Wake Forest Athletics
Tuesday Football Press Conference Quotes
10/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 30, 2007
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On the difficult schedule ahead...
"We felt that way for a while now. We know that our schedule for this whole season was going to be a tough one. We felt like Maryland was tough. They were healthy back when we played them; I think they're a little beat up right now. Florida State, Navy, North Carolina. It's just a brutal stretch and we've got four really tough ones left."
On playing against Virginia (his alma mater)...
"I certainly love my school and enjoyed playing football there, but Wake Forest is my school now, so there's no nostalgia there. We want to go win a football game."
On what Virginia does well...
"They're doing a lot of things well. They're stingy on defense. They play real tough, hard-nosed defense. Offensively, they're using their talent very well. They probably have the most elusive quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference. [UVA quarterback Jameel] Sewell drives people crazy scrambling, getting out of the pocket, running the football. And I just think they're doing a really nice job structuring the offense around him. They have a great punter, great kicker. Their kicking game has improved quite a bit. As you'd expect from Coach Groh, it's just a very solid football team, very well-coached, and very well-disciplined in every area."
On how to defend the mobile quarterback...
"You're never really sure what to do. You don't know whether to pressure him. You don't know whether to let him throw the football and count on your coverage. So probably the best thing to do is mix it up. I think you need to bring some heat once in a while. I think you need to play some zone coverage at times with more people back in coverage. But as much as anything, you need to chase the football and have a lot of people there, because they have a lot of weapons."
On Kevin Marion...
"Kevin just lost his confidence a little bit [as a receiver]. I'm really hopeful that some of his return game will carry over into his receiving game. I think he's a guy with potential to really be good for us if we can find ways to get him the football. Returning kicks is one way, but we certainly would like to throw and hand him the ball more on offense. I think he's back a little bit. He's got a little twinkle in his eye. He's feeling good about himself. Hopefully he's got a shot of confidence from what's happened to him the last couple of weeks."
On why Wake Forest has played so well on the road the last year and a half...
"I'm not real sure. I think that certainly, our guys like to play whether we're home or away. Sometimes the people you play have something to do with that. This week we're playing a top-25 team who plays their tough football at home. It's going to be a really tough game for us. We're going to have to go up and take a win. They're not going to give it to us. They will defend their home turf. They did it well last year. They've done it well this year. They play well at home, and it's going to be a tough match for us."
On Virginia defensive linemen Chris Long...
"Coach Groh feels like he's a Heisman Trophy candidate. That tells you how good the head coach feels about Chris Long. Certainly one of the best we've seen. But the thing about Virginia's team, they've got a couple of real good defensive ends. It's not just Chris. They have a really good defensive front. And I think some people feel like the answer is just to run away from Chris Long. And that probably won't work because their whole defensive front is really talented."
On whether he talks to his team about how Virginia wins many close games...
"This is one of those games that we probably don't have to say a real lot about. Every time you play a ranked team, particularly when you play a ranked team on the road. You'd like think that the guys know that we have to get ready to play, and all that stuff about the end of the season, we still have four games to go and we know it's a tough stretch, but we have to focus all of our energy on Charlottesville right now. We have to go up there and play a really tough football team that plays really well at home. I think we're playing a little bit better and hopefully we'll play our best football when we go up to Charlottesville."
On feeling good about being at Wake Forest...
"That really revolves around our staff and our players. I'm blessed. I've got a great staff, a great group of kids to coach, and a lot of head coaches don't have that. I'm really fortunate to be at Wake Forest right now. As far as the winning and all of those pie in the sky things like that, I really don't think much about that, but I know how good I've got it with this staff and this group of players."
On how he can motivate players without getting really angry...
"I think the best thing to do is to surround them with good kids. If you bring a good kid in and he's surrounded by good kids, motivation usually isn't much of a problem. The thing that I get stirred up about are things that they're not doing off the field, whether it's academics, it's some form of behavior that I don't like, it might be their attitude towards something. It's usually not the X and O's stuff that I get stirred up about. Once in a while we might not be playing at our level and I might get upset with them, but when you have a lot of good kids, you don't need to get upset that much. And typically, what we want at Wake Forest, we want self-starters. We don't want guys who need to be kicked in the seat of the pants all the time. We want guys who are coming to us ready to go play."
On Wake Forest being a great place to coach...
"What you really like here at Wake Forest is people appreciate what you do. So many coaches across the country are taken for granted. I think here at Wake Forest, they may think we don't throw the ball enough sometimes, they may think that defensively we don't blitz or play man coverage enough, but for the most part, everyone is very appreciate of what we've been able to do here. And that's a good feeling not only for me but for our staff and our players. We like going out and representing the school and playing hard because we know our fans appreciate it."
On what he does during the game on the sideline...
