Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Spring Ball
March 12, 2012 | Cowboy Football
March 12, 2012
STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the team visited with the media at Boone Pickens Stadium today to preview spring practice. Some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"It's exciting for us to get back to spring football. It seems like we just finished with the bowl game. We had a great winter conditioning. The players have really responded. We've had some guys step up into a leadership role for us out here in the winter conditioning. We have great weather, and we're excited about practice today and getting three practices in this week before the break and then come back on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule up until the spring game. I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing what some of the younger players can do. We'll have pretty thorough workouts. Obviously, we'll be in shorts and a helmet for a certain amount of days - we can't be in pads - but we'll be out there a while; more of an extended practice than it would be in the fall for us. We have a number of guys that need quality work. We're three deep on defense, only two and a half deep on offense, so we won't be able to work as many players on the offensive side because we have a big class coming in of skill players and offensive linemen. As I said, we're really excited and look forward to getting out there today."
On being deeper on defense than offense:
"When we went over our numbers and we set up our practice schedules last month, it's exciting for me to see the youth and the depth we have on defense and the direction we're going. We'll be better on defense next year, and we'll be better the next few years. We have a number of young players that can really contribute and help us on that side of the ball. It's always been a goal of ours to try to get enough depth to play a number of guys like we have on offense, and I see this as the first spring we've really had that opportunity."
On Van Malone:
"Van has been a good addition for us. This will be the first opportunity for me to see him up close, but he's done a very good job. He's been in programs that have competed at this level. He's been at Tulsa and done a nice job for them, and he's got experience recruiting in the state of Texas. He'll pick up where Joe DeForest left off at the safety position. With special teams, we'll divide it up this spring and make those decisions at the end of spring of what we want to do in the fall."
On what he's looking for out of the quarterbacks:
"The most important thing is leadership, and none of the three have had any time on the field with the offense in a crucial time of the game. In my opinion, they'll have a good feel for what we're doing. They're intelligent players, they've been here, other than Wes Lunt. We're looking for toughness and leadership and understanding the offense, and we'll try to put them in as many situations this spring that are game-like to see how they handle themselves. We'll split the reps equally and let them go play."
On having depth at quarterback:
"There's no question that our depth across the board is better now than it was three or four years ago. It's difficult to replace Brandon Weeden, it's difficult to replace Justin Blackmon, it's difficult for us to replace the experience Richetti Jones and Jamie Blatnick brought to the table, but young players will perform better than you think when it's their turn to play. I'm not here to make predictions on what's going to happen at the quarterback spot. I know that we have players that will compete there, that will perform better this spring and early in camp - better than they would have last year because they knew that they weren't the guy."
On keeping players healthy during spring:
"We won't have a full scrimmage during the spring. We'll continue with the plan we had last spring. I was comfortable with the way it worked, even though we have younger players. I believe we can have our two or three live practices, but I don't believe we have to tackle all the way to the ground and take shots on players either way, cuts or guys that are extended out looking for a football. I thought it worked last year, and we'll practice the same way that we did last spring."
On the wide receivers:
"We have to have some of these younger players contribute, but we do have some maturity coming back. You guys are aware of Isaiah Anderson and Tracy Moore, the guys that give some experience. I say young guy, but we also have Blake Jackson in here, who's a new player for us, but is more experienced. So between him, between Justin Horton, you have Isaiah, you have Tracy, and some of those younger players that are on our team. Torrance Carr, David Glidden, those guys, they'll need to contribute. Again, I mentioned this earlier, Blackmon is hard to replace. The combination of those guys need to give us enough plays very similar to what we looked for from Jeremy Smith and Joe Randle with the departure of Kendall Hunter. As a group, they have to make plays, but I don't think there's any question the ability that Justin Blackmon had to make a play one-on-one in a crucial point in the game is different than most other players. That guy hasn't shown up on our field yet, that's why he's going to be a top five pick, but as a group, those guys have to find a way to overcome that until somebody steps up and ends up being what you call a marquee player at that position."
On the linebackers:
"I think Coach Young and Glenn Spencer are really excited, and they should be. It's the best group of linebackers that we've ever had here that I can remember as a player or a coach, in all the time that I've been here. We have more players who can run fast and have natural savvy to go make a play; they're just very inexperienced. As we all know, they can gain experience: it's hard to take a guy who has experience and make him faster and make him want to hit you. I see a very competitive position with a number of guys that can make plays, and some of them are experienced and some of them aren't. I'm looking forward to the development of the young players, which would allow those guys to play 30 or 40 plays a game and then another guy come in and play 30 or 40 plays a game, which would keep that guy fresh, not only for that game, but for a 13-game schedule. That's really one thing that we consider as important as anything that we do is, 'How can we keep our team healthy for game 11, 12 and 13 like they are for games one, two and three?'"
On the 2012 schedule:
"We're all given a schedule, and that's just the way it is. I think the Big 12 office does the best they can. I don't think they're partial to anybody. Of course, you get comments from everybody. People found out before I did; I'd go somewhere and they'd ask me about it and I hadn't even seen it. When I looked at it and I compared everybody in the league, I don't think anybody was given any more of a favor. I would prefer to not have my open dates the way they are, but everybody had to take a hit in certain areas because of the adjustment to the league. I think the answer is to keep the league intact and not let it happen again, and they can get it all balanced out. I thought they did a good job. You have to play them all anyway."
DE Cooper Bassett
On the personality of this team during the offseason:
"We have the mentality of a team that's defending a championship. This is the first time we've won a Big 12 championship, so now we have the mentality of defending what we have. That's made for a gritty personality. Everyone in our workouts knows what to do. We just get in there, shut our mouths and get our work done. It's that way for a couple reasons - one, we have experienced leaders on our team and two, we've got young guys that have won and know what it takes from being around it. We have a real gritty personality as a team that doesn't want to talk a lot, but we want to work and do what it takes to get it done."
