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and get another chunk play. When it gets blocked up, and he gets some
space, he can get around the edge, and he’s a guy that can take it all the
way. I think he can take that next step with all those other plays that don’t
show up on the highlights, but are critical to your offensive production.”
Q: Will Cam Phillips’ role change without Hodges or Ford in
the lineup?
BC:
“I think it will a little bit. What we get out of those younger, less
experienced guys is going to determine how we have to use Cam and
where it all fits. The beautiful thing with Cam is that he can play any
position. Physically and mentally, he can play anywhere he needs to, and
he is a team-first guy, so whatever we feel is the best spot for him … it’s
probably going to be a different spot every few plays.”
Q: Who are a couple of young receivers expected to get a
lot of attention this spring?
BC:
“It certainly helped Eric Kumah getting in the mix last year,
getting on to some special teams and traveling. It always helps for that
next year when guys don’t redshirt. Kumah is one of those guys that has
to grow up quickly.
“Phil Patterson redshirted last year, but did, in my opinion, an
incredible job of staying involved. We brought him up a couple of times
off the scout team and traveled him just because he had done such a
great job. There was a certain time when we thought he could be ready
to play. If we got banged up at receiver, we were ready to play him, and
that’s a credit to him. He’s got a chance to be a guy that can step in there
and help pick up the slack.”
Q: You lost the entire right side of the offensive line to
graduation. Do you have guys for those spots, or will you have
to move guys around to find the right combination?
BC:
“I don’t think we’re going to have to move anyone. I like our left
side. I like those guys there, and those guys working together for another
year is good. But yes, those spots on the right side are going to be like the
tailback spot. There are a number of different guys that are going to be
competing for those two spots, and it’s wide open. Whoever wants to go
earn it, go and be a consistent guy. We have plenty of capable candidates
for that.”
Q: I’m guessing another point of emphasis this spring will be
turnovers. You guys lost 26 turnovers last season, including 18
fumbles. How do you go about correcting that?
BC:
“We’ve already done extensive study on it—what was the
problem and how can we fix it. There are certainly some things that we
can emphasize in practice that we feel like can help. At the end of the day,
it’s just awareness and willingness for whoever has the ball to protect it.
“We did a poor job of conveying that to those guys touching the ball
last year, and we’ve got to make sure they’re equipped with the right
techniques. We need to coach them up to know how to do it, and do a
good job of emphasizing the importance of it, so that they will feel the
same way.”
Q: Coming out of spring practice, what would make you feel
most optimistic about this group?
BC:
“I think just having the development of those spots where we’ve
got to replace people —the right side of the line and quarterback. At
the end of spring ball, whether you’ve found a starter or not, is not the
important part, but the development of those positions and being able to
see that there is a guy or a couple of guys that you feel like are going to
replace or step up in those spots would be huge.
“Hopefully, you have the guys there at those spots, and they’ll
continue to get better over the summer and into the fall. Or are we
sitting there feeling like we still have a lot of work to do to find a
couple of guys? That’s what we’ll focus on when we look back at
spring practice.”