Northwestern University Athletics
Transcript of Coach Fitzgerald's Weekly News Conference
9/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 4, 2007
Northwestern Football Monday News Conference
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Opening Statement...
"Good morning, thank you for being part of today, I know it is a holiday. It is great to be here 1-0. As we went back and watched the tape, there is a lot of room for improvement beginning this afternoon at practice. We have moved our practices early in the season this year to Mondays instead of on Sundays while we aren't in school to take advantage of an extra day of rest after a game and also gain a little more knowledge and get a little more prepared for our opponent. As I look back at the tape, I was encouraged by a lot of our play. I saw some growth in the some points of emphasis that we made in the off season, but as I stated after the game, there is still a lot of room for improvement. It was great to see a lot of our players up here on their off day looking at tape on their own. We are hungry, we understand the opponent we have coming in here this week, especially with them coming off back-to-back bowl years. To start the year the way they did against Nebraska, I know they will be excited to come in here and play us also. Should be a great game at 11 o'clock on Saturday."
On the play of the offensive line...
"I was really happy with the was Desmond Taylor played. He started one game a year ago for us, and for him to come out this year and get the start in the opener is great. He battled through injuries a little bit during camp, but he had a great week of practice played pretty well on Saturday. Obviously to have Adam Crum playing his first game at center -- and hopefully his only game at center -- this year, it was I think a great indication of depth we have across the offensive this year that maybe we did not anticipate coming into the season. Solid play by Joel Belding, solid play by Dylan Thiry and the same thing with Kurt Mattes in his first-career start. We had Keegan Grant out there for the first time, and Alex Rucks got some reps. We had a good handful of guys out there Saturday, and I was happy with the way they performed. We have a lot of room for improvement, but the attitude they performed with is something that is very encouraging to me."
On evaluating the offensive line before Trevor Rees comes back...
"Well, I watched us play all last year with Trevor in there, so I know what Trevor brings. He has a lot of experience, and he brings a lot of leadership ability and the ability to really galvanize that offensive line. From what he has done in the past and more importantly during this Camp Kenosha, I am excited to get him back. Obviously to have a four-year starter and captain back on the offensive line adds a lot."
On picking up blitzes...
"One of the sacks was an MA (missed assignment), we had a mental assignment error in our protection. The other couple, we held the ball one time and the other we should have gotten open and we weren't open, so it was a product of a couple of different things, but all things that are coachable. That is the thing that is most encouraging about the game on Saturday, some of the things that we did not execute very well are all coachable."
On not creating turnovers Saturday...
"When you look at Saturday's game, I really thought that we weren't as effective as I thought we could be in trying to strip the ball. We've made a point of emphasis of that throughout camp, and I did not see that happen on Saturday. That was probably the most disappointing aspect of the football game. We had the opportunity to get our hands on the ball three different times and we did not get any of the picks. Those will come, I am not worried about that. If you get around the ball as much as we were around the ball on Saturday, interceptions will come. I did not question our effort, but our focus on trying to take the ball away is something we really need to improve on this week."
On what particularly needs to change to create turnovers...
"First of all, you have to focus on it, but in the opener you need to be confident in your tackling ability. As I said in the postgame, I thought we tackled very well. We only had three or four missed tackles the entire game, and that is about as well as we have tackled in an opener since I can remember. Now the second and third guy in need to go for the football. There were plenty of opportunities, and we put a tape together from the game on Saturday to show our guys today about opportunities when they are there."
On the "vanilla defense" or speed of the game contributing to a lack of turnovers...
"I think it was more the speed of the game. Always in your mind, when you are the second and third guy in, you go for the football. When you watch the great defenses in the country, or you watch the NFL play, they go for the ball on every single play. That is a mindset and an attitude that I thought we had turned the corner on through camp, but obviously we have a lot of work to do there."
On the play of the linebackers Saturday...
"I thought Adam Kadela was very active and all over the field. He got us a couple of checks that we had and got us in the right defense. Watching Prince Kwateng and Quentin Davie, I am very encouraged with the future of our SAM linebacking position. Both guys kind of settled down after being out there for about a quarter each. I liked the way they started to play as the game went on and unfolded. I thought Eddie Simpson did a solid job, we got Mike Dinard out there, and I expect to get Nate Williams out there a little bit more. We got Chris Jeske his first rep at linebacker, I think he only got one play but we got him out there. I like the way Chris Malleo has practiced throughout camp and the same thing with Malcolm Arrington. We had a lot of guys get out there, not as many as I would have liked, but we didn't play that many plays, either. We need to continue to improve there, I like our talent but we just need more game experience."
