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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: TCU v WISCONSINDecember 28, 2010Colin JonesPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. Colin, talk about this Wisconsin offense, and you and the position that you play and you and the linebackers, especially in the unique position that you gotta play to run because they pound, pound, pound, and they got big tight ends they like to go to. Makes for a larger field to defend. COLIN JONES: 32, 28 and 20, the running backs do a great job. They all nearly have a thousand yards, and the quarterback, great job of play action. Speaking of the tight end, No. 84, he's one of the best in the game. So they have a bunch of different weapons, so it's very important for us to be real physical at the point of attack and keep leverage throughout the game. Q. Colin, coaching cream, what is that about? COLIN JONES: I'd like to not get into that. I was given it by the senior safeties my freshman year, David Roach and some of those guys. Q. What does it mean? It's gotta be positive, isn't it? COLIN JONES: No, it's a good thing. Q. Cream of the crop, isn't it? COLIN JONES: No. It's a good thing. But I'm just going to steer clear of that. Q. I'll ask John. He probably knows. Were you a running back in high school? COLIN JONES: Yes, sir. I was a running back. Q. Seems like a lot of guys are just kind of athletes and they turn to defense. What was the process like for you when they told you you were running defense? COLIN JONES: I had a good idea before I game in that I was going to be playing defensive back. So Coach Glasgow and Coach Patterson did a great job of giving me some time to learn the system, which was very complicated, and get the defensive mindset, which was a big change for me, because I was such an offensive-minded person previously, but it worked out well, and I wouldn't go back for sure now. Q. So many guys like that are athletes and not necessarily in a certain position in high school. How much has that helped the defense? COLIN JONES: I think it helps a lot because our defense a big part of it is the speed itself. So that plays a huge role, being able to run with some of the coverages we play and the man coverage and stuff. And ball skills as well, because we're used to catching the football. So that's good for take-aways. Q. Were you amazed at the speed of every guy here and that's so much a strength of every guy on defense? COLIN JONES: It is. It is. And it has been since I've been here. There are a bunch of great players that played different positions. Drake Hughes last year who was a running back in high school. So that's traditionally what Coach Patterson and the staff have been doing. They've done a great job with it. Q. Do you guys race a lot or do anything, any competitions like that? COLIN JONES: There's a little bit of competition going on, people talking back and forth. Q. Who would you say are the fastest guys on the team? COLIN JONES: Scott Austin, Greg McCoy and then me. I'll put me at No. 3. Q. Just talk about how complicated this team is, you kind of mentioned it as well. How long does it take you to learn something like this? COLIN JONES: It varies for different people depending on the role. Free safety and weak safety are probably the toughest positions on defense to learn because you're having to make calls for other people as well. Strong safety is a little easier to learn because somebody's telling you half of what to do and then you're just figuring out the rest for yourself, but it's just a process that everybody has to go through and you're expected to do it and you get it done. Q. You guys have a lot of liability to change calls? COLIN JONES: We do. We have a lot of different checks built in depending on the formation they line up in, and Tejay does a great job of doing that for us, and then we do our own thing. Q. At the end of your week of preparation coach always gives you a test? COLIN JONES: We do. We have a video test and actual hand held test. Q. How tough is it compared to other tests that coaches have given you? COLIN JONES: It's pretty intense, especially the first time you do it, the whole room is quiet, and he just has a laser up there on the video screen pointing to your position, and you have a run down of exactly your alignment and what you do. Q. Do you have an answer sheet and you mark an answer sheet or something? COLIN JONES: The video test is actually the intense test, and it's where all the defenses in the room with Coach Patterson, and they have plays up on the project or on the big video board, and then he'll run a play and pause it and show the lining of everybody and use a lacer to go from position to position and give a call and you say exactly what you do and the alignment and everything involved. So it's pretty intense. Q. Does he give instant feedback? COLIN JONES: You get some instant feedback. Usually negative if you mess up. Q. Colin, how much is the whole undefeated scenario and doing something significant? Is that something in your minds? COLIN JONES: It's great to be undefeated. We want to finish that way. It's a great opportunity here to get to play in the Rose Bowl. Couldn't think of a better way to finish my career than at the Rose Bowl. So this is a great opportunity, and I'm blessed to be in this position. Q. Is it kind of a strange or odd feeling in any way, TCU in the Rose Bowl is an unusual scenario. COLIN JONES: Yeah. Just like I said, I feel we're really lucky to be here. Couldn't think of a better place to be, and really excited about the game. Q. Colin, talk about this year, it's been complete opposite of last year when you encountered some injury issues, and you weren't real happy with the way that last year went, but given all the circumstances and staying healthy this year, this has worked out pretty well for you? COLIN JONES: I wouldn't trade for it now looking back, everything happens for a reason. You don't know at the time why, but it's made this year that much better for me because it was so tough last year missing the last several games of the year. So really happy to make it through. Q. Must be a real pride thing for the defense. You're such a stingy defense and you've kept people out of the end zone. You must really use that as a pride thing for you. COLIN JONES: We do. We do. Definitely I can think of several scenarios throughout the year where people made big plays in the RedZone and just hit them at the point of attack. And we're a very aggressive defense and we like to go get 'em and take the ball away. So we pride ourselves in keeping other teams from scoring. Q. How much attention have you played to clay, one of their several running backs that can do some damage? He seems to be the guy most people focus on. COLIN JONES: He is. He's a good running back as well. I think they're all really good. They have different strengths they bring to the table. Bottom line, it's going to come down to keep them leverage and tackling, which we're going to be forced to make good tackles and stop 'em. Q. They're a good team. They've scored 70 points in a game. Your defense, of course, speaks for itself. How do you see that as a collision potential them playing offense and your defense? COLIN JONES: I think it'll be a good matchup, and I'm excited to take part in it. They do a lot of things well. Got good players across the board, running backs, quarterback. Great play action team, and No. 84, the tight end is a great player. So it'll be a good challenge and we're looking forward to it. Q. Did the "little sisters of the fall" comment get under your skin a little bit? COLIN JONES: You know, we can't pay attention to that kind of stuff. It's out of our control. All we can do is focus on the game and go from there. Q. Y'all didn't talk about it? COLIN JONES: No. No comment any further. Q. Your experience of playing on a big stage (indiscernible)? COLIN JONES: I think we learned a lot in preparation mainly last year in the way we handled the big game. You know, it was our first BCS game, and a lot of things were going on that we weren't used to. And I think we learned from those experiences and re-prioritized our situation this year and really focused on -- we're focusing hard on practice and really intense practices, and we're looking forward to going out there and getting after 'em. Q. I know you're happy to be in the Rose Bowl, but how would you feel you're an undefeated team as are two teams. How do you play in a title game or how do you feel about it? COLIN JONES: You know, you really can't complain about that. That's happened in history going back previously where an undefeated team has been left out. And you know, it's just part of it. We can only control certain things, and there's no use in complaining about things we can't control. So we're really happy to be here. Wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Q. Troy Aikman told me once that somebody said playing in three super bowls must have helped you because you got rid of the butterflies and he said, oh, no. He said you get nervous. It doesn't matter who you are and how many times you walk out. And you know, they played in the rolls bowl. He said you get nervous. He said being there once before, you know that it's going to come. COLIN JONES: Right. Q. And you know that feeling's going to come and you're prepared for it. And I think that's what happened to you guys last year. They were playing -- they'd been in Phoenix before. They knew what the bright lights would feel like. COLIN JONES: Right. And I think you learn how to handle your nerves as well in different situations. Q. Calmer and more -- COLIN JONES: Well, actually I missed last year. I was injured. So just -- I don't want to speak for everybody else, but I just feel like the experience -- the focus is what I can comment on, and it's been a lot better. Q. The team looks pretty relaxed. COLIN JONES: We are. We're having a great time. It's a great venue out here, so really excited to be here. Q. I wasn't trying to put you on the spot. COLIN JONES: Oh, no. Q. We're from Fort Worth. I know he would go nuts if he was called that. COLIN JONES: Yes, sir. Q. I was talking to Tejay about the safety spots. Which one are you? COLIN JONES: Strong safety. Q. Is the weak safety the one that's kind of the hybrid that's different than maybe the one you guys had played in high school or something or do you all have similar kinds of responsibilities? COLIN JONES: The weak is different. The free safety is usually over the top of the strong safety and we're usually on the same side, depending on specific coverage. It can change, of course, but in the base defense, that's how it's lined up. And the weak safety, in my opinion, is really tough to play because it doesn't have the help of the strong safety underneath. And so that's how that would be different. Q. Did you come as a defensive player? COLIN JONES: I came in as a running back, actually. Q. A running back? COLIN JONES: I did. Q. And TCU I'm guessing already had that reputation of switching players around in positions. COLIN JONES: Yes. Q. Were you open to that or did you see yourself as a running back? COLIN JONES: Well, I was told most likelihood I would move to defense, so I had a good feeling going in, but I thought I would have a shot at running back. Q. Did you get much of one? COLIN JONES: I didn't get much of a shot, but you know, it worked out for the best because Coach Patterson definitely knows what he's doing, and he's been very successful in the past moving different position players on offense to the defensive side of the ball, and really excelling, so I wouldn't change anything now because I'm really happy defense. I don't even think about offensive side of the ball. I'm completely defensive minded now. Q. Had you played defense in high school? COLIN JONES: I played a little bit. I could probably count on two hands the number of times I'd been on the defensive side of the ball. So it was a switch but I like challenges and it was good. Q. You're tackling. You're doing all kinds of. What was it like initially when you made that switch? COLIN JONES: It was tough at first. It was tough at first. Just mainly the mindset just thinking of everything through an offensive perspective. But once I got the mindset part starting to change, everything else started to go a little easier. Tackling a little tough, but special teams helped that playing early in my career. So it worked out well, and I wouldn't change it. Q. How much -- Patterson is basically a safety's coach; right? COLIN JONES: Coach Glasgow is the main safety coach, but Coach Patterson plays a vital role in our -- Q. What's that like? In most programs the head coach is kind of overseeing everything, but not really specific to a position. Do you like that? COLIN JONES: I do like that, because he's a great coach, and he's helped me as well as my teammates become a lot better. So I think you look for any edge you can and Coach Patterson gives it to you. Q. Why do you think you guys are so good at what you do? COLIN JONES: I think one reason is we can become so diverse in what we do, and our different game plans we can take in and our adjustments. I think that plays a big role. And leverage. We play a lot of leverage. We surround the box with safeties, and I think just diversity I would say. Q. Thanks very much. COLIN JONES: Yes, sir. End of FastScripts |
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