Quotes From Will Muschamp's Press Conference
Monday, November 25, 2013 | Football
Head Coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to preview the Gators' upcoming game against Florida State (12:00 p.m. on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium).
Opening Statement:
“To recap Saturday, obviously when you play an offense like that you have to get them off rhythm. And we were never able to do that defensively; too many big plays, too many opportunities to create negative plays in an offense that is difficult to create negative plays, but you have to get them behind in the down and distance, and defensively we were unable to do that. Offensively we've got to score points. You've got to be able to put them under duress to change what they do, and not let them feel comfortable handing it to the fullback for three and four yards and just moving the chains and staying ahead of the chains. And that's what they were able to do, so it's on me and we'll get it fixed, I assure you of that.
“Injury-wise: Tyler Murphy is questionable for this week; right now our medical staff has not cleared him and we'll continue to work through the week. As I told you last week he did throw some last week, never dressed out for practice, but we'll see as we move through the week. D.J. Humphries looks doubtful right now, we're going to try and work him out Tuesday. He will not practice today and see what he can do; his knee is still a little but loose for our medical staff to clear him. Jon Bullard is probable, I think he's going to be able to go. He moved around yesterday, will not practice today, but will practice Tuesday; I feel comfortable there. Marcus Roberson will be ready to go; he ran yesterday and felt good. Mike Taylor is out; there's no surgery needed, he's got a grade two MCL, so he'll be out. Alex Anzalone is out with a shoulder injury, he will have some surgery done on the shoulder there. So other than that, that's kind of where we are with the injury front.
“Last home game for 15 seniors, 13 will graduate by the spring, and 10 of those will graduate this December. I'm really proud of that and appreciate their contributions to the program. Obviously one of the great rivalries in all of college football: Florida-Florida State. Jimbo Fisher has done an outstanding job there, he's obviously a guy I worked with at Auburn and LSU, and I've got tremendous respect for him and the job that he does. They've got a good football team. Offensively, they're very balanced in what they do. Jameis Winston is a fantastic football player, mature beyond his years, a really good athlete, but a really good quarterback. He's a guy that's got a great arm; you look and he can make all the throws, a lot of teams play some cover two and roll up on their receivers and he can hit the hole throw there between the corner and the safety from one hash to the field he makes some throws now he's got a really good arm, he understands where he's taking the football. He's good really good pocket presence, can hurt you with his legs, he's a really good athlete as well, but he's a quarterback first and that's what you see with him. But they're very balanced, they've got really good talented core of backs, the same guys we faced a year ago, (Devonta) Freeman, (James) Wilder Jr., and they moved Karlos Williams as an explosive guy there at running back for them. (Nick) O'Leary is a really good tight end, you know (Rashad) Greene, (Kelvin) Benjamin, and (Kenny) Shaw are three wideouts that are their three leading receivers along with O'Leary as a tight end, and a veteran offensive line, I think four or five guys are back from last year that we played against. But what strikes you offensively is their balance; they're a very balanced team, they're able to run and throw it, and (Winston) does a really nice job of leading their football team offensively. Defensively, Jeremy Pruitt, Jimbo (Fisher) hired him in the offseason, he's done a really good job running some 3-4 and 4-3 principals similar to some of the things we do. I think the thing that jumps out at you is 23 interceptions and eight scores on defense. They do a good job of attacking the football; a lot of the situations are presented that they've been up in some games and they've created some loose down situations for their team, so the ball is in the air more, they're got more opportunities for that, but that's a credit to their team. Lamarcus Joyner I think is an outstanding player; he's played there for a while but a leader and a playmaker, shows up all over the film, plays with great effort and you really enjoy watching the guy compete. Timmy Jernigan is a really good player inside for them, but they've played ahead on the scoreboard a lot on defense and they've certainly played well. A lot of team speed on special teams; they've got an outstanding kicker and some really talented returners, so our coverage units are going to have to be on spot here in The Swamp on Saturday at noon.”
On how to shake things up on offense with the current injury situation:
“I don't know; we're searching. We're looking at different options and things we can do, it's been tough but it is what it is. Solomon Patton has been a good playmaker for us and we'll try to get him the ball more, Trey (Burton) can do some different things, Quinton Dunbar has been consistent;, but as far as changing things, you're changing things for some moving parts up front. So you have to be careful as far as some of those things we're asking guys to do.”
