University of Houston Athletics
Football Takes Part in Annual Media Day
8/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 6, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston football team held its annual Media Day on Friday at the Athletics/Alumni Center before hitting the field for the first time later that afternoon.
After taking countless photos and recording their video head shot, head coach Kevin Sumlin and selected players met and talked with members of the media inside the Carl Lewis Auditorium.
Just a few hours later, the Cougars officially kicked off the 2010 season with the start of practice.
The team will continue their workouts at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, on the practice fields with that session open to the general public.
HOUSTON FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY QUOTES
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
"It's an exciting time. Our guys got here yesterday, and today really starts a new season. It was Media Day today, and we took a bunch of pictures. We get started with practice this afternoon at 5:30. There are a lot of new faces with our signing class. We took a new players picture today.
"We have one player who did not make it, and that's (Jordan) Jolly. People have asked about him. He is enrolled at Navarro (College). But the rest of the 27 guys that we've signed (25 high school players and two junior college players) are in the process of getting their eligibility. Like I've said before, we're no different than anybody else in the country. Just because a guy isn't here on the first day doesn't mean he's not eligible. There's a lot of paperwork that gets piled up in the eligibility center, but all signs point to 26 of the 27 guys we've signed being ready to go.
"We'll start off today with a two-hour workout in shorts and helmets. Saturday's practice will be open to the public starting at 5:30. It'll be a regular practice and not a scrimmage. The next couple of Saturdays that are scrimmages will obviously be open to the public like they have been in the past, but we've decided to open up tomorrow and give some of our younger guys exposure.
"We've got some guys that will have key roles in the next couple of days. Obviously, there are two main things we have to focus on in these next 28 practices. We've installed a new defense; we had a few practices in the spring, and I like the direction we're headed in. We've got to get some things honed up and get the right people in the right positions.
"We're moving from a 4-3 to a 3-4; we had a good start in the spring, but now we're going to have to develop some depth. The defensive backs we signed in this class will have a chance to come in and compete for starting jobs or add depth.
"We signed what I think is a great group of linebackers. The three of them - and if you add Sammy (Brown), the four of them - are all capable of playing next year. We'll have to push some guys to get on the field, but they'll be great special teams players for us. We didn't have that kind of depth when we got here at that position. The addition of those four linebackers and Sammy Brown, who is probably the guy with the most experience from the spring, will probably help us with the offense.
"We have to get our continuity in our offensive line moving. Isaiah Thomson to guard is a big deal for the offensive line. He's an older guy who's near 300 pounds, and as I've said before, we kind of got pushed around in the games that we lost.
"We need to get bigger; we need to be more physical. We need more size; we're playing with 260-pound guys in a lot of those games, and that took an effect on our whole team towards the end. There's an old saying `big stays big', so we need to get bigger. We're recruiting bigger guys right now and not trying to give up any speed. Isaiah is a 300-pound guy, Roy Watts is about 310 pounds, and Jacolby Ashworth is about 295 pounds.
"We were able to redshirt our freshmen class of offensive linemen last year, and that's really going to help. All the guys we signed last year are over 300 pounds. They're going to be keys to our success because we haven't had that kind of depth since we've been here.
"We've got to keep developing our depth. We have to find some depth at wide receiver. We're having a competition of who the No.2 and No. 3 quarterbacks will be, and that competition starts today.
"Jeffery Lewis is moving to running back with Bryce (Beall), and we'll see what happens. Jeffery was an exceptional running back in high school - one of the better players in HISD his junior and senior years - and he may be more suited to do that than play where he was at, safety. He looked pretty good with the balls in his hands in high school, so we'll give it a shot.
"With the absence of Charles (Sims) this year, hopefully he can give us a spark and give Bryce a rest. That's where we are right now, and we're just looking forward to getting going today, just like everybody else. I looked it up, and a bunch of people started yesterday. I don't know if we're a day late; it feels like we're a month late, but we're ready to get going."
On last year's winning season
"It's helped us in recruiting. It's kind of interesting because we talked last night and our guys are tired of talking about last year, and that's good. As a coach, every team is different. We've got a bunch of new guys and new leadership. Certainly the guys who were here before have laid the foundation, but it's a process; we're still a very young team.
