Ron Zook Weekly Press Conference Transcript
October 26, 2010 | Football
Oct. 26, 2010
Watch Zook's Entire Oct. 26 Press Conference
Watch Tuesday's Player Interviews: Scheelhaase | Bussey | M. Wilson | T. Wilson
Zook's Opening Statement:
Ok, we are right in the middle of the Big Ten schedule and, obviously, we are 2-2. (We have a) team coming in here that actually has a better record than us (in the Big Ten). I think if you go back and look, this is a team that we have not had a lot of success with since we've been here. It is going to be a game that, obviously, as they all are in the Big Ten, I think people are seeing just how good the Big Ten is. It is going to be a game that our guys are going to have to continue to do the same things that we have done. And that's prepare, play 60 minutes - I think that is one thing we are getting a little better at - we've got to continue to do that - play with the same intensity and the same emotion, and trying to do all the things that the coaches are implementing and go from there. It'll be a game that's going to take us all, it's going to take everyone. We are looking forward to, once again, another great challenge.
On Purdue quarterbacks Rob Henry and Sean Robinson:
Both of them are young. But I think that's where it stops right there, our quarterback is young. I knew Rob when he was very young in high school. He had a very, very close friend who brought him to camp several times, to our quarterback camp, so I knew Rob. He is actually from Mississippi, but he played his senior year of high school in Ocala, (Florida) at a private Catholic school there. He has done a great job. He is going to be a great player, but once again it comes back to sometimes you can't take everybody. Of course the guy from right here, right across the street, Sean, is a guy that is no question a great athlete. I had him in my office on more than one occasion but he chose Purdue. Everybody has to do what they feel what's best for them.
Did Sean get an offer from you?
Yes.
What happened?
He looked at the quarterback situation and where his best opportunities were to play quarterback. I think, probably, he felt like it was there and I don't know if that is exactly the reason why.
Is he similar to Henry in terms of style?
Yeah, athletic. That is the one thing, they have only been in this offense, now, the last three games. Quarterback run, quarterback trap, quarterback option, quarterback this, quarterback bootleg...Really, both those guys are athletic guys that can run and make things happen. They have done a heck of a job. They go in to Northwestern and that was really the first game they kind of got in this. This is a pretty good coaching staff, now. These guys are pretty good ball coaches and they've kind of put a package together it makes it pretty tough to get ready for.
On preparing the defense:
We'll prepare the same way, absolutely. We'll prepare the same way. Something came out this week also that the receiver (Justin Siller) comes back, he is also going to be working at the quarterback spot. The thing of it is we have to be prepared for everything, as I said they have done a great job. They put a scare in me, they really have.
On how it's a different offense than what they started the season with:
I think Coach (Danny Hope) is trying to do the things that your players do. I think that is one of the things that our staff has done. One of the reasons we have had some success is that the systems are flexible enough that you can do the things that your players do.
On Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan:
He is as good as any of them, there's no question. He is a wrecking ball. He is a great player, unbelievable, tough. If I'm not mistaken, he had the same kind of stress fracture in his foot back in the summer. It was just like Zach (Becker) had and it hasn't seemed to slow him down. He plays hard, he's tough, he's a great pass rusher. He is one of the better ones in the Big Ten, no question.
Are Purdue's statistical rankings deceptively low?
I think if you go back and look as statistics, one of the first things I do is go back and compare us to the teams we are playing, and there are a lot of similarities in statistics - where we are and where they are. We may be ahead somewhere and they maybe ahead someplace else if you look at all of them. That is why, once again, our football team has to be ready to play. And I have no reason to think that we won't. We've kind of come out with the same attitude the last few weeks. Last night was a good practice, same kind of practices they expected and they understand how important they are.
Is everybody healthy?
I think Jason is going to make it so I think we are in good shape. Steve (Hull) is out there now. He was so close last week. We needed him last week, but we thought he was better off. We don't want a set back. We will bring him in slowly. We're not just going to throw him out there, just like you normally would do with a sprained ankle.
Is there any doubt about him being ready?
I mean I guess there is a doubt, but I feel good about it.
On Eddie McGee being used as a quarterback:
From the very, very beginning, we have used Eddie. That is not something that is new. We kind of got behind a little bit when Eddie had the ankle sprain there in the second game. But that's not a new thing, that's something we have done from day one.
Did Eddie get in more at quarterback because of the situations or because he's healthier now?
Healthier. It's something that during practice we've been working on quite a bit. He brings a different thing to the offense; I don't even know the right word for it. It's different when he is a quarterback a little bit.
