Coordinator corner

Before getting to Tuesday’s media interviews with Clemson’s football coordinators, the basketball team’s rout of Liberty bears mentioning.

This Liberty team wasn’t half as formidable as last year, but the Tigers looked impressive in a lot of facets:

• Their length and lineup versatility is wreaking more defensive havoc than I’d expected this early.
• Oliver Purnell’s belief that they can spread the 3-point wealth and improve their offense through efficient shooting has been supported by their opening two performances, although I’m inclined to reserve judgment for after Clemson has faced a string of defenses with comparable athletes. But in particular, Tanner Smith has really improved his stroke.
• But first and foremost, this team displayed offensive ball movement in the halfcourt the likes of which I haven’t seen in a Purnell team. Very intrigued to see if that will be a tease or trend.

One more hoops note that was edited out of my 5 Questions preview story last week …

It appears as if Terrence Oglesby, who stunningly left the program after two years, has already gotten his first taste of the pratfalls of overseas basketball.

Oglesby has already moved from Italy to the Ukraine.

The unstable team with which he originally signed had a recurring bout with financial turmoil, and when neither Oglesby or the club team were happy with one another, the team agreed to release him – as it did with the other two Americans on the roster (Lance Allred and former UVa star J.R. Reynolds). 

Anyway, here’s the transcripts from defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and offensive coordinator Billy Napier:

KEVIN STEELE

Q: Virginia is ranked No. 118 of 120 in total offense. Here’s assuming this is one of those weeks where you’re drumming home that stats don’t matter.

A: Ain’t no different than any other week. We don’t talk about that. It’s about formation they line up with, the down and distance, the hash mark, and go play.

Q: What are your impressions of the Cavs?

A: They look like an NFL team lining up. They’re a pretty looking group of guys in terms of physically, they’re big across the board. Running back, receiver – well, they’ve got one who’s 5-11 – offensive line, pretty impressive looking.

There’s a little enigma of trying to figure out a couple of things. They had gone to what is kind of a Rich Rodriguez, Urban Meyer kind of offense. That was (new coordinator Gregg) Brandon’s style. It’s kind of migrated into something else.

They run the ball NFL-style. You don’t get all the fire drill stuff, all over the map. And their passing game, they’ve got the quick game like everybody else. They’ve got more vertical stuff than most people we play, probably like Florida State.

The quarterback has had some really impressive games.

Q: Have they migrated back to Brandon’s stuff with Sewell at quarterback, or do they vary what they do when it’s Sewell or Marc Verica at quarterback?

A: No, they’ve been pretty consistent in what they’ve lined up in. It’s the same stuff.

Q: Is it more of what Al Groh ran before he brought Brandon in?

A: I don’t know that. Something tells me they were more power, two-back stuff.

Q: Another strong performance against a good quarterback last week.

A: We’ve played four or five in the top 20, and for the most part have affected the quarterback and reduced their yardage significantly – and more importantly, their completion percentage.

The frustrating thing there was there were some things we could have done execution-wise to get him on the ground. And we just mis-executed a couple of times in terms of finishing and having the right guy in the right place. He got some rush lanes and even though he didn’t hurt us, he stayed alive. We got him on the ground twice and probably should have five or six other times.

That was the second-most frustrating thing.

The other thing that got our attention this week was correction of the penalties. It’s a physical game and guys are running around, flying around out there, and some of that’s going to happen.

But we’ve had very few penalties defensively this year. And to go out and have six – four on third down, three of which were pretty obvious … I knew the flag was coming out … you have to get back to technique. If you apply the proper technique, then you don’t have to be in position to get those type of penalties.

Q: Were the interferences as simple as the corners getting their head turned around earlier and locating the ball?

A: Depends on what coverage you’re in. Depends on where you’re at on the field. You’d better be in sync with somebody – if you’re not in sync with somebody and look back, then good luck.
Just more footwork stuff and body position stuff.

Q: Do you expect Da’Quan Bowers to play Saturday?

A: I do.

Q: Was that one of the better games for your second-stringers?

A: Yeah, we mixed and matched a lot and played a lot of younger people early in the game.

We go in at halftime, I think they have 110 yards on 35 plays. That’s pretty good numbers. So really first half, the penalties were the only thing that kept drives alive.

Then in the second half when we started mixing people in – we ha dto really take that film and teach off it.

The thing people don’t understand is everything off that film is a teachable moment. It has nothing to do with the scoreboard. I’ve said that 50,000 times. Or the down and distance or what game it is. You’re looking out there watching guys, and you’re going to have to teach them the right way at some point in time.

