. I think it will be obvious to everybody.ﾃつ Our fans, obviously our opponents and everybody that watches us play. Q.ﾃつ Do you look back and how much do you force yourself to start fresh? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think it's been motivating for our players and it has been for me as a coach.ﾃつ You know, in our profession, you are kind of what your record says you are.ﾃつ So you go from being pretty smart to being pretty dumb overnight, and it's a tough thing to live with.ﾃつ It's just kind of our‑‑ but you are how your team performs and you are involved with it.ﾃつ So that's a hard thing for a coach to go through.ﾃつ Certainly difficult for me.ﾃつ But we took a lot out of it.ﾃつ So I think it has been motivating for us.ﾃつ But you have to put it behind you, move on to next year, and I think our players have probably done that better than the coaches sometimes. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Well, I think every team's different and every challenge is different.ﾃつ So I think every time you go some place and you take a new job, and as coaches we move around a lot.ﾃつ Every school has strengths and weaknesses and you have to address those.ﾃつ So I think for us, a lot of it is figuring out what works for us at Cal.ﾃつ Cal is a unique institution just because of the academic rigors of the university, so how does that affect the football team?ﾃつ So that's one of the things we've looked at and some of the changes we've made have been obviously addressed in recruiting, but also trying to give our student‑athletes as much time as we can outside of football to just be students.ﾃつ That's a unique challenge.ﾃつ Just trying to figure out what our personnel allows us to do.ﾃつ What can we do based on our personnel and adjusting our schemes and doing things differently.ﾃつ It gave us a year to figure out what they really needed in terms of strength and conditioning. So when you look at the overall program, everything's a little bit different.ﾃつ I don't know that we necessarily blew anything up, but a lot of screwdriver adjustments.ﾃつ That takes place honestly whether or not you have a good year or a really bad year like we did last year. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Oh, I think the thing we've got to do is put [Jared Goff, QB] in good situations.ﾃつ A lot of times last year we threw him to the wolves a little bit.ﾃつ We had to score a lot of points every game.ﾃつ I think he felt pressure to do that.ﾃつ I think you look at his performance last year, middle of the season he kind of hit a period where he didn't improve that much.ﾃつ Maybe took a step backwards.ﾃつ I think it was a result of us putting so much on him through the course of the year.ﾃつ So I think he's got to be more consistent.ﾃつ He's got to do a good job of getting the ball to our playmakers and not trying to do so much and put so much on himself.ﾃつ And also has to do a good job as a staff protecting him. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, that's kind of, unfortunately, the way these things go when you look at taking over a program and implementing a new style of play.ﾃつ The red zone is always the last area that you get cleaned up.ﾃつ Because the field is condensed, decisions have to be made faster, routes have to be more precise, blocks have to be held a little bit longer.ﾃつ Everything, you're playing in a little bit tighter area.ﾃつ But it comes down to execution, really, and that's an area that we have to improve in, and we will have year one to year two. Q.ﾃつ Given what happened last year, will you pay more attention to that? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I paid more attention to defense last year than I ever have before, so maybe I'll pay less attention this year.ﾃつ I think that for me it's important for me to be a head coach, and it's important for all of the players on our football team to feel like I'm involved and supportive of them.ﾃつ I spent a lot of time on the defensive side of the field, obviously looking at what we're doing, but more importantly, just being around our players.ﾃつ I'm pretty actively involved in coaching special teams and obviously involved in the offense as well.ﾃつ I'll commit about the same amount of time out there as I did last year. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I don't know permanently.ﾃつ I mean, we hope so just because that means we're staying healthy.ﾃつ But he'll play a little bit of both during fall camp. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think a little bit of both.ﾃつ We'll have that question answered this spring.ﾃつ We have a couple of players that we think are new additions to our team that are going to get in the mix.ﾃつ Obviously, a corner, Darius White obviously is a guy that's a very highly recruited cornerback that's coming in that we think can make a difference.ﾃつ Just what we've seen this summer, he's very athletic, very skilled.ﾃつ But you never know how he's going to make that transition from junior college to the Pac‑12. