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ROSE BOWL GAME: OREGON v FLORIDA STATEDecember 30, 2014Eddie GoldmanPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. What got you into football? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, my elementary school didn't have any type of football activities, because my elementary school went up to sixth grade, and all they had was like basketball and kickball and stuff like that. I always was interested, but my junior high school, my seventh‑grade year they were going to have (inaudible) and they didn't‑‑ eighth grade they had contact, and that's when I took the opportunity. Q. So you went from not playing any football to All‑American to a first‑round draft pick? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, you could say that. Q. Is that crazy? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, when you think about it, yeah. Q. What did Coach Haggins say or do to help sell you to bring you down south? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, I just knew he was a good guy, was a genuine guy. It was just I felt comfortable with the decision. You know, I felt like Florida State was like the right fit, like the right place. I got a good vibe from everyone. The campus is beautiful, too. You know, I just liked it. Q. Do you like that the coaches have recruited that area and brought a lot of guys down, guys who have also maybe a relationship where maybe you don't hang out, but you're all from that area? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Well, yeah, yeah. I think it's evolved. There's six guys from that area. But yeah, you know, we're pretty close, and whenever you mention the DMV, we always come up. But I hang out with E.J. Levenberry and Ronald Darby and (inaudible), we're a pretty tight group. Q. Did you see or do you remember the reaction when people found out you were going to FSU? EDDIE GOLDMAN: The reaction? No, I don't think I did. Oh, you're talking about everybody? Q. Yeah. EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Q. What was that like? EDDIE GOLDMAN: When I first saw it, it gave me goosebumps. To know that they were excited for me to come here. But they're a great group of coaches, so it was a blessing to play for them. Q. What was it like being yelled at? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I knew it was coming. I wasn't surprised. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, something like that, but you've got to expect it. Q. What's enabled you to have so much success here? EDDIE GOLDMAN: You know, just watching people performing like Everett Dawkins and Anthony McCloud and Timmy Jernigan, and now Lawrence‑Stample, even though he's a redshirt junior and I'm a junior, we kind of been through the same thing.  We kind of came up together, and just watching him, me and him competed and practiced. Just learning from the people before me and watching film and stuff like that. Q. How has it been having Nile back in practice? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Oh, it's definitely better. You can feel it. After practice you're not as tired because we've got that extra body to get in the rotation. Q. Were you at all worried or was he worried early in the season that he was not going to be able to play the rest of the season? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, yeah, he came to me in the meeting room and he sat up there where my seat was. He told me he's out for the season. When he said that, I sort of‑‑ the look on his face, and I was sad, he was sad. But yeah, I definitely thought he was out for the season. Q. You could tell he was pretty excited to be back out there? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yes, yes. Q. It looks like he's in good shape and he's been working hard. Do you feel like he can bring a big contribution? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yes, yes, because one thing that hasn't faded away with him is technique. I think he's one of the most technically sound guys that we have. Yeah, he'll be a big, big part of this defense. Q. What do you remember about the fumble that ended up being the biggest play of the year? EDDIE GOLDMAN: What do I remember about it? Q. Yeah, take us through it. EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, just called‑‑ I mean, it was a pretty simple play. We went with a goal‑line package, I think, trying to stop the run, and I just hit the guard or tackled one of them, and I saw the running back, and I tried to‑‑ I kind of grabbed him late, and then I felt my hand on the ball, and I just ripped it out. Q. Just with the offense that you guys are facing, having an extra body on the defensive line with as much experience as Nile, how much is that going to help? EDDIE GOLDMAN: It's going to help a lot because that's one thing Coach Haggins was talking about is rotating and keeping fresh bodies in there. He's definitely going to be a big part, not just another body, but he's an experienced, great player. That will be good, too. Q. What kind of challenges does their offensive line present? EDDIE GOLDMAN: They're very technically sound. They play well together, and they can be physical, too. They make you move. They're a very fast tempo type of line. Just want to take our discipline and technique to beat them. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, yeah. You know, that's the outlook on it, but we actually study them, they're a pretty physical group. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: The only big learning curve that we as a defense have to overcome was when Stoops left and Coach Pruitt came in. But Coach Kelly, he worked under Coach Pruitt, and when Coach Pruitt left it wasn't that big of a change. We still had the same process and words that we use. But it wasn't that big of a difference, really. Q. Just a different guy? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, just a different guy. Q. What's different about their personalities? Did you have to adjust from one guy to the other? EDDIE GOLDMAN: No, they're pretty easy‑going guys. In the locker room they joke around with the players and stuff like that. They can get serious, they can get in your face, lecture you, type of guys, but they're similar type of guys, just voices. Q. What's your relationship like with Coach Haggins? EDDIE GOLDMAN: We're pretty close. I go over to his house for Thanksgiving, and he does a good job of teaching me the game and pointing out‑‑ like I watch film with him. He points out things that I need to work on and stuff like that. We're pretty close. Q. Talking to Coach, it was a while back, but he lived the experience that you have, playing defensive line here and then at the next level. Having that guy who has that experience, does it maybe mean a little extra than having a different coach would? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Oh, yeah, yeah, because he never lets us forget that he was 240‑pound defensive tackle. He always talks about how he played the position, he knows what to do, and he's been there, and not even on the field, off the field, too. He knows what goes on, what goes through our minds, as opposed to game day and school and stuff like that. It's pretty good to have someone that you can relate to coach you. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, every game when we was down, the North Carolina State game we were down, I don't know by how much we were down. In that game and I think the Miami game. But we never lost focus. If anything we were more focused, we got more focused throughout the game. We just had to just maintain focusing and maintain just remembering our assignments and communicating on the field. That's what we did. Q. What's it like when the momentum starts to shift for you guys? Is it something that you feel? EDDIE GOLDMAN: No, it has more to do with us and what we do. When we see the offense go out there and score, the defense, we feel like we've got to go out there and do our job. It's a kind of a competition with the offense and defense. Lots of people don't realize, it's not our defense against their offense or our offense against their defense. It's our offense and defense working together to try to get the W. That's what it's more about. Q. Has that competition kind of‑‑ is that something you guys needed to drive yourselves this season? EDDIE GOLDMAN: In some games, yeah, we did. Q. Who would you compare Oregon to? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I would say I'd compare them to Clemson as far as the pace. Q. Are you guys going to come out and play a similar scheme to what you did maybe against a Clemson? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I don't think so because they're a different team. They have different players. We've got to take that into consideration, playing a different team. Q. Mario said he's slimmed down a little bit in the last month. Have you seen a difference from him in practice? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, he's like the Weight Watchers of the team. He's always‑‑ you eat something, he's like, you know how many calories are in that? That type of guy. But yeah, he's slimmed down a lot. Q. On the field what's he mean to the defensive line? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Man, he sets the edge pretty well. He's a great player, great athlete, and he has a motor that doesn't stop. He's a hard hitter, too, and he's definitely a leader out there. He's pretty much just another one of our great leaders on defense. Q. His dad is on the coaching staff. What's he do for the team? EDDIE GOLDMAN: He's like the voice of the team. Whenever we're out there, he's always motivating the team. He's always letting us know like we've got to work harder, we've got to do this, we've got to do that to get better, to get through practice, and not only get through practice but have a great practice. Q. You guys lost a bunch of guys last year to the NFL. Why is this program built to sustain teams like Alabama? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, I don't know. I guess it's the coaching, like the legacy that players before us left and the standard we try to live up to. Credit goes to Coach Fisher for setting that standard and the guys before me for setting that standard before me, too. Q. Who is waiting in the wings on this defense that hasn't played a lot yet? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I would say Jacob Pugh. I would say even though Lorenzo Featherston played early in the season, he's going to be a great player. Who else? There's a lot of players. Derrick Nnadi, Demarcus Christmas, DeMarcus Walker. Even though he's playing a lot this year, but I feel like he's going to have an even bigger season next year. There's just a lot of great guys. Q. From a defensive line standpoint, what challenges does Marcus Mariota present, and how do you try and stop him on the defensive line? EDDIE GOLDMAN: He can escape the pocket. He's very elusive, and not only that, he has a great arm. He can stand in the pocket and throw passes downfield. He can throw on the run, and he's hard to bring down, too. Q. What are the keys to stopping him? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Just keeping him in the pocket and don't let him escape and force him to make those throws, and of course on the back end we have to have great coverage, too. Just don't give him a lot of opportunities to make plays. Q. You guys obviously have a lot of talent on the defense, but was it harder or more difficult than you maybe expected kind of taking over the leadership from guys like Timmy Jernigan and Lamarcus Joyner and guys that had been there for a while? Was it harder to take that over? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I would say more mentally than it was physically because, you know, when I was being recruited, these were the guys that were the guys. Just thinking about taking their roles, trying to live up to the standards they set was big, but you know, once we started spring practice and summer camp, we realized that we can be those guys. All we have to do is like play together and be disciplined, and that's what we did. Q. With you guys being such a young defense, obviously you want to see yourselves race up there with the rest of the defense. Has it been frustrating at all for you guys maybe not getting the results as far as being one of the top defenses? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, in our mind, we're always going to be a top defense because we know we can play with anybody. For the most part we try not to focus on the rankings and stuff like that. As long as we get the win, we'll be fine. Q. Do you guys do anything special to prepare for Oregon? Is there anything with them, maybe they're faster or something you have to do in preparation? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, they're faster than some of the teams we've played, but you know, just a little bit more conditioning. Scout team had to raise their level of play. Q. Did you lose any conditioning over the last month, having time off? Do you feel like you've lost any conditioning? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, I probably have, but I did a good job of doing cardio when I was out. Q. Would you rather play an up‑tempo team or a power team? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, honestly it doesn't matter. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, it's definitely good preparation. Stoehr, he's a great player, man. He's one of the toughest guys, probably the toughest guy I ever met, other than Marcus Mattrell if you've met him. But he's a tough guy, and he's one heck of a football player. Going against him, I was a sophomore, freshman, going against him, and sometimes he'll get me, but I got him a few times. But for the most part, man, he gave me my money's worth. Q. Do you see any similarities on tape when you watch their interior offensive line between what you have with Stork ‑‑ EDDIE GOLDMAN: Just the quickness and how they move together. You see how they communicate on film, and looking at each other, pointing at each other, so just communication and quickness they move with and the physicality. Q. Why do you think people around the country just don't like (inaudible)? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I don't know. I don't know. We do the right things, and I really can't answer that question. I don't know. Q. What do you mean we do the right things? Are you talking about off the field? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, we do the right things. We have good guys with good character, so I don't know. Q. It just seems like you guys have this negative image. Everybody I've run into says I hope Oregon wins, and it's not like they're Oregon fans, they just want Florida State to lose. EDDIE GOLDMAN: Might have been Florida fans. (Laughter). Q. But you think the negative image as a program and everything is unjustified? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I mean, I don't see this program having a negative image. I mean, this is one of the best programs out here with one of the best coaches and one of the best coaches to have and some of the best players. Q. What is it you think people just don't get or don't understand? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I think they don't understand what we go through on a day‑to‑day basis and how much work we put in. Q. You guys are defending national champs, you ran the table again this year, and yet the team was constantly being knocked, dodging bullets, not winning by a large enough margin. Which one of those bothered you or aggravated you the most? EDDIE GOLDMAN: I don't pay attention to the media, really. Q. Do you think Jameis has gotten a bad knock? EDDIE GOLDMAN: No, not really. I mean, criticism is going to come when you're a great player. You're going to be criticized. We kind of expected it. Q. What does it mean to get Nile back for this game? EDDIE GOLDMAN: It's definitely great because we've got one more body in that rotation. It's going to be big because when one guy needs a rest, come back in. Not only just the extra body but an experienced body. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, I definitely saw him like reaching for like at the end of certain plays, but I didn't know it was like season‑ending. Q. What's it say that he played through it? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, that's pretty tough. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: I don't think their personalities are different. Mario Jr is a pretty talkative guy, too. He might come off as laid back, and he does, but he jabbers a lot. Q. Is it good to have that? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Yeah, he just brings the fire. When he sees us as lackadaisical, he raises us up a little bit. He's a funny guy, too, so makes us laugh a little bit. He's that kind of extra push, extra surge. Q. How have you personally improved the most? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Football‑wise? Q. Yeah. EDDIE GOLDMAN: I would say my attention to detail and watching film. Q. So I'm sure this question has been asked of you three or four times, but what are the adjustments you're making here specific to Oregon? EDDIE GOLDMAN: That I'm making or the team? Q. That you personally but also the team, the front line in particular, because we know that Marcus is going to try to break (inaudible) what are some of the adjustments you guys are making and that you personally are making to deal with that? EDDIE GOLDMAN: Well, as far as me, I'm just playing within the confines of the defense. But as far as the defensive line, we are just trying to be gap disciplined like you said, going to try to break contain and make plays, keep him in the pocket, and make him throw the ball. He's a great passer, so at the back end we have to have great coverage, and we just have to do that consistently throughout the game, and I think we'll be fine. Q. (Inaudible.) EDDIE GOLDMAN: Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely, because even when he was heavier than he is, he still was like explosive and fast, but now that he's down, it just adds to that. Q. Just talking about the defensive line, looking at it now is it kind of a blessing in disguise a guy like Derrick Nnadi got some rest? Talk about the depth of the defensive line and how important that is against a team like Oregon. EDDIE GOLDMAN: Oh, because they're going to go fast‑paced. As soon as they're finished with a play, they're going to be right back up at the line. You can have some guys in there that might get a little winded, so it's always important to have guys rotating, rotating. You never know what will happen in the game. Someone could get hurt or someone could‑‑ you never know. It's always important to have that depth. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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