April 29, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Quotes from first-year head coach Brady Hoke's question and answer session with the media during the Mountaint West Conference teleconference.
On how Ryan Lindley is doing so far with the new offense:
"We want to be able to run the football. We are going to have a lot of the two back components to our offense. (There will be) a lot of different personnel groups when you look at the schemes and the philosophy that Coach Borges has and that we have as a football program. Ryan (Lindley) has done a tremendous job of really picking up the offense. Drew (Westling), (Lindley) and Kelsey (Sokoloski) have all done a great job of learning the offense. They work awfully hard and they have great attitudes towards it. So we are excited about the progression all three of them have made."
On whether Ryan is the starter:
"Well at this time he has working with our one group but at the same time, the one thing that we came in here with was the attitude that we will always have, is that there is no entitlement. You have to work every day to earn your spot. You have got to compete every day. That's a day to day goings on around here, but he's done a nice job to this point."
On why the team hasn't been successful despite the great facilities and recruiting in San Diego:
"We tend to look forward instead of backwards. We know what we want to do as far as a program and our beliefs, extending ourselves and reaching out to coaches and doing everything in the recruiting. The life blood of your program is in the recruiting, how you recruit, the character of the players you put on the field and on your team. We tend to look forward instead of out the rearview mirror and that is what we have done. The history is there and it is what it is, so we look forward."
On the bigger challenges of taking over a program:
"Number one, being able to bring Aaron Wellman, our strength coach, from Ball State was huge. What he has done when you look at the conditioning and the strength and more so the mental and leadership aspects is huge, and that is what we expect from our seniors on this football team. I think that is a big process that we have been going through. These kids have done a tremendous job of buying in and trying to get in line with how we want to do things academically, socially, and on the football field. It all starts with the attitude that they have and the mentality you want as a team."
On if there has been ups and downs or just upwards progression so far:
"I wouldn't be being truthful if I said that there weren't days that I thought that we could be doing a better job, and that starts with us as a staff with how we coach and how we demand the things that are important. At the same time I really thought our guys have continued to work hard everyday and make progress in the right direction so I am pleased with that part of it."