Oklahoma State University Athletics
Hammerschmidt On The Cowboy Safeties
August 18, 2015 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State football team completed a full practice Tuesday afternoon at the Sherman E. Smith Training Facility. After practice, safeties coach Dan Hammerschmidt talked about the session.
Safeties Coach Dan Hammerschmidt
On today's practice:
"After having two days off, we probably need to pick it up a little bit tomorrow. There were a couple of good periods in there, but any time you take a little break, you have to snap back into it. This was our first day of scout team, so the new kids on the team got a feel for things. I think they'll snap to it tomorrow."
On the development of the safeties:
"Tre Flowers is really playing well. [Jordan] Sterns is solid. He still needs to pick up his tackling. He's a good tackler, but he needs to make every tackle. Jerel Morrow has really come on. Reps are going to help him. The more he plays, the better. Dylan Harding is playing well. Deric Robertson is playing well. The young kid coming on is [Kenneth] Edison-McGruder. He had a couple of really good days last week. This week's scrimmage will be big for him."
On his strongest points of emphasis:
"We have to be physical, especially in that first game. They're going to come out hard if they do what they did last year. I'm sure they're working on different things and they may have a few different ideas. In smash mouth football, if you're a safety or a linebacker, you've got to be able to take on a block, come off a block and make a tackle. We're going to make plays on balls and things like that when it's time, but people are going to check out the run game first. That's where it starts. Stopping the run game, being physical, knocking balls out and making tackles is where it all starts. It'll end right there too. It starts with the run game and being physical, and then all comes all the fancy stuff in the back. We're athletic in the secondary, but we're still fairly inexperienced. We've got a couple of guys that have played, but we're athletic. We've got talent, but we've just got to learn how to play and how to be physical."
On the value having speed in the defensive unit:
"Speed kills, no doubt, but there have been a lot of fast teams that didn't hit people and didn't tackle. I've seen a lot of fast teams that didn't know how to take on blocks. They got cut down and weren't in position to make tackles. When a 230-pound running back comes at you, you've got to dive on the ground and turn it down. I don't care how fast you are. You still have to be tough and physical."
Safeties Coach Dan Hammerschmidt
On today's practice:
"After having two days off, we probably need to pick it up a little bit tomorrow. There were a couple of good periods in there, but any time you take a little break, you have to snap back into it. This was our first day of scout team, so the new kids on the team got a feel for things. I think they'll snap to it tomorrow."
On the development of the safeties:
"Tre Flowers is really playing well. [Jordan] Sterns is solid. He still needs to pick up his tackling. He's a good tackler, but he needs to make every tackle. Jerel Morrow has really come on. Reps are going to help him. The more he plays, the better. Dylan Harding is playing well. Deric Robertson is playing well. The young kid coming on is [Kenneth] Edison-McGruder. He had a couple of really good days last week. This week's scrimmage will be big for him."
On his strongest points of emphasis:
"We have to be physical, especially in that first game. They're going to come out hard if they do what they did last year. I'm sure they're working on different things and they may have a few different ideas. In smash mouth football, if you're a safety or a linebacker, you've got to be able to take on a block, come off a block and make a tackle. We're going to make plays on balls and things like that when it's time, but people are going to check out the run game first. That's where it starts. Stopping the run game, being physical, knocking balls out and making tackles is where it all starts. It'll end right there too. It starts with the run game and being physical, and then all comes all the fancy stuff in the back. We're athletic in the secondary, but we're still fairly inexperienced. We've got a couple of guys that have played, but we're athletic. We've got talent, but we've just got to learn how to play and how to be physical."
On the value having speed in the defensive unit:
"Speed kills, no doubt, but there have been a lot of fast teams that didn't hit people and didn't tackle. I've seen a lot of fast teams that didn't know how to take on blocks. They got cut down and weren't in position to make tackles. When a 230-pound running back comes at you, you've got to dive on the ground and turn it down. I don't care how fast you are. You still have to be tough and physical."
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