On the loss of Brandon Weeden, Nick Martinez, Grant Garner and other leaders from last year:
"It's a little strange to look around and not see some of those guys when we're running, and then you think `well, I'm the guy that some of them are looking at." Or maybe it's a guy like Shaun Lewis that people are looking at or Nigel Nicholas or Daytawion Lowe or Brodrick Brown. It's a really good feeling. It's nice that there are so many defensive leaders this year. It will give us an added swagger. We have been overshadowed by our offense and we don't mind that because it has been so great and helped us win a championship, but now we're excited to lead and really get it done on defense."
QB Clint Chelf
On which specific areas of his game he's targeting for improvement this spring:
"My body language. Coach Monken is always harping on me about that. I want to show the guys on this team that I can lead them."
On his strengths:
"I know the offense, I'm smart, I'm athletic and I believe I can be the leader for this team - I just have to go out and show that."
On which offensive players have led during the offseason conditioning program:
"I have been one. Joseph Randle, Tracy Moore and some of the linemen like Jonathan Rush and Lane Taylor - all the veteran guys. I have thrown my hat in there as well to show people that I can be the leader."
On what he's talked to freshman QB Wes Lunt about:
"We've had some meetings and talked to him about the offense. He has picked it up well. I did tell him on the first day that it is going to be hectic at times and there are going to be a lot of people moving around very fast, so just be ready for that."
LB Caleb Lavey
On what he's working on this spring:
"I want to work on my athleticism during play - things like my speed and breaking angles to the ball. I know my job, I just need to become a more efficient football player."
On the linebackers:
"Our linebacker corps is like a family. We're really close, which makes it that much better in the meetings. When we're playing together, I feel like we know each other on the field really well, which helps us. We're very excited about having everybody back."
On the off-field leaders of the team:
"Alex Elkins and Shaun Lewis are leaders. Cooper Bassett has become one. Clint Chelf and J.W. Walsh are stepping into their roles. Justin Horton. We've had a lot of guys step up during this offseason."
On his message to younger players:
"We still have to work hard. Just because we've had a couple nice seasons, that doesn't mean anything for this coming season. We have to push hard to keep the title at Oklahoma State."
QB J.W. Walsh
On being a leader:
"Growing up, my dad was always hard on me to make sure that I always did everything right and so I would be that guy that everybody want to follow and be somebody that is respectable and a leader. Growing up and hearing it over and over and over again, I have it built in to who I am and into my system."
On the potential of starting alongside his roommate and good friend from home, Josh Stewart:
"Any time I with Josh, that comes up into our conversation. Not many people get to play at this level with some of your best friends. It's really special. Josh and I are going to take advantage of it and cherish every moment of this."
On what he brings to the team:
"I bring leadership and I can make plays with my legs and be creative on the field. There are some things I can't do with my arm right now, but eventually, I hope to be there as well."
On what he's looking to improve on this spring:
"Just making sure that I know the offense like the back of my hand. If I can do that, then I can put the ball where it needs to be and get it there on time. Doing that takes away the opportunity for mistakes."
RB Joseph Randle
On what's next for him after establishing himself as a feature player last season:
"It's about off-field leadership since we lost so many great leaders. New leaders have to step up and fill their roles. Really, it's about winning games and continuing what the previous groups started."
On what his offseason has looked like so far:
"It's been great. Our team won the offseason competition. Our team worked really hard and the impressive thing is that nobody brought any pride or anything like that over from last year. They realize that we are going to have to start over and work hard in order for our team to continue the success that our team had in years before."
On what he looks to improve during the spring:
"I put a couple new moves in my repertoire and I plan on working on them this spring. There are other things, too, like always focusing on ball security and just trying to take my game to the next level."
On if he views himself as a leader of the offense:
"Yes. We've got other guys like Jonathan Rush, who is a quality leader for our team and Lane Taylor who is another one. I was right there with them last year, so I feel like I will continue in a leadership role."
S Daytawion Lowe
On the responsibility that comes with having a lot of starters back on defense:
"With us forcing all those turnovers and making all those plays last year and almost all of us back again this year, there's a weight that we are going to have to carry. Everybody is going to have to pull their weight."
On what he wants to accomplish this spring:
"I'm working on my footwork and being more explosive to the ball."
On how his role has changed:
"Markelle Martin has been my leader since I've been here but now it's my turn and he's kind of handed that role off to me, so now I will be a leader and be someone who provides information and helps out teammates."
On the comfort level of having so many starters back on defense:
"Where that really helps is with trust, because since we have all played together, we know what each of us is going to do and that's important to us succeeding as a group. We have so many returners that we all know the scheme and we all know the method of what we're trying to do, it's now about perfecting it and playing fast."
WR Tracy Moore
On what he has worked on this offseason:
"My speed and playing smarter. I'll need to be faster moving to the outside."
On how the team's vibe has changed from last spring to this spring:
"We have a chip on our shoulder. Last year, we had a lot of big-name players coming in to the season and everybody was depending on them. This year, we're trying to figure out who is going to step up."
On how to be a true leader of this team:
"Lead by example. That's the most important part of being a leader - you can't just tell them, you have to show them."
On the move from inside receiver to wide receiver:
"I've been watching a lot of Justin Blackmon's tape and trying to figure out how to be more like him when I play outside. I'm learning how to play the position."
On emerging teammates:
"Some of the defensive players are really stepping up. Daytawion Lowe and Shamiel Gary - who didn't get to play last year as a transfer - I see them working hard every day and I'm excited to get out there with those guys."