The guys who were out there, a year or two down the road, are the guys who’re going to be out there (as regulars). If you say well, the game’s in hand, let’s go to the house, then all you did was push back your teaching moment. Because at some point in time, you’re going to have to teach them. So better now than later.

That was the real focus of the second half, using those teachable moments.

Q: Do you have to get into motivating guys not to take Virginia lightly?

A: No. We’re so conditioned now to the way we approach things. You could call over here and say, who are we playing, and it wouldn’t matter. Doesn’t matter.

Our routine is the same. I’ve said that many times. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing the Green Bay Packers or Tecumseh Junior High. At this time, we do this. We come in at this time and do this and go over this.

It’s not about the emotion. It’s about the technical aspect of the game and how to apply the technique and principles in the given situation to execute to the fullest. And when you do that every week, that’s what they come to expect. It’s a habit then.

So we don’t get into all that because when you do, you change the routine. Then you’ve brought it to the forefront. Then you’ve changed the process. We don’t get into that.

Q: What do you think of how Kavell Conner has played?

A: There have been a couple of guys who’ve kind of rock-solid steady. Kevin Alexander being one, Jarvis Jenkins, Brandon Thompson.

Where at the end of the game, you put the film on, and they apply the technique and are where they’re supposed to be and do what they’re supposed to do. Because so many times people get caught up on how many tackles people have.

Well, I can’t help if you’re the SAM linebacker and they don’t want to run at you. So the patience of, it’s about the end result, it’s not about my name on a piece of paper. They’ve unselfishly done their job quietly.

Q: Has Conner developed into a better tackler?

A: We have worked very hard on being more of a wrap-up tackler, and I think he understands that emphasis and is doing a better job.

Q: Where’s the biggest room for growth with your defense at this point?

A: What’s the down and distance? There’s a laundry list.

The biggest thing is just that we’ve got to get – and this is a broad-brush statement – but a little more dominant. We’ve got the talent to dominate and contest everything. And there’s a lot of plays contested out there. But there’s still a play here and there where things get away from you.

Q: Is that a mentality or playing faster?

A: It’s a lot of things. It’s mentality. It’s a habit. It’s understanding the defense. It’s understanding the situation. It’s just part of the process.

BILLY NAPIER

Q: Do you think that was Kyle Parker’s most efficient performance?

A: I do. I think he played pretty well. We had a few plays in particular where he had to move in the pocket, and I was most pleased with that. He did get a few breaks – a few plays in there that could have went in another direction. He continues to have a few plays where he could play a little smarter, but that’s part of the process.

I thought he probably played his most complete game since he’s been here.

Q: Do you have to tell him to dial it down if you get a lead?

A: I think you call the game that way, to a certain degree. You know going in what’s a little bit dicey and what’s not.

Early in the season in particular, we called the game different because we knew he had a little of that in him. As the season’s progressed, we’ve been able to give him more decision-making opportunities within a game plan.

He’s grown up, obviously, a lot – not only in his play, but in his preparation for play. That’s where he’s made the most strides.

I think he came in thinking this was going to be like baseball – I can show up and just go play. Not to say that’s their approach, but it’s completely different from the approach you’re going to have to take to prepare mentally for a game plan.

As long as he’s making good decisions, he’s very effective.

Q: You haven’t had to require him to run these last few weeks, but when he has, it’s been effective. Is this the way it’s supposed to be?

A: I think it’s one of those deals in the plan each week, in that you want to find an effective way to run the quarterback, and it matches a lot of the things we do.

Where maybe it looks like another play, then all of a sudden he’s pulling the ball and rushing the football.

It helps the other plays and makes another thing on their little checklist that they have to prepare for defensively.

That’s ultimately what you want to be, you want to be trouble for a guy getting ready to stop you. There needs to be a lot of questions to answer each week for the guy getting ready for you. And then throughout the game, you’ve got to kind of play the chess match with what they’re trying to take away.

But I think the quarterback run has been a good thing for us since the open date. We’ve found ways for it to be a little more effective than it was in the past. And when we do dial it up, it’s been a good play.

Q: You’ve also got more weapons now and guys who aren’t dropping balls like they did in September. That’s kind of expanded things.

A: Well, you look back, when we did struggle offensively, a lot of that was just things we could control and we screwed up. Whether it was execution, whether it was our front guys maybe not playing as well, guys dropping balls, penalties – those things, I think our kids finally figured out: Hey, if we’re going to be any good, we’ve got to take care of business and eliminate those problems.

