Player Comments Previewing Eastern Michigan Game
10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
University of Michigan Football Player Comments
Previewing Eastern Michigan (Oct. 6); Reviewing Northwestern (Sept. 29)
Senior Defensive Lineman Will Johnson
On the difference between the first and second half ... "There wasn't really anything that happened. But I think that there were a lot of young guys getting into the game, and they were not used to playing away games. Maybe they were a little bit too loose. But we got that corrected, and we came back in the second half and we knew what we had to do. We needed to come back and win."
On if it hurt to give up the long touchdown run in the first half ... "We knew that Northwestern had a good offense and that they were going to make some good plays. And we had a line wrong, but we got that corrected on the sideline. We take pride in stopping the run though, so we have to get better at it."
On if the defensive injuries affect the continuity ... "We just had to have people step in. The next guy always has to be ready to step in and prepare to play in a game. I thought that (Brandon) Logan and Obi (Ezeh) did a good job."
On the adjustment for young guys ... "It definitely takes time for the young guys to get adjusted to the game and game speed. So that was taken into accountability. But they did a great job jumping in."
On if the defenders are conscious in trying to strip the ball ... "First thing, we have to wrap up the ball. And then the next couple of guys have to try and hit it and secure the tackle. But it is always on our mind. We do strip circuits and turnover circuits in practice."
On the variety of looks the Northwestern offense provided the Michigan defense ... "They threw a lot of stuff at us. And you can't practice everything during practice. They had a few wrinkles in their offense. But when they spread you out, they are going to hit some plays. So, you just have to keep playing and get them out, and we did that."
On the spread offense ... "I think we have come a long way from Oregon, who has a great spread team. And Northwestern is a great spread team. We learned a lot of things during that game, and it carried over to Northwestern."
On what the difference is for defensive linemen with the spread offense ... "It is not too much difference up front. They were throwing off a three step drop in the first half a lot; it was a quick game. It is harder to get to the quarterback and put pressure on him. But the offensive line is spread out and the gaps are bigger. You have to get in your gap and hold it."
On Michigan's biggest improvement dealing with the spread offense ... "Just people getting their assignments down. In the Oregon game, there were a lot of blown assignments and we just had to correct that in practice and get those assignments down. And we have come a long ways."
On if there is a focus shift this coming weekend with a non-conference game ... "Nothing for me. It is still a game we have to win."
On the changes in Coach English ... "He hasn't made any changes. He is just coaching like he always does. Nothing was his fault. He coaches the same way every week."
Sophomore Wide Receiver Greg Mathews
On Chad Henne's efficiency ... "You know with a freshman quarterback there's only certain things you can do because he's nervous, he has to read the defense, there's so many things going through his mind, and Chad's been here so I'm sure that Chad is a lot more comfortable and the things that we can do with Chad in the game, there are a lot more options and stuff like that."
On the difficulty of having two quarterbacks ... "It's not as difficult as one would think. You know that with (Ryan) Mallett in the game you have to get off your release, be where you're supposed to be at the right time, expect the ball because you never know with a freshman quarterback when you are going to get the ball, so you just have to be alert at all times."
On early setbacks, what hurt the offense early on ... "It was just mistakes, really, we had too many mistakes, things like jumping offsides, stuff like that. Those kinds of things just kill drives and we had too many penalties in the early season. We've kind of corrected things in practice and that's really helped us out a lot."
On getting the rhythm on down-field passes ... "I think we're getting a lot closer. We're working on it, working on our timing, and also with Ryan. We're getting there."
On his personal improvement ... "I don't really feel like I've improved because there are still a lot of things that I need to work on, such as blocking and getting off on press release, things like that. I've made a couple big plays, but there are still a lot of things I need to work on as a player."
On being a key factor on third down situations ... "I like it because the defense focuses on Mario and Adrian and I just slide underneath everything and get a short pass and do what I can do with it. I'm just trying to keep the offense on the field."
On what he's seen Ryan Mallett improve on since spring ... "He's improved a lot since spring, when he got here, practically everything was a fastball so he's made great strides in practice putting touch on certain passes, certain routes. So he's made great strides towards putting touch on the ball."
