Wake Forest Athletics
Tuesday Football Press Conference Quotes
10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 14, 2008
Press Conference Video: Coach Grobe | Davis | Ghee | Griffin | Popham
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On Maryland...
"They have a lot of talent. To beat California the way they did and to win at Clemson, you know that you have talent and a good football team. Anybody that's playing at this level has a chance to hit some bumps along the way, but this is a really good Maryland football team."
On having confidence in the team's defense...
"It's good to have confidence, but the bottom line is you have to do it every week. I think most of our veterans players are on the defensive side. With the kind of team we are this year, we need to play good defense and take care of the football on offense and we need our special teams to play well. That's just the nature of our football team this year. We're a little less experienced on the offensive side. I try not to put too much pressure on our defensive football team to feel like they have to go win the game. I don't want to blitz every snap thinking we're going to turn the ball over every play. I just want to go out and have our team realize that if we play good defense, we'll have a chance to win."
On if he is continuing to make changes to the offense...
"We're really just tinkering with the offense trying to make first downs and score points. I'm not totally spending every second trying to develop a running game. We certainly want to run the ball as well as we can. We don't want to forget that we have a quarterback that can throw the ball a little bit. We're just kind of who we are. We have a certain group of skill guys that we need to try to get the football to and if that ends up being Josh (Adams) and Brandon (Pendergrass), we're fine with that. If it ends up being Marshall (Williams) or D.J. (Boldin) or those guys, we're fine with that too. I think for us it'll be different week to week. We're trying to find as many ways as possible to make first downs."
On the concern of lack of production in the red zone...
"When you're a running team, typically the red zone is a little more fun. You typically get more touchdowns than field goals. I think as a throwing team, it makes it a little bit tougher on you when you get down in there and need to knock them out in the trenches. We're getting down there. The key is that we have to finish. We've been in the red zone quite a few times this year, and have had mixed results to say the least. We're working at it. We talked before about being more of a throw team than a run team right now. You certainly would like to run the ball more in the red zone. We'll see how it develops, but we're working hard to develop a better red zone package."
On the atmosphere at Byrd Stadium...
"It's always been a tough place for us to play. I think Maryland's football players made it tough because we've always gone up there and faced really good football teams. It is a tough place to go play. Their fans get into the game. They have good support. Like most places in this league, when you go on the road, you have to be a little more focused maybe even more focused than when you play at home, playing in front of a hostile crowd."
On his philosophy on midseason coaching changes...
"I think it depends on what you feel is best for the program. I think most coaches truly at heart want what's best for their players and for their program. If you feel like at some point you're not reaching the kids and you're not really going to help them improve and get better, sometimes it's better to step out of the way. I haven't talked to Tommy (Bowden), but from what I've read, he just felt like that the program was in a state where it may be better for him to step aside. If you feel like you're doing what's best for the program, that's the key.
Redshirt Junior Cornerback Brandon Ghee
On the feelings of the defensive backfield...
"We're feeling very good in the defensive backfield. Our defense played well against Clemson and I think we're coming together as defensive backs and as a defense. As a team, I think we played very well and hopefully we play well against the Terps."
On his thoughts when coach Grobe says he's happy to win the game with the defense...
"It feels great. I'm glad people have that much confidence in our defense. In the past couple of years, people were skeptical of how we played but now they have a lot of confidence in us and I'm glad that we can put the team on our shoulders and play well."
On going to College Park...
"Going to College Park will of course be hostile. Maryland fans are crazy. Hopefully we'll come out and play well and get a win."
On what impresses him about Maryland...
"They're physical. Most of their teams pride themselves on being physical and getting the job done. We have to try to go in there and do the same thing."
On stopping Darius Heyward-Bey...
"We just have to keep our responsibilities. Man-to-man we have to guard our man through zones and make sure we communicate and make sure we do what we're coached."
On trying to figure out Maryland based on their results so far this season...
"Everybody has their ups and downs. I mean, we lost to Navy and nobody expected that. So every Saturday is a different game and a different team."
On Maryland wanting redemption for the past couple of seasons...
"Of course. We're going in with a target on our backs, ranked in the top 25. We're going into their house and they are coming off a bye week so I can imagine they'll be ready for us."
Redshirt Junior Right Tackle Jeff Griffin
On how the offensive line is working on running the ball...
"We're doing all right. I think you could notice the big splits we had against Clemson. We're trying to incorporate some new stuff and also working on our pad level. That's one of the big things we've been working on is staying low because we aren't big so we have to use what we have."
