WVU Football: Head Coach Bill Stewart and Player Quotes 8.14.08 (The Sports Addict Network)

Head Coach Bill Stewart 8.14.08 On this morning’s practiceWe went out today in lighter gear with just helmets and vests. We workedon our kicking game, and that was fun. We worked on blitzing with ourdefense and blitz pick up with our offense. We had some competitionthere and that was good. We then worked on our pass rush with ouroffensive and defensive lines and our pass skeleton drill, where wemoved the ball up and down the field. That was really good, and Pat(White) was very sharp today. There were great plays made by both sides.The bust, or the bonehead bust like the coaches like to call it, or themistakes are getting fewer and fewer, which is nice to see. They arestill there, as is a fumble here and there, but they’re going down. Wethen went into fast tempo work, and then went and worked on situationaldrills. On Mortty IvyMortty Ivy had a tremendous interception and scored a touchdown. Hebroke on the ball the best I’ve ever seen him, and he almost looked likeJT Thomas breaking on the ball. Mortty came out of nowhere and made atremendous pick. On Eain SmithEain Smith had a nice pick at safety, and Brad Starks had a great daytoday passing the ball. Eain then made a great play down at the goalline. There was a situation where instead of him being able to run, hehad to get down to kill the clock so that was neat to say. On Robert SandsRobert Sands had a nice pick, and he is really doing a nice job at freesafety. He’s a big man.I went down to the defensive end for most of theday today and watched him. I tried to be his eyes and watch what hesees. He’s a big, talented young man, and he’s doing very well. On injuriesOur injury situation is not in bad shape. We’re very fortunate unlikesome other teams in the country. You hear about injuries, and it’s a sadthing. We’re getting better and better, and we’re healing. On Monday,we’ll be full speed and it was really nice to see Will (Johnson) outthere doing some things. JT Thomas has a foot sprain but he couldscrimmage this weekend. I don’t know if we’re going to let him go or notbecause we don’t want someone to fall back on that foot. We know what hecan do and he was cutting a lot today so it is just a very minor sprainin the arch of the foot. He was pushing off and doing things today. Hehas the same thing that Will Johnson has, and I don’t know what we’regoing to do with them Saturday; we’re meeting as a staff, and we’ll goover that. On this afternoon’s practiceIn today’s practice, we’ll go back out there and bang them again. We’llplay Mountaineer football for the fourth day in a row. It’s almost as ifthese guys have played almost four games. We’re really stressing them,and we’re taking them, putting them through the grind, because that’swhat you do in football. On intra-squad scrimmagingIntra-squad scrimmages can only take you so far. We really need to playa game. We’re not ready to play a game but in two weeks, we’ll be readyand it will be fun to watch us play, I’m sure. We’ll get healed up, andthe treatments are going outstanding because these guys have been sodisciplined. I can hardly yell at the guys because when we tell them tobe here at 6:30 a.m., they are here at 6:30 a.m. If we tell them to eatby 7, they eat by 7. They are doing everything we tell them, andeverything we ask which is good. We have 20 great seniors, and we have atremendous junior class that is even larger. How the freshmen act is areal tribute to what our seniors and juniors are doing. On the defenseI like the way our defense worked hard today on movement. The offensecame back, and they counteracted and they were moving. It was a fastchess game, and that was nice to see. I didn’t see any blownassignments, and I saw some great catches. There were some droppedballs, but we were very sharp today and that was fun to see. I waspleased with the defense and how they are moving around. Our defensiveline is twisting, they are fast and they are working hard. On the offenseWe have a long way to go, and I’m not very comfortable at all with oursecond tail back. I feel good about the quarterbacks, and the widereceivers are getting healthy so I feel good about them. The offensiveline did some nice things today, and Pat (White) made some excellentcalls today and that was excellent. It’s really neat to see how far Pat(White) has come mentally. He threw that pick to Mortty, and he broke onwhich was really good so we’ll see. We just need to get camp over with hopefully without any injuries. Wewill bang today hard, run today hard, if we have to, do up-downs todayhard, run the stadium steps, hard and then tomorrow we’ll do somespecial situation drills with kicking to get ready for Saturday’sscrimmage. On Pat LiebigPat is doing very well, he was in a blue shirt today, and he looked likethe old Pat. He just gives us so much, and he can play end, tackle, ornose because he’s so talented. He might not start but he might start.Our first couple lines are solid, and I think we’re going to shock somepeople by what we bring to the table. I’m very pleased