By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda met with the media following the first practice on Tuesday. Here's what he shared.
Opening Statement
It’s good to be back. There’s been a lot of work, whether it’s conditioning or weight lifting or leadership and mentoring to get to this point. So I think in terms of a calendar maybe not a whole lot of time since we’ve been off the field, but it sure seems we’ve been investing a lot. So it’s good to see a lot of that pay off. I think our tempo was really good, guys were taking care of each other, not me against you but me with you. Trying to push you to get better and trying to push me to get better. We’ll see where that goes when the pads come on and there’s more pressure and competitive and all that. But I thought it was good. We were able to get a bunch of guys reps and they were fighting through the elements and all of it. So we had a good first day.
(Was it a different atmosphere coming off Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl win) No. I think the focus of hey this is our team, the past is the past, the future is what we make it. I think sometimes with young people there’s a tendency, I can remember this too, that hey when I get my shot, when I’m in the seat or when I’m in the position, when it’s my job, I’m going to act like this or I’m going to get this done. I just think there’s always kind of kick the can down the road as opposed to putting in the work wherever you’re at. And each day is an opportunity to get better, and each day is trial and error and being a better person. I think it’s more conducive to kind of chillin’ if you’re kicking it down the road as opposed to the grind of living inside out. So that’s challenge. We’re in those battles a lot right now.
(Offensive line experience) I think there is really a strong positive that can come of it. Right away when you ask the question, we have o-line and d-line guys coming back, I would look at it like man there’s dudes that are grad assistants, that was last year, and now they’re a full-time coach, or we got guys what were full-time coaches that are now coordinators. I think the role is different, what we’re asking from them is new and improved. I think change is difficult and change is never easy to embrace. But I think for us to go where we want to go and be who we need to be, then we need to be able to take that chance. It’s good that guys are back but we need them to be at their best, and that requires them to kind of emerge from where they’ve been.
(Quarterbacks) They rotated all throughout today, and I think Thursday will be the same. They’re competing against each other, and I think Shawn (Bell) does a great job of fostering that and managing that. And I think they do a good job of embracing that. For me, just learning from the past and the mistakes I’ve made in terms of managing all of it. I think you always want to come in, if you’re not the guy, you always want to come in with the opportunity to show what you can do. And if you do it, have an opportunity to play. I think that’s something I think is real and something that needs to be appreciated. We want to do a good job of seeing that. So getting guys reps and mixing guys with different groups and really making it competitive I think will bring out the best.
(When do you want to decide on QB) I think you’d like to do it at the end of spring. I think for Blake to be given an opportunity and then for Gerry to kind of assert himself is really kind of what’s happening. I think it’s fair to both of them. I think it only will make Blake and or Gerry better, so we’re embracing it.
(Do you do you treat it as a blank slate, or do you take into account what Gerry did for 11 games as the starter) I think Gerry’s got to come in and just continue to improve. And then, Blake’s got to come in and outplay him. I think he’s given that opportunity, and all of that’s kind of been laid out and talked about. And he’s attacking it, so I appreciate that.
(How do you feel about the RB room?) I think there is a lot of raw talent in that room. I think there’s great potential in that room. It’s very young. One of the things that we were searching for last year in that room was just kind of that fighter mentality, I’m going to attack you. I’m not going to be avoiding a hit or waiting to get hit. I’m going to go and finish a run and fall forward. And I think with Trestan Ebner, we were able to – all the credit to Juice, I thought he did a great job of fostering that. I remember games at the end, where he’s falling forward on guys, and our sideline’s energized. That was some time coming, and I think Ebner is better for it moving forward. And then, I thought Abram Smith was moved over for that reason, too. And I think we’re still in that phase right now of, that’s what we need for this offense is someone that’s going to look to dish out punishment rather than receive it or avoid it. We’ll see when the pads come on where it goes.
(On moving Josh Fleeks there, what was the reason behind that?) I think he’s got the ability to give us some of the things that Ebner gave us last year, but then I think he could also be ‘the guy,’ first, second, as well as third down. I think he’s got great vision, there’s a toughness about him, there’s a chip on his shoulder. And I think he’s got a great heart. You look at Josh and just his maturity and his improvement just as a person, I’m a big fan of his, and I really want to see him be successful. I want to see his goals achieved. I’m excited to see this spring for him.
