Latest / Coaches Corner / Jim Mora Syracuse Presser - Nov 19

Transcript

Jim Mora Syracuse Presser - Nov 19 · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: How's there one doing week?
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Huge challenge for US alway, No, You're good. Huge challenge
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: for us. Obviously, a very good team seven to three
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Frans got him rolling. Did a great job I thought
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: in recruiting and in the portal and retaining his players.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: And they play with a lot of speed, physicality, They're big.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: They got a quarterback from Ohio State that's a heck
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: of a player. They throw it around a lot. I
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: just respect the way they play the game, and I
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: think it's gonna be a heck of a challenge for
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: us to go up there and in that environment. They'll
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: be you know, we haven't worked in front of a
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: crowd with noise on offense in quite a while, so
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: we have to be able to handle that environment. But
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: I think our guys are looking forward to the challenge.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: They had the bye week, they got a chance to
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: recover a little bit, but they jumped right back into
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: preparations when we started on SYRAC and they all had
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: a chance to watch the cow game on Saturday, which
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: was very impressive win. It's tough to go all the
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: way across the country and perform the way they did,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: but they did a heck of a job so it
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: looked like they really put it together. They ran the
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: ball well, they stopped their ball, stopped the run well,
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: they threw it well, defended the pass well. Uh, a
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: lot of a lot of players on the ball and
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: scored a lot of points. So you know, we just
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: got to go play to the best of our ability,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: and I hope we can create a couple of breaks
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: and and uh, you know, see what happens.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, fourteen coms.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: What's that? I don't know. I mean, confidence is based
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: in the work that we do every day, you know,
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: so that game's twelve days ago, like that's that's that's
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: way out of our minds. So uh, but they're confident
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: because they practiced well today. You know. That's how we
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: try to look at it. And uh, you know, you
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: gain confidence throughout a week with your work and through
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: out a game with your play. So that's that's where
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: we're at. Oh, he can make every throw. He knows
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: how to throw guys open, which is a term that
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: you hear often when guys are covered up. He puts
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: it where they can't get to it. When he throws
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: his fade ball, he's outstanding. He throws a great back
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: shoulder fade underthrown fade. He You know, sometimes with college
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: quarterbacks the missing ingredient that deters them from being good
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: professionals is anticipating where to throw the ball and when
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: to throw it. In the NFL, guys are never open,
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: and if you wait for them to even look like
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: they're open, by the time the ball gets there, they're covered.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: But he has the ability to anticipate and throw where
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: they should be and be right most of the time.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: He can extend plays with his legs and I'm not
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: talking about necessarily being a runner, but extend plays in
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: the pocket and let guys get open down the field.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: And uh, I think he's got a really high football IQ.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: His completion percentage is really good. He's just a very
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: solid player. His poise is something that stands out to me.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: You know, the maturity of the way he plays the game,
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: that emotional maturity. Oh, he stands out. Yeah. Yeah. I
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: mean he's so versatile, he does everything well. He's uh,
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: he's kind of the the core of the defense in
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: terms of those qualities that I was just talking about.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: He's incredibly smart, he has great anticipation, he has tremendous length.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: They can play him anywhere. He can cover backs, he
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: can go out and cover wideouts, He runs to the ball, well,
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: he's physical. I mean I have watched him now for
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: three years and had great respect for him. I think
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: he's gonna be a great NFL player someday as well,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: just because of the traits that he has, you know,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: and you can use him anywhere in today's game, the
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: way the game's played in space. He has all the
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: attributes you need to be a great player, you guys.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: I guess I don't know about the I didn't know
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: we added a game with him. I know we play
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: him Saturday. I mean, if you wanna be competitive in
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: recruiting in the Northeast, and you gotta be competitive on
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: the field in the Northeast, So that's our objective. But
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: I didn't I didn't know that we have added anything. Yeah,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: situations good, it's good. Yeah, it's good. Uh. You know,
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: Nick went out with an injury. He's working back through
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: that and uh hopefully he's you know, a hundred percent
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: by Saturday. It was like a hip. But he's also
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: got a toe and that's bothered him a little bit.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: I think the week off, the week off, but the
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: week without a game helped all our guys. Oh, it
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: really wasn't. In terms of structure. We still got our
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: work done. We still took some time at the end
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: of the week to get them, you know, some rest.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: They still lifted and things like that. But our practices
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: were basically the same. I think we practiced one last day.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: Maybe you know, it's it's week eleven, week twelve for us,
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: I guess, or thirteen, whatever it is. You know, we're
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: deep into the season, and so I think you have
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: to make considerations as you prepare a practice week during
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: the bye as to where you are physically, you know,
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: and what's most important either you're getting work on the
