April 21, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Football
Spring Practice
Scrimmage #2 Quotes
SDSU Head Coach Chuck Long
Opening Statement:
"I thought both the offense and defense were really sound. We did a lot of situations today on offense and we are missing a lot of guys, particularly at receiver. We did more situations in the live period. We did a lot of move-the-ball, third and short and goal line situations which we needed. We did not have a lot in the open field. We are trying to keep healthy at this point.
"I like the way our young running backs ran the ball today. We are a little thin at wide receiver right now. We are getting a lot of young players in at wide receiver who need the work like Roberto Wallace and Mekell Wesley. We need to start getting those injured players back."
On the defense:
"I really like what they are doing with their enthusiasm and their attitude. I thought our defense really came out and played well. I am excited where they are going. We have some good youth over there. The big thing is the way they are flying to the ball. When you do that, you can make some plays."
On the quarterbacks:
"I thought both quarterbacks threw it well. We were rotating quite a bit trying to simulate having to come in right away and make a play or make a completion. We will watch tape and see where we are at with those guys. I thought both of them had their moments. They both have picked it up as of late. I like them both and I am happy with where they are at right now.
"They are becoming more aware of down and distance and they are getting better in that regard. They are doing better at taking dump-offs when available. Those are things we tried to work in today."
On naming a starting quarterback:
"Coach (Del) Miller and I were talking about that the other day and we will sit down and talk about it after the spring. Next week is another big week to evaluate, but after it is all said and done, we will get all the numbers throughout the spring and see where we are at."
On the play of the running backs:
"I thought our young backs played well. You got to see a little of Davon Brown's speed today and Brandon Sullivan has some speed and power. Brandon Bornes had some nice runs and even Tyler Campbell got in and made a couple of plays. I like that group."
On safety Gerald Armstrong's interception?
"He made a great play. Those are situations that obviously we like on defense, but on offense we need to make sure we are not throwing the ball like that. I don't know how to look at that as a head coach. I like it on defense and not on offense."
On safety Travis Crawford:
"He needs to become more consistent in practice, but he does show up on game day. He shows up at a scrimmage. That is always a plus. Once he learns everything, he is going to be a good player."
On ball awareness by the secondary:
"They are around the ball and have their eyes on the ball. That is the name of the game. If you look at our turnover margin last year, it was near the bottom (in the league) and you are not going to win many games that way. That margin needs to be in our favor."
On defensive tackle Peter Nelson:
"He has a nice future and he is making a push. That is what you want. He has really played well of late."
SDSU Defensive Coordinator Bob Elliott
On the defense:
"I like the chemistry of this group. I think we are making progress in the way we want our guys to play. I am pleased at this point. We lost quite a few guys who made a lot of plays. We are going to have to win with chemistry and teamwork."
Quarterback Kevin O'Connell
On the scrimmage:
"Our idea is to just get better every week in preparation for the Red & Black game and then just move on into the summer. Once again, I think some of the younger guys did a lot of really good things. I think you saw some of those flashes with (running backs) Davon Brown and Brandon Sullivan and (wide receiver) Mekell Wesley, who made some really big catches and blocked (well) for us. Even though we've got some guys banged up, the offensive line was really battling, and it's been fun watching some of those young guys grow throughout the spring. We didn't go too long today, but we got some things accomplished."
On whether he thought the defense dominated in today's scrimmage:
"It's hard to tell, because sometimes we're going ones vs. twos and likewise twos vs. ones. It's a situation where our defense with the new system is going to be flying around and hitting people. It's the 3-4 (scheme) and that's what it's made for. You have an extra fast guy on the field instead of a down lineman, and I think you're going to see guys making plays. We have a group of playmakers on the defense. Whether they're young guys or veteran guys, they're going to make plays. But offensively, we're going to get ours sometimes. As the scrimmage went on, I think you saw the offense start to make some plays.
Safety Gerard Armstrong
On his interception:
"We got nice pressure from the defensive line and that forced the quarterback to put some air under the ball, and I was just in the right place at the right time."
On the defense's performance during today's scrimmage:
"It felt good. Everybody was running to the ball and everybody had a lot of energy. I loved it."