DBoys
09-07-2006, 01:21 PM
12 minutes and counting
InmanRoshi Recap
Nothing new squad wise. Everyone practiced. This is our last hard work day, today. We wind down after this so the players can get some gas back in their tank. We’ll review the film and see what we need to work on and get the players rested up for Sunday.
How many WR’s you taking to the game?
Haven’t decided exactly. 4 or 5.
How has Crayton and TO looked?
Crayton needs reps. That’s his deal. If he doesn’t get them, he doesn’t play well.
Will he be the #3 WR?
I’ve never designated anyone as that. But he’ll be in the mix with the other players I bring to the game.
Starting FS?
No decision.
Starting LT?
Flo is doing better. I’ll play him if I think he can go.
Vandy?
Progressing good. He’s been kicking regularly. I can’t take two kickers to the game. I just can’t afford to do that with this team right now. So we’ll see what we have to do.
Roy?
Better in coverage than he was last year. He made a couple of good coverage plays on SF. Its still a little less than perfect. He has a better feel for the game now. He’s not as reliant on people getting him lined up as he used to be.
Leftwhich’s development?
Its just been a natural course. He’s always been a good thrower. Even back when he was in schoool. He’s got a unique motion where he windmills, but he’s got good velocity and accurate. I think he sees the field better, but I haven’t got a lot of experience playing against the player. But he’s capable of makng every throw on the field, and he’s a good deep thrower.
You said you’ve started rookie safeties before. Is Watkins in a better situation?
That situation was unique in that it was two rookies at once. We couldn’t make it very complicated. And the game is much more complex now than it was then. I’m not sure we could do that today.
So do you feel feel comfortable with a rookie starting?
You never feel comfortable . We have 4 or 5 coveages that we use regularly. Some of them he does well at, some of them less. The Offense dictates that you interchangable safeties now. Its just a fact of life. Sometimes your FS is going to have to play on the strong side and vice versa . Either that or you’ll run your strong safety to death flipping him back and forth all over the field every time someone motions. Its the same as motioning the TE on every play. Its sounds nice in theory.
Did you see a dropoff in Keith’s ST last year?
He didn’t play as much last year. If he doesn’t start this year, he’ll figure in more this year. Which will be a good thing, because he’s a very good ST player. It’s a factor, but Watkins is a good ST player too for a young guy. Im happy that our safetis now are all good ST guys.
Matt Jones?
Looks good. Made a good transition to WR. Very fast. Big. Long strider. All their Wr’s are long striders. But he’s got deep speed and you got to be carefull cause Leftwhich can get it down there. .
You know teams are going to spread you out to get GE on a WR, how do you offset that ?
We have a couple of things that we do. You know, but there are two sides to that pancake. If they spread out they make themselves more vulnerable too. That will be a fact of life, most offenses have the capability of spreading you. Some more than others. This team does it quite a bit. Its not something we don’t think quite a bit about. It’s a big part of our discussion.
Do you worry about him being able to make plays in the open field as the game winds down and he gets winded?
I think I’ll spell him some during the game, because he plays on the nickel and starter. He’s not going to play every play. We’ll dress enough to make sure we got some time for someone else.
Team captains?
We’ll do that tmw morning or Saturday. The players elect that.
You’re 8-10 on opening day records. Is there something a coach can do to better his record in opening games?
I don’t think about it at all. If there is a coach who wins it every year, I’ll certainly pay attention to what he’s doing. I thought we had our team ready to play last year, and we followed pretty much the same schedule this year. We’re going to give the players more time to rest up before the game to get some gas in their tanks.
Parker acquisition?
He’s 6’4” 324. Nate Jones played with him in college. We’ve been watching him and had our eye on all summer. He knows the system, and I think he’s smart enough to play right away. But I got to get him in a little better shape. He’s not out of shape, but needs to be in better shape. He made their conditioning run, the same as ours. If he can do it at 323, we’ll let him play at 323. He’s a little off it, but he’s got a week to get there.
What does Watkins give you at FS?
More range. Faster. But I wouldn’t count on that yet.
What matchup concerns you most?
