Postgame Quotes: 2016 DISH Orange & White Game

April 16, 2016

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Tennessee head coach Butch Jones

(Opening statement)
"First of all, I think it's very fitting to start off by saying thank you to Vol Nation -- 67,000 strong. You look at the spring game attendance, four out of the top five crowds in a Tennessee football spring game have occurred in our four years. I'm very, very grateful to our fans and all of Vol Nation and what they mean to us, what they mean to the program and the pride. We always ask them to give their all and they always respond, so thank you.

"Today [was] a good teaching tool. Another evaluation tool, not just in the team segments -- whether it was tackle or whether it was touch -- but also in the one-on-one situations. We talk about that grit and internal drive to be the best and always competing in all that you do. We have a long way to go. The next three months are going to be extremely, extremely critical in the development of this football team. We have to get stronger. We have to work on our football endurance. We have to get in football condition. We have to continue to elevate our play at every single position, develop depth, and then we'll have our recruiting class coming in here too. So, the competition should be ramped up even that much more.

"But when we talk about grit and the ability to sustain focus on long-term goals, we have to finish in the classroom with academics first and foremost, so we have to continue to do that. It's going to be a short camp. I've already done the training camp schedule, and I want to say that we're only in training camp, I believe, for 10 days. This will be maybe the shortest training camp in the history of college football. So, that puts us behind the curve immediately in terms of developing our football team. It's the way the calendar sets up with the end of summer school and the start of the fall semester. So, we have to make sure that we're ready to go when we hit it in August.

"Again, Hall of Fame class, just a great weekend. [We had an] impromptu visit from Allen Iverson. Any time you can bring back a Hall of Famer to talk to your football team about playing for each other and working to be the best that you can possibly be, I know our players enjoyed that as well and I'm very grateful for him to come by and spend a little bit of time with us as well."

(On how this year differs from previous years)
"The major difference is we have 24 players out for spring. In years past, we would have had to cancel the spring game. A lot of those were pre-existing injuries from the fall, and [in some cases] we held individuals out that maybe could have possibly played, but we didn't want to risk anything. I think with the overall depth now, we just have to continue to compete in all that we do. You want competition across the board. That's what makes individuals improve. It's that intensity in your preparation. The number one thing in our football team is intensity. We can't assume anything. Yeah, we're not an older, veteran group, but you never assume anything. That's why the leadership, that's why the captains, all that are really important. This football team has been pretty focused all spring."

(On facing high expectations)
"We don't concern ourselves with hype and expectations. I mean that's what you want, that's why you come to Tennessee, but it's focusing on the process of being a football player and a better football team every single day. The minute you get caught up and worried about that, you're going down the wrong path. We always talk about focusing on the climb and not the mountain. You focus on a mountain, you're never going to get to the top. You have to focus on the climb every single day. I think our players learned that some last year, and we just have to continue to be the best that we can possibly be. Everyone says, 'What's your goal?' You always have goals, but really, quite simply it's to be the best that you can possibly be. It's getting the most out of your talents. It's us as coaches getting the most of our players. Our players have done a really good job of pushing them. We have more individuals that want to be here in the May mini-term than we've ever had. Individuals come in and say 'Coach, can I take an extra class? I want to stay here. I need to get in the weight room.' That's a byproduct of leadership in our players."

(On what he has seen from quarterback Joshua Dobbs this spring)
"Well, [the wide receivers] were challenged in terms of having the injuries at that position and being set back, but also it provided tremendous teaching opportunities and valuable repetitions when you look at the amount Preston Williams was able to gain. Even Jeff George coming in here, really now understanding the endurance that it takes to play the receiver position, the mental toughness that it takes, the intensity that it takes day in and day out with your habits, your practice, your style of play, all that. But, just consistency, we need to throw the deep ball better. There's no mistake about that, but that's not just on the quarterbacks, that's on the wide receivers holding their points, stacking the defender, and going up and high-pointing the football. I thought we threw the ball fairly well today. We've had too many drops, so I don't look at completion percentage because that's a lying stat. There's so much that goes into it. Sometimes a quarterback throws the ball away on third down and that's a great play. So, I don't look at that. I look at efficiency, pass efficiency, 'Are we doing the right things? Do we take care of the football? Are they managing the game? Are they making decisions good decisions with the football?' I thought the quarterbacks were able to do that. We still have to continue to work on our accuracy, have to continue to work every day on the deep ball and just consistency, when we have a receiver or a tight end or a running back open, delivering the ball. Those groups have to be consistent in catching the football, and we have to be consistent in the way we pass protect as well."

