University of Tennessee Athletics
Butch Jones Transcript (10/14/14)
October 14, 2014 | Football
Head Coach Butch Jones
(Opening Statement)
"I thought very, very productive start to the week. We had two stripes removed after practice, Aaron Medley and Derrell Scott. They were taken off by our players staff so that continues to be a point of emphasis. But I will answer any questions that you may have."
(On Ole Miss' wide receiver unit)
"They are very, very explosive, tremendous ball skills, can high point the ball, run after the catch, great length, very complete, very, very confident group and very rightfully so."
(On Ole Miss' physicality)
"They are a very physical group. That is life in the SEC every week. We talk about that physicality, especially when you are playing big body wideouts like them, physicality is a big part of that."
(On Ole Miss' quarterback Bo Wallace)
"Playmaker, managing their offense, very confident. I think they have taken on his personality, expects to make plays and just a tremendous, tremendous competitor. You can see that on film right away."
"I think it is high. Obviously, are they disappointed at times? Yes. The more you guys write about it, it doesn't help. I am just being quite frank with you. We are staring two true freshmen, it is a brand new starting group but one individual, we knew there would be growing pains. What you have to do is just focus and continue to get better and better and better. But when you are a competitor that is all you want, an opportunity to compete and get better. They have a tremendous work ethic, they take great pride in their performance and they are leaning as they go. This isn't anything that we didn't expect, I don't think it is really anything that they haven't expected. It is a long grind, you are playing the best competition in the country week in and week out. I said there would be growing pains but we all believe in them and they continue to get better."
(On Ole Miss disguising coverages making it difficult for Justin Worley)
"I think it is a combination, they do do a great job of disguising coverages but also their speed and athleticism. When they disguise the coverages they are quick to read and react and they are playing with a lot of confidence. There are no weaknesses on their defense. They have tremendous confidence, they do a very good job schematically, mixing things up but you are right, they do a great job of coveraging. Their read and reaction to the ball is very, very impressive."
(On Senquez Golson)
"Break and drive. Understands routes, understands splits of the opponents. We always talk to our DBs about running the route for the receiver. That is what they do. Very, very good ball skills. But just quickness and very, very instinctful. Great instincts. Again, very, very good and that is the reason why they are where they are in terms of statistical categories and where they are at in the country and where they are at as a football team. They deserve that ranking because they are a very, very talented football team."
(On Ole Miss' defensive front)
"They impact the quarterback on every snap. Some of that is just schematically just want offenses are doing in terms of max protection, trying to get rid of the ball quickly, screens, a number of different things that people are trying to counter the disruptive defensive front that they have."
(On Johnathon Johnson)
"Well a lot of that is playing with great instincts, takes coaching, the fine details. Playing wide receiver is a detail position. There is so much that goes into it, from your stance, your starts, your releases, you route technique, understanding man or zone, understanding the tools, the tricks of the trade, working your craft. He understands that. He understands leverage, he understands leverage releases. So I think just an overall understanding on how to get open and he does a great job. And he has very, very good ball skills. He is able to adjust to the ball in the air."
(On Johnathon Johnson's competitive character)
"Great competitive character. He always understands his role, always looking to do better. He is the definition of a team player. He defines that. What is starting to happen now with his confidence is you can see his leadership. Today he took a stripe off. He would have never done that before. So I think he has really earned the respect of his peers and his teammates and his coaches and he is feeding off of that."
(On the defense's increase in tackles for loss from last year)
"We are much, much more athletic upfront. We are much more quicker off the ball. I think our defensive front are using their hands much better. Also our linebackers. I think the addition of Jalen Reeves-Maybin, with his speed and athleticism, has also helped. So I think it is a combination of a lot of little things but I think it starts, first of all, with their athleticism, they are playing with better leverage and their get off."
(On the defense's athleticism helping the third-zone numbers)
"Absolutely. It is staying ahead of the chains, it is staying ahead of the sticks. We are creating third-and-long situations as opposed to third-and-medium and third-and-short. So yes, you have to win first and second down, that is critical."
(On having healthy tight ends)
"Just adds a whole other dimension when you tight end is involved in your offense. Again, it is all about matchups, football is a game of matchups. So again, it is the play action game off of that. When Ethan is healthy, when Daniel is healthy, they both add a whole other dimension to our entire offense. Still we want the ability to play with two and three tight ends and get in some no-back formations off that, create mismatches. At times we haven't been able to do that just because of injuries this year. When they are healthy they add a whole other element."
(On Emmanuel Moseley)
"It was great, I think again, a great illustration of perseverance, of resiliency, of just going to work every day. Not worrying about a depth chart. Just taking responsibility for your own self-determination, you own self-improvement, the overall development, keeping these in perspective, just continuing to learn. Again, he was forced into a critical situation at a critical stage of the game and he did a fairly decent job with it. Gain confidence and now you see him continuing to get better and better and better. So great illustration, just keep practicing, don't worry about anything else and when your opportunity comes, make the most of it and that is what he has been able to do so far."
(On Owen Williams' status)
"Right now we will know a little bit more probably on Thursday but he is getting a lot of conditioning in. He gets the cast off, I believe, tomorrow or Thursday, gets the stitches out. There is a possibility he will be available to play on Saturday."
(On Cameron Sutton)
"It is a byproduct of all that, the extra film study, to taking care of your body, coming out here and competing in practice. And it is not just on defense, every special team that he is involved, he is going 100 percent. Cam tries to simulate game speed repetitions on every single play. That is how he is performing on game day. So I think it is the competitive component, I think it is doing the extra, it is obviously the video study, it is really hanging on every word Coach Martinez says. He really evaluates everything that goes on with every snap. So again, it is full investment in his game and it shows on game day."
(On Cam Sutton getting inside the head of the quarterback)
"I don't know about getting inside the head but teams have tried to attack him and he has answered the call. He is able to high point the ball. There is a different skill set that we talk about, finding the ball in the blind spot. That is being in man coverage, being able to flip your hips, and all of a sudden locate the ball and being able to come down with the catch. He has tremendous, tremendous ball skills. So, the ability to locate the ball in the blind spot is one of his strengths. He is playing with great confidence right now and as you know, corners have to be extremely confident, they have to have a short term memory. And he has all of that."
(On a seven-game losing streak to SEC West opponents)
"Just the next game. That is all for you guys to talk about and it gives you something to write about. All I am concerned with is the next game. I don't care what has gone on here in the past. It is just with this football team. Again, half of our football team is new. They couldn't tell you that. Again, we are new. Anything that has gone on in the past, that doesn't affect our football team in moving forward. Nobody was here. All we know is it is the next opponent, it is a great challenge, you are playing the No. 3 team in the country at home, at their place and it is a tremendous opportunity. So that is what I like about this football team is they don't care what has gone on in the past, they are responsible for what we create. We create with this football team. Obviously, we have come up short but we keep fighting. Their approach has been the same, a businesslike approach, never too high and never too low and just come out here and work. That is all you can ask in a football team. I think they are continued to improve but again, it is a challenge and Saturday is going to be a great challenge. But we don't pay any attention to that whatsoever, I didn't even know that nor do I care."
