Media Briefing With Assistant Coaches - Part 2
12/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 28, 2010
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ORLANDO, Fla. - The Michigan State football team held its third bowl practice in Orlando Tuesday at Freedom High School. Prior to practice, linebackers/special teams coach Mike Tressel, tight ends/tackles coach Mark Staten and quarterbacks coach Dave Warner met with the media.
Following practice, the Spartans participated in the Best Buy Shopping Spree and also visited with reporters back at the team hotel, The Peabody Orlando.
Linebackers/Special Teams Coach Mike Tressel
On the possibility of facing a no-huddle, up-tempo look from Alabama...
With bowl prep, you have a lot of time to practice everything, so we had a lot of time to practice no huddle, up tempo, empty formations, and although that might not be Alabama's base, we've seen it, and have had time to practice it.
On if MSU has seen that during the regular season...
Yes, we have our share of spread teams (in the Big Ten) and they're trying to go as fast as they can. Northwestern, Michigan, both teams that get a snap off every 15 seconds. So we've seen it, we know how to practice it, and I think we'll be prepared for that.
On what concerns him most about facing Alabama...
Players. Players make plays, and obviously there's a whole slew of guys that I could name off that have the ability to make plays. So, who's going to be the playmakers? Is it going to be our guys? And they've done a good job of making plays, creating turnovers all year long. Or is it going to be the Julio Jones', or the (Marquis) Maze's, or the (Mark) Ingram's of the world that are going to be making the plays?
On if the key is just to stop Mark Ingram...
No, absolutely not. At this level of football, it's not just one guy. Certainly, stop the run first, that's our philosophy, so that puts Ingram at the top, and Richardson, and the rest. There's more than one guy than can beat you.
On Mark Ingram...
He has some subtle cutbacks where he runs through your weak shoulder or your back shoulder as good as anybody I've seen. I know that on power-type of plays, he's going to cut it through the backside a (gap) as quick as he's going to bounce it. He's a powerful runner. I don't know if we've seen anybody exactly like him, but we'll be up for the challenge.
On what he's learned from previous bowl experiences...
It's like the rest of the season. We've been in situations before where maybe in the past, we were happy to be in the situation, and this year, it's `OK, we expect to get this accomplished.' And same thing with the bowl game, or this particular bowl game. It's not be happy we're in the Capital One game, it's let's finish a great season off in a great way.
On coaching Greg Jones in his last game...
Well, I know this: we've talked to him about ending. This is the last game of his career, and it should be the best game of his career. The mark of a great player is to continually improve even after you've been named an All-American. We'll miss him, but that's the way college sports is. You have four years, and then you move on. Come on Max Bullough, or Steve Gardiner, or whatever the case might be. And we feel like some guys can do it.
Tight Ends/Tackles Coach Mark Staten
On the difference of this year's team...
The seniors took their leadership, and took it to a new level. Coach (Dantonio) always talks about seniors playing their best their senior year, and these young men did and took it upon themselves. They've done a great job. They're showing the younger players how to do it, and what the expectations are here because they've changed since these young men were freshmen. It's been set in stone, and it will continue that way throughout the years.
On winning the bowl game...
It's not just about making a bowl anymore, it's about taking it to the next level and getting the respect nationally that they (the players) deserve.
On taking a different approach to this year's bowl game...
I don't think that you take a different approach. I think the attitude has changed...We've put it on them. I think Coach Dantonio has done a great job of putting it on the young people to say, `Hey, this is your team, you're the ones out there making the plays, you're the ones out there making the blocks, making the tackles, et cetera, so it's up to you.' And that's the attitude they've taken.
On the "Little Giants" play to beat Notre Dame in overtime...
That was pretty exciting. And the funny thing about that is, that was the only time he (Charlie Gantt) caught that pass. The six times we ran it in practice, it went to the wing (Le'Veon Bell). For him to catch that pass, being Johnny on the Spot, being ready for (Aaron) Bates to make that adjustment, it was all critical. You have to have a game like that, that allows you to have a championship season. Throughout your involvement in football, you look at a game where it just clicked, something happened where they were like, `OK, we can overcome.' And they did that throughout the year.
Quarterbacks Coach Dave Warner
On Kirk Cousins...
I think he has so many qualities, as a person and as a quarterback. He's certainly the best leader we've had around here in this program in a long time. He's a tremendous competitor, he's a tremendous person. He's a good teammate to everybody. I don't think he's ever upset anybody in his life, he's just that type of guy. Above all that, he's talented and a hard worker.
On the health of Kirk Cousins and how the rest has helped him...
He wasn't the only one. When you go through the Big Ten schedule, I mean, you're going to be banged up. I think (the time off) has benefitted all of us. Certainly in our position, at quarterback, it's benefitted Kirk. I think he'll be as healthy as he's been in awhile come Saturday.
On Andrew Maxwell...
He's gotten a lot of work throughout the season, and he's gotten a lot of work throughout this bowl preparation over the last 3-4 weeks. I have a lot of confidence in him; the offensive staff has a lot of confidence in him. Certainly it's going to be up to him to go get it done. It's different when the lights come on out there in the game, but I think he has that attitude and confidence about himself that he would be able to handle a pressure situation.
On the loss of B.J. Cunningham and the impact on the offense...
B.J. has the size, he has the physicality in the pass game, as well as the run game. He seemed to come up with some big-time catches in critical situations throughout the year. He made some acrobatic catches that a lot of guys wouldn't make. We'll miss that about him, but certainly we feel like we have a decent amount of depth at that position that can fit in and we can count on for that big-time catch. Those other guys need to step up, just like they did week in and week out throughout the season.
