BK Transcript: 10/5
Transcript: Jerry Strabley
No opening statement.
When you went back to the drawing board regarding the defense, was a key part of it to build depth and involve more players?
“We brought it out after we made a change there. Part of the plan was to make certain we invested in the players that we had on hand, and it wasn’t going to be a 15/18-player; we were going to invest in the players that are here and develop our players. We made that shift philosophically when I made a change last year through the season. Then we just continued philosophically when I met with Mike (Elston) that we wanted to make sure we develop all of our players.”
Inaudible question.
“I think there are a couple of things. One is, I really think we did a good job of finding what their level of competency was and playing to that. As you know, there are first-down and second-down players; there are third-down players. I think as coaches, we didn’t say, ‘This guy can’t play.’ We look for reasons to play guys and find out what their skill set is and develop them. Look, we recruited them, we scholarship them, and it is our responsibility to develop them and get them on the field and find skill sets that will help us win.”
When you play that many, does that boost morale?
“In the weight room, there’s a sense that when they get in there, they are really looking to make gains in the weight room. There’s great morale, and really the biggest thing is there’s autonomy, and that autonomy is, they decide that they are going to make great gains. When they make that decision, you have something going.”
Can you give us an update on Brandon?
“He practiced today and did some good things. So, I think we will still go day-to-day and make that decision on game day.”
If Ian Book is the starter, who would be his backup?
“He would. If Brandon doesn’t start, he’s going to be able to do something, absolutely.”
What is the status of C.J. Holmes?
“We brought him up with us with the intent that we think he can contribute. So, our focus is getting him involved in the running teams and special teams and seeing if we can get him involved in our offense. He’s a skilled player and got some talent. We hope to play eight more games; so that’s a lot of season left.”
Do you plan on playing him this week?
“We do. Yes, we do. We practice with him, and we wouldn’t bring him up if we didn’t feel he was ready to play physically, and if he didn’t have the skill set necessary for us to win with him. We’ll see how the game plays out, but he’s with us to contribute this year and help us win.”
What’s the health report on the running backs?
“Much better. Josh had a good day today if I were rating him in terms of guys coming back after ankle sprains. Tony really looked good today. In terms of him and Dexter, Dexter’s going to be able to play, but I think Tony is a little bit ahead of him right now. Josh will be the starter and Deon, and we have C.J. as well. We have plenty of guys. The team that we are playing – God bless them – and I have been in their shoes, they have lost a ton of starters. I mean, we are healthy. We have an ankle here and a bump here and a bruise here, but we are a healthy football team. I’m knocking on wood, and I’m happy where we are at. We have been in a lot worse straights than what we are in right now.”
How was Ian this week?
“He’s very accurate with the football. He has a good grasp of the offense, and he elevates the play of the guys around him. They all know he is really a good quarterback. In the times that he has played real football, in the spring game, he was effective in moving his squad. Every time he has had a chance to scrimmage with his unit, he has been effective in moving the ball. So, it’s what we thought. He has had a good week and been really effective. He has a good grasp of the offense. I think I mentioned this on Tuesday, he gets a lot of reps. We give our second quarterback a good deal of reps. So, he has gotten a lot of work and knows the offense pretty good.”
What were the reasons for the players to have a personality test last spring?
“It was something that I wanted to do to help in leadership development. It was something that I had done years previously back in terms of helping our leaders find what their strengths were. I had met with the captains a couple of times, and they all had similar questions, ‘What are my leadership qualities? What am I good at?’ So, I always had this leadership test as a kind of go-to for vetting out what their strengths are; their personality strengths as a leader. So, I went to that and it really kind of helped them know what their strengths were and allowed us a discussion point as to what they could cultivate and go to for their type of leader.”
Had you done it here before?
“No, I hadn’t done it here. I did it when I was a coach at Grand Valley and Cincinnati. I had not had as much contact with our captains and their needs to have that question answered before. It was a great reminder that probably all of them asking for that.”
Was it just the captains?
“Yes, it was just with the captains.”
Could you give us an overall view of Brandon’s week?
“We just did upper body on Tuesday; stretching, throwing the football. Didn’t do anything in terms of reps. Wednesday, run track, working with our running backs, light throwing, and took some reps today. So he’s in a good place. We’ve got two more days, and he’ll get some more rehab, but, again, he is where we had hoped he would be and we expect more progress to be made over the next couple of days.”
What was the reason behind changing the locker room arrangement?
“I just felt like we were not as connected outside of our position groups. Our offensive line is a real close group, and they have great leaders. They all lockered together. So that leadership group was not affecting the rest of the locker room. I needed to break up the offensive linemen and get them interacting with others. Then, obviously, it grew from there that we have other great leaders that needed to be with other players, and it just grew from there. I have shuffled them twice now. We have moved the lockers twice since January to make sure that we get great interaction with all players across position lines.”
Do you have a pattern for these changes and will it be done like in the spring, in the fall?
“I know that I have learned a lot as I’ve had many years being a head coach. I have learned a lot about how important it is to help players communicate with each other and not do it through text messaging with their cell phones. When they had somebody new next to them, they communicate with them. If it’s somebody they know and go to meetings with them and they practice with them, they have a tendency to pick up their cell phones, and they almost don’t talk to each other. So, I think it is something that I learned about the players I am coaching, that is something I will continue to do.”
You have done this before?
“I’ve done it before but in different circumstances. It wasn’t like I felt the team needed it as much, but put the DBs over here now, put the linemen over here now, mixing it up, I hadn’t done it before.”
How is the development of Avery Davis coming along? Would he be one of the back-up quarterbacks?
“No, no, Montgomery VanGorder would be the third quarterback that we would play.”
Are you and the players looking forward to the bye week and getting some rest and some bumps and bruises taken care of?
“No, we’re all-in on this game. It’s not like we played our rival last week, so we are not emotionally drained, and we are off next week. So, it’s all-in this week. All of our players are ready to go. We don’t have many guys - we have an ankle here or there or a foot sprain here or there – but we are playing everybody. This is a game we need to win, and it’s just all-in.”