(On naming Alvin Kamara as a captain of Team 120)
"He's earned it. Alvin, from day one coming in here, just worked. He immediately earned the respect of his peers by his work ethic. He's bought in to the program. I don't like to use the term `bought.' He's invested in the program. He's invested in everything. When you look at it from a recruiting standpoint, he always wants to host recruits. He wants to be involved. He understands playing at Tennessee. He also understands that what we have here is pretty significant and pretty special. I like the fact that he's been great for the locker room, because he's been at a couple programs. He can give guidance. These players just think one way because they've only been in one program. A lot of times, he's kind of the voice that says, 'Hey, you guys have it pretty special here and you better understand that.' Our players, they respect him. When you look at the voting, his votes were very, very high."

(On what was the most improved unit over the spring)
"That's a good question. I thought we had a lot of units step up and really, really improve. The key for us is I believe we have two of the best linebackers in all of college football. I think we have one of the best linebacking starters, but who's number three? Who's number four? That's a position where we need to continue to grow and develop depth. There's so much to playing winning football at that position: your eye discipline, your technique, your level of physicality. I thought Quart'e Sapp, about a week and a half left in the spring, the game started to slow down for him. He was able to use his speed, his size, his strength, so I've been very pleased with his development. We need to continue to grow and elevate that position group in terms of overall depth.

"The secondary has a lot of competition, and it will only get more competitive when some newcomers arrive in June as well. That's a position group where these individuals know. I thought Todd Kelly Jr., about the last two weeks, really had a really good spring. He's shown really, really good leadership. His attitude, his mentality has been great.

"All these individuals have so much special teams value as well, but I don't think there's one position group that really sticks out. I think there's a lot of teaching lessons. There's some of positive things, but I think in moving forward with Power of the Position and being Nine Strong, all nine groups have to really step up this summer."

(On how rewarding the program's improvement since his arrival has been)
"It's exciting and rewarding just to be the head football coach at the University of Tennessee. We've come so far in such short periods of time, and it's all a tribute to our players. It's all a tribute to our support staff, our fans. We have something very, very special here and nobody should ever take this for granted. It's amazing, because when you welcome people from other areas of the country, whether it's recruits, whether it's media members, whether it's family members, it doesn't matter. When they come here and they spend time within the walls of our football program and they're around our players, they're around our fans, they sense the excitement. They sense the energy. They sense that there's something special here. That's something that we've been building for a long time. When you look at all of our former players back today, when James Stone comes in, Zach Fulton, Ja'Wuan James, Marlon Walls. These individuals, I'm so proud of them. I don't want to miss anyone, because there's so many former players back here. All these individuals, you can see the pride. We laid that foundation from day one, but it's really been the work of our players."

(On running back John Kelly's improvement)
"Again the valuable repetitions is how you learn and for him to get the repetitions in not just running the football, but pass protections as well and route running has really benefited him. And obviously he is a really great player for us on special teams, but towards the end of the year we felt very comfortable with having him in the game and we had a lot of confidence in him. He is just an individual who really loves football. We talk about you live it, love it, or like it and he lives it everyday and that is a tribute to him. Our players feed off of him, he is very competitive and you can see him getting better because of the valuable repetitions."

(On the awards for LaTroy Lewis and Danny O'Brien)
"We saw continued growth and continued improvement on a day-by-day basis. They showed great consistency in their performance. They really challenged themselves. They challenge themselves every day and they did not have one poor practice. We do everything in terms of sports science with the monitors and the player loads and some of LaTroy Lewis' player loads after practices are the highest we have ever seen. We continue to see them want to get better. They have that internal drive and I think that entire group fed off of one another. To answer your question, I believe it was more consistency and you can see the growth and improvements. It is the little things. It is being good at the little things. The little things add up to the big things. It may just replace your hand with your first step. Coming out using your hands. Your second step. Those little things matter and you can see the progression of the little things in those individuals."

