Challenges in second half:
“We didn’t click on a few things. We missed a couple of shots, and just were not able to put the ball where we wanted and that’s in the end zone scoring touchdowns. I was a little frustrated for the guys and for us, but they are hungry, this week, to get back out there and show what they’ve got. I think you extend some drives, you do some things, and we just weren’t able to finish those drives and that’s got to be a point of emphasis moving into this week, really taking a look into that red zone and getting after it.”
On Elijah Badger:
“It’s awesome. It’s awesome seeing him. It’s awesome seeing any of our players having success on the field and in games. Obviously, he’s had some limited touches and doing some big things for us. He’s one of those guys that football comes easy to, as far as the speed of the game, and he never panics. It’s a fun, easy game for him right now, and it’s cool to see as a coach because the talent, whether it’s his hands, his route running ability, just his play-making ability, the vision and the way he moves in space, it’s tough to teach. He’s got some natural stuff to him that we like having out there on the field.”
How to formulate and use specialty plays:
“I think you get in to spring ball, over the summer, in fall camp you’re doing a lot of research and looking for things that fit your style of play, and the personnel that you have too. A lot of teams are limited to the personnel that they have. Fortunately, we have multiple guys in multiple positions that can do different things, so that opens that box up a little bit. As you’re working on those through spring ball, you get a feel for what coverages you’re looking for, what defenses you’re looking for. Is it a pressure situation? Is it a non-pressure situation? You’re trying to find the right fit for these games. You find, hey, this is going to work for this, or, this is not going to work this week because we’re getting this. It’s about finding the strengths and weaknesses for some of those gadget plays, and hopefully, you dial them up at the right point, too. We’ve called a number of them too that the defense has covered and done a good job with, so there’s a little luck to it, as well.”
Which statistics to look at and what they say about the team:
“The big stat we key in on are the wins and losses, that’s the major one. From an offensive standpoint, you’re looking at turnovers. Turnovers are a big deal. If you can hold on to the football, you’re going to win a lot of games. That’s a big one. I really look at the third down percentages because that means you’re moving the chains, you’re keeping the drives going. We look at explosive plays, how many explosive plays we are getting each game, in the run and the pass. That’s a big dictator for obviously, yards and scoring points. Obviously, your red zone percentage, which we need to do a better job at. We’re not where we want to be at that spot.”
If third downs are something you can plan:
“We game plan our third downs, heavily. We go into a game and we see what they’re doing and try to put together the best game plan that we see fit, and you’re feeling that out through the game and trying to see what their reaction is to our offense and what those down and distances are. Yeah, you take some time to really look at the third downs and put together what you believe is a good plan, and hopefully the guys can go out and execute.”
How the versatility of personnel empowers him:
“It’s really nice. It is. We try to spread the ball as much as we can, and personnel things for certain guys. I’m fortunate that we have multiple guys we’re trying to get the ball to. Then, it can be hard on the other side too with certain guys not getting touches or whatever, and you’re fighting that battle. Everybody in each position wants more experience, wants more catches, but we’re doing a good job keeping that as a team focus and rooting for all the guys on the offense. Whoever is getting catches, or touchdowns, or yardage, or whatever it is. I think the guys are staying team-centered with their focus because a lot of times, especially mid-season, you can get into the ‘I only have three catches. I only have this. I only have that.’ And the ‘I’ mentality is going to create negativity and that can lead to losses, so we’re trying to focus on the wins, we’re trying to focus on playing as a team and going out and doing it for each other.”
“We didn’t click on a few things. We missed a couple of shots, and just were not able to put the ball where we wanted and that’s in the end zone scoring touchdowns. I was a little frustrated for the guys and for us, but they are hungry, this week, to get back out there and show what they’ve got. I think you extend some drives, you do some things, and we just weren’t able to finish those drives and that’s got to be a point of emphasis moving into this week, really taking a look into that red zone and getting after it.”
On Elijah Badger:
“It’s awesome. It’s awesome seeing him. It’s awesome seeing any of our players having success on the field and in games. Obviously, he’s had some limited touches and doing some big things for us. He’s one of those guys that football comes easy to, as far as the speed of the game, and he never panics. It’s a fun, easy game for him right now, and it’s cool to see as a coach because the talent, whether it’s his hands, his route running ability, just his play-making ability, the vision and the way he moves in space, it’s tough to teach. He’s got some natural stuff to him that we like having out there on the field.”
How to formulate and use specialty plays:
“I think you get in to spring ball, over the summer, in fall camp you’re doing a lot of research and looking for things that fit your style of play, and the personnel that you have too. A lot of teams are limited to the personnel that they have. Fortunately, we have multiple guys in multiple positions that can do different things, so that opens that box up a little bit. As you’re working on those through spring ball, you get a feel for what coverages you’re looking for, what defenses you’re looking for. Is it a pressure situation? Is it a non-pressure situation? You’re trying to find the right fit for these games. You find, hey, this is going to work for this, or, this is not going to work this week because we’re getting this. It’s about finding the strengths and weaknesses for some of those gadget plays, and hopefully, you dial them up at the right point, too. We’ve called a number of them too that the defense has covered and done a good job with, so there’s a little luck to it, as well.”
Which statistics to look at and what they say about the team:
“The big stat we key in on are the wins and losses, that’s the major one. From an offensive standpoint, you’re looking at turnovers. Turnovers are a big deal. If you can hold on to the football, you’re going to win a lot of games. That’s a big one. I really look at the third down percentages because that means you’re moving the chains, you’re keeping the drives going. We look at explosive plays, how many explosive plays we are getting each game, in the run and the pass. That’s a big dictator for obviously, yards and scoring points. Obviously, your red zone percentage, which we need to do a better job at. We’re not where we want to be at that spot.”
If third downs are something you can plan:
“We game plan our third downs, heavily. We go into a game and we see what they’re doing and try to put together the best game plan that we see fit, and you’re feeling that out through the game and trying to see what their reaction is to our offense and what those down and distances are. Yeah, you take some time to really look at the third downs and put together what you believe is a good plan, and hopefully the guys can go out and execute.”
How the versatility of personnel empowers him:
“It’s really nice. It is. We try to spread the ball as much as we can, and personnel things for certain guys. I’m fortunate that we have multiple guys we’re trying to get the ball to. Then, it can be hard on the other side too with certain guys not getting touches or whatever, and you’re fighting that battle. Everybody in each position wants more experience, wants more catches, but we’re doing a good job keeping that as a team focus and rooting for all the guys on the offense. Whoever is getting catches, or touchdowns, or yardage, or whatever it is. I think the guys are staying team-centered with their focus because a lot of times, especially mid-season, you can get into the ‘I only have three catches. I only have this. I only have that.’ And the ‘I’ mentality is going to create negativity and that can lead to losses, so we’re trying to focus on the wins, we’re trying to focus on playing as a team and going out and doing it for each other.”