Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe Media Day Press Conference

Aug. 4, 2003

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH David Cutcliffe

OPENING REMARKS
Senior is the key word when we talk about this team. Our seniors have been through a lot together. I can tell from their focus and attitude that they are eager to get started. I am glad to see that. It is extremely important with this team for our strength and conditioning to be at a special level. I am interested to see at our first practice just how well conditioned we are. We play our first two games on the road. The first one is an 11:30 kick off and the second one is at 11 o'clock. Conditioning is going to be a factor. In the SEC you can only take 70 players, so conditioning will be important for our first game. That's a real critical area. Another area in relation to preseason camp that I want to see our team make a strong commitment to is being physical in the kicking game as well on offense and defense. When we put on pads, we are going to take that mind set to improve in that area, which will improve us as a team.

We have a number of our injured players back and available. Jamal Pittman will be back. He may not be at full speed when we start full contact. McKinley Boykin will be out there, in a somewhat limited role to ease back into things. Bill Flowers, Ronald McClendon, Wes Scott, Brandon Jacobs, Jeremy Ruffin, who all missed spring practice, will be out there cranked up and ready to go. We do have two freshmen that failed to meet eligibility requirements, Mico McSwain, and Covington Wright. We are still waiting on certification for Brandon Jenkins, so he is not here. We are ready to roll.

Expand on Jamal Pittman. When will he be ready for full contact?

Jamal has had a good summer. He is in the best condition since he has been here. He has been able to cut, do agility drills, run and change directions. The only thing he hasn't done is get hit, which obviously couldn't have happened. We are going to let him guide us as to where his confidence level is. We'll have some scrimmages in the preseason for him to see where he is. We would like to see him get some limited full contact work if it's ok with the doctor and trainer.

Follow up on (McKinley) Boykin?

McKinley has not played at full speed since last fall. He has done everything that our other players have done this summer. I want to work him back slowly into full contact. Hopefully his back will respond like we expect it to.

Talk about Justin Sawyer and coming out of spring. Will he be able to step into that No. 1 role at center?

Justin is playing a position where he has a set of big shoes to fill in Ben Claxton. Justin ably took over for him last year, when Ben was hurt. He has played well at tight end. We are talking about a veteran, but not a veteran so to speak. He had a good spring. He still has some little things to learn about playing center. He'll get better with every snap. He's worked exceptionally hard. He's stronger and quicker than he's ever been. I think Justin can be a big plus, but that's an area that is still a big question mark for us, just because he hasn't done it on a consistent basis yet.

What's the area that you want to improve on most from last year?

Running the football is a premium. We know we have to do better at it to be as successful as we would like to be. Being able to run the football makes you better on both sides of the ball. When your offense can run the football, it makes you better on defense, because you are going against each other in practice in a more physical way. In general, being a more physical football team, not only on defense and offense, but on special teams is going to be a major focus of our preseason camp.

What area do you think you will surprise people with the most this year?

Hopefully running the football. We think we can accomplish that

How did you evaluate special teams play from last year?

We got better. We had flashes, but we were inconsistent. Some of that comes from not being as physical as we would like to be. We were inconsistent in the coverage areas at times. We were inconsistent in the return area and the kick off area most of the year. The kicking game is more than specialists. It's athletes willing to do what it takes to be successful. We've had a good summer planning on special teams, and now it is our job to teach it and execute it.

Obviously (Chris) Collins and (Bill) Flowers play the same position, but could you have put them on the field more together last year and what about this year?

They do play the same position, but they also can play others. When we are in four wide receiver sets, they don't play the same position. They are on the field together. Sometimes in two or three wide receiver formations they could be out there at the same time. That position gets a lot of balls thrown to it. We have other solid receivers we are trying to get on the field as well. We are going to create a competitive situation at wide receiver that I hope makes us better. We are going to play six people a good bit of the time.

Shed some light on Brandon Jenkins. Also you depend heavily on the passing game?

Brandon is still trying to get everything worked out and the initial eligibility worked out. I can't really give you a timetable. Hopefully we'll know something soon. We've been through this before. We'll keep you all posted on that. I know that's fair and you want to stay updated on that.

There's been a lot of talk about not being able to run the ball. I think people realize we can throw the football well. We put ourselves in too many tough situations last year of having to throw the football. When you are having to throw the football as opposed to when you want, are two different things. Our receiving corps is talented and deep. We have speed and size. I am excited about what they can do. I want to get back to throwing when we want to and not letting the defense dictate to us so much.

Expand on Pittman. What about the rest of the returning backfield?

I was impressed with what I saw on Pittman early in the spring. It was a brief look, because he didn't see much action. He was finally getting into shape. I was extremely encouraged with what I saw. I think he'll be faster. He has a lot of tools. He's been very successful in the past. We think he will be a factor for us.