"If you look at the guys we have on this football team, there's really only four or five guys that have been here four years. We may have 15 seniors, but if you look closely at it Case (Keenum), Jamal Robinson, Isaiah Thompson, (Loyce) Means, and Matt Nicholson are really the only guys that have played. The other guys that are seniors are guys that we've brought in since we've been here and are really only one- or two-year players, like James Cleveland and Roy Watts, guys we're dependent on to make plays.
"We're still only a second- or third-year team player wise. Certainly the way things have gone, like with the meetings yesterday and getting here today with guys coming out of breakfast, they're used to a certain routine. That's a good thing particularly with our junior class because more of those guys have played since they were freshmen. As I've said since I've been here, leaders can come from any level as long as they're playing."
On how Case Keenum hopes to improve this season
"I don't know how much better you can be than leading the country. If you have a statistic better than that, well I don't think there is one. Obviously, he has made strides every year he's been here. Each year we sit down and we talk about where we can improve as a team and individually, and he's the first one in the door at the end of the season wanting to know how he can get better. He's put on a little bit of weight without sacrificing any speed - it's lean muscle mass.
"He's also gone through a stretching routine with baseball that helped his arms and has given him more arm strength and velocity and just helped him make some different throws. I don't think there's anyone that works harder in the offseason than him, not only on the field and weight room but watching video.
"His biggest pet peeve is that everyone is working hard to catch up to what you're doing, and we've got to stay one step ahead. Mentally, he certainly has been there; physically, he's better. As a leader, he's gone from a lead-by-example guy to a vocal leader. Around here, that's the way you do it.
"You don't come out here and play and start telling people what to do - unless you're James Cleveland. He did that, but it's okay because if you lead the country in touchdowns for a year, I'll let you come in here and tell people what to do, but that's a little bit different situation.
"He's gone through those steps, and he's gone through that process, and the team respects him as much as a man as they do as a player; and that's probably the best compliment I can give to any guy I've ever coached."
On keeping fans after losing the bowl game
"That's the biggest issue right now at any sporting level. Professional, college - there are a lot of teams out there that their fans get upset and ask `how can that happen', and it happens every week. As I said last year, we were talented enough to win every game, and people thought I was nuts before the season started, but it was how we were going to handle it that made the difference.
"Looking back, I didn't think there was anything positive after leaving Fort Worth last year. That was probably a wrong statement for me, because eight months later, we're in a situation where we're in uncharted waters. As a coaching staff, we've been through a lot. The players had not been what they went through last year; there was national media and phone calls, people patting you on the back and all kinds of stuff.
"Sometimes dealing with success is more difficult than dealing with failure. My grandfather had a saying. He would say, `let him find out for himself, then he'll be easy to tell.' You can tell somebody how to handle stuff or deal with something all you want, but it's a heck of a lot easier to tell somebody who's been through it. Hindsight is 20/20 and a bunch of these players will tell you where it went wrong and where it could get better.
"We've got to do a better job of coaching, and I've got to do a better job of handling that, but experience will help us. The majority of our guys that went through that are back and as I said last night, it's not a motivating deal. What happened last year, happened last year, and that's motivation for the offseason; that has nothing to do with practice today or the first game of this year or any game this year. We have a different team, a different schedule - we aren't even playing some of the teams we played last year. Last year is last year. What you can do is learn from your mistakes and not let them happen again. That's all we can do."
On the defense moving to a 4-3 formation to a 3-4 formation
"We wouldn't have moved to it if we didn't think we had the right personnel. This is not the NFL; we don't have free agency. The guys we have are the guys we have. We went out and recruited big defensive linemen, and the starters right now are legitimate guys.
"David Hunter is 295 pounds. Tyrone Campbell is 301, and Lewis is 293 lbs. The loss of Zeke Riser for the year will believe it or not help him. In a lot of programs, though he started every game and got better, he wouldn't have played. He was talented enough; he just wasn't big enough and you look at it now and he's 270 pounds, which is what a redshirt defensive lineman should be.