with CoachKirelawich troops. On the differences between coaching at VMI and coaching here and thedifferences he’s seen in himself.I’ve matured. At VMI, I was so blessed and grateful to be the headfootball coach down in Lexington, Va. and the Virginia MilitaryInstitute was very good for me. I’m a whole lot more patient. Thesituation was a lot different, because we didn’t have the caliber of theteam like we do here. I’ve mellowed a little bit, and I think there isdifferent ways to go about things now. I’m not near as vocal ordemanding as I used to be, and I’m in a different mode now. VMI, let metell you from my heart, made me a better man and it made me bettercoach. The good things from there, I brought here and the things wedidn’t do well there, I’ve learned from. That job has made me abetter football coach, a better manager of people. I’ve learned todelegate, and I’ve learned to trust coaches, and I learned that I’m notthe smartest guy in the cookie jar, if you know what I mean. You learnthose things as a rookie. Hopefully, it has made me a better man todayand hopefully a better coach. On Saturday night being the first night with no curfewWe’ve been talking to them. We’ve had night meetings where the seniorshave been talking, I’ve been talking, and I think they know by examplefrom the people that have been excused from this program that thetolerance may not be zero but it’s pretty close to it. I don’t messaround with that stuff. Nothing will interfere with the chemistry ofthis football team. I gave my word to the people of West Virginia, Igave my word to the administration and to the football team that we willdo things in a classy manner. I gave them my word and I’m a man of myword. On Jock SandersToday he did a great job. He’s just a sophomore. It’s really simple; No.5, No. 7 and No.9 all have to touch the football. They have to. Thenwhen you through in Will Johnson, Alric Arnett, Tito Gonzales andDorrell Jalloh in there, and we can be very diverse, and we will makepeople say ‘wow’. We will push the ball in every way. No. 5 and No. 7cannot be the only two to carry the ball-it’s been proven. We have toget the ball in someone’s hands in crucial situations besides No. 5 andNo. 7. On pace in the backfieldYou put your best players on the field, and you give them the football.Here is the deal. If I was a defensive guy, I would want No. 7 and No. 9as close into the defense as possible. When we swing them out there,someone has to cover them. That’s what I want to see, someone coveringNo. 7 and No. 9 in the open field. We are not changing this offense onebit. We are window dressing, with motion and movement and smoke andmirrors, just like our defense. Our defense carried us last year andthey won the Fiesta Bowl. I hope they can do that this year when we getthe offense to gel. Tito Gonzales On the team’s changes with the new staffThe most drastic change is that it’s a lot better atmosphere here. It’sa lot more relaxed, and it isn’t too tense. You don’t worry about makingmistakes which makes you inevitable make mistakes. On his roleIt all boils down to consistency and hard work. I have to continue to goout there and practice, work hard each and every day, and make plays.The quarterbacks feel comfortable with throwing the ball to me in a gameand the coaches feel comfortable calling my number. I think that’s thebiggest thing, to be consistent and work hard each day. Ellis Lankster How people at home treat himEverybody speaks to me, and everyone tells me that they are proud of me.They tell me I’ve come along way, and I think I’ve come along way. On his future plansI want to try to make the NFL, but if that doesn’t work out, then I willgraduate in December and I will have a degree in coaching. I will dosomething with that, and I’d like to go home and coach. On being a leaderIt feels really good, because all of the younger players look up to me,and they look at me as a leader. They will ask me how to do certainthings or how Coach Lockwood coaches. Coach Lockwood and I get alongwell. He’s a very good coach, and if you play the way he teaches you,you are going to play. On defenseWe’re working on man to man coverage, and we have a lot more aspects ofthe defense to learn. Will Johnson On the new offenseWe have increased the passing game so we’re making more downfield playsand we’re trying to open the offense up. It will help the offense, andit will give the defense something else to focus on besides Pat (White)and Noel (Devine) On his development since springSince spring I’ve put on a couple of pounds, I’ve been working onblocking techniques and I feel that has come a long way. Once I get overthe injuries, I’ll be fine. Blocking can be difficult at times but Ikeep working hard at it. It’s toughness and your technique comes intoplay too, but you just have to be tough. You have to fill out the block. On his sprained foot.I ran around practicing today. It’s a little sore, but it’s ok. I was ina green jersey today so I’m out of the red jersey. Maybe I could go intoa white jersey this afternoon.

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