Northwestern University Athletics
Weekly News Conference Transcript
11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 1, 2010
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
Weekly News Conference
Opening Statement...
"For an update on Dan (Persa), he's following our post-concussion protocol so yesterday he reported back to our athletic trainers symptom-free, which got him on his 24-hour clock to getting back to practice. He had yesterday off, exercised this morning and felt great after that so he'll have his impact test tomorrow, which we anticipate being clear. That would kick him into being non-contact on Tuesday and full go on Wednesday. That's the update on him and we fully expect him to play and be fine unless there's something that occurs between now and Thursday.
Obviously it's going to be a difficult challenge for us, we have a football team that's been playing its best football. I think the last two weeks since their bye week, they had an outstanding performance Saturday and it will be a huge challenge in a hostile environment. We're going to need our best week of practice and our best focus as we try to find a way to win."
On NU's post-concussion protocol...
"This year the NCAA and Big Ten wanted very specific protocols and we had already had that in place for a number of years. We just had to make a couple little tweaks but no, he's not the first. Anyone who is concussed in our program goes through the same protocol. It comes down to being symptom-free. That's based on how the young person feels. The lines of communication are critically important and our guys do a tremendous job of that. Every concussion is a little unique and different so you're going to err on the side of being cautious for the health, safety and well-being of our players. That's why we took Danny out of the game Saturday."
On recruiting Dan Persa from the state of Pennsylvania...
"I don't remember too much, I remember him being at our camp and thinking he'd fit our offense to a T. He's a great dual-threat quarterback. When you visit with his high school, the intangibles were what sent him over the top. I can't answer as to Penn State's involvement, really."
On Persa returning to play in his home state...
"I already made fun of him in the Leadership Council meeting this morning, I asked if I should start Evan (Watkins), if he was going to be too anxious. He looked at me like he wanted to fight so I kind of left it alone. I said the same thing to the Williams brothers and Jeravin Matthews. We have a lot of guys from Pennsylvania, we recruit that state very hard. There's great talent, tremendous high school coaches, very similar to the approach we take in Houston and Ohio. It's not just Dan going home, we have quite a few guys who are extremely productive members of our roster."
On the improvement in diagnosing concussions...
"I think the young men are doing a better job of communicating. Back when I was playing I didn't to a good job of that, I just wanted to play. I look back at that and it may have been the dumbest thing I've ever done. There's much more awareness now which gives young people more opportunity to communicate and be smart and it gives us as coaches a chance to evaluate them on a rep-by-rep basis in games and especially in practice, when you're going through training camp or spring practice. Our doctor, Carrie Jaworski, and our head trainer, Tory Lindley, do a great job watching guys closely but with Dan, in this case, it came down to him being honest to make sure we could give him the best treatment. We err on the side of safety and well-being."
On concussions he experienced...
"The first one happened when I was two years old and I fell off a slide, I won't bore you with that great story but it explains a lot about the way I am and I'll leave it at that. I don't remember how many I had. I remember one at Penn State my sophomore year on the kickoff return team, maybe also at Boston College my first game here. I was looking out my earhole, I got trucked on a kickoff play. Chris Martin helped me off the field because I went to the wrong bench. Not funny, but funny looking back."
On playing in front of 100,000 fans at Penn State...
"We've got our road plan we institute in practice for crowd noise but you can't simulate the atmosphere of Beaver Stadium, it's one of the best environments in college football. What do you have to do? You have to play well enough to hopefully find a way to win. It comes down to executing and taking care of what you can control. Their fans are great, it'll be a hostile environment. That's why you come to play college football in the Big Ten."
On Penn State's switch at quarterback...
"Watching it on film I really didn't see a change in what they were doing. When you watch the Minnesota game, Robert (Bolden) goes down, then in comes Matt (McGloin), then (Kevin) Newsome, then Matt. Last week against Michigan it was all Matt. I don't see a big change in any of the three, maybe a little bit more quarterback run with Newsome but a lot of similarities in what I see for all three guys schematically. Evan Royster is the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history so I think it goes deeper than the quarterbacks. Is it like what we had to face with Purdue? There will be a little more similarities there -- I probably just jinxed myself -- based on what I see on tape."
On the concept of winning 400 games like Joe Paterno...
"(Getting win No.) 34 would be pretty cool. Coach Paterno is college football. Anyone that has the role of head coach aspires to run the type of program he has run for 45 years. It starts off the field, his young men have had some of the highest graduation rates in the history of college football, his young men make a large difference in the community. You look at his success on the field it's incredible. Anyone in my role would like to emulate that success. What makes Joe so much fun is he is who he is. He doesn't get too caught up in what the media says or what anyone says outside his coaching offices. He's stayed tried and true to what he believes in and to me that's very impressive."
On if he'll be coaching at 85...
"No way. I'll be in Naples somewhere. No way."
On Northwestern's road success...