On the difference between Chad and Ryan's personalities ... "Ryan, he's from Texas, so he's got a little bit of a Southern accent so it's kind of difficult to get a play sometimes, but its okay, its cool. Ryan is really laid back in the huddle, you'd think he'd be nervous but during time outs but he's talking to the referee, he's having a real mature conversation with the referee, so he's cool. Chad he's more a business type, he kind of likes to joke around a lot too, so it's fine being in the huddle with those two."
On the change in focus going from a conference game to playing a non-conference game against Eastern Michigan ... "When we a play a Big Ten team we've always got to play Big Ten football because you want a Big Ten ring, but a non-conference opponent, you still can't let up even though there isn't a ring on the line. Because we saw what happened against Appalachian State, we came out there and didn't play to our capabilities and we got beat. I think we've all learned from that game that you can't take anybody lightly, no matter what division, non-conference or anything. You have to go out there and prepare like every game is a championship game."
On the biggest change he'd like to see on the offense ... "I say just run the ball with Mike Hart really. It's fun blocking for Mike because you might be on the opposite side of the field and the ball is going over here but you know you have to block your man because at any given time he can cut back and break out of there and you have to block your man. Its fun blocking for Mike though, so I say just run the ball with Mike."
Senior Quarterback Chad Henne
On how he felt the day after he played ... "It was actually pretty good. I went in the training room Sunday morning and there was limited swelling. It felt pretty good. It didn't have any pain in it, so that was a plus."
On rehab for his knee ... "Pretty much our cure is a lot of ice on it. We try to reduce the swelling as much as possible and do a lot of stimulation to try and contract the muscles in it. The biggest thing about the knee is trying to keep the quads real strong. The hamstrings are always still pretty strong. But keeping the quads strong is what we wanted and making sure they're contracting as well as possible."
On the biggest challenge for getting in playing condition ... "The first week they had me immobilized and kept my leg straight. It was hard to bend it and get the motion back into it. But just being down there every day and get movement on it helped me out tremendously."
On how he got hurt against Oregon ... "It was actually on one of the passes I went to the right and I got hit from behind and the ball got out, I was able to throw it, but I got hit from behind and the defender drove me knee into the ground and that's when it happened."
On the pain of his injury ... "I got up and I put pressure on it. I thought 'if I can walk on it I'll be fine' and I could feel the pain but it wasn't too bad until a couple roll outs later."
On running to the sideline ... "I played on it for about three series after it happened. And, the sideline, I was just trying to get out. I didn't want to get hit. I was just trying to make my way out of bounds so I wouldn't do anything worse to it. Luckily, Coach Carr was in front of me and he was holding on and I kind of shoved him and he fell down then I fell down."
Were you concerned about not playing the rest of the year ... "No, not really. I played three series on it. Obviously it hurt and I didn't feel 100 percent, but I felt that if I could walk and if I could deal with the pain then it wasn't as bad as I thought."
On watching the Notre Dame game ... "It was tough, being it was the first time I was a spectator watching my team out there, especially my senior season, I want to be with my teammates as much as I can down on the field. It was difficult for me but in the end I was a lot happier that we came out with a victory. The way our team played throughout that game, especially facing adversity the past two weeks, the fact that they went out and played well that game really boosted my confidence."
On advice to Ryan Mallett ... "Pretty much what everyone told me, I mean, Tom Brady and John Navarre, when I was coming in as a freshman said be decisive, take the right footwork and hit the first open receiver you see. If you do that and what Coach Loeffler has preached to us throughout training camp and everything you should be fine. He did a good job."
On having learned anything from being on the sideline ... "Being on the sidelines and having so much game experience it is almost like I am a coach because I recognize the defense, I understand where the ball should be going. I was detailing the plays with the coaches saying, 'maybe we could run this' and trying to help them out so we'd have success."