On the challenges of doing different things on the o-line...
"It's exciting. I think the big splits worked but Clemson shut them down sometimes too. So it didn't work to perfection like we thought it would. But just getting in the chutes and staying low, I think that has helped us as offensive linemen to fire off the ball. That's what we need to do and that's what we've been working on."
On whether he gives coach Grobe or coach Lobo any input...
"I don't give them much. Coach Lobo and coach Grobe watch the film and they pretty much figure out what we need to do to get better. Maybe sometimes during the game when we see them coming across our face or when they check to this they twist this way, we can say something to them on the sidelines and they will try to switch it up from there. But we pretty much have very little input."
On seeing different stunts from D-lines because of the spread offense...
"I think Clemson checked to a twist every time they saw us in the big formation. But when we started running Riley and running the draw, it kind of scared them out of their stunts so hopefully that will keep people from teeing off on us like they have in the past."
On the offensive struggles in the redzone...
"We definitely all need to do our job. I think a lot of it has been people, myself included, doing the wrong thing on certain plays. It's just a matter of executing the play that is called."
On his concerns about the Maryland defense...
"They have big physical linebackers and Jeremy Navarre is just a beast inside. I've played against him two years in a row now. Last year he was on the outside and I think this year they moved him to the inside. He's really good and he has a motor like Matt Robinson or John Russell. He's also really good in getting off the blocks and making plays so we have to be prepared for him."
On controlling their own destiny...
"We just have to keep working hard in practice. Coach Grobe always says we are only as good as how hard work during the week. So that's what we need to keep doing, working hard."
On going to Maryland...
"Going up there is a tough place to play. We played up there two years ago and I know it's always loud. It seems to always be a physical game anytime we play Maryland."
Redshirt Freshman Kicker/Punter Shane Popham
On feelings after getting into the game on Thursday...
"It was great to get in the game. I was talking to Sam [Swank] before how I just wanted my little helmet on the board, saying I played. I just wanted to get into the game a little bit. But after the game was over, I felt good to get it off my chest - to get my first points and my first game action."
On miscue during first field goal attempt and relationship with holder Ryan McManus...
"We take it seriously. We're pretty close and we trust in each other, so when something goes wrong we feel bad about it. We just had to pick each other up and continue on for the rest of the game."
On how it felt to convert his first collegiate field goal...
"I probably had a big smile on my face. I was just so happy to finally get some points on the board and to start the game off with some points for our team."
On how Swank assisted him throughout the Clemson game...
"Sam was my relaxed coach. He was just sitting back there, saying, `Relax, take your time. You've kicked for years so just do what you know how to do.'"
On Swank's laid-back personality and if it's making him more laid-back...
"I'm trying. I'm a little bit more so than when I first arrived here. He's kind of instilled some qualities in me that he has."
Redshirt Senior Defensive End Anthony Davis
On Coach Grobe's trust in the Deacon defense...
"He counts on our defense to do what we have to do. We have a lot of fifth-year seniors on this team, and he expects a lot from us. As a senior, you want that. You want your coach to pin it on you. You want to carry the team so when [Grobe] goes out there and gives a speech to get a three-and-out, we go out there and we try to get a three-and-out."
On playing as part of the Wake Forest defense this year...
"It's great. I came here with a lot of these guys: A.C. [Aaron Curry], Stan [Arnoux] and Chip [Vaughn]. I knew a lot of these guys coming in and it is fun playing with them. You know they have your back, and you have to go out there and have their back. It's fun playing with these guys on Saturdays, and I'm really going to miss it."
On mindset approaching each game...
. "We just have to go in, week in and week out, with the mentality that we're 0-5. We can't get a big head, thinking that we're going to beat this team or we're going to beat that team. We just have to go in and take care of it play-by-play, knowing that each Saturday is going to be a tough challenge for us."
On if that mindset is the ultimate challenge...
"That is the ultimate challenge - not to get too confident and not to buy in to what everybody is telling you. You have to know that each game is going to be a challenge, and each game you can lose and each game you can win."
On upcoming game at Maryland...
"It's going to be a really tough game. They're coming off a bye week and a tough loss against Virginia, and I'm pretty sure they remember the last two years when they've played the Deacs. They're going to come in with the mentality that they're going to try to beat us down. So we have to come in and be physical with them, do our assignments and, hopefully, we can get a win."