"We try to keep things similar between road and home. I think one common thread is we've done well in the turnover ratio. That's critically important in any game but especially on the road. The last few games we've played pretty well in the kicking game, so I think we've done well in the turnover battle and the field position battle. It's going to be a great challenge at Penn State, they have great return guys, their kicker puts the ball in the end zone more than anyone we've played so we're going to play from a long field. It'll be a good challenge."
On if he thought Joe Paterno would still be coaching this long after he played...
"Well I can't tell you I was thinking about that when I played but it was awesome to be on the same field as him. I grew up watching Penn State play in bowl games as a kid, so it was a great thrill. Every chance I get to spend that one-on-one time in May or at the AFCA convention in the summer...just to listen, to be a fly on the wall, to pick his brain a little bit...for me, for someone who aspires to that success across the board, it's an opportunity I'll cherish."
On the stoic nature of Dan Persa...
"You have to be true to who you are. If guys aren't enthusiastic I don't give them pom-poms and ask them to be cheerleaders. Danny's best strengths are his intensity, his focus and his will to win. There's no question who our leader is. He's having fun. Like Coach Walker would say, he's just not Chuckles the Clown. He's a guy who's really focused and determined to help our team win and I don't see any negative in that. We talk quite a bit, he's having the time of his life, there's no doubt about that."
On Bryce McNaul...
"It's been a tough road for him. Early in his career he was someone we thought could be a two-, three-, four-year starter for us. Then the injuries mounted up and he had to learn to fight through some things, be patient, and he's done a great job with it. Even this year, he's battled through some stuff and it hasn't phased him. It's helped him mature and grow so to get that sweet taste of success and to continue to grow makes him better and better. He loves the game, he loves his teammates and our program. He's always been instinctual, he's got great athleticism but he loves the game of football and our football family. He's from such a great family I think it just comes out of him every minute of the day. His passion for his family carries over to his passion for our family. He's on borrowed time and he continues to get confidence he'll get even better."
On preparing for Evan Royster...
"Every back presents a different challenge and with Evan, very rarely do I see the first back take him down. He's a guy that runs with great power behind his pads, he has a great little spin move, he has a great stiff-arm and he's good with protection. To be the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history is a statement with an exclamation point. I don't know if we've faced any backs that can prepare us for him. We have to improve stopping the run but if we load up the box too much, you have to worry about the guys on the perimeter. (Derek) Moye is a great weapon, his speed has been well-documented, I've been impressed watching (Justin) Brown, they move Brett Brackett around a bit. Devin Smith is very similar but a year older than Venric (Mark), he's a guy who's been in the system a bit longer, a guy they can move around. They have guys across the board who can go make big plays."
On Arby Fields' status...
"He hasn't done anything to get out of the depth chart, he's just in a competitive situation, I was joking with the staff that next year I'm going to list everyone as `Or.' It's a competitive situation, it can change on Tuesday or Wednesday, it can change on a play in the game. We have a lot of competitive depth across the board, we play a lot of players and hopefully we see them step up in the critical month of November. I was really pleased with how Arby handled his situation, I know he doesn't like it, I don't like it for him because I want every guy to have a starting position. He's got some special teams roles and he's done a really good job. Sometimes you're not going to like your role, all you can control is your attitude and the job you're going to do. Same thing with Steph (Simmons). Steph played really well in the kicking game on Saturday. I'm pleased with both those guys. I know they want the ball, but they keep grinding, it's great."
On Stefan Demos...
"I think he's a little healthier than he's been. We've operated better on the snaps and holds, we've protected better to shore up those early issues. It's more about that than anything on Stef. He pushed the one extra point at Minnesota but he's kicked well and he's kicked off well. He's matured so much and I'm proud of how he's grown through his whole career. He controls his mind and doesn't listen to things he can't control. He's been a great role model for Steve Flaherty and Jeff Budzien and even for Brandon Williams."
On NU's success in November the last two years...
"Every team in the country has the same goals throughout the year, you want to put yourself in a position to have a significant November. We work diligently to improve each game, each practice, each day, each rep, that's our mentality. I'd love to play better in the opener against Vanderbilt but each team typically grows into itself and I think we're hitting our stride at the right time. Are we a finished product yet? No, but I like where we're at. Last week was probably our best week of practice, we had high energy, we had some tough days because of the elements and handled it with great focus. As we move forward, that's going to be critical to our ability to improve."
On NU's recently announced facilities master plan...
"Jim (Phillips) had approached me late in the summer to let me know it was something they wanted to do, he couldn't put his finger on exactly when it would happen but we met again two weeks ago and had the feeling it was something that would be finalized. To have our master plan for our facilities is a huge sign of commitment from our administration, President Schapiro and our Board of Trustees. We have solid facilities right now but this gives us an opportunity to take the next step. We had upgrades after our Rose Bowl run in 1995-96 which helped us but we're closing in on 15 years from when those improvements were made. This will help our current players have state-of-the-art facilities but also our future players, it shows our recruits, coaches and parents, the commitments Northwestern has for our athletic department across all sports and for recreation and campus life. It's really special and significant and I look forward to working through the plan."