On expectations for the second half of the year ... "Obviously we had a slow start. Having so many good players on our offense and not going out and performing like we should was difficult to see. It was more hurting ourselves than having a team beat us. We didn't perform to our potential. We didn't seem like we were on the right page. You could see that tendency at training camp. We weren't clicking on all cylinders like we did last year in the summer time. You could see it right off the bat, we had the potential but could we come together and bond together to play to our potential. Sometimes that happens and it takes awhile."
On improving ... "Our protection has been solid this year. I won't say it's been bad, they have given us a lot of time to throw. It was more getting on the right page with receivers, them running the right routes, them going full speed and us just making smart decisions and putting the ball where it needs to be."
On his plan for the Northwestern game and practice before hand ... "I stayed in practice for about half the time. I ran individual one-on-one routes with the receivers and played seven on seven against our secondary. That's pretty much what I did at practice and then I'd go to the weight room and try to get my knee stronger. The thing is just preparation, knowing plays and acting like you're the starter."
On anticipating only playing the first series of each half ... "They were pretty strict on just playing that first series and then opening the second half and playing the first series of that. When we were down and it didn't seem like our offense was moving the ball very well then I could come in there and hopefully have success with that."
On having leeway to change plays ... "It's a great deal because they're giving me two plays in the huddle at a time and sometimes three and when you can move in and out of plays while you see the defense is a tremendous advantage. It's all just experience, being able to communicate the play and recognize what they're in and try to go the best way."
On defense shutting down the long passing plays ... "The thing with the defense this year is it seems that so many times last year we beat teams through deep balls and now teams are being smart. They're going to play a lot deeper on our wide receivers because we have tremendous speed. That's why this past Saturday we did a lot of intermediate throws because they're playing so far off. When we get to the better teams that we play they're not going to do that because they have the athletes to stop our pass game so they're going to play tighter and maybe that will give us an opportunity to go for the deep ball again but right now these teams are playing so far off that we're kind of in a 'lose-lose' situation."
On Northwestern vs. other teams ... "Their front four guys really penetrated our run game and kind of got in our holes and they did a great job up front, but if they're going to give us so much room in the pass game, why not take advantage of that if we're having success with that"
On the status of brace and whether he likes it or not ... "I don't know. I asked them and they were unaware of what we would do Saturday. I'll have to go in tomorrow and see how I feel, see if I can just tape it. I'll probably practice with the brace on expecting that I'll play with it just because it protects me."
On moving with the brace ... "It's weird. I asked the linemen how do you guys play with these because they have them on both knees, but they're not doing as much movement as I am. It's tough to bend because there is a strap in the back that prevents my knee from hyper-extending. I'm a quarterback that drops a lot of my weight into my legs and I use my hips to throw the ball, that's where a lot of my power comes from, and without that turn the velocity gives up on me and so I'm pretty much just throwing with my arm."
On Greg Matthews ... "Defenses are zoning Adrian [Arrington] and Mario [Manningham] off and giving us an underneath route and Greg's definitely not afraid to go over the middle and catch the ball. He's a strong kid. If they're going to give us the opportunities then Greg's going to make those plays and he's really stepped up for us."
On crutches ... "I kind of strayed away from them because I've never used crutches before in my life and they're just a hassle for me. I was on them for two or three days. They would complain and say, 'use the crutches more!,' but I didn't want to. I could walk. It was a straight legged walk but if I could put pressure on it I was fine."
On getting around to classes ... "Well, since I'll be graduating in December, my class schedule is kind of light. I only go to class two times a week. If I had to I had someone drive me up there and drop me off at the front door, but it wasn't too bad."
On people asking questions about his knee ... "I would walk into smaller classes and discussions and everyone would look at it but I just told them that it's fine."
On film from Northwestern game ... "I thought I played pretty well. After the game I explained that it didn't feel 100 percent and I didn't have the velocity from bending my leg but overall I felt that the completions and the accuracy were there. Our quarterback coach was telling us that if you know the footwork and the timing no one will be able to stop you even if you have an injury and if you're on time and you put the ball where it needs to be you'll have success."
On the injury making him work on footwork ... "Yeah, obviously I want to go to practice and get moving again and I stressed that for myself going into this week because the games are only going to get tougher. So for me being able to move is a good thing for us."
