University of Tennessee Athletics
Butch Jones Transcript (11/18/14)
November 18, 2014 | Football
Head Coach Butch Jones
(On the suspensions)
"Obviously it is very difficult. But it is the situation that we are in. That is about all I can comment right now as it is going through the legal process."
(On today's practice)
"I thought we came out, we had very good energy today, very physical practice, very demanding practice. Actually we cut it short because of the physicality of it. Our players understand what it at stake. They know what they are playing for these last couple games. But I liked. We obviously need to correct some things tomorrow in moving forward. Monday was a businesslike approach, very consistent like they have been all year."
(On replacing the suspended players)
"You just don't replace his production. So just everyone around our football team has to step up, do their job, not do anymore than what is required of them. They will step up."
(On Dylan Wiesman being up for the challenge)
"I do. Dylan has worked exceptionally hard. Now is his opportunity, go take advantage of it. We have asked a lot of him. Playing multiple positions. But he is an individual who works hard and I know he is looking forward to the opportunity. We are going to need him to step up."
(On the defensive backs)
"We are going to need to grow up in a hurry and TK [Todd Kelly Jr.] has done a good job when he came in when Brian had to leave the game. TK did a very good job of coming in and TK is a very smart individual. He puts his work in, he does his due diligence. I don't think communication will be a problem. I expect TK to really step up and perform well."
(On relying on Jalen Reeves-Maybin at the linebacker position)
"We will rely on Jalen Reeves-Maybin a little but more, obviously he has experience at the second level of our defense so we will reply on him a little bit more."
(On young defensive backs)
"The individual who continues to improve, week in and week out is Emmanuel Moseley. You guys see that his repetitions continue to increase. He is playing with a lot of confidence. We are going to be challenged out on the perimeter this week. Very good receiving corps, very fast, quick, can go play the ball in the air. But Emmanuel is progressing very well for us."
(On Mack Crowder)
"I would say closer to doubtful right now. We do anticipate knowing more later in the week but right now I would list him more as doubtful."
(On Derek Barnett)
"It has been very impressive. Just his growth and his maturity over a course of time, it is a body of work over an entire season. He brings it everyday. He came out and we thought he had one of this better practices that he has had all year. He has an energy level, he has a toughness about himself, and a quiet confidence. We always talk about flipping the switch when you step on the football field and he had been able to do that. Very, very intense, again, consistent each and everyday with his approach, his demeanor, the way he plays the game, very, very competitive young man. Very excited about he last few games with him and the future at the position with him leading that position."
(On increased sacks)
"I think it is a combination of a lot of little things. Sometimes there is coverage sacks where our secondary has done a very, very good job, sometimes it is our linebackers. We always talk about effort sacks, very rarely do you just flat out beat your opponent. A lot of times there is what we call second and third effort sacks or opportunity sacks, a defensive front sack where maybe Curt [Maggitt] does his job on the front side, forces the quarterback to flush the pocket and that is where Derek Barnett gets a sack and vice versa. So there is a lot that goes into but also they are playing with a lot of confidence right now."
(On the linebacker position)
"Well in the short term is still going to be some nickel situations, some dime situations, some third down situations, we will rely heavily on Jakob Johnson and Cortez McDowell and Kenny Bynum as well."
(On Jakob Johnson)
"Work in progress. Put in the extra time of film study, we knew it would be a developmental process. But what we saw on video was basically what we see everyday. Very, very athletic, very tough, very physical, working on his instincts, working on just the overall knowledge of the game and all the checks and the multitude of checks. In this conference there is so many differences in offenses that you have to prepare for week in and week out. The different dynamics, the different skillets of players that you have to prepare for. He has done a very good job of that."
(On staying the course)
"We always talked about staying the course and there is no secret about it. If you look at our schedule, it was a challenge right from the get go. You look at the success Utah State is having, you look at Arkansas State, I believe most of our opponents will have an opportunity to participate in a bowl game this year. So we knew that going forward and we knew with a young football team we would have to stay the course and not let any clutter or distraction get in our way. The goal hasn't changed. Our goal is to be the best football team that we can possibly be. But we have good competitive character in our program, our seniors, our veteran players have really held this football team together, and then the addition of this freshmen class, they are different, their mindset is different, their mentality is different. We have talked about a consistent approach each and everyday, the power of one, and they have really lived that each and every day."
(On Jordan Williams)
"Very proud of Jordan Williams. We always talk about seniors, you either play your best football or your worst football, there is never any in-between. That is the life of a senior. Jordan Williams is definitely playing his best football. We have asked so much of him from adding the additional weight, from changing his position to the defensive tackle spot, and he has handled it exceptionally well and very proud of him in terms of he has really grown into a team leader. Our players respect him and just proud of all his accomplishments this year. He has been a great resource for Derek Barnett, Dewayne Hendrix, a lot of these individuals in terms of mentoring them each and every day.
(On Joshua Dobbs)
"Different in a lot of regards but also some similarities. His preparation has not changed. He understands what it is to prepare. But I think the confidence, the live game opportunities that were afforded to him last year, he has really benefited from that. Just the overall knowledge of being in the offensive system now for over a year as benefited him as well. The trust that he has developed with our receivers. So again, he has continued to grow and develop and Josh will continue to grow and develop, he will continue to get better week in and week out with the volume of repetitions but confidence is a very powerful thing and he has a lot of confidence as do our players have confidence in him."
