Georgia Tech starts spring practice

obviously it's the first day back out uh having spring practice and it's always great to get back out there uh get out of the office and you know things changed a little bit than they were several years ago because you have so much you you have that extended time with them in in in the month of February when we get off the road so there's a little bit of a uh uh there's a some some they they know what to do you know the players they have a little bit more experience as far as uh with installation and with those things uh but you know the whole thing is really how to practice and and you know we got 25 newcomers out there 25 new guys uh 15 of them freshman uh 10 transfers that today was their first day going through uh practice the way we practice going through the structure of it you know really the expectations of it um and and the whole part of Spring ball is we we we want the players to be able to feel the reward of improvement we want them to be able to go out there improve every day get better every day but also feel the reward for it not feel anxious and get up tight and stressed out uh about having to go to practice you know practices are hard and you know they're meant to be hard and that's that's how you build a uh build a football team is going through you know challenging situations and and tough practices I mean we're not in pads yet so they'll continue to get harder and harder but we want the guys to also feel the reward for going out in in practicing and seeing the Improvement that they make each day um you know really the thing that we're preaching to them right now is that the you know having the right mindset coming out to practice of of you know the attitude and the toughness that we uh practice with we play with uh the frame of mind that we come out to the field with that's more important than anything else right now uh getting the guys to understand how to uh how to run to the football how to pursue on defense uh from the start of practice it should look the same at the end of practice um you know how to run to the ball on offense how to secure a catch you know make a tight turn get North and South uh you know basic fundamentals at the lines of scrimmage um you know and really it all comes back to the the the attitude that they have coming out the toughness they play with uh and being able to challenge these guys with with installation um but at the same time the most important things right now are the are the basic fundamentals of the game and uh and the mindset that come out with so uh exciting to be back out there exciting to see a lot of the new faces uh excited to see some a lot of the new coaches out there uh first time you know on the field in the practice so all in all is a it was a good start for us uh with a lot of new things going on but at the same time we got a long way to go uh you know the expectation that we have as coaches that I have as the head coach uh you know we're not close to being there yet uh we got 15 days to to get better this spring um leading into the summer so we got to take advantage of each one of them okay questions I wanted to ask about your uh new coaches obviously you been in some situations where it's been turned over working for Coach Z you you saw that a lot there where guys just moved up and moved around how do you how did you put the together your defensive staff and and kind of what do you can you maybe tell us a little bit about each guy you added yeah so uh you know when I made the decision to to you make make some adjustments and changes on that side of the football uh you know talk to a lot of people uh you know talk to a lot of people in reference of guys talk to a lot of people uh as far as interviews go uh wanted to make sure that that that we got this right um you know I think the offensive staff really set set a bar high as far as uh and look I'm not talking about the outcome on the on the field on game that's that's inevitably what a what a good what the outcome becomes when you put a good staff together um but just the way that uh you know Buster goes about the you know managing the the the people in the room putting things together the organization uh the the detail that's coached the progression the teaching progression all of those things and then the way that that room really fits together uh so that was really the standard that we're looking at and uh it's you know you go through the process of of talking to people for for different spots spots and uh you know really lucky to to be able to hire Tyler as the defensive coordinator um was actually the he was the very first person I talked to in all of it and you know fast forward was it five you know four five six weeks uh later ends up being the guy that we're fortunate enough to be able to get uh you he's wise a lot you know Wise past his years uh you you forget a lot of times what his age actually is especially when you see him the energy he coaches with but the detail he coaches with the the toughness that he coaches with he's been around uh really good coaches in his career and and and you know I think the the outstanding thing about him when you look at what he's been able to do and you know what he was what he did at the last place he was at was uh he he had a group of guys that really played uh they they played cohesive they played together uh yeah they were good statistically but that's only you know that's because of the way that you could tell that they were coached and that the uh the expectation and demands to the expectation they had on that side of the football so excited to get him and uh uh you know Jess is a guy that I've known a long time uh you know he he's as respected as uh anyone there is out there as a defensive line coach uh but what people probably don't know about him is just the relationships that he's able to have with those guys the the players in the room and when you have those relationships you're able