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DISCOVER BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: ALABAMA v NOTRE DAMEJanuary 5, 2013Tyler EifertMIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA Q.  What are your thoughts on Alabama's defense? TYLER EIFERT: Hard to find a weakness there. You know, they're just a‑‑ they're big, they're fast, they're physical. Everything you'd want in a defense. Q. How has the progression helped you develop? TYLER EIFERT: You know, me and Everett, we've kind of grown together. He was a first‑time starter and he was‑‑ the first time I had played with him is this year, too. You know, it's taken a little time, but we've grown to be on the same page now. Q. Talk about the history of these two programs. Is there something about playing at Notre Dame where the history wears on you or is there a part of it you enjoy? TYLER EIFERT: Yeah, at Notre Dame we always say we don't play for just ourselves or our coaches, we play for all the guys that have played at Notre Dame before and set the stage for us now. Q. Are you aware of the lore? Do you know about the Horsemen, all the stories? TYLER EIFERT: Yeah. Q. Did you know that going in, or is that just something you've embraced as you've been there? TYLER EIFERT: I've just embraced it as I've been there, really. Q. How much of Alabama's story are you aware of? TYLER EIFERT: Not much. I just‑‑ I mean, I'm just worried about their defense, really. Q. Well, I understand when you're a 22‑year‑old guy, you're playing for today. But I'm just trying to figure out, is it just for the alumni, or does it mean something to today's player to play in a storied program? TYLER EIFERT: I mean, it means a lot. That's why I came to Notre Dame. It's a good school with a good tradition and a lot of history. It's definitely important. Q. Everyone is talking about the match‑up problems that you pose. When you look at film and look at their personnel, what do you see from the match‑ups that you're going to have to face with some of their backers? TYLER EIFERT: Yeah, their linebackers are good cover guys, too. They can run.  They have some really good cover corners. That definitely will be a challenge. People talk about their secondary being a weakness, but it's not. The rest of their defense is so good that it's‑‑ I guess if you want to pick out a weakness, maybe that's it. But their secondary is still very good. Q. What's the best part about playing for Brian Kelly? TYLER EIFERT: You know, I think a lot of the players have a good relationship with him. On the field he's a coach, and he'll lay into you. But off the field he's willing to talk to you, anything you need, and he's always got our back. Q. How important do you think discipline is to the success of a team? TYLER EIFERT: I think it's huge. Coach Kelly when he first got here he put a picture in our locker of how our lockers have to look every day. If our helmet is not in the right spot, then you get in trouble. It just started from day one with Coach Kelly, the discipline, attention to detail aspect. Q. How would you describe how Everett's personality and sort of demeanor has been? TYLER EIFERT: You know, it really hasn't changed much. He's a young quarterback, but he doesn't let the bright lights or the big stage get to him at all. He's still quiet at times, but he's a goofy guy, likes to joke around a lot, too. Q. How would you describe his sort of leadership style in the huddle during a pressure situation? TYLER EIFERT: Yeah. The only time we really are in a huddle is kind of in practice. We don't huddle on the field. But yeah, he's kind of embraced that as the year has gone on, been more vocal. Being a freshman starting quarterback it's kind of hard to come in right away and kind of boss people around. But he's kind of proved his‑‑ proved what he can do and earned his stripes, so people really respect him. Q. At what point do you think that you guys totally believed in his ability to lead? TYLER EIFERT: I think the Oklahoma game. We keep going back to that, but that was one of his best games, one of our biggest wins. At the time that was a huge game for us. For him to go out there and play the way he did, that was‑‑ that gave us a lot of confidence in him. Q. What changed for your team prior to that Oklahoma game? TYLER EIFERT: You know, I don't know how much changed, but‑‑ Q. In terms of the mindset and confidence. TYLER EIFERT: Yeah, I guess the BCS was a real‑‑ it really became real at that point. We knew we kind of had control of‑‑ if we take care of business, we'll be going to a BCS game and possibly here. Once that really became real, I think it really narrowed our focus down and made us a little more focused. Q. How has Brian Kelly been this week? TYLER EIFERT: He's been good. I mean, before we came here, he said we're going down there to work. It's a business trip. But we're not going to sit in our hotel rooms and be all uptight just waiting for the game to get here. We're here for one reason, but we're going to enjoy it while we're here. Q. What was your reaction walking out on this field and seeing the trophy? TYLER EIFERT: It was awesome. We have a replica in our workout facility, but to see that was really cool. Watching the Orange Bowl game, the grass was so green, it was the most perfect field I'll be able to play on, so that's cool. Q. We've been asking all week, has it sunk in, but coming out here, did it sink in a little bit more? TYLER EIFERT: Yeah. I mean, the first day of practice it really sunk in that we're not here on vacation, we're here to win a football game. So yeah, it's great to be here in the stadium. Q. (Inaudible.) TYLER EIFERT: No, they're definitely the best defense we'll see all year. Q. (Inaudible.) TYLER EIFERT: Yeah, our defense is the closest that we'll have to getting ready for Alabama, physicality, size and speed. Q. What do you think DeVaris Daniels might give you? TYLER EIFERT: He's been able to step up all year in big situations, made some big catches for us. You know, he's not a guy that gets talked about a whole lot, but he's a fast receiver, deceptively fast, and he's an athletic guy, he can definitely make some plays. Q. Are there personality traits of Coach Kelly we don't see? TYLER EIFERT: No, everything I've seen with the media and stuff, he seems to be himself. He jokes around a little bit with you guys, and he's serious when he needs to be serious, but we like to enjoy playing, too. Q. Some of the defenders have grown beards. You're one of the few offensive guys to do it. Is there any significance to that? TYLER EIFERT: No, I went No‑Shave November for a while, and I didn't go with the season‑long beard. This is kind of maybe a little bit of laziness, if anything. Q. There's no significance? TYLER EIFERT: No, not for me. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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