On situation at linebacker:
“Right now Jarrad Davis would start, and Neiron Ball and Darrin Kitchens will back up, both of them. David Campbell will be ready to go, Daniel McMillian has been slowed a little bit with a thumb, so he hasn't got as many reps. He's been playing special teams for us a lot, but it's hard to play linebacker if you can't take a guy on. It's nothing he's missed any time with, it's just he's been on (special) teams, and we'll get him reps as well.”
On message to recruits given the lackluster season:
“It's still the University of Florida. I think there's some obvious reasons why we are where we are; we're a team that won 11 games last year, and I don't think that happened by accident. So we have a really good football staff, we've got some good players on our football team, we're going to have a good football team moving forward. At the end of the day, this is a great education, it's a great place to come compete and be a student athlete.”
On reports on possible changes to the coaching staff:
“There are no changes that have been made at this time.”
On how to deal with the reports circulating in terms of recruitment:
“Be honest with people and tell them exactly where we are, and that's what I do.”
On where the vision is moving forward:
“Well I think we need to continue to recruit well; which I think our last two classes, if you look at the production on the field of those two classes, they've been very good. We have to continue to put another class together like that, and I think we need to make some improvements offensively. I think defensively we've been a little inconsistent this year; I think obviously we've taken a step back from my opinion for some obvious reasons, but at the end of the day it's not an excuse. We need to perform better on the field and that's my responsibility. But those are things I see, I think we've played consistently well in our time here on special teams, I think defensively we made some improvements certainly last season and I felt comfortable where we were at parts of this year, just not consistent enough. But we need to be more productive on the offensive side of the ball.”
On Atlanta being a legitimate possibility in 2014 if those goals are reached:
“Absolutely.”
On time frame for things to be 'fixed':
“Well I don't think it's just like sitting there and hitting a reset button, I mean it takes work. But I don't believe we're that far off; regardless of the results Saturday afternoon which is disappointing for everyone, starting with me, I just don't feel like we're that far off. I think there are some key components of our football team that aren't playing for us right now and we're very thin in some areas, and it is what it is. I'm not making excuses it's just the facts and it's real; I think we've got a good staff and I think we've got a really good football team going into fighting their butt off on Saturday, first of all, and heading into spring. And I'm excited about that, I'm excited about this Saturday and our guys getting out there and competing again.”
On changing the mentality of the team:
“I think that a lot of the leadership that we have hasn't played for us this year; you know - Jeff Driskel, Dominique Easley, a lot of those guys haven't been a part of what we're trying to do as far as being on the field and playing for us. And I still think we have good leadership on this team and in this program, and some of it is absent at this point, but that's the situation and we need to coach better, that's the bottom line.”
On if the offense is on the right philosophical track right now:
“Well I think that's something we obviously need to look at, we need to be able to evaluate in all situations. As coaches, it's your job to evaluate your players and what they can do and when we ask them to do the right things. But there have been some obvious things that have been very difficult for us to deal with as far as where we're headed with things. So that's something I'll evaluate and look at.”
On feeling if enough development has been done over the past few years with offensive players:
“I do. I mean I feel like up front, it's hard to judge this year quite frankly, I mean it's just difficult to say this guy has made a huge step of improvement. You take a young man like D.J. Humphries, I think he has missed six or seven games for us this year, it's hard to make an evaluation on that. You can't make an evaluation on Matt Jones, obviously with what happened before the season. I think Quinton Dunbar has continued to develop to be a playmaker for us; I look at Solomon Patton's jump from last year to this year as a receiver; I look at Trey Burton's jump from last year to this year as a receiver and a slot guy that's been very valuable for us. So yeah, I think there have been some improvements across the board, but some of the guys you'd have to say it's kind of 'to be continued' as far as the development and lack of snaps they've had. Because at the end of the day it's about Saturday afternoon and how do they perform from Saturday to Saturday individually and then collectively.”
On everything being 'fixable' so quickly:
“Absolutely. I think if you look at our roster, there's some talented guys on that football team. And some of them aren't available to us at this point, but we have to do a better job of coaching our guys. I think absolutely, very quickly.”
