University of Memphis Athletics
Coach Tommy West Press Luncheon Quotes, Aug. 27, 2007
Aug 27, 2007 | Football
Aug. 27, 2007
Opening Remarks
I'm excited to get started; I'm excited to see this team. We're a better team right now than when we started our camp. To be honest, I'm looking forward to watching them play. From a health standpoint, we're pretty good.
Can you talk about how grueling camp was especially with the hot temperatures?
This was by far the hottest I've seen it. I guess it was the hottest stretch--I mean I don't know any records or anything--but I'm sure it is. We took extra precautions to try and educate our kids. We even checked their names off in meetings. (We were) trying to teach them how to hydrate; that you don't just go to practice and drink water or Gatorade during practice, that you do it at night and before.
When it's 6:30 in the morning with the morning practice, it never was over 85 when we finished practice. I felt like in the morning practice we were able to work and get accomplished what we needed to accomplish, and they weren't just zapped at the end of it. Now the afternoon practice, there wasn't a whole lot you could do at 5 o'clock.
I didn't think we were just gone at the end of camp. I don't like them that way. I did think that we were taxed pretty well. That's why after fan day Saturday I gave them all day yesterday off. Then we started school today and we're not going to work today. We'll come back at 1:30 tomorrow. That's a pretty good length of time away from it.
Talk about where you think you're better now versus where you were at the end of last season.
I think we're a totally different offensive team. I don't think we're anything like what we were. I'm really looking forward to watching us throw and catch. I think we're a really talented group at wide receivers. We're two deep at wideout with good talented players.
Our quarterbacks--Will's (Hudgens) thrown the ball really well too--have thrown it well. Martin (Hankins) threw one intercept in all of camp. It was just a dumb decision that he made down there at the goal line. I think that's the biggest place offensively that we're different.
I want to think our running game is a little stronger inside then it was when we ended last year. Time will tell there; we'll see. But I know we throw and catch it better. Without us having played a game, I feel really confident about our passing game.
Defensively, we're going to have to play to find out. I feel better about coverage. I feel better about assignments. I do think we know now what we're doing; why we're doing it. But we've got to go play. I thought throughout camp that our offense was better than our defense, and we ended camp and I thought our offense was ahead of our defense.
Is it that the defense is that more difficult to learn since you made the switch?
No. I think we're more talented offensively right now to be honest. You can't be the same. It's not that I don't like our defense; it's that I think our wideouts are really good. We had trouble covering our guys during camp. I want to think that a lot of people are going to have trouble when they play man covering our guys. I think Duke (Calhoun) is really good. I think (Carlos) Singleton is really good. (Steven) Black's really good. I think Maurice Jones is really good. I think Earnest Williams is good. I think (Carlton) Robinzine is good. I think Dave Thomas is good. I like our wideouts. It's not that I don't like our defense; I just think we're a little ahead right now offensively.
Have you had that kind of size at wideout during your career?
No. I laughed with the staff. It seems like everywhere I worked as an assistant coach, we played somebody and on Sunday the head coach would say, "Why don't we have some receivers that look like those guys? We've got these little bitty guys and they've got those great big guys." We've got those great big guys so you're not going to hear me say that on Sunday. We're big. (Steven) Black's almost 220 pounds. Maurice Jones is almost 230 pounds. Duke's (Calhoun) over 200 pounds. Carlos (Singleton) is bigger than he's ever been. We're not a small group, and we run well.
I can't wait to see it. I can't wait for somebody to play us man and see can we go get them. I want to see what happens. We've worked really hard at trying to match people up on people. We'll see starting Saturday if we're as good as I think we are at wideout. That's the key to us, I'll tell you that right now. The key to us is again going to be making our plays down the field. If our wide receivers make their plays down the field, we'll play good on Saturday.
How has Clay (Helton) tried to put his own stamp on this offense?
Really I think Clay is just being Clay. I really don't think Clay is trying to put his stamp on it. You all know Clay. Clay is a guy who is a company guy first of all. By that I mean he understands what it means being a corporate guy; that you work within the frame work of the corporation. He's the ultimate company guy. I think he has though in a way put his stamp on it with the quarterbacks in particular. Everybody's different, but the one thing I like about Clay is he doesn't try to be somebody else. He's just him. He's an extremely hard worker. He's got tons of energy. We haven't been a team so far under his leadership in the scrimmages that makes a ton of errors. Obviously, like any quarterbacks coach, he wants to throw the ball. That's what we do well right now, so that's what we intend on doing is throwing the ball.
What are your thoughts about them moving the kickoff back?