(On veteran leadership)
"They have now grown up in our football program and they understand the work capacity. They understand the standards, the expectations, the style of play and they are able to now teach the younger players. When you are building a program and not a team it is completely different in terms of your older players. They set the standard, they are the ones who teach the younger players how they go to class, how we sit in meetings, this is how we take the field in practice."

(On the progress of sophomore wide receiver Preston Williams)
"It was a big spring. Remarkable progress that all started with his mentality and his attitude and his inner drive to be the best. He came to the training room at 6 a.m. getting treatments and in the cold tub at 6 a.m. This is a product of his investment and his investment in the receiver position and the program. He has strides he has to make in regards to route running and catching the football and high point, but his attitude and mentality are great to see. He has played through bruises. You can recruit a man and know his skill set, but it is the intangibles that you don't know. His inner drive and his ability to work through it all are what create great football players and I have been really impressed with Preston."

(On John Kelly's play on Saturday)
"I have never seen any impatience with him. He is an individual who understands his role. He accepts his role and competes every single day and never says two words about it. John Kelly is a great team player and he has learned so much from those other individuals, but he is going to compete against them now and he is going to walk in and accept to play and start. He is a competitor. That is what we want. It does no matter if you are year one two three or four in the program you are going to compete every single day."

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs

(On the expectations facing the team for the 2016 season)
"We have our own expectations and how we expect to play every time we step on the field. We understand we have a lot of talent on this team. The goal for us is to take it day-by-day, focus on the process. Embrace the grind, especially during the summer to get ready for fall camp. We understand every time we step on the field, we're working to win. That's our mindset entering the fall."

(On getting ready for the season)
"We just want to get back on the field. We like to compete; obviously there is a different intensity in fall camp, a different intensity in the season. We are anxious to get back on the field, even though we just finished spring, just get back on the field. Compete, go out and show what we can do."

(On improving his accuracy as a passer)
"We were unfortunate to have a couple injuries at receiver. Everyone always says, 'accuracy, accuracy, accuracy,' but a lot of you guys don't realize, it is a two way street. Obviously it helps to play a lot with the receivers. Do they get a good release, how they get open. The receivers are working hard every day. The guys who are injured are working to get back, the new guys when they get here are getting coached up and ready to go, and we are working hard to continue to improve."

Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin

(On the expectations awaiting the team for the fall season)
"It's been fun to see it all grow. I came in as soon as Coach Jones got here. I was an early-enrollee. Just to see us take that climb from the bottom of the SEC to where we are now and have the expectations placed on us now, it's been a fun process. I want to take us as high as we can go."

(On being a player-led team)
"I think we are. We motivate each other. We hold each other to a high standard whether in the weight room, or on the field."

(On the defense and team being on the same page)
"I think we have a lot of guys who have bought in. Some guys who might have been twos or might be playing a backup role, they've been meeting with (defensive coordinator Bob Shoop). Every night you can probably find a different person in there. He's really personable, just helping getting everyone coached up. Helping everybody know exactly what he wants. That's what I like about him. He's definitely going to do what it takes to get everyone coached up."

(On what he's seen from Quart'e Sapp)
"It's been fun to watch. Just to see him take steps every day. He made a lot of plays out there today. I think he might have led the team in tackles. He still has to get better. He still has to improve. Still has to work on becoming a linebacker with all the small details. He's got a long to go, but still he's made a lot of progress."

Running back Alvin Kamara

(On the play of sophomore running back John Kelly)
"John has swag about himself when he gets on the field. One thing that catches everyone's eye is how he plays with intensity and works hard. When he messes up, you can tell it matters to him. He wants to learn from (running backs coach Robert Gillespie) and guys like me and Jalen Hurd. He has done a lot of maturing from last season to this spring. He will keep getting better. He is going to be a good weapon for us going into the season."

(On being selected as a team captain)
"With being here for the shortest amount of time and being voted by my teammates as a team captain, it means a lot. It means that I have earned the respect of my teammates and coaches. It speaks volumes of the program. We look forward to being captains this season. I think we all see it as a challenge. We have to be better and hold ourselves to an even higher standard. This is the first time Coach Jones has done this, so it is a lot of pressure, but it is good pressure."

Defensive back Cameron Sutton

(On being selected as a team captain)
"It's an honor. It's a blessing as well. I just do what I can on and off the field to lead this team, and lead this program. I try to let my game and what I do out there on the field speak for itself."