On the biggest improvement coming between game one and game two...
"It comes down to confidence. For some guys, it is their first time being out in the arena and having the opportunity to play. They gain confidence from that, and go out and see game tape from that and learn from that and go out and make a big improvement in week two. There is no guarantee that will happen, though, and I think that is more important for our football to hear and every football team in the country to hear. There is no guarantee for improvement unless you go out and make it happen in practice and then act like it in the game. We are going to put our guys in that position in practice, and Nevada will present a very strong challenge for our guys this week."
On not showing everything Northwestern has in the first game...
"Well it is football, and obviously there are 11 guys out there so there is only so much you can do. I thought our plans were very solid on both sides of the ball, and I really liked the way we executed in the kicking game. We were not perfect in the kicking game, dropping a ball that should not happen on a kickoff return. I thought Rasheed Ward made great decisions as a punt returner being out there for the first time. There are some placements we would like to have different in our kickoff and our punt games, but for the most part I thought our plan was really solid. We had more things that we prepared for the game but did not call, and we will continue to expand on that package from week to week. It has to do both with us, but also with what our opponent presents us in all three aspects of the game. If we can take advantage of some things we see on tape or that we have within our program, we will do that. The game Saturday unfolded so that we could not run some things maybe we had planned on running, so that worked out well for us."
On playing a team that beat Northwestern last season...
"I think we have great respect for Nevada. Listening to the guys talk after the game on Saturday and for the last couple of days, I think we understand that what happened for them out in Lincoln (Neb.) was much more of an anomaly than it was the norm. They have been to back-to-back bowl games, they are extremely well-coached, they are a physical football team, they are outstanding on special teams, you can really see the character of their team there. I have spent a lot of time focusing on that in the last 24 hours. From top to bottom, we will be excited to play this game. We did not think we played very well out there a year ago, we left at least six points on the field when we missed a couple of field goals, had one blocked, then we turned the ball over, we didn't get off the field a couple of times on third down, so we did not play very well out there a year ago and they did. They got after it. We are excited for the opportunity, but we also are a much different football team this year than we were a year ago, and we are excited to go out there and prove that."
On how the team is different compared to last year...
"We are more mature. Watching our offense making strides, I see a maturity level this year that I did not see last year at this time. At the quarterback position, I thought C.J. (Bachér) played very well. As I said after the game, and he reiterated, there were some decisions he would like to have back, but that is a good thing. You never want to be satisfied with the way you play, and he has go the goal to be as good as any quarterback in this league or who has played here in this program. He is on the cusp of doing that if he continues to play within the system and takes advantage of what defenses give us. I thought he made some very big strides on Saturday. I also thought Tyrell (Sutton) and our offensive line, and our superbacks and receivers all played well together. I was impressed with the way we moved the ball, especially early. On defense, I thought we flew around and tackled extremely well. I thought our secondary played well. We limited their passing attack and had very few mental errors for an opening game, which is very encouraging. We just need to continue to work to get one week better, and this weekend will be a great challenge for us."
On Brendan Smith's status...
"He will be a game-time decision. We will work through each day this week. Where that goes, I don't know. Today he will be the same way he was last week because we won't do any contact today. We will make a decision for tomorrow's practice then, and the same thing with Wednesday and Thursday. He will be a game-time decision."
On the key to stopping Nevada's pistol offense...
"When watching on tape, first of all you have to be able to neutralize the things they do very well, and make them get back into their second and third chapters within their offense. With having a young quarterback, a guy who has a strong arm, they also have experienced receivers back. When you watch their offensive line, they play together and they are very physical. I think that is a hallmark of Coach Ault's teams. I believe that offense allows them to be that way. With having the running back stacked behind the quarterback, you have a little bit of deception within the framework of the offense. We saw it last year, this isn't our first time seeing it, and we have most of our defensive guys back so we won't be surprised to see it this year."
On preparing for such a dynamic offense and also developing the defense's own identity...