Several. Their WR’s scare me, especially in the red zone. Their DT’s on the inside are big strong guys. Those are the two main things.
What has Kozier shown you?
He’s got quickness and a tough competitor. He’s a good technical pass blocker. Gets top heavy once in a while, and that’s not a good thing. But he’s working on that. I’m hoping Andre can help out. Andre was better today. I’ve been rooting for him for 3 years now. I think he’s making progress. Honestly, I’m probably harder on him than anyone else. Just day to day … stay with it. Be a leader. Don’t mess up the snap count. I’m on him about every little thing. As a center, you can stop a drive all by yourself. I want to make sure that nothing can distract him. I don’t mean that in a bad way, he doesn’t want ot be distracted. But at center you have to stay on it every single snap.
What do you expect from Lousaka?
Lousaka will help out some with the TE, and play 15 special teams. That will be a 30 play a game player, that’s what I’m looking for.
Fasano?
He’s tough, but he’s a rookie. He’s green .. just like Watkins, except he knows the system a little better. He’s still green. All these kids are green. Carpenter, Watkins, Fasano. Hatcher … he has the least to worry about from the mental standpoint. So you can kind of see him performing right away. But Hatcher is having a problem keeping his weight up. He came into 290, but he’s in the low 280’s now. Same thing happened with Ratliff last year. You don’t see that this year. They just don’t understand. I ask Hatcher what he’s eating, he doesn’t know. These kids don’t know how important this stuff is.
How has Fasano taken to the blocking in F-back.
He’s taken to the blocking pretty good. He tries hard Mick. He really does. He’s not technically perfect. But Charlie told me “You don’t have to worry about this kid on gameday.”
Is Hatcher part of the nickel pass rush.
I’m trying to make him that. He’ll have to play both positions, because he’ll have to relieve some guys. If you’ll notice I worked Spears some in nickel to help give Greg a breather.
Burnett?
Completely different player. Another player who has problems with his weight. I don’t know why, he’s a tight muscled guy. Just like Julius, their body just goes to a certain place when they are really in shape. You wish it was higher, but it just goes to a certain point. I wish I had that problem. He’s weighing 233. I would really like those outside guys 245-250, but that’s not what he is. But I expect him to be a 600-700 snap player.
Have you had this many offensive weapons before?
I’ve had them yeah. Its not common.
Do you get excited?
Yeah, sure. The things you have to worry about with your coaches is that every idea sounds like a good idea, but you can’t get to them all. So you want to do the things you do well, and take things slow with the other things. Everytime you add something new you’re changing the mix a little bit, so you got to be carefull. I’ll tell you this … our gameplan this Sunday will have probably 25 less plays in it than anytime last year. That was one of the things we decided this offseason. We’re going to do fewer things, and do them better. More formations, less plays. Not more plays and less formations.
How important is breaking the huddle quick and getting up to the line.
Its only important if you got good players. If you don’t have good players, it doesn’t matter how fast they’re running up to the line. I do believe momentum is important, and to press the defense. Drew knows how to do that, he’s been schooled in that from a young age. But that might not be the game you want to play. You may want to shorten the game.
Is it more important with the heat?
I’m not worried abou the heat. We’re you at Shreveport? I don’t think many teams have played games in 99 degree heat. And the last two weeks here? If you’re not adjusted to it by now, there’s not much more you can do.
(connection cuts out)
Are ST more of a mystery than your offense or defense at this point of the season?
Yeah, a little bit. I think I got some cover guys. But the punt return situation I’m not confident with. I think kick return we’re in good shape. I am concerned with the FG situation, I have to say.
Has he looked any better? It looked like he wasn’t following through well.
I talked ot the team the other day, about solving these problems. Fans see “He didn’t look good”, well .. so what? Even if its true, unless you can give him a vehicle to help him correct it it doesn’t mean anything. I’m still just learning the player. I’m not standing there telling him what to do. You just hope with his experience and success that its something that he can solve on his own.
Are you more concerned about FG or kickoffs?
FG right now.
Can you warm both guys up before the game and decide on which kicker you bring to the game?
No, I have to turn in the names an hour and a half before the game. We don’t warm up until an hour before the game. Besides, I wouldn’t make that decision off of warmups.