"If you ask [my wife] Holly, she'd say, `not much.' (laughs) She would be the first to tell you. But my real role on the sideline is that I've got some experience. I've been there before. Once in a while, game situations come up, whether it's punt the ball or go for it, whether we kick fields goals, all those kind of things. Just being on the headset, listening to the guys back and forth, how they're running the football game. We're a pretty quiet headset group. There's a lot of business going on in those headsets. There's not a lot of craziness going on, and we're really on the sideline more than anything else. That's our classroom; we're out there teaching, trying to put the kids in good positions, trying to let them win the football game, deciding whether to go for two or go to overtime. Everything we do is designed to let the players go play the game and win. My role, mainly, is just to use my experience. And when it's time for a decision to be made, make sure that we're making decisions to give the team a chance to win."
On whether he's thinking ahead on the sideline...
"You gotta be careful about that. You want to think ahead, but you gotta focus on the moment. You gotta make the best call at hand, but at the same time, you gotta be thinking about times that you may go for two, there are certain field positions you're going to be getting into. At what point is it four-down territory, where would we take chances on fourth down, where might we fake punts, things like that. So you've gotta be thinking ahead at times. There are a lot of things you need to think in advance about, but the key is, make sure that you make a good call right now, not wait three or four plays out."
On trusting his coordinators...
"My comfort level revolves around the day-to-day functions. At practice, in the meetings, knowing what we're trying to do, watching the plays that we run during practice, the defenses that we play. We've been together such a long time that there's very little that catches me off guard. So it's really preparation. That's what winning's all about. When you go to Saturday, really everybody is pretty much on the same page on the coaching staff. Now it's just about getting ready to play the game."
Junior wide receiver Chip Brinkman
On the attitude of the team right now...
"We're hot right now. The team's confidence is really high. I just feel that we've been playing really well."
On Virginia...
"Just watching film on them today, they're a strong physical team. It's going to be a battle. Road game, they're at home, coming off a tough loss to NC State, so you know they're going to be fighting."
On Chris Long...
"He's an excellent player. Our offensive line definitely has a big task at hand. But we know what to expect and we'll game plan."
On being able to finish the game against Virginia...
"Coach Grobe talks every week that no lead is big enough. As soon as you get up, you can't start backing down and taking it easy and getting on cruise control, you gotta finish games. One of our sayings as a team, `Wake Forest, We Finish.' And we always try to stand behind that.
On getting better as the season progresses...
"Every team is really good on our schedule. I think that every week we've just improved. Offense, defense, special teams. Every week, we've continued to improve and I think that's helped us in the last six wins."
On being ranked...
"It's always nice to be ranked. I don't really look at it too hard. It's nice to have national recognition for the school and the team, but it really doesn't make too much of a difference to me."
On playing at Wake Forest when things are going so well...
"It's incredible. It's building our own tradition now. We've always been known for basketball. And it's nice to say that you've been a part of this team, and we've been through rough times and we're finally starting to improve and have winning seasons and go to big bowl games. So it's so cool to share that with my teammates. Nothing but love for those guys. It's just an incredible feeling."
On how Wake Forest changed...
"I think there's a lot of things that go into it. Obviously, leadership. Coach Grobe came in and has done a tremendous job with recruiting. The guys on the team, we just mesh well, and you set down goals. We've been on this plan to get better and every year we've improved. We just want to continue down that path. Now that we are becoming a great program, we want to keep it that way."
On Coach Grobe...
"Coach Grobe is an amazing head coach. He's just a really nice guy. He's always there for you. The way he handles himself and presents himself to everyone is genuinely sincere, I appreciate it so much. He's a great coach and I really love playing for him."
On Coach Grobe's calm coaching style...
"It's funny. Some of the things that go on over the course of the game, and he always has his poker face on. He's just calm, cool and collected. There are times that I'll get fired up, but he's always there to calm everyone down, and it's nice to have that. He can control his emotions. I wish I could do the same sometimes."
Sophomore defensive tackle Boo Robinson
On playing Virginia this week...
"It's going to be a tough game. ACC opponent. We're going to their place, they haven't lost there yet this year. They have an exciting quarterback in #10 (Jameel Sewell), they have a very physical offensive line. And it's going to be a real test for us."
On the six game winning streak...
Like Coach Grobe says, it's always good to win. I think it's brought a lot of camaraderie between all the people on the team. It kind of reminded us of last year's season. I think we're headed back in that direction this year."
On why he came to Wake Forest when they hadn't won much yet...
"Just the whole home feeling that the coaching staff gives you, how everybody handles business in the football offices. Everybody's nice and it's very family-oriented. You just knew it was going to be something special sometime."
On Coach Grobe...
"He's a very mellow, laid-back type coach. He doesn't always say too much. He talks in a very soft tone, but you know he really means business even if he talks in a soft tone. I haven't seen him mad but two times, and that was a shock to me (laughs). One time this year and one time my true freshman year. Ever since then, he's just real laid-back."
On being ranked...
"It's always good to be ranked. But you also know that next week you could be unranked. It's nice for us to be ranked but you gotta keep playing."
On how Virginia plays close games...
