Q & A With Head Coach Gary Patterson
3/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 4, 2002
Spring Football 2002 got underway at TCU on Monday, March 4. The following is a question and answer session with head coach Gary Patterson prior to the start of spring drills.
What are the primary objectives for the team during the 2002 spring drills?
GP: "Number one is chemistry. Secondly, we want to fill the spots that were left open by graduation. Next, we want to improve on the areas we were concerned with in the fall -- penalties, turnovers on offense and takeaways on defense and not allowing the big play. Finally, it's going to be very important to see who emerges as our starting quarterback. Also, spring is when you work on becoming a physical football team."
This is your second spring as a head coach. Do you plan to make any changes in how you handle spring practice?
GP: "Not really. You only change things if you feel like you didn't get accomplished what you want to accomplish. The biggest key is consistency, so everyone knows what to expect. One thing though for this spring is that we're not going to be as bunched up in our practices. Last year we were really bunched up in trying to get in some consistency."
The Nebraska game created a sense of urgency through the spring session a year ago. What will create that sense this year?
GP: "Playing a conference game at Cincinnati right out of the chute on national TV will give us that same sense of urgency through the spring and summer. We have a goal of becoming the best team we can be and hope to be shooting for the conference championship. The conference season is a big deal for us and to open the season against a C-USA opponent, one that went to a bowl game last season, forces us to be at the top of our game right away. When you follow that up with a game at Northwestern just a few days later, the off-season work becomes a key."
Having played many of the teams in Conference USA once, how will that change the second time around?
GP: "We have a better understanding of what the level of competition is to win a championship in this conference. Playing Conference USA teams week-in and week-out is different than just playing one of those teams in a bowl game. That understanding is a key issue for us. Usually it takes three years to get a feel for conference teams. This year we'll exchange. We will go back to schools that we played at home this past year and visa versa. That makes a big difference."
It was almost an entirely new coaching staff last season. How important does the continuity of the coaching staff play into things?
GP: "I think one of the biggest keys of our season last year was that over the last half of the season, we finally jelled together as a staff and came together. I think that was reflected on the field."
What are the strengths of this year's squad?
GP: "Out of 25 starting positions counting specialties, we have close to 19 or 20 players who logged significant playing time coming back. A year ago we didn't have many guys who had taken many snaps. We have a lot of continuity. The key is how much we improve from being a 6-5 football team with that group of kids. I think the key issue is in our leadership positions because we lost a couple guys who were leaders. We need to find out who's going to step up and be our leaders and be the type of people that take control out on the football field. Chad Bayer and Charlie Owens were guys like that and obviously the quarterback position is like that, so we'll have to see who are going to be the next guys to do that."
How do you feel about the offense?
GP: "We really feel good about our offense. We should feel real good about the tailback position with Corey Connally, Ricky Madison and Kenny Hayter, the transfer from Texas. I think we should feel good about fullback where Reggie Holts returns. I think we should feel good about our offensive line where we return four starters, and I think we should feel really good about the wide receiver group. Kevin Brown, Reggie Harrell, Terran Williams, Adrian Madise and LaTarence Dunbar are all coming back. Probably the question mark will be at the tight end position. We lost two good ones in B.J. Roberts and in Matt Schobel. Obviously, the question mark is also at quarterback, not only the starter, but depth because younger guys are behind Sean Stilley."
What about on the defensive side of the ball?
GP: "On the defensive side, I feel very good about the defensive line. We graduated two defensive ends in Chad McCarty and Joe Hill, but only one starter of the group and we get Bo Schobel back. Linebacker-wise, we'll have to fill Chad Bayer's place, but I feel good because of the potential play-making ability of LaMarcus McDonald. We will get Josh Goolsby back, along with Devon Davis and Martin Patterson. Safety-wise, two out of three starters come back. Comparatively, a year ago it was only one out of three. Then at corner we should feel good. Everyone there has played, but we'll need to continue to develop our depth."