InmanRoshi Recap
Nothing new squad wise. Everyone practiced. This is our last hard work day, today. We wind down after this so the players can get some gas back in their tank. We’ll review the film and see what we need to work on and get the players rested up for Sunday.
How many WR’s you taking to the game?
Haven’t decided exactly. 4 or 5.
How has Crayton and TO looked?
Crayton needs reps. That’s his deal. If he doesn’t get them, he doesn’t play well.
Will he be the #3 WR?
I’ve never designated anyone as that. But he’ll be in the mix with the other players I bring to the game.
Starting FS?
No decision.
Starting LT?
Flo is doing better. I’ll play him if I think he can go.
Vandy?
Progressing good. He’s been kicking regularly. I can’t take two kickers to the game. I just can’t afford to do that with this team right now. So we’ll see what we have to do.
Roy?
Better in coverage than he was last year. He made a couple of good coverage plays on SF. Its still a little less than perfect. He has a better feel for the game now. He’s not as reliant on people getting him lined up as he used to be.
Leftwhich’s development?
Its just been a natural course. He’s always been a good thrower. Even back when he was in schoool. He’s got a unique motion where he windmills, but he’s got good velocity and accurate. I think he sees the field better, but I haven’t got a lot of experience playing against the player. But he’s capable of makng every throw on the field, and he’s a good deep thrower.
You said you’ve started rookie safeties before. Is Watkins in a better situation?
That situation was unique in that it was two rookies at once. We couldn’t make it very complicated. And the game is much more complex now than it was then. I’m not sure we could do that today.
So do you feel feel comfortable with a rookie starting?
You never feel comfortable . We have 4 or 5 coveages that we use regularly. Some of them he does well at, some of them less. The Offense dictates that you interchangable safeties now. Its just a fact of life. Sometimes your FS is going to have to play on the strong side and vice versa . Either that or you’ll run your strong safety to death flipping him back and forth all over the field every time someone motions. Its the same as motioning the TE on every play. Its sounds nice in theory.
Did you see a dropoff in Keith’s ST last year?
He didn’t play as much last year. If he doesn’t start this year, he’ll figure in more this year. Which will be a good thing, because he’s a very good ST player. It’s a factor, but Watkins is a good ST player too for a young guy. Im happy that our safetis now are all good ST guys.
Matt Jones?
Looks good. Made a good transition to WR. Very fast. Big. Long strider. All their Wr’s are long striders. But he’s got deep speed and you got to be carefull cause Leftwhich can get it down there. .
You know teams are going to spread you out to get GE on a WR, how do you offset that ?
We have a couple of things that we do. You know, but there are two sides to that pancake. If they spread out they make themselves more vulnerable too. That will be a fact of life, most offenses have the capability of spreading you. Some more than others. This team does it quite a bit. Its not something we don’t think quite a bit about. It’s a big part of our discussion.
Do you worry about him being able to make plays in the open field as the game winds down and he gets winded?
I think I’ll spell him some during the game, because he plays on the nickel and starter. He’s not going to play every play. We’ll dress enough to make sure we got some time for someone else.
Team captains?
We’ll do that tmw morning or Saturday. The players elect that.
You’re 8-10 on opening day records. Is there something a coach can do to better his record in opening games?
I don’t think about it at all. If there is a coach who wins it every year, I’ll certainly pay attention to what he’s doing. I thought we had our team ready to play last year, and we followed pretty much the same schedule this year. We’re going to give the players more time to rest up before the game to get some gas in their tanks.
Parker acquisition?
He’s 6’4” 324. Nate Jones played with him in college. We’ve been watching him and had our eye on all summer. He knows the system, and I think he’s smart enough to play right away. But I got to get him in a little better shape. He’s not out of shape, but needs to be in better shape. He made their conditioning run, the same as ours. If he can do it at 323, we’ll let him play at 323. He’s a little off it, but he’s got a week to get there.
What does Watkins give you at FS?
More range. Faster. But I wouldn’t count on that yet.
What matchup concerns you most?
Several. Their WR’s scare me, especially in the red zone. Their DT’s on the inside are big strong guys. Those are the two main things.