On concern over negativity for his future:
“Absolutely not.”
On if Coach Muschamp feels he'll be here next year:
“Absolutely.”
On evaluating coaching staff:
“I do that every year.”
On feeling of coaching changes being inevitable:
“Again, I'm not ready to make any statement on that at this point. We're still playing out the season and those guys are going to coach their butts off and I'll make that decision when I think it's ready.”
On Solomon Patton saying 'There's only so much you can do':
“I'd have to ask Solomon (Patton). I don't really know what the question was asked. I'd really have to talk to and ask (Patton). I can't think for him. I know one thing, he's been very productive for us this year and he's played his butt off and he's fought on every Saturday afternoon for the Florida Gators. The guy has given everything he's got; so he's playing as hard as he can play, he's given everything he's got.”
On feeling that way about the team as a whole:
“Yeah, I think the guys are out there giving it everything they've got.”
On emotions over seeing a close friend, Jimbo Fisher, have such a great season at FSU and if it makes it tempered due to what has happened here:
“No, I worry about Florida. I worry about what we need to do and where we are and what we need to do to improve, and that's where all my concentration is on. And obviously the game week you focus on the other team, and you prepare for that team and they have a heck of a football team and they are having a heck of a year. But that's kind of how I view things.”
On compartmentalizing friendship during the football season:
“Absolutely; (Jimbo Fisher) does too.”
On how friendship with Jimbo Fisher has changed the most since getting the job here:
“Well obviously there's not a whole lot of communication from the standpoint of other than just checking on families and things; but there's absolutely no football discussed or recruiting I can assure you of that. But Jimbo (Fisher) is a good man, he and Candi (Fisher) are great people, and he's done a fantastic job there.”
On the focus not being there in some of the games:
“I wouldn't always agree with that. We took the first drive down and got points, we capitalized on a special teams miscue on their part and we should have got points there, we made a good stop defensively to start the game, which is always a concern with the way we've played to start games defensively in recent weeks. But with an option attack how you adjust early in the game, I don't know if I agree with that on Saturday afternoon. I think the guys were focused and locked in and I think they understood the task at hand of what we needed to do to be successful and we didn't get the job done.”
On feeling that focus dissipated after the score was 10-0:
“No, maybe we need to coach better and play better, but I don't know about the focus part of it. I felt like our guys were pretty dialed in.”
On if the depth has not been physically ready to perform at this level:
“No, I don't think that depth is an issue once you start moving around positionally. Just take the offensive line for instance, you lose your first three offensive tackles, you know Max (Garcia) has been a guy that repped most of camp at guard, and now he's playing left tackle. And Trenton (Brown) is a guy that's new to the program, repped in at right tackle, and we've had some moving parts across the board and it's all about the continuity especially at that position of where guys should rep. I think it's tough, I always like to cross-train guys at spring practice so you can find out if a guy can play a position, can he adapt to this situation; you're going to have injuries, you have to plan for it, those sort of things. But to the extent of changing a guy midseason from a guard position to a tackle position is pretty drastic. And Max (Garcia) has played well for us this year. I don't know that it's depth issues; it's the movement of different moving parts. The starting lineup has been different for us week to week in a lot of situations across the board.”
On what it means to have the players' support through this season:
“I think it's important; I think that they understand where we are and where we're headed with the program, and they've got total confidence in my opinion of where we're headed. I think they understand the plan and what we need to do offensively, defensively and on special teams moving forward.”
On taking something from where FSU was four years ago and what Jimbo Fisher has been able to do:
“I know where we're headed; I don't need to look at anybody else.”
On veto power in playcalling during a game:
“Total veto power. I had the opportunity, I'm as mad at myself as I am anybody else.”
On the arrival of Jameis Winston and the rash of injuries here being the difference this season:
“No, I think that when you turn the tape on, (Winston) had played outstanding. And he's certainly been a very positive member of their team in bringing confidence and those sorts of things. But I think offensively, it's the same numbers we faced last year when you turn the tape on; you turn the tape on and you see 80, you see 81, you see number 1, you see the same running backs, you see the same tight end, you see four out of the five same offensive lineman, and obviously (Winston) has done a fantastic job and really accelerated their offense. And then defensively, they've done a nice job with some guys up front because they lost some really good players up front in (Bjoern) Werner and those guys. They've got their linebacking core back and most of their secondary back, so they've continued. I don't know that they've had many injuries or season-ending things in situations. That's just the facts of it; they've done a nice job of playing ahead in a lot of situations and they've been able to grow their defense as the year has gone on and they've done a fantastic job of that.”