to push them and able to do a lot a lot of things with them uh and really push them out of their comfort zones and and I thought that's what we needed uh but he's also a very detailed coach he's very uh technique driven um to be be strong technicians he's coached at every level and had success at every level he's coached so um you know excited with him then then you know Kyle uh Kyle Pope was somebody that uh he was a graduate assistant uh in in Tuscaloosa with us and you just the the energy that he had at a young age then um you know energy as a as a coach on the field as a recruiter uh you know the the relationships he had with those guys over there at that time uh and and again the the way he goes about uh every day the the recruiting part of it is is is is huge as we all know um he had proven then to be a very successful recruiter uh then goes on and you know works at a couple different places and and proed that you know what he was doing as a ga you know six seven years ago uh you know was able to develop that and become an even better Coach and uh really excited you know having him and uh you know working with the ends and the outside Packers if we uh you know go into a uh a three4 type mold um but you know him and Jess working together really good pairing really good pairing um feed off each other and uh really expect big things out of those two guys and and and and you know how our guys are coached and how they'll and how they play um you know as far as on the defensive back field you know Cory who was right down the road again another one who was one of the first people I talked to at that position uh and you know the the relationships that he had with people in the area you know when you talk to people whether it be uh Local High School coaches um former players that he's coached uh you know everything was it was super positive uh when when it comes to to Corey and and what he was able to do with a lot of the guys that he brought into the last place he was at uh the relationships he had with High School coaches and the area which I thought was a very important thing for us to address uh uh with that hire and uh then Ricky who's been here for a year already you know coaching special teams um adding the corners with him uh again allows him to be able to affect uh a different in a different way another position group and be able to use his recruiting skills uh even more than we were able to last year um that and then uh uh I think the last one was Trent uh Trent who we hired uh really two weeks ago I believe um you be able to see him out there for the first time really with those guys and I'll be excited to watch watch him as well but you know again it goes back to you the people you talk to in the process uh of of hiring guys you don't just talk to that person you know which you kind of narrow it down and you get to the you know two or three people you're looking at you then you start to talk to you know people they've worked with people they've worked for you know uh high schools where they've where they've recruited in the past and just really to vet them out and I'm excited about the guys were able to bring on um excited about those guys out there on the field today and excited what they to do with their position groups can you tell a ENT moment right last yeah that that ended at the end of the end of the bowl game now it's over I mean there's this is a totally new team um Success is Not continuous uh momentum is not continuous if our guys didn't learn anything I mean look at the first game of the year last year I mean we had momentum in that game and it stopped that's what happens momentum stops momentum comes in waves uh you know a continuation of building a program a continuation of building a football team the right way and those guys believing in uh believing in what you're giving them believing in what you're coaching and teaching them uh you know having a standard that they that they strive to get to every single day um does that help when you have success yeah it helps all right but a lot of those guys from that team are gone uh there's like I said there's 25 new guys out there today that have you know don't have any have zero history with with Georgia Tech football so um you know it's a it's a rebuild every year when you look at it like that um you know you can you you you learn from what you've done you know you learn from the things that were done well in the past the things that weren't done well and and what the outcome ends up being you know yeah you learn to you know if you get in a hole You you can't you know fold the tent you got to you know continue to fight and scratching claw and yet you use those as references but as far as a continuation I don't I don't believe in that I believe that each team is uh is built new each year um otherwise I mean every team would win the same amount of games every year so uh you know this is this is a constant process that that that we're in the midst of and we want to continue to take the the steps forward and not backwards in that you talked about trying coming in to coach the receivers and he's he's uh you know was a coordinator elsewhere do you are you looking at to to him for some offensive ideas uh with that group or as a whole you know the offense looking for him to coach the receivers at a high level develop the receivers uh and to be able to recruit his his area and his position at a high level as well um that's what I expect out of every position coach you we talk about it every day in staff meeting we talked about it with the team before practice today everyone is responsible for doing their job right if everyone will just do their job right and worry about being the best they can possibly be at doing what they're supposed to to do right then we have a chance to have a really good staff and a really good football team right but when people start worrying about doing other jobs people start worrying about looking around and