On this week's game ... "Hopefully with me being in there and getting more reps at practice, hopefully more leadership can be in the quarterback's position. Ryan [Mallett] has done a great job with leadership but having a senior and a freshman is definitely different in the huddle and on the offense and the tempo at practice."
On missing two games, a time for reflection ... "Seeing Ryan [Mallett] out there, and obviously he's going to make mistakes, everyone does when they're a young quarterback, but it makes me drift back to when I was a freshman how I made similar mistakes to what he has. The thing with him is he needs to say, 'okay, I need to take this footwork on this play' and be decisive and not be in a rush just go through the progression and hit the first open receiver and that's what we've been trying to preach to Ryan. He'll get it. He's had three games experience and he'll only keep getting better."
On being scared about being hit ... "If it happens, it happens. I'm not going to shy away from a rush or somebody in my face. I'm going to still try and make those plays. If I do that then I'm just going away from what I've done in the past and if I do that then it creates new habits and my play will slowly decline. I've just got to keep positive and be confident in knowing that I can make those plays."
On protection on Saturday vs. Northwestern ... "The protection was really good. I didn't get hit once on Saturday, they did a really great job. This week I'm sure Eastern Michigan is going to try to bring some pressures on us and if so, so be it. I'm not going to change the way I've been playing. I'm just going to go out there and be tough and make those plays."
On finding a groove and what hurt the offensive continuity during the first few games ... "Penalties killed us. A lot of it was we were just hurting ourselves not being on the same page. The beginning of the season it seemed like we were all out of fluster. Everything didn't go our way. You'd see on some of our first tries we'd go down, score, and look like our usual offense. Then the next series we would all fall apart. We just have to be consistent in our play. In practice we've been going back to fundamentals and techniques so it carries over into the game."
On finding it surprising to not have a groove ... "It's tough but every team goes through it. You just have to say, 'ok we have to go back to day one again'. You just can't keep regressing. We have to get our fundamentals and technique right. We kind of based ourselves with going back to day one and doing the right things and having them carry over."
On the practice schedule this week ... "We'll see what the coaching staff does. If it was my decision, I'd be out there the whole time. We'll see. Hopefully I get better and to have reduced swelling after the game is tremendous for me so hopefully I'll be up to 95 percent this week."
Junior Cornerback Brandon Harrison
On feeling more comfortable in the defense ... "Yes, I learned a lot last year and it was my first year playing nickel back. I was learning as the season went on. In spring practice and fall camp, things just fell into place. I understood the position more and what it entails."
On the difficulty of learning as you go ... "It was really hard. I felt like I was a freshman again. I had a lot of responsibilities and a lot of things to look for -- a lot of keys and a lot of reads. It's like playing linebacker or safety."
On the defense after the first two games ... "I think we mesh really well. We're like a family. Our motto is 'trust.' We have to trust everybody to do their jobs and technique and everything will fall into place. I think these last few weeks we worked on trust and everybody is doing their job and we've been doing that and making it happen."
On the first few games ... "There are a lot of new guys and people at new positions. A lot of people didn't feel comfortable. Now it's good."
On responding to criticism ... "It was hard but you've got to take it and learn from it. You have to bounce back and use that as fuel."
On having more fun ... "We've got to go out there and have fun. If you don't have fun, you're not going to do well. If you have fun, you're going to want to go out there and play. If you don't have fun, you're not going to want to go out there. We're having fun in practice and fun during the games."
On how it's fun ... "When you make a play, we all run around and jump up and down. We're out there calling out stuff -- just having fun."
On whether the first two games felt like work ... "It did seem like a job a little bit after the first two games. Nobody was happy. We were disappointed in ourselves. We just came in everyday but once we started trusting each other, we started to have more fun."
On trusting himself ... "I know a lot more about the position. I know how to study film more. If I didn't trust myself, I wouldn't have trust in anybody else and they wouldn't have trust in me. That's a big thing I do believe, I do have trust in myself."
On watching film ... "There are a lot of reads and keys. When you're lined up, you don't even look at the guy you're lined up over. You have to look in the backfield and see what the back is doing, then look at the quarterback, then look at the guy in front of you. By that time, he's on your toes."
