July 26, 2010
On the quarterback position:
"I've always appreciated athletic quarterbacks. I think they have a way, with their athleticism, of turning a bad play into a good one. I think we're going to try to do more of that with Jamarr. The biggest concern out there is staying healthy. Danny O'Brien is a much better athlete than Chris Turner and he's probably the slowest of our top three quarterbacks. C.J. Brown runs about a 4.5 (in the 40-yard dash) and he's a pretty good athlete. We're going to try to play to our strengths with what they can do."
On the importance of finishing games this season and how the coaches are emphasizing it:
"I think part of it is the youth we've had, knowing how to do it and being conscious of doing it. I think when you're a young player you don't always believe in yourself. I think this team has to do that and then you'll see them grow rapidly. It's something we just have to push through and keep emphasizing. We just have to be cognizant of it so when it does come up and we succeed we'll grow from it."
On Jamarr Robinson's accuracy:
"I think he's much improved through the spring and the summer. I see him working at it real hard. I think all of our quarterbacks have done that. I've actually had other players come to me and tell me what a great leader he's been through the summer. I'm hoping he's maturing as a kid and that's one of the things I like about coaching - seeing kids grow and get better."
On the Navy game:
"I think it's great for the state. I think it's great for high school football. I think it's an in-state rivalry we need. Navy plays Army, that's their big rivalry. But to have an in-state rivalry is good. The last time we played, we were fortunate to win, but to me it was a tremendous game. Packed house, pageantry was great, sportsmanship was great. After the game, Navy sings their Alma Mater and we went and stood attention. Then we went over and sang our fight song, which is our tradition with our fans, and Navy came over with us. So you had two really great universities competing against each other. The sportsmanship, competitiveness and respect for each other was really what won out the day."
On how he's been received around the community:
"It's been unbelievable really. I did a thing for Comcast the other day and it was amazing to me how many people are wishing me luck this year and the support I've gotten between emails, letters and text messages. I'm very appreciative of all the support I've gotten."
On the keys to the season:
"I think the sooner this team can break through and understand what it's potentially capable of doing, the faster it'll grow. The only way you can do that is to win. I think the game with Navy is a very big game for us because it's on a national stage and I think it would give us instant credibility.
"The other thing I like is a lot of our players have come to me and told me they want to take it one game at a time. I think that's the right approach - focus on the next opponent and don't get too far ahead. I think when you do that you usually have a pretty good season."
On the offensive line:
"I feel pretty good about that unit, I think our offensive line made a lot of progress in the spring. I was very impressed with Justin Gilbert. He's only a redshirt sophomore but I think he's going to get better and better. There are some things he does better than Bruce (Campbell). He's better at run-blocking than Bruce was. Pass-protection he's not as good as Bruce but he's going to be."
"At left guard I think Andrew Gonnella is much improved. Paul Pinegar was a pleasant surprise. He played better at center than I thought he would. Bennett Fulper, who's a true sophomore and Justin Lewis are battling for right guard and both of them have played quite a bit. R.J. Dill is playing very well at right tackle."
On Joe Vellano:
"If we had a most valuable player this spring, it would be Joe Vellano. We couldn't block him. I don't know where he came from but he was all over the place. He runs like 5.2 so he's one of our slower linemen. But he plays with great effort. I'm hoping he can do it in the fall, but he had a great spring."
On the benefits of having continuity in the staff:
"It's one reason why I kept everybody. I feel very confident with our staff. To bring people in, then you have to start all over again. I think we have a lot of carryover with our players too. Everybody knows what they're doing and their role. I'm hoping that's going to pay dividends rather than bringing in new people and starting all over again."