On what this senior class should remember:
“Well, they went through a tough transition. Obviously any time you have a coaching change, it's tough on everybody. You signed to play with a head coach and all the sudden your position coach is gone and your coordinator and then your head coach. They a hard-working class that bought into what we're trying to do. Off the top of my head, Jon Harrison, Jon Halapio and Kyle Koehne up front. Solomon Patton's a guy that's really developed himself as a specialty guy to taking a step forward and has been a huge playmaker for us this year. Jaylen Watkins. Damien Jacobs was a junior-college player that came in last year and really contributed a lot up front for us, did a good job and had a really good year. Darrin Kitchens is a great young man that's battled through a lot of injuries and setbacks and out here three years ago against Florida State took a hit that scared me to death on the sideline. When a player is motionless on the field and not really knowing what the extent of that injury is and to see him now married and has a baby girl. All of those guys in each part have meant a lot to me in this transition and moving forward. Certainly their senior year has not gone well and that's on me, and we'll get it corrected and make this program something they're very proud of.”
On if he'll reassess his offensive philosophy:
“I think obviously the first person you look at is yourself. That's what you've got to be able to do and see where we are. I think as a coach, you've got to do what you're players can do. That's something I'm looking at.”
On his relationship with the media:
“To answer your question, I don't have any problem with anybody. Everybody has an opinion and everybody is certainly entitled to that. That's part of it, that's part of the job. I don't have any issue with that. I had an issue early in the year when I felt like something was misreported about one of our players. I take offense to that, and I take offense to when I feel some of our players aren't being treated fairly. I do take offense to that. If it's personal to me, then maybe I've gone a little over the edge in those situations. That's who I am, I say what's on my mind; I tell you the way it is; I won't beat around it or anything. I don't have any problem with anybody sitting in the room. You've got jobs to do, and sometimes your opinion may be different from mine. One of my favorite sayings, and if you've worked with me before, it's 'let's agree to disagree.' And that's fine. I'm involved in day-to-day operation of the program. You've got to see the big picture of where we are and more than anything where we're headed. It's been very frustrating and it's all on me. I get all that and we need to improve and get better, and that's what we're going to do. But I don't have any problems with any of you.”
On if he's talked to players about leaving early for the NFL:
“No we haven't. Those are some things that we talk about in the summer in that situation. We try to get them and get those guys that could be in that situation the most information that we can. I always ask those guys not to discuss that during the season. When the season is over, we'll sit down with those guys and get them all the information they need.”
On the kicking and punting positions:
“Well, Johnny (Townsend)'s still punting and needs to punt better. We had a couple directional issues the other day where we drained the ball down the middle and we needed to be more directional to the right as far as where our coverage was set up. We need to have a good week of practice. Kyle (Christy) has continued to punt well. Frankie (Velez) right now would be our kicker; still from the standpoint of distance, Austin Hardin would be from further distances.”
On “burning” a year for two punters:
"Well, that's something we'll look at the end of the season. It's a luxury for us to have two very talented guys that we have a lot of confidence in. We just need to get more consistent production from the position. As far as the place-kicker is concerned, we just need to improve. That's something we'll address as we move forward."
On what Jameis Winston does well:
"Well, again, he's a total package. I don't know where you start: his arm strength, he's got a big arm and he can make all the throws. He has a tough throw; he can zip the ball in there. Their route progression can change because of his arm strength. I think he sees the field extremely well. He has athleticism. He has very good pocket presence. He doesn't scramble after the first read isn't there. He'll go through his progressions, and if he feels like he needs to scramble, certainly, athletically, he's a guy that can capitalize on it."
On FSU DT Tim Jernigan:
"Great initial quickness, stride, can hold the point, can give pass rush, a guy that can be very disruptive inside. You've got to be able to account for him. He's a really good football player."