(On the improvement of the defense)
"We had a lot of talent when I first got here. We had a lot of adversity. We had guys come in and out. Our guys now are embracing that challenge. They come in with the mentality to attack each and every day whether we are in the weight room, on the field, or while we are watching film. As far as the speed and those thing on the field, it's all about the 'want to'. You have to want to get to the ball, and want to make a play. That's just something we talk about each and every day, especially with the DBs. We talk about leaving our legacy and making plays out on the field, and doing everything we can do to help this program win. When you have guys like that around you with that same mindset and same mentality it makes the game much easier."

Defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie

(On if the team feels any pressure ahead of the upcoming season)
"We're focused on the process more than the end goals. We can't just talk about winning the title because that doesn't happen if starting on Tuesday we don't have a great transition into our summer program. It goes from the summer program, training camp to having a great season. We have to take it game by game and phase by phase. We have to have a great summer, great camp, and all of the rest will take care of itself."

(On dealing with a lack of depth on defensive side during spring practices)
"Coach always talks about, `What will we do when we have no other choice?' We had nothing else we could do. Guys have to go in and get the reps and I think that helped us a lot with mental toughness and improving that aspect of our game as a defensive line as a whole."

Sophomore linebacker Quart'e Sapp

(On if the game has slowed for him as he's gained experience)
"It's definitely slowed down. With all the film I've been watching with Coach Shoop, the game has definitely been slowing down for me."

(On the biggest difference in playing for Bob Shoop)
"Basically just being aggressive. Not necessarily always being aggressive, sometimes switching it up if the offense is thinking we're going to be aggressive and dropping back."

(On what has improved about his game since the start of spring practice)
"Basically just being able to dissect plays. Last year I had trouble dissecting plays and was thinking too much. Being in the film room and watching plays repeatedly and seeing them more often, and then getting more reps has helped me a lot."

Defenisve back Todd Kelly Jr.

(On how he felt about his team's performance on Saturday)
"I think it went well. I was so excited that all the fans came out. Having over 60,000 is awesome. When you hear the fans screaming it just reminds you what this season is going to be about and what this fall is going to be about."

(On his interception in the first quarter)
"We talked about getting tipped balls so I knew that when I saw the ball in the air I had to accept the opportunity so I dove for it and caught the ball. I feel like it created momentum. Coach Shoop said it really helped us win the ball game. I am really glad the orange team won. I told everyone we were going to win. When I say something I mean it. The offense did a great job and made us look good."

(On being in the right place at the right time)
"It's all about awareness in football. You have to be instinctive with football. I watch film to see where the ball is going to go and you have to put yourself where the ball is going to go. You have to know right from wrong and where to be on the field and where not to be. I think that is the main thing, but sometimes the ball just goes your way. Coach Martinez says that the football gods reward you if you put the time in and I think I was blessed to make a play and hats off to the guy who tipped the ball."

(On his relationship with defensive coordinator Bob Shoop)
"Coach Shoop is a lot more aggressive. He likes to get after the quarterback and make sure the ball comes out quick. He also knows when to back off and allow us to make plays with the vision and match coverage. He does a great job working with the safeties. He primarily works with us during practice. He just puts the time in. He sits down with us each and every day. If we have questions while we watch film he sits down with us one on one and talks about what we need to improve and what we are good at and that helps and it will show this season."

Quarterback Quinten Dormady

(On his progression over the spring)
"I think that my progression was huge this spring. Just feeling more comfortable in the offense, getting to work with some different guys, and I think I played pretty good today."

(On building a rhythm with different guys)
"I think that playing quarterback and being a leader out there, I think you try to elevate the play of those around you. I think, today, playing with some different guys, we did that."

(On the progression of sophomore wide receiver Preston Williams)
"I think it's been a progression throughout winter. Since the season ended he's just been working hard, trying to be the best player he can. I think that's starting to show. He's come out to work every day. I think today he played really well, making some big catches. He's a big body, so having that out there is a big asset."

(On what he still needs to work on)
"I think there's just little things I need to work on, this being my second spring and just finishing it out. I think in the offense, I am good with that. I just need to work on little things like my feet, finding checkdowns, things like that."

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