"We'll get more linebackers on the field and I like what Coach Stewart is doing as far as disguising coverage's. We're not just going to sit there; we're not going to be a bend but don't break defense. We tried that and it didn't work. Let's put it this way. We couldn't get much worse. "
On Defensive Coordinator Brian Stewart
"There's instant credibility from a guy from who's been a defensive coordinator at the highest level. Here's a guy who's been nine years in the college game, nine years in the pro game, coached a 3-4 and a 4-3. He's just been through it all. When he comes in the room, there's instant credibility.
"I like the energy he has our guys playing with. Quite frankly, the collegiate game is very different than the pro game, and we worked through a lot of stuff in the spring. It's different coming in as a coordinator and playing against our offense than going in and playing against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"There were some inherent problems he hadn't seen in a while, and that's going to help us as a defense. There are teams like us that are just trying to pound the round peg in a square hole. Then there are teams where the running back is responsible for the box, but we're not going to do that. His energy and what he's dealt with, especially with the Cowboys, and then going to an organization where coach (Jim) Johnson did things that I had never seen before in Philly. He was the beginning of some of the pressures and blitzes that I had never seen before but worked."
On Co-Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury
"He's been a sounding board to Case (Keenum) this entire time. Not being a full time coach, he couldn't really do a lot of things, but his presence and being around and doing things outside of football have been great for Case. His stepping into that role and being hands on and talking to Case have been great.
"With Kliff being in Case's position before, he can really step in and say `it's okay to do this; it's okay to do that'. He's a great communicator. Kliff has a future in this. He and Case have a lot in common. He's a coach's son, from the state of Texas and he's very knowledgeable. You look at what we're doing on offense, and everyone wants to compare us or give us the Texas Tech 2.0 deal, but that's not necessarily the case.
Kliff's experience at Texas Tech has helped him in the basics of offense, and his experience with the New England Patriots has improved those basics."
On the process of determining the back-up quarterback
"Everybody is certainly not going to get reps everyday. Some guys will get reps one day, and some guys won't. You might go six games and not play, so if a guy can't go a day without throwing the ball and come back and throw it live, then I'd be really worried about it.
"We can't give six or seven guys reps everyday. The back-up quarterback might not play but for three or four games. I would like the back-up quarterback to play every game because that would mean we're way ahead. That just hasn't been the case. Since I've been here it seems like every game goes down to the last play."
SENIOR QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On his readiness for the first day of practice
"I'm very excited. I'm about ready to stop doing interviews and get on the football field. It's an exciting time when football season is starting and we're definitely ready to get back up there, strap the helmet on and play some football."
On how to improve from last year's record season
"Everybody is talking about stats. Honestly, I'm not worried about stats. There's only one stat that I'm worried about and that's winning and losing. The win-loss column is the most important stat to me and we'll do whatever it takes to get those wins. It doesn't matter who scored the touchdowns or how we're doing it. If we're winning games 3-0, that's fine with me as long as we win."
JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER Tyron Carrier
On the biggest goals for the season
"Right now, we're just trying to win a conference championship. For me personally, I just want to perform. I want to win. Anything I can do to help this team win is the most important thing to me."
JUNIOR MIDDLE LINEBACKER Marcus McGraw
On transitioning to the 3-4 defense
"With me, I'm a little more particular about technique. The overall defense is a lot better for me."
SENIOR CORNERBACK Jamal Robinson
On the team's outlook for the season
"Every program wants to go win their conference championship game and want to be able to go to a bowl game and win. To not do that, you feel like you let down the institution, the fans and the students."
On providing leadership for his teammates "Just sit down and talk to them. Let them know that it's going to be a long road. It takes hard work but, if you put your heart and soul into it, then you're going to get good things out of it. I just try to make them feel welcome and at home."
JUNIOR RUNNING BACK Bryce Beall
On his personal goals for the season
"My personal goal is not to be like one of those guys who had one good year and then struggled the next. That is not going to happen this year. I'm excited and I can't wait to get out there."
SENIOR OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Matt Nicholson
On the team's appreciation and need for fan support
"It certainly helps us when we have Robertson Stadium packed. It's a great atmosphere so the more people we get out there, the better. We always want more fans at the games; it's no fun to play when nobody's there."