The rest of the tailback group remains to be seen. Tremaine Turner and Vashon Pearson were both better players this spring, but they got all the work. Everybody else was hurt. They did some good things, so you have to start there. They have to get beat out, because nobody else has been there. Ronald McClendon is fast, and he is stronger. He weighs 200 pounds now. Brandon Jacobs is a talented young man, but he hasn't been healthy. It's going to be interesting to see. We are going to be flexible enough that those guys could play in the backfield at the same time potentially. That's a plus for us. We are going to make decisions based on who is performing on the practice field.

Follow up on Sawyer. What are the adjustment's he's having to make at center?

The center is obviously the man in the middle. He has to communicate a lot of things in pass protection and run blocking. He works a lot of combination blocks with the guards. He sets a lot of things along the front. Justin is relatively new as a starter, but is a veteran football player.

Do you prefer tailback by committee or are you looking for one guy?

I would like one or two. As soon as you say that, you need five. That's the way the position works sometimes. I want somebody to step up and take charge. That may not make it right, but that's how I feel. I would prefer to have somebody consistently running the football and making positive gains for us.

How many freshmen do you see participating on special teams? Comment on the tight end situation.

The first question is a wait and see thing of who gets in the two deep. I'll go back to the thing of traveling with 70 football players. That sounds like a lot, but when you take out the offensive line and some others that aren't involved in special teams that doesn't leave you much of a pool. The people that are going to be playing on special teams are going to be on our two deep for the most part early on. If they (freshmen) do end up on the two deep, then you can bet they're going to be involved in special teams.

Eric Rice is a much better football player than people realize. He is a very consistent blocker. He's not an exceptionally big guy. He played wide receiver in high school. He's a great technique guy, who has a great understanding of what we are doing. Eric is well over 240 maybe 250. He has great feet and great technique. He's where it all starts for us at tight end. Lawrence Lilly and Jimmy Brooks are two young players that are very talented and bigger. Both did a good job in the spring of being consistently better in blocking. They both can catch the football and do some things with it as we saw in the spring. Jimmy Brooks scored a touchdown and Lawrence made that big catch down the field. They both have capabilities. Robert Huff is a young player that has just gotten here and Slate Amos, who is a tight end/deep snapper, is a guy that has had a really good summer.

Talk about L.P. Spence and Bryan Brown and how they will factor into this year's team?

L.P. Spence has been through a lot physically and he's a tough young man. He has a great desire to play football because most people would have given up with what he has been through. He tells me he feels better. L.P. is a tremendous athlete. He can run, and has made a lot of plays for us, particularly his sophomore season before his injuries got worse. I'm anxious to see a healthy L.P. Spence.

Bryan Brown had a great spring when he joined us after the basketball season. He made the transition exceptionally well. He was much further along than at any time in the fall. He has the physical skills and tools - the speed and quickness - that you are looking for at corner. He's going to factor in the picture in a big way at cornerback.

If the tailback position continues to be a concern, could you use Rick Razzano more?

Rick could be the guy in a one-back set. He's a good pass protector and a good pass receiver. He's a good solid runner. Rick is a player that you know what you're going to get from him. He plays physical football and sets the tempo for us in the backfield. When we're in one-back sets, you'll see him back there some.

What are your thoughts on playing day games, especially those around noon?

That's why I started off the press conference saying strength and conditioning will be an issue. We all know that television is going to dictate what we do, and thank goodness television is here for us, and it's been a great medium for us in college football. But, it's (playing a couple of day games early) going to be a challenge for us. Playing those games at 11 and 11:30 a.m. are going to be challenges, and ones we'll have to be ready for.

Talk about having the defensive system in place for a second straight year.

That will help a great deal. Our defense this past spring was so much further ahead than what it had been in recent years. Unfortunately in past years, having to learn a new system each spring has held us back. But, this spring we were able to move forward. We had a coaching change with Coach Driesbach moving to the secondary and Jim Knowles replacing Mike MacIntyre on the staff. Knowles, being a coordinator in the same system and coaching the linebackers, came aboard and we didn't miss a beat. The staff is more comfortable with what we're doing. I thought our defense was much further along this spring than where we've been. Let's hope that shows in our first practice tonight. When we start tonight, we should be pretty far along mentally and physically with our defensive system.

What was your reaction when you heard Eli Manning was coming back?

I smiled a lot. I was in the office after our staff meetings, and he called and told me (that he was coming back). It was one of those days where I had it made the rest of the day. I was in great spirits, and I knew it was important to all of us. It was also a special moment because it was special for college football. It made a great statement for college football and the type of young man Eli is.

What's been your reaction on the artificial surface?

