Q: How do you make sure your team doesn’t get too high on emotion this week?”
A: “I watched their tape, and we can’t worry about anything other than those tall receivers, great running back and great quarterback. The line is much better than they’ve been. They have multiple draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. There’s no issue with it. Our whole job is to get them prepared. I can see the urgency.”
Q: “Was there any time where you had to pick the players up after the losses?”
A: “Oh yeah. That’s the negative of playing with extremely high expectations. We haven’t been in that situation. When you see a light at the end of the tunnel, it washes everything out. I’m not sure we knew that after the third loss. Once they did, I saw the team come together.”
Q: “How much of a presence does Coach Spurrier remain in Gainesville?”
A: “We’re fairly good friends now. I lean on him quite a bit about the University of Florida when we get together. He is Florida. He is a Heisman Trophy winner here. There’s never been any attempt to change that. He’s all over this place. There are no issues whatsoever. He’s the reason I came here because I had such admiration for how his teams played. Other than the one hour of football a year, we get along great.”
Q: “You said when you decided to return you wanted to eliminate the stress as much as possible, how is that going this season?”
A: “When the season is in the offseason, that’s the biggest thing I wanted to (change). The season is the season. I’m not sure I even used the word stress. It was a health issue I got fixed. Coach Spurrier actually called me along with some other coaches I respect. When you shut it off, you’ve got to shut it off.”
Q: “With three quarterbacks, how do you keep defenses off balance from knowing what to expect with the new offense?”
A: “That’s something we’re spending a lot of time on. Tempo is one way. Your question is something we’re spending an inordinate number of hours working on. Johnny can run enough to be a problem. Burton can throw. Reed proved he can do both. It’s just about getting the right play in at the right time.
Q: “Was the added health before the Georgia game the reason for the way the team has improved?”
A: “The bye week gives you time that you don’t have during the season. You don’t have time to change much. It gave us time to get some playmakers back. It’s all the above with tempo, no huddle and those things.”
Q: “Has what you’ve done at quarterback this season changed how you will recruit quarterbacks from here on?”
A: “We’re going to play a multitude of styles of offense, and it’s all about the personnel. To have a drop back quarterback, you need a 225-pound tailback and a very experienced tight end, which doesn’t address here. Aaron Hernandez left early, and that would have been perfect for Brantley to have as an experienced tight end who can block and catch. There are some missing ingredients. To say we’re never going to recruit a drop back quarterback again, that’d be incorrect.