and and you know what I need to do over here what I need to do over there and you look at them and you're like well then all a sudden their position group's the worst position group on the field or you know the the the lack of detail that comes with them you know just do your job that that's that's the key that's what we want that's what I really demand out of the coaches and the players each and every day and and you know it sounds it's easy to say that's one of the hardest things in the world to do you know think old say what stay in your lane I mean um you we've got we've got a lot of really good ideas um smart people in the offensive side of the football uh collectively everyone has a part in the game plan each week but I'm not worried about any game plan right now I'm just worried about those guys being able to uh you know each person each coach being able to develop their position group uh as best possible uh coach how's Leo Blackburn been progressing from his injury and everything yeah I mean what was it how many months ago was that was that 10 11 he's back he was full speed full go I like that hat that's cool I think the little thing on top is what makes it the best no uh it I was down at 101's uh today with the o line D line and turn around one time and saw saw Leo uh with a nice catch across the middle and I looked wow man it's good to see trust him U Brent you've said from your very first press conference a couple buildings down that your goal was to build this into a championship program how close to you feel this team is to to reach in that top of the mountain and what are the things that that still need to be accomplished on on the way to that goal yeah well I could care less about tomorrow I'm worried about doing the best job we can do today to build this football team to be the best team they can be today right when you start worrying about about the outcome and you're not process driven and you're not process oriented in everything you go about then then you got zero chance I mean to have a championship to have a championship mindset right yeah we talk about that all the time we talk about having a championship mindset well that means be doing the best you possibly can every single day regardless of how you feel all right having the right attitude every single day regardless of how you feel coming out and playing the game the right way regardless of how you feel ability to affect others on the field and and have those guys rise up and uh play to the expectation each and every day right but look I was I was fortunate enough to be part of one of the greatest runs in college football in in my time uh working for Coach saving and not one time did he talk about a championship not one time did he talk about what we're going to do or win right that just doesn't happen people that talk in that in those terms and they're focused on on the outcome of things right you're not going to you're not going to get what you want right we're worried about each and every day being the best team we can possibly be uh improving every single day and playing the game the right way I wanted to ask you about um silane just kind of how he's coming along with his rehab and then also Kean who you brought in um kind of what his status is for the spring yeah so we uh you you pretty healthy right now actually really healthy going into spring uh sane is uh he looks like he looks like a statue out there I mean the way he's built and you know seen him run around and I mean you see you see how how well he's moving and doing things like man I wish I could get him out there but you know we're not going to rush anything with anybody when it comes to those uh those things um and then so he he won't be around in the spring but he'll be or he won't be practicing in the spring but he's well on course to be uh full go when when summer camp gets here and Kean had the unfortunate when he had the car accident um you know the unfortunate injury there and uh you know you every two weeks he's you know goes to the doctor and uh the last checkup has been very good very promising so uh again we're going to continue to take it you know really week by- week with him uh and make sure that everything heals up and is done the right way so we can have him back for summer as well uh could you talk a little about the tight end position you lost a couple guys in Benson and Leonard but you you brought in a couple of transfers uh that that have a good track record you know what are you expecting from that group yeah I mean again obviously we like we like to be in you know to utilize the tight end I mean it's something that you know can provide mismatches when you're playing offensive football you know based on what the defense has in the game uh you right now those guys are learning really learning our system learning what to do uh and you know they're going to get a lot of reps this spring so I mean we're in underwear out there today so it's hard to tell anything other than you know guys running around and you know getting used to new numbers I mean these guys change numbers all the time I mean it's like yeah somebody asked me well can you put something out with a new number so the fans are like I don't even know them yet yet I don't know what the numbers are they like change they all want these single digits and everything and uh so they're it's all over the place with these numbers I mean I need to have like a roster myself out there Mike help help me know or put like names on the back of their helmets or something so four Justin just how valuable is it uh in the spring for the offense with a lot of new players to have a a returning guy quarterback who had so much success and brings a lot of experience to the position in Haynes yeah I mean you know anytime it's it's the most valued position on the field for a reason I mean you look at the National Football League it commands 20% of the salary cap I mean it's it's that's for a reason and uh