It's a great surface. We're a team that is built around speed, and that surface stays consistent. The players really like it from the ability to run and move. The surface suits the style of team we are. Also, in any weather condition, we hope to maintain an edge by playing on it.

Many make a big deal about size on the defensive front. What's your thinking about size on the defensive front?

The main thing - and any coach will tell you this - is the ability to run, get off blocks and make plays. That's more important than size. We were looking at Tampa Bay and their size, and their ends are in the 260-65 range. They have a couple of 300-pounders inside, but some that played were in the 270-75 range. Even in the NFL, you see people that are similar size to us.

We do a great job in the weight room. A lot of it is strength, and take Jesse Mitchell. If you remember the play in the Independence Bowl, he took the Nebraska offensive lineman and made the tackle on the fullback with the guard.

There's a lot (to playing on the defensive front). There's technique, leverage, strength and quickness. All those are bigger factors to Coach Driesbach and me than just pure size. We're alright, and we have some big guys, too.

Talk about the stretch of home games in the middle of the season.

That stretch of the season is always tough, but it's much better when they're at home than what they were a year ago when most of them were on the road. Our players are excited about that stretch of home games. We play our first two games on the road and that will be difficult, but seven of our final 10 games will be at home. That's a positive way to look at it.

Comment on Shelby Van Every and Viciente DeLoach.

Shelby is a walk-on offensive lineman from Columbus, Miss., and is a fine young man. He does a great job in the weight room. He's really intelligent and is a great student. As he becomes more familiar with what we're doing, he may overcome his lack of size and put himself in a position to play. All I know is that I'm really glad he's on our team and glad he is in camp with us because he is one of those guys that will try to be as physical as you can be.

Viciente DeLoach looks like he is going to be alright. We'll see more as practice starts, but he is running well and he says he feels good.

I know you approach every game as the most important, but is there a different mind-set when opening the season against an SEC foe?

I think so. When you open up against an SEC opponent, we all know how much it would mean to get one early on the left side of the ledger. This is a significant game for us, and it's a significant game for them (Vanderbilt). We've both been pointing at this game for a long time. I hope our players understand the intensity that will be in that game. Opening up a season with an SEC game is something I've never been a part of.

QUARTERBACK Eli Manning

Comment on Justin Sawyer and his adjustment to playing center.

Justin is a fifth-year senior, and he came to Ole Miss as a tight end. He played some there, and has also played up and down the offensive line. He knows what he is doing. He's been around a long time, and has played in a lot of games. He has experience. He is playing center this year, which is kind of new for him. He learned the position quickly, and he'll be fine.

Have you focused differently this summer than in the past knowing this is your final year?

I've pretty much treated it like all previous summers. I stayed here in Oxford, working out and throwing the ball. I've been working on different things.

How does it feel to be a senior?

Being a senior and being a captain feels a little different. I've been around longer than most of the guys, and there are 11 of us that have been here together. It's a little different, and it's a somewhat weird feeling, but I like it.

Feelings on playing an SEC foe in the opener.

Playing a conference game will be different for the opener because the first game will really count. All the games count, but when it's an SEC game, you go into it a little more fired up. We know we won't have any time to play around and figure out what we're doing. We have to go out there (in the first game) and be ready and not have any mistakes.

Talk about the receiving corps, especially Chris Collins, Bill Flowers and Mike Espy.

Chris and I have played a lot of games together, and have been together for a long time. He's proven each year he can get better and make plays. He always finds a way to get in the end zone and help us get those third-down conversions. Bill is much like Chris. Bill makes big catches at big times, especially on third-down conversions. He has taken some big hits over the middle, and he has proven he is not scared to take a hit. Mike is a player that is coming along. He made some big plays in the bowl game. He's got a lot of speed, and we just have to get him the ball and let him use that speed to get down the field.

Do concerns with the running game sometimes overshadow the passing game success?

We have a lot of talented receivers, but even with that, we need to establish a running game because you can't live on third and long. We need to get some yards rushing on first and second downs to make our third downs shorter. We need to establish the running game to take some of the pressure off the receivers and so the defense can't sit back and predict pass every time.

Do you think the running game will be better this season?

Our running backs and offensive linemen have been working hard this summer. We have some players with more experience on the offensive line with Marcus Johnson, Doug Buckles and Tre' Stallings. They have another year under their belts. Justin Sawyer is an experienced player, and Cliff Woodruff is a fifth-year senior. We have several veterans on the line that know what they are doing. Our running backs know what everybody has been saying about them all year, so they will be out to prove everyone wrong and establish the running game.

Comments on the new turf.

I like the turf. At first, I was a little worried about it because it was soft, and the receivers and backs were slipping on their out-routes and cuts. But, it just took some time for the turf to settle and the rain has helped it some. We've worked out on it, and it has gotten better everyday. It will be perfect once the season starts.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos