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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYSJuly 25, 2011Mike ShermanDALLAS, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman. We'll start with an opening statement. COACH SHERMAN: It's great to be up here in Dallas, kick off the Big 12 and look forward to the season. A lot of great teams competing for one championship, and we hope we're in that hunt to do that. Certainly there's a lot of other coaches, a lot of other great teams in the Big 12. So I look at it as quite a challenge and something we have to embrace and look forward to. Questions? Q. A lot has been made about the Longhorn Network possibly airing high school football games, the impact that could have on high school and college recruiting. What impact do you think that would have if it were allowed? COACH SHERMAN: I'll be honest I've been asked that by Aggies on my coaching tour and my standard answer is I have enough on my plate getting our team ready to play. I'm sure people will watch that. We'll have half a million Aggies watching it and we'll have the Big 12 watching it and the advantage or disadvantage thereof. But, truthfully, I'm just focusing on what I gotta do and with my job. And let's win our first ballgame. So that's where our focus is, and I'm sure you all can sort that one out yourselves. Q. Could you just talk about the difference in the last 12 months? I mean, the questions you were answering maybe last summer from the Aggies versus the ones you're being asked now, and also just dealing with maybe those expectations, not just trying to get back where you are, but also going to that next level? COACH SHERMAN: Right. The expectations I think have always been there. I think we're a little more realistic now than maybe they were a couple years ago. Last year -- a year ago we would come off a season, a six-and-six regular season. We played 18 freshmen. We cut that down by two-thirds last year. And this year it will be even a little bit tougher to break the line up. But I still anticipate us playing some freshmen this year. I anticipate every year playing some freshmen. If they're the best ones and we do a good job recruiting, we're going to find a spot for those guys. Expectations, you know, I don't notice a change in my expectations. I always expect to win, put a good product out there. But this year, what we have coming back, the kids, I feel like we've been in this system now from just a football program system for three years, they understand the culture and structure and they understand how I want things done. And so I think it's going -- I have a lot less headaches now than I had previously, the guys kind of binding to what we're doing. Certainly winning last year in the second half of the season really helped precipitate that and allow us an opportunity to say, okay, I guess we do know what we're doing. I think we're going to be a better team on defense, even though we lose some significant players in Von Miller and Mike Hodges and Lucas Patterson. Tremendously significant players in our defense, but I do believe that the second year in this defense will make the biggest jump. Our guys will have a lot more familiarity and knowledge of the defense and be able to fit in a little bit better. I don't think you replace a Von Miller No. 2 pick very easily with one player. I think we have to do it collectively with a group of guys, and I think we'll be able to do that. So looking forward to the season. I think we have some pretty good balance on both sides of the ball. We have to be better on special teams this year. I thought we were real good there. I think we have to be better controlling the football. Hang on to the football. Turnovers last year really cost us and put us in some bad positions, so hopefully we can correct that. If we do that, I think we have a good chance. Q. You got Oklahoma State coming I think the 24th of September. That's typically not a Big 12 tradition, conference game in September. Got a few this year, including some big games. Do you like playing a big conference game that early, or would you prefer it not? COACH SHERMAN: Truthfully, I prefer playing them a little later. We have Arkansas in there as well, which is another big game for us. Certainly Oklahoma State, a team that we have not found a way to win since I've been at A&M. We've lost to them three games in a row. That's going to be a key game on our schedule. Put a lot of effort into that in the off season to see exactly what they're doing, how we can play better and coach better. But as far as the location, ideally I like it back a little bit further. But at the same time, I guess it goes with my NFL background. I really don't worry. When they give me the schedule, this is what it is. You'll play the schedule. I really don't lose too much sleep over the schedule. This is who we have to play; this is what we signed on to do. Let's go do it, and let's take them one at a time. Q. You mentioned a little bit earlier, but why exactly, other than the familiarity with the system, do you feel like this defense is going to be better without guys like Michael and Von? COACH SHERMAN: Well, I just think it goes without saying that the familiarity of our defensive scheme, when you talk about a whole new defensive staff, a whole new defensive scheme, you put it in in spring, and basically 15 practices, you have two and a half weeks of preseason, you start getting ready for a game, the familiarity that they have with the system will be much, much greater than it was a year ago, and some of the mistakes we made last year I don't see us making this year. So I think from that standpoint, from a scheme standpoint, they'll understand it better. Certainly from a talent standpoint, we're not going to replace Von Miller. But I think collectively there's going to be some guys, like a Sean Porter, who I think is a heck of a football player, will come into a zone. And we have some other guys that I'm anxious to see out there that will come into their own. I think if you're a good program, you have to be able to handle the loss of a player like that. Certainly Oklahoma and Texas have done that over the years. Hopefully we can do that. You absorb it by other guys and also the fact that you absorb the fact that you lost a great player with other guys stepping up and more familiarity with what you're doing. Q. Last year Cyrus finished so strongly, seven 100-yard rushing games, stepped up with Christine Michael's injuries, and now Christine is back. How do you look maybe sharing turf and how that might play out for you guys? COACH SHERMAN: That's a good question. I thought a lot about that. Christian came out in spring, was a little bit tentative in the first half of spring, really came into his own in the second half. So I'm anxious to see where he is when we start camp off. Certainly Cyrus finished the season on somewhat of a terror, and we want to see him pick up where he left off. I think in the context of the way we play the game now where we're getting between 85 and 95 snaps a game, this is going to be plenty of opportunities for those guys to have opportunities with the football in their hand, whether catching it or being handed it. I think they both are a great one-two punch. They're so different type of runners that I think the defense will have to really know who is in the game because they both possess different things and have different strengths. I don't anticipate it being a major issue because I think they're both going to play. Q. Ryan Tannehill obviously came into his own last year. Could you talk a little bit about what he brings to you going forward as a senior leader, and, secondarily, how is the race for the backup behind him? COACH SHERMAN: The one thing Ryan brings to the table, always has, is confidence. Even when Stephen McGee is playing with the Cowboys right now. Stephen was a senior starting, Ryan thought he was the best one, and he was our third quarterback at the time, but he thought he was the best one. He's never wavered in his confidence and his ability to do the job. What he brings to the table besides confidence I think is a tremendous intellect. His athletic ability. I think he gets rid of the ball quick, makes quick decisions. We still gotta work on his decision-making, make it precise, because again the turnovers are going to be what I think defines us, in a positive or negative way. So we really have to have a grasp on that. One thing about Ryan, he really only started six ball games as a quarterback. So it's not like he's had a wealth of experience. I think the factor he's had with this team going into the off season and the summertime when he's been the leader out there with those guys as they practice by themselves in seven on seven, and runs versus error is significant because he now has the guys he's going to work with in the game and know their tendencies, they know his. I think the familiarity will be greater. And I think it will help him become a better quarterback. Q. What about as far as his backup capacity, he's kind of wide open? COACH SHERMAN: We have Showers, Joeckel, and Manziel who came in as a true freshman this spring. That's going to be determined within ten days of camp. Because it's going to be an important position. In our league, we have some tough defenses, and quarterbacks are going to take some shots. So you're only as good as your backup quarterback. Last year our backup quarterback was pretty good with Ryan Tannehill. So this year we have to spend some time making sure that guy is ready to go. And to define him right now, I would not be doing justice. I think they need to compete and we'll figure this out going into the second half of the second week of camp, then that play will get the bulk of the reps for the backups. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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