I really think it's going to be a thrill a minute. I'll say don't go to the refrigerator or the concession stand on a kickoff. I believe it's going to be one of the biggest rule changes we've seen. I think most coaches will tell you there are holes in kick coverage. It's a matter of if you can find them and if you can get to them. I think the holes are going to be exaggerated now because of five yards of extra coverage. I don't care now if they kick the ball six yards deep into the end zone. If they've got somebody who can do that, we're bringing it out simply because the coverage can't get to them. I think that you're going to see bigger holes to run through. I think they're now going to be a premium. I'd take the 30-yard line right now easy. There may even come a time if you can kick it out of bounds and give them the 35, but unfortunately I'm going to make you kick it again. I don't want it on the 35. I'd make you kick it again. So we'll see. I think it's going to be real interesting how it pans out. I see field position being a lot different for the offense, which what we all know turns into more points; which is what they want.
The philosophy has been if you won the toss to play defense. Has this changed now with this rule?
I've thought about this a lot, and it can. I haven't made that decision yet. I'm not sure right now. If you made me make the decision right now, I would probably take the ball right now. But I'd like to have the week to think about it before I do. But I'm think right now, that's what I'd do.
You've had two surprises I think from camp to now in your starting lineup. That's (Steven) Turner playing tackle on defense and also (Winston) Bowens at linebacker. Can you talk about those two guys.
Steven Turner played really well. I guess Freddie (Barnett) is the guy everybody was talking about in preseason camp. Freddie hasn't played bad, but Freddie is learning the defense. Freddie played like one day of spring practice and tore the peck muscle and missed the rest of spring, so he basically learned the defense and how to play it this fall. It put him a little behind. Then I moved Clinton McDonald inside from end. Clint and Steven have been the most consistent in there. They are not oversized, but they give us a lot of speed on the inside chasing the ball. We'll move them around a good bit. I thought he had had a really good camp.
At middle linebacker, we've been very inconsistent. Bowens got an opportunity. Tommy Phelps did not have a great camp; he got sick before camp and lost 10 or 12 pounds. (He) came into camp and did not have a really good camp. Bowens did have a really good camp.
Is this team a lot more physical than last year?
I hope we are. I think we are. You never know until you play. I feel like we're more physical. A guy who has helped us be that is Dominik Riley at left guard. Dominik is a guy who can move people. I haven't made it a tendency to start very many redshirt freshmen. He has moved people. He is more physical. Andy Smith is more physical. Brandon Pearce has had a great camp. I brag on him and Andy Smith. I think they've been outstanding. (Philip) Beliles has been good. We've been more physical up front. Our wideouts have been more physical. Our wideouts will block you. They'll get after you now because they're big and they're strong.
Talk about Hankins as your quarterback.
Martin (Hankins) had a great camp. He ran this system, and you all saw him in scrimmages. He is full of confidence. He worked his tail out all summer with our wideouts. There is a chemistry there. They know where each other is. They've thrown enough balls that they trust each other that he puts it in the right places. He understands this offense as good as any quarterback that we've had since I've been here, including Danny (Wimprine). He understands what we are trying to get done and where the ball should go. I have great confidence in him being our quarterback right now.
What are your thoughts on Ole Miss and their new quarterback?
I thought watching them last year--going back now watching all the tapes from after we played them, after we played them I don't keep up with them--I thought where they really got better were in the offensive and defensive line. As the season went on, they really got better to the point where they were a really physical team on both sides of the ball up front. I think that will certainly be a challenge for us; for our offensive and defensive line.
We all know their tailback is a pretty good player. You don't get named preseason All-SEC unless you're really good. He's a really good player. I don't know about Ole Miss much, but I doubt they put their game on their quarterback. I've got a feeling that they'll put the game on their running back, and that will be a chore. We'll have to play really good to slow the guy down. I don't think anybody's stopping the guy, but you try to keep him under raps a little bit there, and that will be hard.
I'm not as worried about them as I am us. I want us to play well. That's what we have to do. That's what this team has been challenged to do. I don't want our guys to even be concerned about Ole Miss right now. I want our guys to go out and play and do what we do really well, and then we'll see where we are.
A lot has been made about ticket sales being slow for this game. What kind of crowd do you expect Saturday?
I'd really be surprised if we weren't slow the way the heat has been and the game being on television. I'm sure that's had an effect on it. I really don't think that us having a bad year last year (has impacted ticket sales). Before three of the years before, we'd had bad years for 10-straight years. It didn't have a great effect on it. I think the closer it gets, more people will say, "Man, I'm going. I'm not going to watch it on TV. I'm going." At starts, we've been somewhat slow with our sales, and we're always late getting there on game day. I always look around at pregame and think nobody's going to come, and then all of a sudden they are there when you come out. I'm not overly concerned about it. I'm sure there will be a good crowd.