What has Kozier shown you?
He’s got quickness and a tough competitor. He’s a good technical pass blocker. Gets top heavy once in a while, and that’s not a good thing. But he’s working on that. I’m hoping Andre can help out. Andre was better today. I’ve been rooting for him for 3 years now. I think he’s making progress. Honestly, I’m probably harder on him than anyone else. Just day to day … stay with it. Be a leader. Don’t mess up the snap count. I’m on him about every little thing. As a center, you can stop a drive all by yourself. I want to make sure that nothing can distract him. I don’t mean that in a bad way, he doesn’t want ot be distracted. But at center you have to stay on it every single snap.
What do you expect from Lousaka?
Lousaka will help out some with the TE, and play 15 special teams. That will be a 30 play a game player, that’s what I’m looking for.
Fasano?
He’s tough, but he’s a rookie. He’s green .. just like Watkins, except he knows the system a little better. He’s still green. All these kids are green. Carpenter, Watkins, Fasano. Hatcher … he has the least to worry about from the mental standpoint. So you can kind of see him performing right away. But Hatcher is having a problem keeping his weight up. He came into 290, but he’s in the low 280’s now. Same thing happened with Ratliff last year. You don’t see that this year. They just don’t understand. I ask Hatcher what he’s eating, he doesn’t know. These kids don’t know how important this stuff is.
How has Fasano taken to the blocking in F-back.
He’s taken to the blocking pretty good. He tries hard Mick. He really does. He’s not technically perfect. But Charlie told me “You don’t have to worry about this kid on gameday.”
Is Hatcher part of the nickel pass rush.
I’m trying to make him that. He’ll have to play both positions, because he’ll have to relieve some guys. If you’ll notice I worked Spears some in nickel to help give Greg a breather.
Burnett?
Completely different player. Another player who has problems with his weight. I don’t know why, he’s a tight muscled guy. Just like Julius, their body just goes to a certain place when they are really in shape. You wish it was higher, but it just goes to a certain point. I wish I had that problem. He’s weighing 233. I would really like those outside guys 245-250, but that’s not what he is. But I expect him to be a 600-700 snap player.
Have you had this many offensive weapons before?
I’ve had them yeah. Its not common.
Do you get excited?
Yeah, sure. The things you have to worry about with your coaches is that every idea sounds like a good idea, but you can’t get to them all. So you want to do the things you do well, and take things slow with the other things. Everytime you add something new you’re changing the mix a little bit, so you got to be carefull. I’ll tell you this … our gameplan this Sunday will have probably 25 less plays in it than anytime last year. That was one of the things we decided this offseason. We’re going to do fewer things, and do them better. More formations, less plays. Not more plays and less formations.
How important is breaking the huddle quick and getting up to the line.
Its only important if you got good players. If you don’t have good players, it doesn’t matter how fast they’re running up to the line. I do believe momentum is important, and to press the defense. Drew knows how to do that, he’s been schooled in that from a young age. But that might not be the game you want to play. You may want to shorten the game.
Is it more important with the heat?
I’m not worried abou the heat. We’re you at Shreveport? I don’t think many teams have played games in 99 degree heat. And the last two weeks here? If you’re not adjusted to it by now, there’s not much more you can do.
(connection cuts out)
Are ST more of a mystery than your offense or defense at this point of the season?
Yeah, a little bit. I think I got some cover guys. But the punt return situation I’m not confident with. I think kick return we’re in good shape. I am concerned with the FG situation, I have to say.
Has he looked any better? It looked like he wasn’t following through well.
I talked ot the team the other day, about solving these problems. Fans see “He didn’t look good”, well .. so what? Even if its true, unless you can give him a vehicle to help him correct it it doesn’t mean anything. I’m still just learning the player. I’m not standing there telling him what to do. You just hope with his experience and success that its something that he can solve on his own.
Are you more concerned about FG or kickoffs?
FG right now.
Can you warm both guys up before the game and decide on which kicker you bring to the game?
No, I have to turn in the names an hour and a half before the game. We don’t warm up until an hour before the game. Besides, I wouldn’t make that decision off of warmups.