How about special teams?
GP: "We have Nick Browne, Andy Boerckel and Joey Biasatti, all three back, so you can feel very good about that - our kicker, snapper and punter are all back."
What are areas that concern you heading into spring ball?
GP: "We'll have a possibility that a redshirt freshman (Jeremy Modkins) will be starting at weak safety. The safety position is an area where we'll probably have two young players, so we're concerned about that. We're concerned about the one linebacker position. Defensively, those are the two areas where I'm most concerned. We need to find out who will fill Chad Bayer's role and who will fill Charlie Owens' role. We also have to add depth at the defensive end position."
Do you anticipate any position changes?
GP: "There is a possibility of LaTarence Dunbar playing some defense, along with some offense. He could see some action at safety. He's a guy who's always wanted to do that. He's a very physical player."
Quarterback Casey Printers elected to transfer for his final collegiate season. What does his loss mean to the team?
GP: "Based on last season's performance and with the players we have returning, we thought we had a chance to be ranked as a pre-season top 25 program. So now the question is how will people perceive us without a guy like that coming back, even though we have a senior quarterback in Sean Stilley returning. We can't dwell on the loss of Casey. It's really no different than replacing a senior. The big thing is to move forward and be able to do within our offense what those guys are able to do. We'll try to bring along Tye Gunn. Right now I'd say it's Sean's job, but the younger quarterbacks, Zack Moore, Tye Gunn and Brandon Hassell, will have a chance to push him."
What about the addition of Kenny Hayter at tailback?
GP: "You'd think he would be in the mix. The biggest key for Kenny is that a lot of these guys like Ricky Madison and Corey Connally have worked awfully hard to be where they're at and he's going to have to prove that he belongs in that group. Nothing is going to be handed to him."
Who are some of the young players that you expect to step up?
GP: "Jeremy Modkins, Flander Malone and Ranorris Ray are three that stood out last fall, along with Mark Walker and Martin Patterson, who both played as true freshman this past year. We'll expect even more out of them. Offensively, I think Cody McCarty really needs to push those guys (Stanley Moss and Quint Ellis) at the tight end position. We return four starters and 10 lettermen on the offensive line, so the younger guys will need to provide depth at those positions."
You lose only all-conference guard Victor Payne off the offensive line and graduating four starters a year ago. How do you see the offensive line coming together?
GP: "Josh Harbuck will have the first shot to replace Victor Payne. It will be his job to lose. There possibly could be some shuffling on the offensive line. Jamal Powell will miss the first part of spring practice as he continues to battle some health issues. We'll try to get him back for the last 10 days of spring ball. Chase Johnson will play center in the spring, but could see action at guard in the fall. Hopefully Anthony Alabi will push for a starting spot at the tackle position. John Glud has some work ahead of him, but he's a senior and gives us toughness. Brady Barrick is on the other side, but may miss some time this spring. Jonathan Morgan has to play an active part in this whole deal. Then J.T. Auginbaugh is back as well. That's a group that needs to keep improving for us to be what we want to be next year. At the end of the year, they blocked some very good people. They've got to be able to do that again this year."
How important is the off-season work in the weight room?
GP: "We've always felt like we know what kind of season we're going to have by what kind of off-season we have. We had a very good off-season last year, but got our strength coach in two or three weeks late. We got an earlier start this year with lifting and conditioning. We feel like we're right on schedule to get the things we need to get done to have our Night of Champions on February 28. We need to be strong and physical so we can give ourselves a chance to be successful."
Any final thoughts?
GP: "Overall, our strength is in the number of guys coming back. We have 51 lettermen returning, along with almost 20 starters out of 25, counting specialists. I think that's an important key. We understand what we have to have and having that number of experienced players will help us on our special teams. The other thing is we still have a lot of guys who can't work out and do things because of injuries. Last season was a long season and it beat us up, but we have better leadership than we've had in a long time. This group of kids is out to prove they want another championship."