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Exactly, so we can get Cameron [Walker] back to a true position.ﾃつ Darius Allensworth will be more healthy this year than he was.ﾃつ Some of the younger guys we hope have improved.ﾃつ If we can stay healthy in that position, that will allow us to move back into safety.ﾃつ But he'll practice both.ﾃつ I like the depth on our football team, I really do.ﾃつ But the secondary is still one part of our team that we still don't have as many bodies that are ready to play yet that we need to.ﾃつ So we're trying to get that addressed and adjusted, and we'll see how it plays out. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think it's actually going to be a position where we're going to have a lot of depth, assuming we get guys back healthy.ﾃつ We have some junior college players coming in that we think are going to give us a little bit of a push.ﾃつ Marcus Manley, we think will be a good player inside.ﾃつ He had a really solid spring.ﾃつ I like that group.ﾃつ I really do.ﾃつ I think it's going to be a group where we can play eight to ten guys.ﾃつ We'll see with James Looney whether or not he becomes eligible as a possibility.ﾃつ We're going to file a waiver and see if we can get his immediate eligibility, so we'll see how that plays out.ﾃつ If we can get him in there, I think it would be a great addition for us as well at defensive tackle.ﾃつ So it's a group that I don't know that we have a lot of superstars, but I think we have a lot of depth. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Well, I think what we have to do is just function better as a unit.ﾃつ Obviously last year was tough because of all the crazy injuries that we had.ﾃつ I think it was tough.ﾃつ It was tough to put 11 healthy bodies out there that knew how to lineup at times.ﾃつ We're just so much better now because we do have depth.ﾃつ We had a lot of guys come back this spring that we never had last fall. When you look at our defensive line, we never had Brennan Scarlett last year.ﾃつ We never had Sione Sina last year.ﾃつ We never had Mustafa Jalil last year.ﾃつ When you look at linebacker, we never had Nathan Broussard who we think has a chance to be a very good football player.ﾃつ And the other injuries at linebacker, we never had Nick Forbes who was our returning tackler.ﾃつ We just didn't have the guys that we thought we were going to have coming into the year.ﾃつ So it forced us to play some young players that probably weren't ready to play. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, Jason [Gibson]'s had a hard time staying healthy, but we think he can.ﾃつ He didn't do a whole lot this spring.ﾃつ But he's fully cleared now.ﾃつ We expect him to compete for one of those linebacker jobs as we move into fall camp.ﾃつ He's had a variety of things.ﾃつ A little shoulder, a foot, just had some things that have had a hard time healing up.ﾃつ So the good thing now we expect him to be back completely healthy and a hundred percent. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ You know, you never know.ﾃつ Funny thing about it you never know what you have until you get them out there, get them competing.ﾃつ Cole [Webb]'s a kid that a good athlete.ﾃつ He can run.ﾃつ So he's somebody that we're going to see how he develops.ﾃつ Sometimes guys like that surprise you.ﾃつ We've started walk‑on quarterbacks in the past.ﾃつ I was at Texas Tech one year, and we started a fifth year senior named Sonny Cumbie who was a really good player for us, a former walk‑on, and Cole's one of those guys that I could see him becoming that kind of player potentially. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Well, USC's always going to recruit well.ﾃつ I think the tradition in that program speaks for itself in a lot of ways.ﾃつ So I think that as more and more teams recruiting on the quest west coast.ﾃつ When you look at where guys are going particularly in Southern California and the Bay Area as well, people are recruiting the west coast probably much more frequently than they have in the past. So USC's presence is always going to be here.ﾃつ Obviously USC and UCLA are going to recruit well, particularly in Southern California.ﾃつ They always have and expect them to do so.ﾃつ But USC is going to make a difference.ﾃつ But more than anything else just all the people coming out west now probably makes a difference. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ None at all really.ﾃつ We have a pool of student‑athletes that we think fit.ﾃつ We're going to recruit those guys.ﾃつ It won't change our approach much. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ The great thing about young people is they're incredibly resilient.ﾃつ A lot more resilient than older people.ﾃつ So they bounce back.ﾃつ They showed up every day with a great attitude and worked hard and really have bought into what we ask them to buy into.ﾃつ We feel like we're in a really good spot.ﾃつ I couldn't be more proud of the off‑season we had, especially this summer.ﾃつ We've really become a football team this summer and it's good to see those guys start to come together and to do the things that we think make a big difference in the program.ﾃつ And there are things that are overlooked a lot, just the level of commitment, the reliance upon each other from a teamwork standpoint, the trust with each other, and the trust between the coaching staff and the players.ﾃつ All those are things that are important elements that we really didn't have last year.ﾃつ Obviously, it's just an improvement.ﾃつ We're bigger.ﾃつ We're stronger.ﾃつ We're faster.ﾃつ We're going to be a different looking football team than we were last year.ﾃつ Still not where we need to be.ﾃつ The young guys playing for us, still going to be a young football team.ﾃつ Lot of sophomores, lot of juniors playing for us, very few seniors.ﾃつ But I think it speaks well for the future of our program. Q.ﾃつ [Pat] Fitzgerald [Northwestern head coach] was quoted yesterday as saying ﾃや愿や廬 look forward to shaking that coachﾃや冱 hand after we beat ﾃや脇m.ﾃや Tell us your reaction to that. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I don't really have a reaction to it.ﾃつ Pat's a good guy.ﾃつ Pat's a highly respected football coach.ﾃつ I have a lot of respect for Pat.ﾃつ I would guess that was something that was taken out of context. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, Brennan [Scarlett] gives us a lot of size and athleticism at that defensive end position.ﾃつ We weren't a very good team at rushing the passer last year.ﾃつ I think we'll be much improved because of Brennan.ﾃつ He gives us an opportunity to be more athletic.ﾃつ He's had a great off‑season.ﾃつ He's a big, strong kid who is very mature.ﾃつ He's going to provide leadership for us as well, so we expect him to have a big year. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ It certainly makes things easier.ﾃつ If you can get off to a good start, it makes it easier for your program.ﾃつ The big thing we want to make sure we do is just get better.ﾃつ That is the big thing.ﾃつ We've stayed consistent from the end to end.ﾃつ Just improving from a day‑to‑day perspective.ﾃつ I think we have improved.ﾃつ We're a much better football team now than we were a year ago.ﾃつ We have a lot of questions that have been answered.ﾃつ This time last year we didn't have a quarterback who was going to be for sure.ﾃつ We didn't know how the pieces fit together.ﾃつ Now we have a better sense of that.ﾃつ We feel good about really across the board, all our positions.ﾃつ There is going to be a lot of competition for spots, but we don't think we're going to have to play a lot at freshmen like we did last year, so I think that's going to benefit our program. Q.ﾃつ about The Drive COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, of course, yeah.ﾃつ The funny thing about it, it was interesting, because Arizona State was having such a good year.ﾃつ We were having such a bad year.ﾃつ Believe it or not, I actually haven't watched it.ﾃつ The whole thing was I didn't want to watch it during the year because I didn't want it to affect any approach that we were taking.ﾃつ Then I didn't want to go back and relive last year.ﾃつ So going through it once was good enough for me. But we've got a lot of positive feedback.ﾃつ The thing that we heard over and over and over again from parents as we started recruiting was I was really impressed with your coaching staff and your team and the way they hung in there and kept competing.ﾃつ Just the attitude that you showed and the resiliency that we showed as a program I think appealed to a lot of people.ﾃつ So we had a really positive‑‑ a lot of positive feedback from it, from something that I didn't expect much positive feedback from.ﾃつ So I think it was a good experience for us.ﾃつ One of these days I'll go back and relive it, but not anytime soon. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Bryce has been one of the most consistent players in our program.ﾃつ Just a mature kid that has a great approach.ﾃつ We're going to move him inside which I think is going to be great for us.ﾃつ If you're going to play inside, the biggest probably component you look for from an inside receiver is consistency.ﾃつ That is his best quality is his consistency.ﾃつ So that move inside will allow him to work off the linebackers and safeties a little bit more, and allow some of our guys to get more playing time outside that have that skillset.ﾃつ So we have a good receiving corps.ﾃつ We really do.ﾃつ I like our guys.ﾃつ I think we have a lot of depth and different types of players that can do different things.ﾃつ So I think that move for Bryce is going to be a good move for him. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ He does what he's supposed to do the way he's supposed to do it.ﾃつ That's what being a good receiver is all about.ﾃつ The most important thing is being in the right place at the right time and your quarterback understanding when you're going to be there and how you're going to get there.