On Tavon Wilson adapting to his new position:
Well, I'll tell you, we always go over grades on Sunday, we go over everybody's grades, and Coach Koenning said 98 percent. I'll be honest with you, I've coached the secondary for a lot of years and I have never had anybody grade out 98 percent. I kind of looked at Vic and Vic kind of smiled and he said, "Maybe I'll go back and go through that film again." But he is playing extremely well. Not only is he playing well, he's a quarterback back there. And that's one of the reasons why we're excited about moving him back there. Tavon was in here last night at 10:30 watching tape. Those guys are really doing the part that you have to do off the field in terms of being prepared. Tavon's really done a nice job in terms of preparation and getting people lined up and all those things.
Is he staying there, then?
I think the more guys you've got that can play two different positions, I'm a big believer in that, I always have been. That's what gives you depth, and in particular if you're going to play young guys. Maybe a young guy, you can play him at safety, for example, and maybe Tavon could play corner. It gives you depth until you give the young guys along.
When you went to him, how did he react?
"He was not fired up about it. If you ask him, he probably didn't like it. But he's such a great person, he's a team guy, he's a winner, he said, `I'll do whatever I have to for this football team.' Once again, when you're settled into a position and you're comfortable and confident in what you're doing, now all of a sudden you're doing something you're not quite as confident in and he knows that there's a lot of work and so forth. Like Coach Koenning and myself both told him, it's going to do nothing but help him as well as this football team, and I really believe that's true."
Was his interception on Saturday a pay-off for him?
Once again, his play has not gone unnoticed. And not only his play, but I think his leadership back there. He's been pretty impressive.
Is it fair to say that with Terry (Hawthorne) back, Travon (Bellamy) is playing well enough that you don't have to move Tavon back to cornerback?
I think what you got is...I think I was asked this question last week, to me you've got Justin, you've got Terry, you've got Travon, I mean they're all three starters. And depending on who you're playing, how many defensive backs you want out there and that kind of thing, I think it really does help you. Pat had a big game. Everybody matures at a different rate, you know Pat kind of got behind the eight-ball a little bit, he had a pretty serious injury a couple springs ago, and he's just now kind of getting back to where he was before he had the injury. In the running game, he did a nice job, as well as the passing game. You're able to make a play like that and go down the sideline for a touchdown, that's confidence and that's helped him. I know he had a good night of practice last night.
Did you ever picture it coming together so well given how the season started, with the injuries?
Well, you just have to go one day at a time. You look at what Purdue's done, those guys, they've done a heck of a job. That's what coaching is: you've gotta play the cards you're dealt.
On the defensive front:
I think they're playing extremely well right now. They're physical, confident and I think Coach (Keith) Gilmore is doing a great job in terms of getting them prepared for what they're going to see. Those guys are playing, they're having fun. I think that's the big thing. And once again, the coaches are preparing the guys for the things they're going to see on Saturday. They're going out and doing the things that they have to do practice-wise on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. So when they get out there on the field, they can just let it go. That's where Corey Liuget - and, once again, everybody matures at a different rate. Clay kind of came into it last year playing with energy in practice and Corey's going to a new level, he just brings (Akeem) Spence along with him. It's fun to see those guys, and the young guys, Corey's out there and he's helping with the show punt team and he's coaching them up, telling them what to do. Those are the things that are good for everyone.
Is Purdue moving Kerrigan around a lot?
Well, not a lot but they'll move a lot particularly in passing situations. He's usually on the strong side but in the passing situation, they're going to try to find what you might consider a weak link or something like that to get him in a one-on-one situation, depending on the protections and so forth, and let him create havoc. He's a good football player, there's no question. He's as good as anybody in the Big Ten.
What do you say to people that are critical of Nathan (Scheelhaase)'s passing?
Well, I think it's the nature of the position. Once again, I can remember Danny Wuerffel, all he did was win the Heisman trophy, but people used to make fun of his throwing motion. Coach Spurrier, it never bothered him, he just scored a lot of touchdowns. And as I've said many times, I think Nathan Scheelhaase is going to score a lot of touchdowns around here. And not only that but the leadership and so forth that he brings to the table and the type of person that he is. I mean, he's the kind of person that you'd love to have on your team, he's the kind the kind of person you'd love to have as a son, he's the kind of person you'd love to have as a son-in-law. His work ethic and he's about all the right things, all the things that college football should be about.
And you expect him to keep improving his passing?
I think he'll continue to improve. I think sometimes we forget he's a redshirt-freshman, and we all want him to be the Heisman Trophy winner or be in the running for it right away, obviously we all do, but I think you kind of have to keep in mind that he's doing all the things that we've asked him to do. Is it perfect? No, but I don't think anyone out there is perfect.
Is he a kid that you could win a championship with down the road?
I think so. Obviously the quarterback position is a key position. Maybe 15, 18, 20 years ago you didn't have to have a quarterback like that, you just had to have a guy that could manage the game and play good defense and good special teams and have a chance to win it all. But I think now, just like in the National Football League, probably at every level, college, high school, now you've got to have a guy that can do it all. I really believe that Nathan's going to have that ability.