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: field or getting you know, some rest and maybe some
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: extra lifting and some extra film and things like that.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: We just try to be really methodical in how we
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: we structure a week during the by.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: It seems like a deep evaluation of the first weeks.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you met like the what
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: we did on the field. Oh for us as coaches, Oh,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: same thing. Yeah, I mean you're always Here's what it
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: does is, you know, every week you're self evaluating what
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: can we do better? What are we doing well that
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: we need to continue to emphasize, but you're also preparing
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: for a game, you know, so you're you know, you're
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: kind of under the gun. But when you have a
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: bye week as a coach, it gives you a chance
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: to you know, you're, yeah, you're looking ahead at Syracuse
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: and you're starting your preparations for them, but also you
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: have some time where you can go in and self
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: scout yourself. You know, who's playing, well, how do we
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: accentuate what they do well? Are we putting them in
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: the right positions to make plays? You know, we ask
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: them to do things that they're capable of doing. What
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: are areas we need to improve on, so you have
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: more time to do that. So from that standpoint, it
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: was exactly the same. I thought you're talking about the
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: on the field work. The on the field work was similar.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: I think we had one less day of practice, But
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: in terms of us as coaches, it's the same thing.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: You're you just have more time to kind of look
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: at yourself as you go forward, and you never want
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: to stop doing that, and we never do stop doing that.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: You do it on a week to week basis, but
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: with a buy you know, you got it's a little
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: bit more settled in terms of the ability to focus
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: on just that and not the opponent. You're always tweaking.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: You're always tweaking. You know, you have your concepts that
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: you've that you've taught and that the players have learned
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: and you know are working every day to master, but
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: you're always tweaking formations, movements, personnel groups. You know. Game
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: planning is is is you know, watching your opponents, seeing
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: what they do well, trying to find ways that you
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: can exploit things that they do, uh, finding tendencies, and
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: then you set up your your your plan, the concept
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: you're going to use based upon that as well as
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: you know what what your guys feel comfortable doing. But
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: it's a constant tweak, constantly tweaking. You know, really, if
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: that's the only way that you're going to make progress,
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: you can't become too predictable. Sorry, Joe, I think we
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: can go We can't, und I don't. I just don't.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I mean, you ask them. I mean
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: my focus is on what do we do today that
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: can help us be ready for Saturday, and I just
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: try to keep a narrow focus. And I want the
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: team to keep a narrow focus, you know, I don't
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: want the message to get too big, but I think
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: that human nature would tell you that when you when
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: you have success doing something, or you know, you overcome
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: some adversity, or you you know, you win a game
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: like the Temple Game, or you know some of these others,
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: that hey, we've done it before. If you get in
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: that situation, we're experienced at it, we know we can
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: do it. But you still have to do it. You
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: still have to perform, you still have to make the plays.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: So uh, but we know, we don't go back and
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: talk about that stuff. You know, you try to build
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: on what you've accomplished, and you try to correct the
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: things you're not doing well, and you just try to
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: we just try to stay We just I know it's
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: a cliche. I know it's the ultimate cliche, the ultimate
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: coach cliche, but it honestly truly is about what do
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: we do today to get ourselves more prepared, better prepared,
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: and a step closer to going out and performing well
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: on Saturday, going back for a team who's that oh Wes, Yeah,
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: it's obviously.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Going to be exciting for him and everything. What's his
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: personality like to be able to handle that and not
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: get too excited and not go crazy and to play
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: the kind of game that he capable.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: I mean, he just has to play with emotional maturity,
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: you know, and he will be able to do that
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: because he's an emotionally mature kid. He gets fired up,
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: you know, we've all seen that during the year. But
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: Wes is very intelligent. He's he's very selfless. He cares
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: about this team and he's not going to do anything
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: to hurt this team. You know, he's just not I
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: think it's really important that he put the personal feelings
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: aside and just focus on his assignment on every single play.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: And that's you know, talking to him about it a
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: little bit. But he understands that, you know, he he
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: gets it. And there might be if there's a time
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: in the game we have to settle him down, we will.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: We'll watch him. But I have great confidence he'll go
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: out there and he'll play, you know, very focused football.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: It was to come back. What you learn about your
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: team the way that he came up. I don't know.
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: I mean, like you said, I I haven't thought about
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: that game since I got on the airplane, which was
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: you know, twelve days ago. I just haven't I mean,
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I just haven't. I mean, what do we learned? Ah?