(Goals for the spring) No. 1 for us – we have three – is own the standard. That’s off the field and on the field. So, off the field, class, integrity, academic excellence. We probably didn’t start as well as we wanted to academically, so we’re really pushing to finish strong with school. I think on the field, it’s energy and edge and execution. Guys were giving energy and fighting through all of it. That’s such a huge piece. And I look forward to our season coming up and just the games that we’re on the road, and it’s just going to be our traveling party versus whatever else, and we have to create our own energy. And just like anything else, it’s reps in practice and all that. And then, I think No. 2 would be we, not me. In spring ball, that’s me with you and not me versus you. So, it’s not an O versus D thing or DBs versus receivers thing. It’s guys pushing each other to get better. And then along with that, too, it becomes certain guys just in terms of buying in and being a part of all of it, because I think sometimes, some of the things we’re asking off the field is probably a bit much, when it’s just football in their front sight. So, it’s like, ‘Hey, dude, you can be you, but align with us. I think the worst thing if we’re just getting a bunch of Dave Arandas. How boring and brutal would that be, if we’re just recreating that? So, I think guys totally being themselves, but aligning with us and our standards in all of it is important. And three would be, it doesn’t matter, get better. So, the pressure and the adversity that we want to create, we have to execute in those situations so that when we get to the Novembers and the Decembers and all of it, that it’s second hand.
(Do you approach this as spring 3 and we’ve got to be advanced, or is it just get back to the basics) It would be back to basics. A great example would be, we cannot, or at least I believe we cannot assume that anything’s taught or anything is a given or anything’s understood, we have to teach it all. So, if there’s a unit teach period, and there’s a group that’s on the field and they’re being drilled in something, we really have to work on the guys that aren’t in the drill are paying attention to the drill and they’re locked into the drill, because it could be a Gerry Bohanon and Blake Shapen situation just like that, and now you’re in and now you’ve got to roll and now you have to execute. So, if that thing is broken and not working, then you don’t get the standard and you don’t get the execution that you want. So, all of those things are just foundational basic things. A lot of them are simple to say but they’re difficult to do, especially day in and day out.
*****
Hope to get more after the first workout. But this is a good sign.
A couple of things from the roster:
>As I mentioned in the RB story, Jonah White is apparently gone and Josh Fleeks officially moved from WR to RB.
>TE Tyler Henderson apparently gone. He was one of the seniors I was trying to get an answer to.
>WR Jackson Gleeson (banged up a lot in his career) and DL Dakota Doyle-Robinson no longer at Baylor.
Publisher
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda met with the media following the first practice on Tuesday. Here's what he shared.
Opening Statement
It’s good to be back. There’s been a lot of work, whether it’s conditioning or weight lifting or leadership and mentoring to get to this point. So I think in terms of a calendar maybe not a whole lot of time since we’ve been off the field, but it sure seems we’ve been investing a lot. So it’s good to see a lot of that pay off. I think our tempo was really good, guys were taking care of each other, not me against you but me with you. Trying to push you to get better and trying to push me to get better. We’ll see where that goes when the pads come on and there’s more pressure and competitive and all that. But I thought it was good. We were able to get a bunch of guys reps and they were fighting through the elements and all of it. So we had a good first day.
(Was it a different atmosphere coming off Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl win) No. I think the focus of hey this is our team, the past is the past, the future is what we make it. I think sometimes with young people there’s a tendency, I can remember this too, that hey when I get my shot, when I’m in the seat or when I’m in the position, when it’s my job, I’m going to act like this or I’m going to get this done. I just think there’s always kind of kick the can down the road as opposed to putting in the work wherever you’re at. And each day is an opportunity to get better, and each day is trial and error and being a better person. I think it’s more conducive to kind of chillin’ if you’re kicking it down the road as opposed to the grind of living inside out. So that’s challenge. We’re in those battles a lot right now.
(Offensive line experience) I think there is really a strong positive that can come of it. Right away when you ask the question, we have o-line and d-line guys coming back, I would look at it like man there’s dudes that are grad assistants, that was last year, and now they’re a full-time coach, or we got guys what were full-time coaches that are now coordinators. I think the role is different, what we’re asking from them is new and improved. I think change is difficult and change is never easy to embrace. But I think for us to go where we want to go and be who we need to be, then we need to be able to take that chance. It’s good that guys are back but we need them to be at their best, and that requires them to kind of emerge from where they’ve been.
(Quarterbacks) They rotated all throughout today, and I think Thursday will be the same. They’re competing against each other, and I think Shawn (Bell) does a great job of fostering that and managing that. And I think they do a good job of embracing that. For me, just learning from the past and the mistakes I’ve made in terms of managing all of it. I think you always want to come in, if you’re not the guy, you always want to come in with the opportunity to show what you can do. And if you do it, have an opportunity to play. I think that’s something I think is real and something that needs to be appreciated. We want to do a good job of seeing that. So getting guys reps and mixing guys with different groups and really making it competitive I think will bring out the best.