On Nathan not having as many carries lately:
People are obviously trying to take away the option. It's still there, we still work on it. It's still something we're going to try to be good at.
On not liking quarterbacks like Scheelhaase when he was on defense:
I think most defensive guys are going to tell you that when you've got a double-threat, when you've got a guy that can, when you start rushing the passer and all of a sudden you get a little seam in there and he takes off running and keeps the chains moving. It used to be an old philosophy that, let the team run into the boundary, they can't beat you into the boundary. But I always took the contention that if they're moving those chains, they're beating you into the boundary. It may be a slower bleed. I was listening to something this week, in (Tom) Brady's last Super Bowl, it was the tenth ball game before he threw a pass over 30 yards. You can go back and check me on that but that year, I'm pretty sure it was the 10th week of the season before he threw a pass over 30 yards.
Are the relatively low passing yards and lower scoring a concern?
Obviously we want to continue to improve and my ideal thing we would be to have about 350 rushing and 350 passing, and it would be 50-50. Defenses are pretty good, this is a pretty good league. And people are seeing just how good the Big Ten is. The guys are good enough where they're going to make you do something that you don't want to do. And that's what we all try to do, we try to take away the best plays that their team does. You have to be able to do both, and kind of on the same token, you have to be able to do your bread and butter at some point in time. What you do well, you have to be able to play well.
Would it be fair to say that some of Nathan's best throws have been his longer throws?
Nathan probably does. He tries so hard and he gets so excited sometimes maybe on the shorter thrown. But no, he can throw the ball long and accurate. He can throw the football. I think sometimes his motion's a little bit different. It's the same thing they used to say about Danny Wuerffel. As I said, all I know is Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy. I'm just saying that I think Nathan has a lot of the same qualities. He won a high school state championship game as well.
He's always to quick to point out that the receiver's got to catch the ball or get open, guys have to block and that kind of thing:
I think that's maybe one of the biggest learning curves that Nathan is learning, is don't try to do everything, just you do the things that you're coached to do. And Nathan is such a competitor, he's such a winner. I was talking to him the other night about when he was on the scout team last year and he used to get after the defense, he'd throw the ball at their face. It was like a game to him, every practice was a game. That's a positive to him, the type of competitor he is. The thing he's learning now is that you've got enough good players around you, let's let everybody be part of it. I tell him all the time, plays don't care who make them, just make sure you're ready when they're there.
On Jarred Fayson:
Jarred is a guy that's a very, very talented guy that we've said all along can be a big, big help to us and he has been. I think not only has Jarred helped us on the football field but he's helped us in the locker room, he's helped us in his leadership, he's helped us in his work ethic. He's a guy that's graduated and he's around the players all the time because he's doing an internship so he's in the weight room a lot and around these guys. The confidence and so forth that he's shown is helpful. And once again, it's another one of those weapons that you have."
On the comfort of freshman receivers:
"Ryan (Lankford) made a couple big-time third down plays on Saturday. Once again, if you remember I talked about at the beginning of the season, is that just because they may not be ready to play the first or second game, you keep coaching and you keep practicing, you keep going and as they mature and learn more and more what do to, they get better and better and more and more comfortable, just like you said. Darius Millines, he's a talented guy that's going to get nothing but better. It's hard. We look at it just from a football standpoint, these guys got a lot of things on their plate. It's the first time they've been away from home, this is their social life, they've got academics. I walked to supper with Spencer (Harris) last night and of course, he had his first college catch and he's thinking more about when he's got this test in calculus and all this other stuff that he's taking. There's a lot of things on their plate."
How do you address the players about thinking about bowl eligibility?
Absolutely, because they better not be thinking about it. Nothing that they do thinking about a bowl can help us. The only thing that can help us right now is thinking about one thing, and that's Purdue. It doesn't matter what's happened in the past and it doesn't matter what's going to happen after Saturday. You may be exactly right, you probably are right, but I've been very, very proud of the way they've stayed focused on what's important. I know a lot of people are trying to get them to say things, and a lot of times these guys they feel like they have to answer every question and they have to answer it the way you might want them to answer it. I think for the most part, at least the way they've practiced and watching tape and preparation and so forth, that they understand that all that other talk means nothing if we don't take care of business on one game at a time.
Is there enough leadership to teach them that they can't look ahead?
You know, I hope so, we talk about it all the time. You heard Eddie (McGee) and Jarred, you hear those guys step up and say things. Randall (Hunt), which I think is critical, Clay. I really like the chemistry of the football team, how close they are. The younger guys are listening and trying to do not only what the coaches are telling them to do, but what the seniors and upperclassmen are trying to get them to do. I think it's probably been 2007 since we had that type of attitude in the locker room.
