|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FINAL: OREGON v OHIO STATEJanuary 10, 2015Mark HelfrichARLINGTON, TEXAS MARK HELFRICH: It will not be a distraction. It's a great, great thing to talk about and the only thing that I'll talk about from that standpoint is confirm that it's an NCAA policy that is in play here, and he's ineligible for this game, and we'll ride. Q. Do you guys feel it? MARK HELFRICH: Again, when you say that's all we're going to talk about, that's all we're going to talk about. Appreciate the question, though. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, distractions are distractions if you let them be, and having a loss is a distraction, getting guys injured is a distraction, media is a distraction, winning big is a distraction, and how you manage those things is what matters the most, and our guys have managed them, all those situations, very, very well. Q. Who's the guy that would step up in his place? MARK HELFRICH: As always, it's a combination of everything. We have a bunch of highly skilled guys that are very confident in what they're doing. Marcus is confident in those guys and we're confident in those guys. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It's just like any other position. Again, unfortunately we've been tested in that realm of guys not being available for whatever reason all season long, and our guys have stepped up. Q. Is this a policy that makes sense? MARK HELFRICH: I appreciate the question again, but let's go. Let's move. We're going to waste a lot of time here. Q. What have you learned about Ohio State now that you've had a chance to study them? MARK HELFRICH: They're a fantastic football team. I think you look at they've stayed healthy. Except one position they've been very healthy, and all those guys, the other guys that people don't focus on as much as the one position going down, they're fantastic. They're fast, they're physical, they're deep. Their special teams are exceptional in terms of both their scheme and the guys doing it, and so it's a very deep, talented team. I read something the other day, it's another very highly recruited team as far as that realm of rankings goes. I think they had like the 2, 3 and 5 recruiting class for whatever that's worth, and so just a very deep team. Q. If you compared this team to previous seasons, how would you say your mentality and focus is different? MARK HELFRICH: I think their mentality and focus has been exceptional. I think we've been in this game once, in a lot of big games a bunch of times, just by virtue of the pressure of the grind of the Pac‑12 Conference in terms of almost having to be perfect to get to this point, and again, they just have bought into the process, the coaches, and the rest of our staff have done a tremendous job of keeping them focused. As far as ranking, I don't know. Q. How much more hype would you say there is this year compared to last year? MARK HELFRICH: I don't know. I think it's leadership. I think guys‑‑ we have a great mix‑‑ we have a couple guys that are very experienced, and we have a bunch of very young players that have made a ton of plays and that kind of been there before experience of those other guys and us as coaches, again, I think has helped that. Q. It's early Pacific time right now. Is it difficult for their bodies to adjust to this time? MARK HELFRICH: No, in the last couple days we've adjusted our clock a little bit, and then we're going to go back and practice and meet kind of our normal‑‑ kind of meet and practice our normal Thursday approach to game week. Q. Are you concerned about it being so early for the guys? MARK HELFRICH: No, no. Q. (Inaudible) MARK HELFRICH: He's a really intelligent guy. I don't think you're going to get that much by watching his practice a couple times, other than you're always looking for some margin to tweak of‑‑ as I said the other day, you're looking for the best way to stretch, you're looking for the best way to manage practice, all those things. We're doing that constantly when you're at a high school practice going, hey, we could do that, something like that would help this. So I think it was more those kind of situations. What he and Chip have done over the years, I have no idea. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: A bunch of guys. A bunch of guys, yeah. We have a combination of ways to get a bunch of guys in the game, and that will continue. Q. Do you adjust your plan at all? MARK HELFRICH: No. No. Q. What does it mean to be in the shadow of an iconic, superstar coach? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, we certainly don't think we're in anybody's shadow, and it's we. It's our team versus their team, and we have a ton of respect, utmost respect, for what they've been able to accomplish on the field, and our guys will battle. It's not a one‑on‑one matchup, although depending on the event, that might be a good thing. Q. Talk about the opportunity to be here. What do you think about the way the selection committee process was conducted? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, obviously sitting here, we're for it, and we are in favor of how the process worked. But yeah, I think in a lot of ways it was a necessary kind of just evolutionary process to get to this point. I think there's a bunch of other stuff on the front end of it that we have to solve, whether it's equity in scheduling, whether that's X number of conference games plus a championship or not, because that's different, and we have the toughest path in our conference to this game, to this final four, so to speak, and it's an honor to represent the Pac‑12 this year for sure. And then, yeah, having the human element in there, again, it's, as I said early on in the season, it's the greatest thing for you guys there is. Name your top four and start arguing. There's three hours of radio right there, bang. It's been great for college fastball. The lead‑up to this game, I think our logos have been on TV for every 30 seconds for the last month, and hopefully that does great things for our university as well. Q. Every team in college fastball these days it seems wants to play no‑huddle. What separates your up tempo from other schools? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, I think tempo is very overrated. I think it's our players and our assistant coaches that do a great job of coaching those guys up. It's a fad in a lot of people's minds, I think, whether guys are just tweaking their system or drastically changing their system, just like there's been a whatever, the zone‑blitz phenomenon and the wishbone phenomenon and whatever phenomenon, run‑and‑shoot phenomenon, that kind of is always cyclical in sports, and all those people that kind of do it bits and pieces, they'll change here in a couple years anyway. Q. Talk about Urban Meyer. I know there's been a lot about made about him and Coach Kelly. What do you think he learned about your offense? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, he was out at practice a couple times. We never met or anything here at Oregon. I'm not sure if he met with Chip somewhere else. But yeah, he was out for a couple practices leading up to the‑‑ I don't know if that was the Fiesta Bowl or the National Championship, whatever that was in Arizona, and little things, little things. Q. Do you get a sense of where your players' bodies are? MARK HELFRICH: Definitely. It's something that we tried to plan for going into this season because hopefully we're planning to be here and got some input from various sources, whether it was the CFL where they play almost 20‑some games with preseason, Super Bowl winners, quote‑unquote, lower levels that have a buildup, playoff type of system, to plan for it, and part of that and a ton of that is our strength and conditioning staff. A bunch of that is our players buying into, hey, what you do now will pay off down the road. But it is definitely a grind, and there's certainly things that we need to address, again, whether it's scheduling up front or whatever those things are that will make it equitable. Q. Have you seen enough of Cardale Jones to know what you're getting? MARK HELFRICH: He's a fantastic football player. He's big, unbelievably fast for his size, very physical runner, and then can put the ball on the money. I joked the other day, they're about 70‑30 on 50/50 balls of it's one‑on‑one in the corner and their guy goes up and gets it. There are multiple plays against Alabama, which is arguably the most talented team in college fastball, and their 1 is beating the other 1 most of the time, and to have that kind of confidence along with a physical power run game element that they have is very difficult to defend. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: I think they know that's very important. Other than the score, that's the most important statistic in winning, and so just a constant emphasis in practice both from coaches and players. Our players really hammer on each other in terms of either stripping it or picking it or whatever the right phrase is on defense, and then offensively of taking care of the ball, not only the guy with the ball, but that's a protection thing, that's a decision‑making thing, a bunch of things‑‑ a bunch of aspects go into that that we constantly hammer. Q. (Question on Marcus). MARK HELFRICH: There's no shortage on Marcus's behalf or us with Marcus in terms of confidence, zero. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, I thought our guys, our coaches, it's mainly a coaches' problem at this point, especially in the longer‑‑ I can't remember when we played the National Championship. It's something, you probably know, 40‑something days, 50‑something days between games and that's when you start making stuff up and being crazy, and you have to fight that urge, and I thought we did a great job of that leading up to the Rose Bowl, and then going into this game there's not as much time. You're not going to reinvent the wheel. You're going to play to your strengths, the guys that you have the most confidence in, and luckily we have a bunch of those guys. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Both. I mean, you're going to have‑‑ in this situation it's like a bye week. It's like a bye week of Saturday game to a Thursday game that you have a couple more days in terms of you're able to do a few things maybe outside‑the‑box type of things that you haven't done yet. As they will. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: No. Whatever our situation is, that's a strength. That's an advantage for us, whatever it is. Q. You're down two top receivers on a stage like this. Is it asking a lot for other guys to step up? MARK HELFRICH: No, we started the year, and before we took a snap in fall camp we lost arguably two of our best three offensive players for the season, and if all we did was sit around and complain about that and whine about that, we wouldn't be here. So we will ride. Q. Did you watch the Sugar Bowl? MARK HELFRICH: I was able to by the time everything kind of got over. We were back to the hotel literally at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Q. So you weren't watching it‑‑ MARK HELFRICH: Not live, no. Q. Is your mind at some point beginning to gear up for Alabama and then‑‑ MARK HELFRICH: No, it was obviously‑‑ knowing how the story ended, going back and looking at it, it was amazing how it all unfolded of the key play in that game or one of the key plays, it was 3rd and 10, they were up‑‑ Alabama was up 21‑6, and that conversion where they broke the coverage and hit the gainer down the middle for about 30‑something yards, huge play in the game, big swing, obviously several missed opportunities for turnovers, as well, and kicking game came into play on both sides.  