Latest / Coaches Corner / Jim Mora - August 19 Post practice

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Jim Mora - August 19 Post practice · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so this is kind of a transition week for us.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: It's week four. Early in the week, we did some
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: just you know, we call it generic practice where we're
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: just working against ourselves, and then we start to work
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: into some game week prep. You know, you got a
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: lot of new faces. Yet part of this is just
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: training them to the ways that we do things, you know,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: whether it's meeting during the game week or how we
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: practice during the game week. You get these high school
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: players in they've really never been on the scout team,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: you know, teach them, you know, how we run our
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: scout teams, how they read a card, the intensity of
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the effort, the speed, the pace that we want. So
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: still just a lot of educational stuff and it we
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: get we get a jump on our first game in
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: terms of some of the game plan stuff. So this
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: is always an interesting week.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Today it's you know, the first practice of the week.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Intensity kind of not the first practice the day, but
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: the first practice working on your next opponent. The intensity
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: goes down a little bit because there's a lot of
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: learning and tomorrow it will be better. And that wasn't
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: bad at all. They work, but it's it was a
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: transitional day for us. So we'll go tomorrow. Uh, we'll
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: go Thursday, Friday, we'll have a Mott game. They'll get
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: a couple of days off that they need to rest
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: and recover, and then we'll come back in and and
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: get going in earnest for the for the first game
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: on the thirtieth.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: Can the players kind of sense the light at the
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: end of the tunnel getting ready to.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Play someone else? I hope not.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's not what I want him to be doing.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: There is no light at the end of the tunnel.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: You know. We don't even look at the season that way.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I mean, there's just you gotta just put your head
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: down and grind every day, you know, And so we
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: don't we actually talk opposite that. We tell him there
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: is no light at the end of the t the
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: end of the tunnel, so just keep digging.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Which was a h press. You've never seen her. I
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: don't obviously Sky they're coming back, was big. But the guys.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Around him, Uh, Ty Bowman. Ty Bowman's a really good
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: football player. He's fought through some injuries, he's fought through
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: some discomfort. He's shown up big Ramelo before he you know,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: got hurt and he'll be okay, He'll be back. Ramelo
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: was doing some really good things. He's physical, he's a
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: really really good blocker. He's a great slot receiver. Schamar
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: has done some really good things. You know, he's got
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: that speed to break away. Terence Smith has done some
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: good things. Chris Parker's done some good things. John Nyder
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: has been a little dinged up. But you notice when
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: he's out here because you know, he he just doesn't
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: drop the ball. He catches everything. Kaya Johnson, the freshman
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: has the last couple of weeks, we've really kind of
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: pushed him. He's got he's got speed, he can run,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: you know. So now it's just a matter of comprehending
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: what it takes to play at this level and understanding
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: our system.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: But I like that room.
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: What is it that Shamar he needs to work on
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: in particular too.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: I think just consistency of catching the ball and being
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: able to lower his body, lower his center of gravity
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: and get in and out of breaks. You know, because
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: he's a six foot three, two hundred and eighteen pound
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  Speaker 1: guy that can run, and sometimes when you're that side,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: it's size, it's not easy to just lower your center
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: of gravity and slow the momentum and redirect and gain
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: momentum and accelerate. So those are the two things he
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: needs to work on. But he's he's a hard work
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: or he's a great kid.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Uh. He loves to work, he loves to practice.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: I think he had a little bit of a breakthrough today.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: Quite frankly, you know, he's had a couple of days
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: where I think he's kind of maybe ah I he
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: he called it just kind of in his head a
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: little bit too much, and we talked about it during practice,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: and and I saw him really elevate his game in
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: the second half of practice.
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: Jim, some you mentioned Nier and some of the the
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: in state guys that you've gotten Knighter Harper, Uh.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Teddy Williams. I should have mentioned Jackson.
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: Sorry, but I mean, but those guys have really made
• 3:29
  Speaker 4: uh found a niche on special teams in these last
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: couple of years. Maybe now is there's more of an
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: opportunity of offense. Well what what what have you seen
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: from those guys since they've been here in terms of
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: their determination to the contribute.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Well, a ton of determination to contribute, a ton of grit.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: They're they're loyal, it's very important to them. To play
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: in their home state for this university, and you see
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: it in the way they prepare every day.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: You talk about Teddy and Jackson and they're just very dependable.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: And I think Jason's gonna go from being a a
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: special teams guy who I should have mentioned him when
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: I talked about the receivers to a guy that's gonna
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: contribute in games for us. You know, they become very
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: very trustworthy to us. And you know you can add in,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: you know what Cam's become and when Victor's become and
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: some other guys. And so it's fun to watch those guys,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: you know, have some success or be on the prespice
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: of success.
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  Speaker 2: In in their home state. You know, it's got to
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: feel good.
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: And they do the dirty working.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: There was a leading tech yeah uh, he was our
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: special Player of the Year last year.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: I mean there was a high school quarterback who Now
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: I used him as as an example this morning to
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: the Scout team players that haven't done this before. I so,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: you know, John Nyder came here a couple of years ago.