"You have to worry about yourself. When it comes down it, it is coming off blocks, running to the ball at the right angles, tackling and executing your call. If we worry about ourselves and take care of what we need to do, we will give ourselves an opportunity to be in the game and win. If we get so consumed with things that are out of our control, for instance what they run or different formations, that slows you down and you don't play fast. We have a long way to go in all three aspects of our game, so we are just going to focus on ourselves. I love the attitude right now of our football team, because our players are saying that and believing in that themselves. They won a football game, but are hungry to get back to work. We had a great lift this morning, and they are hungry to get back to work this afternoon."
On whether NU will use more of a three-man front on defense this week...
"No. 1, I'm not going to tell you that (laughs). No. 2, when I look at our best 11 right now, it is probably with our four down lineman. We are still going to be multiple, we have always been multiple. It all has to do with the personnel they have in and the situation of the football game. To answer your question very "vanilla," no comment, right? (laughs)."
On the play of the receivers Saturday...
"It starts with our captain in Tonjua Jones, and T.J. has done a great job leading that group. He is an extremely unselfish football player. He is not number one on our reception chart, he is not going to be on the cusp of breaking any records, but he is just a great leader. He leads by example in the way that he shows up every day to work and his attitude makes our entire group better. He practices that way every day, and is on a lot of special teams. Looking across the board, Ross Lane has played a lot of football for us, and he has made a lot of big plays throughout his career. We try to find ways to get Ross the football within our scheme. Eric Peterman being a third-year wide receiver has grown dramatically, he gets after people in the run game. Rasheed Ward looks a lot like he did two years ago. He is healthy, he was banged up last year, and those two guys inside are as talented of wide receivers as we have had. And backing him up is Jeff Yarbrough, who obviously had a big impact in the game Saturday. One of our fastest players, he also battled injuries early in his career and now is poised to take the next step. I though Kim (Thompson) had a great game, making two big catches on third down. We rolled a lot of guys through, I think we played about eight or nine by the time the game was over. Maybe even more. "
On if he was surprised by Jeff Yarbrough's seven catches...
"I am not surprised. We spread the ball out; that is what we do. We are going to spread you out and use all our weapons. When you include Tyrell (Sutton) and Brandon Roberson and Omar Conteh and then our superbacks, that is what we are philosophically, a spread offense. We are going to use all of those weapons until we are successful."
On Jeff Yarbrough being able to step into a starting position...
"Well, he has battled through injuries, it has been a long road for him. Each year that he got healthy, he had a setback. The remarkable thing about him was he just kept battling and had a great attitude, and now he has an opportunity. He is taking full advantage of that, and when you do that, usually good things happen. You don't focus on the negative of being injured, and that is difficult, I know that firsthand. He has been steady with his development and growth. We are going to keep all of those guys fresh, keep rolling them in there. Coach Kevin Johns and Garrick McGee do a great job of creating a plan for our receivers to be successful and then using that accordingly."
On Stefan Demos...
"He has a very strong leg, he is very talented. It was good recruiting. Obviously guys with good strong legs show up on tape, and he did. He came to camp a few times and was outstanding both times he was here in camp. He is battling through some injuries right now, but he has not used that as an excuse. He is taking his role and running with it. He has great leg strength, he really does. He did a good job on kickoffs, placed the ball pretty well. Maybe there were a couple of kicks he would want to have back, but the distance was where we want it and the hang time was where we want it, and I think conditions were about as ideal as you would like to have in Ryan Field with very minimal wind, so it will become interesting as September continues to roll on and we get into October and November here in Big Ten country. I thought he handled both responsibilities very well on Saturday."
On the "upsets" in college football during the first weekend...
"I think I talked about it last week, there is a great parity in college football right now. Anybody can win on any given Saturday anywhere. When you prepare your football team, and when your football team prepares and talks to itself, they need to understand that also. I thought we were very well prepared on Saturday, I thought our coaches did a great job and our players, more importantly, did a great job respecting our opponent. We came out there ready to play. If you were in our locker room during pre game and with pre game warm-up, we were ready to go and hungry to play. I give all the credit to our players and staff, they did a great job preparing. As you look at college football across the landscape, it does not matter who you play or where you play them, anybody can win on any Saturday, and you need to prepare that way. In the Big Ten, it is very difficult because you play 12-straight games in 12-straight weeks. It is a marathon; it is not a sprint. You need to focus on each week one at a time. That may be coach-speak, but it is in the truth. You have got to focus your football team. We learned a very valuable lesson a year ago, and we will not make that same mistake again."