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: I mean we just you just I mean, it's like
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: you just gotta keep playing. You know, you just gotta
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: keep playing. You just gotta keep playing. You just gotta
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: keep playing. You just gotta no matter what the situation,
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: you gotta play the next play with the same competitiveness
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: and toughness and energy that you played the last play with,
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: whether that last play was a good player or a
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: not so good play. And you just keep doing that,
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: and they you give yourself a chance.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: What kind of just kind of strange to see college
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: coaches get Yeah, do they go in a couple more
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: this week and a couple of your opponents from a
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: first lit standpoint, having done this for so long, does
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: it just how this has happened? Or do you understand
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: the business that is part of it, or how do
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: you feel about it?
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: We all understand it's a business part of it, but
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: it's also very very personal. I was fired from UCLA
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: seven years ago today, and uh, that memory is very
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: very vivid with me. We focus on the coach that
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: got fired, but we forget all about all the people
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: that it affects as well. The families, the kids, the
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: wives that have to you know, pack up and move
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: their families, and kids that have to go to new
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: schools and make new friends. All the players that it affects.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: So yeah, it's very sobering. Like I hate it, you know,
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: I don't like hearing about you know, Herman and Biff
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: and and Dan and those guys getting fired. They're good men,
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: they're good football coaches. They've given their life to this profession.
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: But we also understand it is a business. It's a
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: reality of the business, and if you can't handle it,
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: you shouldn't be in the business. You know, that's just
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: the way it goes. But it's no fun. It's no
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: fun at all, you know. I mean I can seven
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: years ago, I can tell you about every single second
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: of that day. So sucks. Yeah, He's just made he lose,
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: made huge strides. He's very versatile. He plays a lot
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: of different roles for us. You've seen him kind of
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: move into the old Rob Burns role a little bit
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: at times. You know, in the backfield. He always gives
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: us great positive energy. He's very team oriented, very smart,
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: so we can do a lot of things with him.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: Has become very reliable plays with a lot of emotion
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: and passion. I think our players really like him, but
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: they respect him as well.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: When when you to yourself the team, what was it
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: you came away with or is there one thing where
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: you said, you know, they breach strides in this area
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: in particular, I think.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: You've this year nothing that I would want to talk
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: about because I think it, you know, it's something that
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: we don't necessarily want to alert opponents to. You know,
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: I think it's I mean, I'd love to answer your questions,
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: but I don't want to answer their questions, you know,
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: And that's uh, that's always a rub. As you come
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: in here and wanted to help. You know, you have
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: a job to do, but I don't want to do
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: their job for them, So I respectfully decline to answer
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: that question in specifics. Good, Yeah, set the record.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: Who look for a following torm Likely.
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: Something crazy happens to someone that you have.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: How much do you appreciate a guy or even a
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: woman and that who'll spend that long in this in
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: your profession?
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: And I think one of the most incredible things is
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: he's been able to do it here the entire time, right,
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: And that's uh, that's remarkable longevity and consistency, and to
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: be able to to generate the type of passion and
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: perfectionism and intensity that he's able to still show, you know,
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: at practice or during games or in recruiting, to me,
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: is remarkable, you know. And I mean he's a legend,
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: and and that's beyond dispute. And when you get a
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: chance to watch him work and listen to him talk,
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: you understand why he's a legend. I mean, you know,
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: every time he opens his mouth, something profound comes out
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: of it. And I'm lucky to be on campus with
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: him and have some access to him. But I mean,
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: I have so much respect for for all coaches, but
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: a guy like Gino who's been able to do it
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: over such a long period of time with such consistency,
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's not just rare, it's it's it's
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: he'll be the best ever. You know, he's going to
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: set a record. No one will ever be better, or
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: no one's been better. So I'm excited to see that happen.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: Congratulations to him. You know, we all have a lot
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: to learn from him. So when when I first got hired,
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: I went out to dinner my wife and I went
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: to dinner with you and his wife, and we sat
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: there for a couple hours at his restaurant, and you know,
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: had a little wine and whatever he ordered for me
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: was great. And I wished at that time that I
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: had been smart enough to push record on my phone,
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: but I wasn't. And after we walked out, I said
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: to Kathy, why didn't I just record all that? I
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: can't remember it. It was just like everything he said
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: resonated with me. You know, everything he said about coaching,
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: about dealing with players, about recruiting, about hand on his staff,
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: about just mindset competitive. I mean, it was just, you know, amazing.
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: Nothing specific stands out to me, but the feeling of
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: the meat or the feeling of the dinner stands out
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: out to me. You know, I don't think I could
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: get enough Geno. I mean, I love listening to Geno,
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: you know, and when I'm around Geno, the most important
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: thing I can do is keep my mouth shut and listen.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: So all right, thanks everyone,