(When do you want to decide on QB) I think you’d like to do it at the end of spring. I think for Blake to be given an opportunity and then for Gerry to kind of assert himself is really kind of what’s happening. I think it’s fair to both of them. I think it only will make Blake and or Gerry better, so we’re embracing it.
(Do you do you treat it as a blank slate, or do you take into account what Gerry did for 11 games as the starter) I think Gerry’s got to come in and just continue to improve. And then, Blake’s got to come in and outplay him. I think he’s given that opportunity, and all of that’s kind of been laid out and talked about. And he’s attacking it, so I appreciate that.
(How do you feel about the RB room?) I think there is a lot of raw talent in that room. I think there’s great potential in that room. It’s very young. One of the things that we were searching for last year in that room was just kind of that fighter mentality, I’m going to attack you. I’m not going to be avoiding a hit or waiting to get hit. I’m going to go and finish a run and fall forward. And I think with Trestan Ebner, we were able to – all the credit to Juice, I thought he did a great job of fostering that. I remember games at the end, where he’s falling forward on guys, and our sideline’s energized. That was some time coming, and I think Ebner is better for it moving forward. And then, I thought Abram Smith was moved over for that reason, too. And I think we’re still in that phase right now of, that’s what we need for this offense is someone that’s going to look to dish out punishment rather than receive it or avoid it. We’ll see when the pads come on where it goes.
(On moving Josh Fleeks there, what was the reason behind that?) I think he’s got the ability to give us some of the things that Ebner gave us last year, but then I think he could also be ‘the guy,’ first, second, as well as third down. I think he’s got great vision, there’s a toughness about him, there’s a chip on his shoulder. And I think he’s got a great heart. You look at Josh and just his maturity and his improvement just as a person, I’m a big fan of his, and I really want to see him be successful. I want to see his goals achieved. I’m excited to see this spring for him.
(Goals for the spring) No. 1 for us – we have three – is own the standard. That’s off the field and on the field. So, off the field, class, integrity, academic excellence. We probably didn’t start as well as we wanted to academically, so we’re really pushing to finish strong with school. I think on the field, it’s energy and edge and execution. Guys were giving energy and fighting through all of it. That’s such a huge piece. And I look forward to our season coming up and just the games that we’re on the road, and it’s just going to be our traveling party versus whatever else, and we have to create our own energy. And just like anything else, it’s reps in practice and all that. And then, I think No. 2 would be we, not me. In spring ball, that’s me with you and not me versus you. So, it’s not an O versus D thing or DBs versus receivers thing. It’s guys pushing each other to get better. And then along with that, too, it becomes certain guys just in terms of buying in and being a part of all of it, because I think sometimes, some of the things we’re asking off the field is probably a bit much, when it’s just football in their front sight. So, it’s like, ‘Hey, dude, you can be you, but align with us. I think the worst thing if we’re just getting a bunch of Dave Arandas. How boring and brutal would that be, if we’re just recreating that? So, I think guys totally being themselves, but aligning with us and our standards in all of it is important. And three would be, it doesn’t matter, get better. So, the pressure and the adversity that we want to create, we have to execute in those situations so that when we get to the Novembers and the Decembers and all of it, that it’s second hand.
(Do you approach this as spring 3 and we’ve got to be advanced, or is it just get back to the basics) It would be back to basics. A great example would be, we cannot, or at least I believe we cannot assume that anything’s taught or anything is a given or anything’s understood, we have to teach it all. So, if there’s a unit teach period, and there’s a group that’s on the field and they’re being drilled in something, we really have to work on the guys that aren’t in the drill are paying attention to the drill and they’re locked into the drill, because it could be a Gerry Bohanon and Blake Shapen situation just like that, and now you’re in and now you’ve got to roll and now you have to execute. So, if that thing is broken and not working, then you don’t get the standard and you don’t get the execution that you want. So, all of those things are just foundational basic things. A lot of them are simple to say but they’re difficult to do, especially day in and day out.
*****
Hope to get more after the first workout. But this is a good sign.
A couple of things from the roster:
>As I mentioned in the RB story, Jonah White is apparently gone and Josh Fleeks officially moved from WR to RB.
>TE Tyler Henderson apparently gone. He was one of the seniors I was trying to get an answer to.
>WR Jackson Gleeson (banged up a lot in his career) and DL Dakota Doyle-Robinson no longer at Baylor.
