2013 WKU FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE 3
SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2013
HOUCHENS INDUSTRIES-L.T. SMITH STADIUM
BOBBY PETRINO, NICK HOLT, CALVIN WASHINGTON
WKU head coach Bobby Petrino
(opening statement)
““After three days I’m fairly happy with what I’ve seen. We have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to really clean up, but our players have been eager, I think our coaches are doing a nice job of teaching. That is really what this is all about, teaching our schemes, teaching our techniques, our fundamentals and then working hard to get better every day. Defensively I have been happy with our back-end. Our linebackers are certainly experienced and they are tough. They are a little bit of the bullies right now. We have to get our o-line to be a little tougher and understand that we have to go block them and hit them and not get hit. And then our secondary has done a nice job. We have some experience back there and some guys that know what it is like and guys that have been able to pick up the technique real well. So I’m happy with the back-end. Obviously the challenge on defense will be our defensive front. We have a lot of guys with not much experience, but some good bodies and some eager players with some size inside, which we need, and then some speed off the edge. It will kind of be a wait-and-see of who’s going to make it and who’s going to establish themselves, but certainly it is up to them.”
(on the defensive players picking up the scheme)
I think [the coaches] are doing a nice job of teaching it, and experience helps, as far as learning quick. But we still have a ways to go. There are a lot of mistakes being made because you are working three groups and getting everyone reps, which is good. Even in that third group, if it establishes two, three or four guys to move up the depth chart, it is worth doing all of those reps. But I have been happy with our tempo. We are still not quite where we need to be, but we have been working hard at it.”
(on learning a lot about the players during the spring)
“Definitely. We are learning every day from them. What is their focus, how well do they focus, how well they concentrate, how intent are they are on really improving on their technique. That has kind of been a big theme for us is guys really understanding that the most important thing for spring football is to get better at doing your job. Stepping with the right foot, being in the right stance, getting your hands where they belong. The schemes will take care of themselves, but you have to play your position real well and really try to be an expert at what you do. That has really been our biggest emphasis. You see some guys that can really concentrate and focus on it and are getting better at it every day. You see some guys that lose their concentration once practice goes on and just try to survive. That tells you that we have some guys that need to be in better shape, too. We learn a lot from them every day.”
(on defensive coordinator Nick Holt)
“He is a high-energy guy. I have coached with him before as an assistant. Our defense is going to be very intense and play with the type of attitude that you need to play with. We are being pretty base with our schemes right now, because it is about learning. He will do a great job in game-planning. The experience that he brings to the table, not only with the technique and fundamentals, but the scheme and how to stop different offenses, how to teach the run-fits for the different runs you are going to see. He is a very, very good coach.”
(on the first three days of spring practice)
“I have really enjoyed it. Getting on the field and practicing and seeing the players in the meeting room and watching video and working with all of the coaches. We are all new, so it has been fun and I have enjoyed it a lot.”
(on what has stood out over the first three days)
“What I really like about [the players] is that they are really willing to be coached. They take coaching well. We have always felt like the way to develop a quarterback is to put a ton of pressure on them in practice. You want them to do everything right and we expect them to do everything right. Right now we aren’t doing that. Everything is new. The steps that they are supposed to take and the stances they are supposed to get in and how they call the cadence, how we break the huddle. They have been getting coached a lot. We are going to put pressure on them and we are going to continue to get better every day. Today, they improved a lot from yesterday. As a quarterback, you have two things you must do every play: make the right decision and then be able to execute the play. I thought our decision-making got a lot better today, but we still have some work to do on our execution.”
Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt
(on the defense over the first three days)
“I think we’re getting to know our stuff, our package and understanding some of the things we are trying to get done. It’s the first couple days of spring ball and we need a lot of work. Glad we have 12 more practices because we sure need them.”
(on what he has seen out of the defensive line group)
“We have a lot of bodies there and a lot of capable kids there. We just have to figure it out and keep getting better. We’re working hard and we just have to find the right rotation and the right guys at the right positions. Hopefully by the time spring ends we’ll have a solid two-deep.”
(on the secondary and linebackers)
“As far as the secondary we have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football. It sure shows. So far, so good. All the linebackers that are back have played for the last couple of years. On the back end, we have some kids with a lot of game experience. Now we have to teach them a couple of new defenses and a couple of new concepts, but I think they’re picking them up pretty good.”
(on what specifically they will be working on each week)
“The first week is our basic installation, our base defenses, defenses that we’ll play from the first game to the 12th game. As spring goes on we try to get into our specialized stuff whether it’s the nickel or dime stuff we need to use throughout the season. Our schedule consists of a couple of option teams so we have to prepare for that. We’ve got to install our base stuff, but at the same time we have to look ahead at some of the stuff we’re going to see in the season. It’s a process.”
(on where the conditioning is at right now)
“I think we need a little work on that. I think with our practice tempo and the length of and physicality of our practices, our kids will learn to get in shape. But it’s a process and we need to get a lot better.”
Defensive end Calvin Washington
(on the defense the last couple of days)
“It’s still early. Like Coach [Holt] said it has been installing plays and getting used to the new system, but I think we’re moving around pretty good.”
(on the new players on the defense)
“It’s just been proper technique, getting the tempo down, especially for the freshman who aren’t used to the speed.”
(on the new coaching staff and how the defense is adjusting to changes in scheme)
“The playbook is a little different. They’re coaching us hard and want us to get going. It’s only day three, so it’s a little rough, but it’s all good.”
(on what he is trying to build on this spring)
“Getting the younger guys up to the tempo. Coming from high school or even junior college, the speed isn’t Division I. That’s probably the biggest thing, getting guys used to the tempo.”
(On what the tempo of practice has been like)
“It’s a big difference. Last year practice was probably about two hours and 50 minutes and now we’re taking care of business in two hours and five minutes. It’s just boom, boom, boom. No breaks.”