you know he he's got a lot of things he's got to work on he's got to continue to improve on uh he knows that he's worked all offseason on those things um to be the best player that he can possibly be uh but but the thing that about Haynes that that you can't uh you can't go without saying it's just his leadership and and the leadership role that he's really put himself into uh throughout the season last year but also through this offseason and you know being the leader of the team um you know having command having presence uh and and people believing in him um but I think I talked about this last year where you know you can't always just you know put all the faith and trust in one single person to to win football games for you I mean it takes takes everyone that's on the field at one time all 11 on the field on you know in all three phases to go out there so you know everyone's got to take it personally to be able to elevate their game individually uh you know for us improve collectively to be able to win those without having to look at One Singular person every time to to go win a game for you um now if it happens we're not going to turn it down but now I've been really pleased with him uh pleased with just his development as a like I said as a leader but as as a young man and you know a lot of really good uh conversations with him over this offseason and uh just kind of one-on-one uh talks and he really putting himself in a position uh to be one of the one of the best leaders I've seen at that position I'm just curious defensively you know without getting into play calls or whatever kind of what are your expectations what are you looking for in terms of scheme is it going to be similar just execution like what are the things that you're looking for from coach huchi and his staff stop the run affect the quarterback don't let the ball behind you give up explosives we do those three things we'll be we'll be a much better uh football team anything more for Coach is it too early to start talking goals I know it's just Spring ball right now but at what point do you see your players down and say like this is what we want to accomplish next season never this is what we want to accomplish today uh y'all think I'm crazy when I say that I really do I mean there there's you know expectations they just set you up for failure and you know everyone La last year but everyone asks how many games do you think you're going to win I'm like well I mean you could just easily say how many games do you think you're going to lose like it's it's crazy uh you know now I do take a little note card at the beginning of the year um after the last scrimmage of of Summer and I write a number on and I put in an envelope and put it in my desk that was something I got from uh years ago from uh from Coach O and put that in the in my desk and I open it up at the end of the year and see and um but as far as expectations to the team you know our expectations are to be the absolute best player you can be and improve every single day um you know when you start putting you know numerical statistical expectations uh on on a team that's totally different than the previous year it plays a totally different schedule than the previous year it's really it doesn't make sense to me how you can try to compare the two so um you know internally do you have wishes and hopes that you want to reach yeah every single person does but uh you know as we said this morning in our team meeting I mean it's easy to say words it's hard to to show the actions every single day you know to carry out that Championship mindset that we want everybody to have can I ask you what your number was on that card last year yeah you can ask anything I don't have to tell you seven no uh that's something I to myself and um but it's not for anybody else it's just you know it's it's almost an evaluation of where I feel the team is uh Personnel uh in relation to other Personnel in in the league um you know the the the the grit and toughness that that team has uh to be able to to overcome you know sometimes Personnel mismatches um schematically where we're at as a is as a uh offense defensive special team so there's a lot more things go into that than just predicting really wins um it's is much a evaluation uh to see where I'm at personally in my evaluation of the team coming out of preseason going into the season okay kind of a different question but you were you had a you were miked up and you had a little button you could press to to talk to the team through the speakers where did that idea come from it seems like a great idea for a coach to not blow his voice out um just curious where you got that from um last Thursday I just thought about it I mean you s i mean I've had a microphone before and sure like I like to be able to go to a bunch of different all the different drills and individual I like to be able to you know especially when you go split Fields be able to be at one spot here and then look over there and see that and um to Aiden transitions of where guys are going or you see see guys that aren't running on the field instead of you know screaming at the top of your lungs and no one really hearing you uh you know microphone was a easy way to do it but I mean like now you got microphone in your pocket you got this in your pocket you got this and all a sudden pants are falling down running from drill to drill so uh you know I figured I just asked if it was some way we could have a little switch or whatever and put it on there it did it made it a lot lot easier for me uh to be able to communicate and and and do things without having you know a mic coming out or carrying a microphone around so I I liked it uh I think it'll help us as a team uh improve and be to give you know Direction and and coaching you know across both Fields now anything else that's it 22 minutes and 22 seconds that's it Go jackets

2024-03-14 04:25

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