On watching film last year ... "I was just running around trying to make plays. One thing I harped on in the spring was my blitzing. It's a lot of fun because it's starting to click."
On who helped with his development ... "Coach (Ron) English and Coach Vance Bedford. Bedford knows so much. He stresses to go out there and have fun. He teaches me all types of tricks, alignments and key reads. He's really helpful -- coming off the edge, staying low. They call it 'picking up the handkerchief.' You dip your shoulder and try to pick up the handkerchief while you stand around. With my thighs and speed, I can get around 6'5" guys by getting lower than them. We practiced that hard in the spring and it was a lot of fun going against Jake (Long) because he is one of the top lineman in the country and to have to go up against him, he has given me some great shows."
On whether opposing linemen worry about him getting to the quarterback ... "They see me as a little guy out there and think 'he's not going to get to the quarterback and it's going to be easy.' But it's not that easy."
On Tim Jamison's interception ... "I looked at it as a fumble but because I put my facemask on the quarterback's elbow and it made it look like he threw it but it's all a team effort. I just wish he would have made it to the house. He was running so fast. It was fun. We had fun with it and teased him about it."
On when he causes a turnover ... "That gets any defense going, especially at that point in the game. You don't want to let them get into the red zone."
On being a 'playmaker' ... "Last Saturday I dropped two picks -- a playmaker has to pull those in. But at that position you can make a lot of plays -- blitzing off the edge, zone coverage, showing different looks. You never know, the quarterback just might throw you the ball. I dropped it but it's a playmaker's position."
On whether he is still growing into the position ... "Yes, it's weird because this position changes every week from offense to offense but I am having fun with it. Guys ask to play this position."
On the game ... "When we came into Northwestern, we didn't say they were a spread team. We're going to look at all the offenses as offense. We're not going to change our defense for a spread team or a traditional offense. We're going to come in, play our game and execute."
On having changed the defense before for spread offenses ... "We had different calls for previous spread offenses, in the Oregon game. But like Coach English says, we're going to look at every offense as the same. We're not going to change. We're just going to play defense."
On whether he sees the spread offense as a challenge ... "I look at it as a challenge, like we have to go out there and prove something again. During the first two games, the other teams did some things with that. We can stop the spread, we just have to execute. When we come in for a spread team, we just look to prove a point -- that we can stop it."
On not overlooking any team ... "I don't think it's possible anymore especially after the first game. We didn't take Appalachian State lightly. When I was little, I used to watch the NFL and on any given Sunday, anyone can lose. You just have to go out there and play fast and physical and execute no matter who you're playing against."
On the first half of the Northwestern game ... "We didn't have that fire. I don't know if it's because it was the first road game. We had to really motivate each other and we came out in the second half with fire."
On whether it's nice to be part of an improving defense ... "Yes. It's great to be able to see guys who didn't really hang around other guys come and talk to them. We try to motivate the younger guys. A lot of guys are stepping into leadership roles. We talk more. Every week it gets better and better."
On who has stepped up ... "One person who sticks out is Will Johnson. He makes plays. He wasn't a verbal guy. He is quiet. Now he's more verbal. He gets everybody going and it's good to see that. He'll come down on you, too."
On whether he is one of the more verbal guys ... "I got that from Willis Barringer last year. He used to talk all the time. He kind of took me under his wing so I started talking all the time, too."
On what Barringer said ... "He would say all types of stuff. He'd talk to the younger guys. He'd talk to the opposing team. He'd get everybody hyped. It was just fun."
On whether some players take the talking better than others ... "You can say that you don't want to come down too hard on young guys because they're going to make mistakes but other than that, we'll come down hard. We're not doing it to criticize you but to make you realize that you need to get better. It has been working. Guys come down hard on me if I make a mistake. I don't look at it like someone is trying to get me down. I see that someone wants me to lock in and do my job."
On Donovan Warren ... "He is a cool guy. He is going to be a great player. He came in early, got the job done and he is an all around good player."
On who he'll take under his wing ... "Michael Williams. When he gets out there, I'll take him under my wing."
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