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: He was a high school quarterback.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: I said, But the Scout team defense or the the
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: first and second team defensive players going against him in
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: and practice every day. Just kept saying, my god, this
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: guy he just catches everything. As we moved him the receiver,
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: he found his way to the field. Then he found
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: his way to a scholarship.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: So it just says a lot about him and it's
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: a great example of what you know, these young guys
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: have to try to aspire to.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: So there's more clarity at quarterback than there has been
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: the last couple of years at this point in camp.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Is that.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean there's you know, there's clarity. Yeah. Well,
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: we like all our guys.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: I mean I I think that all four of those
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: guys add something. It's nice to have depth, you know,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: knock on wood. You know, we've gone three years where
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: we haven't been able to get out of a season
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: with that having a quarterback injury. So, uh, I think
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: we're more set up if that happens. Hopefully it doesn't happen, though.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: How about your line played the boys on up.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Front both sides of the football.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Well, you know, a lot of new guys, but they've
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: done well. You know, Ben Morowski's played a lot of football.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: He's just been injured. He's been able to still stay
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: healthy this camp. West Hose played a lot of football
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: f here and it else elsewhere. So when you have
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: that guy in the middle that a lot of the
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: communication flows through, you can have that cohesiveness you need
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: in the offensive line. I like the way Carson has played.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: You know, Carson's got a lot of snaps here as well.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: I think bringing in ty Chan from Notre Dame, you know,
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: he's fitting at the right guard spot and he's done
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: really well. Kyle Jurgen's played a lot last year. He's
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: playing at left guard. And then I think we've got
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of depth. You know, it's
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: not necessarily proven, but what we've seen out here is encouraging.
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: You mentioned some guys have been dinged up, you know,
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: just usual camp stuff. Is the expectation that everyone's available CCSU.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: Uh that's the hope. Yeah, I don't know, Yeah, that's
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: the hope. I mean it.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: I I we're trending towards, you know, most everybody being
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: available right now.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: It's just a you know, it's important.
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  Speaker 1: That we still get great practice in we maintain the
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: level of physicality.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: Uh, but we.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Work hard to stay healthy, you know, and one of
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: the ways you do that is you stay on your
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: feet and you're still physical. You know, guys get on
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: the ground to get hurt. So just I think our
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: teams learned how to practice hard, tough, physical.
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: Fast, and still kind of take care of each other.
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  Speaker 2: That's what I feel at least.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: Are you happy with the progress of camp the goals
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: you said?
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  Speaker 2: I'm happy?
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Uh, I mean I'm pleased, not satisfied. I love the
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: way they're working, and I think that their intent on
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: getting you know, uh to a certain point where you know,
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: we can go out on Saturdays and compete with anybody.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: You know, I feel that that team that's important to
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: this team to do that.
• 7:08
  Speaker 5: Are you able to tell about your defense?
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  Speaker 2: Yet?
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  Speaker 5: Where do you have to get in a real game
• 7:13
  Speaker 5: to understand that they've learned the cohesion necessary for well?
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: I think I think it's gonna take a game, I
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: really do, you know. I'd like to be able to
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: sit here and say, yeah, I know what they're all about,
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: but there's so many new guys that I don't you know,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: and games always reveal things, both you know, positive and
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: negative things you have to work on. So I would say, Mike,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: we need to we need to play a game. You
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: know where it's the intensity and you're seeing unscattered looks
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: that you have to adjust to, and the communication is
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: so important and you're you know, you're tackling guys that
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: have different color jerseys and helmets on. Then you do
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: it which is you know, you're not in the locker
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  Speaker 1: room next year, in the weight room and the meal
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: room every day. So there's just a different level intensity.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: And so let's see how we.
• 7:53
  Speaker 5: React behind Louis and Alex at tight end.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: Who else should we know about?
• 7:59
  Speaker 5: What's the scouting report on the depth behind those two guys?
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Well tight end and you know we kind of we
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: we play with really two different tight end type bodies.
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  Speaker 1: So you got you got Alex and notter are are
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: tight ends. And then like our our fs, you know,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: kind of move guys. You've got lou You've got Juice,
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: You've got uh, you know, a guy like Michael Burton,
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: Xavier Watson, and then you've got the tweeners like Dom Toy.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: You can kind of do bowl.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: We have a really heavy and deep tight end room
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: and we're gonna utilize.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: All those guys.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: They all bring something a little bit different to the
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: game and being creative and the way we use them,
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: use them is really important because it creates problems for
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: the defense. You know, I think tight ends are matchup problems.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: So we have a lot of good ones.
• 8:50
  Speaker 5: Are you able to see the influence of your new
• 8:52
  Speaker 5: QB coach yet Price Tracy.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: And what is uh?
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean he's you know, he's been some really
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: good places with some really good people, you know. I
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: mean he's been at Notre Dame, he's been at Alabama,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: he's been at Georgia, He's been around winning programs and
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: uh uh he is an really intense guy that this
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: is very important too. And he's very detailed, He's very demanding.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: He knows what he's talking about. He brings good conceptual
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: ideas to our scheme. Uh I I I he keeps
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: he holds the players to a high level of accountability.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: And yet I think they really they really like him,
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: you know, cause they know they can trust him. But
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: now I'm I'm I'm really happy that that he's a
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: part of this staff.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: Any good players and last year you actually had a
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: ton of experience and a lot of depth on the
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: d line. He gets to able to rotate guys in
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: anything like that. Do you see enough this year that
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: maybe that could happen again, that these guys can hold
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: up to that standard.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: I hope.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: So it's kind of like, you know, to same answers
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Mike's questions.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: Like we'll see, you know, we'll see as we.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Go, but you know, you'd expect guys like like, uh,
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: Matt Hoffman, I think you guys are talking to him,
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: but Brian or.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: Cleto troll.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: You know, it's like time for those guys to take
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: that step from kind of some late game action into
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: some real action. And if they can do that, then
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: I think we've got a nice group there, you know,
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: cause I think we've got some good starters and some
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: guys that are proven, but some of those unproven guys
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: on game day have to take a step up. And
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: the indications are from what we've seen.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: In practice, is they're ready to do that, but they
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: got to go do it.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: On the field against an opponent that's not wearing the
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: same helmet as them. Appreciate you