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ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL: OHIO STATE v ALABAMADecember 30, 2014Amari CooperNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Q. Coming in, what kind of tape have you seen? AMARI COOPER: Yeah, the information that I've gathered about their cornerbacks. They're both really fast. 12 is extremely fast. Probably like a legit 4.3 guy. They never let the receivers they play against get too much separation from them. So they're both really solid corners. Q. What's impressed with the way he's playing this year (indiscernible)? AMARI COOPER: He's shown me a lot. He's shown me that if you don't quit you'll be blessed. He's always believing in himself. It's been a long, long journey for him. All his hard work has finally‑‑ I won't say it's all paid off, but it's paying off. He's a true inspiration to really anybody and he's a really confident player. I've seen him grow. I've seen him lead the team, step up in crucial situations and it's all been for the good of the team. Q. How has all of this attention you've been getting, Heisman, everything throughout the year, how have you been able to stay grounded throughout this process, and how have you been able to stay focused on winning the national championship? AMARI COOPER: Nothing's really changed with my work ethic, with my studying, watching film and things like that. The only thing that's changed is I've been a little busier, especially with the Heisman thing, going to Orlando. But that's really about it. Q. Does this media day thing get old for you? You come back down, all the media is shining a spotlight on you, what's different about this year now? I know last year it was the Sugar Bowl and this year a Sugar Bowl with another element to it, the national championship semifinal? AMARI COOPER: It's a lot of media that goes on before the game. I'm not sure if all of it is really necessary. I don't know. I'm just a player who likes to play. I'm so accustomed to coming from Little League and high school and no media at all, just playing the game. So that's what I'm really used to. But this feeling, it doesn't feel too much different right now than last year, because last year we had the same agenda and that was to come in and win. So I don't feel too much of a difference even though we're playing for a national championship, if we win this game. Q. What's the most creative thing Nick has taught you? Something creative (indiscernible)? What's the most creative thing you've learned from him? AMARI COOPER: I've learned many things from him. He has a lot of parables he likes to tell. He once told the team something about this, I don't know, a rock hitter or something like that, I don't know what the guy was hitting a rock for. But he said the guy hit the rock 100 times and the rock didn't do anything. The 101st time he hit it and the rock split. He used that to try to give an example to the team that even though you may be working hard or might not be seeing the results so quick, we have to keep working hard because at the end of the day all the results will come from your hard work and that's kind of the example he gave to us to tell us that. Q. Obviously both teams have seen a lot of tape on each other. They know what you guys do best. You know what they do best. Is there a new wrinkle, maybe, that Coach Saban is possibly thinking about throwing in there that may be different from what you guys have done all year? AMARI COOPER: There's a few new things we want to do on offense because of what we've seen on tape from their defense. That's why you watch film, to go in and try to do new things to exploit the weakness in their defense. But I think both teams have strengths and weaknesses and that's why you play the game. Q. In all the tape that you guys have seen, is there anything that stands out as far as Ohio State's defense is concerned, maybe not the defensive line or D backs but overall what your guy's feeling is on the team? AMARI COOPER: Overall we feel they're a really sound defense. We feel like the players on their defense are really confident in their scheme. We feel like they're comfortable in that scheme. They don't really change around their defense at all. They do the same things, because that's what they're comfortable doing. And they're really‑‑ what word can I use? ‑‑ they're just used to running that defense and they do it really well. Q. The Heisman Trophy finalist in the room and yet you've managed to clear out the media in front of you. What has today been like? AMARI COOPER: I don't know. I just kind of got here. I'm just chilling. Q. Chilling is, I would say, among your favorite activities in that you're not a guy that's going out and especially not when it's a work trip like this one. What has the New Orleans experience been like, have you had a chance to do anything beyond watching film? AMARI COOPER: We've been practicing, watching film, but I've managed to get to the mall, buy a few clothes, couple shoes. Q. Get to the mall, buy a few clothes, watch some film. So the next 48 hours, what's that process look like? AMARI COOPER:  We're going to kind of cut it down as far as practice let our bodies rest up before the game and basically just get ready to go. Q. (Indiscernible)? AMARI COOPER: I had confidence in him before our first game. I saw what he was doing in the spring and I was really hopeful that it would carry over to the game. When we got in the first game, the first game just kind of felt like it kind of felt like an extension of practice. It didn't really feel like it was a lot bigger than practice. So when we realized that, we were like, okay, he can do this, it's not going to be that hard for him. Q. (Question about development and focusing on details)? AMARI COOPER: I've had receiver coaches. But I would say my route running and my instinctive ability to try to manipulate the DBs and read his body language it just came from me playing the position for so long. I've never played another position except for one year I played quarterback. But it's a lot of backyard football that went into my, that goes into my route running and my ability to make sharp cuts and things like that. So, yeah, that's what I would attribute it to. Q. (Question off microphone)? AMARI COOPER: That's easy. He's an inspiration to me. He's a great Christian. And aside from football, he's a great person. I get a chance to talk to him. Every time you learn something from him. He's a really hard worker. Every time we run 110s and things like that in the offseason, and he works really hard in the weight room. He's just a great person. I learned a lot from him. Q. How does that affect your perspective, the high profile player he is, how does that affect your motivation? AMARI COOPER: Like I said, he's really an inspirational person. Makes me want to better myself as a person. Every time I see him running those 110s really hard I'm like I can't let him beat me. So it's just things like that. Q. How do you feel physically coming into this game? I know you were banged up before the end of the season? AMARI COOPER:  Yeah, I feel good. Every player is banged up and some way or form, we all have nicks and bruises but that's part of the game and you have to play through it. Q. (Indiscernible)? AMARI COOPER: I think their secondaries are pretty fast, the corners are pretty fast. And their safeties are really good tacklers, their safeties are 2 and 3 on the team in tackles. So, they're really solid defensive backs. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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