So we’ve got really good leadership on offense. We have some smart football players that are some of our better players and most influential leaders. Mike Palmer and Thomas Austin in particular. So those guys, they see the tape. They know, “We’ve got to take som ownership here. So we’ve got to get this thing going in the right direction.”

We’ve benefited from that. Our execution has gone way up. Some guys obviously have caught balls, have made plays when given opportunities.

They’ve become more confident players, and then as a play-caller you don’t necessarily have to plan around those type of things.

It’s kind of like growing a guy up. You give him a little responsibility, he does good with it, you give him a little more. We’ve got a lot of guys like that. It makes you pretty capable of spreading the ball around.

Q: How has the offensive line contributed to the offensive resurgence?

A: Everything we do starts up front. If we’re capable of effectively running the ball, then in a perfect world you’re run and play-action pass. And then the drop-back passing game is just a compliment to all of that, and the screen game.

In my ideal world, you’d like to rush the ball effectively. That’s where it all starts. Obviously they’re the biggest piece to that puzzle. Not to say it’s all on them.

One of the reasons we’ve been able to create a lot of big-chunk runs is because our guys at receiver are doing a great job on the second level. They’ve really amped up the energy and the effort. We feel like that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to break a lot of runs.

Q: What kind of challenges does Virginia’s 3-4 scheme present?

A: They’re the only team in our league that runs the scheme. It’s very unique. It’s different.

So it takes you a little more time on Sunday and Monday to get going because you’re really studying the defense. Obviously coach (Al) Groh has been running that scheme since he’s been in the league, and they do a great job on defense.

Their offense is statistically worse than the defense. But the defense — in terms of playing good defense, they’ve done a good job. Coach Groh is the coordinator of the defense, so he’s heavily involved. I really have a lot of respect for the scheme and the way they go about their business.

They have good players. They’re tall, long, rangy guys, and they’re pretty big across the board at outside ‘backer. The two ends are big, tall guys, and they’re big on the perimeter and tackle well. This will be a good challenge for our guys.

Q: Do you have to do anything special this week to keep guys from listening too much to outside influences for what Saturday could mean?

A: In our minds, hopefully our message has been consistent enough that it’s exactly like this game.

Obviously this will be our last ACC game on the schedule and with a win we can clinch the division. They know that, but it’s been the same each week. Again, the message on offense has been, when you get to the game hopefully you can look back on your week of preparation and be confident.

Guys are inconsistent when they’ve cut corners and not done what they’re supposed to do during the week.

Q: With Michael Palmer, is there a play you recall that exudes what he brings to the table in terms of toughness and consistency?

A: Mike, seems like I’ve been locked up in a meeting room with that guy for three years. Mike has a knack for being a great football mind. He’ll be a better coach than I’ll ever dream to be, that’s what kind of mind he’s got. That’s what makes him a good player.

He’s not the fastest guy. It’s all about anticipation. He knows everybody’s job. He knows the quarterback’s read, the defensive front, he knows protections. And one of the things, because he’s been so smart, we’ve been able to expand his role. He’s been all over the field.

He has a high, high retention rate. He can remember plays we ran three years ago.

So he’s a rarity in itself. He’ll make an NFL team because somebody will give him a chance and he’ll go in there and be coaching everybody on the field before it’s all said and done.

He’s a special kid, and I remember when he went in there and weighed 220 pounds when he was a freshman out there going blow for blow with Phillip Merling, who was an NFL second-round pick. So he’s a blue-collar, physical tough guy by nature. The thing he does so well is play with great fundamentals.

From coaching him in the past, you can tell him one little detailed thing he’s doing wrong and he can fix it like that. Now, he ain’t going to run a 4.5 40, but as far as controlling his body and understanding what he’s doing, the guy knows how to do that.

Great hands, great hand-to-eye coordination, really good basketball player. And mentally just on a whole other level, and anybody will tell you that. He’s a class act.

Q: Is Parker’s ability to see downfield despite his height something you saw immediately in him?

A: He moves really well. His knowledge of protections, I think, allows him to be confident in what’s going on schematically.

He knows when he has a problem. The term I use is, you’ve got to know your protection problem, if you’ve got one. Everything we do has an answer built-in if he’s in trouble.

The biggest thing is mentally, he’s continued to grow up. Our drop-back passes, he knows if there’s an issue because he’s playing the game within the game.

That fine line for when do I run and when do I hang in there, that’s what I think he’s gotten better at.

There were some really good plays the other day where he moved and used his eyes down the field. That one in particular to Mike on the sideline where he stepped up and moved to the left and got it out of his hand, that was pretty big-time. Guy’s got a knack for it. He’s 6-foot, but either you can see or can’t see.