Aug. 8, 2007
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State football quotes from additional players and coaches from SDSU's annual Media Day at the Aztec Athletics Center.
SDSU Offensive Coordinator Del Miller
On the getting to know the players and the players getting to know him:
"It is a job that doesn't just happen. There is a trust factor that has to build up. You have to get knowledgeable about your players and what they can do and can't do. You have to establish a work ethic that is comparable to being successful. I think we've made some huge strides in that area."
SDSU Defensive Coordinator Bob Elliott
On what he learned a year ago about the team:
"The first thing I found out is that we have good guys on this team. We really do. I like last year's group of guys. I'll take a group of good guys, good character people, anytime. You can start with that and work with that. I think we had a core of highly committed players but it was too small. We had a whole group around them that were committed some days and not others to being great."
SDSU Running Back Brandon Bornes
On Kevin O'Connell and himself entering their senior seasons :
"He (Kevin O'Connell) has always worked hard and I've always worked hard in the off season, so it's nothing new. Even though he's a senior he still works hard all throughout the off season. He always works hard. There's a lot of pressure but we're just going to keep working hard."
SDSU Offensive Lineman Mike Kravetz
On the upcoming season:
"This year we are going to do like we do every year. We're going to go out and put what we worked on this entire summer and this past spring out on the field and work and prepare as well as we can. We are going to go out there and compete every week like we always have done."
SDSU Defensive Back Ray Bass
On San Diego State's preseason Mountain West ranking:
"We don't really worry about that stuff. We are just going to go out there and do what we know we can do. All this stuff does not bother us at all. It stinks that we were picked eighth, but we are just going to play football."
On the defense:
"We are going to be a lot better this year. We've changed our whole defense around. It's one of the things that our coaches are really big on and really tell us time and time again that we have to do better. I think we'll be a lot better. We have a lot of athleticism and we have a lot of guys that make plays. And my honest opinion is our defense now is looking better than it has in a while."
SDSU Wide Receiver Chaz Schilens
On having the different quarterbacks throughout the season:
"You can't really be comfortable. The offense is planned around the quarterback and the strengths and weaknesses. If you have certain weaknesses and certain strengths, you always have to constantly change if you have different quarterbacks and that affects the timing. If you have the same guy it allows you to gel better during practice. The game is the easy part. Practice is the hard part. The game just comes natural. If you get it in practice you're going to get it in the game."