On moving into the second week of this season compared to last season...
"We are a much more mature football team, and we are a different football team. As I watched our preparation during the off-season and during camp and into the first week, we have not been perfect. We are nowhere close to where we need to be as a football program, and our guys understand that and have the attitude that they need to come in everyday to improve. I am encouraged by that. We are moving forward. We are in a place right now that we were probably in at the end of the year last year, and we are starting the season that way. We have some confidence, but we are hungry to improve and are looking forward to our second opportunity this Saturday."
On having an established No. 1 quarterback...
"From a confidence standpoint, it is obvious. Our guys believe in C.J. (Bachér) and what he can do, and even Mike (Kafka) too. Having an established quarterback who can go out and run the offense in our system, get us into the right plays and really move throughout our entire package fluidly is a great confidence booster for our entire football team."
On Eddie Simpson in a starting role...
"Eddie played about 40 to 45 plays on Saturday, so he played an overwhelming majority of the plays. He had a great week of practice, Mike also had a very solid spring and a very solid camp, and we are going to play our best 11 players. Where our program is now starting to move forward and continue that success we had under Coach Walk of being a consistent winning football program, you have that competition on the practice field every day. Every rep matters, and every drill matters. That is the hallmark I believe of a maturing football team. I saw that last week. We did that last year with making the change with C.J. before playing Michigan State, and we made that change with Eddie on Thursday or Friday of last week. I like competition; it makes good players great, and great players special, and that is how your program grows and improves."
On any one player he saw on video that stood out...
"I was probably most impressed with two guys, Kurt Mattes and Desmond Taylor. Kurt, from the standpoint of having really and truly his first collegiate start, he was not perfect and did not execute flawlessly, but to go out there and compete with the attitude that he had, I was very encouraged. With Desmond, he has battled through some injuries in camp, he has not let that deter him from his opportunity he had on Saturday, and I was very encouraged with the way he went out and played. Again, not perfect and he has a lot of room for improvement, but encouraged with the way he played. On defense and special teams, Sherrick McManis just continues to impress me each week. He is a guy that is just growing in the position, last year he started a handful of games for us. As he continues to grow fundamentally and technically, the sky is the limit for him. What is most fun about being his coach is just how humble he is. He is a very humble young man who just loves to play football. You go out and watch practice, he doesn't like anyone catching the ball on him. He goes for the strip on every single play. He plays with great passion and enthusiasm, doesn't matter if he is the gunner on the punt team or playing corner, he just loves to play. That kind of enthusiasm and passion is infectious. I like watching him play, and more importantly watching him work."
On Sherrick "slipping through the cracks" recruiting wise...
"That's their problem, not mine. I am just ecstatic that he is a part of our football program. The number one quality that describes Sherrick is he is humble. He is a humble young man who just loves the game and loves getting better and improving. When you have that, you have a recipe for success, not only in football, but in life. Those are the types of young men we attract to our program. They are the kinds of guys who are hungry. Stars or ratings are irrelevant, these guys don't care, they just want to get better. There is no better person you can describe as a poster boy for our program than Sherrick McManis."
On Nevada's defense...
"When I watched them Saturday defensively, I watched a team that came out fast. They obviously had an interception and were No. 1 last year in sacks in the WAC and were No. 2 in total defense. They caused 37 turnovers a year ago. It is a very aggressive, physical, multiple pressure defense that puts the pressure on you as an offense to execute your scheme. If you make a mistake, they are going to make you pay. Ezra Butler is back off a suspension, and he is an NFL talent player. He is going to be drafted on the first day. He is as good of a linebacker as there is in the country. They return a lot back, their linebacking corps is all back, they are very physical in their special teams, their secondary has great speed and up front all three of their guys play with a great motor. We are going to have our hands full on Saturday. We did a year ago out there, but the good news for us is we played a very similar defense in Northeastern with the three-down package, so we have had time to prepare."
On Nevada's physical play...
"We will be ready to play on Saturday. With the attitude of our football program right now, we have a team coming in that a year ago we did not play very good football against in our opinion, while they played very well. They executed well and got after us. We are looking forward to another opportunity. It is just an opportunity to grow and get one week better. I think at this point in the season with us not having school, it is a great advantage for us. Our guys are fresh, we were able to play a lot of guys on Saturday and rotate a lot of guys through. We know it will be a great challenge and a very physical football game. We are excited for it."