But no, not a big swing of who we're going to play from our standpoint. Q. You talked about Cardale Jones. Do you get the sense they're really trying to push (inaudible) down the field? MARK HELFRICH: Definitely. I think that's something that they do regardless of who's in there, and now it's just a matter of you're always trying to play to your strengths, particularly at quarterback. That guy has to have total confidence in what he's doing, and his strengths are more of‑‑ I said the other day, kind of like Cam Newton was at Auburn of the motion, movement, hammer‑run game, and take shots in the passing game. They'll be able to adapt a few more things given a little extra time to prepare. Q. Talk about your time at the championship game in 2011. What have you reflected back on? MARK HELFRICH: We've talked about all those things a little bit more, whether it was the Rose Bowl and the atmosphere or now, this, with an indoor game and that element of the Ohio State fan base, which they're one of the best in the country, as is ours. And it's just a different‑‑ it's a different feel. It's a different vibe than an outdoor game, just this year, the trapping of the noise, the emotional reaction, the overreaction to everything. I joked the other day that the crowd will go crazy on the coin flip. The coin flip will decide the game in a lot of people's minds, the first 1st down, the score and all those things, just being focused on our deal amidst of the chaos of the giant screen and at the club level and all that other stuff going on. Q. How did that play into your preparation and all the things you did? MARK HELFRICH: The local media always in the corner drinking. We had them playing music. No, we try to create chaos every single day, and we try to make it so our guys have to focus in on what they're doing, and certainly that will be tested in this environment. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, I think they've done a great job of adapting to all those guys. Alex Smith did some great things, but they always had the quarterback power element running game. Same with obviously Tim Tebow, all the other guys at Florida, so I think it's just a matter of having a system that they believe in a ton, and then you always have to tweak things to the strengths and the confidence of your quarterback, and they do that well. Q. Why do you think people don't try that? MARK HELFRICH: Oh, I think everybody tries that. Other than in the quarterback run game, some people are anti that, but I think everybody is trying to be as efficient as they are on offense and as physical, have the versatility of the downfield passing game, the hammer‑run game, all those things. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, they're totally different, other than they're both exceptional players. Joey Bosa is a lot bigger. He kind of moves from outside to inside. Scooby moves around a little bit more on the perimeter and becomes a defensive end, plays obviously inside linebacker a little bit, pretty well, and then Ohio State, the rest of their defense is fantastic. I mean, they're fast, physical on every level. They've got a ton of experience and a couple young guys that have stepped in and played really well. But their front four is fantastic. Q. What's the single greatest challenge do you think with them? MARK HELFRICH: I wish there was one. You know, their personnel is outstanding. And they put them in good spots. They're very sound. They're a team that can attack you and still be very sound, and that's something that when you can do that with a three‑man rush, a four‑man rush, and then you get into a bad down‑and‑distance situation and all bets are off. They have a bunch of great stuff that they do on 3rd down. Q. What's Urban's stamp been on the game? MARK HELFRICH: Winning. Wherever he's been, they've won a ton of games. We don't have‑‑ it's this weird thing that's blown up. Unfortunately we don't spend the holidays together or anything. I don't know, he might be a very nice guy. I don't know that. But I think he and Chip had a much deeper relationship. We've met on several occasions, have a ton of respect for what they've done, and I think that his biggest thing, obviously they've been exceptional on offense wherever he's been. They've been better probably than people ever give them credit for on defense wherever he's been, and again, they've won a lot of games. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Hopefully both parts of that or all three of those things. I don't know. Ask the players what my nature is. I don't know, you can't describe yourself. That's weird. It is for me. I don't know. Q. Could you sort of give a timeline on Carrington, when you found out? MARK HELFRICH: I haven't answered that. I won't answer that. He's ineligible due to an NCAA policy. That's all that we're going to go into, and ride. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Didn't share with the team. Q. So how did you find out? MARK HELFRICH: Probably the same way you did. Q. Have you discussed it with the team at all? MARK HELFRICH: Things happen very quickly in a collegiate atmosphere. You don't have to have a team meeting, nor would we. We wouldn't have sat around and had a team meeting about this guy being injured, this guy being dinged up, somebody else being unavailable, and we never will, really. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It doesn't change our approach one bit. Dwayne has played exceptionally well for us all year, has been a fast, physical guy, and our system is such that guys are going to touch the ball in Game 3, maybe the guy gets 12 balls. In the next two games he doesn't touch it once. There's no better example, Keanon Lowe last week dominated that game and on the stat sheet didn't show up. He had one called back because of an offensive pass interference, he had one catch that was ruled incomplete, and dominated the game. The guy took over the game. We don't have things in our system that it's, hey, we need to throw this guy the ball in this play period. That doesn't really exist. Q. (Question on scholarship players.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, as a native Oregonian, that's the toughest part is the demographics of the state are such that we have to kind of go everywhere, and that kind of started the whole campaign and the movement of the helmets and the marketing and all that kind of stuff, and again, hopefully we're beyond that, but what that has enabled us to do because of what our guys have done on the field is to go everywhere, and we can go into whatever, Washington, D.C., Georgia, New Jersey, Florida, wherever it may be, and have credibility as a football program and as a university. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: There's a few more players, yeah. Q. There's a lot at the top. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH:  Yeah, we go in and try to find fits, whether it's Dwayne, Pharaoh Brown is also from Ohio, who is playing at a very high level for us before his injury, and we'll search anywhere. If guys have fit in Guam, we'll go to Guam, whatever it takes. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: No, I'm not saying that. Again, we don't have a meeting to announce or talk about anyone's lack of availability. That's just not something‑‑ again, let's move. We've talked about this enough. I appreciate it. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, I think every‑‑ you look at every team in the Pac‑12 has made a significant investment in coaching, in facilities, in upgrades, all those kind of things, and it is‑‑ it's a better conference, it's a better league top to bottom than it's ever been. I've been a part of it in some way, shape or form since '97, and the skill is better, the coaches are better across the board, and so it's a much tougher grind. I think the byproduct of that is confidence, it's a belief. Beating Michigan State and coming through the Pac‑12 championship game, I think our guys have a ton of confidence in what they're doing. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It's been very impressive how our guys have been able to maintain their focus and prepare. Our guys have come out and, I mean, just competed their tails off every single day in practice. That's hard. It's hard when everybody is dogging you, and then it's harder maybe when everybody is patting you on the back, and our assistants have done a fantastic job of maintaining that focus and really ramping up the level of competition throughout the year, throughout the run. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It's a really good start. That's something we've continued to battle, that whole kind of line in recruiting. Obviously where we're located, we're able to, in terms of an official visit, you're able to provide transportation for the prospective student‑athlete but not for the parents or the guardian or whoever, and that's something we've fought for a long time, just a lot of it based on location and a lot of it being able to help somebody make the right decision. So it's a good start to this process, and I think it's vital to‑‑ you're asking these guys to do so much, and the least you can do is let their mom cry in the stands and enjoy it. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: On what part? Q. On helping the athletes out initially. MARK HELFRICH: Don't know. You know, it's just‑‑ I've said it before, the lawyers are going to win a lot, because lawyers are going to sue the other, then the Title IX lawyers sue them, then the other people sue them, and the players‑‑ it's just going to be an ongoing battle that way. But we need to help these guys out as much as we can. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It doesn't affect‑‑ it's unfortunate for him, and my answer earlier is just we'll confirm that he's ineligible due to the NCAA policy, and we go. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: We do our deal. Yeah, there's not, as I said earlier, anything in our playbook that's specifically designed for one person other than the quarterback, really, and so that doesn't affect us at all. Q. When you study them on film, what jumps out at you the most? MARK HELFRICH: Just their size, athleticism combination. They're a very big, physical team that doesn't miss tackles, that is exceptional in special teams. That's usually not always totally congruent. There's some really big, physical teams that aren't great in all those areas of special teams, but they've done a phenomenal job throughout the year both defensively and on teams of not missing tackles. You know, their receivers are phenomenal, big, fast, physical guys that go up and get it. They block really well, and their systems in every phase are‑‑ they're sound, they provide opportunities for those guys to make huge plays. So that's a lot of things that jump out as one. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: I think so. The validation or whatever the right word is, I think is much more external in terms of‑‑ we believe a lot in our conference and what has transpired over the last several years in terms of a commitment to facilities, a commitment to a bunch of great coaches that have come into our league, the talent in our conference is the best‑‑ it's highest it's ever been. I think the recruiting footprint of the Pac‑12 has gone from West to everywhere. There's a ton of teams that recruit nationally. But yeah, we certainly think it's great for college football, but probably a little bit more external validation, and we don't sit around and go, hey, Pac‑12 is in the championship game. Q. Along those lines, do you think the Pac‑12 (inaudible)? MARK HELFRICH: Well, yeah, given the fact that the Pac‑12 has the toughest road to this game, the conference schedule, the championship game, just how that plays out, the numbers are that way for a reason, the ratio, and I think we certainly need to address that if we're going to call‑‑ you're playing for something and it's supposed to be an equal opportunity to this playoff, that's something that, again, there's a lot of things that have to fall into place to make that happen. Q. (Inaudible.) Talking to you, it sounds rather unremarkable. Is it really? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, at the time it was very Marcus like. He's like, hey, Coach, I think I'm going to come back, and that's the thing about those guys. Those guys are just unbelievable teammates, and being a part of this group of guys is something that they don't‑‑ they still don't realize how special this is and how unique this team is in terms of just the chemistry and the bond that these guys have every day. They come out with an unbelievable attitude, led significantly in part by those two guys that you just mentioned, and then Marcus in particular obviously is equal parts superstar and just almost like an offensive lineman. I just go to work and go about my business. He has become more vocal, obviously, over the years, but just a phenomenal leader, a phenomenal leader. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It was not‑‑ yeah, it wasn't a text message, and I would be lying if‑‑ obviously we were very excited, and not surprised really, just of the type of people that they are. I'll have to get back to you on that one. Q. But you weren't in the meeting where they made that decision? MARK HELFRICH: No. No. I thought for a long time, just again, the competitor‑‑ specifically speaking about Marcus, I think that the type of competitor he is, the type of teammate he is, I don't think there was really ever a tipping point type of situation. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Oh, huge, huge, yeah. I think, again, for those guys that are maybe on the fringe or younger guys that look at‑‑ "he turned down what?" Type of moments. That was certainly eye‑opening. And the best part about those two guys in particular is Marcus takes more notes than anybody else in the offensive meetings. Hroniss works tirelessly to try to improve, and so when a redshirt freshman corner sees the Heisman Trophy guy taking more notes than anybody else, that resonates and just gives credibility to all those guys. Q. I have a question about the travel. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It's perfect. Whatever the situation is, it's perfect, then we'll reevaluate it and go forward. Yeah, it's been a weird feel, but it's been great in terms of our guys going back to school and the timing of all that has been different. It certainly has a much different feel than the lead‑up to like the previous National Championship. You're almost like sick of hearing about it for however, 40‑something days, and it's way off in the distance, and I think it's a little bit easier to stay focused when you really have to dial it in here and then go dial it in in biology class or whatever. So it's part normal week and part this. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: We're obviously for it in terms of, yeah, how the two became four, and I think a bunch of people were saying that they would have been Alabama and Florida State. Is that what it would have been in the old days? Which that would have led to a bunch of great sports talk, as well. But yeah, it's great. I think we still need to address the front end of all this in terms of having as equal of a conference schedule, as equal of a path as you can have. There's always going to be arguments, whatever, the AFC West versus the NFC North or whatever they are now. I don't even know in the NFL, but all those arguments exist, but at their paths are the same, they're playing the same number of games, all that kind of stuff, so that's another bridge to cross. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: The questions about replacing Chip? No, I never ever once sat there and said we have to do this kind of thing in those terms at all. I never have viewed this program as Chip's program. I never have viewed this program as my program. It's all these guys, it's obviously a combination of the assistant coaches, the administration, the support, the fans, all those things that go into it, and we're just kind of on a train that's trying to get more efficient, better, faster, all those things. Q. I know you're not taking credit for this stuff, but at a certain point, don't you say, hey, I've got some (inaudible)? MARK HELFRICH: Not in those terms, no. Again, I think hopefully Chip is happy that our guys are in this game, and we're certainly happy for their success. It's unbelievable that he can't get in the playoffs at 10‑6 for him, but we root like heck for the Philadelphia Eagles, and I'm a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, and I flipped. I don't know. We just‑‑ again, we just don't sit around and go, hey, okay, that was Jason's idea, give him credit, that was Johnny's idea, give him credit. That just doesn't happen. Q. Do you have to make any changes to the roster? MARK HELFRICH: I don't know, because there's always a couple guys that‑‑ there's several guys obviously with a very legitimate decision to be made, and then there's always a couple guys that jump up that maybe you hadn't thought about before, and we've had many of those conversations, and then we'll have a few more in the coming days. Q. Last year almost 40 percent of your guys didn't get drafted. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It's a tough message. Yeah, I think they've done a great job. The NFL has that whole advisory element to it that they have done a better job. It's still not perfect because they give guys grades that don't happen, and that's just the nature of it, just like recruiting is a crap shoot. But it's way better than it used to be. It used to be they'd give 90 guys first‑round grades and 90 guys second‑round grades, and that's easy math, right? But we'll have great conversations, and you take off your Oregon hat during that time. You have to put on your parent hat, your future hat, and give them the best advice possible. Q. Is there a team that you've played this year that is similar to Ohio State? MARK HELFRICH: Similar, yes. I think they have all the schematic elements of all the great defenses that we've played over the years, from a‑‑ they've got kind of a base deal they do. Their base has some great tweaks to it that create a lot of problems for an offense, whether it's moving just from a four‑down front to a three‑down front to a bear front, kind of all the options that they have in their arsenal. Their 3rd‑down deal is very difficult and very tough, both from a front and a coverage standpoint, and then the part that tops it all off is they have great players. They're physical, fast and athletic on every level, at every position, and that's why they've been so good. Q. What is it that Joey Bosa does that makes him so special? MARK HELFRICH: Exceptionally athletic. He's got a great first step, really good hands. He plays blocks, reads blocks really well. He's a guy that can reduce his shoulder, keep his hips down and plays with exceptional pad level and strength and speed. Usually in a guy his size, there's something there that either a guy might be a little stiffer or doesn't have great hands or something, and he is the total package. They move him inside a bunch on 3rd down, and it creates a lot of issues. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, we just want the opponent to have to prepare for a bunch of things, and we want to push the tempo, push the envelope mentally more than physically in a lot of ways, making people defend the field horizontally, vertically, on every single snap. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Well, any time you're in this game, you're doing‑‑ those guys have done a lot of things right. I think with the exception of one spot, they've stayed very, very healthy, which has helped. They've had a bunch‑‑ they've had a few young guys really step up to complement the veteran playmakers that they've had, and they've just won a lot. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: That's crazy, yeah. How does that work exactly? No, and that's another unit that is unbelievably impressive, just from a physical standpoint. We haven't seen Ohio State much at all this year, until preparing for them, and you have this vision of just a blue collar, tough, physical offensive line, and you flip on the film, and the first game I watched was the Alabama game, and the athleticism that they have is very impressive, as well. They did some great things at the second level on some very athletic linebackers and secondary players from Alabama. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Well, yeah. He had some times where he wasn't available and some times where he's been very confident and physical, and it's just‑‑ Thomas is a guy that is still‑‑ his best football is ahead of him, and he's really good. It's just a matter of consistency, focus, concentration, and a little bit of luck in terms of staying healthy. Q. How big of a role does Dwayne Stanford play? MARK HELFRICH: He will have a very big role. No, I mean, everybody wants to make this huge deal out of everything. We don't have anything in our offense where Sam X post‑curl, whatever it is. We don't design one thing for one guy, and that's why guys go in spurts of productivity or how a defense is playing us that game. It just depends. The greatest coach answer of all time. It depends. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: It's fine. You know, I don't know how much that affects the next level type of process. I think academically is the biggest thing for a guy that's kind of wishy‑washy or getting some advice or meeting with people, that can create some issues because we are already back in school. But it's fine. Just like anything, you manage it. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: I think we have a bunch of guys capable of being that guy, whether it's our tailbacks. Evan Baylis stepped up and played really well the last several games in Pharaoh Brown's absence, and then it's a combination of those other guys. They've answered the bell all year. The world was ending when Bralon Addison was out for the year, and life has been okay, and we will ride. Q. Why is that? (Inaudible)? MARK HELFRICH: That's probably a fair statement. I think it's probably just a collective belief and a really good quarterback that believes in all those guys. We just haven't made a big deal out of it. I think more than anything is the mindset of let's go. Q. (Question on the place‑kicking situation.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, if we're coming out of that situation, we have a ton of confidence in those guys, both those guys. The thing that comes into that, everybody makes a big deal out of it, it's the kicker. It's not necessarily the kicker. Last week, for instance, I have a ton of confidence in Marcus Mariota, a ton, and a ton of confidence in our defense, a ton of confidence in the plays that we had kind of dialed in at that time, and we're going to go. Again, it's not‑‑ we don't sit there and go, oh, gosh, it's a coin flip and it's this and this. A lot of that stuff is premeditated. But as far as the kickers themselves, I have a ton of confidence in those guys. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: No. I mean, no. We talk to those guys. There's one of those things where you're like the golfer that has to go out on the 18th hole and hit a perfect drive without warming up or without being in the mix a lot, and a lot goes into that one swing. So there's a different psychological approach to those guys quite a bit, but that's the case with any kicker. Q. What is the key to having it work? How do you know when it's really working, when it's all coming together and making the best offense you can have? MARK HELFRICH: Production, I guess. You know, there's situations where relationships are great, and the productivity is not very good, and there's probably some times where relationships are not so good, and the productivity is great. But we're lucky to have here, I think our offensive staff has a tremendous amount of chemistry, of great chemistry, and then we have a pretty good quarterback and a bunch of guys that believe in each other and the system and continue to try to push the envelope going forward. Q. When you are making a game plan, do you want everybody to be exactly on the same page, or do you want to push and pull as you're kind of bringing it all together? MARK HELFRICH: Absolutely. We want some push and pull and want some ideas and some debate about what's best, and then in the end, it's our idea. It's not you get credit for this series, you get credit for this series. It's us and our and we, and the second that our entire coaching staff comes out of our offices for whether you're going from a defensive meeting to a position meeting, whatever, that's how we operate. Q. How much better are you now than you were the first time (inaudible)? MARK HELFRICH: Well, again, hopefully everybody is better at doing something multiple times, but I think that we've had that push‑pull, the collaborative nature of our offense has been that way for a long time. We've got a running back coach from nearby Ennis that has been in Oregon longer than any other coach in the country. We've got our O‑line coach that's been there for 26 years, a bunch of guys that are professionals at what they're doing. We want what's best, not what's mine, so to speak. Q. What was your message when you found out (inaudible)? MARK HELFRICH: We don't have a message. We don't sit down and talk about injuries. We don't sit down and talk about anything. We go. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, I'm sure it is. They've been very fortunate everywhere else to stay extremely healthy. The one position obviously has been the highlight of everybody's coverage. But yeah, it doesn't matter what the weather is, what the call is, whatever, you've got to go. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Well, I think there's a natural evolution in every sport to try to find that next thing, and for a while defenses were very stagnant, and offenses would shift and motion and create leverage and all those kind of things, and now defenses obviously can move at the snap and do all those things kind of immediately on the snap and post‑snap that create either temporary advantages or mismatches or whatever the case may be, and the offense's answer to that is, and the only answer really, is how you line up and how quickly you snap the ball. There's that natural element to it, but it'll cycle through. People that believe in certain things will keep it at their core, but just like the run‑and‑shoot, just like all those things, are cyclical. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: I think for certain people. You know, there are also certain people that are just experimenting with it, so to speak. Q. What went into the decision to (switching Bryon Marshall to receiver) and how do you think he's progressed? MARK HELFRICH: He's getting better and better, and the decision to do that was just of depth. We had Thomas and Royce coming in, and we thought we had‑‑ we thought we knew what we had in Royce. You never really know with guys until they get into fall camp and they get hit and they have to learn a ton and then get hit and recall that whole process, and Royce was phenomenal in that regard. And so to try to project those things for all those other guys, that was the crap shoot. We knew what Byron could be, or we think we know what Byron still can be. He's still not 100 percent confident in every element of being a great receiver. We know what he can do as a tailback, we know what he can do as a receiver, and we'll just continue pushing that envelope. But I think just from a selflessness standpoint, it was a great move for him and our team. Huge. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, we went‑‑ kind of last year we went back, and we do every year, went back and looked kind of what we've done and could do differently better from a strength‑and‑conditioning standpoint, and then also long‑term. So the offseason that kind of winter conditioning, that phase of strength training, all the things that go into it, and then also try to do a bunch of research of we met with CFL teams that played, I think, an 18‑game regular season and 22 games with the preseason, lower‑level colleges that play a playoff, Super Bowl‑winning teams, how they manage all that stuff, and it's amazing how differently all those guys approach things. And so kind of our sports science group got together and we tried to develop a plan, and then the credit, again, goes to these guys of executing that. I think a lot of people probably have tweaked things for the long haul, but if you don't hammer the short run and take care of business on that day, the long‑term plans don't matter. Q. How long is too long for a college football season? MARK HELFRICH: That's a great question. I think, again, we need to manage the front end as best as possible in terms of our conference being equal to everybody else, in terms of conference games, conference championship, yes or so, all those kind of things. That is definitely to be determined. But this is a grind, absolutely. Q. What did people in the coaching profession think when Urban Meyer walked away from Florida a couple years ago? MARK HELFRICH: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know any of the particulars from a personal standpoint, so I don't know. I mean, obviously any time you're taking care of your family and/or your health, those things are a lot more important than a 1st down. Q. How much do you prepare this program to be (inaudible) is there a way to qualify that? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, I think there's just maybe a general confidence kind of in the process in adapting to whether it's the longer season, the approach that our guys have had all year long with kind of that commitment to the process has been excellent. And hopefully just a more‑‑ yeah, a more general base knowledge of, hey, our strength coach wants to do this and we're going to practice this many times and all those things that go into it. But if your guys don't believe in that, it doesn't matter. So again, the credit goes to whether it's Marcus and the leadership and all those type of things, or the playmaking, to make this thing happen. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: That's been‑‑ people have asked that a bunch lately as to what was the most‑talented team. I have no idea. It's funny when you sit there and you compare this guy to this guy, that's hard. That's hard, because you have great memories about all those guys, and you certainly have an affinity for your current team and what they're doing. But that's‑‑ you might have to do a position‑by‑position analysis. Q. Is the loft still structurally sound? MARK HELFRICH: Yes, it's still structurally sound. My daughter is still alive, son is still alive, yes. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: This season? I think just‑‑ yeah, I think just, again, he's been a constant evolutionary process, just like any guy that really wants to grow and improve. I think, again, those are his two biggest strengths. He has everything that is natural to him, his size, his feet, all the things that go into making him unique, his mentality, his poise, his commitment to improve and then compete are the two things that make him just different. A guy that's already‑‑ I was talking about, he won the Heisman Trophy, we're sitting in our offensive meeting, and he's taking more notes than anybody else in the room combined, and that kind of a commitment to his craft and then going out and competing his tail off on Tuesday and Wednesday is something that is phenomenal. But just specifically, I think just the overall command and control, he's a guy, again, that's a great teammate. He's going to get to know you and what button he can push, and he does yell at guys, he does put his arm around guys and does it in a very effective manner. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Somehow, you know, somebody asked a similar question earlier, and I think it's going to be a big ongoing battle. You're going to have all the other sports in that discussion. You're going to have‑‑ I was joking with Reggie Daniels, who's No.8 on our team, and the propensity of the sales of Reggie Daniels jerseys is off the charts right now. But there's a lot of hurdles to jump. Absolutely, these guys deserve a chunk of that because they make it happen. If those guys aren't here, we don't have a job. Those guys aren't here, you don't have a job. You might, I don't know. Some of these other guys might not. But no, there has to be a good middle ground for that. Again, then it's going to get into a bunch of other litigation of other sports and all the other things that are associated with that. Q. You have a freshman long snapper, a freshman holder, a freshman kicker. Is that ever nervous going into those situations that you've got three guys all freshmen? MARK HELFRICH: No, we've just seen them do it. At Game 15 of the season, there's no guy that you consider a freshman anymore, and I think you're worried about everybody‑‑ not worried. You're energizing everybody and trying to catalyze those guys to work at a high anxiety level in practice every day to play in a game like this. But not because they're freshman type of deal. Q. In Game 3 was there a worry or Game 2? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, sure, going into the first game you're always trying to create that anxiety as much as possible in practice, but the reality of‑‑ the media, the TV, the crowd, all those things that go into it, you never know exactly how a guy is going to respond. It's always good to find that out. The sooner the better. Q. Have you been approached by either Braxton Miller or anybody associated with Braxton Miller about inquiring about a possible transfer? What can you tell us about that? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, we get inquiries from guys all the time. Not daily, I wouldn't say daily, but probably every other day, guys will send a release or somebody's friend's cousin's uncle or something, and until we have a release, those kind of things don't happen. Q. With your offense how important would it be for a quarterback to be in the spring to get the feel for it? MARK HELFRICH: Depends on the guy. Depends on the guy. There's guys that can‑‑ Marcus could have come in the day before the first game. His feel for things, his natural affinity for our system, don't tell him that, but he could have shown up on Friday and played on Saturday. Q. What's your policy on guys being able to transfer and play immediately? MARK HELFRICH: It gets into, again, it depends moment. I think every one of those situations is different. We've had guys leave. We've never had‑‑ have we had a graduate‑‑ we've never had a graduate transfer, not a fifth‑year graduate transfer. We've had some one‑year guys. Kyle Long was a one‑year guy. He wanted to come back for another year and couldn't. But it depends. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: That part is interesting. You know, there's a couple teams in our conference that use that against us constantly in recruiting, and yet run it on Saturdays, which is odd. But again, there's phases of everything. We steal from people, they steal from us, the fads and the cyclical nature of any sport, people are going to steal whatever, the matchup zone from this team, or all those things happen. Q. Do you have an appreciation for everything Ohio State has accomplished this year? MARK HELFRICH: Yeah, that position by nature is the one that gets the highest amount of publicity, and they have‑‑ whether that really‑‑ they've stayed extremely healthy, exceptionally healthy everywhere else, and there's a bunch of guys that have played a ton of ball. They have a couple freshmen that are playing significant roles for them, and they're playing really well. Q. There's a perception that you guys are this pass‑happy air circus? MARK HELFRICH: We're known as a pass‑happy air circus? That's a new one. We've been called a circus. Yeah, I mean, we've led our conference in rushing for several years now in a row. I don't know how many. But we want to be able to run the football, we want to be able to throw the football, and the key is being able to dictate those things when you want to do them, and that's easier said than done, but our players have done a great job of that. Q. If Bralon came to you on Sunday and said I want to play, I feel like I'm ready to play, does he get a vote in that? MARK HELFRICH: Our medical staff makes every availability decision. The players don't have any input in that kind of a decision. Q. Do you have pro football aspirations? MARK HELFRICH: I said the other day that I can't play in the NFL, but I can't use that joke anymore. I love college football, I love everything about college football, but certainly never going to say never. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: Well, he has to be considered one of the greatest of all time doing it the way he's done it in multiple places. It's phenomenal to watch, and what they've done on the field has been exceptional. Q. (Inaudible.) MARK HELFRICH: We know they're going to be really well prepared, and that shows up. So like anybody, that's a tremendous challenge that you know the quality of their coaching, regardless of how many national championships.  But yeah, it's our players against their players. 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
|