ﾃつ Bryce and Jared have a great relationship that way.ﾃつ So I think Bryce will have a really good year.ﾃつ I expect him to have a big year. Q.ﾃつ on Ted Agu COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, I think it's been a really unifying experience for everyone to go through.ﾃつ I think when you have tragedy, it forces people to come together and to talk and trust each other and so I think it's been‑‑ I think our players have done a great job of honoring Ted and expect him to do so during the season.ﾃつ Anytime you have tragedy, it brings people together. Q.ﾃつ In your experience, are you in position to go back and make a difference? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ So much of it depends on need.ﾃつ I think that is the thing.ﾃつ When you look at a program, one year my second recruiting class at Louisiana Tech we went heavy junior college.ﾃつ Signed 13 kids I believe that year.ﾃつ 12 of the 13 ended up starting for us at different times through the process.ﾃつ So that's not typical. ﾃつBut we were a team that needed a quick fix and some guys to come in and give us depth from the git‑go.ﾃつ So it's a pretty similar situation we have now at Cal, where we just need competition.ﾃつ We need depth.ﾃつ We need maturity.ﾃつ We need size.ﾃつ We need strength.ﾃつ All those things that junior college players will provide sometimes for you.ﾃつ Those were all things that we needed. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ It's tough to say.ﾃつ It's hard to know until you get around them, because so much of making an impact depends on making that transition.ﾃつ How quickly can they learn the offense and defense?ﾃつ How quickly can they adjust academically to what they need to do at Cal to be successful?ﾃつ So there are a lot of factors that you don't have any control over.ﾃつ Usually the guys that adjust the best aren't necessarily the best athletes.ﾃつ They're just guys that are able to adapt and make adjustments quickly.ﾃつ Those are usually the guys that have a bigger impact early. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, we're going to bring him along slowly, monitor him.ﾃつ There are going to be a number of guys that we're doing the same thing with that are coming off of injuries.ﾃつ The important thing is we want to have him for Northwestern, because we think he has a chance to be a pretty impactful player for us.ﾃつ We're not that concerned about him having a great second scrimmage as much as we are him having a great first ballgame.ﾃつ So we've got to monitor his workload.ﾃつ But he's practicing fully cleared, running, and moving around better than I think we anticipated him moving around. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ It seems to be when you look back at history, again, you have to go back to history and places you've been in the past.ﾃつ Graham Harrell struggled a little bit as a sophomore starter at Texas Tech and had a great senior and junior year.ﾃつ So you can reference that.ﾃつ Obviously, Colby Cameron went through the same thing for us at Louisiana Tech.ﾃつ Colby was somebody who started some as a junior and ended up being a really, really good player for us.ﾃつ So made a huge transition or huge improvement from year one as a starter to year two as a starter.ﾃつ So expect Jared to do the same thing.ﾃつ That position is so much about learning how to execute.ﾃつ Learning how to play, and learning how to play within yourself, not trying to do too much, understanding who your play makers are and just getting involved with those guys.ﾃつ So he's come a long way in that regard, and I think he'll be a different player this year. Q.ﾃつ Is he going to be there in the spring? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think the summer has really been good for him.ﾃつ He hadn't had a lot of time prior to spring football to get ready.ﾃつ So spring football is a little rougher than expected coming off of shoulder surgery.ﾃつ We knew it was going to be tough.ﾃつ The last week of camp or last week of spring practice you could see the improvements starting to take place.ﾃつ I think he picked up where he left off in throwing the player‑led workouts between spring football and this fall.ﾃつ I think he's on the same page with those guys.ﾃつ We'll see how much progress has been made when we start practice, but we anticipate it to look much smoother than it did this spring. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, I think it's tough.ﾃつ Anytime you're a young player and you're thrown into a role like he's thrown into, there is so much that you're trying to learn to do. I think he's more confident and the leadership will develop around him. Q.ﾃつ How important is that at quarterback? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ It's always important at quarterback, especially this style of play where you're relying on him.ﾃつ The offense goes through the quarterback.ﾃつ So it's important that he has a lot of confidence.ﾃつ The leadership happens when your quarterback does start to have confidence and believe in himself, his teammates and believe in him.