Coach sees adaptability as Bears’ great strength
Q: What’s the biggest challenge you face coming in and overhauling a system? A: We’ve gotten to know our team better and better since we got here for spring football into summer workouts and now fall camp. It’s fun to watch them grow, and every practice for us is so valuable. It’s going to be different offensively, it’s going to be different defensively, special teams, and even off the field, the strength and conditioning part which is so big. I just think their attitudes toward the change and willingness to embrace some of that has made us better as a team. Q: What are the things you have to change? A: We’re doing things the way we know how to do them and what we believe in. From schematics to strength and conditioning to the techniques we teach them within those schemes. It is new for them offensively and some of the formations and pass concepts, the structure is different. Everything is new to them, but their attitude toward it has been great; we saw the growth in spring. They were able to retain so much — that was the one thing that really jumped out to us as a staff. When we got back together for fall camp, we were able to pick back up where we left off without a whole bunch
of new teaching. Q: What do you learn when you go shorts to pads? A: We have an acclimation period where we progress from helmets, to spiders, to shells which is half pads, and then you go full pads. There’s a ton of teaching going on and technique work to that point, and then we’ve had a chance to have a number of full-padded practices and it really puts it all out there. It’s not a walk-through anymore, and the coaches aren’t standing on the field so you can see who can finish . ... The way you structure your practices is key to making sure you’re doing the right thing in preparing them, but also not running them into the ground. Q: Have you settled on a quarterback yet? A: No, we have not. Q: Is there a possibility you go into Game 1 and maybe whoever starts isn’t the fulltime starter, that it could be two guys or would you like one guy and know that’s your guy? A: Everything’s on the table, and I wouldn’t rule that out. But if someone takes the reins and earns it and earns the right to be the starter, then they’ll have that opportunity. But we’re at the point now where it’s still very competitive. Q: How cool is it going to be to have three games here in September? A: Well, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to experience a game here, but I have such fond memories of this place, the crowd and the setting. Memorial Stadium in the fall is unbelievable. We’re excited to get back and play a game at home, get our fans out there, our students. It’s really a great atmosphere. I know our guys will be excited when that time comes.