"We all know from the Maryland game and the Duke game that no lead is safe. You gotta play to the last whistle. And they kind of remind me of us last year. We won a lot of close games last year. And I know that when we go to Virginia, it's going to be a tough game and we're going to have to play until the last whistle."
On playing on the road...
"I like playing at home, just because of the comfort of home. Everybody knows Virginia plays very well at home. Coach Grobe just reminded me that we're going to have to go up there and take one from them. They play very well at home and they're a well coached football team."
On the crowd cheering his name after a tackle...
"It's very exciting. It gives me an adrenaline rush. I like it."
On whether he wanted Virginia to win last week...
"I kind of wanted them to win last week. I wanted them to be riding real-high when we came in there to play them at Virginia. But NC State played them tough. I just got finished watching the film. They played them real tough. They had a few injuries on their offense too, that may have hindered them from doing what they want to do. I noticed they passed a lot against NC State when they're usually around 50-50."
On how he got the nickname `Boo'...
"When I was a three-year old boy, I had a next door neighbor that used to babysit me. So I used to go to her door every morning, and I used to scare her and say `boo' every morning. So when she used to babysit the other little kids, she was going to tell everybody, `there goes Boo now." And it just stuck."
Sophomore offensive tackle Jeff Griffin
On the schedule still being real tough...
"We said at the beginning of the year, every team in this league has great players. You can't just look ahead at anybody in this league. We're excited about playing at Virginia and at Clemson, but now we're focused on playing Virginia this Saturday."
On the constant competition every week...
"It's great. That's why we all came here, to compete and win."
On Virginia...
"I've heard it's a great atmosphere, a great defense. They've got Chris Long and the other defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, great players, going against them all game. And a great offense. They control the ball and run the ball well. So we're playing a really good football team. And they play really well at home."
On finishing up the season when they don't control their own destiny...
"As we said, we gotta keep just playing football. Running, blocking, tackling, just doing the things we do. Hopefully it works out, but if it doesn't we gotta just keep winning football games. That's what we're trying to do right now."
On the offense...
"We're running the ball well, blocking well. Just trying to mix some passes in there, some screens and stuff like that. Overall, we're pretty consistent running and passing, so that's working pretty well for us."
On the defense scoring and special teams helping out too...
"It definitely helps us. Going down after Kevin [Marion] runs a 98 or 78 yarder, we're already in field goal range. We know we have the best kicker in the nation. We know that if we stall out, that's probably still three points right there, so it definitely helps us out."
On lining up against someone like Chris Long...
"It's a great challenge. We've been watching him on film all week. No one can really contain this guy. He's leading the league in sacks. When you walk up to the line, you just have to use great technique against great players like that."
On being ranked...
"I think it doesn't matter where we are now, it matters where we are at the end of the year. We have to play every game and just play one game at a time."
On playing on the road...
"On the road is tough. Definitely at a place like Virginia, a very good atmosphere, great crowd. It's fun on the road though. Last year we played on the road six times, and this year I think we are too."
On the confidence of the team...
"Six in a row is great, but you have to keep winning. With where BC is, we have to just keep winning. Running, blocking, tackling like we've been doing the last six games."
On coming to Wake when they hadn't won much yet...
"I thought it had potential. I liked the way they ran their offense. Zone blocking and stuff. As a smaller guy, that's what I like. That's what I was thinking about."
On Coach Grobe...
"He's just all about playing football. Running, blocking, tackling. Doing all the little things that make a football team great and getting better every week. Out there at practice, getting better, having your coaches make you better, just stuff like that. He cares about all the players. We all play hard because he cares so much. Off the field too, he cares about us too."
Senior wide receiver Kevin Marion
On what he sees on a kick return...
"Just blocks. Being patient. Vision. That's one of the things I've been looking for lately. Seeing my blocks and just taking off."
On the six-game winning streak...
"I think we're in a good position but we're not complacent. And Coach Grobe sat down and talked to us yesterday. It's good to be ranked right now and playing at a good position, but it's where we finish at."
On why Wake has played well on the road...
"Just taking pride in it. Just playing football and doing what we're coached to be done. My first couple years, it wasn't where we wanted to be. But we got better and better each year, and I think that's the big part of playing any sport. Each week, each year, so that's been the key for us."
On seeing the road stadium become quiet...
"Any time the opposing stadium is quiet, you know you're doing your job."
On progressing over the course of the season...
"We've been getting better each week. That's the key. Eliminating turnovers, making big plays on special teams. That's what we've been going."
On Virginia...
"Very good team, very good defense, and it's going to be a good game."
On who's the fastest on the team...
"I believe I am. It hasn't really been trash-talking. We like to compete. Sometimes we call each other out just for competing reasons, but it's not something we argue about because we're a team."
On who else can compete as the fastest Wake player...
"We have a couple fast guys. Kerry Major, Chip Vaughn. We have some fast guys. They're not beating me, but they're fast."
On the improvement of the program...
"Coach Grobe bringing in good athletes. Getting better and better each year. It takes time. That's one thing Wake Forest has been doing over the years. Getting better and better. And now we're peaking and it's great."