ﾃつ So that is a process that's started to occur naturally and will continue to occur as the season progresses. Q.ﾃつ Was there anyone during spring ball that stood out to you more? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, I think when you look at the play of our offensive line, Steven Moore in particular, I thought he had a very solid spring.ﾃつ I think defensively there were so many moving parts trying to get guys adjusted to the new scheme.ﾃつ I thought Todd Barr had a really productive spring.ﾃつ I was glad to see him start to improve and get better and better.ﾃつ You know, Nathan Broussard was limited this spring, but liked a lot of the stuff that he started to do for us during the spring.ﾃつ I thought Mike Lowe had a really good spring as well, and got a lot better.ﾃつ Cameron Walker is another one that comes to mind.ﾃつ So when you sit down and look at it overall, Stephen Anderson thought he was solid this spring as well.ﾃつ Had a quiet spring, but a solid spring.ﾃつ So all of those are guys that I thought really made a move and expect him to continue to make that move. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ He's been a really solid player for us.ﾃつ He's just a solid person.ﾃつ He's very consistent in his approach and the way he handles being a student, being an athlete.ﾃつ He's a hard worker.ﾃつ He's very versatile.ﾃつ His skillset allows him to play corner or safety.ﾃつ He can play the nickel position for us as well.ﾃつ He's battled some injuries.ﾃつ Had a hard time staying healthy.ﾃつ But he's a really tough kid, competitive kid and somebody that we can rely on, somebody that's very popular with his teammates and everybody has a lot of respect for him and the way he conducts himself. So he's going to be a very good player for us.ﾃつ I mean, we think his skillset fits well at safety, but we'll see if we stay healthy enough for that to happen. Q.ﾃつ How much is it skill and strength? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think a lot.ﾃつ Anytime you're trying to pick up a new scheme and new coaching style with Greg Burns taking over the secondary, it's important for those guys to be out there and competing every day and learning and improving.ﾃつ So I thought he made a big move. Q.ﾃつ You were at Texas Tech in that first or second wave of Texas quarterbacks.ﾃつ It seems like the west coast, this current generation of quarterbacks right now has gone through sort of a similar evolution.ﾃつ Have you seen sort of a similar thing? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, I think in a lot of ways the west coast was first.ﾃつ When you go back and look at quarterbacks 15 years ago, the west coast was doing a lot of 7 on 7 type of thing probably before anybody else was.ﾃつ As you said, there was a little bit of a renaissance at Texas quarterback that I think benefited from the 7 on 7, and the competition in the summer and increased exposure in the summer.ﾃつ It's a little bit cyclical.ﾃつ But I think the west coast again, really a good quarterback league.ﾃつ A lot of guys get developed out here.ﾃつ A lot of it has to do with the weather.ﾃつ The guys can go out year round and throw and compete and improve.ﾃつ If you're a quarterback in California and you go outside and flow 365 days a year.ﾃつ I think that makes a difference in their development.ﾃつ And when you sit down and look at the league right now, I mean, quarterbacks in this league are as good as I've ever seen as a whole. Q.ﾃつ Obviously you want to score a hundred every game if you could.ﾃつ But when you were in the coaches room, do you talk about there is no let up?ﾃつ The offense has to bring it every week? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, when you look around the league, I mean, you've got to score points in this league to have a chance to win.ﾃつ I think at the end of the day you have to play good defense.ﾃつ I'm not so sure that when you look at the league and who is going to win the league, I would think it would be whoever plays the best defense.ﾃつ I really believe that.ﾃつ Oregon became a really good football team when their defense started playing well.ﾃつ Stanford has obviously done that.ﾃつ Historically, SC has had a great defense.ﾃつ So everybody can score but you have to be able to stop people in this league as well. Q.ﾃつ What do you look for when you're recruiting guys or putting guys in that position? COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Well, it's changed a lot.ﾃつ It used to be guys could back‑pedal and show quickness.ﾃつ They didn't necessarily have to be great tacklers, didn't have to be great guys.ﾃつ Now with the emphasis on wide receiver screens and jump balls and back shoulder throws you have to have some big guys and have guys with a little length at the spots.ﾃつ If you can find athletes that have quickness, and have some size to get off blocks and play fresh coverage, that can really change your defense. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think when you look at Chris [Petersen]'s teams, they don't beat themselves.ﾃつ They're well‑coached, they're fundamentally sound, and they're not going to self-destruct.ﾃつ His teams don't turn the ball over.ﾃつ They don't have a lot of penalties.ﾃつ Don't make a lot of mistakes.ﾃつ They're good, solid, fundamental football teams. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think first of all, Washington has good players.ﾃつ When you look at their football team they've got a lot of good football players.ﾃつ They're a big, physical football team.ﾃつ They have a lot of size on both sides of the ball.ﾃつ So he's going to have some pretty good players to work with.ﾃつ So that is the key.ﾃつ You have good players, you're usually a better coach, and Chris is a good coach.ﾃつ He'll do a good job in the program. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I don't know that there is that big of an adjustment.ﾃつ Obviously, recruiting is big because it's different.ﾃつ Football is still football.ﾃつ You're still coaching the same things. ﾃつThis league is a little unusual because there are so many different styles of play in this league and there is a lot of teams that are really committed to doing something a certain way and they're very good at it.ﾃつ When you look at Oregon who is going to spread you to run the ball and you look at Stanford and look at Washington stayed who is going to spread you to throw the ball.ﾃつ There are just a lot of offenses that are varied in their approach and really good at it, and guys know what they're doing.ﾃつ It makes the league a little different than everybody else, but football is football.ﾃつ And winning football is the same.ﾃつ It's about execution.ﾃつ It's about taking care of the football and creating a culture in a program. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ I think there is a lot more up tempo offense than there was 12 years ago.ﾃつ But, again, you have a team like Stanford that's had tremendous success by playing power football.ﾃつ You know, you just have to be able to adjust.ﾃつ I think it's important to hire a coaching staff particularly on defense that has seen a lot, been around and make adjustments because you're going to see a lot of different styles of play. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, Jeff [Coprich]'s a guy ‑‑ we're expecting a lot of good things out of Jeff.ﾃつ He played a lot last year.ﾃつ Had a lot of injuries at the running back spot.ﾃつ When he got a chance to perform, we thought he performed well.ﾃつ He did some good things this spring.ﾃつ We have four or five guys that are going to be competing at that spot for tailback position.ﾃつ He'll be in the mix.ﾃつ We'll see how he does and how he improves. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ We'll see.ﾃつ I don't know.ﾃつ Certainly he's going to be somebody that's competing for that job.ﾃつ We'll see.ﾃつ In a lot of ways we'll be a little bit of a tailback-by-committee team because they're a little different, bringing different things to the table.ﾃつ This off‑season he's gotten a little bigger and stronger, and I expect him to have a good year. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ We've just got to get better.ﾃつ That's kind of a lame answer, I know, but we just have to improve.ﾃつ That's our biggest thing.ﾃつ Just get a little better every day.ﾃつ That's how football is.ﾃつ You don't circle five games and say we can win these games.ﾃつ You don't do anything like that.ﾃつ Just you practice hard every day.ﾃつ You work hard every day.ﾃつ You get a little better every day.ﾃつ You develop your players.ﾃつ You try to create competition because it makes people better.ﾃつ At the end of the day, you try to play better and perform better and coach better.ﾃつ So if we do those things, that's going to result in more wins for us. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Any offense is relying upon the offensive line, whether you're a power team, throwing team, whatever your style is, you have to play well up front.ﾃつ That's just how football games are won and lost. ﾃつI like that group.ﾃつ I think we have some depth.ﾃつ We're still young.ﾃつ We're still a little younger than I want to be.ﾃつ But we're a lot better now.ﾃつ We've made tremendous improvement.ﾃつ I think all of the pieces are there.ﾃつ We've just got to put them in the right spots and develop some good, solid back‑ups.ﾃつ We've got to try to stay healthy.ﾃつ That is something that we haven't done very well is stay healthy.ﾃつ If we can stay healthy, I think that could go from being a unit that wasn't very strong last year to being one of the strengths of our team. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ Yeah, very much so. I thought they were a lot better this spring and will be a lot better this fall. COACH DYKES:ﾃつ That's been the big thing.ﾃつ Physically they will look different.ﾃつ They'll be bigger and stronger, and as a result of that I think they'll be more confident. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|